Is this the cafe?
I slowly took a look-see at the exterior of the cafe that Cidri had told me about.
Kalon’s cafe, tucked away in the corner, had a certain charm to it. The surrounding scenery wasn’t all that great, but it had a rather upscale atmosphere that seemed to attract a decent number of customers.
Anyway, they say if I perform the ceremony here, it’ll just show up on its own?
I never thought I’d be performing a demon summoning ritual in my life.
Sure, I did it back when I summoned Harpas, but that was just using the Book of Wishes, so it hardly counts.
But is it really okay to follow what those demons say so easily? I’ve at least prepared for a chat with them, but who knows if they plan to mess with me. I’m certainly not the kind to just roll over if they try…
I couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t pull any tricks just like they did in the capital.
Demons are basically a race that thrives on backstabbing and deceit. So, it’s hard to say they won’t pull any tricks despite being summoned like this, which is why I had set up an extra strong barrier at Yeomyeong-gwan.
One more trick, and I’m adding another piece to my collection back in my room.
sigh Alright, let’s head in.
Having steeled myself, I confidently opened the café door and stepped inside.
“Welcome… Sir Quartz?!”
“Sir Quartz? You mean Sir Quartz is here?!”
“That fearsome face and gray hair could only belong to Sir Quartz!”
“Right? There can’t be two people in the world who look like that!”
What the hell?
What are these people talking about?
I know I look intimidating, but that reaction could hurt anyone’s feelings, even mine. I glared with all my might, and everyone suddenly turned their heads away.
Is this some kind of hidden camera?
“Sir, uh, Sir Quartz. Welcome to the Moonlight Dance Hall…”
Seeing the somewhat well-dressed owner, I gave him a quick once-over and spoke.
“Take me to a seat on the 2nd floor with the best view of the square.”
“Uh?”
“I have an appointment.”
“Oh, yes! Yes! Right away!”
No need to be scared. Following the owner, I was led to the reserved seat. Naturally, it was empty. I settled into the seat comfortably, looking at the owner as I spoke.
“One cup of strong coffee with two spoons of sugar. And a cup of sweet cocoa too. Don’t forget the teaspoon.”
“I’ll brew the best coffee!”
The way his heart was pounding with each of my words was a bit unsettling. For someone working in a café, shouldn’t he have a stronger heart? I mean, it’s not like we haven’t seen our share of troublemakers when I’m around.
Although, I hadn’t actually seen any troublemakers while I was here.
After waiting for a while…
Once the owner placed the coffee and cocoa down and left, I began to perform the ritual as Cidri had informed me.
First, I dripped a bit of my blood onto the teaspoon, added it to the cocoa, and stirred it three times. Then, I tapped the edge of my cup twice and said,
“O Eligos, the demon of war and servant of Baal, as a warrior, I command you to show yourself here.”
Now I just have to wait.
I leaned back comfortably, waiting for the demon to arrive.
According to Cidri, it would take quite a while, so I figured I could relax a bit.
Just as I was almost done with my coffee, a sharply dressed man wearing a fedora sat down across from me.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. I am Eligos, the one who sees the future.”
“The one who sees the future, huh? Have you seen any ominous futures?”
At my words, Eligos chuckled knowingly while sipping the cocoa.
“Sadly, I have seen no future at all. That’s why I sought to meet you through Cidri.”
No future at all…
What does that mean?
Does it mean he literally doesn’t see anything? Or has he seen something but it only leads to nothing? Regardless, it didn’t sound like pleasant news.
“So, why have you summoned me?”
“How much do you know about outsiders? Do you know why they are eyeing this world?”
“I don’t know the details.”
“I’ll tell you since it’s something you should be aware of. Outsiders refer to gods who do not belong to this world.”
He began by stirring the brown liquid in his cup with a teaspoon before bringing it to his lips, each movement elegant enough to be an advertisement model for coffee.
A demon who doesn’t look out of place with the title of ‘gentleman’—never thought I’d be chatting with a demon like this in my life.
“There are two types of these outsiders.”
“Two types?”
He placed his fist on the table, extending his index and middle fingers.
“One is a god who was exiled from this world.”
He paused and folded his middle finger.
“And the ones who never belonged to this world in the first place.”
His hand returned to a fist.
“The former are not such a great threat. How strong can an exiled god be, anyway?”
So they must have been weak to be exiled. It sounds plausible enough.
But distinguishing between truth and lies is tricky since I had almost no information to go on. I need someone to cross-check this guy’s words.
…Is the Status Window the only way? I clasped my hands as if preparing and called out with just my lips to the Status Window.
Fortunately, it didn’t require sound to open the window, so that was a relief.
“So what about the latter?”
“They are ones who consider this world merely a plaything. We can call them our true enemies.”
“So are you offering to collaborate with me to stop them? Someone who has harmed two of your kind?”
At my question, he smiled, stirring the cocoa with the teaspoon again. Glancing into the cup, I noticed the cocoa had turned into a red liquid.
“You seem to be under some sort of misunderstanding. Unlike humans, we demons have almost no sense of kinship.”
“No sense of kinship?”
I guess it wouldn’t surprise me if demons lacked a bond like that. They don’t really have that kind of theme, and given how Cidri betrayed me in a flash, I could see why that statement might hold some truth.
“But it’s quite troubling to have our territory snatched away, isn’t it? You must have had a hard time with Lugaru recently. You fight rather well—you must be a headache even for the demon lords.”
“Flattering me won’t get us anywhere. Let’s get to the point. So, do you want to make a deal with me? Those prideful demons?”
“Once that guy begins to act, we’ll all be at war—Hell, this place, the Celestial Realm—all of it. So we have to work together, don’t you think?”
“Based on what belief?”
“Belief? We’ll make a contract. Until we defeat the outsiders, we won’t harm each other. After all, none of us wants to fight when we have a common enemy in front of us.”
“That’s not enough.”
You mean the demons are going to back down first? How about asking for a little bit more?
I pondered what I could negotiate further with them.
First, cooperation was a given, and if I could add a few favorable clauses, it would be a win.
“Oh? So you’re looking for more, huh?”
“Of course.”
“Well then, since I have been entrusted with this task, go ahead. We can modify the contract on the spot.”
“I want eternal prohibition on Hell’s interference with this continent.”
“That sounds a bit too greedy, don’t you think?”
“I’ll limit it to until I’m alive then. I mean, I’m human, so I can’t live that long by your standards anyway, right?”
Eligos crossed his arms and closed his eyes at my proposition. It seemed my request had put him in a bit of a dilemma.
Considering they needed my help to fight the outsiders, they couldn’t entirely dismiss my unreasonable demands.
“If we don’t cooperate, we won’t be able to prevent the disaster that’s coming.”
“Do you really think so?”
Wait, do you really think so?
When I pressed like that, Eligos gave me a what the heck stare.
“Are you going to keep up this act?”
“I don’t think my request is that unreasonable either.”
“Sigh…”
He seemed deep in thought at my suggestion, tapping the table with his finger while tracing something in the air with his forehead.
“Let’s make it 100 years. Exactly 100 years.”
“Hmm. That’s longer than I expected.”
“You are of the Quartz bloodline, so how long could you actually live? Maybe you could outlive me?”
“Quite unfortunate.”
“Then shall we set it for 100 years?”
That should be plenty. I’m no hero nor am I going to keep helping humanity endlessly. 100 years should suffice for me to do what needs to be done, and the rest can be someone else’s concern.
“Oh, and I’d like support for Blood Stones that only come from Hell.”
“How did you know about that?”
Well, it did come up as a drop item in the original story. It’s also a material for end-game equipment.
“There’s always a way to know everything.”
“Any other demands?”
“If you pull any suspicious acts, the contract is void. Understood?”
“That’s reasonable enough.”
Eligos shrugged, as if it were easy for him.
He might have a way around that.
Before I could speak again, he continued immediately.
“I think we can accept that level of demands.”
Honestly, I felt satisfied with this outcome from a sudden meeting. Eligos took out a piece of paper, looking quite pleased, and tapped it with his finger.
Then, black ink began to rise from the paper, and the contents of our contract started to be written down.
What a very convenient magic.
“Finally, give it a read.”
“Hmm…”
I can’t really find anything suspicious.
“Do I sign here?”
“Just put your blood seal on it.”
“Alright.”
I lightly pricked my thumb, letting some blood drop to make my seal.
“The contract has been established. Let’s get along for a while.”
Who would have thought I’d end up making a deal with a demon like this?
I grasped the hand he extended.
“Oh, and this is classified information. Someone exiled is hiding in the southern sea. Since he’s a god of the sea, it won’t be easy.”
With that said, Eligos vanished like a mirage.
