Chapter 433: They're Certainly Family

As the story was interrupted by the intrusion of an idiot, I turned to Lillywood-san to ask her to resume the story.

[……Ummm~~ Kaito-san, why am I being made to sit in a "seiza"?]

[If you keep on interrupting, the story won't go anywhere at all, so just stay there and keep quiet.]

[You haven't really been treating Alice-chan well these days, don't you think? Alice-chan is your cutie, cute, cute lover, you know? I think it would be better if you pampered me more! Or rather, please pamper me more! Please give me a hug!]

[……I'm sorry for that, Lillywood-san. Please continue.]

[You're ignoring me!?]

The story really wasn't making any progress at all, so I just left the idiot at the side and asked Lillywood-san to continue.

Lillywood-san gave an astounded look at Alice, who was making a fuss even while sitting in a seiza, before nodding once and resuming her story.

"Well then, let's go back to the story…… But before that, let me say this for Shalltear's honor…… The 70% of High-ranking Demons that she erased were all those who acted unruly, using their power as a shield. They were like the pus of the Demon Realm, tormenting and killing good and powerless Demons, so I think she acted with a certain amount of thought."

[……I see.]

Well, to be honest, I haven't had any doubts regarding that from the beginning. There certainly were times where Alice emotionlessly acted upon something, but she wasn't the kind of person who would kill innocent people indiscriminately. I had some faith in her regarding that.

[Here! Here! Objection!]

"……What is it? Shalltear."

[Lillywood-san…… You don't really have to mind the idiot, you know?]

"My apologies."

The gentle Lillywood-san couldn't ignore the idiot who raised her hand to advocate herself, and reflexively replied.

I wondered if she was going to interrupt the conversation again, but I turned to Alice to ask her what she wanted anyway.

[This is very important, so I'll say this…… I only erased "60%" of them! The other 10% was erased by "Pandora".]

[Eh? Pandora-san did?]

[Yes, well, Pandora, you see…… As I was dealing with a scum who kidnapped people who they had their eyes on and repeatedly conducted perverted experiments on them, I picked her up by chance~~ Then, I raised her! Howe—-ver, I don't know what went wrong, but when we conduct the search and investigation of scum Demons, she would torture them so much that "they would beg to be killed", and after that, as we were conducting erasure and destruction missions, she grew up having a "peculiar fetish" before I knew it……]

The heck was that, that sounds really disturbing, you know!? Just when I was thinking that Pandora-san had a painful past, such thoughts were immediately scattered by the latter half of your story, you know!?

[Not only did she become loyal in a strange way, she's "extremely sadistic, but at the same time, she's freaking masochistic to certain people"…… She would even watch me sometimes as I was being scolded by Kaito-san, "with her fingers in her mouth, drooling".]

[That's something that I didn't want to know! Eh? I mean, I'm also within that certain people!?]

[Incidentally, after yesterday's festival…… She even told me "The moment when Miyama-sama stared at the disgraceful me while I was disciplining that foolish beast was the best"…… Her face completely looked like a woman in heat!]

[What the heck is going on in her head!?]

She's dangerous, Pandora-san, I mean. She's quite the intense one. Perhaps, was she thinking "For him to scold my absolute superior Shalltear-sama…… I wish he could scold me too" or something like that? If that's the case, I'm going to acknowledge her now as the most fearsome person in the world, right up there, next to Eden-san!!!

"W- Well, let's just put that aside……"

[No, no……]

"……Please do your best."

[Could you please stop with the unpleasant cheering!?]

When I hung my head while shuddering at such thoughts, Lillywood-san put in an unpleasant follow-up before resuming the story.

"……Well, I also recognize Shalltear's skills and achievements in bringing order to the Demon Realm. Although I was a bit dissatisfied with being given the title of being one of the Six Kings without my permission, I rather liked the situation where the weak weren't oppressed."

[…………………]

Arehh? She surprisingly have a high assessment of her? Then, why was Lillywood-san so wary of Alice?

"……However, it seemed that whatever Shalltear wished for did not happen, and the feeling of impatience inside her just grew. I was curious about her situation, so I asked Shalltear once, "What are you in such a hurry for?"……"

[……and what did Alice say?]

"……"I want to fulfill my goal already so that I can die!" is what she responded with. There was something dark and freezing beneath the eyes of Shalltear at that time…… I couldn't understand it. Whether it was this goal of "so that she could die" or her motives…… That's why…… I thought she was creepy."

[Ahh~~ Well, I was going through quite a rough time back then. I'm sorry for what I did at that time, Lillywood-san.]

I knew what Alice was looking for. She was trying to fulfill Iris-san's dying wish, for her to fall in love with someone, ending the madness inside her so that she could kill herself. That must have been why Alice looked like a person with unknown character in the eyes of Lillywood-san.

And then, Lillywood-san just said that Alice created order in the Demon Realm in only a thousand years…… but for Alice, that thousand years might have been a very long time.

She had come to another world to fulfill her best friend's dying wish, but things hadn't progressed at all. In the Demon Realm of the past, when there was a lot of strife, lives must have disappeared one after another before she could even find someone she could fall in love with. And that led to Alice's impatience……

"Speaking of which, you did say "If Lillywood-san interferes, I will kill you.", didn't you?"

[Whoa there! I remembered that I still have something urgent to attend to! I will be excu——- Guehhh!?]

Well, I don't intend to say anything about Alice's past because I'm sure that she had her own reasons. However, as for Alice, who tried to run away after hearing that topic, I immediately grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and caught her.

Thereupon, seeing our exchange, Lillywood-san smiled somewhat happily.

"Well, I can now somewhat understand why you were in such a hurry. You were…… searching for Kaito-san, weren't you?"

[……Mnhh.]

"I don't feel the darkness and coldness that you had back then anymore."

[……I'll say this now, though it may sound like I'm just giving excuses, but I was just having some rough time at that time…… I also consider Lillywood-san and the others as my family, you know?]

Looking at Lillywood-san, who calmly told her that she didn't find her creepy anymore, Alice scratched her cheek with a slightly awkward expression on her face.

"I know that. I somewhat know that you're also doing things for our sake…… Like at that time in the Elven Forest…… when we were reconstructing Rigforeshia, the reason why the supplies were coming in so well is that you were the one who arranged it, right?"

[……Well, ummm…… I'm sorry for taking it out on you at that time.]

"……I don't really care about what happened back then. You're unmistakably my important family after all."

[……T- Thank you.]

Alice, who shyly told her this, may indeed have changed for the better compared to the past.

At least, with the conversation they just had, I could feel that the rift between Lillywood-san and Alice was completely gone.

Dear Mom, Dad———— As Lillywood-san said, each of us are being with minds of our own, so there will be times when we disagree with each other. There will be times when we will have to fight with each other. Even if that's so, even with all the things they've said, they are still thinking of each other. The two of them————– They're certainly family.

Lillywood and Isis…… Close friends, Lillywood thinks of Isis as her little sister.

Lillywood and Kuro…… Lillywood thinks of Kuro as her mother.

Lillywood and Magnawell…… Both of them are calm and composed, so they get along well while exchanging leisurely conversations.

Lillywood and Alice…… Alice is more difficult for Lillywood to get along with because of Alice's guilt from her past, but she somehow trusts her.

Lillywood and Megiddo…… The one Lillywood doesn't get along with among the Six Kings. Or rather, he's the only one Lillywood gets mad at because he keeps on pulling out her trees.

T/N: 20/259