Chapter 13
The demon’s name was Ban.
He was the demon contracted to Hereis, the same demon who had once been beaten up by my ancestor, the great mage Agav, and then sealed inside a crimson gem for five hundred years alongside Hereis.
The demon that existed only in history books was now—
“I barely escaped that damned Agav’s clutches, and now what? His descendant?! And to make matters worse, my new master is such a weak little woman!”
—insulting me to my face.
“Look at this frail thing. She’s going to die any moment! Hey, woman! Before you croak, at least hand over the crimson gem so I can destroy it!”
Now, suddenly, I’d become the master of a loud and obnoxious demon, and my head was pounding like crazy.
“If you have the crimson gem, it means you’re his master now.”
The object that connected Hereis and me was also the medium linking Ban to me.
So, the contract was automatically formed. How annoying.
“Not only am I contracted to a demon, now I’m a demon’s master too? I really do sound like a villain now…”
I let out a sigh deep enough to sink the floor.
Whether he knew or didn’t care about my misery, Ban—still wearing the body of a mole—was rummaging through my bedroom.
“Well, at least you’ve got money.”
Hoo, hoooo. He kept making strange noises of admiration.
“The bedroom’s big, the bed looks comfy, and look at all these jewels…”
Drooling at the sight of my sparkling gems, Ban practically salivated.
“How did he even find the jewelry box?”
Just before his drool landed on my treasures, I slammed the lid shut and jabbed him in the belly with my finger.
“Hey, Ban, do you have to stay as a mole?”
“Nah, this is just a temporary body. Now that we’re contracted, I can switch to a new one.”
Thank goodness. I was worried about having to keep a mole in my room.
“How?”
“Simple. I just have to take over a body.”
In other words, he planned to kick out the soul and hijack it. Truly a demon’s way of thinking.
“Then do you have any preferences? I’ll try to match them.”
“Something grand and glorious to show off the greatness of this body! Cool, beautiful, and majestic!”
“Specifically…?”
“A brave and charismatic lion would be nice, or maybe a sleek, slender leopard!”
“Why are they all animals?”
Wouldn’t a human body be more convenient? While I muttered to myself, Hereis answered.
“A human body consumes too much mana. For demons, the smaller the body, the better for storing power.”
“Really? Then something tiny like a hamster would be ideal.”
“WHAT?! You expect me to become some tiny, cute rodent? I’d get squashed!”
Ban roared in outrage, charging at me with his little cotton fists.
“So you do want to kill me, huh? Agav’s descendant!”
“What? I didn’t even do anything…”
I was actually trying to help him, and now he’s mad? Does he have anger issues or what?
Ban lunged at me, but Hereis casually kicked him, sending him flying.
“Hereis! What was that for?”
“Quit wasting time and just pick something already.”
“…Tch. Then I’ll go with an eagle, ruler of the skies. Flying is the best.”
“Sure…”
“Or maybe a silver-furred wolf… tough choice. What should I pick, hmm?”
Lost in his own world, Ban spun around in circles, muttering dreamily.
“He’s loud. Let’s just stuff him somewhere.”
“Agreed. Leave him like that and he’ll be spinning all day.”
I half-expected him to crash into something—and sure enough, my prediction was spot on.
“I’ve decided! I’ll go with the lion—”
WHAM! Ban slammed into a pile of plush toys in the corner of the room.
“Knew it. No way his balance would survive after spinning for ten minutes straight.”
Struggling, Ban finally pulled himself free from the mountain of stuffed animals.
“Ugh, everything’s great, but your floor’s too slippery. You need a new carpet.”
I was speechless. Not because of his shameless demand, though.
“M-my Hoya…!”
“Hoya? What’s that?”
Shrieking, I watched in horror as Ban waddled toward me, tilting his head in confusion.
Seeing his short, chubby arms and legs, I clapped a hand over my mouth. Hereis didn’t look much different—his face was frozen too.
“Huh? Did my perspective get lower?”
Every time Ban tilted his head, the ribbon tied around his neck swayed along.
“What’s this ticklish thing…?”
He stopped in front of the mirror and blinked.
“What the—what’s with this squishy face?”
He pressed his soft white cheeks with his stubby hands.
Squish.
“Wha—?!”
Squish, squish.
The cute face staring back at him turned pale.
“What the hell are these floppy ears?!”
Grabbing his round, fluffy ears, the white tiger plushie let out a scream.
“This can’t be happening! No way!”
No matter how many times he poked and prodded, reality didn’t change. His reflection stayed the same: a plush toy with snow-white fur striped with black, little arms and legs, a tail, and… black wings on his back.
When the wings fluttered, Ban finally collapsed to his knees.
“This… this is a nightmare… It can’t be… I—I became a stuffed toy!”
He began outright denying reality.
The one who enjoyed this scene the most was, of course, Hereis.
“What a pitiful sight.”
His lips curled into a mocking smile—a clear expression of ridicule.
“Me! Trapped in this cheap wad of cotton?!”
“Excuse you? That’s my precious plushie.”
How dare he call my beloved childhood companion—Hoya, who’d stayed by my side since I was five—cheap stuffing?
“Don’t you insult my Hoya.”
“I’M the insulted one here! Look at this pathetic excuse for a body! Everyone will laugh at me…”
His voice grew smaller and smaller, until finally, I heard a wet sniffle.
“Snnf…”
“Wait… are you crying?”
That question seemed to set him off. Ban buried his head in the floor and started bawling.
“Hhhhhh—sob, sob!”
“…Is he seriously crying?”
A demon? The very embodiment of evil, who toyed with human souls—crying?
“Here we go again,” Hereis clicked his tongue.
Apparently, this wasn’t rare. He stopped teasing Ban and moved to the sofa.
“Ignore the crybaby. He’ll stop eventually.”
“Still…”
“Seeing him cry like this makes me feel…”
Even though he was a demon on the inside, his outward appearance was my beloved plushie. It felt… wrong to leave him like that.
He cried so much that a small puddle formed around him.
“Geez. Is he really a demon?”
I couldn’t let anyone else see this.
“Ban, stop crying.”
“Go… away… hic… sob…”
When I wiped under his eyes, the cotton inside was completely soaked.
“Is it because you didn’t get the cool body you wanted? Lost your dignity?”
“Everyone… sniff… will laugh at me.”
As I gently patted his back, he curled up even tighter.
“There’s only one solution for this.”
I used the same trick the maids always used to cheer me up: Operation Praise Bomb!
“No way. You look amazing. So majestic! Look at those broad shoulders, that strong back!”
“Sniff… liar.”
“I’m serious. You’re a plush tiger. A white tiger, no less!”
“Hmph. Still fake.”
“But you’re cute!”
“Cute?! I’m a great demon!”
Ban snapped his head up, face blazing red.
“I never thought I’d see a plush toy blush in my life.”
I wiped away his tears and whispered sweetly,
“Listen, Ban. Animals that are only scary—like lions or wolves—they’re overrated. Something cool and cute, like you? Way more popular.”
His round ears twitched.
“…Really?”
“Of course! And you even smell nice.”
“Sniff sniff… Huh. You’re right. Smells good.”
After a long sniff, Ban crossed his arms and nodded firmly.
“Hmm. Makes sense. Better than a stinky beast.”
He looked like he’d finally perked up. Just a little push left.
I shot a glance at Hereis and mouthed silently: “Say something. If you refuse, you know what happens.”
Dragging a thumb across my neck for emphasis, I finally got him to sigh and mutter,
“You might even be able to fly.”
His tone screamed ‘Here, chew on that and shut up,’ but it was enough to hook Ban.
“Wait, really? I can fly?”
Flapping his wings, Ban slowly floated into the air. His little plush face lit up with excitement.
“Not bad! Not bad at all!”
Watching him regain his energy, I smiled in relief.
“Thank goodness he’s simple-minded.”
“Way better than that mole. Do you know how dark the tunnels were? Even when I dug for hours, I could barely see. So exhausting.”
“Tunnels…?”
Suddenly, I remembered the cactus field full of random holes.
“…Don’t tell me. Those holes—did you make them?”
“Hehe. Impressed by my handiwork?”
I stared down at the smug little plush with ice-cold eyes.
