Summoning circles and demonic steel.
When those two were used together, the servants they could create generally fell into three categories.
Crackle... crackle...
[Deathmen], revived through forbidden sorcery.
Kiiiiing!
[Phantoms], called in from another world.
Fwoooosh...!
And [Demons].
All three races shared one trait: they required temporary bodies such as summoning circles and demonic steel. And naturally, the race Adelio intended to summon was demons.
The hardest race to tame, and the least trustworthy. But if the [Contract] was properly fulfilled, they could become more loyal than anyone else.
That was what demons were.
And Adelio himself was one of them.
'Begin now, [Odin].'
As the summoning circle lit up and absorbed the surrounding magicules, Adelio activated [Odin], [King of Inquiry].
<Activating summoning magic: [Summon Demon].>
Soon, following his command, [Odin] opened a passage connected to hell. And from that narrow path, it materialized a demon so massive it was hard to believe it had emerged from such a cramped opening.
"......"
It was a [Greater Demon]-class demon, with enormous fangs, beating wings, and red gleaming pupils set within golden eyes.
"......I was summoned because I sensed an unusual 'color' here... and as I thought..."
That [Greater Demon], speaking in a surprisingly beautiful voice that did not suit its savage appearance at all, looked at Adelio standing before it and then at Ria beside him.
"This lowly servant of the Black King dares to stand before the White King and the Grand Duke."
Then it dropped to one knee and bowed its head deeply.
"Hm. Pretty clever for one from [Noir]'s line, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
The absolute hierarchy of demons.
Though it had yet to evolve into an [Arch Demon], and so was still only a [Greater Demon] that had not even earned the lowest rank of Marquis, the giant demon recognized Ria and Adelio's status at a glance and continued in a calm voice.
"I am not foolish enough to fail to recognize the Empress of Hell and her consort. And naturally, just because you are not my master, the Black King, that does not mean I have any intention of refusing your [Contract]."
It really was a black-line demon, all right. An eccentric through and through.
Most ordinary [Greater Demons] were creatures that relied almost entirely on instinct. Most of them would be terrified just to stand before an [Arch Demon], let alone one of the [Primordial Demons] who ruled them. But this one had correctly grasped Ria and Adelio's status and showed no sign of fear whatsoever.
Rather, it looked at them with open interest, eagerly waiting for whatever order they would give. There was a reason [Noir]'s followers were called oddballs.
'Well, the stranger they are, the less likely they are to break a [Contract]. That's why I like the black line better.'
Nodding at the [Greater Demon]'s almost bold reply, Adelio stretched out one hand and wrapped the demon in his magicules.
"The [Contract] we want is simple. In exchange for you serving this one as her subordinate for a hundred years, we'll give you a name and a body. That's all. Simple, right?"
"...For a [Greater Demon] like me, that is the reward I need most."
"Right. I'm a Grand Duke, after all. I'm not about to scam one of my own kind."
For a demon that had escaped hell, the most important thing was, naturally, a body. And for monsters, the thing they desired most was, naturally, a name.
A name and a body. Those two things were the indispensable seeds of evolution and growth.
"And serving this one won't be so bad either. Believe it or not, she's the Queen of the [Pixie] race, one of the Ten Great Demon Lords."
"The Queen of the [Pixie] race... I see. [Labyrinth], then."
The [Greater Demon] briefly turned its gaze toward Ramiris, who was trying to yank Adelio's hair as if to protest, What do you mean, 'won't be so bad'? Then it nodded, saying it understood.
"Though she is not one of the [Primordial Demons], if I may attend the first [Demon Lord], one said to stand on equal footing with them, that would be an honor beyond measure."
"Then we have a deal."
The moment the [Greater Demon] gave its consent, Adelio used the magicules spread around them to conclude the [Contract]. Then he released his power once more and bestowed a name upon the demon.
"From this moment on, your name is Beretta."
Fwoooosh!!
At once, the [Greater Demon]... no, Beretta, received his name, and the signs of evolution began to appear. The pieces of demonic steel floating around him became his body, transforming him into something like a humanoid golem.
His magicules, now even more intense, hardened into a black cloak, and the armor that had found its master changed into his flesh—
"...For the next hundred years, I shall devote all my loyalty to you, Lady Ramiris."
—thus, the birth of [Arc Doll].
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