I Made a Contract with a Devil, but the Price is Strange

I wonder why I suddenly recall the conversation about books with Inis.

“Master. I read in ‘A Guide for Adventurers Exploring the Labyrinth’ that anything can happen in the labyrinth.”

“Anything?”

“Yes. So it says that if there’s even a slight change, you should be on guard. It’s likely a sign of disaster. Scholars commonly call it a ‘storm in a teacup’.”

Storm in a teacup.

An idiomatic expression that refers to a small event that feels enormous to those involved but looks minor from the outside.

Since the labyrinth is separated by levels, it’s difficult to perceive when a disaster occurs. That’s probably why they expressed it that way.

“But is it easy to identify such precursors? It seems difficult.”

“It is. That’s why adventurers should always be tense and vigilant. Even the slightest change must be noticed to avoid disaster.”

“Master. This way!”

We started running quickly in the opposite direction of the green wave surging toward us.

A slight change.
That was the precursor symptom of disaster.

I only understood its meaning after experiencing the disaster firsthand. To think that the change in the number of goblins really meant disaster. It was truly unimaginable.

“Ah…!”

As one memory surfaced, I was reminded of when I played the game, like a chain reaction.

The greenskin territory. There was a time when entry to that level was restricted from the labyrinth city due to the war between the orc tribal chief and the goblin king.

Back then, I only had to spend a few days at the inn before I could go right in. But experiencing it in person made me newly realize that it was indeed a disaster.

‘Storm in a teacup.’

That expression was fitting. If I had recalled it earlier, I wouldn’t have needed to experience such danger.

“Fire.”

It was too late for regrets. I had already crossed too much ground to look back. Now was the time to run forward.

The fortunate thing was that I had the power to stop the disaster. Although I couldn’t completely eliminate the green wave, I could at least change its direction.

“Fire Wall.”

In my mind, I pictured a powerful flame.

Burning, blazing, a disastrous flame that burns everything. Using magic power as paint, I quickly drew the image.

Whoosh!

The flame I summoned began to condense. When I felt it reach its limit, I spread both hands to the sides.

Whoooosh—

A strong flame wind shook my hair. It felt as if someone was pushing from behind.

“Ugh….”

My full magic power was depleted. The intense image I had drawn consumed an absurd amount. All strength left my body, and my head ached as if it would split.

“Master!”

Inis approached and supported my body.

“Are you alright!?”

“…Lower your voice. I used up all my magic power. There’s no problem with my body, so don’t worry too much.”

I frowned and spoke rapidly. If I didn’t explain properly, she would worry and shout again.

“Ah, that’s a relief. I thought something had happened to you…”

“The goblins didn’t do anything to me. How could there be a problem? More importantly, let’s look back. I need to see what happened.”

At my command, she turned my body. What came into view was a long wall of flame. It wasn’t very high, but it stretched very widely to both sides.

The bodies of goblins that hit the wall of flame ignited instantly. It took less than 30 seconds for them to turn to ashes. That’s how intense the firepower was.

“It’s so beautiful….”

Inis exclaimed softly in admiration. Judging by her sparkling eyes, she seemed sincere.

It was certainly a spectacular sight. A wall of flame blocking hundreds of goblins. It was a scene anyone would admire.

“Keeeeeek—!”

An exceptionally large goblin among them screamed while swinging a sword. It glared at us beyond the wall.

“It’s the Goblin King.”

“Its size is similar to an orc.”

“It’s one of the races that dominate the greenskin territory. I’ve seen the Goblin King in books, but this is the first time seeing it in person.”

“But how did you know?”

“You can instantly sense the monsters that dominate a level. Don’t you feel that it’s different from other goblins?”

Indeed, while goblins gave a trivial impression, that creature didn’t feel that way at all. It wasn’t because of its size, but the atmosphere itself.

“Keraaaaaak—!”

It roared and passed through the wall of flame. Its skin was burning, but it didn’t seem to care.

At that sight, cold sweat ran down my back. Inis quickly drew her sword. It was in case the Goblin King lunged at us.

The creature stared at us for a while, then crossed back over the wall and disappeared. Only when it completely vanished from sight could we finally relax.

“I really thought we were going to die….”

“Yeah.”

If I were in a normal state, it might be different, but in my current condition, I could never face the Goblin King. Inis’s body and leg hadn’t fully recovered either, so we would probably have lost.

“The reason it crossed the wall despite getting injured was probably to show off?”

Thinking of this world as reality rather than a game, it was an understandable action. As a leader, it had to show its dignity.

“That’s probably it. I’ve heard that goblins are cunning creatures and frequently change their leaders.”

“So the Goblin King isn’t a separate individual?”

“Yes. The book said that if a goblin receives the trust of many goblins, it becomes the Goblin King. Conversely, if it loses trust, it gradually returns to being an ordinary goblin.”

“If it works that way, I don’t think the next Goblin King would leave it alone.”

Inis nodded.

“I heard that because there could be rebellion or usurpation of the crown later, the Goblin King always kills the previous Goblin King.”

I’m newly aware that this world is reality, not a game. Although it could just be my misconception.

“How does the orc tribal chief system work?”

“I know that the strongest individual among the orcs becomes it. Challengers emerge daily, and if the tribal chief wins, they maintain their position. If they lose, they die.”

“Then there’s no reason to be a tribal chief, is there?”

“In return, the tribal chief can have multiple female orcs.”

“Hmm.”

That would certainly make one want to be a tribal chief. Males naturally want to have multiple females under them.

“Perhaps Master wants to live like an orc tribal chief too?”

At her question, I cleared my throat and turned my head.

“…It’s dangerous, let’s get out of here quickly.”

“Yes.”

We left the scene, leaving the blazing wall of flame behind us.

An empty clearing. We sat on a rock, eating jerky and drinking water. We were taking a short rest.

“How much time has passed, I wonder.”

“Without a watch, I can’t say exactly, but I think at least half a day must have passed?”

I took out the magic compass from my pocket. It was supposed to react if there were stairs nearby, but the magic needle didn’t move.

My magic power had recovered about halfway. Normally it would be fine, but now it was an uneasy amount. It wasn’t an ordinary situation, but a disaster situation.

“It seems right to spend a night here and then go.”

Since the goblins had raised an army, the orcs would also be preparing for war similarly. It meant that the number of orcs and goblins wandering the level would increase dramatically.

We would encounter orcs and goblins more frequently. And their numbers would be greater. It meant that every battle could be a crisis. So I needed to fully recover my magic power.

“I’ll stand guard. You sleep, Master.”

Inis said, taking out a cloth from her bag. She must have thought we would set up a tent in the clearing. If so, we would certainly need a guard.

“There’s no need for that. We’ll sleep under a tree.”

“Under a tree…?”

Rather than explaining, it would be much faster to show directly. I got up and started digging a hole.

“Ah! I’ll do it!”

She hurriedly got up and started digging the ground. Since we might encounter orcs or goblins, I helped with the work too.

“Now bring leaves and branches. We need to conceal the entrance.”

“Yes!”

After digging a hole big enough for two people, we collected everything around us. We placed a cloth over the entrance and then covered it with the excavated soil.

“Here it is!”

After decorating with the things Inis and I had collected, a perfect hiding place was completed.

“Wow.”

We scattered the remaining soil here and there in distant places. If a person saw it, they would find it awkward, but if an animal saw it, it wouldn’t be easy to notice.

“Come in.”

I went in first and then extended my hand. She grabbed my hand and came in.

“It’s cozier than I thought.”

“Isn’t it?”

Since we hadn’t dug the hole too wide, our bodies were pressed against each other.

Squeeze-

“I-I’m sorry.”

Her breasts were pressed against my chest. While not as large as Egun’s, Inis’s were quite substantial.

“It’s fine.”

We were in a position facing each other. With each breath, Inis’s breath touched my face. I wanted to kiss those pink lips right now, but it wasn’t the time.

Soft body. Sweet breath. My dick gradually became erect and started pressing against her lower abdomen.

“Ngh….”

Feeling the hard sensation, Inis blushed.

“Inis. Sleep well.”

“Y-you too, Master. Good night.”

We closed our eyes with our bodies pressed together. It was to sleep, but it seemed it would take some time to fall asleep.

Twitch twitch-

And it seemed the same was true for Inis as well.