There were more kinds of beings one could summon in Real World Online than Nacht could even list. Angels, fairies, spirits, monsters, magic beasts, phantasms, divine spirits, the dead, and devils, to name a few. Among them, the skills required for summoning devils were relatively difficult to acquire. To be more precise, it was a skill that chose its user.
In order to summon devils, one had to force them to submit through their own strength. It had to be done via a one-on-one battle with no outside assistance. Since summoners were, as a rule, mages, and mages struggled in solo combat, it was a very difficult feat. Toru had accomplished it with his second character, a healer, only to find it to be a completely useless ability.
The difficulty of acquiring devils made them unpopular summons. The closer to one’s own level a devil was, the greater was the risk to the caster’s life needed to gain its allegiance. Leviathan was originally a level 138 field boss whom Nacht had overcome in a desperate struggle. With the power of the real-money store and an Ultimate-tier item gifted to her by her supporters, she had somehow managed to win. After all, Levi’s power of envy wasn’t too different from Nacht’s.
“I have a job for you, Levi. Keep guard over my Aisha. This whole situation is fishy as hell.”
“You summoned the likes of me for that?” Levi asked, flabbergasted and disappointed. Levi was fairly well-behaved, but devils were manifestations of negativity. They left ruin in their wake like balls of pure destruction. Nacht could tell by looking at her that Levi was powerful enough to easily wipe a kingdom or two off the face of this world. She had enshrouded herself in her azure mana, expecting some great task.
“I can think of no task more important than keeping my Aisha safe,” said Nacht. “Besides, better safe than sorry.”
“Haah...” Leviathan sighed, half vanishing into Nacht’s body and resting her chest on top of the demiwyrm’s head. “Why don’t you make Satanachia do it? I would rather assure your protection, Mistress...”
“I’m not letting that damned pervert anywhere near my Aisha!” Nacht shot back.
Of the three devils Nacht could summon, Levi was the only one she could rely on to do the job correctly. The other two were far too twisted. If there was even the slightest chance that they would use excessive force, Aisha would never forgive her.
“Hmph! Well, I can’t deny that I am interested in this girl. My Mistress’s beloved...” Her dark eyes gleamed like a hunter’s at the thought.
“If you so much as touch Aisha, I will kill you. Understand?” There was weight behind Nacht’s words—a weight she usually held back when talking with others. But Levi could take it, so she spoke with every ounce of her will to dominate, dark mana accumulating on the palm of her hand as she issued her command. Nacht’s words, full of mana, stung like a sword.
“Jeez! There’s no need to make such a scary face, you know. I’m not nearly crazy enough to pick a fight with you, Mistress. But you know,” Levi added in a voice so gloomy it felt like it could crush someone’s heart, “this Aisha of yours that you love so much... I suppose I simply find myself in envy of her.” Nacht felt the devil’s breath as she sighed theatrically on her cheek.
Nacht waved her hand gloomily, dispersing the mana that had accumulated there. “In that case, get going. I’m not in the mood for chitchat today.”
“Are you too struck with envy, Mistress? I can relate.”
“Don’t make me order you again. Go.”
“As you command!” Levi said, her voice suddenly cheerful, and she vanished.
“Envy, huh...?” Nacht sighed again. She had lost track of how many sighs she had heaved today. Levi had given words to what was happening in Nacht’s heart. She was feeling envious of Aisha’s father. She was angry that even an illusion of her departed father had more sway over Aisha’s heart than Nacht, who was alive and with her.
“What have I done?” she cried. “I’m lower than the dregs of hell...”
Nacht felt well and truly sorry. But she didn’t intend to sit around regretting her actions. Everything Nacht had said was the truth. If Aisha was to be the servant of a Soul Dragon, she would not be permitted to cling to the past, imprisoned by what she’d lost. But Nacht thought—no, she knew that Aisha would overcome this. She believed deep in her heart that Aisha would not be deceived by this doll. She only had one worry. “I really hope she doesn’t hate me now...”
The thought of being hated by Aisha made Nacht’s chest tense up painfully. What if Aisha were to push her away? Everything suddenly felt uncertain. At some point, Nacht had even forgotten to breathe—not that she needed to. “Don’t forget, Aisha,” Nacht said to herself. “You are my servant—the servant of a dragon.”
Suddenly, she heard a clamor from the surrounding area. She looked around and saw a throng of people looking up at her while she sat on the roof. Perhaps it was because this building was something like a church, but the entire crowd was made up of children.
“Look, sister! There’s a girl on the roof!”
“I can see her undies!”
“Who’s she, sister?”
There were a dozen or so of them looking up at Nacht. Much to her chagrin, it seemed that she had become a bit of a spectacle. Perhaps drawn by the commotion, an older girl of high school age—seemingly the most adultlike of the group—parted the crowd of children and looked up at Nacht. She wore a sword on her belt and was wearing lightweight but magically reinforced defensive gear.
“Stand back, everyone!” the older girl ordered. She seemed on guard and just a little bit afraid. “Who are you?” she said, addressing Nacht. “A thief? A ruffian? Or perhaps...a-an enemy? This church is under the watchful protection of the Holy Dragons! I-If you harm us, you will make an enemy of the Holy Church of the Ancient Dragons itself!”
Nacht was forced to amend her opinion on the girl almost immediately. Panicked like that, she seemed like the most childish of them all. Some of the children were protesting, saying that Nacht looked like a harmless lady and even that she was cute, but the older girl wasn’t listening.
“Hah,” Nacht laughed. “The gatekeeper thought I was a noble, but to you, I look like a ruffian, I suppose.” It was rare for someone to have such an unfavorable first impression of Nacht. In a sense, that made the girl’s suspicion a mark of cunning, perhaps. But the girl, who seemed completely lost, quickly lowered her head.
“H-Huh? Wh-What? Y-You are of the nobility, my lady? P-Perhaps an acquaintance of His Highness The Prince? I-I beg your forgiveness!” It seemed the girl had come to yet another mistaken conclusion. She groveled desperately in apology. Apparently, she was the type to get worked up over nothing.
“I’m not a noble,” Nacht said. “I’m just a passing traveler—a completely normal, run-of-the-mill demiwyrm. You can go ahead and call me your bestie Nacht!”
“What? A-A demiwyrm?! I-I apologize for the offense, Miss Bestie Nacht! I am Tina, a priestess in the service of the exalted fire dragon. My full name is Tina Silzsard. Wh-What business has brought you to our humble church?”
Tina was a member of a church that revered dragons. Nacht declaring herself a demiwyrm had therefore had an enormous effect on her disposition. She’d watched Nacht’s face carefully for her reaction as she spoke.
“No business of note,” said Nacht. “At least, not until I ran into you. There’s something strange about you, isn’t there? I can sense it.”
Tina tensed up. It was clear that she had some idea what Nacht was talking about. Nacht deftly leaped down from the roof and landed on the street, kicking up a plume of dust. She leaned up against the wall next to Tina. “Perhaps we can have a little chat...” Nacht said. But her eyes were keen. It didn’t seem like what she was after was anything like a friendly chat.
Tina took a step back, but that was as far as she got. Nacht’s hand shot out, holding the girl in place, and she grinned triumphantly. Nacht had found her mark.