An Offer That You Can’t Refuse

Hidden behind a volcanic mountain were two massive eyes, green and terrifying, as they shone brighter than the lava.

The eyes moved—slowly, very slowly—watching the actions of a certain boy.

The eyes felt pain, embarrassment, and anger.

It had been a while since those eyes had seen the world.

It had been even longer since he had felt the outside world.

But not once, in those countless years, had he imagined experiencing things as vile as he had seen in the last few days.

The horrifying deeds he had to endure, witness, and yet do nothing to stop.

For the first time in his long-forgotten life, he felt regret upon waking up.

He knew that he should have slept longer, for a few more decades.

Until…

"W-Who are you?"

Until the boy in front of his eyes had met his end.

"Why are you in my dream?" The boy looked around, worried, terrified even. "Why am I here?"

But the eyes stayed focused on him.

Not a single word was spoken, just a stare that could make even the strongest-willed humans faint.

A gaze of judgment and disgust.

"Where is my room? My bed?" The boy shook as he realized his surroundings.

He knew it was a dream.

It wasn't real; it was a nightmare.

But he couldn't escape it.

If anything, he felt the true horror of that nightmare.

Pain.

The scorching heat.

And the stinging sensation of standing over sharp, prickly pebbles.

It was a dream, but he could feel his dream.

It felt so very real; it felt so very haunting.

The eyes finally moved after a while, roaming around before closing shut.

The boy felt he was safe now.

He wasn't being watched.

He thought he could escape now.

Oh, how wrong he was.

"Over my eon-long lifespan, no, a life so old that I cannot even recall,"

A voice boomed all around him, shaking and cracking the rocky terrain beneath his feet.

"Not once, not ever, had I felt such pain, disgust, and disrespect."

The voice was rough, coarse, and aged.

"W-What do you mean?" With each word from the ancient being, the boy only felt more terrified. "Who are you?"

"I am someone imprisoned within you, chained and bound to the filth of your existence."

Never before had he felt such disgust being trapped within a being like the boy before him.

He felt horrified when he was chained inside a boy who had lost his leg before he could even manifest.

He felt pitiful when he was tied to a frail girl battling an unforgiving disease.

He felt sad accompanying a widower who had no will to live.

And he felt betrayed, being locked inside the first human he was ever chosen for.

Yet not once had he felt his legacy was being tarnished.

Not once had he felt that someone could mock his existence.

Because even the disabled had courage, even the sickly had will, even the apathetic had hopes.

Yet in the boy, he could only see the bad.

He could not find a shred of saving grace within him.

An emotion, a belief, or even a conviction that would outshine the disgusting mind of his.

The boy lacked it all.

He had no good that the eyes could see.

He was merely a stain on the reputation of one of the strongest beings to have ever walked the earth—or rather, flown over it.

And yet, he could do nothing about it.

"C-Chained within me?" The boy stepped back, nervous and stumbling in the dream that felt real. "Why? What are you?"

"I am a being that was feared by many, revered by many, and hated by countless others." The voice felt sharper, more emotional than before. "And yet, defeated and sealed by only one."

The boy could only listen.

He could do nothing else.

He felt scared; he knew whatever the thing that spoke to him was—it was strong.

Stronger than the madness he had experienced running after Asia, running after the Fallens, and running after Reo.

'He is stronger than all of them,' the boy understood that very easily. 'No, if he is a monster, then the others are just ants.'

He could feel the power of the being that spoke to him—the fiery aura and the pressure that crumbled the mountains and cracked the ground.

It was a beast—a mythical monster that he could do nothing against.

"Who are you?" The boy asked again—desperate for an answer, desperate for an exit.

"No," the voice boomed. "I refuse to tarnish my name by awakening within you. I refuse to acknowledge you as my host."

The boy understood not a single word of what the being said.

The being he could not even fully see.

He could only see the blazing green eyes and the red scales around them that gazed at him.

"I would rather let the White Dragon Emperor have this victory than fight him besides you as my host."

Nothing made sense to the boy. And neither could he press the creature for answers.

"Your perverse being does not deserve to bear the title of the Red Dragon Emperor."

The voice grew louder.

"I, Ddraig, refuse to accept a filthy, perverted scum as my host."

And even before the boy could process what was happening—he heard a horrifyingly loud yell.

Louder than the loudest yells.

"BEGONE!"

The voice, the yell, changed the entire scenario for him.

The magmatic surface vanished, the large volcanoes vanished, and the haunting eyes felt like a nightmare.

He woke up in a cold sweat.

Body stuck to the bedsheet, clothes wet from the sweat amassed throughout the inescapable nightmare.

The longest nightmare that Issei Hyoudou had ever experienced.

And hopefully, the last.

…

…

[Early Morning, The Next Day — Abandoned Kuoh Park]

Ugh.

This headache is killing me, and it only feels like it's growing worse.

And it's all because of my damned luck.

Supernaturals.

Not one, not two, but a dozen.

Not weak, not just strong, but undefeatable.

These are the supernaturals that have been popping up every other day now.

And guess what?

"I suppose you did not sleep well."

{Name: Azazel}

{Class: Cadre Class Fallen}

{Threat: Impossible}

{Type: Pure Fallen Angel}

This damned man just doesn't seem to let go of me.

He is weirdly attracted to me, and I don't like it one bit.

"I wonder whose fault that is?" I retorted, aware that he could end me right now if he was offended.

But he wasn't.

Instead, he laughed. "I guess I should apologize for that."

He was a bit strange.

Eccentric, I might say.

He had the two Fallens who tried to kill me and Issei now before me, acting as maids for me and my house.

He was a terrifying man.

A strange man, but definitely someone I had to be wary of.

"I believe you already know why I called you here?" he asked, and I nodded.

I wasn't a hundred percent sure, but I was pretty certain that it was what I was thinking about.

"When do you want Raynare and Kalawarner to work at your place?"

It was so weird.

I thought he had some hidden agenda; maybe he wanted to spy on me and my family.

But he doesn't need to.

He is strong enough, both physically and politically, to gather all the information he needs from me without even having to move.

But I still decided to entertain him.

Call me weak-willed, but I had no intention of having an impossible-level threat coming after my head.

"The problem isn't having them work at our place," I explained my concern to him. "The problem is getting my mother to agree to this."

"What do you mean?" He looked at me curiously. "I thought she would love having two maids around to do her chores."

I don't think my mom would trust anyone except herself to clean the clothes and utensils.

She is kind of a clean freak.

But even that wasn't the issue.

"How do I explain to her that I found two maids who want to work at our place for free?" It sounded ridiculous. "Humans don't do that. They never work for free, and we are not rich enough to afford live-in maids."

And having them charge less wasn't an option either.

My mom trusts people easily, but she knows the struggle and understands that no one would work for below minimum wage.

Especially not two beautiful women like Raynare and Kalawarner.

If they wanted money, they could easily go to some rich person's place and work there for a monthly salary greater than our annual one.

I was glad that even Azazel was considering this.

"That… is indeed an issue." He mumbled, possibly thinking of something strange.

It just wasn't possible to have them around without my mom objecting.

I did agree to have those two as maids, but I didn't think it through enough.

"Then… would you agree that the issue is your family's monetary situation at the moment?" he asked, glancing at me.

"I guess that much is clear." Money has always been an issue.

Not just for me, but for many people.

"Then…" Oh, I didn't like that smile of his. "I think there is a very easy solution for that."

Easy solution, he says.

"You just need to get a job!"

Huh?

"What?" I felt baffled by what he just said. "I am eighteen, Lord Azazel. I don't even have a degree." It wasn't just ridiculous; it was stupid. "No human would give me a job with my qualifications. And I don't think working at McDonald's pays enough to hire a maid, much less two."

Forget maids, it would be difficult even maintaining my lifestyle if I ended up working at McDonald's.

"Well, humans won't hire you without enough qualifications, but that isn't the case for the supernatural, now is it?"

Just… what is he thinking?

"What… do you mean?"

I had to ask.

I was too confused to think anything through right now.

"You know, the reason I came here was not just to fix the mistake made by Raynare and Kalawarner, but to fulfill a certain selfish wish of mine." He said, before giving a soft chuckle. "Don't worry, it is nothing harmful."

He stood upright, trying to appear as trustworthy as he could.

"I came here because I heard of a boy who recently awakened his powers and killed two Fallens." He smiled. "I came here because I heard there was a boy with magic far different from any other human. Maybe from an unknown or mutated Sacred Gear, or maybe because of a phenomenon that I am still unaware of."

No one knew about the system. And for some reason, I doubted it was even a Sacred Gear.

It just didn't fit the narrative built around Sacred Gears.

"So, I want to make an offer to you." He finally revealed his plan. "I want you to work under me—not exactly as a disciple, but as a little helper."

Huh?

"What does this helper exactly mean?" At my question, he nodded as if he expected me to ask.

"I want you to work for me, learning about Sacred Gears, human magic, and the mysteries surrounding what Father did to make them special among everyone else."

Father.

He means God.

And as he explained, he quickly added—

"Of course, there would be no harm done to you. No cuts, no bruises, and definitely no turning you into a lab rat."

"Aha…"

Very convincing.

"I promise this to you on my name."

This was the second time he had promised something on his name.

And while I knew Devils and Fallens were known for lying and playing tricks, something told me he was serious.

And it made sense.

Swearing on their names was a big deal from what Sona had explained to me.

"And since this would be considered work, I would be paying you too." And before I could ask, he answered with a grin. "I don't know the current salaries, but I did go to the States last month, and a guy told me he makes a little over a hundred twenty thousand dollars a month."

He…

He cannot be serious, right?

"So, I think a hundred and fifty thousand would be a decent salary, right?"

One, two, three…

That's twenty-two million yen!

That's almost four times the national average!

"You're kidding?" I muttered, and he shook his head.

"I am being fully honest."

Twenty-two million yen…

I could provide a great lifestyle for my mom with that.

And he even swore on his name that it wouldn't hurt me.

This…

I think I would be foolish to decline this offer.

And maybe I was.

"I think I will have to say no."

This surprised the man more than I expected.

"Huh? Why?" He looked amused. "Is the amount not high enough?"

I had to shake my head instantly.

"No, it's not about the money. It's an absurd amount to offer anyone."

"Then?" He stared at me.

"But… there is also another thing I am looking for at the moment."

This was a stupid gamble.

But I had to take it.

If he said no, I would back off.

However…

"What is it?" he asked. "If it is something that is not impossible or harmful to the Fallens, then I don't mind helping you with whatever you're worried about."

Did he…

Did he just take the bait?

How desperate was he?

Not that I am one to talk.

"Then…" I looked at him with a calm face, "if you can fulfill a request of mine, then I agree to be your paid employee."

I had to emphasize the paid part.

I hoped that he would fulfill this request, but I was definitely not letting go of the money either.

"Well, if it is not an impossible request… then go ahead." He said, "And I will help you with it."

He took the bait!

__________________________________________________________________________________

[[A/N: Read 175+ Advanced Chapters on Patreon (including all stories).

Read 25+ Chapters Ahead of WebNovel for this story on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Greedyfrog

Join Discord for queries and general discussions: https://discord.com/invite/yanXvStx7p ]]