“I… I don’t have any money.”
The young girl’s voice was weak and helpless, not daring to look into the eyes of the “Witch” on the throne.
“No money?”
Celia sighed when she heard this. She had thought she had found a real sucker.
However, that sigh fell on the girl’s ears as the prelude to a death sentence.
The girl’s body trembled. She frantically reached out and grabbed the red crystal on her chest.
“This, I’ll give you this!”
The girl’s fingers tightened, trying to rip the crystal off by force.
“This is a mag… this is the most valuable thing I have! Even though the mana inside is almost exhausted, the quality is still good. Please, don’t kill me, don’t throw me out!”
The crystal seemed to be fused with her flesh. As the girl pulled, blood seeped out along her fair skin.
Celia’s pupils constricted slightly.
‘A gemstone growing in her flesh?’
A normal person would never have such a structure.
‘Is this child not human?’
In an instant, countless dangerous guesses flashed through Celia’s mind: a monster in human form? An evil alchemical creation? Or some dangerous heretic wanted by the authorities?
If she was trouble, Celia absolutely couldn’t keep her. Just as Celia was about to question her, Elent, who had been watching from the side, spoke up first.
“Ah, so it’s a demi-human half-blood?”
Elent explained in a knowledgeable tone.
“Miss Priestess, don’t be surprised. I’ve seen similar races while adventuring. Some demi-humans are born with distinct traits, just like an elf’s long ears. It’s a very normal physiological feature.”
The girl was stunned.
‘Demi-human?’
She, the noble 19th Demon King Candidate, a High Demon of the purest abyss bloodline, Iris, was actually being mistaken for a lowly demi-human?
But Iris looked at the “Witch,” whose gaze was gradually shifting from vigilance back to disdain.
Although it was humiliating, this seemed to be her only way to survive in this terrifying place.
“Y-yes.”
“I am Iris, a demi-human. I was kicked out of my village because I looked strange.”
The girl accepted this new identity.
“I see.”
So she was a demi-human. That had scared her; she thought it was something serious.
As long as she wasn’t some Demon King or a cultist wanted by the Church, it didn’t matter if she grew stones or horns.
And if she was a demi-human, that would be easy to handle. In Celia’s memory, demi-humans generally had great physiques. They should be quite durable, right?
“Since it’s a part of your body, keep that broken stone for yourself. It’s useless to me.”
Celia remained seated on the cold Slime Throne, her gaze sweeping across the girl’s pale face as she delivered the verdict.
“If you don’t have money, then you’ll have to pay with your body.”
Iris’s body trembled, the despair in her eyes deepening. ‘As expected, is it coming to this?’
“The Church is missing a general laborer for cleaning. Although you look clumsy, I doubt you can handle any delicate work.”
Celia pointed to the messy backyard.
“Room and board included, no salary. You’ll work until you pay off those 100 gold coins.”
“…Eh?”
It seemed a bit different from what she had imagined?
……
The Church restaurant.
Iris huddled in the corner of the table, holding the steaming Golden Crispy Fried Chicken as if it were a rare treasure.
Even this kind of food, which was ordinary to Celia, was a supreme delicacy to her now.
But who would have thought? The 19th Demon King Candidate, who once ruled the Crimson Wasteland and tried to promote the spirit of contracts in the Demon Realm, would end up like this.
‘Lady Iris, you are too gentle. And in the Demon Realm, gentleness is the original sin.’
Her adjutant’s mocking face seemed to be right before her eyes.
On the very night Iris was prepared to issue the Prohibition of Random Killing Decree, her older sister had led a bloodthirsty army straight in, attempting to capture her.
She had relied on burning her soul’s source mana to escape like a stray dog into the Endless Forest, a place known as a forbidden zone for life.
Three months.
For three full months, Iris hadn’t had a single peaceful night’s sleep or a hot meal. To avoid the magical beasts tracking the scent of blood, she even had to jump into rotting swamps to cover her scent.
‘I was not wrong.’
Iris took a bite of the fried chicken. The crispy skin burst between her teeth, and the scalding juices numbed her tongue, but she couldn’t bear to spit it out.
‘It is the world that is wrong.’
Tears began to fall, pit-a-patter, onto the table.
“Why are you crying? Crying while eating.”
An impatient voice interrupted her memories. Iris flinched, almost dropping the chicken leg in her hand.
“People will think I’m mistreating a prisoner,” Celia said as she took a sip of Happy Water and frowned. “Wipe your nose. Don’t let it drip into the plate.”
“S-sorry!”
Iris frantically wiped her face with her sleeve.
“Miss Priestess, she probably hasn’t eaten anything good in a long time,” Elent said, sitting opposite her.
“Besides, this chicken isn’t just an ordinary chicken. It’s a Crimson Giant Chicken. For demi-humans, the meat of such a high-level magical beast is very nourishing. She might be moved by the replenishment.”
“?”
Celia glanced at the sobbing “demi-human.”
‘Moved to tears just by eating a chicken leg? What kind of life did this child lead before?’
“Listen up, newbie.”
Celia put down her cup and pulled a freshly written piece of parchment from her robes, slapping it onto the table.
“This is the Church Cleaner Employment Agreement. First, wake up at 6:00 AM every morning to clean the backyard; second, be responsible for washing all the dishes and clothes; third, and most importantly — “
Celia pointed toward her room.
“Without my permission, you are absolutely forbidden from entering my room, and you are not allowed to disturb my sleep.”
“Can you do it?”
That girl Lynn seemed busy every day. Hiring someone out of the goodness of her heart should lighten her load.
Iris stared intently at the parchment. ‘Is this the legendary Soul Contract?’
To think she wouldn’t even need an altar or a magic circle. She could bind the soul of a Demon King candidate with such a crude medium.
‘This witch’s power is unfathomable!’
Therefore, she couldn’t resist. She had to recover here first and escape secretly once her strength returned! Iris bit her lip, trying to maintain her dignity as a demon.
“I… I’ll sign. But, Lady Witch… could you please not turn my soul into a puppet? At least… at least let me keep my self-awareness! I’ll be very obedient, really!”
Celia looked at Iris like she was an idiot. Was there something wrong with this child’s head?
‘Are all demi-humans like this?’
Celia leaned toward the former.
“What are you talking about? Do I look like the type of person who would do that?”
Celia shoved a pen into her hand.
“Just sign it. Also, if you break a broom, you’ll have to pay for it at market value. It’ll be deducted from your salary.”
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