I'm Actually Not Overpowered!

"It would simply be a waste to kill you. So rather than having you die worthlessly, I would simply make you pay for defying me... with your body."

"A-ah... n-no way..." The Mid-Demon was visibly shocked, her eyes welled up with tears.

Lucy, Sarah, and Byron also seemed frozen with shock.

At that moment, I realized my true intentions probably got lost in their interpretation.

"I mean, you will work under me! That's what I meant!" My protest came out louder than I wanted, but I had to speak up before they all got the wrong idea.

The moment I blurted it out, everyone had a relieved look, making my already palpitating heart quiet.

'What the heck is wrong with these people? They ruined my immersion too...'

As a result, I had to try my hardest to set the mood right once more.

"You will work under me and pay for your life with service. Once you've paid your debts, I'll release you."

Obviously, this was a trick.

Could anyone ever pay for their life? No way! Hahaha! Yes, this was how many found themselves repaying debts for the rest of their lives.

'I'm so diabolical!' I thought to myself in amusement.

"I-I see..." The desperate and naive Demon murmured.

'I've got her. Yessss!'

"... How long?"

'Eh?'

"W-what do you mean?"

"How long do I have to work?" Her swollen face was serious, and her eyes stared at me curiously. She was all-business at this moment.

She was clearly still scared, but the determined expression the Mid-Demon had was enough to tell me... that she was dead serious.

'I was wrong. She's not as naive as I thought.'

"Haa... five years. Work for me, and I'll release you in five years."

Her eyes widened in surprise, but I ignored them completely.

'Five years is not much for a Mid-Demon. Besides, in that time, I would have acquired much more allies that losing her would be inconsequential...'

Damien spent a lot of time in this first world—about ten years—so I had to make long-term plans.

Mid-Demons had their Level Limits too. None of them could exceed Level 100.

In five years, I would be able to secure even stronger adversaries, and my power would have exceeded that threshold.

'At that point, there would be no need to keep her around.'

"You do not have the right to refuse."

"Y-yes. I understand!" The Mid-Demon instantly replied.

Of course, I knew her words had to be taken with a grain of salt—especially since it was a Demon I was talking about.

That was why I had to do the one thing many Isekai protagonists resorted to.

That's right.

C'mon, we all know it, don't we?

It remained the dream of many weebs and degenerates—a major reason behind Harems and Party Members.

"From this point on, you'll become my Slave," I said to the Mid-Demon.

To prove that, I was going to make a Slave Crest and create a contract of five years with her—as per our agreement.

"Y-yes... Master."

'Yessss!!' My heart leaped the moment I heard those words.

'Holy shit... it's real. It's real...' I forced my watery eyes shut and glanced in the direction of the Lower-Class Demons.

At this point, they were also kneeling—probably hoping I would show them the same mercy as I did their leader.

'Nice try, copycats.' I smirked at them.

I had to consider the possibility, though.

The Lower Class Demons totaled quite a considerable number—over a hundred and fifty. It would also be a waste to kill them, after all.

'We're terribly lacking in Military force. The average Demon is always stronger than an average human.

If I was to employ them as foot soldiers and laborers, then...'

Logically speaking, it could work.

By binding them all to the Mid-Demon, and binding the Mid-Demon to me, I could initiate a chain of command.

'Of course, I'll also be able to give them direct commands since I'm at the top of the food chain.'

It was a smart plan.

"You dregs will make sure to serve humans well... or you're all dead."

They groveled further, accepting my conditions without resistance. I couldn't even call them demons any more.

'They're more like castrated dogs.'

In any case, it seemed I was able to resolve the situation without any major casualties—well, excluding the Lower-Class Demons that died earlier.

I guess we could call them the unlucky sacrifices.

I needed their EXP too.

'Thanks to my fight with this Mid-Demon, my Stats have increased too. Epic!' As a Level 69 Hero, I now had better Stats than most individuals could dream of.

'This should suffice, for now...'

But there was no way I could afford to get conceited.

There are some entities in this world with Levels reaching the hundreds.

Dragons in particular had a limit of Level 300. As for Upper-Class Demons... they were a different ball game entirely.

Compared to them, I was small fry.

'Oh well...' At the very least, I was improving.

One day... I would truly achieve the heights of 'OP!'

**************

"You can heal her now, Sarah."

I was preparing the contract, so I decided to ease the Mid-Demon of her pain in the meantime.

Call it an act of kindness.

There was the possibility that she would go on a rampage once she was fully healed, but I doubted it.

'If she tries anything funny, I'll strike her down without mercy... or so she thinks.'

The Priestess responded to my instructions without questioning them. The bright glow of her Healing magic radiated on the demon, causing her injuries to heal in an accelerated manner.

This was one of the things I liked about Sarah—her unyielding loyalty.

She was so perfect, so easy to handle—unlike some others.

"Why are you sparing her life? She's a Demon, you know? They are our enemies!"

Yep, that's right!

Lucy, the girl who was always on my case, objected strongly to my decision.

"Don't question the Hero's choice, Lucy. He must have a reason for this." Byron tried to play the middleman, but I was sure he also felt uncomfortable with the decision I had chosen to take.

But, I was fine with that.

'They'll understand...eventually'