Damon brushed the black scales off his right arm; they fell like dry ash, and the skin underneath was cold, dead.
But there was no time for drama. The demon girl was coming for him.
"This is insane!"
Damon yelled while he ran after Aiwass around the penthouse, even though she had zero intention of stopping.
"I told you I'm not changing my mind!"
"You have to… it's part of the contract."
The living room looked like a war zone after their apocalypse-level pillow fight.
"I never signed a contract that said I'd join the Inquisitors as Zero."
Right then his right eye throbbed with pain and the system projected the contract in the air like it was mocking him.
[CLAUSE 44 (FINE PRINT):]
[The Contractor must provide the Creditor (Aiwass) access to any location that contains "Traces of Origin".]
[SYSTEM NOTE: The Inquisitors Guild contains 98% probability of Traces.]
[Breach? -> Penalty: Immediate Soul Extraction.]
"But that wasn't there the first time!" Damon screeched. "You cheated! You edited the magic PDF!"
"I saved your life," she said, filing a claw. "It's the least you can do."
"If you can turn into a cat, why don't you turn into a human… like, normal-sized, and sign up to the Inquisitors yourself?"
"They'd have me carrying coffee before I ever got real contact with the real Inquisitors. Humans are super shallow about rank."
"And what the hell do you want from them?"
"That's my business. But… hey! What's wrong with my size?! Get back here!"
***
"Iris, my girl… you know I hate asking for favors, right?" Ophelia's voice was soft. "But I've noticed how that boy looks at you. Use it and bring him here."
"I'm not going to betray his trust just to feed your ego and your power games."
There she was, standing firm like a statue in front of the "Council of Sages".
She could be "Captain Valen", the MVP who led the Raids, but everybody knew the truth: the real power was those old people.
"We need that SSS rank to calm the investors!" one old man roared, slamming the table. "This is an order from the Council!"
"Use your charms if you have to, Captain!" another councilwoman screeched. "Your mother would know how to secure an asset that valuable!"
"Enough!"
Iris slammed the table with her armored fist.
"We Inquisitors are not pimps. Meeting's over."
Iris left the room with her hands shaking from rage. Those old people only saw numbers, but they had no clue about the real danger.
'Zero is having a mana backlash,' Iris thought, sick with worry. 'His mind is cracked.'
If she brought him to the Council, they'd sell him.
If she brought him to her mother, she'd treat him like a disposable toy, and in his current state, Zero wouldn't survive the "attention" of a sadistic SSS.
"I have to protect him."
That was why she had to warn him.
Iris went to Zero's penthouse hoping he'd be home and rang the doorbell.
"Pizza! Pizza! Huh?"
The door opened. Aiwass was on the other side, waiting for the delivery guy with a hungry smile.
Iris ended up face to face with the woman.
She had to look up, and then look up more.
Aiwass wasn't transformed. She was in her real form, almost six and a half feet tall, dark skin and horns.
Iris froze. Aiwass blinked, realizing her mistake.
"Uhh… we're not taking visitors right now."
BAM. Iris planted her armored boot on the door frame.
"Who are you!" she snapped. "And why are you in Zero's house! ZERO?!"
Iris shoved the door and marched inside with a military stride.
"I told you we're not taking visitors!" Aiwass tried to stop her, but Iris was fast.
"Zero!"
Iris stormed into the living room and the scene stopped her cold. Damon was hanging from the ceiling shirtless, caught in a magic net like a ham on sale.
"Jude, it's not what it looks like!... Captain?"
She blushed and covered her eyes. "W-what are you doing... with her?"
Total panic. Shit, she saw the horns. It's over, Damon thought.
"It's a misunderstanding!"
"With some foreign cosplayer?!"
Huh? Damon grabbed onto that idea like a life raft. "Yeah, exactly! My fitness instructor! Aiwass, put me down!"
Five minutes later, the tension was so thick you could cut it. Damon had his shirt on inside-out while Aiwass ate pizza.
"Zero," Iris said, getting her Captain voice back, "don't join the Inquisitors Guild, because my mother wants to use you."
"Why don't you want me to join?"
Iris stared at him, horrified. "What do you mean why? It's dangerous! They're going to chew you up!"
"I thought it would make you happy."
She looked away. "Well… having you close would be convenient. For your safety."
Aiwass, seeing the weak spot, decided to ruin the mood and save the mission.
She stood up, walked to Damon, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, resting her chin on his head like he was furniture.
"Just so you know, Zero and I were planning to join your cute little guild a while ago, doll."
"Don't call me that!" Iris went red. "Is that true, Zero?" Her face showed worry, but also this weird hope.
"You too?" Damon turned to Aiwass, confused. "That's what you were thinking?"
Aiwass smiled. A smile full of sharp teeth that Iris read as 'exotic model smile' and Damon read as 'if you contradict me, I kill you'.
"Yes," Aiwass said. "He didn't want his girlfriend to be guild-less now that I got to the country. He's so protective… he even offered to join with me so I wouldn't get nervous."
"G-g-girlfriend?" Iris felt like the world just fell on her.
Damon opened his mouth to deny it, but the system blinked in front of him:
[Current Mission: Infiltration of the Guild.]
[Option A: Confirm the lie and live.]
[Option B: Deny and suffer "Domestic Accident".]
Damon looked at Iris, wrecked.
He looked at Aiwass, smug.
"Yeah..." Damon said, voice dead. "She's my girlfriend and we're a package deal, Captain. Either we both get in, or nobody gets in."