Hermes felt the familiar, sickening lurch in his gut as the world outside folded into the void. He opened his eyes within the "Demon Box," the specialized pocket dimension he used to isolate his problems. This time, however, he felt a strange clarity—a calm, mature focus that pushed back the usual chaotic static of the Virus.
I wonder how many reached the threshold, he mused, adjusting his cuffs.
"Master, there are six people trapped inside our realm," the slime informed him, its voice buzzing with a disturbing cheer. "And one of them... is my little sister."
"Your sister, huh?" Hermes asked, his brow arching with genuine curiosity. "What do you think we should do with her?"
"Kill her," the slime answered instantly.
Hermes felt a bead of cold sweat trace his temple. Monster, he thought, though he kept his expression neutral. "She's family, isn't she? Perhaps a change in your relationship is in order? Reconciliation is usually more profitable than execution."
"Hmm? Why are you sweating so much, Master?" the slime asked, its tone suddenly dipping into a sinister register. "She destroyed my trust. She pledged her loyalty to a fake master—a clown. She was purged from the family list the moment she betrayed the bloodline. She must pay the price."
"I see," Hermes nodded slowly, processing the creature's cold logic. "Excommunicated, then. Still, how are the other 'guests' holding up?"
"They are fine... for now," the slime replied.
"Good. Then let's wrap this up. I'll leave the dirty work to—"
WHACK.
A supernatural newspaper slammed into Hermes's face mid-sentence. He peeled the stinging parchment off his nose, eyes narrowing as he read the fresh ink.
[VIRUS HEADLINES: EMERGENCY PROTOCOL]
[Mission: Form a contract with the Informant.]
[Objective: Capture the "Little Sister" before the clock runs out.]
[Failure Penalty: The user will be cursed with an incurable, soul-rotting disease.]
[Insanity Level: LUNATIC]
[WARNING! WARNING!]
[Sanity Critical: Your collected souls are leaking. To stabilize your mental state, you must anchor a new familiar immediately.]
[Time Limit: 15 Minutes.]
[The Reset: If the timer hits zero, your "Insanity" vanishes. You will return to being a "Normal Human."]
[CRITICAL CONSEQUENCE: All contracts will be terminated. The Slime will vanish. Collected souls will be released as vengeful ghosts.]
Fifteen minutes until I'm human again? Hermes's lips upturned in a dark, hopeful smirk. Wait, this is actually great news. If I fail, I'm free of this madness.
"Master, I've changed my mind!" the slime chirped, its voice suddenly frantic. "Let's go meet my sister. Right now!"
"Suddenly a change of heart?" Hermes asked, his eyes cold and knowing.
"I cannot explain it yet, but we must make haste!" the slime urged.
You just don't want to disappear, do you? Hermes thought. Too bad. I think I'll just let the clock run down and finally leave this nightmare behind.
In the deepest, darkest corner of the dimensional void, a small figure lay on the transparent floor.
She looked like a porcelain doll—tiny, dressed in frills, with sapphire pupils that shimmered in the gloom. A scarlet paper ribbon was pinned neatly into her hazel hair. This was the Informant, a spirit of a thousand years, now rubbing her eyes like a confused child.
"Hmm? Where am I? Ilona? Where did that stupid woman go?" She looked around, her confusion quickly sharpening into terror. "Wait... something isn't right."
She snapped into a defensive posture, a dark, shimmering barrier erupting around her. Her breath came in ragged, shallow gasps. She could feel it—the thousands of souls she had harvested over a millennium were bleeding out into the void.
Am I inside the Trojan Box? Inconceivable! she thought. Sir Seraph gave that relic to the assassin woman because he thought she was disposable. He expected her to die with the brat!
"Stop using that brainless head of yours. Your performance is a disappointment, my beloved younger sister," a familiar, mocking voice echoed through the darkness.
"B-Big Sister? Dear Sister!" the Informant cried out, her eyes darting around wildly.
"Correct," the slime answered.
"Sister, where are you? It's so dark... please, show yourself!" The Informant clutched her hands to her chest, her tiny frame shivering.
"I don't think that's a good idea right now," the slime declined.
"Please! You know I hate the dark!" the Informant wailed, her legs trembling so violently she had to hold herself to keep from an embarrassing accident.
"How ironic," the slime giggled. "The child of darkness has nyctophobia. You are pathetic. Why were you in the office tonight?"
"I... I wanted to see you!" the Informant sobbed. "I heard your Master was captured by mortals. I wanted to see if you were okay. I had my doubts, but I needed to find you!"
"Lies," the slime hissed. "Why are you really here?"
"I'm not lying! I seek your approval!" the Informant screamed into the void. "I've waited a thousand years, Sister! You were the only one who ever accepted me. If you won't break your contract with that fake master, then... then let me join you! Let me be with you!"
The silence that followed was heavy, pressing in on the Informant from all sides. Then, slowly, the slime's voice changed. It wasn't mocking anymore; it was disturbingly happy.
"My approval, you say?"
"Good for you. I'm glad your tiny brain has finally been calibrated properly," the slime chirped, its voice dripping with backhanded sisterly affection.
"Pardon? I'm not an idiot, Sister!" the Informant snapped back, her doll-like face flushing with indignation.
"Then how about you void your contract with that fake master of yours?" the slime suggested.
The Informant's expression hardened. "You realize I cannot do that. I only wanted to be with you—to accompany you like the old times—but I will never pledge my allegiance to a fraud like Hermes Archnemesis."
Hermes Archnemesis is a fake! she screamed in her own mind. Why would I risk my eternity for a weakling who hides behind masks and merchants?
Suddenly, the sound of steady, measured footsteps echoed through the void behind her.
"Hey, take a look at that. I don't exactly need you, either," a calm, masculine voice cut through her internal monologue.
"H-Hermes Archnemesis..." the Informant's eyes turned bitter as she faced him in the flesh.
Hermes adjusted his mask with a single, deliberate finger before shrugging his shoulders with an air of profound boredom. He looked less like a panicked victim and more like a weary executive dealing with an unruly intern.
"You're quite the devoted familiar to your 'Grand Lord,' aren't you?" Hermes remarked, beginning to pace around her with the clinical detachment of a consultant. "I'm sure that pedophile would love to hear about your devotion. He must be a pathetic guy, really—compensating for a small 'gun' by surrounding himself with spirits that look like children. Honestly, I don't know how you expect to survive with a body that fragile."
"S-Shut up, fake master! You're nothing compared to him!" the Informant shouted, her face turning crimson. "I don't aim to be his mistress! Master has a lover he's been longing for for centuries. And so what if he can't see my true form yet? Once he regains his power, he'll see past this old-man disguise. I don't care if you can see me—I won't accept you! There's too much competition for his favor as it is!"
The 'Grand Lord' is definitely a pedo, Hermes thought, his left eyebrow inching toward his hairline. First one to see her true form? All I see is a Victorian doll. I wonder if this world has a Child Protection Department. This girl needs a therapist and a nap, not a contract with a dark lord.
"W-Why are you looking at me like I've lost my sanity?" the Informant stammered, shrinking under his pitying gaze.
"Because you're an idiot, little girl. That's all," Hermes responded bluntly.
I'm not a little girl! I'm a legal spirit! she shrieked internally.
"How disappointing," Hermes sighed, closing his eyes.
"Indeed, Master. She is a truly disappointing child," the slime seconded, appearing beside him.
"What is that supposed to mean?!" The Informant balled her tiny hands into fists.
"I don't mean to upset you," Hermes said, his voice level and mature. "But you're supposed to be a deadly assassin—a professional. Instead, you're acting like a spoiled child trapped in an old lady's job description. It's... inefficient."
Tears welled up in the Informant's sapphire eyes. With a cry of rage, she lunged at him, but she hit an invisible wall of slime-magic that repelled her instantly.
"Shut up! Shut up!" she screamed, stomping her feet on the transparent floor.
"Hey. You've got a lot of guts to yell in here," the slime warned. Its form flickered, and a terrifying, predatory aura filled the room. "Don't make me go back to being the 'vicious' big sister, dear."
The Informant's face turned a ghostly shade of blue. She immediately dropped her gaze to the floor. "M-my apologies."
"Good. Now listen," the slime continued. "My Master needs another companion to exceed his limits. 'Mother' will be furious if he doesn't receive the 'presents' that are supposed to be in his possession. I'm going to give you an offer you literally cannot refuse."
"M-Mother? You mean... Mommy?" the Informant whispered, her entire body beginning to shake.
"You bet. Papirus and I are the only sane children who discovered the true Master," the slime lied smoothly, its tone graveyard-serious. "You have one choice. Follow us, or your life expires. No second chances."
Big Sis Papirus? The second most powerful support spirit? The Informant's mind raced in terror. Is Mommy going to kill me? I thought Big Sis was just acting crazy, but if Papirus and Mommy are siding with Hermes... Unbelievable.
"Hey, I don't think it's a good idea to push your family drama into my quest line, slime," Hermes complained, folding his arms.
"Master, let me handle this," the slime pleaded, its voice turning sweet. "It's a family matter. I just need to... crack her mind open a little."
"Do as you please," Hermes sighed, giving in.
"Thank you, Master!" The slime simpered. With a flick of its will, it summoned a plush armchair for Hermes to sit in. Then, the slime shifted. It shed its mask-like form and took the shape of a tiny, human-like girl in a black gothic dress, a Sampaguita flower pinned into her twin-tails.
"Hmph! I knew it! I look just as sexy as Mother in black lace!" the slime declared, pounding its chest.
I'm impressed you're sane enough to put on clothes, Hermes muttered to himself. Go for it, slime. Scare her into submission. I don't know who 'Mommy' or 'Papirus' are—you're clearly making this up on the fly—but your world-building is top-tier.
"W-will Mommy forgive me?" the Informant sobbed.
"No. I don't think so," the slime said with a pitying, bitter smile.
"Hiiiiieeee! Help me, Sis! Save me!" The Informant threw herself at the slime, clinging to her waist and burying her face in the gothic lace, weeping hysterically.
"Yosh, yosh," the slime crooned, petting the Informant's hazel hair. "You deserve this for being so slow. Stop crying; your face is getting ugly. Mother will slice you in two if you keep looking like a broken doll."
"Sister... you're supposed to comfort me, not scare me to death!" the Informant wailed, her doll-like shoulders shaking. "I don't even have a proper name yet! I want to grow up and have eight children! Please, help me!"
"Yosh, yosh, stop crying like a infant," the slime muttered, though its hand continued to pet her hair with a rhythmic, almost hypnotic motion. "You won't achieve that goal anyway. You're a spirit, and Master is—currently—a human. But if you join us, he'll gain a new aura to stabilize his sanity. Then, boom. He'll be at par with a mid-tier demon. Think of the possibilities!"
"I love you, Sister, but stop ruining my dreams!" The Informant buried her face in the slime's gothic lace chest, rubbing her cheek like a needy cat.
"Oh, really? Then stop dreaming about being a harem candidate for my Master," the slime countered sarcastically. "I doubt 'Mother' would forgive you if you tried anything nasty with him."
Hermes is not my type! the Informant shrieked in the privacy of her mind. The Emperor is the only one I want for a husband! Aloud, she sniffled and looked up. "Is Hermes Archnemesis really the true Master?"
"Yes. And you have to void your contract with that Grand Lord," the slime said, her thumb making a sharp 'slice' motion across her throat. "Or else."
The Informant's hazel hair swayed as she hung her head bitterly. "But... I'll lose my memory if I void it now. Everything I've done for him will vanish."
"Well, you have to throw away the trash to salvage what's left of your soul," the slime replied, her smile widening into something truly predatory.
"Sister! I won't remember where the Grand Lord lives, his habits, or his secret affairs! I won't recall the century I spent in his service during his 'insanity' era. His face, his background, his... his faction members! It will all pop like a bubble! I might keep my ancient past, but my life with the second Master will be gone forever!"
"Is that all? I don't care," the slime whispered, her eyes turning as dark and bottomless as a dragon's. "Void the con—tract—"
The Informant tried to scramble away, but her sister was faster, lunging forward with a professional cross-grab technique that pinned her arms.
"Sister! What are you doing?!"
"Stop resisting. I'm liberating you," the slime smirked.
No, no, no! She's going to use a forbidden technique! the Informant panicked. "Stop! I'm begging you! Stop!"
"Calm down. Chill. This will only take a moment," the slime murmured, pressing a glowing finger against the Informant's forehead.
The Informant felt her own aura being smothered by her sister's overwhelming pressure. She felt the edges of her memories beginning to fray, the faces of her past masters dissolving into grey mist. "No... please... don't erase me for your own agenda..."
"Don't worry," the slime let out a sinister, bubbling laugh. "I'm going to show you what 'freedom' feels like."
"STOP!" the Informant shrieked, closing her eyes and bracing for the spiritual lobotomy.
But the cold pressure suddenly vanished.
"Hmm? Sister?" The Informant blinked, her vision clearing.
"Master! What are you doing?!" the slime barked, visibly annoyed.
Hermes stood between them, having physically hoisted the slime up by the back of her gothic collar like a misbehaving kitten. He looked remarkably level-headed, his eyes bored and mature behind the mask.
"This is too much," Hermes stated flatly. "She's your sister. Stop doing this 'liberation' nonsense."
The Informant stared at him, her sapphire eyes wide. Why did he save me?
"Why did I save you?" Hermes repeated, catching her confused look. He raised an eyebrow. "I just want to end this. I don't want to form a contract with an empty-headed little girl who's lost half her brain to a memory wipe. It would ruin my plans."
"As expected, she's not worthy of your kindness, Master," the slime sighed, swaying in his grip.
"Shut it," Hermes commanded.
"Copy that," the slime mumbled, hanging her head in mock apology.
The Informant slowly stood up, smoothing out her doll-like dress. She balled her tiny fists, her gaze intensifying. "Hermes Archnemesis."
"Yes?" Hermes looked down at her.
I don't understand this human, the Informant thought. He's a villain, a fraud, and a merchant... but he saved me when he had nothing to gain. "I have three questions for you. Answer them properly."
"Go for it," Hermes nodded.
"This is a life-and-death matter. Don't back down."
"Rest assured, I'll be honest. But make it quick—I have other places to be. What are they?"
Good, Hermes thought with a hidden smirk. Five minutes left on the clock. I'll answer her, the timer will hit zero, the quest will fail, and I'll be a normal man again. Farewell, you freaks.
"What do you see when you look at me?" the Informant queried.
"A fragile little girl with a scarlet ribbon pinned in her hair," Hermes answered instantly.
The Informant flinched. That was too simple. Too human.
"What... what is the color of my eyes?" she asked, her voice shivering with a sudden, inexplicable fear.
Hermes leaned in slightly, studying her. "Hmm, let's see. Blue? No, that's too common. Let's call it sapphire. Yes... sapphire. You have very beautiful eyes."
I'm pretty sure they're just 'Spirit Blue,' but let's lay on the charm to finish this, Hermes laughed to himself.
The Informant's face turned a violent shade of scarlet, the heat spreading from her neck to her ears.
"Master, stop it! You're making me jealous!" the slime complained.
"Oh, shut it. You aren't exactly ugly yourself," Hermes sassed back.
"Oh, Master! You're so kind! Stop lying!" The slime giggled, ecstatic. "I know you think I'm annoying and ugly, but I love it when you're sadistic!"
"I was being serious about the annoying part," Hermes muttered wearily. He turned back to the Informant, who was fidgeting, her eyes darting from his boots to his masked face.
"This... this is the last question," she whispered, her tone shifting from hostile to something much more vulnerable.
"Go on," Hermes urged. "I'm tired of waiting."
"What is my real name?" the informant asked, her voice trembling. Before Hermes could blink, her physical form flickered and collapsed, folding in on itself until a small, ornate parchment envelope floated where the girl had been.
"Pff—why did you transform into mail? You look like an archaic email icon, lol." Hermes let out a dry, nervous chuckle, his mind counting down the final seconds of the quest. "I don't mean to upset you, but did your former master call you... Meili? Because that's the only 'mail' pun I can think of. It's just a joke, so don't—"
SMACK.
A newspaper slammed into his face with the force of a brick. Hermes peeled it off, his hands shaking as he read the fresh, glowing ink.
[VIRUS MISSION: STATUS UPDATE]
Mission: Form a contract with the Informant.
Status: MISSION COMPLETED.
Hidden Condition Met: Speak the True Name of the Spirit.
Hermes's smile stiffened into a grotesque mask of horror. His hands trembled, accidentally crumpling the edges of the supernatural paper. It took him several long, agonizing seconds for the reality to sink in.
Say wha—at?
[INSANITY LEVEL: NORMAL (STABILIZED)]
[NOTIFICATION: THE USER IS SAFE FROM BECOMING A HUMAN AGAIN.]
What is that supposed to mean?! I'm still a human being!
Hermes screamed internally, his dreams of a normal, non-magical life evaporating like mist.
[VIRUS ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED]
Title: [Nestle Favor] — Bestowed upon the one the powerful maiden yearns for. You have successfully tamed an exotic pet.
Effect: The Informant's contract with her second master is VOID. All memories of her service to the Grand Lord are being purged. Original memories and name restored.
Hu—uh?
Cold sweat poured down Hermes's face.
The envelope glowed with a blinding sapphire light. Slowly, it expanded, taking the shape of the little doll-like girl once more. She drifted to the ground, genuflecting in mid-air before her feet touched the transparent floor. When she lifted her head to look at him, her sapphire eyes weren't just bright—they were vibrating with ecstatic fervor.
"I don't like where this is going," Hermes muttered, taking a frantic step back.
"Master Hermes Archnemesis," the girl whispered, her voice melodic and clear. "I pledge to you my loyalty, my perfect body, and my pure heart. To think... you remembered my true name after all this time."
"Wait, I was just making a pun—"
"This Meili will never abandon you!" she cried out, her eyes shimmering. "I apologize for being so dumb, so stubborn, so stupid as to try and kill you! I take back every curse I placed in your blood. Fuck the Grand Lord—whoever that jackass is! I swear to Mom I will kill any of my sisters who still follow that fraud. You are the true Emperor of this world!"
Hermes doubled over, coughing a spray of blood onto the floor.
I knew it. Another stan has joined the circus. I'm not the reincarnation of your dumb Emperor! Stop adding lore to my life!
"Use me however you want, my dear Master~" Meili added, flashing a smile so pure it was terrifying.
"Congratulations, Master," the slime praised, clutching her hands over her gothic bodice. "You're a terrifying man. You used your charm to fool her, broke her mind with 'hellish intimacy,' and erased her memories to return her to her original state. Truly, you are the only one who could pull this off."
I had five seconds left! I was so close to failing! SHUT THE FUCK UP!
Hermes wailed in the silence of his mind.
[VIRUS ADVICE]
Don't lewd the little girls. Their Mother will punish the user severely.
New Title Pending: [Pedo Collector]
Hermes tore the newspaper into a thousand shreds before it could finish the sentence.
"I AM NOT A FUCKIN' PREDATOR!"
Miles away, atop a jagged cathedral spire overlooking the borders of West Scily, a figure stood motionless against the storm. She wore a heavy cloak of deep cerulean blue that billowed like an ocean wave.
Suddenly, she stilled. She tilted her head, her eyes—the color of a winter twilight—narrowing as she felt a tectonic shift in the spiritual weave of the world. The tether that had bound the youngest spirit to the shadow of the Grand Lord had snapped, replaced by a golden cord of terrifying power.
"Spiritus Minimus ad Vas revenit..." she whispered, her voice a haunting melody that cut through the thunder.
She looked toward the direction of the village, a poetic, somber smile gracing her lips.
"When the star falls into the inkwell, the page is rewritten in blood. The youngest Great Spirit has returned to the 'Vessel.' The balance tilts, and the ancient ink begins to run dry."
"The Grand Lord will be most displeased by this development," she murmured, her form dissolving into a flurry of blue petals. "The play has a new lead actor... and he doesn't even know his lines."