Devil's Business

The Prohibition

“Master Juno, open your eyes! Someone’s in front of our door. He seems influential to my eyes, like your rich friends-“

When Juno got awake from his bed, he found Betty and a peculiar stick on her right hand side,“Ah, what is it with the rod, Betty? Knocked it all up again this early?”

The maid are blushing by Juno’s recognition upon what she had carried for long. Her eyes are blinking so much, it sniffles something worrisome to the man. However, it should not be related to the rod, but rather to the guest’s importance down the stairs.

“Alright, I will come to our front lobby. Please make that person a coffee and some chocolate bars for breakfast, Betty. That person must be hungry.” Ordered Juno to the maid in advance. She nodded to the request and swiftly gone to the pantry to assemble the guest’s needs as fast as she could.

---

A half hour of careful preparation was suffice for Juno before meeting anyone up front. Firstly, he checked all the meeting schedule preserved by his secretary a day earlier to decide whether the person ahead is actually on promise today. The fright in Betty’s eyes definitely shown that the guest is one big personality. No wonder, Betty is always nervous whenever she had to be around someone with charisma and power. It’s the secretary who is in charge as the front-liner of his office-mansion, but the c***k of dawn is not her office schedule to manage.

“So, this person would be my close-relatives. They don’t need any appointments to rally right here.” Mumbled Juno as he tuck in the casual attire for the greetings.

Prior to the notice of his maid, the next-in-line for him to scrutinize is the time itself. According to his schedule, the busy days started in 10. 30, which he preserved to come across the grape field and receive the daily report from its caretaker. As it is still 08.00, he should not have anyone needed assistance in this time.

Nevertheless, he still has to make acquaintance with the person, no matter of which errands that they wanted to speak about with him. After all, several of his friends in the neighborhood also began their day this early, as well.

While walking across the first floor corridor of his three floors mansion and nearly gotten out, he saw a peculiar red skin upon the hands of his guest. The gap of the corridor is too narrow for Juno to see the rest, but he assumed of someone closer to him than what had already expected a moment back.

“Master Demon! How nice to see those outfit!” Clamored Juno in a distance to his guest. As foretold, the guest is no other than the creature from hellish realm, the ancient demon of old. Juno has not saw him within the past two weeks. While he pretended that the beast no longer has interest in his life, it appeared all of sudden in his very household and launching one big guffaw to the man.

“Hahaha! You’re ecstatic to see me, your sworn rival? How pompous are you, really.”

“Verily, master demon. My life has not seen any more boundaries because of your old magic.” Said Juno in return,”Did my maid gave you some snacks?”

“I do not eat, nor I am eaten.”

“I see.” Mumbled the man in response,”So, what is your purpose for today’s gathering, master demon?”

When the demon heard of Juno’s initial question, it draws the beam out from its lips and going wide-eyed incessantly,”So, you’ve neglected the bound of contract, young mortal? Let me remind you once more with this pact.”

In a flash, the renowned table of the first time demon encounter was summoned upon the middle of the lobby. The notions of the contract, papers that has been dissolved way earlier in the previous summoning, were glowing out of its leather.

“Monthly challenge, huh. Mind to disclose it again, master demon?” Asked Juno, in hope of the demon to forgive him in such ungrateful act. Alas, the demon disagree with him and shook his head steadily.

“Alright, I’ll try to remember.... Ah, about the earth’s money, right? So, what’s the challenge for this month, Master demon?”

Yet again, the demon’s broad grin embalmed its expression in entirety. Slightly surprising for the beast, however, that Its eyebrows grew shriveled in remembrance of what should be the recent test of the month. The former tramp, on the other way around, spectated the entire grace of his contractual master in full flight of anxiousness while twiddling his thumbs in every inch of the demon’s motion.

“Last month was May, so it should be prohibition for the month’s challenge.” Spoke the demon with its eyes sparkling in excitement. For the symbol of arousal of its interest towards the deal, the demon summoned one elongated scroll in a snap and proceeded to probe something out of it,”Oh, I love this one so much. A test of financial security at its finest! The exact situation has arise!”

Conversely, The sign of bad omen riding up Juno’s mentality. More enticement means daring and difficult struggle would be there upon him. Cold sweat of the old times, one that should bear right on the mounting pressure upon their life, was decorating his overall in full.

“Don’t make me idling and fell in curiosity like this, master demon. Grant me your finest challenge to note.” Requested the man in advance to his fear, but the demon ignores him on the spot of its search.

Rising turmoil of the demon’s wrath, next after Juno’s careless attitude, is beaming up and heating from the bottom of the ancient creature’s inner senses. The demon’s blazing aura were heating up and slowly chewing its surroundings with the blaze. It didn’t responding to the man’s lack of forbearance, but the expression of grimace was there to show him aloft of the issue.

“I’m awfully apologize, my master. I should not speak so inconsiderate ahead of yourself. Please, spare my staff in this mansion for the things they should not know.” Plead Juno as he noticed of the burning sensation over the house.

“Close your mouth and be patient, puny mortal. Your life is short enough to be cut down by this finger of mine.” Said the demon to the man’s appeal. It paused a bit to snap the scroll out of their sight,”I would not lick my fire towards anybody out of this territory. You’re the one bound with the contract, Juno, and not them.” Explained the demon afterwards. However, for the latter, Juno could not muster words for returning the favor of its mercy. He only nods a few times and keeping his mouth shut.

“Alright, Juno. I forbid you to purchase everything but sustenance to your aid with the bill.“

By the bewildering task embedded upon him for thirty days of life in the month, Juno rubbed his chin in the wake of truth. He contemplated of what should be clustered as ‘sustenance’, but failed to group the few other than food and drinks. Subsequent to the daunting expression from the demon, Juno could not stand his fright, even though all of his inquisitiveness were piling up to the brim.

“I see you have one question down your pathetic mind. By the phrase of ‘sustenance’, it should be everything that involves it. You’ll have the cue once you’ve gone a bargain with false reception of your thoughts, as the pen would warn you for it.”

---

Juno’s house, in following to demon’s visit, has foregone rushing hours of the job. The paper from Warron Dinner enlisted all of the month’s auctions for exclusive arts around the world, most of which resided in Rope continent. Due to the prior alert from Juno’s evil master, Juno has pondering of its correlation with his entire spending spree for the future days of June.

“If I got any paintings with relevant relation with ‘sustenance’, would it be fit?” Muttered Juno within the security of his master bedroom. He often enclosed himself within the sole private space of his house whenever deep thoughts needed for the role. Contemplating out loud is his masterpiece and iconic feature to count for, but deficient in nature with the perseverance of social talks and dialogue.

“Ah, I got nothing to afraid of. The demon had settled of my pen’s prior warning, after all.” Mumbled Juno afterwards.

As the conclusion of his trifled minds has been declared, Juno’s house mansion staff are running errands of cold calling for the schedule with one single addition to their search. It is all pertinent to the “sustenance” rules notified by the demon and adhere to its requirements.

“Good morning from Jatra. This is Emma Sulistyo, office staff of ‘Juno Ayodhya collector’s office’, could you explain more of this paintings?” Said one of the office staff of Juno’s workplace in her opening to the market call.

“What? Are you presume to entail our office’s proposal with this?” retorted one other staff with his call.

Most of the calls were followed by the boss’ command to keep it clean and concise. They are doing their job to early-pitch their wishes and its eligibility towards the ‘sustenance’ category. When the sunset arrived and embracing them with the cloak of dusk, they have figured only 10 of them are passing the test, with one of which hold the record for the most expensive paintings from the entire listed items.

“Sir, ‘the last supper’ painting is on schedule in three days. I’ll book the flight at 9 tomorrow for you.” Spoke his secretary to the rear of their final documentation of their findings. She gasped for breath a bit while talking, in consequent to the amount of file that they have to read at the time.

“Thank you, Melina. I’ll go along with it accordingly.”