Nightmare Fantasy Online

"The fools all died then. Just as expected." - Lesser Armor Devil

The demonic knight talked with a voice devoid of any compassion for its fallen allies. It then pulled its sword from the ground-

"Fireball!" - Garami

But I didn't have the time to stand leisurely and watch it prepare itself for a macho battle! Armor means its defense is big, and this Garami does NOT have macho-skills that can penetrate the defense of a D-rank armor-bastard!

"Wha-! [Vibration Cutter]!!" - Lesser Armor Devil

What the hell, a flying slash!? It cut my Fireball before it managed to score a hit on the ball of threads!

"Hey, what's the big idea!" - Garami

"That's my line! Who tries to end a magnificent battle between adventurers and monsters by cutting of the latter's power line to existing!? ...hmm? You are..." - Lesser Armor Devil

The devil stopped in his tracks after he took a good look at my face. What? Do I have some food on my cheek?

"............haha." - Lesser Armor Devil

What?

"Haha. Hahaha. BWA-HAHAHAHAHAHA!!" - Lesser Armor Devil

And now he's laughing like crazy!? He's even bending his back while roaring out laughter! What?! Did he use some madness-type skill or something!?

"BWA-BWA-BWA-HAHAHAHAHAHA! To think at this place, after being unreasonably summoned to this hellhole, I can finally have my revenge! PREPARE YOURSELF, YOU DIABOLIC PIECE OF SHIT!!" - Lesser Armor Demon

Gyaaaa!? The guy suddenly went into rage mode and attacked me! And he's fast! I tried to dodge his rush, but his sword still cut off my item belt and..., MY ARM!!

"IT HUUUURST!!" - Garami

"What hurts!? Someone like...? That's strange. For that woman to be so meek..." - Lesser Armor Devil

"Who're you calling meek!? Anyone would start crying when you cut their goddamn arm off!!" - Garami

I shouted back at the devil while holding back my tears. It doesn't hurt that much, but the shock and scare from having my arm cut off so suddenly and without warning have left me mentally wounded. 

"Hmm..., excuse me, o fair lady who is cursed with such a nasty appearance. It seems I have mistaken you for the wretched bitch who had forced me away from my home in Solomar to this abandoned dumpster of a castle. Not to mention forcing me into such a humiliating appearance..." - Lesser Armod Devil

"What nonsense are you talking about!" I shouted to the devil who'd started to complain to himself while talking to me.

"No, this was embarrassingly rude of me. Especially to one who may share my sufferings-" - Lesser Armor Devil

"I already told you to stop talking nonsense! Aren't you the boss of this place?" - Garami

"Ah, that is my role here, I agree. Not that I wanted to myself..." - Lesser Armor Devil

"...did the boss of this place summon you against your will or something?" - Garami

The hostility in the air had disappeared as sudden as the devil's fit of anger from before, so I found myself asking the devil in a casual voice before I knew it. Games are great like that. You can ignore the pain of losing an arm that easily. 

"Yes, just as you said! That bitch forced me to guard this place, linking my life to this stupid idea of a power source, and even stripped me of my original appearance and powers! Now, due to the greed of this place's owner, the most power I can muster is the amount granted to be by the adventurers who are defeated inside this joke of a Dungeon..." - Lesser Armor Devil

...oh. So that's why his level's that low. The bosses' levels must be decided by the killed players-, hey! That's damn bad! If more players start trying to break through the first floors of the Dungeon unsuccessfully, won't that end up feeding these guys more EXP!? Ah, there's just this guy left..., but what about the Queen!?

"Hmm, so you wish to defeat the Queen of this pitiful castle?" - Lesser Armor Devil

"How did you know!? Was it that apparent?" - Garami

"Of course it was. After all, I harbor similar thoughts. Who would want to stay guard over this place for all eternity?" - Lesser Armor Devil

"Then-!" - Garami

"But alas, o pitiful woman who plays the role of a demon. Destroying this mass of mana behind me is the same as ending my life. No matter how much I despise staying here in this false realm, dying is something I cannot allow myself to." - Lesser Armor Devil

This guy's talking too much. I can barely understand half of what he's saying. At most, I get that even an AI like him doesn't wanna die, but I don't wanna be stuck here either!

"Oh?" said the devil all of a sudden. He was looking at the items that had spilled from my broken item belt. ...phew. The potions are still safe. 

"Young lady, are these Kurs yours?" - Lesser Armor Devil

"Kurs?" - Garami

"These coinages," replied the devil while pointing at the coins I'd collected across the Dungeon.

"Yes, they're mine..." - Garami

"WONDERFUL! Simply wonderful! Young lady, what do you say about making a contract with me?" asked the devil with a voice high-pitched from sheer joy.

"C-contract?" - Garami

"PRECISELY! Devils like me can be placed under a contract in exchange for something of value. It's what you people would call a "devil summoning". During the period of the contract, we devils have to follow the orders of the contract to a tee..., even if it's forced onto us such as in my case now." - Lesser Armor Devil

"O-oh..., and what does that have to do with me? You have a contract already..." - Garami

"And that is my point! A noble devil such as myself cannot be underneath two contracts at the same time! If I would take another contract, my old one would be invalidated. That is why it's standard practice for modern devils like me to include a clause in our contracts that prevents us from taking a new contract until the previous one is fulfilled." - Lesser Armor Devil

"...then isn't it impossible?" - Garami

"HOWEVER, foolish lady, I was forced into this contract of "defending the bundle of demonic energy", and ONLY that! There are no clauses whatsoever! BWA-HAHAHAHAHA!!" - Lesser Armor Devil

"O-okay, I get it! Just stop exploding into laughter like that! It's bad for my heart..." - Garami

"Hmm, is it that bad, you say? The next time I gain a physical form, I should try to aim for the Sound attribute." - Lesser Armor Devil

"Attribute? Don't you mean "element"?" - Garami

"Ah, yes. Whatever you say. Now, for the contract." - Lesser Armor Devil

"...will this work? It sounds too simple to do so..." - Garami

"I cannot say your doubts are meaningless but do not worry! In this long time of my imprisonment, I have simulated any possible method of escaping these unjust chains placed on my body. It is guaranteed to work!" - Lesser Armor Devil

This guy's starting to sound sketchy...

"Now, young lady, we're not getting any younger! I presume you wish a contract with the contents of "me assisting you in defeating the Vile Queen of this Dungeon" and "I am not allowed to take another contract until the Vile Queen is defeated", with my reward being my release from this realm and, let's say..., around this much?"- Lesser Armor Devil

The devil picked up the golden coin, the golden "kur", was it, and showed it to me. That's a cheap price for an ally here, I guess...

"...add a "no backstabbing" clause and a "won't attack me right after the boss is beaten" clause, then we have a deal." - Garami

"WONDERFUL! But despite your previous performance, you are not the careless type. Color me surprised." - Lesser Armor Devil 

"And you say a mouthful of words too many!" - Garami

A System Message and a strange pattern appeared on the back of my hand with the agreement from this devil, symbolizing an "interesting" companionship, to say the least.

---

"Oh-ho? For a wimpy girl like yourself, you have quite the destructive line of thought." - Lesser Armor Devil

Is that the first thing you have to say after I went all the way to share my anti-boss plans with you? What a rude devil.

After the contract, I brought the devil with me back to my Player Room to collect the vacuum cleaner and suck up the glitches of "demonic energy" as the devil called them. During the process, I explained to him my idea of defeating the Vile Queen.

"Though it is not a bad idea, even if extremely destructive. Using the stored packages of demonic energies as bombs against the weakened Queen should be enough to snuff her out. Not to mention it removes the potential damage of your body becoming permanently unusable." - Lesser Armor Devil

It does?

"What is with that face of yours? Don't come and tell me that you did not know that exposure to the Queen's demonic energy could mutate your body to beyond the point of your soul being able to stay in control of it." - Lesser Armor Devil

"......, I'll leave that to your imagination." - Garami

Craaaaap, TOOO CLOOOOSE! The Queen could do that? Craaaaaap!! Glad I got those things outta the Queen's hands!

"Girl, if you can make even a devil such as me exhausted just by your natural behavior, then you have a future in the usage of status ailment-inflicting occupations." - Lesser Armor Devil

"Shut it! But will this plan work?" - Garami

"Of course it will! That is what I want to say, but that Queen is not stupid even in her weakened state. I will act as a vanguard and drag her attention..., girl. You have some extra skill-, no, that's wrong. You have some extra Aether Points remaining, do you not? Spend them." - Lesser Armor Devil

"WHAT?!" - Garami

"Now, now, I have a plan here. If you cooperate with me here, that faulty Queen will not see the light of tomorrow. BWA-HAHAHAHA!" - Lesser Armor Devil

I don't know why, but I'm starting to feel a little sorry for her royal majesty. Just a little.