Hans sat at the front of the large cart, his hands tightly holding the reigns of the horses carrying the load down the empty, bumpy road ahead.
Though his hands were steady as he kept the cart moving forward, his mind was unfocused and jumbled.
Why? Because of the events that transpired hours earlier.
His mind kept drifting back to the incident. The young miss had gone into a feeding frenzy and formed contracts with three nearly broken demons to feed on their desires of despair.
A desire, like any other, the soul generates when certain conditions of the heart and mind are met.
He had seen the way his young miss had shifted their paths from the edge of the abyss to an insurmountable mountain to keep them alive for her own gains. Not a surprising action for a devil, but far from an untroubling one.
The event had brought a twinge of unease to the old man.
He glanced back at the now sleeping Hannya. Her head rested on the lap of Rose, the eldest charm demon that agreed to serve her. The demon gently brushed the little one's hair as she stared down at her with a small smile on her face.
Another, Lily, sat near. A meek looking woman, she was sewing silk borrowed from Hans, to make a new dress for her new young lady. Periodically, she would glance at the sleeping devil and smile as well.
The last, Penelope, sat beside Hans at the front. She was the most peculiar one, she frowned at her surroundings, her brows knitted as she looked around. She was tightly clutching a small dagger in her hand, ever since she got it from Hans, she had yet to sheath it.
It would seem, by the way she acted, she was trying her best to play guard of this makeshift caravan, even with her non-existent experience. Admirable.
So it would seem…
'Sigh'
But Hans knew better. He was well trained. The demon woman was not guarding the surroundings, her tensed muscles, her line of sight, and the perfect distance at where she sat. It was obvious.
She was not guarding her young lady from would be brigands, she was guarding the little devil from Hans.
But just like the others, every now and then, the untrained housewife would peek at the young girl with soft eyes.
All three carried the same subtle gleam in their vision as they looked at Hannya. Portions of their darkness gone, ripped away to feed the growing vessel of the six star. Replaced with determination, respect, and…something else, something…irrational.
'Irrational indeed.'
Hans thought as he glanced at the dagger angled slightly in his direction.
But all of this was not the source of the small corner of budding fear buried deep in his heart.
The butler focused his consciousness inward, revealing his battle hardened soul. It was a blazing red flame, surrounded by endless darkness. Flicks of yellow whipped out and swirled around the circular mass of energy. The ball was as hot as the sun, but the true power lay dormant within, long since controlled and composed.
His outer soul, the best one could interpret and understand at his current level of existence.
As he focused on his own soul, he could see it clearly, the same as always, save for one difference.
Floating above the flaming ball brimming with vitality, orbited two different colored pages written in words of magical power and chaos energy.
One large golden page, written in purple text, his queen, Gula.
And one small black page, so small one might not notice it had they not known about it, written in pink text, his young lady, Hannya.
Yes. During that event, Hans had signed a contract with Hannya as well.
That was the cause of his budding fear.
At that time, When Hannya was offering the contracts to the charm demons, Hans decided that things were moving too quickly. He did not know what the contracts detailed, but during a devils feeding frenzy, deals tended to be longterm and unforgiving.
He did not feel right sitting there allowing his young lady to take advantage of demons that were obviously unfit to make decisions at the time. He wanted to try and get Hannya to snap out of her state and think more carefully about the choice she was making.
It most likely wouldn't change her decision to contract with them, but maybe it would give Hannya pause from asking for something unreasonable like their souls forever. She was still young and could come to regret it, given her previous disposition.
But as Hans stepped forward, Hannya felt his approach and turned around. She looked down at the face of the concerned war demon and smiled. Her eyes spinning with a mischievous light.
As Hans got closer the little devil spoke.
"Ah, War Demon. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you." Her voice carefree and happy, but her eyes soon sharpened.
SWOOSH
In an instant, Hannya disappeared from her spot. She reappeared close to Hans in a blur, wrapped in pink chi, her small body in the air and her foot inches away from the side of the old man's head.
POW
A small shockwave followed, flowing out through the field and into the forest beyond.
A devastating blow… for anyone but the old butler.
With his left arm raised, his hand opened lazily as his wrist kept the young devil's kick at bay.
"Tch! Not even a flinch? Kikiki. You could at least pretend I'm mighty, War Demon. Where's your etiquette? kikiki!"
Hans just sighed, he felt another headache coming on.
He felt charm laws trying to invade his body through Hannya's chi, but he simply flared a bit of his own chi, burning it away as he lightly flicked his wrist, guiding Hannya's foot back to the ground.
She landed with a graceful 'pat' and looked up at the butler, impressed. "You have some use as well, royal protector."
She dispersed her chi and waved her hand once more. Magic and chaos began to accumulate in the air.
Hans shook his head, he had no interest in crushing his lieges little sister over a few demons. So he stayed in place, hands clasped behind his back once more, and relayed his thoughts.
"Young miss, I know a devil has their needs, I won't hinder your wishes for desires…but, I'd like to suggest perhaps…!?!"
But while Hans tried to coax Hannya into rethinking her abrupt decision, an unexpected situation occurred.
A second contract was formed in front of him. It was written in the modern demon language, bringing him pause, a courtesy devils these days hardly do anymore.
But as he read, he realized why. She wanted him to see it, to read it all, because the offer was something he would never decline given the conditions.
[
Devil Contract: A Secret for a Secret
Contractor: Hannya 6th Luxuria
Contractee: Hans, The War Demon
Condition: [The War Demon Hans] will train [Hannya 6th Luxuria]'s three charm demon subordinates[Lily, Rose, and Penelope] for 1 year. They will learn the secrets of power and battle, so they may efficiently protect their Lady. Location is up to your discretion. Regimen is up to your discretion. Must be returned in healthy physical and mental condition to do their tasks without fail.
Optional: Get Charm Demons compatible techniques, and reach mid level demon strength.
Rewards: Formal Alliance with [Hannya 6th Luxuria] And [1st Gula, Queen of feasts]
Optional Rewards: True secret to achieving your devil Ascension. ;)
]
Hans stared at the contract, his mind frozen, but his heart pounding out of his chest.
The little devil grinned at Hans' stupor.
"Oh, but this offer is only valid as long as I have these charming subordinates~"
Hannya laughed.
…
…
"Hahhh." Hans let out a sigh. In the end, he caved. He glanced at Penelope beside him. Hans was no hero, at the end of the day, he was a servant. And he would do what was needed in achieving his Queen's goals.
He did not know the details of the charm demon's contracts, but all he could do now was hope they would not regret their choice down the road. They weren't children and Hannya seems to have plans of her own.
'A fate mutation is all but confirmed at this point.'
None but the queen knew of Hans' aim for ascension. Most believed he wanted to live peacefully under the wing of his liege and die an old legend. But Hannya seemed well aware of his goal.
That's what brought him the small bit of fear. Those that carried the fate mutation always offered a deal someone would never refuse. But how could someone know whether or not such a deal would ultimately lead to their destruction?
Hans was banking on the fact that Hannya's alliance with his queen would keep such malicious intentions away from Sweet Oasis.
'But it all comes down to how much she can see...'
"Butler, up ahead." Penelope, at this point, not even trying to hide her intentions, poked Hans rib with her dagger, waking him from his daze.
The dagger, as if made of rubber, harmlessly bounced off Hans' skin. However, it made a small hole in his dress shirt.
This made Hans' blood pressure rise. What did he even do to deserve that? But he ignored the rising anger for now. He had to train them later right? The regimen was at his discretion right?
Hans let out an amiable chuckle, looking out at the distance, fully at ease. The war demon had brutalized and killed a constantly respawning angel. He was quite adept at patience.
He saw a mountain range, a beautiful sight of nature. Lush trees, rolling hills, rock formations that a person could only see as tranquil and peaceful. The nature ahead brought a calming atmosphere to what regulars of Hellnia would consider out of place in such an intense and violent plane.
But such considerations were nothing more than that…. A consideration. One easily extinguished the moment a willful demon decides to stroll through the enigmatic paths leading to its peaks.
Hans watched the range in the distance. Forbidden zone 3, Hazy Mountain. Once a singular, towering barren mountain, now a collection of ranges full of what seemed to be nature and life.
Hans squinted as he counted the peaks.
"Eight peaks now…and a ninth one sprouting.'
Two new peaks in the last decade. The landscape was now getting more and more out of hand.
'What on earth is that old devil doing up there?'
Hans shook his head. The Dream Eater and his knights used to be reliable when it came to containing the haze, but it seems the rumors of his weakening for some reason were true. The location now stretches across the northern border of his Queens territory, further separating them from the eastern Aristocratic kingdoms north of them.
A good thing, had his liege wished to be isolationists, but Hans doubted that was to be the case in the future.
As he continued looking at the range, he began to see the mountains gently sway, as if slowly waving to him.
"Ok we will stop here for the night." Hans said as he pulled the reins of the cart to the side of the road.
The charm demons did not reply. They too understood the reason for the early camp. While it was only midday, resting now would be better. Once they enter the zone, sleeping would be forbidden.
Hans hopped off the cart and looked around. The spot chosen wasn't bad to rest for a while.
He turned to the three demons congregating by the still sleeping Hannya.
"There is a small lake just west of here, the place would be good to clean the young miss up and cloth her in a more fitting attire. If I had to guess, miss Hannya's destination is most likely Fort Reverie."
Hans suggested as he headed to the western forest. He needed to find firewood and game for their camp tonight.
"No need to worry about the dangers, this old man still has a bit of hearing left. If there is an issue just shout out."
The charm demons nodded and headed in the direction Hans pointed with the sleeping Hannya in tow, disappearing into the deep foliage.
As the three came to the edge of the lake, Lily set down a blanket while Rose gently put the young devil down. As a demon, carrying such a petite girl was no issue for her.
The three looked down at Hannya's peaceful face in a daze. Finally Rose spoke.
"It's strange.." She began. "I feel pain for the loss, the longing to see them all again. But at the same time…"
"You want them to witness the suffering of Greed and his people. Right?" Penelope finished.
Both Rose and Lily nodded. After signing the contracts, they felt a new, unexplainable sensation. A drive, a will, they never had before. They wanted true closure, true resolution, true vengeance against their aggressors.
Their friends and families would never be able to rest until they did so.
Lily chuckled nervously, more of a reflexive action rather than a happy reaction, but the other two charm demons could sense the wonder behind it.
"I-I've never met a six star devil before. Are all supreme lineages as confident as our young miss?" She wondered aloud.
Rose and Penelope smiled slightly at the question, knowing full well the reason behind such an inquiry.
Penelope shook her head. "I doubt any devil would write such bold words in their contract, but our young miss has bet all her six stars on achieving such a feat. It's clear she sees a path to victory."
They could not read the devilish language written on their contract, but their lady had told them clearly.
Rose's eyes glowed a bit as she remembered the words of her young miss.
…
…
'You three all have a purpose during your time of servitude, you will be in charge of spreading my supreme name. Rose will nurture it, Lilly will maintain it, and Penelope will protect it. Serve diligently, and by the six stars on this supreme one's back, you will have your vengeance….'
…
…
The three looked at each other and nodded. They understood what their young miss needed from each of them.
Rose was to nurture and propagate her image, Lily was to manage and maintain her believers, and Penelope had to expose any dangers to her young miss and protect her from them.
A task well past the qualifications of housewives, a devil's prestige will always be challenged, questioned, and tested, yet their young lady had chosen them all the same.
Indeed. A heavy task, a task one couldn't succeed in without proper strength.
"To carry out such a heavy task…" Rose stepped forward, her hand caressing her young lady's delicate face. "...we must gain the strength to slay Devils, trample Angels, and subjugate Lords. The ones most likely to block the young miss's path."
"So… the War Demon." Lily whispered. Her eyes opening wide in realization.
"Yes." Rose Answered. "That must be his contract with Lady Hannya, she most likely will not keep us with her at Fort Reverie, but send us to train in Sweet Oasis."
Penelope nodded. "Of course, we aren't ready yet. We can't even fight bandits, let alone the dream beasts." She clenched her fists.
"Patience, Penny. The young miss has invested much in us, the contract we signed was exclusive, unbreakable. She is sure of our potential and determination. When the time comes for her to need us, we will be ready when she calls. Such is the foresight of a six star devil." Rose stated with confidence.
She knew the tales, six star devils were all powerful and nearly all knowing entities. They did not do things without a reason, for them to be chosen ment they would be essential to Hannya's plans in the future.
The other two nodded.
As they all stripped themselves and gently lowered Hannya into the water. They all could not help but think back to Hannya's final words before returning to her sleep.
'...Kikiki, Pathetic. Greed wishes to immortalize himself like the Vanitas lineage. But he dares abandon the favor of the platform and sacrifice his own kin for such gains, a horned human if you ask me, Kikiki. When his corpse falls to the ground, you three will carry it, I will not touch such a disgrace of a devil, kikiki.'
'One day…' Each of them thought as they bathed their young miss faithfully. They would hold up the head of their enemy, offering it to their slain kin as repayment.