RATH 10

TL: Eevee

2. What is this. Scary. (3)

#3 Their story: A certain pushover slaves story

The final giant who once burned down an age of mythology.

The greatest archdevil who ruled over fire.

He was of another level above ordinary devils, the master of the giants, the lord of Musphelheim that even the gods feared.

That existence was I, archdevil Surtr.

And such a personage. Was.

Bored.

Its boring. Too boring!

Just how long do I have to sit on this throne for?

My waist is starting to hurt from how long Ive been sitting here for.

Im actually training daily to create a strong first impression as an archdevil, but so what?

No one ever calls for me.

Well, I do understand. History is made when I move.

From what I heard from the kids under me, a couple of years ago something called the great war happened and the humans fought furiously tooth and nail and all, the moment I step forward I could turn even the great war into a childrens scrap.

Because the one who once set an entire world ablaze, one of the highest among top-class devils, is me.

And because of that, I always ponder.

As I am such an existence, could a human summon me?

Ive been spreading and scattering the method to summon me since what the humans called the Dark Ages, but humans, especially the ones who believe in gods, diligently collect them up and burn them.

They say to protect the world from devils that would threaten the world, you should stop the summoning from happening to begin with or something like that?

Thanks to that, its about as hard as plucking the stars from the sky for devils like me to go out to the human world.

Of the ones humans call archdevils, how many of them are currently contracted out again?

Only two come to the top of my head. Even if I include any potential contracts by devils that I dont know of, I could probably count them on one hand.

What kind of contract rate is this pathetic? Isnt this way unreasonable!

At this rate being a high-class devil is probably better.

Because while we make a single contract, they make fifty.

Because theyre somewhat strong and yet also somewhat weak, theyre easily contracted.

What kind of injustice is this situation?

At least before Ragnarok I did my job as the gatekeeper of Muspelheim, but I was free after that!

And because of that its been 5000 years since I last went down to the human world.

Sure, you say 5000 years, but since I dont know when I have to make a contract, I spend most of the day sitting on this throne!

You try sitting on a chair for the majority of 5000 years, its boring as hell!

If its now I could give them a great bargain with a contact for only half their soul

A grand service that not even high devils wont do! And this Lord Surtr is offering this bargain sale!

Why are there no customers to make a contract!

Im bored enough that if another 1000 years go by like this, I could even give them a free contract!

Eh?

Was my fervent wish answered?

An unfamiliar ripple formed in the air around the throne.

Its, its a summon!

To think that there was still a human left that knew how to summon me!

I check my body.

Very good. The best condition. I could fight the gods right here right now.

Clear my voice.

Ahem!

Good. Deep and powerful.

I need to leave a strong first impression to make it easier to get a contract.

Even if you say that its a contract with a human, you cant take it lightly.

The first contract in a whopping 5000 years.

If the human decides to not contract thinking Im useless then its only my loss.

So I need to make the best preparations.

I just need to get the contract first.

Once I make the contract, I can take everything from the contractor and burn the land in the best state.

Now, Im off to the contractor, three seconds remaining.

Cover my body in white flames to leave an even stronger impression on my contractor.

Two seconds left.

I must not show on the outside that I was looking forward to this contract.

One second.

Finally, taking my signature pose, I lift my hand high.

Zero.

Bang!

Are you the ones who brought forth Surtr, the master of Muspelheim!

Appearing in a bright light and slamming the earth! The stone fragments that scattered in the surroundings were very satisfactory.

It was a spectacular summon. The summoner was probably surprised as well.

Because they wouldnt know theyd summon an amazing archdevil like me!

Now, what kind of summoner is the one that called me?!

Although I dont show it on the outside, I gather my excitement and look at my summoner.

Youthful. No, young.

But to my eyes, an archdevils, I saw overwhelming potential.

This is, what they call a genius.

Human yet far removed from humanity.

Undeniably, a figure that would leave her name in the history books.

Very good. Lets engrave may name with hers.

So that no one will fail to know her name and mine, in the name of fear and despair, I will engrave it in history!

But the contract takes priority!

The price of your contract is naught but Eh?

Eh? What? My hand is hot?

As the giant who ruled over fire, it is very odd for me to feel heat.

My eyes naturally turn downwards.

Looking at the ground, the floor is shining.

While it goes without saying that a summoning circle should shine, the colour is weird.

I infused mana into my vision and looked down, and under the summoning circle, something was shining.

Yep naught. Zero. Nothing.

As I stared at the ground in confusion, a mans voice came into my ear.

Naught? Zero? What kind of bullshit is this? And words became visible in my field of vision.

[Contract between devil Surtr and [Ria el Nermia] Geass Roll -]

The master of the burning land Musphelheim, archdevil Surtr recognizes contractor [Ria el Nermia] as his master.

Pledging obedience to her and all of her commands, and not acting independently without word from the contractor, he swears to the world to lend his unlimited strength and talents with No. Compensation. Whatsoever.

Fuck. What the hell is this.

***

Ahhh, its a success.

What are you, my fearsome brain!

Was I actually a genius! Its a pity that Im wasting it in service to an evil organization, but too late for that.

Ahh. Shit. God damn it all!

If only my parents didnt pass away in the fight between the hero and villains.

No, even if that stupid lord didnt make the first gamble in his life and was fucked over by the Empire!

If then I could have become a grand figure like an isekai novels protagonist!

Whoa now, calm down. Thats all just a daydream, isnt it?

When I was alive the trending genre was where the protag basically suffered a lot.

Lets be satisfied with my big fat paycheck.

As I went through happy memories at full speed, I saw a very flustered mister lord archdevil.

Wh, what is this!

He probably saw the Geass Roll.

It cost quite a penny, but its nothing less but a contract with the world as witness.

A contract not even gods can do anything about, a contract with the creators authorities inscribed into it.

There are only three places in the entire continent where these are made on a small-scale only, where let alone other races, even the oil and water races that are humans and demons keep the peace, I bought a few of these while I was there, now is the time to use them.

Of course, the expenses will be passed onto accounting later.

This, this is a scam!

Yep. Its a scam.

I took the basis of this scam from a particular devil.

There was a mid-tier demon that the organization contracted with frequently, whenever he was summoned, he always appeared in green smoke with his arms crossed haughtily.

And when I had the chance, I asked the devil.

-Why is there always green smoke whenever youre summoned?

And the devil answered.

-Because this is how I respond to summons!

Hearing him out a bit more, apparently other demons were appeared in their own distinctive ways when they were summoned.

To get the precise details, I cooperated with one of my disciples and summoned a low-rank demon, when I politely asked him, he answered us.

In the case of the giant wolf in Northern Europe mythology, Fenrir, he howled for around a minute into the skies, the major league vampire Count Dracula appears by hundreds of bats combining into one.

There were three that seemed like theyd fall for the bait, and one of them was this Muspelheims master Surtr.

He actually appears as he slams his hand into the ground.

Could you say his destructive summon is really appropriate for someone that destroyed a world?

From what I heard, once he appeared in an old cave system like that and buried his summoner in a cave-in.

Anyways, the contracts between humans and devils, no, the majority of the contracts between humans and devils are verbal contracts.

While in my past life they were theoretically binding but seemed of absolutely no benefit to me, here you can even give away souls with oral contracts.

In that case, what if you make a written contract?

With the persons thumbprint?

I prepared a stone plate, and placed the Geass roll onto it. With No.17s thumbprint fiiirmly stamped.

Stage 1 preparations complete. And now, place that stone plate underneath the prepared floor, and on top, a specifically prepared ink plate, and on the very top, a normal looking floor!

And this stupid giant appeared with I am Surtr! And slammed! his hand down, the actually very thin ground broke under the impact, and firmly pressed his fingerprint down on the deepest layer.

This, this kind of contract!

Surtr started smashing the stone plate his thumbprint was on, but since the contract was already made according to the Geass Roll, since the contents are already engraved onto No.17 and Surtrs souls, it doesnt matter what he does to that stone plate.

Heck I wasnt even sure if such a ridiculous method would work.

But would you believe it everyone it actually worked!

Obedience? I cant even act independently? And with no compensation?

Kuaaaaa! The giant that set a world ablaze roared!

Surtr was seriously strong.

He was strong enough to chew up Northern Europes last hope Frey and burn down the world!

But so what.

Now hes a slave devil under a slave contract.

No.17, tell him to shut up.

Please shut up.

I looked at Surtr silently opening and shutting his mouth with oddly aggrieved eyes and nodded to No.17.

It looks like its gone well.

Well of course, due to the scam contract the amount of power he can exert onto this world is decreased.

No, even before that, if it was that slave contract an archdevil this proud wouldnt even want to show off his full strength.

But its an archdevil?

Hes fucked over an entire mythology?

Even if the key forces Odin and Thor were screwed over by monsters during the Northern European mythologys war Ragnarok hes still a devil that set the world on fire?

If someone like that roams around then what kind of weak civilian, no, small-time criminal like me, without any mana, supposed to survive.

If the world burns, then theres nowhere for me to spend the money I spent half my life in an evil organization to earn?

And therefore a seal.

On the contrary, having been weakened is better.

Naturally. No.17 could more than backstab me sometime in the future.

In this place, even if she is my disciple, on the contrary because shes my disciple that she could knife me in the stomach.

And that place is called an evil organization!

And thus, Ive become a hero that saved both my peace, and while Im at it the worlds peace!

Mother, Father, Ive become a hero that saved the world!

#4 Their story: the story of the actual hero who would save the world.

That day was just another day where we all fought with our lives to eat.

Block it all Surtr!

But unlike normal, at No.17s commands, a giant clad in flames appeared.

And the giant said.

I am the archdevil Surtr, Muspelheims master! I will protect this place on my masters command, if you wish to proceed, you must defeat me!

My departed mother.

Theyre saying if I want breakfast, I need to beat an archdevil.

This disgusting world.