Misunderstandings.

"Partner?" the Prince repeated questioningly.

"Yes. you will be my partner." Mikael stated as if it was a matter of fact that this young prince will form a contract with him.

"W-What are you saying?! Are you going to kill me and turn me into a demon?" the prince fearfully asked, "But I found the pen! You said you'll let me go if I find the pen!"

Only then did Mikael realize that the two of them seemed to have a slight misunderstanding.

No, scratch that.

They have a HUGE misunderstanding.

"Oh. Well… I did say that I'll let you go, but that's after we form the contract." He explained.

"Contract? What contract?" asked the confused Deon, then his eyes widened in horror as he misinterpreted Mikael's words, "No! are you going to take my life as collateral in exchange for your power? Right… I heard you will grant me power if I pass the test… BUT! I don't want it!"

Mikael narrowed his eyes as he watched the prince's ceaseless ramblings, 'Ah. Was I mistaken? Maybe this guy's also unsuitable as my partner. He's so annoying.'

"Please just let me out! I won't come here again. I will keep everything that I saw to myself! Please!" Deon begged.

'Should I just let him go? But I've been in the darkness for too long… who knows when another suitable candidate will come? If he ever comes at all.'

As Mikael fell silent, Deon placed his last negotiation card, "O-or if you could at least tell the monsters outside to let me through, I'll walk out on my own!"

After a while, Mikael spoke, "You."

"Y-yes?"

"Why did you come here? What is your purpose?" Mikael asked the question that has been bugging him the moment the young prince arrived. He decided to make his choice after hearing Deon's reason.

Gulp.

Deon swallowed hard. He felt like the demon was still testing him and he reckoned that his life now depended on his answer.

"I heard that this is a place to test one's courage. I didn't know anything about demons nor treasures…" he weakly replied, 'Was that the right answer? Why did this demon suddenly become quiet? Argh! This suspense is killing me!'

"So, you didn't come here for power?"

"Y-yes, that's right."

"Why did you want to test your courage?"

'Huh? These questions are weird. Why does the demon want to know?' Deon wondered, but he still answered as honestly as he could. he feared what might happen to his precious life if the demon finds him lying, "I wanted to change. I wanted to cast away my cowardly self and begin anew with pride."

"Hmm." Mikael's lackluster reply caused Deon to sweat buckets, unaware that Mikael's mind was just too chaotic to give a proper response.

'This prince… is so cringey! Yuck! Eww! Does he think he's the protagonist of some shonen anime? His 8th grader syndrome is almost on par with George's… But no matter how cringey, it was still a great answer. I like it.'

"C-can I go now? I did pass the test, right?" Deon carefully asked.

"Yes. you passed the test, but you still can't leave until we've formed the contract." Mikael insisted.

"WHYYY?!" Deon felt all sorts of emotions – frustration, fear, desperation, as he half-begged, half-shouted at the demon.

"Because I like you." Mikael nonchalantly answered.

"HAAAA?!" Deon hugged his body as he shivered in disgust.

"HEY! I don't swing that way! I meant that I like you as a contract partner!" Mikael then proceeded to explain his situation.

"Here's the thing. I'm actually not a demon. I came here from another world because I already died there. Now, I must do good deeds here so I can ascend to heaven. And that's where you come in. I need you as my partner so I can fulfill my mission. Got it?"

But Deon's eyes were still filled with distrust.

"Argh! Why don't you believe me?!" Mikael pulled his hair out.

"How can I believe a demon who was just about to kill me a few minutes ago?"

"I said I'm not a demon! And killing you? That was just part of the test! Did you ever hear me killing test takers? Didn't they all return unharmed?"

"Then, what about my guard? As far as I'm concerned, he WAS harmed." Deon countered.

"I just knocked him out! He's probably awake now."

'Ahh.. This isn't working. How can I convince him?' Mikael thought, breathing hard to calm himself who was too riled up.

"Don't you want power?"

Mikael thought to seduce the young prince with the contract benefits, like how he handled his clients when he worked in an insurance company.

"Of course, it would be nice to have power." Deon conceded "but at what cost? My life? My morals? It's not worth it."

"You seem to be mistaken about something."

Mikael's sudden seriousness shut Deon's mouth. Although he couldn't see Mikael's expression, Deon felt the air around him change, like how it is when he talked to his eldest brother, the crown prince.

"I'm not asking you to give me your life nor am I asking you to cast aside your morals. All I want from you is your cooperation as well as chances to do good deeds so I can redeem myself and ascend to heaven. As a prince, it's YOUR JOB, anyway, to protect your citizens and make their lives better and I'm saying that I will help you fulfill your role by giving you power."

Mikael lectured, "think you can accomplish those when you're a powerless wimp who can't even protect one subordinate? One guard? I know. Because I've experienced it. No matter how noble your cause, how much you struggle, there are just some things that you cannot change unless you have power and I assure you, such weakness will take away those you hold dear."

Mikael thought of his mother who died pitifully, his dog, Choco, who sacrificed his life to protect him, and himself, who was too powerless to protect them both.

During his last years, Mikael often wondered, 'what if I had money? If I was financially powerful, would my parents still be with me? Or if I was physically strong, could I have protected Choco when the loan sharks kicked him to death?'

As Mikael was immersed in his memories, Deon, too, fell silent.

'He's right. I do need power, but can I really trust this spirit?'

Seeing Deon's indecisiveness even after he said his piece, Mikael judged that he had to give the prince some time.

"Then, I'll let you go when the sun sets. Ask the kids in the village about me if you want. But make your decision before dawn."

--Chapter end--