"So, you are an Haganti?" Shinji asked.
""Haagenti!" and yes! What of it!" Hexel replied in an irritated tone.
Prior to being dropped off, Alex and Shinji had been given the task of resolving one of the multiple conflicts plaguing the nation by their master, but unfortunately, she had intentionally left out a bunch of important information before whisking them away, such as which conflict they were to resolve, or even just where on the map she had dropped them off. So, after Nox left Alex and Shinji on an active battlefield, guided by the bovine demon Hexel, they made their way to the nearest dark empire military camp in order to get their bearings first before deciding on their next course of actions, which is what they were doing now.
Upon arrival, Alex had called up the officer in charge of this camp, courtesy of being a palace lord, for a private discussion. Unfortunately, due to a mix of strict military regulations getting in the way and not wanting to waste time and energy on forcing the matter, Shinji had been left out of the discussions on account of not having an official rank in the military. Hence, he was escorted to a private tent guarded by Hexel, while waiting for Alex to finish gathering information.
"Nothing! It is just my first time speaking with someone of your race is all!"
"I see! Well, I do not know what kinds of demons you are familiar with but let me give you some advice! You should mind your gaze with more care when before a demon!" Hexel said in an ominous tone.
"Sorry?"
"Most demons would view your curious gaze as a provocation! In my lineage, it would equate to a death threat at the very least!"
"Right! Sorry! I guess staring is rude even for demons, huh! Strange no one's mentioned it before though!"
"There is some nuance in interpretation based on lineage! Seeing as you didn't know that much, am I right in assuming you've mostly associated with the lineage of "Sloth", or perhaps "Lust"! They're the only ones I could imagine wouldn't mind being stared at!"
"To be clear, when you say "lineage", you actually mean factions, right? Not blood relation or race?"
"I suppose you could say that, though I am a little surprised a human would know that! It is a pretty common misunderstanding for humans to assume that a demon's lineage is blood-bound! So, which lineages have you and your master interacted with before?"
"The "Chroniclers", I guess!"
"Chroniclers?"
"They're the neutral faction in charge of the Library of Babble!"
"Babble? Babble? Wait, are you talking about those bottom-feeding historians! Are they still around? I figured one of the lords would have exterminated them by now!"
"Bottom-feeding?"
"Anyways, the group you mentioned is not a lineage!"
"Huh?"
"There are 7 lineages that exist, each legitimized by a demon lord: Wrath, Pride, Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth and Lust! Any demon can join any one lineage at little to no cost, and in doing so, we are granted additional strength through our connection to the lord we serve! That is why any demons worth contracting with must at least be part of a lineage! Those historians you mentioned is a rare example of demons stubbornly refusing to join any lineage, which means they are all far less capable than most! So, have you given any thought to which lineage you wish to contract from?"
"Contract?"
"You are studying how to summon and contract demons from your master, correct? When summoning a demon to serve you, the lineage you pick from will be important! So which one do you wish to associate with?"
"Well actually, I, uhm!"
"If you don't have a lineage in mind, would you like to make a contract with me?"
"Huh?"
"I am an arch-demon you know, and of the wrath lineage, known for our strength in combat! Make a deal with me and even a god would think twice about crossing your path!" Hexel offered, holding his hand out for a shake.
"Aren't you in a contract with the boss already?"
A red glint shone in Hexel's eyes as he replied.
"A temporary agreement with limitations yes, but that deal will soon expire! What I am offering you is a permanent contract!"
"Which entails what, exactly?" Shinji asked, suspicion in his eyes.
"I'll grant you the power to summon me whenever or wherever you like!"
"And in exchange for what?"
"You are to summon me to every battlefield you enter, and you do not speak of this to anyone!"
"Hm? Why are you offering me this?"
"Because if I have to endure your rude master's nonsense for even a second longer, I'm going to explode!"
"That bad, huh!"
"You have no idea!"
"I get it! But how does making a soul-contract with me change things though? I'm pretty sure making another soul-contract won't make the other one disappear!"
"Well, no, but it can cause interference!"
"Hm?"
"If two contracts oppose each other, there will be a clash in priority, allowing you to ignore one for the sake of the other temporarily! I am hoping, to make a higher priority contract with you, so I can ignore your master's nonsense demands until time runs out on our deal!"
"I see! Then I have just one more question? Why can't I tell anyone? I mean, I get why I can't tell the boss about this, but why not anybody else?"
"Well, demon summoning is taboo amongst humans, is it not? It would be problematic, if you were persecuted for it, right?"
"Then what about fellow disciples then? I'm pretty sure senior Alex wouldn't tattle on me!"
"Are you sure about that?" Hexel said, as a faint ripple was felt in the air.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure!"
"Hm. Well, forgive me if I don't, but if it is such an issue then how about we limit the vow of silence until my other contract ends! Sound fair!"
"Hm? Now that I'm thinking about it! Why offer me a deal instead of my senior?"
"Hmph! Maybe it is a whim! Maybe it is me being annoyed at him for ordering me around like a common soldier! Maybe I just haven't had the chance to talk with him in private yet! And maybe, I'm starting to second guess my decision to ask you first! So do we have a deal or not!" Hexel said as he shoved his open hand up to Shinji's face, as a strange energy filled the room.
"No!"
"What?"
"I said no!"
"I have tasted the blood of your gods, and you'd pass up on that power!" Hexel muttered as he began to radiate an ominous energy from his body.
"Tell me! Do you think I'm stupid?" Shinji said as his eyes began to glow white.
"…!"
"I might be a bit green, but I'm not stupid! I know when someone is trying to influence my mind! You might be an arch-demon of wrath but even those bottom-feeding chroniclers can hide their attempted charm better than you did!"
"You dare compare me to some neutral scum!" Hexel said, anger stewing in his voice as fire began shooting out of his eyes and nose.
"That's another thing! I was hoping to probe some info out of you, but you obviously don't know anything about the current demon world!"
"You know what! I think I'd rather kill you instead!" Hexel said in irritation as his body began to ballon in size as he stood over Shinji.
"Oh, please! You can't touch me! If you could, you wouldn't have been so gentle in your attempts to take control over me before! I mean, unskilled or not, you are still an arch-demon! If you weren't worried about hurting me, you could have easily forced your way into my head! I can't say for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that whatever deal you struck with the boss won't allow you to lay as much as a finger on me!" Shinji said calmly as he looked Hexel in the eye.
"Are you sure about that?"
"If I wasn't, do you think I would be sitting here so calmly?"
"…! Tsk!"
Seeing his bluff was called, Hexel shrunk back down as he returned to his seat. After this, the pair continued to sit in silence until a soldier came by.
"M-Mr. Sh-Shinji S-Sir! C-could you come with me! P-Please!" A soldier stuttered out from outside the tent.
"See you later, Haagenti!" Shinji said as he waved goodbye to the grumpy demon in human skin.
*growl*
At Alex's request, Shinji was shown to his new personal accommodation. However, as soon as he was alone, the young mage nearly collapsed to the floor with a nervous smile on his face, cold sweat pouring out of every pore in his body.
"*Huff* Holy shit! *Puff* I thought I was gonna die!"
Truth be told, Shinji was not absolutely certain Hexel would not have killed him back there. If his spriggans had not helped suppress his bodily functions he would have wet his pants the moment the arch-demon ballooned in size. Additionally, from the moment Shinji called his bluff, Hexel had not bothered to suppress his suffocating murderous demonic aura whatsoever. If that soldier had not mustered up the courage to come close enough to the tent to get him, Shinji might not have been able to maintain his poker face.
"Seriously! Is that really what the old demons were like? I mean, it felt like he would dismember me if I so much as blinked! No wonder so many people were afraid of them!"
Exhausted from stress, Shinji crawled into bed to rest.
…
Sometime later that night. A dark-haired elf was sipping a cup of tea while looking over a map while pondering the war situation as a lone soldier with red eyes appeared in the room.
"What do you want?" Alex grunted out in a tired voice.
"To make a deal."