I Made a Contract with a Devil, but the Price is Strange

After cutting all her hair, we put on our robes and went down to the first floor. I ordered food from Muffin and looked at Inis.

“Hmm?”

Feeling my gaze, her eyes met mine. She tilted her head slightly and then smiled warmly.

I feel much closer to Inis now. Perhaps she’s thinking something similar?

Well, considering what happened last night, and the honest conversation we had this afternoon, this was only natural.

“Here’s your order.”

Two bowls of stew and a large piece of meat appeared on the table. Normally, only Inis would have eaten, but today I decided to eat too. I had exerted myself yesterday, after all.

“Enjoy your meal, Master.”

“You too, Inis.”

Only after I started eating the stew did Inis pick up her spoon. After finishing our meal, we went out to the street.

“I think it would be good to buy a magic compass before going in today.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Since we’re going deeper into the greenskin territory. It was certainly difficult to find the stairs.”

In the case of the goblin cave, the terrain wasn’t that wide, and the stairs were in a fixed location, so it wasn’t too difficult to find.

In contrast, the greenskin territory was so vast and lacked any landmarks. The stairs also appeared in different locations each time, making them hard to find.

It made me newly realize how lucky I had been until now.

“I struggled a bit yesterday.”

“If we buy a magic compass, that won’t happen at all.”

“While we’re at it, should we buy a potion too? I think it would be good to have one for emergencies.”

“It will be difficult to purchase with the money we have. The price varies by alchemist, but it costs at least 1 gold.”

“It costs 1 gold?”

Even with our greatly increased income, that was a price that would require two days in the labyrinth. And that would only be possible if we dedicated all our earnings.

“Yes. I’ve heard that even low-quality ones don’t properly heal wounds.”

“So you need to be able to verify the quality of the potion. That wouldn’t be easy without knowledge.”

“It’s difficult unless you have a contract with a devil of alchemy. That’s why I heard there’s a separate alchemy test in the labyrinth city. If you pass there, you can receive a document.”

“If you buy from such places, the quality would be certain, but the price would be higher.”

“Yes. I heard that such alchemists operate in trading companies, and the price is around 2 gold. Moreover, for potions, you also need to carry a special storage bag…”

It was still a distant dream for us. We needed to change Inis’s armor first.

“Then let’s think about it later for now.”

“I think that would be best too.”

As we talked about potions, we arrived at the labyrinth. We bought jerky and water nearby and went down the stairs.

Today was another beginning.

“From today, I’d like to face orcs too. What do you think?”

The greenskin territory was the land of orcs and goblins, but it was essentially ruled by orcs.

Goblins were weaker than orcs.

Because of that, they had to form groups and couldn’t freely roam the vast plains. So they weren’t easy to find.

On the other hand, orcs usually traveled in couples and were loud and noisy. They strutted around the plains boldly, making them easy to spot.

In other words, facing only goblins in the greenskin territory was foolish. It would be much better to operate in the goblin cave instead.

“I’ll follow your will, Master.”

“But in the end, it’s you, Inis, who has to face them directly. So I think it’s important to hear your opinion too.”

“If you put it that way… I think I’ll be fine. I don’t know what Lady Egun did, but my throbbing leg doesn’t hurt much anymore.”

At those words, I flinched slightly. Inis reacted the same way to my reaction. Her cheeks turned red. She must be recalling last night.

“I-it must also be the effect of eating Master’s semen.”

“R-right? That’s probably why Lady Egun did that?”

The conversation abruptly ended. I don’t know what to say at times like this.

“Sh-shall we move then?”

“Yes!”

Inis promptly answered. We walked awkwardly across the prairie.

“Uraaaagh—!”

A resounding cry from ahead. Two orcs visible in the distance were charging toward us.

The awkward atmosphere instantly turned heavy. Inis quickly drew her sword and raised her shield.

“Fire.”

I summoned a flame and started shaping it into an arrow.

“Fire Arrow.”

I fired a fire arrow toward the approaching orcs. The arrow made of flame exuded its presence clearly, naturally slowing down the orcs.

“Kuaaaagh-!”

An orc pointed at the arrow and said something. As the arrow approached, it swung the axe in its hand. It seemed to intend to deflect it.

At first, I thought the orc’s action was stupid. The arrow I shot wasn’t real, but made of magic power.

Just as you can’t cut air, I thought you couldn’t cut magic power either.

Thud!

However, my prediction was completely wrong. The fire arrow was split by the creature’s axe. Just like a real arrow.

“What?”

I was taken aback by the unexpected scene. How could it be deflected when it had no physical form? Can you cut fire with an axe?

My head was spinning, but dealing with the orcs was the priority. The female orc clung to the male, acting coquettishly. Their smug appearance was irritating.

“Fire.”

This time, I sent not an arrow, but a direct flame. The approaching orc swung its axe in the same way.

Whoosh—

“Kuaaaagh!”

But unlike before, the flame didn’t disappear. It bypassed the axe and clung to the orc’s face. The disgusting head started to burn.

The male orc screamed. It frantically hit its face and rolled on the ground, but the flame wouldn’t extinguish. The female orc beside it didn’t know what to do and stamped her feet.

“Inis. You take care of it.”

The fire arrow broke, but the flame remained intact. What could be the reason? I sent her to handle it while I thought for a moment.

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

Inis confidently replied and approached the female orc. She approached cautiously with her shield in front.

“Kuwaaaagh—!”

Meanwhile, the husband orc’s head turned to ashes, and it died. The female orc wailed, holding the corpse that had only its body left. She had suddenly become a widow.

“Tsk.”

Far from being sad, that sound was annoying. It was like the sound of a pig squealing.

How could I continue my thoughts with such a commotion? I took out a cigarette from my pocket and put it in my mouth.

“Fire.”

I summoned a flame to light it and sent it near the female orc. I thought I’d watch the battle for a moment, as I was also concerned.

The female orc approached, crying and raging. The enemy raised her axe toward the sky. Inis’s response was simple.

Woosh-!

She stepped back and completely avoided the attack. As the axe hit the ground, she dove inside the orc’s guard.

Clang!

Inis pushed the shield against the chest with all her might. The female orc dropped her axe and was awkwardly pushed back.

The longsword that had been hiding under the shield flew toward the neck. The orc hurriedly raised both arms, but Inis was much faster.

Shunk—

The tip of the blade penetrated the neck. Blood gushed out, and the raised arms lost strength and fell. The female orc trembled and eventually died.

It was an anticlimactic battle that made my worries seem foolish. If I had known it would be like this, we would have hunted orcs from the beginning.

“Master. Here are the magic stones.”

As she brought the magic stones, I washed them slightly with water and put them in my pocket. I took a long drag on my cigarette and asked:

“How was the battle with the orc? You fought really well.”

“I think I need to clash a few more times to know. This case ended too easily because the female orc was excited.”

“That’s true. Then let’s try a few more times.”

“Yes.”

I took a long drag on my cigarette. I threw the butt on the corpse and then pulled the fire I had summoned earlier. The burning corpse. Looking at it, I fell into thought.

Why was the fire arrow blocked by the axe, while the flame wasn’t?

“Fire.”

There was no need to think about it for long. It was a matter that could be tested directly.

“Fire Arrow.”

The flame gradually changed into the shape of an arrow. I ordered Inis to draw her sword.

“Try swinging at the fire arrow.”

“Yes.”

She did as ordered without any question. The blade cut through the arrow, splitting it in half. The arrow disappeared after a short distance. It was the same phenomenon as before.

“Try cutting this too.”

This time, I summoned just a flame and ordered. The blade cut through the fire, but this time it didn’t disappear.

What could be the reason for this? Fire and fire arrow. What difference could there be between them?

‘Physical force?’

Fire Arrow was a technique that transformed flame into an arrow shape and then imbued it with physical force. In other words, it had slightly different properties than a simple flame.

“Fire Wall.”

I spread out the summoned flame to create a wall.

The Fire Wall was also a technique without physical force. But what would happen if I imbued it with physical force like Fire Arrow?

“Hoo.”

I closed my eyes.

I imagined the fire wall I had spread out blocking everything. I imagined and depicted a wall that would block not only spears, swords, and arrows, but even living beings.

Whoosh—!

“Ah…!”

I raised the corners of my mouth, feeling the magic power drain.

When I opened my eyes, I could see the wall in front of me had grown taller and wider. I thought it might be an illusion, but comparing it carefully, it had indeed grown larger.

Originally, the fire wall was nothing more than a collection of blazing flames. But the wall I saw now felt like bright red bricks had been amassed.

“Inis. Try swinging your sword at the wall.”

She nodded at my command. She took a stance and swung her sword. The wall blocked the blade.

“It-it blocked it.”

A small hole appeared where Inis had struck, but it filled in again when I replenished the magic power.

I realized something through this research. That physical force could be imbued in fire. And that as physical force is imbued, external entities can also interfere with the flame.

I felt satisfied having discovered this new fact. However, I would need to think about how to utilize this.

“Let’s move again.”

“Yes.”

Wooooo—!

As we were about to leave, a horn sound suddenly rang out.

“M-Master. Over there!”

Inis urgently shook my body. Looking in the direction she pointed, I saw a green wave approaching us.