The Red Hand

Chapter 355 – Mika the Contraband Dealer.

*CRACKLE* *CRUMBLE* *SMASH* *COUGH*

"There we go, all better." Akagi smiled as she chucked the empty petricure bottle into a nearby trash can. "Did you enjoy your time as a statue, girl?" She asked the shaking form of Sophie, who'd fallen to the floor.

"Y-You..." Sophie said while shaking. "You used Erina to..." She was disoriented from being turned to stone and returned to flesh, though her memory was intact from her time as a statue.

"To what? Do the same thing that your parents did to countless others?" Akagi scoffed at the girl's seeming disgust and exasperation. "I'd say that both you and they got just what they deserved after everything you've done." She'd left the three petrified Demons in their holding cell after the Half-Naga turned them to stone as a form of punishment. The Copy Boze family reported back that several dozen people were transformed into various statutes that sat around the family estate, a few of which were Spirits. Apparently, the family enjoyed wielding such power over the helpless, and Erina was forced to petrify countless people on their orders.

{Hypocrisy is generally something I dislike. I might be known for slinging a bit of it around myself, but what I cannot stand most is people not accepting that what they do to others can be done to them. Even I'm not so full of myself to allow such foolish emotions to spring from within.} (Akagi)

"Mama... Papa... Please... Please turn them back!" Sophie tried to stand, but being newly reanimated meant that she was too weak to stand. “Please...”

"Hmmm, no." Akagi said curtly as she walked over to the petrified Count Boze, put her hand on his shoulder, and began to rock him back and forth. "Out of curiosity, what do you think happens if I smash someone who is petrified and then pour some petricure on them?" She cackled manically as she mentally tormented the girl. "Oh boy! I can only imagine the disgusting mess that would make!" Akagi wasn't sure if it would work like that in practice but figured that, if it did, it would create a very gory scene.

{Kaori would be so angry if I made her clean that up, and I absolutely would love to watch it!} (Akagi)

"Please, don't hurt them!" Sophie pleaded for her parents to be spared. “Don't smash them!”

"Funny, I'd bet your parents had plenty of people that begged for mercy." Akagi's jovial tone stopped as she took her hand off the Count. "But did they ever give it? I'd bet not." She sighed. "You know, for all that I am, I truly do hate those who refuse to grant mercy to others but then come crying for it when the shoe is placed firmly on the other foot. It sickens me." She snarled. “At least have the decency to go understand that if you don't give mercy others are not obligated to give it to you.”

"..." Sophie didn't know how to respond to the Demon's words. She was aware that her parents used Erina to turn people to stone, but always figured that they were bad people who deserved it. The Count and Countess had kept their more sadistic tendancys away from the young girl, and Erina's interactions with her were usually more that of a maid and servant than a statue-creating device. "Please... I'll do anything... Just turn them back..."

{I always enjoy mortals begging...} (Akagi)

"Well, if you want them to be saved, then you'd best ask in an appropriate manner." Akagi pointed to the floor, a massive grin on her lips. "Beg

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. Beg for their safety, and I might be inclined to show some degree of mercy." She cackled demonically.

"You want me to grovel?" Sophie asked with a tilted head. She was the Daughter of a Noble and understood fully what Akagi wanted, though it was not something she relished doing.

{Begging... That's...} (Sophie)

"On your knees, girl." Akagi's eyes lit up as her voice boomed. "Get down on your knees and beg me for mercy. Put your head to the floor and tell me just how worthless you and they are, and cry your little heart out in a desperate plea for my favor." She laughed demonically, this interaction tickling something dangerous within her heart.

Akagi was never one to bully children and was generally not a fan of messing with them, especially outside of contracts, but there were always exceptions, and this was one of them. "I am not opposed to making some concessions if you do sufficiently please me." Her lips curved into a nasty smile as the girl did exactly as she asked of her. Sophie gave the most heart wrenching plea for mercy that Akagi had heard in some time as she pressed her head to the floor in a most splendid Dogeza.

{Ah... It's always nice to see them like this, right where they belong. Part of me wants to see Kana or Hishya like this one day, but let's tuck that away as a desire best left unfulfilled. Though perhaps I could have a bit of fun with Mika? She'd probably just find the whole thing funny? Hmm... More things to write down for my analysis... Though this is well within expectations, and well... Its fun.} (Akagi)

"I commend you, that was a most splendid display." Akagi laughed happily as she stepped on the girl's head, pushing it into the concrete floor and eliciting a wince of pain as a Sophie's face scrapped against the floor. "But I'd like more." Akagi's lips curved into an even more despicable smile as her razor sharp teeth showed briefly. The Demon's sadistic side had come out in full force, and as this was an occasion for her to treat a mortal that she cared little about in such a manner, Akagi was going to milk the occasion for all that it was worth. "Tell me that you're a worthless mortal, a mere insect beneath my boot. Tell me that you're nothing more than a pawn, an object for me to toy with and dispose of at my whim."

"I...I am nothing more than a worthless bug..." Sophie said as Akagi's foot continued to push her down.

"I'm a worthless bug?" Akagi's tone indicated that she wanted something more as she put more pressure on the girl's head.

"I'm nothing more than a worthless existence, My Lady! Please forgive me and my family for being so impudent for daring to exist in the same world as you! Please forgive us for not knowing our place as your playthings!" Sophie said with grit teeth. She'd never imagined that such words would be coming out of her mouth, and while she was no stuck-up Noble, she still had her pride as one.

"Good, good." Akagi lifted her foot off the girl's head. "You seem to know your place." She cackled.

{It's nice to let it all hang out once and a while. It's no good to let myself get all pent up all the time, and luckily I've now got an entire world of willing volunteers to help me let out my stress! Though, we'll need to be careful how much indulgence I allow myself for the time being.} (Akagi)

"Will... Will you let Mama and Papa go?" Sophie dared not meet Akagi's gaze and kept her eyes firmly on the cement floor.

"No." Akagi laughed as she flatly denied the girl what she wanted.

"But!" Sophie tried to protest but quickly stopped when she felt a cold chill rush down her spine.

"I said that I'd consider granting mercy, and I shall." Akagi said as she lifted the girl's head up and looked her square in the eyes. "Rejoice! You've been granted a once-in-a-lifetime offer!" She smiled.

"O-Offer?" Sophie asked with a bit of fear in her voice.

"Yeah. You see I've got need of a special servant, so... How would you like a job?" Akagi's words caused Sophie to shiver as she looked into Akagi's eyes, afraid of what she saw within.

_____________________________________________________________________________

<Halifax POV>

"Oh my god, she's so cute!" Halifax squeaked as she laid eyes upon Sophie, who'd been decked out in a perfectly fitting maid outfit. "Can I keep her?!?" She wanted very badly to squeeze the Demon, but held off, barely.

{IS IT BAD THAT I WANT TO PINCH HER CHEEKS AND FEED HER SNACKS?!?} (Halifax)

"Another victim..." Amakusa pouted as she held Alm in a hug. "I see Akagi has no limits to her evil." She said while also being glad that it wasn't her being subject to this treatment.

{Maybe this new girl will get all the punishment and I can slide into the background and be forgotten?} (Amakusa)

"Sister... Can we stop hugging for a bit? I want dinner..." Alm's belly grumbled as she was being held by the Hero. She'd been nonstop doted on by Amakusa, who was currently in clingy big sister mode.

"We can go together! There's no need for us to be apart." Amakusa said with a smile that made Alm sigh as she was dragged off to get sandwiches, pleading for someone to save her, but knowing that she was doomed. “Come on, I'll make a nice one for you!”

"I'd call the pet a sis con, but that might be a bit too on the nose." Akagi rolled her eyes as she watched Alm get dragged away.

"Cough, pot calling the kettle black, cough." Yumi said with a bit of laughter in her words.

"Yumi, we both know that between the two of us, you are far worse than I am." Akagi retorted, surprised that the Priestess could say such things with a straight face.

"You chase Kana down for snuggles all the time and act like some kind of proud Mom whenever she does something!" Yumi replied.

{Don't go trying to make me out as being worse than you!} (Yumi)

"Oh? She who has a secret photo collection of Miji in her-" Akagi was stopped by Yumi's screaming.

"I HAVE NO SUCH THING! THERE IS NO SECRET COLLECTION OF MIJI PICTURES IN A SCRAPBOOK IN MY CLOSET!" Yumi tackled Akagi to the floor to get her to stop.

{AND I CERTAINLY DIDN'T TRADE MIKA FOR AN ULTRA-RARE ONE SHE HAD OF MIJI IN CAT PAJAMAS DURING HER SLEEPOVER! NO SIR!} (Yumi)

"Why did I ever become friends with this group of weirdos?" Halifax sighed as she looked over at Sophie. "Did Akagi do anything bad to you?"

"I..." Sophie was about to answer but quickly realized that it would be a bad idea to tell Halifax what had happened in the jail cell, especially since that could place her parents at risk. "She merely made me understand just how lowly I was, that's all." She gave a wry smile.

{Kitty, what did you do to this poor girl? We'll need to have a talk later while I'm fluffing you.} (Halifax)

"Don't worry, friend. I promise you that no permanent harm came to her." Akagi said as she disappeared and reappeared next to Halifax to escape Yumi's grapple. “Sophie was just recruited into the team!”

"You know I'd almost believe you if I didn't know who and what you were." Halifax rolled her eyes as she stared at Akagi with a look of doubt on her face. "And don't even try to use kitty to get out of this one! Because it won't work!"

*TSK*

{You were going to, weren't you?!?} (Halifax)

"Please don't tell me that you the same thing that you did to Shiroe to this girl?" Halifax asked. "She might've been part of a disgusting Noble family that used that poor girl like that, but she had no control over that." She'd been informed about what the Boze family was doing and had spoken to Erina a bit about her time as their slave.

{I mean they fucking deserve to get smashed to a thousand pieces but I don't approve of dragging children who've done nothing wrong into things!} (Halifax)

"Nah, I just made her a deal." Akagi replied with a hand wave, ignoring her concerns.

"Your deals are rarely equal or equitable." Halifax squinted at her, not trusting the Demon's words.

"Tis just the nature of dealing with a Demon!" Akagi winked. "But this time, it wasn't so bad. You see all she needs to do is be Alice's personal servant for a while, and I agreed that I'd restore her parents someday." She smiled, sure that this was a good deal, while also knowing that it left a large amount of room for interpretation renegotiation and exploitation.

{See! I can be nice! I gave this girl an amazing deal!} (Akagi)

{Something tells me that this 'someday' will be a long time in the future...} (Halifax)