episode_0020

Episode 20

Demon Castle Laboratory.

When Lumaniel visited her every day and several days had passed, Aisha finally couldn’t bear it and exploded.

“Please go back to your room!”

“No.”

Lumaniel pouted like a child, pulled the pillow towards her, and lay down on the bed sideways. The pillow she held was the one Edward used, and its scent was fading day by day.

“Isn’t there a magic to contain the smell?”

“Sigh. If I cast a barrier, it won’t escape. But then you won’t be able to smell it either.”

“Then it’s pointless.”

“What do you know!”

These days were always like this. Lumaniel, who started feeling lonely after Edward disappeared, would stick around in the laboratory almost until the last moment after work.

At first, Aisha left her alone because she seemed indifferent, but as days went by and Lumaniel kept coming, she gradually got angry.

What made her most angry was not being able to have time alone because of Lumaniel.

“If that’s the case, why didn’t you just let him go peacefully! I did my best to stop him even at the risk of hurting our child!”

“I appreciate that… But at that time, I had no choice.”

It was clear who Edward chose. Of course, she had the power to ignore that choice, and she almost did.

“But why? Were you moved by seeing him protect Bell’s daughter with his horn?”

“That’s impossible. Well, I was shocked, but more than that… How should I put it? I realized something at the same time.”

“What did you realize?”

Smiling at Aisha’s question, Lumaniel, who had been gloomy lately, replied.

“Once the horn appears, he and I will soon meet again.”

The rejection humans have towards demons is immense. No matter how powerful the Bell family is, they can’t protect him forever.

Ultimately, Lumaniel thought that when he became tired of humanity, the only place he would return to would be outside the demon realm.

“Hmm. So you’ve been thinking about that.”

In her own way, Aisha partially agreed. If the subject wasn’t Edward and the Bell family, she would have fully agreed.

“But I wonder if humans who reject him will just accept it quietly.”

This was purely speculative, so there was no need to verbalize it. Instead, Aisha decided to say what needed to be said and shouted at Lumaniel.

“Then go to your room and wait quietly until he returns!”

“No. I’ll wait here.”

As a result, Aisha once again did not have time alone that day.

Unfortunately.

—

Maria, due to having several times the spiritual power of others, became a saint against her will.

Despite being negative and timid in everything, she couldn’t quit due to her outstanding spiritual power and the corresponding self-esteem.

The Law King gave her an order.

“Monitor Bell’s son-in-law sent from the Dweor Kingdom and report daily.”

“…Me?”

Normally, she wouldn’t even imagine questioning, but she inadvertently did. It was such a serious command for her.

Contrary to Maria’s feelings, the woman in front of her, the Law King, calmly nodded, reminding her that she hadn’t misheard.

“Yes. He has transformed into a demon, although Queen Dweor vouched for him. In any case, he may become our enemy.”

“Uh…”

The man who had been kidnapped by the Demon King and rescued didn’t seem likely to betray them, but upon reflection, there was no basis for believing he wouldn’t.

So Maria, who initially found the Law King’s words reasonable, soon realized that wasn’t the issue.

“Your Highness! I apologize for my incompetence, but I have never had any experience interacting with men, so it seems unsuitable for this task…”

That was the case. The biggest problem was Maria’s lack of experience in properly mixing words due to her meager experience as a saint living without ever interacting with men.

Lack of male experience also meant a lack of resistance. It seemed unreasonable for her to monitor the daily activities of Bell’s son-in-law, a man sent directly by the Queen of Dweor.

“He was personally sent by the Queen of Dweor. Without the involvement of someone like a saint, not only would it be inappropriate, but there is no one else here with the power to subdue him in case of an emergency.”

As emphasized by the Law King multiple times, he was a man sent by the Queen of Dweor.

If any issues were to arise, the already resentful Saint Kingdom, which was opposing the formation of the alliance, could truly be destroyed.

“Perhaps that’s exactly what they are aiming for.”

If anything happened to the envoy, it could be used as a pretext for an attack. Just as the Queen of Dweor was not one to be underestimated, the Law King believed that they should also prepare for the worst.

“The saint may be foolish and naive, but her power is real.”

In essence, it was like placing a water jug next to a spark that could ignite at any moment. The timid saint would most likely not refuse her orders, the Law King judged correctly.

“I will do my best.”

“Please do.”

The ignorant saint, unaware of her own power and authority, eventually followed the Law King’s thoughts.

“Oh, I feel like I’m going to vomit from nerves…”

Despite her young age, Maria, whose stomach refused to settle due to stress and tension, anxiously awaited the envoy’s arrival since that day.

She secretly hoped that something would happen to make the envoy return to Dweor, but reality was cruel.

Since the distance to the Law Kingdom was not too far, a few days later, the envoy safely arrived in front of Maria.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, hello!”

Maria, who had prepared her greeting for several days, failed spectacularly, wishing she could disappear, but the envoy greeted her without showing any sign of discomfort.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Saint. I am Edward Bell, the envoy dispatched from the Dweor Kingdom. I look forward to working with you.”

“Ah, um, yes…”

Rather than falling for Edward, who was neatly dressed after removing the cloth from his head, due to his status as an envoy, Maria’s strange response was more about encountering a man properly for the first time. She wished she could disappear once again.

“Oh. It’s my first conversation with a man in my life, and it had to be an envoy who is also married.”

She was a woman in her prime. Moreover, forced into a life of abstinence, she allowed no imitation in her imagination.

Although she once dreamed of romance, she had long accepted the reality and become accustomed to it.

Thanks to this, Maria, who could quickly tidy up her feelings of regret, guided Edward to the room where he would stay.

“As you may know, this visit aims to share research results between our countries and to treat the envoy. I’m sorry, but please try to confine yourself to this room.”

“Understood. It must be difficult to inform the Law King, right?”

“Oh, yes… I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need for the saint to apologize.”

The presence of Mahwah was still a secret, and Edward was no exception.

Therefore, although the building he stayed in appeared to be a typical inn from the outside, in reality, knights and priests were stationed throughout.

Following Maria inside, Edward casually scanned the surroundings and realized that he was being quite guarded.

—

Well, if I could just get rid of the horn, I wouldn’t mind anything else.

Life in the Kingdom of Law was simple. Waiting in the room until called, then going to a designated place inside the building for various experiments named treatments was all there was to it.

Initially, they took quite a bit of blood and it was somewhat painful due to the Holy Law, but after about ten days, it became somewhat familiar.

It was somewhat frustrating not being able to go outside, but being able to freely roam inside the building felt better than being confined in the Demon Castle.

It was after experiencing various treatments attempted by priestesses today that I returned to my room.

Upon opening the door and entering, I saw a nun on her knees vigorously cleaning the floor.

“Nun? What are you doing?”

“Oh, why so soon…? Ah, I-I’m not doing anything strange, just cleaning!”

Of course, I understood. My question was why a nun, a woman, was doing such menial work.

“But, this is a place where you can’t just enter casually…”

“Even so, aren’t there specific people for cleaning? Are you telling me the nun has been cleaning all along?”

“It’s, it’s okay! It’s something I usually do, and I’m used to it!”

If it’s something she usually does, is it natural in the Kingdom of Law? But according to the brief explanation I heard before departing about the Kingdom of Law, the position of a nun was likely more important than just symbolic.

Considering the background and environment of the Kingdom of Law, things seemed quite odd, but as an outsider, I had no right to meddle. If that’s how things were supposed to be, there wasn’t much to say.

“Understood. I will take care of the rest, so please go and rest.”

“I-It’s really fine…”

“I am not fine.”

Half-heartedly ushering her out, I declared that from now on, I would tidy up my own room.

The nun looked bewildered, but in the Kingdom of Law, I didn’t want to take advantage of her when she was already tired.

I didn’t know the details, but I thought I just needed to fulfill my role and leave.

Or so I thought.

Look at these guys.

“Please, Sister! How many times do I have to say it! If you don’t fill this magic tool with your energy by the end of today, it will affect the treatment of Special Envoy tomorrow!”

I hadn’t intended to eavesdrop. I had woken up earlier than usual, feeling thirsty, and was heading downstairs to the kitchen.

I stopped on the stairs upon hearing shouting voices, and when I peeked, I saw the priestesses surrounding and reprimanding the nun.

“But if you fill it all up, there won’t be enough energy left to repel the undead near the royal capital…”

“Sister! Aren’t there soldiers for repelling the undead! Will the esteemed Sister keep making excuses and being lazy like this!”

Amusing. They were the ones being lazy, really. Clad in dusty priestly robes and heavily laden with dark circles under their eyes, the nun seemed to have fought the undead all night.

On the other hand, the priestesses criticizing her appeared neat. Having slept well and taken sufficient rest, it was only natural.

Instead of tending to the exhausted nun who had worked hard, they were shirking their responsibilities, citing fatigue if they did them themselves.

“Hey.”

“Oh! Lord Edward…!”

Understanding the situation, I descended the stairs. The priestesses were surprised to see me, but they didn’t seem to think I would do anything.

I felt sorry for them, but before setting off, I had received some kind of proclamation from the Queen Mother.

I could do as I pleased.

Despite hearing that, I hadn’t initially planned to act as I pleased, but my thoughts changed.

So, I snatched the magic tool the priestess was holding and struck her on the head with it.