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...
After all, just this morning, she had eliminated another group of traitors. It was still the top news story.
Yor wasn't sure how the Shopkeeper had obtained so much information, uncovering so many traitors at once, but it didn't matter.
Lost in thought, Yor grimaced as she meticulously washed the blood from her kunai, carefully drying each blade with a piece of tissue paper before placing it on a handkerchief.
Reaching for another tissue to wipe her hands, she realized the roll was empty.
Checking her pocket, she found a single remaining piece of paper, a flyer she'd been handed on the street before boarding the train. Unable to refuse, she had accepted it.
The flyer depicted what appeared to be a magic circle. The tagline advertised a "Wish-Granting Ritual."
...Could it really change her luck?
Yor sighed.
She was desperate enough to consider the occult.
If only it could get her a man.
As if in answer to her silent plea, the flyer in her hand began to glow!
"Huh?"
Yor stared blankly at the flyer. The magic circle's light intensified.
The glowing runes detached from the paper, expanding in mid-air and projecting onto the ground below...
...
In his bedroom, Badr, having just satisfied Rias and Akeno's desires, hadn't yet fallen asleep when he sensed a familiar magical fluctuation.
Hmm?
A contract summoning?
He glanced at the clock. It was already midnight...
Seriously? After hours?
Badr was taken aback. Had the summoner just remembered the flyer?
Well, regardless, it was a rare opportunity to fulfill a contract. He had to work overtime.
He gently kissed the foreheads of the sleeping Rias and Akeno, carefully disentangling their limbs from his body. Looking at their beautiful forms sprawled across the bed, Badr smiled and carefully levitated into the air.
Black clothing woven from demonic energy materialized around him. He answered the contract's call, a purplish-red magic circle appearing before him. He stepped through without hesitation.
...
The magic circle flared brightly. Faced with this bizarre occurrence, Yor wasn't afraid. She simply gripped her kunai instinctively.
Her crimson eyes remained fixed on the magic circle. Although she didn't understand what was happening, as an assassin, maintaining composure was second nature.
Finally, with a flash of light, a black-haired young man emerged from the circle, hovering half a meter above the ground.
Yor immediately assessed him.
He looked young, almost boyish, with neat black hair. He wore simple casual clothes. But how was he floating in mid-air?
The figure who had answered the summoning was, of course, Badr.
The moment he arrived, he was hit by a strong metallic scent of blood.
His demonic senses were incredibly acute, and the overwhelming stench made him frown slightly.
Glancing into the adjacent room, he saw a pile of corpses.
Their wounds varied, but each one was fatal.
This was no ordinary homicide scene. Someone had systematically executed these people with chilling efficiency.
These thoughts flashed through his mind as Badr observed the scene.
There was only one living person in the apartment. The identity of the killer was obvious. It seemed the client who summoned him was quite strong.
He looked at Yor, still standing by the sink, her expression calm, as if oblivious to the bodies. He spoke in a casual tone.
"Greetings. I am Badr, a Devil, here in response to your summons."
"Eh? Um... I'm Yor Briar. Are Y... a Devil like in fairy tales?"
Yor asked, surprised, her expression innocent.
"You could say that, Miss Yor. Angels and Devils are real. You just used a summoning ritual. I can grant your wish, fulfill your request."
"Really?"
Yor accepted his identity with surprising ease.
Despite this world-altering revelation, she seemed unconcerned.
"So fairy tales are true! That's wonderful! Yuri will be so happy to hear this."
Yor smiled brightly.
...Had she misunderstood something?
Devils were real, yes, but fairy tales weren't necessarily accurate representations. He hoped she wouldn't conflate the two.
Badr kept this thought to himself.
Seeing her acceptance, he simply nodded.
Perhaps it was her assassin training. Her composure and adaptability were remarkable.
Badr concocted a possible explanation for Yor's unusual reaction.
Then Yor seemed to remember something.
"But... aren't Devils supposed to be evil...?"
"Myths and legends are biased against Devils. Angels and Devils have been at war for a long time. To promote their faith, Angels demonized Devils, so to speak."
"Oh, is that so? That makes sense. The Devils in fairy tales were always the good guys. I must have misjudged them when I told those stories to Yuri."
Badr smiled faintly at her words.
If not for his own experiences, he might never have discovered the truth about Devils himself.
With the introductions out of the way, Badr focused his demonic power, accessing the wish embedded within the summoning magic.
Summoning magic was activated by a person's desire. The summoned Devil could then sense the nature of the wish, making it easy to understand the client's needs.
"So, Miss Yor, your request is..."
Badr sensed Yor's wish within the magic and raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"...To marry me?"
He tilted his head, then regained his composure, looking at Yor with a calm expression.
"Miss Yor, I'm not that kind of Devil. I provide services, not myself."
Yor blinked, her bewildered expression endearing. Then, a blush crept up her cheeks.
"Ah? Was that my wish? Um, Mr. Devil, you misunderstood..."
"Please, call me Badr."
"Okay, Badr-san..."
She quickly explained her situation as an assassin and the upcoming work gathering she needed to attend.
"I see..."
Badr understood.
As an assassin, she needed to maintain a cover. But Yor was socially awkward and wanted a male companion to help her blend in and avoid suspicion.
This was a perfectly reasonable request.
"In that case, I can assist you, Miss Yor."
"Really? That's wonderful! ...But..." Yor looked at Badr, a worried expression on her face. "How old are you, Badr-san? Wouldn't you seem... too young?"
"...I'll be seventeen next month."
"Ah? So you're only seventeen... I'm... ten years older than you!"
Yor's renewed hope seemed to falter. "People would be suspicious of us..."
Huh?
Why would that be a problem?
Older women dating younger men was quite common...
Badr shrugged. "Don't worry. I have a spell called [Common Sense Alteration]. I can change people's perceptions. No one will question our age difference."
Due to Yor's unique circumstances, he couldn't directly use [Common Sense Alteration] on her colleagues. Otherwise, this request would be much simpler.
Yor needed her colleagues to believe she was a normal woman with a family, avoiding any unwanted attention.
Badr's [Common Sense Alteration] could either erase specific memories or temporarily alter people's perceptions during direct interaction. However, once he left, their common sense would return.
Neither option was suitable for Yor's current situation.
The former was a temporary fix and would create further complications. The latter required Badr to constantly maintain the spell, which wasn't feasible.
The only solution was to put on an act.
Badr would play the role of Yor's partner, convincing everyone she was in a relationship and diverting suspicion away from her true identity.
It was a bit of a hassle, but Badr was satisfied. Compared to some of his previous requests, this one was relatively straightforward.
...
Yor's acceptance of his demonic nature was remarkably high.
She seemed to trust him easily, showing little surprise at his magical abilities.
Badr looked at the bodies in the apartment, his curiosity piqued.
"By the way, why did you kill these people?"
"Eh? Because they're traitors. They sold state secrets to the northern country, trying to instigate a war."
...
Akeno had mentioned that the Norse Gods were inciting human factions in the north, attempting to disrupt the recent peace treaty between Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils.
Such petty schemes were unlikely to succeed. Loki was probably just using these humans to annoy the three factions.
Badr suddenly remembered that the Old Satan Faction had indeed been manipulating a group of humans to cause trouble.
Akeno had obtained this information through interrogation. Rias, unwilling to interfere in human affairs, had passed the intelligence to her country's government, leaving them to handle the situation.
Ah, that explained it...
Badr finally understood.
Yor was the blade tasked with cleaning up the mess.
And he happened to stumble upon it.
He chuckled inwardly. What a coincidence.
Yor was certainly efficient. The assassination in the morning news might have been her handiwork as well.
Having pieced together the puzzle, Badr had no further questions. He and Yor were, in a sense, on the same side. The three factions currently maintained friendly relations with humanity, jointly opposing those who sought to ignite war. It was a period of close diplomatic ties.
...
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