Chapter 855: Meeting the Six Kings' Executives - Ten Demons Arc ⑤

When I took the seat that Gluttony-san had prepared for me, they deeply bowed their head to me before speaking.

"I'd like to prepare it immediately, but this form is a little inconvenient for me, so I'll change my form. My apologies for showing you something unsightly."

As she said this, the body of the stuffed toy grew larger, pulsating and after a little while, it changed into a humanoid form that looked exactly like Natasha-san.

They have the same face and height, except their hair is white and their dress is black, the complete opposite of Natasha-san's color scheme.

[Errr, is that your true form, Gluttony-san?]

"I'm a Demon with no fixed form, and I can change my appearance at will. However, if I were to say what my original form is, it would be a huge lump of flesh that wasn't suitable for doing detailed work, so I imitated Natasha's form this time."

[I see…… Is Natasha-san a normal Demon?]

"No, Natasha is a being I had created…… As I mentioned earlier, my original form is a huge lump of flesh, and by using a part of it as a catalyst, I can create life with a certain amount of power in it, though there are various limitations to it, such as the number of life forms I can create in a day. I call these creatures I've created <Dimensional Beasts>."

They could create life forms huh…… It seems to have various limitations though, so it's probably not as inexhaustible as Life-san, the God of Life's power, but it's still a tremendous power.

"Natasha is my greatest masterpiece among the Dimensional Beasts that I have created, and she is also among the top among the Count-ranks. For this reason, I usually have her act as my stand-in."

In response to Gluttony-san's words, Natasha-san, who was waiting in the back, gave a bow. I've felt this even in the first time we've met, but Natasha-san doesn't convey the same kind of loyalty that Gluttony-san did.

The impression I got from Sympathy Magic was that she was most loyal to Gluttony-san, and although she treated me with respect as someone in a higher position than Gluttony-san, I felt that Gluttony-san was her first priority.

When Gluttony-san said that she was their "greatest masterpiece", I could feel her happiness surging up, making me feel like she's a daughter who adored her parents. That kinda brings a smile to my face.

"Natasha, give Miyama Kaito-sama and Pandora-sama black tea."

[Understood.]

After giving instructions to Natasha-san, Gluttony-san moved towards the grotesque monster, took out a knife and cut the kaiju in thin…… ham-like pieces, and presented them to me on a plate in the shape of a flower.

"Here you go, please enjoy your meal."

[……Thank you.]

Well, there are a few things I'd like to throw a tsukkomi at. Looking at the teacups that Natasha-san had prepared, I guess that would be the black tea that Gluttony-san had mentioned earlier.

My face feels like scrunching up with the combination of black tea and meat, but what I'm more concerned about is Pandora-san, who has been looking at me with deep concern for a while now.

Pandora-san, who is usually more of a lunatic, has a face like that because of the food…… This means that I need to have a certain amount of determination.

The option to refuse them…… is unfortunately difficult. At any rate, Gluttony-san was being 100% hospitable, and even now, they were looking at me with sparkling eyes, as if they were hoping that I would like it.

They were currently imitating Natasha-san's appearance, and being directed such a gaze from a petite girl…… I couldn't afford to refuse her.

Well, if Pandora-san and Alice aren't moving to stop her, it means that this meat isn't poisonous at all…… Pandora-san is looking really worried though, so I'm pretty sure that it doesn't taste good……

[……Here's your tea.]

[……………………………..Thank you.]

The cup that Natasha-san placed in front of me was a "goopy pitch-black liquid that seemingly has a gleaming shine to it"…… Is this "heavy crude oil"?

[Well then, thank you for the meal.]

In order not to show my uneasiness, I brought the kaiju ham to my mouth…… As long as I don't think of its original form, it looks like a normal lean ham, but the problem is…… this thing really tastes bad……

First of all, the texture is dreadful, feeling as if I'm eating a pounded fish cake…… but it was strangely grainy. The texture was unpleasant to say the least, but more than that, the taste was quite unique.

I'm supposed to be eating meat, but it tasted like "river fish with a maxed out fishy smell"…… No, let's stop keeping appearances.

The texture and taste of the food feels like "I'm eating mud".

With that in mind, I reached for the cup of tea (?). This is tea, right? It's really thick and shiny, but it's really not heavy crude oil, right? Well, I guess I'll find out when I drink it…… I see, this is quite intense.

It was goopy like honey, but it had this flavor that was hard to describe…… However, it has a strong odor. How should I say this…… It feels like my mouth has this smell of "a rag used to wipe your bed".

No, it's not like I've ever drunk it, but I imagine that the water squeezed out from that rag would take like this.

Well, as for my impression after eating and drinking it…… It's only on the "level where I'd say it doesn't taste good", so "it isn't so bad".

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [Eh? The heck is that? What is this "strong character feeling" that I'm getting from Kaito that wasn't ever there before……]

? ? ? : [No, I mean, Kaito-san has eaten a lot of "his parents' trashy cooking" and that "dark substance called Baby Castella", so he has an unbelievable taste tolerance…… That's why, look, remember? Even though Pandora was desperately trying to warn him, Alice-chan didn't warn him at all, right?]

Serious-senpai : [……Come to think of it, she did just give him some additional information, but didn't warn him at all.]

T/N: Trying to at least post a chapter a day.