In the hazy state between dreams and reality, an unpleasant noise echoed in one ear, like a spider crawling inside my ear canal.
I swung my arm to shoo away the bug, only to see a fly circling above my head in a mocking figure-eight pattern.
Struggling to open my sleep-laden eyes, I noticed the fly had already landed on the hard floor in front of me.
Our eyes met.
Its grotesque little eyes stared at me as it rubbed its front legs together, as if washing them—almost as if it was taunting me.
Infuriated by the interruption of my peaceful sleep, I swung my tail down at it.
A loud thud echoed as the floor caved in.
“Ugh… What’s going on…? Tia?”
Jenny, who had been sleeping beside me, rubbed her eyes and sat up groggily.
“It’s nothing. Just a fly.”
She looked at the dented floor, her donkey-like ears standing straight up in shock, like a startled herbivore.
“Wait, why is the floor caved in?!”
“I just swung my tail trying to kill the fly… and, well, this happened.”
I trailed off, knowing that I was at least partially at fault.
“No, this just means the floor was too weak! How does it break from just a tail strike? This is shoddy construction! Absolute garbage! Seriously… These idiots running this labyrinth city can’t do anything right.”
Jenny let out a dry laugh at my ridiculous excuse.
“You really think that makes sense? Whatever… I don’t care. Just tell the administrator you did it when they show up.”
“Got it. So heartless.”
What a cold-hearted woman, completely lacking in camaraderie.
I grumbled, running my hand over the damaged floor.
There was no way I could just smooth it over and restore it.
“…But why are there so many flies?”
Looking around, I could count at least a dozen buzzing about.
“The damn administrators probably had another drunken party and didn’t bother cleaning up.”
Jenny’s voice dripped with irritation.
“What the hell is all this noise?”
A middle-aged man approached from the hallway beyond the bars.
His eyes landed on the disaster I had created on the floor.
“Who did this?” he asked, his voice filled with barely restrained anger.
“I did.”
I confessed immediately and glanced over at Jenny.
She had already curled up in the corner, pretending to be asleep—no surprise there.
I hadn’t expected any help from her anyway.
The administrator let out a deep sigh before grabbing a stick and jabbing it through the bars, poking me like some kind of wild beast.
“A damn demon-kin who sold their soul to the devils should be grateful just to sit still and keep quiet, and yet here you are causing trouble.”
Demon-kin.
That’s what they call humans who have sold their souls to demons.
It’s said that when negative emotions—anger, jealousy, and the like—accumulate beyond a certain threshold in someone saturated with demonic energy, they transform into either a monster or a demon-kin.
This land’s religion brands demon-kin as sinners—fools who have forsaken their humanity, seduced by the whispers of demons.
Those who become demon-kin undergo physical changes.
Some, like me, develop scales, wings, and tails, resembling the dragonkin of fantasy novels.
Others, like Jenny, grow animal ears. Some become completely covered in fur.
There are only two ways for a demon-kin to be forgiven:
Either surrender and be executed by the church’s enforcers, or hunt other sinners—monsters—as their expendable hunting dogs.
Jenny and I belonged to the latter category.
Lucky, in a way.
At least we weren’t dead.
Sure, we had to spend our lives doing these bastards’ dirty work, but hey—better than dying.
I’d already died once in my previous life.
Once was enough.
“Hey! You damn lizard, are you even listening to me?!”
The administrator’s wild jabbing struck me squarely on the forehead.
Thanks to my transformation, it didn’t hurt.
But it was still infuriating.
Not just because he was poking me with a stick—
“Lizard?”
He called me a lizard.
I glared at him.
For a split second, he flinched.
And in that moment, I caught a glimpse of the emotions flickering across his face.
Anger at my defiance.
Disgust toward demon-kin.
And a brief, humiliating flash of fear—at the thought that I might retaliate.
If not for the bars between us…
If not for the seals suppressing my power…
Would he still act so arrogantly?
Would he still look down on me like this?
No.
He’d be on his knees, begging for his life.
Humans are like that.
The moment they become weak, they cower.
The moment they gain power, they trample on those weaker than them.
Of course, some pretend to be different.
Laws, moral codes, social expectations—
These things force people to wear masks.
Thick, sturdy masks.
But what happens when those masks are stripped away?
In moments of life-threatening desperation?
Or when granted unchecked power?
Would anyone resist the urge to kneel before the strong and crush the weak?
I don’t need to search the world to know that Santa Claus isn’t real.
You don’t need proof.
You just realize it when you grow up.
When you lose your innocence and see the world for what it is.
“You damn brat! You better lower those eyes!”
The administrator struck me repeatedly.
But before it could go further—
“Administrator, sir!”
A young man rushed toward us in a panic.
“Tsk. What is it now?”
The lingering emotions he had yet to suppress were now directed at the young man.
“Uh… well…”
“How many times do I have to tell you to speak properly without stuttering?! Huh?! You idiot!”
“I-I’m sorry..! A newly appointed Monster Tamer is coming down with the Priest.”
“What? And you’re telling me this just now?”
Even after that, the administrator continued to berate the young man for no real reason.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to go and greet the Priest and the Monster Tamer instead of wasting time like this?
But it seemed the administrator was more desperate for a trash can to dump his emotions into rather than actually doing his job.
“You’re lucky today.”
The administrator shot me a glare as he spoke.
Perhaps he felt humiliated for even briefly showing fear toward me, a prisoner behind iron bars.
He made sure to regain his fragile pride before storming off with the young man.
Pathetic.
After they left, Jenny stirred, rustling as she abandoned her act of pretending to sleep.
“You didn’t get beaten up much today? Lucky you.”
She yawned as she spoke.
“What? Disappointed?”
“No, not really. I’m not the type to take joy in seeing my cellmate suffer.”
“Then why not help out a little?”
“Helping others is a hassle. I don’t really feel like it.”
“Wow, so honest.”
“As long as it doesn’t affect me, I don’t really care.”
Well, I’d rather deal with someone like her—straightforward—than someone two-faced.
“Sigh… The administrator will probably be back soon with that Monster Tamer and the Priest. I wanted to sleep more.”
How much does she need to sleep to feel satisfied? I could’ve sworn she went to bed early yesterday.
“How many hours did you even sleep?”
“Around twelve… But I’m still tired… I was always a heavy sleeper, but ever since I became like this, I’ve been needing even more sleep.”
Jenny stretched, speaking in a drowsy voice.
“If I keep lying down while the Monster Tamer is here, the administrator will get pissed, and that’ll just bring more trouble. Ugh… Annoying, but I guess I should at least sit up.”
She tidied up her hair and clothes.
In the distance, footsteps echoed through the hallway.
“Why are there so many flies here? Are you sure this place is being managed properly? Monster Tamer, I apologize for the unpleasant experience.”
A familiar male voice rang out—it was the Priest of this place. What was his name again? Cruyff…?
“It’s fine.”
This time, a female voice I had never heard before responded.
“Ahaha… We clean frequently, but today there seem to be a lot. My apologies. But I assure you, it’s plenty sanitary, so there’s no need to worry.”
The administrator’s voice was flustered, desperately making excuses.
As they descended the stairs, their figures came into view.
A Priest clad in black robes, the administrator trailing anxiously behind him, and two unfamiliar young individuals—a man and a woman.
The woman, dressed in pristine white attire, looked around curiously, eyes sparkling like someone exploring a foreign country for the first time.
In contrast, the man in a robe stood beside her with a disinterested expression.
“Now, please present your certification as a recognized Monster Tamer from the Labyrinth City.”
The Priest addressed the woman.
She reached into her belongings and retrieved a metallic medal engraved with a symbol.
“Is this what you’re referring to?”
The Priest carefully examined the medal before nodding.
“Yes, Haru Euphiria. Your credentials have been confirmed.”
He then turned his gaze toward the man.
“I’m not a Monster Tamer. I just came along with her, so there’s no need to bother with me.”
“Ah, I see. Then we only need to introduce the contract-bound monsters to Miss Haru.”
A Monster Tamer.
A person who controls monsters.
If a contracted monster is a hunting dog, then a Monster Tamer is the hunter.
The people of this city constantly live under the threat of monsters.
And ironically, one of the ways they found to overcome that threat was by using the monsters themselves.
But monsters are no different from wild beasts.
The fearful inhabitants of the Labyrinth City must have believed that wild beasts require an experienced trainer and a strong leash.
Thus, the system of Monster Tamers and Contracts was born.
A Monster Tamer is the trainer who tames the beasts, and the contract is the sturdy leash that keeps them in check.
“But still, Miss Haru, you seem quite young to already be a certified Monster Tamer. That’s truly impressive.”
“Haha… Is that so? Maybe I was just lucky.”
“One cannot become a Monster Tamer through luck alone.
It requires natural talent and relentless effort.
That’s why the citizens of the Labyrinth City can feel at ease.
“Imagine if there were dangerous beasts roaming freely in the city, and the person holding their leash was some clueless, incompetent trainer—how could anyone feel safe?”
The Priest skillfully flattered Haru, his words well-practiced.
If he weren’t wearing a black priest’s robe, he could easily be mistaken for a greedy merchant.
Feeling that he had successfully lifted her spirits, he finally moved on.
“Now then, let’s begin the selection process.”