Nathan – POV

  When we returned home, my mother immediately fed the little demoness. That alone improved her mood considerably. To my surprise, she even asked me to sit beside her. Naturally, my mother and sisters pounced on the opportunity to cajole me into agreeing, and so I did.

  I sat down and shared the meal with her. Watching her eat, a quiet revelation struck me...she was meant to grow alongside me. Suddenly, Leshner’s cryptic words clicked into place.

  Still, so much doesn’t add up anymore. Everything feels… off-script. But I’m not complaining. Not yet. After all, I now have a powerful demoness as my personal assistant. The problem is, I have no idea what to actually do with her; or with any of my demons, for that matter.

  I’d have to ask my parents what their plans were, so I could direct my summons to assist them properly.

  When Jakob came home, he was startled to find another girl in the house. My mother explained the situation in her usual firm way, and Jakob didn’t stand a chance. She had already decided to keep Shive, treating her as though she were a new daughter. Father, of course, played it cool… probably because he didn’t want to risk Mother’s scolding.

  That night, Shive refused to leave my side. Which meant our sleeping arrangements became… cramped. There was me, my mother, my father, and Shive all in one bed. I was literally being smothered between my mother’s embrace and Shive’s clinginess.

  By morning, my parents finally decided it was time I had my own room. They hired carpenters to expand and improve our hut. With Father’s hunts going well, we had enough coin to justify the expense.

  The construction was noisy and inconvenient, but after a few weeks, our humble hut had transformed into a proper wooden house. A shingled roof replaced the thatch, sturdy wooden walls stood where mud and straw once were, and two additional rooms gave us space to breathe. The dining area was larger, the rooms more spacious. It cost us around ten gold coins; not much, considering we only needed the place to last another two years before leaving. Still, the improvements were worth it. The only regret was that Jack wasn’t there to see his new room. Perhaps when he returned, he’d be surprised.

  As expected, Shive continued to sleep beside me. Serena tried to coax her into her own room, but Shive wouldn’t have it. During the day, she followed us everywhere.

  What amazed us most was her skill. Despite her young appearance, she was already frighteningly proficient in both magic and combat. She could summon twin knives and twirl them with casual ease. She could melt into shadows with a spell akin to Krizek’s lesser invisibility, only to reappear with deadly precision, hurling shadow-forged blades. She was like a demoness trained in ninjutsu. On top of that, she wielded whips and crowd-control magic such as Seduce.

  But her most impressive ability was her power to appear human. She could mask her demonic essence so thoroughly that, at a glance, she seemed like any ordinary girl. I wasn’t sure how effective it would be against priests or mages trained in detection, but it was better than nothing.

  One evening, my parents gathered us for a serious talk.

  “Children,” Father began, “you know we’ve been planning to leave this place and return to our homeland.”

  We nodded.

  “Immediately after Jack’s advancement ceremony, we’ll head west. The journey will be long and dangerous… months, perhaps even a year. And once we arrive, we’ll need to find a way to settle there.”

  Mother added, “We’ll be hiring a team of adventurers to escort us. With Nathan’s pocket dimension, we don’t have to worry about gold. It’s the safest vault we could ask for.”

  “Mother,” I asked, “could my summons help with this?”

  Father raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly could they do?”

  I hesitated, then said, “They could disguise themselves as adventurers.” Truthfully, it was Serena’s idea, but it was a good one...assuming the demons weren’t detected.

  “That could work,” Father admitted, “but can they truly disguise themselves?”

  “Yes,” Shive answered confidently. “But we’ll need additional layers of disguise magic. Priests, mages, even paladins might still sense our essence.”

  “Is there such a thing?” I asked.

  Mother nodded. “There’s an item called the Brooch of Sholan. It creates a false status, tricking detection spells and devices. Not rare, but difficult to acquire. Thieves’ guilds and underground networks use them.”

  I thought for a moment. “My summons can find them. Once disguised, they can work as adventurers and join our escort.”

  Father considered it, then nodded. “That could work. Do it, Nathan.”

  That night, when everyone was asleep, I summoned my other three demons.

  “Master,” they intoned in unison.

  “I have a task for you. Find and acquire the Brooches of Sholan. They’re used by thieves’ guilds and underground groups. Get as many as you can, along with any loot you come across. Once you have them, use your disguise magic to appear human and operate as adventurers.”

  “Yes, Master,” they replied.

  Krizek tilted his head. “Are we permitted to execute this mission with extreme prejudice?”

  I hesitated. “…Yes. No witnesses.”

  “Of course, Master.”

  “Leshner,” I said, “cast a masking spell on Krizek and Xander. Make them look human.”

  “Yes, Master Nathan.” Leshner smiled, weaving his magic. In moments, Xander stood as a muscular, intimidating man, while Krizek became a slender figure with a sinister edge. The transformation was uncanny.

  I shook my head in disbelief. “Good. Go now. Contact me through telepathy. Be careful—do not allow yourselves to be discovered.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Yes, Master.” They vanished into the shadows.

  “…Damn. I forgot to tell them where to start looking,” I muttered.

  “Do not worry, Master,” Shive said softly. “They will find it. They never fail.”

  I turned to her. Her face, illuminated by the glow of the twin moons, looked almost angelic despite her nature.

  “Okay,” I murmured.

  “Come back to bed,” she whispered, tugging me down and wrapping her arms around me, pressing my head against her nonexistent bosom.

  Why did that feel so much like we were married… or worse, lovers?

  The following months passed without a word from the three. Shive reminded me not to worry, assuring me they would succeed. And she was right; it couldn’t be easy to infiltrate such organizations and steal from them. It was only natural that it would take time.

  Besides, such groups were likely based in larger cities, while we were stuck in the backwoods. Just reaching them would be a challenge. Still, I have faith. It was only a matter of time.

  So, we trained. Shive and Mother were invaluable, and under their guidance I learned new skills. I mastered Shadowmeld and increased my shadow tendrils from five to ten. My control over them grew sharper, more precise.

  Then, out of the blue; while we were eating lunch in the wood; I received my first kill notification in over a year.

  Your summoned demon has slain a level 20 Thief! You are awarded experience points!

  Your summoned demon has slain a level 19 Thief! You are awarded experience points!

  Your summoned demon has slain a level 15 Thief! You are awarded experience points!

  Your summoned demon has slain a level 12 Thief! You are awarded experience points!

  Your summoned demon has slain a level 20 Thief! You are awarded experience points!

  Congratulations!

  You have gained 3 new levels!

  I felt the power surge into me. Holy shit! What the hell is going on? They killed some people. Before I contacted them through telepathy, I opted to check my status first to see whether I got any negative tags.

  Status:

  Name: Nathan

  Class: Shadow Mage, Warlock Demonologist, Affliction, Destruction

  Title: Otherworldly Knowledge

  Name: Nathan

  Class: Shadow Mage, Warlock Demonologist, Affliction, Destruction

  Title: Otherworldly Knowledge

  Level: 23

  HP: 240

  MP: 4650

  Strength: 21+3 =24

  Stamina: 21+3 =24

  Agility: 21+3 =24

  Dexterity: 21+3 =24

  Intelligence: 450 + 15 = 465

  Constitution: 21 + 3 = 24

  Affinity: Shadow SSS+, Fel Energy SSS+

  Active Skills: Shadow Bolt 4, Immolate 3, Summon Imp, Shadow Tendrils 10, Corruption 2, Curse of Weakness 3, Life Tap 2, Curse of Agony 2, Fear 1, Summon Voidwalker, Drain Soul 1, Create Healthstone (lesser), Health Funnel 2, Drain Life 2, Curse of Recklessness 1, Unending Breath, Searing Pain 1, Create Soulstone (minor), Ritual of Summoning, Summon Succubus, Summon Incubus, Rain of Fire 1, Demon Armored Skin 1, Eye of Kilrogg, Shadowmeld 1

  Passive Skills: Mana Sense 2

  Thank God. No negative tags. Well, no harm no foul but I should talk to the guys later.

  I now possessed the Eye of Kilrogg, my Healthstone had advanced from Minor to Lesser, and even my Curse of Weakness had improved.

  A grin tugged at my lips. For all the chaos lately, progress was progress. Then it struck me, I hadn’t actually created a Healthstone or Soulstone yet. Did they function the same way as in the game? Only one way to find out.

  I thought of the incantation: Create Healthstone (Lesser).

  Congratulations!

  You have casted a first-time spell in this world!

  You are rewarder with +5 Intelligence

  A green, egg-shaped object materialized in my hands. Its surface was smooth, mottled with darker green spots, almost like a reptilian egg. I turned it over, wondering how exactly to use it.

  Well, there was only one obvious option. I crushed it in my palm.

  The fragments dissolved instantly, vanishing into motes of light, and a warm green glow enveloped me. The sensation was soothing, like being wrapped in sunlight filtered through leaves. I glanced down at myself, the small cut on my arm was gone. My HP had already been full, but even the minor scratches and blemishes across my body had vanished.

  Success.

  Now for the real test.

  I invoked: Create Soulstone (Minor).

  This time, a deep violet orb appeared in my hands, pulsing faintly with inner light. Unlike the Healthstone, it was solid, heavy, and unyielding. I tried to crush it, but it resisted, as if daring me to force it.

  “Hm. This one’s going to be trickier than I thought.”

  Before I could experiment further, a flashing icon appeared on my status screen. I focused on it, and the interface unfolded before my mind’s eye.

  Voila...another bonus reward.

  Congratulations!

  You have casted a first-time spell in this world!

  You are rewarder with +5 Intelligence

  I closed the prompt and turned my attention back to the soulstone in my hand, examining its faint glow. I was so absorbed that I didn’t notice my mother, Serena, and Shive approaching.

  “What you got there?” Serena suddenly shouted right behind me.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Serena! You scared me half to death,” I snapped, while she and Shive giggled at my reaction.

  Mother’s eyes fell on the stone in my palm. “Nathan, what is that?” she asked curiously.

  “It’s a soulstone, Mother,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Supposedly, it protects you from death for about ten minutes… maybe five.”

  Her brows shot up. “What?”

  “Well, if it’s cast on someone and they die within that time, the soulstone revives them. They come back alive, though with only half their health remaining.” I shrugged, as if it were nothing special.

  “That’s… incredible,” she breathed.

  “Yes, but there’s a catch. I can only summon one at a time. Still, I can create other stones that I can give away.” With a flick of my hand, I conjured three glowing healthstones and handed them out.

  Serena turned hers over in her hand. “So… what do we do with these? Eat them?”

  I rolled my eyes. Before I could answer, Shive stepped in. “No, silly. You crush it...like this.”

  Serena squeezed the stone, and it shattered in her palm. A green aura flared around her, bathing her in healing light.

  Mother and Shive followed suit, and soon all three of them were glowing faintly with restorative energy.

  “I feel amazing!” Mother exclaimed, flexing her hands as if she were years younger.

  “It’s the equivalent of a healing potion,” I explained. “Instead of drinking it, you crush it, and it restores a few hundred points of health. I’m not sure how many I can make, though. There are probably limitations.” I frowned, recalling game mechanics. “In the old rules, you could only give them to party or raid members. Since I was able to hand them to you three… I guess that means you’re my party?”

  I was stretching the logic, but it was the only explanation that made sense.

  Mother gave me a long look. “Your skills are remarkable, son. But I’ve never heard of a shadow mage with abilities like these.”

  I hesitated. This was as good a time as any. Oh well...screw it.

  “Yeah, about that…” I scratched the back of my head, grinning sheepishly. “I’m not just a shadow mage. I’m also… a warlock.”

  The silence that followed was deafening. Mother and Serena both froze, their mouths hanging open. Serena dropped the soulstone, which shattered uselessly on the floor.