05. Deal with the Devil (6)

The devil whispers to give you strength.

It’s very suspicious. I first suspected it and looked it up.

“What kind of power do you mean?”

[…] Kut! To say that I have to give power to someone who doesn’t even know what it means for this body to give me strength. It’s normal to be so moved to the point of shedding tears… !]

“Noisy. I haven’t decided to take it yet. And all those who received demonic power had a bad end?”

[Huh. That’s because it’s an insignificant third-class level, so it’s natural for a demonic power of my level to become the ruler of the human world.]

Anyway, bluffing on the subject of losing the body and leaving only the soul.

I didn’t trust Young, but I decided to listen to it until the end. I was curious about what a devil’s pact was.

I don’t necessarily want power, I’ll have a lot of fights with demon worshipers in the future, but I just wanted to know what demons could offer.

Certatus sneered and opened his mouth, as if not to be surprised when he heard it. Of course, since he doesn’t have a body, it means that he did it as an image in his head.

“Baby. I will lend you this Kertatus-sama’s magic. If it’s the magic of this body that was called the strongest devil in the demon world, it’s going to be a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of

“What? No. You don’t need it?”

[…] What?]

I answered in a timid voice.

“If I’m not even a devil worshiper, would you call me crazy? I can clearly see the future of being caught by the police.”

[I don’t know what public security is, but it’s a power that even a mere human can’t dare to touch-]

“And turn all humans into enemies? You’re a nuisance to your grandfather and your friends? I don’t need that kind of power even if it’s free.”

It may be the power that a demon worshiper would like to obtain by sacrificing his magic and soul, but to me it is just a piece of baggage.

On the contrary, I feel like it’s a miracle that Certatus didn’t manage to get caught while using his demonic energy with my body.

[…] You don’t need my power? If it was a low-level demon, he would have laughed at just one word and willingly pulled out his soul… !]

“Because I am a human, not a demon. So is that the end? Is there anything else?”

[Then… How about having this body fight for you when you’re in danger, kid?”]

“Are you crazy? To entrust my body to you again? No, and if you start fighting, you will fight while shedding demon energy, so then there is no point in rejecting the first offer?”

[Kuh! You don’t like this either? There were so many demons who begged me, the best fighter in the demon realm, to be possessed just once… !]

Certatus’ voice grew increasingly disconcerted.

[Then, what about lifespan? I will share my life force. You will be able to live a long life beyond the limits of the species.]

It’s life… It’s not bad, but I’m not too attracted to it. I am only seventeen, a bright age to regret my lifespan.

Besides, if I couldn’t prevent the impending destruction, my life would end in 10 years, no matter how long I had left, so it was meaningless.

“Not even that.”

[Damn it! What is that? Then, what else is there? Oh yeah! How about unlimited stamina! It’s a man’s power! Even until you paint shit on the wall, you’ll be able to chug one of your lower legs for the rest of your life!]

“Did you turn? You don’t even need that kind of power?”

[Hmm, well… Boy, you really don’t need it. It’s big enough to jump up and down every morning-]

I hate the naked words Kertatus uttered.

“This, crazy… Why are you judging other people’s bodies!”

[Ha! It’s a body that could have been my body sooner or later, so it’s natural to check it out. Don’t be shy. It was pretty good even by Kertatus’ standards. If it’s you, even the girls in the demon realm will die-]

“Hey! … Oh, it’s the head.”

I am at an age where I know everything. Even so, Certatus’ vulgar obscenity was not at all acceptable. They say this guy is a demon of struggle, did he just do things like that with women when he was alive?

Certatus squeaks and talks to me again.

[Isn’t that obvious? Struggle and win! Then, of course, the reward follows. Blood and death! Drinks and Girls! That’s my way of life.]

Are you trying to take advantage of that gap by distracting me with this conversation?

“Whoa….”

No, no. Don’t get caught up in it. Anyway, I’m holding the initiative right now. If it was necessary, it would have been enough to break everything and put him to sleep with the power of the ring.

But even so, that didn’t solve all the problems. The power of the ring is obviously great and it will be your own weapon against the devil, but if you use this ring too much, your relationship with Kertatus will be at its worst.

That is like carrying a ticking time bomb inside your body. If the safety device called the ring is broken, the bomb called Kertatus will eventually explode.

If Kertatus had been the devil I had thought of, he wouldn’t have had such trouble. I would have sealed him inside of myself even at the risk of exploding one day. He wouldn’t have even thought of attempting a conversation.

But it is also true that he helped me in one way or another. The intention of taking the body is reprehensible and difficult to forgive, but when it came to fighting and fighting with the children, or when Yuna’s house was attacked, Kertatus helped in the end, for whatever reason.

That put my judgment on hold. Because I thought we should have a conversation. As he said, if his purpose was really to get revenge on other demons, it seemed like there would be room for compromise.

While thinking about it, I wanted to ask Yuna why she helped me, but since she wasn’t talking about it now, she decided to put it off until later.

I deliberately scratched him in a sarcastic tone.

“You said you would give me strength, but there are a lot of things that have no energy. Demons usually grant wishes, don’t they?”

[…] Damn it! I am a demon of struggle, not a demon of wishes! Then I ask, what is your wish, kid?]

“Me? Yeah….”

Of course, I create a masterpiece with my own hands.

But that’s not what I want to achieve by asking someone to do it. It is my dream that I want to achieve with all my skills and my own strength. You won’t feel a sense of accomplishment if you only achieve results without a process.

To begin with, this guy isn’t even a blacksmith’s demon. I don’t know if such demons actually exist.

“My wish is not the kind of thing you want to wish to the devil. I wish I had power, but I don’t need power dangerous enough to eat me.”

[You sound weak. Power is inherently dangerous. There are so many people who want to become strong with the determination to lay down their lives… Tsk, give them weapons or gold and they’ll say they don’t need them… After all, is that the only thing?]

Certatus was silent for a while. As if he was greatly hesitating about something, he rhymed for a long time before finally opening his mouth heavily as if he couldn’t help it.

[Child. I will give you my power.]

“Power?”

[Yes. Power of struggle.]

The power of struggle. It sounds pretty plausible once you hear the words.

“Tell me exactly what it is.”

[I don’t even know what this means… ! Queue! If I have a body, I want to grab the back of your neck…. Listen carefully. Each demon has its own power. Corrosion, false image, lust, pride, each name is different, but in my case, it is a struggle. It gives you the power of struggle itself.]

“What happens if I grant it?”

[I don’t know.]

“What? What if you don’t know?”

You say you don’t know even though it’s your own authority. I’m dumbfounded.

Certatus spoke in a voice that raised his blood pressure.

[Turn off… A struggle is a fight for victory. It is a way of life to overcome hardships and adversity. I only give you that power, but I don’t know how that power will work for you. Whether it’s getting better at fighting, or getting stronger, or….]

“Or not?”

[Nothing may happen.]

“Hey, are you kidding me? What power is that?”

[What do you mean! The fact that the devil bestows power means that he will make an apostle, but I have never made an apostle!]

I was even more shocked by those words.

“What, Sado? What’s the difference between being a devil’s disciple and being a devil worshiper? No. Are you going to be the boss of a devil worshiper?”

[Authority is different from magic! It’s just a concept and a phenomenon! To use your words in an easy-to-understand way, it’s like a skill. And becoming an apostle doesn’t really change anything! You just need to receive authority.]

Kertatus sighed heavily in his head.

[This is a really ridiculous condition. There was also a guy who offered a country as a sacrifice to become an apostle of the devil… I’m not asking for anything, I’m just giving you the power. Do you know how common demons like me are?]

“You wouldn’t want anything. Let’s contract If you assume that you will receive authority, then what are the conditions you want?”

That was the most important thing. What I have to give to Certatus in exchange for power from the devil.

No matter how good I get, if what I have to give is fatal, it’s better not to make the deal at all.

[…] Don’t ask for much I’ve already given up on most of them. I am satisfied with very very generous conditions.]

“Tell me.”

[My condition is that you can freely use your body while you sleep-]

I raised my left hand.

“Go to sleep.”

[No, wait! Stop this bastard- Turn it off…….]

Certatus fell into a deep sleep.

Performance sure.