Once more Elizabeth was met with that terrifying proposition.
An offer to deal with a demon.
It was an offer many would accept no matter which type of demon made it; some would even accept the terms of a lowly male imp if it meant being one step closer to their dream.
Of course, as ironic as it were, she still didn't understand the depths of hypocrisy that could be found in the upper echelons of society. Could she comprehend that those who called them heretics for merely existing were the same reason demon outbreaks constantly occurred. It was beyond rationalisation.
To her demons were beings of unknown power with unpredictable means to accomplish dark bargains that were as malicious as they were foul. All they cared about was the benefits that they'd gain. As such they did not care about how they achieved their side of the demonic pact.
As such it was hard for Elizabeth to neglect just that… What benefit could that divine demon possibly be hoping to achieve by making a deal with someone as pathetic as her. She had at least lived on the streets for long enough to realise that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
If she had some hopeless dream she wanted to accomplish (like the old leader of their little group) then she surely would care less about what she'd lose in return for accepting.
Yet she had nothing of the sort.
Lost in both a psychological and emotional sense.
It hardly needed to be reiterated that she had no plans for her future with her not spending any time really getting to know anyone as a result.
The only people she really connected to on an emotional level were all lost on the day where those inquisitors raided them. Of those she actually remembered talking two: one sacrificed their life to summon the coffin, the next was skewered through and the last died in their last stand. All are gone now.
No one should be surprised that she felt like she was just going through the motions by now; only due to the level of craziness did it seem like she actually was reacting normally. In fact it should be obvious that she was mentally strong for even being able to react. Expecting much more was hard.
As such she could only simply reply…
"I… I have nothing to ask for."
That powerful demon seemed to lose a lot of their enthusiasm - sinking down into their macabre throne where their clawed hand supported their masked face. Those terrifying flames even seemed to calm down as violet frost began to form across the floor. Elizabeth soon finds her breath becoming visible.
Unconsciously she stepped back from the growing ice; her instincts screaming at her to take as much distance as possible from the spreading cold.
Finding herself unwittingly chewing on her bottom lip as that demon's flames narrowed.
"Nn."
With a simple response, non committal in being positive or negative, the girl found her world once again wrapping in an unnatural way.
Her vision being forcibly pulled fully towards the demoness as everything else soon became a smushed together blur in her peripheral vision. The only thing that made sense or could be made out was the demon in the centre of it all. A terrifying scene that seemed to snap Elizabeth out of something.
Although she was not allowed to ruminate on her realisation for very long; not just due to the pressing fear akin to that a rabbit felt when in the presence of a hound obsessed with hunting. In fact there was another occurrence that actually brought relief. That scrunched up world unravelled with a staggering pop.
Leaving her to stumble backwards as a powerful headache overwhelmed her senses - not helped by the world around her unfreezing once more.
Suddenly she registered just how much white noise naturally existed in the outside world, a noise that was lacking in the frozen world of the demon, causing her to look around in a dazed fashion. Everyone around continued to move around. None of these dozens of people noticed something of such grandeur occurred.
"*cough**cough**cough*"
All except the archdemon beside her who had moved his hand to catch whatever he was busy currently coughing up. His eyes wide open as he stared right towards Elizabeth with shock on his face. Shock that morphed to curiosity as he once again appeared to be studying her,
Nevertheless, he could hardly be blamed, anyone managing to manifest such a terrifying entity twice could hardly be just a useless little human orphan girl. Demons weren't generous. They weren't like their contemporaries who did charity while also sometimes refusing to read between the lines.
A demon cared about the contract and the intentions behind the contract.
Rarely would they care about humans any more than that,
So…
"Why is she so interested in you…?"
Narrowing his eyes with a question that some would assume came from a place of jealousy or disgust at a supposed inferior lower life form. However, despite that being the obvious assumption, even she knew that his reaction contained far more in the way of curiosity. Afterall, he was an advisor not a clown.
He didn't need his monarch's attention but needed to understand her all the same.
Something he simply couldn't do with the girl.
"I-I don't know."
At the same time she did not want to try taking advantage of it (pushing her luck with the second most powerful demon she had met was obviously an ill advised choice). As such she was completely honest with her own confusion. Obviously he nodded along as if he had expected such an answer.
"If I do not then, unless she told you which isn't in her nature, there is no way you would be able to fathom what the Absolute Mind is thinking!"
She couldn't even sign as she didn't want to step on the toes of the loyal prime arch-minister of the glorious royal faction that ruled the demonic realm with an assumedly fiery fist.
It wasn't exactly smart to summon a demon with enough sentience to fully communicate with just to ask questions of their home.
Her thoughts swam about an interesting new place that likely didn't conform to any logic she had previously held to be common sense. A desire to understand began to overwhelm her. Making all sorts of crazy theories begin to feel her mind as she gave each their own fair set of considerations.
Although all of that merely led to more questions coming to her mind.
For once she let her childish curiosity spring forth with full vigour. When she was still trying to be the perfect little princess so that her father may actually appreciate her; she of course couldn't be seen doing anything as "crass" as thinking. Meanwhile she hardly had time to think while surviving on the streets.
Ironically enough (despite how fearful she understandably was at times) it was the strength of the divine demon that gave her the courage to begin thinking about things outside her immediate needs. It was something that helped light return to once vacant eyes. No longer was she simply living for the sake of it.
Because she finally found interest in something other than merely living her life.
"What's with you?"
That archdemon gazed at her in an obviously bewildered manner.
In response she simply shook her head before looking at him in the eyes; it allowed him to figure something was different. Not that he could princely put his little paw on it. He was hardly an expert when it came to children let alone those of a non-demonic nature.
At least non-demonic in birth.
"No, nothing, I was just thinking that's all."
"I see… Then lets go."
"Yes but how will we move everything to the new kingdom?"
Such a question caused the demonic hamster, who was beginning to walk off once more, to stumble and nearly fall on the ground in shock.
It was not due to him not having a response but not expecting to have to give one to her.