Published: March 21, 2026
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“There’s no staircase to the next floor.”
“Huh?”
After I’d happily petted the Black Cat, when we tried to move to the next level Amelia said that. I narrowed my eyes and scanned the boss room.
A barren, large chamber with a single door. That door was the one we’d used to enter. And it couldn’t be opened from this side. Indeed, the staircase that should have led down was gone.
“Guess it’s probably my fault.”
The Black Cat shivered and let out a big yawn, then muttered that. Two cold stares stabbed at him. They demanded a proper explanation.
“Because this is the boss room, the labyrinth won’t allow the boss—me—to remain alive.”
Black Cat gave a self-deprecating laugh and lowered his golden eyes.
“Which is why I told you to kill me. You want me to starve to death here? Clearly, races other than the Demon Clan and demonic beasts cannot coexist.”
Black Cat said sadly, and I looked at the ground, thinking of a solution. I wasn’t going to back down that easily.
“True, killing you would be the easiest thing.”
“But it’s too early to give up.”
At Amelia’s voice, both the Black Cat and I looked up. Amelia stared intently at the Black Cat. Gold and red intersected.
“You’ve got a plan?”
“...Akira should give him a name.”
“A name?”
What good would naming do? I tilted my head, but Amelia and the Black Cat nodded to each other.
“I see—if I’m not the boss here anymore, I can leave this room, right?”
“That should work. And if he transforms smaller, he’ll just look like a black cat. No one will find that strange.”
“I like it, then you there! Give me a name!”
“Wait, wait, explain properly.”
I panicked as the Black Cat looked like he might pounce at any moment. He’s smaller than a dragon but still bigger than us. I was confident I could handle him, but he was imposing.
“You should become my master.”
“That’s too brief.”
Granted, I hadn’t explained where I came from, but this explanation wouldn’t make sense to a normal person.
Leaving the excited, hardly coherent Black Cat aside, I turned to Amelia. She seemed a little excited too; her cheeks were slightly flushed. Still, less than the Black Cat.
“Only the Demon Clan can control demonic beasts. But once every few hundred years, someone forms a bond with a demonic beast. This has been around long before I was born.”
Amelia took a breath.
“The idea of naming demonic beasts came from the first hero. By giving them names, he created a true bond between humans and beasts.”
There it was again—the first hero. Even though he was from long ago, his name sure pops up a lot.
“What does a ‘true bond’ mean?”
“First, whoever names a beast can always determine its location, no matter where it goes.”
Convenient. You wouldn’t lose each other. But doesn’t that also strip the beast of freedom?
“Also, both parties learn a magic called ‘telepathic speech’.”
“That’s the one where you can talk without speaking out loud, right?”
“I haven’t used it, but probably.”
Pretty generous. The Black Cat can speak, but ordinary demonic beasts can’t, so this makes sense.
Then again—why can this one talk?
“You can’t form a bond without mutual consent. Forcing one is impossible.”
“But once bonded, unless both agree to sever it, you stay together until one dies.”
“...Until death?”
The Black Cat nodded. Somehow his face looked smug.
“If one dies while bonded, the other dies too. That’s the contract.”
“Wow.”
Better than carrying scars or constant pain for a lifetime. I’d rather die than endure endless pain.
I felt Amelia’s worried glance, but I was fine. Sure, death is scary, but as long as Amelia is by my side, me dying isn’t going to happen.
“Most normal people would balk at that and back out... are you really human?”
“No, I’ve long passed the point of being a normal monster.”
“If you weren’t, I’d challenge you again.”
The Black Cat chuckled in his throat; I returned his smile and at the same time tightened my expression.