Finale part 2: Contract

“It’s… the same as your scar!”

What Soldier said next would’ve blown me off my feet, had I been standing: “That’s how it is. You were not summoned into this world by the Gods, but by me. To be my successor.”

Too many questions to handle swirled through my mind. I got dizzy. The Devil brought me into this world? I would succeed him? It was all nonsense. I never asked for this.

“But I thought you were weakened and practically dead, so how did you do it? And why me? I’m just some girl.”

“Eighty years of sitting around quickly leads to boredom. You’ll try all sorts of things to make a difference. Recently I finally managed to establish a gateway to Japan, but with the power I had left, I could only manage to pull a single person of my own blood through. I was planning on bestowing them with some powers, speaking to them after they woke up by the shrine, and hope for the best. Chiyo, I’ve been watching your adventure with great interest up until now. You turned out to be a fine candidate to bring justice to Scaldis and beyond. But not everything went as planned, sadly.”

“Hang on, hang on, hang on. You’re family of mine?”

Come to think of it, I had heard mentions of a great-uncle who was killed in the Second World War. His body was never found. To think that he was sent off to another world…

“That I am. I had a feeling that my strong sense of justice would transcend generations. I Imagined that you would see the rotten nature of this world and set out down the same path as me to correct it. It was all smooth sailing at the start when you were captured and set to be executed, but the plan ran into an unforeseen hiccup. More specifically, Oliver.”

That’s right. In those first days I wanted nothing less than to go back home. I had despised the myopic villagers and their bloodlust. Had I not met Oliver, who knows what would’ve happened? Would I be a second Devil, rampaging across the land in a twisted quest for justice? Maybe so, but that’s not how it ended up going.

“But it didn’t go according to your plan in the end. Oliver stood up for me and took me along on a crazy adventure. Since then I’ve seen all kinds of people. The good, the bad, and the inbetween. This world is much more complicated than you make it out to be. If you hadn’t jumped to conclusions at the very start, you might’ve been able to see that too.”

Soldier took a long sip of his tea whilst thinking about the answer I gave him. He put the cup back on the table with a soft tap and rubbed his forehead.

Suddenly the sliding door behind me rattled. Soldier looked up in surprise and mumbled something unintelligible to himself.

“Uh, what was that?”

“Something is trying to get in. Don’t pay it any mind for now.”

That was just about the least reassuring answer I could get. The door continued to violently shake while I tried to not make a sound. After a few moments, the rattling stopped and I heard footsteps pacing away from us. Acting as if nothing had happened, Soldier picked up the thread again.

“You have your vision, and I have mine. There’s not much I can do about it at this point. But now that my plan has fallen apart, I’m willing to give you two options. Either you return to Japan right now and slowly forget that any of this ever happened, or you stay in this world and make a contract with me.”

There we go, the deal with the Devil that’ll take your soul. I’d been waiting for him to propose some ridiculously unbalanced contract to me. That’s what devils do, after all. But there was something in his proposal that piqued my interest.

“You have the power to bring me back home?”

“But of course. After all, I’ve been the one keeping you here ever since you fell in love. It’s taken every ounce of power I have left, but it has worked so far.”

This was the drop that sent the bucket overflowing. My sight went cloudy as my mind turned white-hot with anger. I jumped over the table and snatched the son of a bitch by the collar.

“Who the hell do you think you are? First you kidnap me to another world, and then you block the way out? Some Soldier of Justice you are. You’re just as rotten as you claim this world to be!”

“Calm down, calm down. I’m willing to set things straight again. Just hear me out.”

I reluctantly let go and waited for the unfair contract that would leave me with no choice but to return to Japan and forget about Oliver. That was an outcome I simply could not accept. Soldier straightened his collar with a cough and readjusted himself.

“The deal is very simple. Either you wake up in your bed in Hirosaki again, and you forget about everything that has transpired, or you return to Scaldis with the full extent of the powers and blessings I have left. There’s only one thing you need to do to access my full potential.”

Here it comes, the unacceptable part of the deal.

“You must follow your heart and act in accordance with it at all times. Do what you feel is right, and I will grant you with enough power to see your journey through to the end. All you have to do is touch my hand and the contract will be sealed.” Soldier extended his hand at me.

“Huh? That’s it? No way, show me the fine print. There has to be some hidden clause to it.”

Soldier let out a hearty laugh at this suspicion of mine.

“I can assure you, there isn’t! Just be the best person you can be and that will be enough. Who knows, maybe you’ll change the world with your actions in doing so, and my dream will also come true. I choose to believe in you, Chiyo Arata.”

Another quest added to my menu. Aren’t I accepting too many side quests? Or rather, what’s the main quest?

It wasn’t even a debate. Either I went back to my boring life and forgot about the most exciting two weeks of my life, or I continued falling in love with Oliver and this new world. I sealed the contract with a firm handshake. An uncomfortable buzz rang through my body. I had made a contract with the Devil.

I had barely sat back down or the door started rattling again, this time with an ever greater intensity. It shook on its hinges until the lock came undone, and it flew open with a smack.

Standing in the doorway was none other than Oliver.