Volume 2 - CH 14

Volume 2, Chapter 14: Demon’s Feast, Part 1

“Oh, by the way…”

I asked something I remembered, while walking through the hallway.

“How did [He] treat you?”

At my question, the demons walking behind me winced.

… Eh? Hold on. What’s with that reaction?

“……”

Nobody said anything. As the [Girls] looked around delicately, the only [Boy] representative, Noa, spoke on their behalf. He has a pained look on his face.

“… After Lor-…Yurushia-sama went to this side, everything got rough, anything even nearby was destroyed, we only barely escaped…”

“… I-I see.”

After losing his pet, he freely ran amok… N-not my fault…”

“Such a thing doesn’t matter, Yurushia-sama.”

Saying such a tragic incident in the demon world [Doesn’t Matter], it seems my carefree tone was transferred to you all.

Looking in her eyes closely, it really seem like a fused [Ninette].

“What’s wrong?”

“Umm, take a look at this.”

[Ninette]shows me her magic sword… what’s this, instead of its previous shine, the sword has become worn out and rusted.

“Why did it become like this…”

“I was using it normally.”

I pick up the corroded sword grip and bring it to eye level, examining it closely with my fingers.

… *Pokin*

“ “…Ah ” ”

It broke off. I didn’t think I pushed too hard.

“It’s all right. No problem.”

“…Eh?”

Noa broke into the conversation with words I’ve heard before from somewhere. As I picked up the sword tip, I thought that I was sure that most of the children’s selves were lost in the fusion, but it seems like something strange was left… But.

“Nia, bring out the [Soul] you absorbed a while ago.”

“Yes~, brother.”

That reminds me, Noa and Nia originally had the [Setting] of brother and sister. After a brief nod, Nia sends something like white mist towards Noa. It seems to be what Nia [Absorbed] a little while ago from the formation.

Noa, who received it, slid his finger across the broken sword…

“I repaired it.”

“……”

Fast. Rather, I don’t know what you did there.

Not just that, the formerly silver sparkly [Magic Sword] has become pitch black and is sending out a resentful moan like “…OOooh… Oooh…,” it’s become an Evil [Magic Sword].

Unlike that [Noah], this one isn’t a waste.

With my configuration of them being brother and sister, Nia’s [Release] and Noa’s [Absorption] had no issues.

“As expected of Brother.”

Nia received the sword, slashing her new [Magic Sword (Toy)] around. Wherever the sword hit the walls, they rotted away and changed to debris.

Please stop, that’s dangerous.

“Noa, your clothes are not fit to be worn before Yurushia-sama.”

After seeing Noa’s state, Tina directed a cold glare at him. The Countess had torn his clothes to rags.

“Shall I fix them, Tina?”

“Yes, naturally.”

Tina quickly nodded her head full of brilliant blonde hair, Noa’s butler clothing showed signs of repair in the space of the blink of an eye.

“Ahaha, look look, Yurushia-sama, it’s all black.”

Laughing happily, Fannie hugged me from behind and pointed at the like-new butler suit which had become black.

My impression of this child’s fusion with [Fontaine] is that she doesn’t appear to be much different.

But that’s wrong.

Besides having completely different appearances from the original four, they also don’t use a spoiled attitude when addressing [Me].

They worship my present figure as the master to their servant, even though I asked for a relationship of mutual trust. I wanted to make an effort to build a [Relationship] with them.

Where did I go wrong…

“Hey, Yurushia-sama. Is there a strange [Smell] all over?”

The pleased Fannie’s nose suddenly twitched.

“That’s right, Fannie. Do you know how where it’s coming from?”

“Y-yeah… It’s all over here and there in the mansion, it’s also strong underground.”

Checking my senses, that seems correct.

That group of three vampires ran off, Millaine ran towards the cave.

“Yurushia-sama, when we get [Outside], please leave it to me.”

As if reading my thoughts, Tina asked while kneeling in front of me.

This child is calm just like the original [Christina], how competent. But there’s a little difference.

“… I’m fine on my own.”

“Of course, Yurushia-sama. But for this lowly trash, you should not bother lifting your hand, I alone will be sufficient.”

Tina grew closer with every word she said, getting close to my face with feverish eyes.

“I-I see…?”

I’m sorry, but I’d rather not touch lips with the original or this child, that’s not how I wanted [This Relationship] to be.

“Okay, let’s go then, Tina.”

At the very last minute, Tina’s neck stopped moving forward, Nia stopped thrusting her sword about with a smile, her eyes laughing.

“…… Tch.”

Tina, please don’t click your tongue like that.

“F-for the time being Tina and… Fannie will go together?”

“Yeees.”

With a childlike smile, Fannie nestled her cheeks against mine from behind and nodded obediently.

In her shadow, Tina was mumbling “…That’s what I just…”  I heard, but let’s forget those mutters.

Why did these children become like this…?

＊

“What were those things…”

The Countess was running away, rushing through the corridors full force, discarding her ladylike elegance. She did not know what had happened to her[Servants], to think that they had all been brought down by that [Saint].

{… Impossible}

The mere despicable [Human] Yurushia… the [Saint] that everyone praised, nobody would even think she would summon [Demons].

Not just Demons, they were clearly something more.

Maintaining the appearance of a human was an ominous sign. At the presence of [Knowledge] she saw as she met their dark eyes, the Countess immediately fled.

As a precaution, she casted a mental curse on the Maid Vampires. Though the [Confusion] allowed her to escape, as she heard the soul scraping [Laughter] immediately after, the Countess was convinced of the [Demons’] identity.

The top ranked Demons capable of causing a catastrophe, [Grand Spirits]. [Arch-Demons]

{Four of them…!? What kind of joke is that?}

If she had paid the cost and they [Manifested], there would be no escape.

Whenever an Arch-Demon had appeared in the past, it would either be defeated with an entire nation’s army or be brought down by those breakers of common sense called heroes. Sometimes the people would have to wait and survive until they naturally dispersed, if they were not fully manifested.

To call an Arch-Demon, who is that [Saint]…?

{Well… even if that happened, nothing can be done just by thinking about it.}

A single human summoning and contracting with four Arch-Demons would never be able to meet the [Sacrifice] requests of the four beings.

Having discovered that by now, that girl should have been eaten as a sacrifice to the Arch-Demons.

They should withdraw as soon as possible.

The Count and Millaine had sent their subordinates on their [Prey Hunt], and were at the altar in the cave.

If she combined her forces with them, they may be able to oppose an Arch-Demon, that was why she did not fight, so that there would be a chance of conveying the crisis to them and quickly gather together their [Allies].

Having abandoned her real name once, she did not have any hesitation at abandoning her compatriots.

{Still, I need to recover a little bit.}

Even if she wanted to leave the country, she would need some [Servants] who could move through sunlight.

In the chapel, dozens of her proteges, the maid vampires, were waiting.

After she picked them up, she would leave the country right away.

Count Oberu and Millaine would certainly be able to earn her some time to escape.

(*POV Change*)

Tina went to the chapel alone.

She wondered to herself. Golden Beast… er, Yurushia, had given her, a [Raw] and fragile demon, the [Power(Knowledge)] to let her [Transform].

While she wasn’t dissatisfied with it, and she held strong faith and worship for her master, she could not help but think of her as an oddball. What Yurushia had given had made Tina stronger, but brought changes of its own. The frayed [Soul] of the weak human being she had fused with had, after she had eaten the blasphemous [Hatred] towards Master, allowed strange [Feelings] for Yurushia to sprout.

{… The adorable Yurushia-sama. I love her so much I just want to eat her…”

If you catch her meaning. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  

(TL note: The above sentence was the author not us, no comment on the face. We do believe it improves accuracy of the translation.)

As Tina arrived alone at the chapel, while worrying endlessly, a new feeling appeared in the corner of her mind.

The treatment by the Countess was still in her fused soul, the [Hatred] coming from it, Tina faintly grimaced.

It wasn’t uncomfortable, though. Since they were definitely her real feelings.

Tina opened the door of the chapel slowly. She wanted to smash it in, but her great lord may have use of it.

(*POV Change*)

Pulling together her maids, the Countess, who was hastening to escape from this land, was surprised to see a small shadow emerge from the slowly opening door.

The figure was a young maid, a little girl with curling blonde hair with azure blue eyes.

She had previously sipped her blood to torment her, although that fearful appearance didn’t fit this demon, it was that little girl for sure. Something was off about her appearance, though.

Even an ordinary person could see…

Although her appearance was much more beautiful than before, the Countess felt a chill while looking at the expression on the face of this cool-headed doll.

“[Gugaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!]”

Without noticing it, all of the [Runts] ran towards their young prey.

“………”

The [Girl] placed her hands together in front of her waist and pushed them forward gently without the slightest inelegance, a cold beauty… Quietly, [Crimson Pupils] appeared in her eyes.

*Kishi…*

With a creaking sound, the hundreds of runts who were attacking the [Girl] froze in their movements like statues.

Their color lost, dozens of the runs who were about to attack from the ceiling fell to the floor and broke as though they were made of stone.

“……”

The Countess was at a loss of words at the sight.

The large intimidating aura of the Arch-Demon was completely gone, she felt a large gap in power between them.

“… Why, what irresponsible things… that brat summoned…”

As the Countess leaked her thoughts, a silent [Anger] spread through the chapel, golden whips not unlike [Sculptures], seemed to come alive, wanting to tear everything to pieces, spreading their dark red blood along the walls and floor of the chapel.

“You lowly bush mosquitoes… our mother and creator, you would use your words to disparage the sun of the demon world… know your place.”

The voice sounded like a curse from the underworld, the [Girl] seemed aware of the Countess for the first time, her face distorting into a smile.

“Nice to meet you Countess. I’m pleased to see you.”

As she said that, she bowed her waist gracefully like a noble.

“My master created me as a [Medusa], she named me [Tina]. Anyways, goodbye.”

Saying such without emotion, Tina’s golden curled hair swelled and tightened as if it had a will, and turned into countless Golden snakes.

There was no fight.

There were several hundred runts and vampires in the room, but they were not allowed to resist or escape. Whenever anyone met the golden serpent’s eyes around the quiet Tina they were petrified, their souls scattered.

“……”

The countess was also petrified from the waist down, starting at the [Demon] with an expression of despair… the Demon began work on the enemy chosen by her master with a joyful expression.

＊

A catastrophe had happened in the dark forest.

It started all of a sudden… a lone white haired girl appeared in front of the thousand or so [Runts].

“You know, I had Yurushia-sama name me.”

That [Girl] was laughing joyfully. Looking at the innocent and defenseless girl, the runts wore bashful smiles.

The runts reached out to try to catch the [Girl], but their hands passed through the image, only grasping a [Girl] shaped haze. The runts became confused.

No one had caught her. They could not even touch her.

To the runts who were absorbed in their orders, it did not seem strange that the [Girl] was floating in the air among the trees.

The [Girl]’s white face… hardened into a mask. A [Harlequin] appearing on her face, the mask formed into a laughing smile, as if it had no cares in the world.

“Ready to start?”

The Harlequin girl dismantled the thousand the live runts’ bodies in a moment.

She stripped the flesh from the bone, then dragged out the internal organs, taking out the nerves one by one. While their brains were in hideous pain, their mouths screaming in fear, but their bodies couldn’t move an inch.

“Ready to start?”

Their bodies quickly returned to their original form at the voice of the Harlequin girl, their minds going mad out of pain and fear.

All of this [Work] is happening simultaneously, every one receiving it at the same time, further increasing their mad terror.

“Ready to Start?”

Again… and again, the nightmare repeated, the runts going [Mad], unable to [Die].

“I am [Fannie]… [Nightmare Fannie]…  though I don’t think you people can understand anymore.”

After the [Nightmare] repeated several tens of thousands of times, all of the runts were alive, their [Hearts] broken, standing like lumps of meat in the indistinguishable forest clearing.

“Well then… job complete.”

Fannie said, then started to harvest the loosened [Souls] which were about to disappear.

She did not like work, but work for Yurushia was another matter.

In that lonely, scary, dark, cold Demon World, Master Yurushia served as the lone presence of warmth, the Sun.

To her weak self, who only knew of feeding, the excitement she felt the first time she felt that warmth could not be forgotten.

After fusing with that person’s [Soul], Fannie was thinking differently about her feelings than in that world.

But that’s natural…

“After all, this [World] is here for Yurushia-sama, you know.”