by CHIROLU
“Then even more so... If it becomes known that you let me escape, what fate will await you...?”
In response to Rose’s sorrowful voice, the woman responded, sounding as if she were gently correcting an unreasonable child. “You saw what happened before, yes? My lord will not murder me until I beg for it. I have such an agreement with my lord.”
And she then added just a bit more.
“Also, things are always that way for me. My lord has always looked forward to the time she’ll get me to make that request.”
Hearing that horribly abnormal statement, Rose only grew paler, but the woman gently pushed her on the back so she’d take a single step forward.
“Why? Why... Why does the Second Demon Lord do such terrible things...? Even if she is the Second Demon Lord, how can such a young girl do such horrible, awful things...?”
The woman negated Rose’s anguish and bewilderment-filled questions in a clear voice. “It is not that she can do such things because she’s a demon lord. Rather, she was able to become a demon lord because she had such a disposition. I don’t think you’ll be able to understand her.”
She did not bring about death and slaughter because she was the Second Demon Lord. Rather, she needed such preferences to start with in order to be able to become the Second Demon Lord. That’s what the woman was saying.
Demon lords appeared from within the devil race. However, they were not born as demon lords possessing such massive power from the very start. Instead, those who were qualified amongst the devils became demon lords. One with the qualities of a king became the First Demon Lord, one who desired the power to wage wars and cause strife became the Seventh Demon Lord, and one who wished to overcome all fear of illness became the Fourth Demon Lord.
Rose could never hope to understand the reason this girl could enjoy slaughter with a smile, reveling in the anguished cries of the dying. Their values were too different, down to their very cores.
With an ever so slight smile, the woman gave Rose another push. While Rose wished that she could have even a hint of the strength of this woman, who could smile even under these circumstances, she started moving, as if some curse causing her legs to freeze up had suddenly been lifted. She wanted to give her maid a proper burial, but she knew that she couldn’t possibly hope for such a thing now. While giving thanks in the depths of her heart, she headed for the exit to the manor.
After that, she left that place without ever turning back.
†
Having finished her tale, Rose drooped her slender shoulders, completely drained of energy.
“Just as she’d said, I was able to make it out of that place alive. Along the way, as I passed through the village, I didn’t sense anyone... Most likely...”
She paused for a moment, then continued. “After I report to Father, it will be necessary to head there to confirm. We’ll need to hurry and assemble a party.” Gregor muttered in a gloomy voice in response to Rose’s story. He turned to Dale. “I’d like you to be a part of it.”
“Right,” Dale briefly responded.
Rose had headed to Kreuz and sought out Dale in particular because she was terrified of the Second Demon Lord. She had heard from Gregor that Dale had the rare abilities required to be called a hero. It was said that heroes were the only ones able to overcome a demon lord.
Rose had sought the presence of a hero to calm her overwhelming terror of the demon lord, which had seeped into the depths of her heart. As a result, thanks to being protected by such a hero, as well as her contact with Latina, who was a genius when it came to calming those around her, Rose had been able to regain her composure.
Dale hadn’t realized because he didn’t know her too well, but when Rose first arrived at the Dancing Ocelot, she was not her usual self. She had just been holding herself together by trying to act brave.
To Rose as she was now, just hearing Dale and Gregor discuss their plan for what to do next was as calming as a lullaby.
For the time being, Rose would be under the protection of the Eldstedt family until it was clear who was behind the incident. She’d head to the capital with Gregor and then stay at the duke’s estate. It was the manor of a household second only to the royal family in its authority. It was far more securely guarded than the estate of Rose’s family, so she’d be safer there.
Rose gently closed her eyes.
As she felt the warmth of Gregor by her side and heard his gentle voice, she at last felt relief in the depths of her heart, knowing that she had truly survived the incident.
†
This occurred a short while after Rose escaped the manor.
Having washed herself off and put on a new dress, the Second Demon Lord looked about her surroundings and then looked disappointed, not seeing Rose anywhere.
However, that was only for a moment.
Her young appearance was because she was that age when she had become a demon lord. Her values had grown distorted since that time, and over her many long years as an absolute presence, she’d come to find things not going her way as a spice of life to help distract her from her boredom.
That was also the reason she had a fondness for the customs of humans and had learned their language. She found the culture of the race she’d been born into, wherein those with long lifespans strove to maintain the status quo, terribly boring.
“Oh, my. You let her escape, didn’t you?” There was a palpable enjoyment in the girl’s high-pitched voice. “She was so beautiful and adorable, but it seems she was also strong-willed. That makes it all the more a shame that she got away.”
As she let out a high-pitched laugh, she also entangled her fingers in the violet hair of the woman before her.
It was incredibly rare for someone to not only not faint from seeing such a terrible sight, but even defy her by running away. And so, the Second Demon Lord wore a bit of regret on her face, realizing she was also at fault for having underestimated Rose.
“You really are awful,” she said with a sweet voice like one would use when talking to her lover, looking down at the woman on her knees before her. Even with a knife pierced through her abdomen, this favorite toy of hers didn’t even let out a single scream.
As a demon serving the Second Demon Lord, the woman was built far tougher than a normal devil, so she wouldn’t die from such a wound. Rather, she was unable to die.
“If you just beg for death, then I’ll put you out of your misery. You want to be set free, don’t you?”
While the woman coughed up clumps of blood between painful breaths, she stared back at the Second Demon Lord with a gaze imbued with her strong will. “You won’t alter our contract, will you?”
“I will not. Games are no fun if you don’t play by the rules.”
“Then it’s pointless to ask. I will never give in.”
While staring straight into the Second Demon Lord’s blue eyes, the woman gave a daring smile.
“As long as I’m alive, you won’t lay a hand on my daughter. As long as that contract exists, I will never yield.”
Seeing the woman’s continued strength for the one she wished to protect, the demon lord in the shape of a little girl smiled from the depths of her heart and raised her red-stained weapon overhead.
The Second Demon Lord started amusing herself with her favorite toy once more.
7: The Platinum-haired Maiden and the Night Festival
As you’d expect from the name, the main events of the Ahmar night festival occurred after the sun went down. Though with that said, all throughout the day of the festival, the town of Kreuz was awash in excitement. It was the greatest festival in the second-biggest town in Laband, after all, so that was no surprise.
Rita saw Latina off while the sun was still out.
“Well then, I’m off!”
“Take care, Latina!”
“Right!”
Dale had worried so overly much, but he was out right now. Rose had chosen the day of the night festival for her departure for the
capital so she could blend into the large crowd of travelers. Dale had accompanied her and Gregor, acting as a guard. Though with that said, he wasn’t traveling with them all the way to the capital. Dale’s job was to escort Gregor and Rose to a place slightly removed from Kreuz and then wait for the arrival of a flying dragon.
Gregor had ridden to Kreuz on his own, swapping out his horse several times along the way. Afterwards, he contacted the capital and had the duke dispatch a flying dragon. The number of people who could fly through the sky was limited, so this was easily the safest method for traveling back.
Latina wasn’t fully aware of Rose’s circumstances or Gregor’s lineage. To her, this work wasn’t all that different than Dale’s usual jobs involving exterminating magical beasts. Latina was concerned by Rose’s encounter with the Second Demon Lord at first, but during Rose’s stay at the Ocelot, that had faded.
Now that the over-worrying Dale wasn’t around, Latina’s mind was currently worked up over getting to act like an adult and head out at night alone for the first time.
Though Vint normally always accompanied her, he wasn’t by her side at the moment. Instead he was currently sprawled out at Rita’s feet, sulking. He and Latina had had an argument in the morning. Vint found it only obvious that he’d accompany Latina to the festival, but she had refused him. To Latina, it was her first time in a while to go out with her friends, as well as her first time being able to go out alone at night. She saw it as a precious acknowledgment, small as it was, that she had grown up. As a girl her age, there were all sorts of things she wanted to discuss with her friends, so she wanted Vint to stay behind.
Down inside, Rita and Kenneth had wanted Vint to accompany her. Even the absent Dale had accepted that things would be alright because Vint would be with her. But wanting Vint to stay behind, Latina had played her trump card.
“If you keep saying that, Vint, then I won’t brush you anymore...”
She said it quietly and with a sigh, but her eyes were totally serious. Vint was so terribly shaken by those words that even Rita and Kenneth, who were standing nearby, couldn’t help but sympathize with him.
“L-Latina?”
“I won’t.”
“Angry? Angry?”
“I won’t.”
“Really angry?!”
Latina turned her head away as Vint ran around her, his voice was full of sorrow and desperation.
That’s a threat, Latina...
Latina’s always had a tendency to be stubborn every now and again...
As the married couple thought such things while watching over this exchange, the matter was settled.
“Wah... angry! I... stay behind...”
Vint crumbled before Latina’s threat. He was heartbroken and even though he was an animal, his shoulders sagged.
No matter how much Rita and Kenneth asked him to do so afterwards, now that things had been settled, Vint wouldn’t accompany Latina.
And that’s how Latina had earned the right to go out at night without a guardian, just like she’d wanted.
To be honest, Rita and Kenneth were worried. However, they weren’t as far gone as Dale was and realized she was growing up; they knew they couldn’t keep having someone watch over her everywhere forever. And they were aware that a night like tonight, with plenty of bodyguards all throughout town, would be a fitting first step for her to experience that.
“Seriously, be careful!” Rita put even more emphasis on her words than when she first saw Latina off to school. She sighed.
If anything happens to Latina, it’ll end up raining blood...
She figured that wouldn’t be very good for her pregnancy.
After leaving the Dancing Ocelot, Latina frequently stopped to check out the travelers passing by and the wooden stages erected about town for the festival. She was absolutely exhilarated as she stared at them.
Even if she had seen it annually since she came to Kreuz six years ago, this different atmosphere running throughout the town still sent her heart aflutter. Seeing the streets she was so accustomed to now seem so fresh thanks to the festival had her restlessly excited.
I never saw an Ahmar festival back in Vassilios...
The more she grew used to living in Kreuz, the more trouble she’d been having remembering her time back in her home village. But because she was so happy now, she was also able to remember that it wasn’t all hard times back there. Right after she was exiled, just thinking about her village was painful and sad, so she had tried her hardest not to think about all the things she had lost. But lately, happy memories would unexpectedly pop up in her mind.
Now that I think of it, I did go to a festival with Rag... What god’s festival was it again...?
On the other side of the street, a young boy and a man who was seemingly his father walked by, holding hands. Latina’s gaze stopped on them, and she tilted her head.
“That was the only time we left the temple, so... it must have been a different god than Banafsaj, right?”
Realizing she may have been getting overly serious, Latina shook her head from side to side, then started walking towards Chloe’s house again.
The main street through the eastern district was far more crowded than usual, making it difficult to even walk in a straight line. But the second Latina detoured onto a backstreet, the number of people around dwindled. That was proof that there were a lot of outsiders who didn’t know the intricate layout of the town.
While feeling like she could somehow breathe easier, Latina continued further down the path.
When she arrived at the crafting district, she found that it was as quiet as usual (though the sounds of the craftsmen working weren’t exactly quiet, and they could be heard from the houses all around), as if the excitement of the festival hadn’t reached this far.
Latina approached her friend’s house, which she had grown used to visiting, and knocked on the door.
“Welcome, Latina! Come on in!”
“Pardon me!”
Chloe guided Latina in past her workplace and to her bedroom.
“Sylvia’s already here.”
“Sorry, am I late?”
“Not at all. She said she finished up her work early and didn’t feel like going home, so she’s been hanging out here.”
As if to support Chloe’s statement, when they entered her room, they found Sylvia with her legs rudely sprawled out. When she saw Latina, she broke in a smile reminiscent of their school days.
“Long time no see, Sylvia!”
“Latina! It really has been a while. You... haven’t really changed, have you?”
“Where were you looking just now?” As she questioned that comment, Latina’s eyes were tearing up.
Feeling the palpable aura coming off of Latina, Sylvia averted her gaze.
“It really has been a while. You look like you’re doing well!” Sylvia said, starting over after facing Latina again, acting as if nothing had happened. Latina smiled back at her friend.
“You seem a bit more grown up, Sylvia.”
“Hehehe... It’s because I’m gathering all sorts of new information everyday in the temple of Akhdar.”
As her friend said that with a wide, mischievous grin, Latina thought that she hadn’t changed much since back when they were in school.
“Hehehe! I brought all sorts of things today!”
“Hmm?”
“Now then, Latina... the clothing you ordered is finished!”
“Right! I’ve been really looking forward to it!”
Not realizing that Chloe and Sylvia had exchanged eye contact, Latina broke out in a gentle smile. After taking the new clothes from Chloe, Latina started excitedly changing. It wasn’t as if she didn’t find it embarrassing to change in front of others, but right now she saw Chloe as an artisan. She was carefully checking to make sure the measurements and finishing touches had all turned out right.
While in the midst of that, Chloe’s hands stopped while checking one particular spot. As she
checked by taking measurements, she at last realized that Latina really had been growing.
“Sorry, Latina... You really have been getting bigger...” Chloe apologized for having doubted Latina’s constant insistence on the matter.
“I’m still in my growth period.”
Latina puffed up her cheeks in response to her friend’s words, like she’d done since she was very young.
After that exchange, Chloe and Sylvia started looking over the wide spread of items that Sylvia had brought.
“What should we go with?”
“For starters... Hmm, Latina’s pretty pale, so maybe we should go with one, brighter tone than mine...”
“Hey, why won’t you let me see the mirror?”
“Hehehe... Chloe, this is pretty fun, isn’t it?”
“Right? You don’t get to play with such excellent products very often.”
“What? Huh?”
“I think pink would be better for Latina than orange, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Hehehe...”
“What is it? Hey, seriously, what are you doing?”
While Chloe and Sylvia chattered away, enjoying themselves greatly, more and more things were smeared across Latina’s face. In addition to wearing a new dress, Latina was also in the midst of having her makeup done for the first time in her life. However, her two friends wouldn’t let her see a mirror as they toyed with her in all sorts of ways. To Chloe and Sylvia, being able to dress up such a beauty however they liked was like an evolved version of playing with dolls and a wholly unique opportunity.
They were both at that age where, if they were dealing with any normal beauty, they’d end up feeling jealous and maybe even slander her. However, Latina was beyond that level of beauty. It was like she was in a whole different dimension, so it felt frankly stupid to envy her, and they couldn’t help but accept that they’d never measure up. And yet, their childhood friend was also a natural airhead. She was often somehow out of it, and it felt dangerous to leave her on her own. They couldn’t possibly hate her.