Loki looked down at Razen's unconscious form and clicked his tongue.
"Since when do humans have the strength to stop something like that…"
Rain folded her arms. "Well then, Loki. Since he completed your test, that means you have a subordinate now. Congratulations."
Loki visibly shuddered.
"Ugh… don't say it like that," he muttered. "I really didn't think he'd pull it off. I was sure he was done for."
In truth, the idea of having a subordinate made his skin crawl. It sounded like responsibility. Expectations. Annoying conversations. The worst kind of trouble.
He walked over to Razen and crouched beside him, staring at the court mage's soot-stained face. Loki poked his cheek once.
"Oi."
No reaction.
He poked him again, harder.
"Oi, Razen."
Still nothing.
"…Huh," Loki said. "He's actually out cold."
Rain sighed sharply. "Obviously. He's completely mana depleted."
Loki's eyes lit up.
"Oh?" He leaned closer to Razen's ear, smiling widely. "Should I summon another meteor? Maybe that'll wake him up."
The air behind him suddenly changed.
A crushing, murderous aura pressed against Loki's back, sharp enough to make his instincts scream. His body stiffened, a chill running down his spine.
Slowly, he turned.
Rain stood there with a terrifyingly pleasant smile.
"Loki," she said softly. "I dare you to summon another one."
Loki swallowed.
"…Maybe not today," he replied quickly.
The pressure vanished just as abruptly.
Rain exhaled, regaining her composure, and looked back at Razen. "Now then. Since he's your subordinate, what measures are you going to take to ensure he doesn't betray you?"
Loki groaned. "Rain, why are you starting to sound like Misery?"
He stood and stretched lazily. "Aren't you supposed to be the cool one? Why are you being so boring. Wouldn't it be nice to just cause destruction together?"
"No," Rain said instantly.
She shot him a sharp look. "Because if I did that, Guy-sama would be furious. He entrusted me with guarding you. I refuse to fail again."
Loki stared at her for a long moment.
Then he sighed.
"…Fine. I'll use the Master Lock Seal."
Rain's eyes widened slightly. "The same one that was used on those humans?"
"Yeah."
She frowned. "You already knew it?"
"Nope," Loki replied casually. "I learned it while interacting with it earlier."
Rain froze.
Sweat trickled down her temple.
Calm down, Rain, she told herself. It's only an extremely powerful enslavement seal that he broke… and learned… with ease.
Loki walked over to Razen and knelt again. With a smooth, practiced motion, he placed his hand over Razen's chest.
Magic flowed effortlessly from his palm.
Complex sigils formed and sank into Razen's body, binding themselves to his soul with absolute authority.
Razen didn't stir.
A moment later, Loki stood up.
"There. Done."
Rain nodded, relieved. "Good. Now let's return before Guy-sama becomes even angrier."
"Wait," Loki said.
Rain's patience frayed. "What now?"
Without answering, Loki walked toward the shimmering barrier nearby.
With a flick of his fingers, the prison dissolved.
Shogo and Kirara stumbled forward as the pressure vanished, terror etched into their faces. Their earlier bravado was completely gone.
Shogo dropped to his knees instantly.
"P-Please, Mr. Demon!" he begged. "Don't kill me! I just got here, I don't know anything! I, I can be your subordinate too!"
Kirara followed suit, her voice trembling.
"You saw it too, didn't you?" she said desperately. "We were being forced to do things against our will. I wouldn't have attacked you if it wasn't for the seal!"
Loki looked down at the two otherworlders kneeling before him and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
They really are desperate.
The words spilling from their mouths were half-truths at best. Yes, the Master Lock Seal had influenced them, forced their compliance, twisted their choices but at their core?
They weren't good people.
The girl was selfish, always prioritizing herself.
The boy was arrogance given human form, pride bloated far beyond his actual worth.
If this were later… Loki thought. If this were after everything…
In the original story, they had gone on to commit unforgivable acts. Massacres. Betrayals. And worst of all—
They killed Milk Mommy Shion. Absolutely unforgivable!
Just the memory made something cold stir in his chest.
If this were that point in time, he wouldn't have hesitated. He would've erased them without a second thought.
But that wasn't the case now.
Right now, these two hadn't crossed that line yet. They hadn't killed. They hadn't stained their hands with blood that couldn't be washed away.
Killing them now would mean killing them for sins not yet committed.
Imagine executing someone for a future crime, Loki mused. That's… excessive. Even for a demon.
He had been human once. That mattered more than he liked to admit.
And Agera, who had walked beside him for so long had been human too.
Maybe that was why his demonic instincts weren't screaming for blood. Why he felt irritation instead of murderous delight.
Sure, Shogo had tried to kill him. Repeatedly.
But Loki barely even counted that.
Why would I bother taking revenge on an ant that tried to bite my boot?
If they had been natives of this world, things would've ended differently.
But they weren't.
They were from Earth.
And that alone buys you more mercy than you deserve.
Loki sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"I don't need any subordinates," he said calmly.
Both Kirara and Shogo stiffened.
"But I do have an offer for you."
"An offer?" Kirara echoed, her voice trembling.
Shogo swallowed hard. "Offer…?"
"Yes."
Loki's gaze sharpened slightly.
"I won't say this twice, so listen carefully."
The air itself seemed to still.
"I'll take you out of this kingdom," Loki continued. "Somewhere you'll be safe."
Kirara's breath caught.
"And while you're there," he added, "I'll search for a way to send you back home."
Both of them froze.
"Of course," Loki said indifferently, "you're free to refuse."
His eyes narrowed just a fraction.
"But if you do, understand this, if we ever meet again, I won't be this kind."
Silence followed.
Kirara's eyes widened, light flooding them.
"R-Really…?" she asked, her voice cracking. "You can really find a way to send me back?"
Loki scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah. Probably," he said casually. "Guy might know something."
He glanced sideways.
"Right, Rain?"
Rain looked at him flatly.
"Loki," she said. "If you're thinking of taking these humans back to the castle with us, forget it."
"Relax," Loki replied. "I know another place."
Kirara didn't hesitate another second.
"I'll go with you," she said firmly.
Shogo clicked his tongue in irritation.
"I'll stay," he declared. "I don't want to go back to Earth."
Loki didn't even look at him.
"Do as you please."
He turned away, already losing interest.
Rain watched him for a moment, then asked, "Where to now?"
Loki smiled.
"To visit an old friend," he said lightly. "Shizue Izawa."
Inside, his excitement bubbled uncontrollably.
That meteor…
That was fun.
Pulling something that massive from the heavens had sent a thrill straight through his soul. Power like that, raw, overwhelming, undeniable, it made his very existence hum.
Hmm…
His grin widened imperceptibly.
What if someday I pulled the moon closer to the Cardinal World?
Just imagining it made his skin tingle.
But then he frowned in thought.
That'd take an absurd amount of magicules.
I'd probably need both Veldora and Velzard's reserves…
And even then, it still might not be enough.
The thought didn't discourage him.
If anything
It only made him want it more.
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