Evil Duchess Summons Me, the Heavenly Demon

‘…Is that vulgar girl for real?’

Sofia wanted to slap the back of Ephre’s head as she walked out briskly as if beckoning “follow me.”

If there hadn’t been people watching around, she would have done so. Or at least secretly ordered her summoned creature to do it.

However, perhaps sensing this shallow hostility, Ephre’s summoned creature… no, ‘servant’ Cheon Sang-geuk slightly glanced in her direction. That characteristically haughty and lofty face.

Acting as if he were some absolute being.

It was difficult to distinguish whether this came from his actual abilities or his innate temperament as a servant.

After all, her own summoned creature ‘Maubasuta’ also behaved quite arrogantly.

He even gave a lengthy lecture to Sofia about how a summoner should behave and how she should treat him, a summoned creature with a long history and greatness.

In a way, it was humiliating.

When he even went so far as to admonish her, seemingly having figured out her inner thoughts, she thought she was going to go crazy. Only after using [Absolute Command Right] to set detailed conditions did he finally stop. The image of the loyal and powerful Maubasuta that most people now knew was merely a staged act…

Anyway, he seemed just as arrogant as her summoned creature, and just by the aura he gave off, she could tell he was absolutely not ordinary.

She couldn’t gauge at all what kind of origin he had, what attributes or system he belonged to, or what powers he could wield.

If she were to estimate based on what she saw a few days ago, it might be that his overall abilities, including physical strength, transcended imagination.

‘I understand, but how on earth did that villain…?’

Ephre had never succeeded in summoning at any time, and that was a fact that remained unchanged in the past and would continue to be so in the future. An absolute truth as immutable as the two moons in the sky.

How did she deviate from that predetermined orbit? That made Sofia’s head throb. It was twice as bad as the headache caused by the children noisily chattering beside her, trying to gain her favor.

If a servant of that caliber joined forces with her, wouldn’t the continent… no, even before that, wouldn’t the academy turn into a sea of fire? After all, villains inevitably become villains.

Sofia narrowed her eyes finely.

No, there was definitely an opportunity.

That man and Ephre had not yet formed a soul bond. She didn’t know how he could manifest in the material world for an extended period without doing so. Additionally, it was uncertain whether she could contract with a servant summoned by someone else.

But why are variables called variables?

They’re variables because they break commonly spread common sense and providence. To Sofia’s eyes, Cheon Sang-geuk looked like a walking bundle of variables. One who would shatter fate and providence without batting an eye.

She recalled when she tested him a few hours ago.

Even though she had subtly put herself forward, there was no sign of a response. Was it because he was a servant? Unlike other summoned creatures, since he was in a ‘human’ form, she expected there would be a reaction.

While the possibility of it being an act wasn’t entirely non-existent, she needed to look at it more broadly. In order to thoroughly destroy Ephre and prevent her from ever rising again.

‘You’re not interested in lust? Greed? Or is it the desire for knowledge?’

Layers of information, emotions, and thoughts whirled in her head.

She looked into those eyes, impossible to discern what he was thinking, for a brief moment that felt incredibly long. For a moment, something seemed to flicker in her mind. What Ephre couldn’t give…

At that moment, a sharp voice reached her.

“Cheon Sang-geuk! Don’t give her any looks and come quickly! That bitch has an ax disease and thinks you like her! Hey, let’s go? Look at those eyes. How can she be seen as a nice girl? She’s a crazy bitch trying to steal another woman’s man.”

Saying that, Ephre almost snatched Cheon Sang-geuk’s arm, wrapped it with both of her arms, and dragged him away. In reality, the man was probably just going along with it.

‘…Man? Did she just call him that? Do summoned creatures have preferences too? Then why that mentally unstable girl?’

Ephre gets him but she doesn’t? Sofia’s true face contorted beneath her smiling expression.

Meanwhile, Balangke, who saw Ephre’s stiffly frozen smile, shuddered with an unnecessary chill.

You know that idiot Orlando? I’ll leave him to you. I believe you know what I mean.

A directive or instruction.

The reason this came to mind was the thoroughness and viciousness that didn’t even specify exactly what was meant.

♦♦♦

“Is it okay to just leave like this?”

I asked, looking at Ephre who was grinning despite her gritted teeth. Since understanding the thought process of an abnormal person was difficult, I didn’t bother trying to understand. I just assumed she was having another strange delusion.

“What’s not okay about it?”

“This is an educational institution, isn’t it? Since that woman finished her class, there must be other classes as well.”

“Summoner is essentially ability-oriented, practice-oriented, so theory isn’t that important. Above all, today there was only that old hag Liza’s class.”

I stuffed that information into my mind.

It seemed different in many ways from the schools of Earth, 21st century South Korea. If I were to try to understand it, I thought it might resemble a university somewhere abroad (though I can’t know exactly since I’ve never been).

‘Well. At a point where there are two moons embedded in the sky, it would be difficult to expect common sense.’

Around that time, I casually freed my arm.

Ephre had a face that seemed to ask how I had freed myself without difficulty despite her binding it quite strongly.

I didn’t mention that I could incorporate similar actions into martial arts after carefully observing those tongue-tappers of the shamans.

‘She wouldn’t understand even if I said I applied Geonkon Dae-nai.’

So I told her in a version she could understand.

“It’s one of the hundreds or thousands of magics that this Cheon Sang-geuk possesses.”

After all, they say that refined techniques can’t be distinguished from magic. Whatever is displayed by someone at the level of the master of the Divine Sect would appear as techniques or magic.

Even if I displayed it in an extremely limited way.

“…Really? You must indeed be a summoned creature. Are you some ancient species or fantasy species?”

Recalling a place that could satisfy both Ephre’s curiosity and my personal curiosity, I asked:

“Is there no armory… no, library here? A place where previous records are spread out into books and collected separately.”

“What nonsense is that?”

Oh dear. Does a place resembling a planned city to this extent not have that? Or does this girl, who has no interest in studying, simply not pay attention to its existence?

Just as I was thinking either way would be a disappointment:

“Of course there is, you must have been summoned after a long time… or perhaps for the first time. Oh, is that not it? If so, it’s also curious that you know about the existence of libraries.”

Ephre muttered to herself. Hey, you, while the form of address was fluctuating from ‘Cheon Sang-geuk’ to ‘you’ somehow, I didn’t bother to point it out.

However, I carefully expressed my intention so that she could understand:

“Then, before your useless head forgets even the location, guide me there. More urgent than this lord understanding this place is for you to cultivate the minimum knowledge and culture needed to live as a human.”

“…I’ve been thinking about this. Your way of expressing yourself seems too harsh. We haven’t made a contract yet, but you could speak more gently, couldn’t you? That’s the way not to make enemies.”

“That’s not something I should hear from someone who has nothing but enemies hanging around her.”

The woman blinked her eyes.

“That’s all because of Sofia’s tricks. It’s not really because I did anything wrong.”

I couldn’t help but be amazed. So I spoke once more:

“Ephre. Instead of talking nonsense, recite the direction.”

“?”

The woman who blinked her eyes when I first pronounced it soon smiled at the corners of her mouth, but by the end she became expressionless again. Instead of answering, she pointed in a direction to express her dissatisfaction, but soon realized that was a mistake.

“Kyaaaaa!”

She couldn’t cutely and adorably shout ‘Kyaa!’

The hand that grabbed around her waist couldn’t be called gentle even as a lie, and as if to prove this, her body soared into the air and her hair stretched down. Then, like an arrow that left the bow, her body rushed roughly…

♦♦♦

Ephre, who maintained her dignity at all times (surprisingly, the woman thought so), was now standing in front of the library with her hair in complete disarray.

No, she had a pale face that looked like she would collapse if tapped, and occasionally trembled finely. If someone who didn’t know the circumstances saw her from afar, they might be surprised, thinking ‘Right in front of the bathroom?’

The man, who couldn’t know those circumstances and wouldn’t care even if he did, nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the tall spire.

“Not bad.”

It was a gait without any hesitation, and Ephre followed him with a half-lost mind. Like a maid employed by a violent master.