Starting from Zero to Build a Demon Family
Chapter 18 - The Demon Lady and Her Loyal Servant

Chapter 18: The Demon Lady and Her Loyal Servant

“Thank you for bringing me home, Lord Lynn.” Miko stood at the entrance of her house, offering a polite bow of gratitude.

“It’s nothing,” Lynn replied with a calm smile. “I needed to come by and set the coordinates anyway.”

“Um…” Miko hesitated, fingers tightening nervously at her side. Then, almost too softly, she asked, “Would you like to come in for a bit?”

Lynn glanced past her to the door, left slightly ajar, and shook his head. “I think you’d better explain the situation to your mother first.”

“Ah… right.” Her shoulders sagged as she turned stiffly to look back at the door, which had indeed been left cracked open.

“Well then… see you tomorrow.”

Lynn gave a casual wave, stepped into a spot no one could see, and vanished with a quiet flash of light using Magic Cube Jump.

“Mii—ko—”

Miko flinched as the low, drawn-out voice echoed from behind. She didn’t need to turn to recognize it.

Standing just beyond the threshold, Keiko exhaled dramatically. “So my little Miko came home late because she was out on a date with her boyfriend, hmm?”

“I waited and waited, but the food turned cold. Poor me, still hungry after all this time…”

“I’m so sorry, Mom!” Miko bowed at once.

Keiko’s tone brightened instantly. “Alright then! Next time, bring your little boyfriend home for dinner, and I’ll forgive you!”

“Eh??”

The next day, at the Supernatural Investigation Department, Miko arrived a little later than usual. After leaving Kohana alone yesterday, she’d promised to treat her to Daifuku today, and the two had spent some time browsing the shops. It was only after parting ways that she hurried back to campus.

I really need to learn Magic Cube Jump…

She couldn’t help feeling envious remembering how effortlessly Lynn had traveled yesterday. During class, she had discreetly asked the ‘Lynn’s Retinue Harem Group’ chat how to use Magic Cube Jump.

But when Kasumigaoka-senpai responded with an overwhelming wall of complex theory, Miko gave up almost instantly. She just wasn’t built for that kind of studying.

Standing in front of the department’s door, she could only sigh in defeat.

With a sharp slide, Miko pushed open the door to the Supernatural Investigation Department. The first thing she saw was Lynn, seated with his back to the window, eyes closed in thought. Beside him, Utaha’s slender fingers were moving at lightning speed across a tablet screen.

But what really caught Miko’s attention wasn’t them. It was the massive figure looming in the room—an obese, distorted apparition bound by glowing magical restraints. The spirit’s size was enough to make it look like it would burst through the ceiling at any moment.

“Yiyaaaaaaa!!”

The bloated specter let out a shrill, grating shriek.

Without thinking, Miko darted inside and slammed the door behind her, fast enough to make it seem like she feared the scream might ring out across the entire Shuchiin campus.

“Relax. Ordinary people can’t see or hear it,” Lynn said without opening his eyes. Though… he thought to himself, Nayuki might still message him on LINE to complain about the noise.

Ah—right..

Remembering the cursed spirit’s disposition, Miko awkwardly scratched at her cheek.

“So, uh… this Mr. Spirit…”

She really didn’t understand what was going on. Why was the Supernatural Investigation Department detaining a cursed spirit like it was some test subject? Her expression shifted subtly. If someone had shown her this scene just yesterday, she wouldn’t have believed it.

“It’s a Grade Two cursed spirit,” Lynn explained simply, then added, “Use Spirit Devour on it, Miko.”

“Ah… right!” She snapped to attention. So this was a test—to see how much power Spirit Devour could extract.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand, palm toward the grotesque specter, and spoke with resolve. “Spirit Devour!”

A faint hum filled the air as her magic surged forth. The spirit began to ripple and shimmer with instability.

“Aaaaahh!!”

It must have sensed danger, because it suddenly writhed in panic, thrashing against the restraints in a desperate attempt to escape.

But that was all it could do.

Watching Miko’s breathing grow ragged, Lynn assessed the situation. A Grade Two cursed spirit… even though it still had some effect, it was clearly too taxing for Miko’s current level. And more importantly, this kind of spirit didn’t seem to convert into experience orbs.

“That’s enough,” he said, stopping her before she pushed herself too far. Otherwise, like Utaha before her, she might pass out from magic depletion. Not that Lynn would have minded replenishing her mana himself, but still—it was better not to make a habit of it.

“Haaah…” Miko let her magic fade and looked at the cursed spirit, now barely changed. Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Lord Lynn. I’m too weak. I couldn’t do anything.”

“It’s fine,” he reassured her gently. “Honestly, that’s the expected outcome.”

If there were no limits, Lynn could’ve just brought in a special-grade cursed spirit and let her absorb it for instant power-ups. Her level would shoot up like a rocket.

He walked over to the bound specter and gave it a tap. “Alright. You’re done here.”

As soon as he spoke, the magical restraints snapped tight.

“Urghhhhh!!”

The spirit barely had time to scream before it burst into fragments with a loud bang. No one noticed the fine particles of ash drifting from the explosion, subtly drawing toward Lynn like iron filings to a magnet.

Spirit Devour.

But unlike Miko’s version—which compressed the spirit into a purple orb—Lynn’s absorption method was far more direct, breaking it down into raw magical dust for consumption.

He took a moment to feel it.

Yes, his strength had increased… but not by much. Nothing like the boost he’d received when Utaha and Miko had become reborn demons. Besides, when his followers leveled up, their progress directly fed back into him. That was where real growth came from—recruiting new servants and helping them evolve quickly.

As for Spirit Devour… if it were a Grade One or even a special-grade cursed spirit, it might give him a more meaningful power surge.

Still…

“High-level cursed spirits like that aren’t exactly common…” he muttered. It all came down to luck.

Maybe I should mention it to Nayuki. She might be able to keep an eye out, even if cursed spirits aren’t her specialty. She’s got colleagues who deal with them, right?

Of course, Lynn wasn’t completely confident when it came to special-grade spirits. Even with [Summoning Demon] having bonuses against ghost-type beings, he wasn’t sure how far that advantage extended. Better to stay cautious.

“Is it over?” Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, putting down her tablet and stretching languidly.

Machida Atsuko, that dried-up old woman… all because I missed a few manuscript deadlines, she had the nerve to say such biting things. She must be hitting menopause.

Besides, the sales of Love Beat were pathetic. There was no point continuing the series anymore.

Once upon a time, comments like that would’ve made Utaha feel devastated.

But after meeting Lynn, everything changed. Not just her life—becoming a demon and all that—but even her writing had found a new path.

A new novel… maybe she’d call it—

The Demon Lady and Her Loyal Servant.

Utaha gazed at Lynn, eyes glimmering with mischief. If he knew what she was thinking, he’d probably accuse her of flipping heaven and earth.

The thought made her laugh aloud.

And when Lynn saw that smile, he immediately understood—this woman was once again lost in her own delusions.

Shaking his head, Lynn waved his phone. “I posted a file in the group, check it out if you have time.”

“File?”