by CHIROLU
To start with, even from the point of view of Gregor, who was part of the Eldstedt family, known for producing highly skilled individuals, Dale was worthy of high praise. Even aside from his rare ability that made him a “hero,” he was a master at both offensive and defensive magic, excelled with both a sword and a bow, and was skilled at adapting to any unusual situation in battle, making him someone worthy of praise even in a country like Laband, which fostered both physical and magical combat skills.
Some nobles scorned him at first for his birth, deriding him as a country bumpkin. However, Dale wiped away their sneers with his accomplishments and perfect decorum. He utterly defeated those scorning nobles on the stage of high society by carefully polishing his conduct with their younger counterparts. That of course earned him some resentment, but that was overwhelmed by the applause of the other nobles.
Those who could only take pride in their lineage couldn’t hope to measure up to Dale’s skills. And since he hated to lose, he wasn’t content to rest on his laurels and rely on his skills alone.
That was precisely why Gregor found his friend’s eccentricities so regrettable. But ever since he started living together with his adopted daughter, Dale seemed much less emotionally up against the wall. As long as he wasn’t having a fit, there was now a relaxed dignity to him.
The duke’s evaluation of him had also risen over the years, and now there were none in the castle who didn’t know of the deep trust he had in Dale Reki.
Gregor couldn’t say that it was all bad.
“Do you know about Dale’s work?” Gregor asked, remembering that the girl in front of him was part of a different race.
“No. Dale says it’s related to important classified secrets, so I don’t ask him about it.”
Hearing her reply, Gregor decided that it was best not to tell her about what Dale did.
It was no secret that Dale had a contract with the duke and served to eliminate demon lords and their subordinates. However, since Gregor’s friend had decided not to tell the girl, he needed to respect that. After all, his work involved slaughtering members of her race.
It was then that Dale showed up again, interrupting their conversation.
“Sorry for the wait, Gregor. It’s a bit cramped, but my room is this way,” Dale said, pointing towards the kitchen.
“You didn’t do anything impolite, right, Latina?” Dale said, his words perfectly fitting for a parent.
Without his facial expression shifting even a bit, Gregor retorted, “What if she said she did?”
“I would have figured you did something you shouldn’t have.”
“That’s what I assumed.”
Gregor had expected such a response.
After that exchange with his friend, Dale turned towards Latina.
“Latina, could you call for Rose?”
“Right. Should I carry some tea up after that? If everyone’s going to be talking, that’d be good, right? Could you wait for that?”
“Yeah, this may take some time... Thanks, we’ll take you up on that offer.”
“Leave it to me!”
Hearing that exchange, Gregor realized that the two really did have a harmonious relationship. He didn’t even realize it when he broke out in a smile, but Dale did.
“What’s with that grin?”
“It’s nothing... I was just thinking that she really is a proper young lady, despite being raised by you,” Gregor said, half-trying to hide his embarrassment.
“Even you’re reacting that way?!”
Dale’s younger brother had once said something similar to him, but Gregor had no way of knowing that. For the time being, he’d managed to reopen Dale’s old wounds.
†
The room Dale and Latina lived in was decorated in the style of Dale’s home village, and it was intriguing to Gregor and Rose, who were both Laband nobles. With the addition of accessories and fabrics suited to Latina’s tastes, it now had a more pleasant feel to it than when Dale had lived there alone.
Rose had already visited numerous times to teach Latina magic, so she sat down, already used to it. Gregor hesitated for a moment, but then followed Dale’s example and sat down as well.
After a short while, Latina brought up a tea set. Latina silently delivered the tea and then returned back downstairs. Rose took a sip and then started discussing what had happened to her.
Rose served at the temple, so she didn’t appear in high society very often. She was always either in her own family’s domain or traveling around offering condolences at the behest of the temple. Her beautiful, rare appearance was practically a symbol of the temple of Niili. The strong impression Rose and her miraculous healing magic left on the townsfolk was also greatly important for the temples, which also served as clinics.
The Cornelius household that Rose belonged to was not especially wealthy. In that way, Rose wouldn’t normally be all that useful for a political marriage. However, her personal value and talents were outstanding.
Rose was fully aware of her own standing, and that she was more valuable than her family knew what to do with, so she threw herself overly much into her work with the temple.
When she’d been in the middle of moving about for such work, her carriage was targeted. With her, she only had her chamberlain, a young coachman, a soldier dispatched from the temple as a guard, and a maid who waited on her.
When they were surrounded by bandits, her servant fell into a panic. She may have been a proper attendant, but she was ultimately just a country girl who had polished up her manners in order serve the low-ranking noble Cornelius family. It’s not as if she was prepared to deal with an emergency situation. Thanks to her snap judgments, she got herself captured by the bandits.
In exchange for the lives of her subordinates, Rose agreed to obediently follow the bandit’s orders. That decision was also based on her judgment that since their goal was to kidnap her, her life would not be in any immediate danger. Rose made it clear that she would take her own life if they did anything to disgrace her, so the bandits acted more or less gentlemanly.
Even now, she still didn’t know what the bandits’ objective was. Most likely, their goal was to negotiate with her guardian, Duke Eldstedt. The Cornelius family itself wasn’t a juicy enough target for a kidnapping, and from the way they boldly let her subordinates live and inform the Cornelius family of Rose’s kidnapping, she sensed that this was a crime committed by some large organization.
The bandits then transported Rose and her maid to a small, remote village.
“Are you alright, Lily?”
That whole time, Rose didn’t stop worrying about her maid. The woman may have been a country girl who lacked tact, but Rose still concerned herself greatly over the maid, who also had a flower-based name.
On the surface, Rose was obediently listening to the bandits, but the whole time she was looking for a chance to escape. She may have had her magic tool taken away, but even without such a thing, she had no problem casting magic.
The bandits headed for the most luxurious building in the village, which was likely once the villa of a wealthy merchant. If they had realized along the way that the village was too quiet even for a small country settlement, things might have gone quite differently.
When they entered the manor, they immediately saw a single young girl. She was seated on the handrail to the stairs, wearing enamel shoes on her feet and swinging her legs under her knee-length skirt. She had a nice, innocent-looking young face, long blond hair, and big blue eyes, giving her the appearance of an adorable, expensive bisque doll. To top it all off, she wore an impractically extravagant outfit on her slender body.
By human standards, she looked to be a pre-teen. That said, she had chalk-white horns on both sides of her head, making it clear that she was a devil.
The second Rose saw the girl, an indescribable chill ran down her spine. Her presence there was more than just unnatural: it was downright eerie.
That she sensed that was
the difference between Rose and the bandits, and it may have had a decisive effect on what happened next.
“What are you—” one of the men said, approaching the girl. In the next instant, he collapsed to the ground in an unnatural manner. His limbs and neck were pointing in impossible directions. Before everyone else could even register what had happened, a deep crimson spread across the floor.
With a brilliant smile that showed she was clearly enjoying herself, the blond girl waved about the objects she had in each hand. While they were unfitting with such a young girl, she wielded them so naturally that it was easy to miss the massive blades she held.
Blood sprayed through the air.
The girl spun about with such elegance that it felt almost unreal. The golden sparkle of her hair and the shine of her blades drew an arc through the air.
Before anyone could even understand what was going on and scream or shout out in anger, several corpses (it was obvious they were dead, even without checking) were strewn about the floor, and the pool of blood grew wider.
Her skinny arms swung the blades with incredible ease, unleashing strikes that even cut through bone. And on her face, she wore an elegant grin. She looked like a child plucking the wings off an insect she had captured. It was a smile of deep-rooted cruelty.
The weak beings before her were wiped out by this overwhelming presence, unable to even resist.
Rose was in the minority that was able to grasp what was happening. With that said, while she was an excellent magic user, she wasn’t able to throw herself into the fray. It was the most she could manage to not lose consciousness at the stench of the blood and meat flying about, which was so strong you could choke on it. In fact, it was precisely because she was so skilled that she realized she couldn’t possibly oppose the being that stood before her.
Even so, Rose was able to remain rational. However, her maid, Lily, descended into a panic. That was perfectly understandable, since seeing such a being brought about a primal terror. Lily shook off Rose, who was trying to hold her back, let out an unintelligible shriek, and tried to flee.
“You’re an earsore.”
By the time Rose realized that charming voice had come from the girl in her bloodstained dress, Lily was already crawling across the floor, desperately trying to escape.
“Come now, you can cry better than that for me.”
The girl swung down her blade, and Lily’s legs flew through the air. It would be an understatement to call the sound that came from the maid a shriek, and the girl gave a refined, charming smile.
“Oh, my. When it comes to servants, even their voices are unpleasant. Be silent.”
With that, she casually brought down her deadly weapon.
Rose simply watched as this happened. She wasn’t able to do anything else. She was so afraid that she couldn’t even move.
“Stay as you are.”
It was a female voice with an ever so slightly unique intonation to it that called Rose out of her daze. Frozen stiff, she turned her gaze to the back of the woman the voice had come from, and the corner of her sight was filled with a brilliant purple.
“You aren’t yet fated to die right now. For the time being, stay quiet and bear it.”
Even if she weren’t in such a situation, the woman’s voice would have brought Rose comfort. It had a gentle quality to it, of the sort that would calm down whoever heard it.
Rose moved her head slowly to check and found that she was a young devil woman. Her long, straight hair was a brilliant purple, and her horns were a dazzling gold. There wasn’t a hint of emotion showing on her beautiful face.
There was a strange string of characters clearly tattooed on her slim, white neck, like some sort of code.
“Why is she doing such a thing...?” Rose whispered in a hoarse voice.
The woman responded with a whisper as well, saying, “My lord has no reason.” The tone of her voice when she said “my lord” was chilly. “If there is any meaning to her actions, then her goal... is solely to kill.”
“The Second Demon Lord...!”
Just as Rose realized who she was dealing with, the last of the bandits cried out for mercy. Perhaps that alone was enough to call him “courageous.”
“S-Spare me! Please don’t kill me!”
The demon lord in the shape of a young girl wore a compassionate smile in response to the plea she would never possibly consider truly granting.
“Oh, my. Shall I let you live, then?”
She looked to be enjoying herself greatly.
She brought down her weapons.
“Don’t worry. I know just what to do so you won’t die.”
She slashed again and again.
Even if it was muffled by the man’s screams, Rose heard the girl’s clear, high-pitched “singing.” Rose went even paler when she realized what that “song” was.
“Healing magic...!”
It was highly precise, too. The Second Demon Lord was slicing the man up while casting healing magic. She was healing him, taking care that he wouldn’t die... not allowing him to die.
This cruel game continued on until the man, his voice full of despair, begged, “Please kill me...”
If the violet-haired woman wasn’t standing behind Rose as if to support her, she may not have been able to hold herself together. It may not have lasted all that long, but it certainly didn’t feel that way.
Once everyone else was a corpse, the adorable girl awash in fresh blood looked at Rose. Her blue eyes looked quite eerie, as they didn’t have even a hint of guilt to them.
Rose shivered in response to being looked at, but thanks to her natural pride, she undauntedly coped with the gaze of the monster before her.
“Hmm?” the Second Demon Lord said with curiosity while looking at Rose. She tilted her head and casually approached.
“Oh, my, what a pretty color. They’re almost like lapis lazuli,” she said, almost sounding jealous as she gazed at Rose’s eyes. The look on her face was entirely innocent, despite the fact that she was the one who had created this horrid spectacle. That fact itself was repulsively twisted.
“My lord, this person’s hair is also a magical trait.”
“Oh, my, what color is it? Let me see.”
The bandits had prepared the chestnut-colored wig, not wanting Rose to stand out. Even though Rose was still wearing it, the violet-haired devil woman had stated that without hesitation, clearly already aware of that fact.
Rose obediently exposed her natural hair.
“Oh, my, it really is a pretty color! Show me more!”
Rather than just being simple rose-pink, Rose’s hair had a variety of shades due to the light shining on it, making for a rare color even amongst mana traits.
The Second Demon Lord’s slender arm reached out to touch Rose’s hair.
“My lord.”
“What is it?”
“Would it not be a shame to sully it with the blood of such lowly men?”
The girl’s hands stopped after hearing the woman’s advice. It was then that she finally remembered the gore coating her hands and that she was still holding her large blades.
“That’s true. It’d be a waste to stain something so beautiful!”
The Second Demon Lord suddenly pulled back her hand with a smile and then turned around.
“I’m going to go take a bath.”
“Take your time.”
The Second Demon Lord pitter-pattered off into the depths of the mansion. After seeing her leave, Rose nearly collapsed to the floor, thoroughly worn out.
“Hold yourself together,” the woman rebuked, halting her collapse. Rose somehow managed to stop herself from losing consciousness and falling into the sea of blood on the floor. But even so, she wasn’t able to stop her body from trembling.
“Why... Why did she do this...?”
Rose couldn’t help but grieve over the lives taken in vain, not only of her own maid, but the bandits who kidnapped her as well. Having only bee
n able to watch such brutality unfold, Rose now moaned in agony while hiding her face behind her hands.
However, the devil woman didn’t give Rose enough time for such grieving.
“There’s no time for that now. Hurry up and leave this place as soon as you can,” the woman said while grabbing Rose’s shoulders, using a firm tone of voice and a solemn expression on her face. “My lord has a liking for mana traits. However, she only sees them as playthings. She just wants to keep her favorite toys by her side.” From the bitter tone of her voice and her words, it was clear that she was not serving the Second Demon Lord by her own will.
The woman had shown off Rose’s mana trait because she knew that would catch her master’s interest. As a result of that, the Second Demon Lord hadn’t killed Rose immediately. It was just a temporary solution, but it was the most surefire way to save Rose’s life. But even so, at this rate Rose would be held captive and suffer a torturous fate far worse than death... just like she had.
“It is not yet your time to die, so keep on struggling. If you do, you should be able to escape.”
Rose was a high-ranking priestess, so she could tell that the devil woman before her had incredibly strong divine protection. It was enough that it felt strong even to an unusually powerful priestess like Rose. Rose sensed that the woman was equal to her in that regard, or perhaps even stronger.
“Are you a priestess of Banafsaj...?”
The power granted by the divine protection of Banafsaj was premonitions. Rose had sensed something out of place from the woman’s phrasing, so she asked to make sure. In response, the woman silently nodded her head.
“But... if I run away, what will happen to you?”
Realizing from Rose’s tone that she was concerned about her, the woman smiled just a bit.
“I cannot escape from my lord. These restraints are proof of that.” The woman touched the characters tattooed on her neck as she said that. “This is a ‘name’ engraved by a demon lord into her servant. It is proof that I am granted her power, and also controlled by it. To become a demon serving a demon lord means yielding life-and-death power over yourself to your lord.”