Lord of The Red Planet

"So, you're the one named Ayato?"

Hearing the voice, Ayato turned around. He saw a young girl who looked no older than him, wearing a standard Victorian-era maid's uniform while holding a gothic-style black scythe.

"Who are you?" Seeing a stranger suddenly appear at his apartment door, Ayato quickly tried to go inside.

"Relax. I'm a subordinate of Lord Arthur. I came to have a quick talk with you." Betta walked slowly up the stairs, then placed both her hands on the iron railing.

Hearing that name, Ayato paused for a moment. "Prove it. I'm not going to just trust someone dressed as a maid in the middle of the night."

"Oh? Your words are a little interesting." Betta immediately turned her body and looked at Ayato with an interested smile. "Alright. I'll show you that I'm Lord Arthur's subordinate."

She extended her hand toward Ayato.

"What are you doing?" Ayato was confused by the action.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, his body was lifted slightly off the floor, then floated out of the apartment balcony. He was now hovering in mid-air.

Seeing all this, Ayato panicked. "Alright! I believe you! Now put me back where I was!" Cold sweat began to pour all over his body. His legs felt numb.

If I fall from this height… I'll definitely die!

"No, no. You're going to die here." Betta shook her head casually.

"Why?!" Ayato shouted, his voice breaking with panic.

"Why?" Betta tilted her head, her sweet smile a complete mismatch for her eyes, which now glinted coldly. "Because… I want to see what your face looks like when you fall."

And with that, she let him go.

No warning. No countdown. The invisible grip holding him in the air simply vanished.

WHOOSH!

The world below rushed up to meet him. For a moment, all Ayato felt was a hollowness in his stomach, the horrifying sensation of freefall.

No! No! No! he screamed in his mind. His eyes were wide, his face pale with terror. The wind roared in his ears, tearing the air from his lungs. The city lights below swirled into a blurry, indistinct mass. Death felt so real, so close.

Just as the asphalt below seemed only a few feet away…

JERK!

His body was yanked upward with the same force with which he had been dropped.

THUD!

He was slammed back onto the floor of his apartment balcony, his bones rattling from the impact. He collapsed there, coughing violently, trying to refill his empty lungs.

"Ugh!"

The sour taste of bile burned his throat as he threw up what little was in his stomach onto the cold floor. He was shaking violently, uncontrollably. That… was the closest I've ever been to death.

"Oh, my bad, my bad," Betta said in a cheerful tone, as if she had just accidentally spilled a drink, not dropped someone from a height of dozens of meters.

She crouched down, matching her height with Ayato, who was still trembling on the floor. Her slender yet strong fingers gripped Ayato's chin, forcing him to look up.

The playful smile on her face was gone, replaced by a cold, flat expression. In the dim light, her red eyes emitted a cold light, like a wolf stalking its prey.

"Now…" she whispered, her voice as cold as ice, "…is this enough to prove that I am Lord Arthur's subordinate?"

Ayato could only stare into those terrifying eyes, all his courage shattered.

"Y-yes…" he answered with a trembling voice. He nodded his head frantically, not daring to do anything but agree.

"Good. In that case…." For a moment, before Betta could continue, the door behind Ayato slowly opened.

"I… I heard someone scream outside…." a little girl muttered. She looked at the scene outside, then her eyes widened when she saw her brother coughing, his face pale.

"Brother! What happened to you?!" The little girl immediately ran over and held her brother's hand anxiously.

"It's nothing, Haruna." Ayato tried to get up and calm his sister down.

"But, Brother… you look like you're in a lot of pain." Haruna's cute face was filled with worry.

"It's nothing. I just slipped, and… this lady helped me," Ayato said, pointing at Betta.

Seeing that, the flat expression on Betta's face immediately changed into a gentle smile. She waved her hand at Haruna.

"Hmm…." Haruna nodded, then looked back at her brother.

"Let's go inside, Haruna. Staying here will bother the neighbors." Ayato glanced at a few other apartment doors that were starting to open. "Miss Betta, please come in," he said, bowing his head, inviting Betta inside.

"Well, I can't wait to see the home of the person my Master chose," Betta muttered cheerfully to herself.

Hearing that, Haruna turned slightly to her brother. Seeing the confused look on his sister's face, Ayato smiled awkwardly. "Miss Betta is my supervisor at my new job. Remember? This morning, I told you I got a new job!"

"I remember!" Haruna exclaimed. A cheerful smile immediately appeared on her face.

Seeing that, Ayato felt relieved. I'm sorry, Haruna. For now, I can't be honest with you.

Then, he looked at Betta's back. Because… I may have started working with a demon.

"Please have a seat, Miss Betta," Ayato said, respectfully inviting Betta to sit.

Betta nodded and placed her scythe beside her.

"I'll be right back, Miss Betta. I'm just going to change," Ayato said, then walked quickly to his room. He didn't forget to tell Haruna, "Haruna, give Miss Betta something to eat and drink!" he shouted from inside.

Hearing that, Haruna immediately ran to the kitchen.

Betta began to observe the apartment's interior with a judgmental gaze.

This apartment was small. Very small. The pale cream walls looked dull in some places, with faint damp patches near the ceiling. The floor was covered in faux-wood-patterned vinyl that was slightly scratched here and there. The cramped living room was furnished with only a two-seater gray sofa whose fabric was a bit worn, a low plywood coffee table, and a thin TV stand supporting an old-model tube television. There was no carpet, no wall decorations. Everything felt so plain and functional, without the slightest touch of beauty.

Betta directed her gaze to where Haruna had gone. Behind the living room, separated only by a short counter, was an equally small kitchen, though it looked modern with the built-in appliances typical of Japanese apartments.

Compared to my room, this is like garbage. But… for a place lived in by a child abandoned by his parents, this is pretty good, Betta thought with a nod. The quality of life for humans in this world is arguably much better than in the World of Monia. Thinking of that, she was reminded of the living conditions of humans in her old world, when the age entered the Steam and Magic Engine Era.

"Miss Betta, please have a drink." Betta was snapped out of her reverie and saw Haruna serving food and drinks on the table. "I'm sorry, Miss. We only have simple food and drinks in this house." Haruna bowed her head while holding a tray.

"It's fine," Betta replied with a smile. She took a cup of hot green tea and tasted it. "It's good."

"I'm glad to hear that." Haruna's worried expression disappeared, replaced by relief. "Well then, I'll be leaving now. Please, talk with my brother." After saying that, Haruna walked away.

"A polite human," Betta commented, observing Haruna's behavior.

"I'm sorry for the long wait."

Betta directed her gaze toward the voice and saw Ayato, who was now wearing a long white shirt with gray slacks. He sat in front of her.

"It's fine," Betta said, taking another sip of her green tea.

"So… what's the meaning of your visit today, Miss Betta? Doesn't work start tomorrow?" Ayato asked, his expression a mix of doubt and fear.

"I just wanted to know what kind of person my Master chose for such an important plan." Betta looked at him sharply.

"Etto… so…?" Ayato asked awkwardly.

"That's the only reason I came," Betta replied casually. "Tomorrow, I will accompany you to the Red Lotus Organization's headquarters. So, don't worry if they don't submit. I can handle it."

Hearing that, Ayato felt relieved. Although Lord Arthur had promised before, hearing it directly from the person herself was a different matter. He also wasn't worried that Betta wouldn't be able to handle the members of the Red Lotus, who were just organized thugs. In the face of supernatural power, they were nothing.

"I'm relieved to hear that, Miss Betta," Ayato replied.

Betta nodded. "By the way, your job is only to manage this organization according to the directions and orders given. Don't try to get any funny ideas," she said with a firm expression.

"Don't worry, Miss Betta. You can trust me. Besides, what kind of fool would go against someone with supernatural abilities?" Ayato said confidently, his right hand on his left breast while bowing slightly.

"Good. In that case, that's all for now. We'll meet in front of the Red Lotus headquarters tomorrow morning." Betta stood up, then grabbed her black scythe. "And also… thank you for the drink and food."

"You're welcome—?" Ayato looked ahead. Miss Betta was gone. Confusion filled his eyes. "Vanished?"

"Who… are they, really?" he muttered.

…

Betta walked down the quiet sidewalk. There, she saw the silhouette of a person. She approached and knelt. "Lord Belial."

"Well?"

"There's nothing special about him. I don't understand what Lord Arthur sees in him," Betta replied.

"I thought so too, at first. But since it's a choice of the Supreme Beings, I suppose he can see what we cannot."

"In that case?" Betta asked.

"Just follow Lord Arthur's plan. I will be watching you and Ayato tomorrow to prevent anything from getting out of control."

"Understood," Betta nodded.

Then, she felt Belial's presence vanish. Betta rose from her kneeling position and dusted her shoulders.

"In that case… I think I'll take a look around the city first."