Volume 3 - CH 17

“……What in the world was that monster…”

Said the so-called Hero Alfio in a cracking voice.

Nobody blamed him for being [Timid]. Antique the Elf and the swordswoman Cheria both had had pale faces as they watched the battle with the [Demon Beast].

Alfio had his meals early after the indignant exchange between him and His Highness Roderick. While thinking about what means he would use to get close to the beautiful maids and female knights, he was struck with a sudden torpor and lost consciousness.

The [Hero] was blissfully unaware that their magic power had been forcefully stolen. and indeed when Alfio woke up in the forest by the lakeside, Roderick and his escorts were preparing to head to the place where the castle previously stood.

{The ancient castle has disappeared……?}

Although to be precise it wasn’t gone, rather, about half remained, but it was clearly no longer the castle from Alfio’s memory. Not to mention, in the sky above, there was a [Golden Storm] fighting a [Black Tempest] and the beautiful forest around the castle had been painted an inky black.

The situation was clearly not good.

Looking at that place which gave off a malicious presence from even where they were, Alfio thought that he would be crazy to even go, but because of Antique, Cheria, and Athena, who didn’t for a moment doubt that he was a true Hero, he reluctantly decided to head to the old castle.

Even if his disposition made him be ignored by the Royal Family of Shiguresu, Alfio wasn’t an incapable fellow.

Other than reverse engineering the body reinforcement magic that Daemons and Demons naturally used, he had the [Quick Casting Magic] of the high speed and protective types, a wonderful talent for magic.

Applying the high speed magic to his companions, Alfio was able to reach the location before Roderick by taking a back route.

Alfio’s party saw a terrible sight there.

A [Demon Beast] that one could tell at a glance was on the level of a [Natural Disaster], and of all things, that beautiful princess… Yurushia was battling that terrifying [Demon Beast] with her attendants.

Because he put his priority on keeping a safe distance, he couldn’t make out the details, but Yurushia was flying in the air on golden wings, throwing a golden spear made of magic, and throwing the [Demon Beast] to the ground.

But that wasn’t the problem.

Certainly, the magic that Yurushia used, gave off a mighty feeling of [Holiness], and Antique, who was also named a [Saint], was shocked in the sheer difference in power, though that wasn’t the problem.

The problem was the attendants of that [Saint].

Fighting with that Saint were figures that looked [Irregular]from a distance, and of them, one of them was the [Daemon] that Alfio’s party had fought before.

“Wh-, what the heck does this mean!?”

“……I don’t know, but is the princess cavorting with the Daemons?”

“D-don’t be stupid, Anti, that child is the [Princess] of the Holy Kingdom and Athena’s younger sister! Surely, she must have been deceived by the Daemons.”

Alfio was in a state of confusion. Athena, who had remained silent thus far, began to laugh.

“Fufu… As expected, that child… Yurushia truly is a wicked existence.”

“Si-Sister-sama…?”

Ophelia broke into a cold sweat at the sight of her sister smiling arrogantly.

“No, well… isn’t she our sister, more or less…”

“Ophelia!”

“W-wait, Athy. Such a beautiful girl… No, that child is fighting against that monster.”

“First of all, it’s strange. It’s impossible for Yurushia to have the ability to take on such a [Monster]. The proof is the fact that she’s bragging.”

As Alfio looked in the direction that Athena was pointing to when she answered him, Roderick arrived.

“Roderick-sama has just arrived with perfect timing. As I expected, that girl collaborated with the Daemon King and summoned that monster to try to deceive Roderick-sama!”

“I-Is that so……”

Although he didn’t understand the theory, he couldn’t come up with an immediate rebuttal since that’s what Yurushia’s own elder sister said, but Alfio was convinced that there was something that Athena was keeping from them.

Although to Alfio, all measures of social class held no measure to [Pretty girls], it was easier to capture a disgraced princess than a proper one as he remembered on the [Thin Books] that he had read in his previous life. (TLN: he’s talking about H doujins.)

“O-okay……… We should withdraw for the time being.”

“Why!? We should reveal Yurushia’s evil plot to His Highness,”

“It’s useless. If His Highness doesn’t actually believe your story, wouldn’t you be going against everyone over there? Let’s aim for her when she’s alone.”

“…I see. Roderick-sama might have been brainwashed.”

Alfio’s persuasive words brought Athena to understand that possibility and she nodded, gritting her teeth.

By no means would he say that he was afraid of the Demon Beast, as Alfio held his chest in relief.

“But where will we be withdrawing to?”

“First of all, let’s get out of this country…”

Alfio smiled superficially to Cheria who seemed uneasy while hugging her shoulder.

Up until now, he’d done as Callisto requested and saved up a small amount of money.

Alfio’s wish wasn’t to become a king or save the world, but to live happily forever after with his [Brides].

To fight for the sake of getting a bride was alright, but other than that, he didn’t intend to risk his life. So he was thinking of spending time at his parents’ in Shiguresu until the commotion died down.

“I see! Then, we will prepare to go to the Daemons’ territory.”

“……eh?”

Antique’s determined words made Alfio leak out a voice reflexively.

“That’s right, Ally. While whittling down the strength of the Daemons, we can gather evidence that that child is connected to the Daemons and get training at the same time!”

“As expected of Al-sama! To have thought through this so deeply, we sisters have renewed our respect for you again.”

“Al-sama, how wonderful… when will we depart?”

Cheria, Athena and Ophelia, all nodded in tandem with Antique’s words, staring at Alfio with dreamy eyes.

“…… L-let’s set off!”

” ” ” “Yes!” ” ” ”

He could no longer escape. Alfio was asking himself how it came to this, but for the sake of appearances in front of the girls, he decided to head to the Daemon Territory.

“………”

Among them, Athena smiled at the thought of finally causing Yurushia to have a tearful face… she was hit by a slight sense that she was making a major [mistake], but forcibly pushed it to the bottom of her heart.

＊＊＊

” ” ” ” ” ” ” “………………” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

As 【He】 left after throwing down this enormous parting shot, everyone present was staring at me in a tense silence instead of delighting in their victory.

What do I do…

That guy… when he says things like that, it makes it sound as if I’m acquainted with Demons.

Although it can’t be helped because it’s true, when I looked pointedly at my attendants for help with deceiving them, they were all pretending to not know me like they were a hundred metres away.

……… You guys, I’ll seriously remember this.

“…It can’t be, Duke Kapell had summoned forth such a frightening Demon… ”

I intend to pass the buck with a sorrowful look.

It’s not a problem because it’s mostly fact…… The other half is my fault, though.

“……What did Duke Kapell do?”

It worried them, too. Rick rode in on my story.

“The Demon appeared…… as before I could counteract the poison that had been given to us, all of the people were sacrificed……”

“I see…… Although, it would have been good if we could have caught the perpetrator……”

“Still, given that situation…”

I don’t think that anything that had gotten embroiled in the battle between 【Him】 and I would still be alive. In order to change the flow of the conversation, I really need to find some evidence that Duke Kapell is to blame.

“It’s no problem.”

Turning around to face the voice, I saw Noa walking up to us, holding a ragged human who was laughing a little.

“This person is…?”

“Yes, it’s Archbishop Callisto. Fortunately, he was thrown off by the blast of wind, and I found him lying around in the forest.”

So my attendants were looking for witnesses…

But with a witness, and no other evidence, could he have managed to see it when I turned into a Demon? As I mulled over that thought, Fannie, who was good with mental manipulation secretly signed ‘Okay’ to me with her hands, and I felt relieved.

“That’s not how it was!”

Suddenly, Noel yelled out loudly.

Oh this is bad…… While holding himself like he couldn’t be deceived, Rick placed his hand on Noel’s shoulder and spoke to him.

“Noel… You understand that the person who is taking this the hardest is Yurushia…”

“That is…… I see, Lucy is quite pitiful…”

……eh?

“That’s right, Princess-sama is being targeted by such a terrifying Demon Beast.”

“Perhaps it was afraid of Yurushia-sama’s power… Such a Demonic aura must have wanted Yurushia-sama as a [Sacrifice].”

Springing off Noel’s words, the guardian knights and Holy Knights all comforted me.

In short, they seemed to think that what 【He】 said was him asking for me to sacrifice myself to him as a Saint, and they thought that I was nervous and afraid.

Their trust in me is so high that my Demon heart feels a little pained.

After everything settled down, and it seems that the battle was over, Vio and the girls were escorted to us by Bear-san and the mercenary company.

“Princess Yuru-sama, are you alright!?”

“I’m terribly sorry! I was unable to serve you when I was needed the most…”

Bear-san, who looks to be an alcoholic, seems to have drunk wine with a lot of sleeping medicine in it, so it took time for Vio to detoxify his system.

Since we couldn’t stay here, we returned to the town before it got dark.

“By the way, Princess Yuru-sama. … Why have your clothes and shoes suddenly changed…?”

While everyone was preparing to leave, Vio’s eyes flashed at the sight of the black and silver dress that she was seeing for the first time.

“Although it definitely looks like an upper-class good…”

“I was also concerned about that. Weren’t you wearing a different dress when you went for the meal?”

Uu… They’re sharp. Rick, who heard it, commented and questioned me from the side, while Noel, who finally saw it, gave me a strange look.

“Lucia’s dress…… could it be a magical item?”

Magical items exist in the world.

Although it’s common in Fantasy, there aren’t “Enchantments” that have sustained magical effects applied on them, but rather [Magic Tools] which have magic formations carved on them that activate when magic power is poured into them.

Certainly there are people who make their living off of researching magic formations, but a complex magic like the one used for my dress has never been seen before.

Although there are magic swords, those were usually magic formations carved into the blade, creating a rechargeable type of magic item that would store magic power.

To tell the truth about this dress, it has 【Magic Barrier】, 【Automatic Regeneration】, and 【Shapeshift】magic applied on it, because it’s an artifact-class dress made by multiple Greater Demons (Archdemons) …… Now, whatever should I do…? When I turned my gaze towards my attendants this time, Tina came out in front of me.

“Excuse me for my rudeness. This dress was made for Yurushia-sama with magic, a cloth with magic woven into it meant for the exclusive use of the [Saint].”

“Wow… was there such a thing? Which laboratory made it? Can they make other things?”

As Rick asked questions, impressed, Tina straight-up answered him with absolute nonsense while wearing a straight face.

“The four of us were the ones who made this, but Yurushia-sama’s Holy magic was indispensable for weaving the magic formations into the cloth, and since it’s still in the research stage, it takes an immense amount of magic power. The best we could do is to make this one piece. To make multiple copies of this in a short period would put an immense burden on Yurushia-sama, and it’s possible that it could hurt her health…”

“No, I understand… what a pity.”

“Then, were those [Holy Swords] also made by Lucy? They both look vibrant, though, why is the dress black…? ”

As Noel casually spoke, Tina’s speech froze for a moment.

Noel’s asking why the equipment that’s made for a saint can be any colour that is [Black]? Well, at least that’s what I think he wanted to say. Yes, I think that too.

Even Tina hasn’t seemed to have thought of an appropriate reply, but for some reason Tina put on an evil smile on her face and puffed her (nonexistent) chest out.

“Yurushia-sama’s white skin and golden hair that greatly accentuates [Black]. Of course, her undergarments are also black and made of the same material.”

At that one line, Rick and Noel’s faces reddened and they turned away from me. My own face flushed too and I slammed Tina’s head forcefully into the ground.

＊＊＊

Several months have passed since that incident.

The attendant that unveiled the colour of the underwear being worn by her mistress in front of a man was being reprimanded by her mistress all night on the bed……… eh? You wanted to be there?

When we returned to the royal capital, the leader that had already contacted the royal castle was hurriedly going about putting things in order.

Callisto, who I healed a little, confessed fluently and as a result the house of Duke Kapell was ruined…… or so it would have been. As expected, to crush two ducal houses in only a few years, since they thought that it would make the country look weak and become the target for mockery, Zest-san, the younger brother of the family that had Grandfather-sama’s trust, became the new Duke Kapell.

It’s a member of the [Society for Turning Light into Darkness], a representative of the Carpe Merchant Guild in the royal capital, and the manager of my secret funds.

…… Somehow when I explain it the image becomes worse.

There’s another problem too, which regards me.

The [Demon Beast] that had blown an entire castle away had been repulsed once, but because the [Demon Beast] had tried to persuade me to become a [Sacrifice] to him, every ducal territory around the Royal Capital decided to implement a harsh surveillance system against foreign enemies.

Although it wouldn’t be a problem for me if I moved to a mansion in a remote area, since nobody cared about my opinion it couldn’t be helped, so I had to work.

I went around the five ducal territories, setting up huge 【Holy Barriers】, and casting 【Feasts of Blessings】 to soothe the anxieties of the people…… when I said that I’ve been doing so for half a year and not even once did a single 【Demon Beast】 show up, I was able to regain my peaceful days.

I am now taking classes in school normally again.

Speaking of what’s changed, Bree-chan and the escort knights were lined up outside in the hallway, waiting for me.

…… and the distance between my classmates and I got widened again. Well, it’s too late……

That reminded me of a strange rumour.

[The 【Princess】 of the Holy Kingdom, violently struggled against becoming the 【Bride】 of the Demon Beast]……  

Although it was a rumour, it was surprisingly closer to the truth than the official report.

＊＊＊

Several more months have passed since then, and I will be 10 years old soon.

My height is still growing, but my joints don’t hurt as much as before. My current size is… about half a head smaller than that of an average child of the same age?

More importantly, I’m more concerned with my body weight than with my height now……

Although on the surface I could say that it’s become peaceful, in reality the problem hasn’t been solved.

I wonder what 【He】 is doing right now?

Since I had that sort of feeling, I wonder if there will be a birthday party this year? ……Thinking about it, having one seems to be normal.

But things are different now. They seem to want to do some sort of ceremony in the Kostoru cathedral of the Kingdom before the party.

“Lucy…”

It’s the day of my birthday. I am wearing that black dress that I said was a specialised equipment for a Saint, but since it was too black and I had felt like it had an overwhelming feeling, I wore a luxurious, pure white surcoat over it. While waiting in a room in the cathedral, I suddenly heard the voice of my cute puppy after a long time.

“Noel~”

When I waved my hand lightly at him, Noel crawled over like a puppy and grasped my hand. ……Just like that Rick, you touch a girl way too familiarly.

“Noel, you look great.”

“…Uhn, it’s flashy…… isn’t it?”

It seems that Noel hasn’t changed either, since he’s grown as well, the height difference hasn’t changed. What he’s wearing this time is a beautifully polished silver shoulder pauldron, breastplate, and gauntlets along with other small armour pieces. The other parts of the armour are made of leather, so I wonder if it’s supposed to be heavy or light armour?

On top of all that he was wearing a navy blue surcoat that greatly resembled mine, and hanging on his waist was the Golden Magic Blade I’d given him.

All this luxurious-looking equipment made Noel feel uneasy.

“It’s alright. You look seriously cool, Noel.”

“Th-thanks… Lucy.”

Noel’s bashful smile is really cute.

“How about me, then?”

“Eh? … Rick?”

Throwing open the door, Rick walked in…… eh?

“That appearance…”

Rick’s appearance was as luxurious as Noel’s, but since his had more metal armor plates than Noel, it had a more ‘knight-ish’ feeling.

“Tall…”

“……What’s that?”

At my answer, Rick poked my forehead with an amused face, and after seeing Noel holding my left hand, he took my right hand and began to pull me along with him.

“Let’s go, Yurushia.”

“But, where!?”

While I was wondering if I would be getting dragged along again, Noel walked next to me holding my left hand, and I was pulled together by the two of them through the corridor.

……eh? you’re going to show the public this scene?

“Roderick-la-von-Verusenia. Thou, for your great achievements and protection of the people from the evil Demon Beast, I confer upon you the title of [Paladin].”

“Yes sir”

In the Kostoru church, the words of Pope Theophilus echoed throughout the cathedral and a roar of approval rose from the upper nobles and their knights.

“Noel Barnabas. Thou, for the achievement of driving off the evil Demon Beast, I confer upon you the title of the [Hero of the Holy Kingdom].”

“Hai”

As that was said…… there was an especially loud roar from the knights in particular.

“Yurushia-la-Verusenia. Thou, for protecting our warriors from the evil Demon Beast, and for your achievements in easing the people’s anxiety, I confer upon you the title [Saint of the Holy Kingdom].”

“…Yes”

At that moment, there was a resoundingly loud cheer, and the Paladin-sama and Hero-sama next to me pulled up the listless me.

But, I’m a Demon………

Things like, the threat of the Demon Beast, the unease of the citizens, and the distrust of the nobility, and sweeping away other things, a [Title] was conferred upon us, who repelled the Demon Beast, and it seems that this will spread far and wide both in and out of the country.

“………”

Rick and Noel were waving to the audience with slightly nervous expressions, while I wasn’t able to wave my hand at all, since the two of them were restraining my arms on both sides. For the time being all I could do was smile as hard as I could.

I’ll say it again.

I…… am a Demon, you know?

A few days later…… in the name of the [Daemon King Hebrad], a declaration of war from the Daemons’ territory was issued to the human nations.

Author’s Notes:

Thank you very much for reading.

This concludes [Book 3: The Beast’s Bride].