Elliot Hawthorne was about to throw up.
His hands trembled as he clutched the heavy, leather-bound grimoire, eyes darting across the dusty pages. The ancient language swirled before him, half-forgotten lessons resurfacing in his panicked mind.
"Summoning magic is easy!" his professor had said. "Even a child could do it!"
Well, if a child could do it, then why was Elliot on the verge of a full-blown crisis?!
The exam hall was eerily silent, save for the occasional muttering of spells from his classmates. Their summoning circles glowed a soft blue, delicate spirits flickering into existence before bowing obediently.
Meanwhile, Elliot's summoning circle remained stubbornly dark.
A bead of sweat dripped down his temple.
The instructors were watching. His classmates were whispering.
He needed to summon something, anything or he'd fail this exam, get kicked out of the academy, and end up working as a cabbage farmer for the rest of his life.
No. Not happening.
Desperate, he flipped through the grimoire, searching for a spell—any spell—that could salvage this disaster. His fingers landed on a page with fancy golden script.
"Guaranteed successful summoning," the description read.
His heart leapt with hope. It sounded perfect! Why hadn't the professor mentioned this spell before?
Without thinking, Elliot pressed his hand against the magic circle and recited the chant:
"Oh great spirit of the realms beyond, I summon thee to my side...."
The air crackled. The candles flickered wildly.
Elliot's breath caught. Oh. Oh gods. It was actually working.
The magic circle beneath him glowed a deep, ominous red.
Wait. Red?
Before he could process the very bad, very ominous sign, the entire room exploded in a burst of crimson light.
Elliot was thrown backward with a yelp, landing ungracefully on his butt. His classmates screamed. The instructors scrambled to cast protective spells.
And from the swirling abyss of magic, a deep, velvety voice purred:
"Did you call for me, little summoner?"
Elliot froze.
Smoke and embers curled through the air, parting to reveal a tall, dangerously attractive man standing in the center of the summoning circle.
Silver hair tumbled down broad shoulders, framing a chiseled face with sharp crimson eyes that gleamed like molten fire. Dark horns curved from his temples, disappearing into silky strands of hair.
He was dressed in black, his long coat fluttering in the magical wind, exuding an aura of sheer, terrifying power.
The room fell into absolute silence.
Elliot's heart stopped.
He had not summoned a spirit.
He had not summoned an ordinary demon.
He had just—
"T-THE DEMON KING?!" an instructor shrieked, stumbling backward.
The entire hall erupted into chaos. Students screamed. Holy knights, who had been stationed outside for protection, burst into the room with weapons drawn.
Elliot, still sitting on the floor, wanted to die.
The demon's gaze zeroed in on him.
A slow, predatory smile curled his lips.
"Mmm… You smell delicious," he purred, stepping forward.
Elliot let out an undignified squeak and tried to crawl away.
Too late.
The demon grabbed his wrist, pulling him up effortlessly.
"So small," the demon mused, tilting Elliot's chin up to inspect him. "So fragile."
Elliot blushed furiously. "U-Uh—"
Before he could protest, the demon lifted Elliot effortlessly into his arms as if he weighed nothing at all, and cradled him like a bride.
Elliot choked.
The knights stood frozen in shock. The instructors had gone pale.
The demon leaned down, lips brushing against Elliot's ear.
"You are my summoner," he murmured, "and by ancient law… my fated spouse."
Silence.
Then—
"I'M YOUR WHAT?!" Elliot screamed.
Elliot wanted to shriek. No, actually, he wanted to pass out, wake up, and pretend this entire disaster never happened.
The Demon King Azrael, Lord of the Abyss, Devourer of Souls, and Probably a Terrible Husband was still holding him like a blushing bride in front of the entire academy.
His professors had fainted.
The knights were too scared to move.
And his classmates were silently taking notes, probably preparing to write an entire research paper on "How Elliot Accidentally Married a Demon King in One Easy Step."
Elliot gulped. "Uhm… L-Look, Your Majesty—"
Azrael's silver eyes gleamed dangerously. "Ah, so you know who I am?"
"Of course, I do! Who wouldn't?!" Elliot wanted to yell.
Instead, he forced a nervous smile. "Y-Yes! You are… um, the Supreme Demon Lord, ruler of the Seventh Abyss, conqueror of a thousand realms, and—"
Azrael's smirk deepened.
"—someone I definitely did not mean to summon!"
Azrael raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Are you saying you summoned me on accident?"
Elliot nodded furiously. "Yes! A complete mistake! Terrible, awful, a complete—"
"A fated summoning is never a mistake," Azrael interrupted, his voice deep and smooth like velvet. "The spell you used is a sacred contract. One that binds the summoner and the summoned for eternity."
Elliot's breath hitched.
E-Eternity?! As in forever?!
His hands clenched Azrael's cloak. "S-Surely there's a way to break it?"
Azrael tilted his head. "Why would you want to?"
Elliot stared at him in utter disbelief. "B-Because I don't want to be married to a demon king?!"
Azrael sighed dramatically. "Mortals are so unromantic these days."
Elliot opened his mouth to argue, but before he could demand an immediate divorce, the Holy Knights finally snapped out of their stunned silence.
"Demon King Azrael!" One of them, a particularly brave (or stupid) paladin, stepped forward and raised his enchanted sword. "Release the student at once!"
Azrael glanced lazily at the group of knights pointing swords and staves at him. "Hmm. How about… no?"
The paladin's face turned red. "Then you leave us no choice!" He turned to his comrades. "Formation! Attack!"
Elliot panicked.
"Wait—DON'T—!"
Too late.
The knights charged.
Elliot squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for impact. This was it. He was going to be caught in the middle of a battle between the strongest warriors in the kingdom and a literal demon lord.
He expected an explosion. A clash of steel. Screams.
Instead—
There was a soft flick.
Elliot cautiously opened his eyes.
The knights were gone.
Or rather—they were scattered across the room, groaning on the floor like overturned turtles.
Elliot gawked. "D-Did you just—"
Azrael dusted off his sleeves. "They were annoying."
"You just, with one flick "..."
Azrael shrugged. "I went easy on them."
The knights whimpered.
Elliot gaped. This man was terrifying.
Still, he couldn't just let this slide. "You can't just throw holy knights around like ragdolls!"
Azrael gave him a slow, amused smile. "Why not?"
Elliot sputtered. "B-Because it's rude?!"
Azrael chuckled. "Ah, I see. You're one of those adorable 'good and moral' humans."
"OF COURSE, I AM!"
Azrael's smirk widened. "How charming."
Elliot's brain short-circuited. Did this demon just call him adorable?!
Before he could recover, Azrael suddenly lifted his hand. The air hummed with dark magic.
The knights who had just barely managed to crawl to their feet froze in fear.
Elliot panicked. "WAIT! STOP!"
Azrael paused. "Oh? You have a request, little husband?"
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
Azrael chuckled. "No."
Elliot groaned.
Taking a deep breath, he planted both hands on Azrael's chest and pushed. "Listen here, Mister Demon King—"
Azrael did not budge.
Elliot's arms nearly snapped from the effort. The man was built like a stone wall.
Azrael raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to move me?"
Elliot scowled. "YES."
Azrael hummed. "How cute."
Elliot wanted to scream.
Before he could properly lose his mind, one of the instructors gathered enough courage to speak. "Demon King Azrael, we demand you leave this academy immediately!"
Azrael barely spared them a glance. "I decline."
The instructor bristled. "You have no right to stay here!"
Azrael smirked. "Oh, but I do. As my dear husband's legal spouse, I now have every right to claim this land as my in-law's residence."
Elliot blanched.
The instructor looked horrified.
The knights looked ready to start crying.
Azrael smiled sweetly. "I'll be staying indefinitely."
Elliot officially lost his mind.