“…Hear me, denizens of the darkness, you who are born of shadow and you who give birth to it. Hear me and do as I command!” Melody couldn’t have explained how she remembered the words, but she did, almost as though they had been etched in her mind, ready to spring forth when needed. True, her voice warbled a fair bit more than Solomon’s had, but she hadn’t been practicing for nearly as long. Or at all. And she physically didn’t have the deeper tones of his masculine voice, which made the effect somewhat underwhelming. “I, Melody, call upon you to send forth one of your number! I summon the Avatar of Lust, Asmodeus…” Melody wasn’t sure if she should use her own name, since that’s who she was, or Solomon’s, since it was his power. And, he was more impressive…

The corridor was lit with a series of flashing lights, and then a popping sound crackled through the air, bringing Asmodeus into the space right in front of her. He looked tired and bit disoriented, wearing the pajamas he had brought to the retreat, though she also remembered him saying he was only doing so as a favor to her and Simeon, and himself, of course, of they would never let him have a peaceful night’s sleep if he slept the way he usually did. But Melody didn’t have much time to think about that.

“…Solomon, what could you possibly need at this hour?” grumbled Asmo, rubbing the sleep, delicately, from his eyes. “You know that lack of sleep is bad for my skin, right?” It took him that long to realize that it wasn’t Solomon in front of him, but a rather roughed-up-looking Melody. “…Wh …huh? Wha? No way… how could I be here?!” He peered at Melody, then to Beel. “Wh… how was Melody able to…?”

The snake was starting to get closer, and there wasn’t time for explanations, so Melody started the second half of the incantation, which also sprang easily to her mind.

“…Denizens of the darkness, awaken! You who are born of shadow, hear me! I am the one called Melody. I call upon you now to lend your power to Asmodeus, Avatar of Lust!” Since the summons worked so well, Melody was a little more confident this time around, and she felt more weight in her voice, a force that she had never heard in it before. Asmodeus’ eyes went wide, and the air in front of him shimmered pink. Seconds later, he stood there in his demon form. Melody didn’t have much time to appreciate it, but she wasn’t surprised at how pretty he remained, with his dainty double wings and pink-tipped horns. More importantly, he had not shifted form when Solomon had done the same incantation. Had she screwed up somehow?

“I don’t believe it…! Haha… what’s even going on right now… ?” Asmodeus wasn’t sleepy anymore, though still rather bemused. The jolt of power that ran through him had put him on high alert. Pink tendrils of power were circling around him. “This power… not even Solomon has ever managed to draw this out of me…”

This means Melody didn’t screw up, which was a relief, but it also made no sense to her. How could she have given Asmo more power when the power was only borrowed to begin with? Then again, she had no idea of magic followed the basic rules of mathematics. She turned to see the snake still charging towards them, but then it stopped suddenly, peering at Asmo in… recognition? Awe? Melody wasn’t sure.

“… Henry, you can totally tell too, right?” asked Asmodeus of the snake, his tone giddy with the power running through him. Despite calling Henry ugly the other day, he spoke to the snake as though it was a treasured companion. In response, the snake actually purred. Were snakes supposed to purr? This was becoming increasingly surreal to Melody.

“So, you can get us out of here, even with Solomon’s borrowed power?” Beel asked, impatiently breaking Asmo’s self-admiration.

“Not only that, Melody’s got way more magical power than he does,” Asmodeus said, oddly smug. He turned towards the girl in question. “Melody dear, what exactly is the story with you, anyway?”

“I don’t think there’s a story,” Melody hedged. She was not only confused but really tired, now that the threat seemed over. And, looking at Asmodeus was a bit distracting. She had always thought arms were just arms, nothing really to pay much attention to, but somehow Asmo’s clothes made them seem more alluring than usual.

“We can talk about this after we get back to the castle,” Beel said sternly. Even though Asmodeus was technically older than him, he usually worked by charms, not with outright commands. Besides, Beel tended to tower above him, which gave the illusion of being stronger overall. Asmodeus pouted, but he didn’t argue as he coaxed Henry into leading them out of the maze again for the second time in as many days. Melody was quiet as she walked along, and Beel often had to make sure she was okay. Asmodeus was also oddly quiet; usually, he would have peppered the silence with a lot of self-adoring commentary.

Melody had been hoping to make it back to bed without a fuss, but luck was not with her. Lucifer was standing in the grand hall, and they had to pass him to get back to their room. But, Lucifer wasn’t alone. All the retreat guests were there, expressions ranging from irritation to concern. Lucifer, of course, looked quite annoyed, arms folded across his chest.

“Where have you been?” he asked.

“We fell into the labyrinth again…” said Melody, forcing herself not to yawn. Beel then explained everything that had happened, keeping his narrative short and to the point.

“…All right, I understand how you got yourselves into this mess. It’s all too clear.” Lucifer sighed, his eyes narrowing. “And what’s also clear is that no matter where you go, you always manage to stir up trouble.”

Melody’s lips quivered; it seemed a rather harsh thing for Lucifer to say, and she almost felt her eyes tear up. Then she realized that Lucifer had probably been woken up with news that the exchange student had gone missing. Of course, he would be cranky. She tried not to take it too personally, but it still stung.

“Well, how were we supposed to know that Cerberus was in there?” demanded Beel, frowning. He figured it was his duty to go after Melody, even if he didn’t care about her fate at all. Why was Lucifer blaming him? “Why was that room set up like that anyhow?”

“I had a curse put on that door. If you open it without knocking, it transports you straight to Cerberus’ room,” Lucifer said flatly.

“Why’d you do that…?” asked Luke.

“To prevent a certain someone from breaking in and stealing any of the castle’s decorative pieces to sell for profit.” Of course, that could be only one person, and everyone’s eyes went straight to Mammon. Even Melody’s, though she mostly wanted to see his reaction.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Mammon…” Beel, of course, was less than impressed.

“Drop dead, Mammon. Like, right now,” grumbled Levi. Although he had not been involved this time, Melody had been put at risk and everyone had to get woken up to find out what happened to her.

“Hey! How’s this MY fault?!” asked Mammon.

“Mammon, you are known for stealing things, but… I don’t blame you,” she said quietly. “You didn’t know this would happen. I don’t think anyone could have known this would happen.” She knew it probably wouldn’t mean much in the long run, but she wasn’t going to label him as the bad guy in this case. It was just a series of unfortunate events, and blaming anyone at this point was just asking for more trouble. Lucifer wasn’t finished, however.

“…Also, it would seem that a certain someone very kindly lent his powers to Melody. Isn’t that right, Solomon?”

“Hm?” Solomon laughed at the question. “You mean there’s actually someone out there in the Devildom who’s that kind? Well, it’s the first I’ve heard of this.” The smile on his face looked a little too happy, the innocence of it far too forced to be believable… and he knew it too. “Isn’t that right, Asmo?”

“…I’ve made up my mind. I’ll make a pact with Melody.” It was not the conspiratorial agreement that Solomon had been looking for, and it took the room by surprise.

“Wha?!” Mammon was flabbergasted. Lucifer scowled, peering at his brother as though waiting for a punchline. Asmo must have loved it, because now all eyes were on him, intently so.

“Even if Solomon did lend his powers, it shouldn’t be possible for someone to draw that kind of power out of me, you know?” Asmodeus giggled, soaking in the spotlight. “I mean, you’ve got to admit, it’s super impressive! Melody, you really were amazing down there! So, I’m making a pact with Melody. I’ve made up my mind.”

Melody wasn’t sure she deserved any praise for that. It was borrowed power, and she was only repeating back what Solomon had said earlier. Really, she hadn’t done anything worth particular merit. And, the fact was, she didn’t feel the same closeness to Asmodeus as she did the other two, nor was this the blunder of a newcomer to the Devildom, as had been the case with Mammon. Asmodeus hadn’t even asked her if she was interested! Still, perhaps she would feel less worried about being around him if they had a pact. So far, Lord Diavolo hadn’t shown any sign he was worried about a human making so many pacts. Speaking of which, where was the Prince?

“WHOA, HOLD ON!” objected Mammon. But Asmo just cut past him.

“I’m allowed to do that, right Lucifer?” ask Asmo, putting on his best wheedling voice. Lucifer stared back at Asmo for a few moments before giving a barely perceptible nod of his head. Asmodeus turned towards Melody and locked eyes with her. Within seconds, she felt that familiar band around her, snapping the bond between them as the pact finalized. She guessed it must have been what she wanted, deep down, or it wouldn’t have happened. Unless having so many pacts just made her an open conduit for them? She hoped that wasn’t the case…

“Score one more pact for the exchange student! That makes four!” cheered Levi, laughing. Melody wasn’t sure if he was actually happy about it, or amused, or if it was just the release of the tension that had been floating in the room. Knowing him, it could be any of the above. Solomon gave Melody a wink and nodded her way. Apparently, he was happy with how his little experiment turned out.

Melody yawned all the way back to her room, feeling both bemused and sleepy. No matter how tired she was, there was too much to deal with for her to just be able to fall asleep again. Especially since Asmo seemed to be hurrying her towards their room, giving Simeon slightly annoyed looks when the angel kept pace with them. Melody could hear the voices of the other retreat members behind them a fair bit, still talking over the evening’s events in the grand hall. She was too tired to look behind her to check on what they were doing; she just wanted a little peace and quiet to sort out where she stood with everything.

But, peace and quiet were not obtainable. As soon as she sat down on her bed, Asmodeus plunked himself down on her bed, causing her to blush simply at the fact that they were both wearing their pajamas. It didn’t help that he was seated respectfully on the other end of the bed; he was right next to her. Without even asking, he took one of her hands in his and looked it over, as if he was seeing a human hand for the first time.

“Interesting… Melody, you know that your ring finger is longer than your index finger, right? Hmm. Oh, and I looove the shape of the nail of your thumb. So cute!” Why on earth, or in the Devildom, Asmo found a thumbnail cute was beyond Melody; it seemed ridiculous to her sleep-infused brain. “Seems to me that your ears are a wee bit on the small side, maybe? Come here, let me see your teeth. Go on, open your mouth… Let’s hear you say aaaah.” Melody did not go ‘aaaah.’ She wasn’t a horse or a little child. “Hehe. Come on, there’s no need to be shy,” coaxed Asmo.

“You’ve certainly taken quite a liking to Melody, haven’t you?” came Simeon’s voice from across the room, sounding drier than Melody had ever heard it, even though he was smiling. Asmo pouted at him.

“Well of course I have. Otherwise I never would’ve made a pact, would I?” he countered.

“Still, who would’ve thought that Melody kept such powerful magic hidden within…” mused Simeon, his smile faltering a bit. “Where had it been hiding all this time, I wonder?” Melody had to agree there. Every test her mother had put her through had failed to show any magic. She still wondered if it was actually all Solomon’s, and he had been hiding his true power the whole time. It seemed easier for her to believe than suddenly having a source of magic on her own.

“That’s what I intend to find out. We’re going to discover where it’s hiding. I’m going to take it nice and slow, and be very thorough… ‘kay?” Asmo sounded both suggestive and as though he was talking to a young child, the combination of which was disconcerting to Melody, and she shrank back a bit. “Ooh, Melody! Is it okay if I sleep together with you in your bed tonight? You don’t mind, do you? Of course you don’t!” While Asmo had asked the question, he rambled past it so fast, Melody barely had time to blink twice before he assumed her answer would be positive. Alarm bells were ringing in her head.

“OH NO YOU DON’T!” Mammon chose that moment to bust through the door, not bothering to close it behind him. Startled, Asmo nearly fell off the bed and wrapped an arm around Melody to secure his position. “Asmo! What’re you doing’ in THAT bed?! And why do you have your arm around Melody’s shoulders, huh?! You’re too close! Get away! Get away right now! Far enough away that I can’t see you! Go!”

Melody privately agreed that Asmodeus was too close. But, telling him to go so far Mammon couldn’t see him was a bit of a stretch; it was Asmo’s room too, after all. It wasn’t his bed, true, but he had a right to be in the room at least. Melody opened her mouth to point this out to Mammon, but was neatly cut off by Asmodeus.

“So, Melody, when you wash yourself, where do you like to start? Because I like to start with my—”

Melody blushed at Asmo’s words but was also confused. She certainly didn’t have a particular order when she took a bath or shower; it wasn’t something she really thought much about. The fact that Asmo would ask her that specific question felt very contrived, and she was very glad that Mammon interrupted him, obviously not wanting to hear him finish the sentence any more than she did.

“Hey! So you’re just gonna ignore me, are ya?! …Also, I SAID you’re too close! Don’t get near Melody! And NO touchin’! I won’t allow it!” Mammon was really having none of it; he bounded across the room and parked himself on the bed in front of Asmo and ‘his’ human. Melody peered at him, unsure if he was trying to protect her safety or her dignity. Perhaps both. Or, was it actual jealousy, as others had hinted at? As far as words went, Mammon had always been pretty adamant about not being interested, but his expressions often belied that. If it was her actual safety, she was content to let Mammon take care of that. However, if he was jealous, was it really his place to ‘allow’ or ‘disallow’ the contact? Not that Melody craved contact from Asmodeus specifically. It made her uncomfortable.