Chapter 221: It’s Been a While (1)

Chapter 221: It’s Been a
While (1)

“What
nonsense are you talking about, Lilith? Eating this goddamn city.”

Lilith
turned her eyes at the growling voice.

The
red-haired Minotaur was raising her voice with a look that seemed
ready to devour.

It
was Ain Gott, a fanatic who worshiped the demon of wrath and a
Minotaur.

“It’s
nothing. Shall we continue?”

Lilith
waved her hand and looked around at those present.

Seven
chairs were placed at a round table placed in the middle of a dark,
enclosed room, where those who each worshipped seven demons had
gathered.

It
was a regular meeting held once every few years, though they were
lumped together as demon worshippers, each had different purposes and
beliefs in their hearts.

Although
they had no sense of community spirit, it was a time created for
those who shared only one common interest – the resurrection of
demons – to exchange materials or information.

That
was the regular meeting.

‘Well.
The meetings have never really gone well anyway.’

Lilith
clicked her tongue inwardly as she looked at those seated in the
chairs.

Ain
Gott, the psychopathic fanatic Minotaur who worshiped the demon of
wrath.

Karelos,
the chameleon beastkin who worshiped the demon of envy.

Ignorion,
the peacock beastkin who worshipped the demon of pride.

Sleeve,
the human woman who worshiped the demon of sloth.

And
finally, herself, the succubus who worshipped the demon of lust.

She
was tired of seeing the same faces that never changed.

There
were two empty chairs at the round table.

The
seat of greed was always empty so she didn’t mind, but there was some
discussion about the other seat.

“The
gluttony that was sealed on the 5th floor disappeared without a
trace.”

“How
long ago was that…? I thought the gluttony worshippers had
destroyed themselves by eating each other…Perhaps some survived and
continued offering tributes…”

Speculative
conversations about gluttony went back and forth between Gott and
Karelos, but few knew the inside story.

Even
if they did know, there was no reason to mention it.

There
was no reason to waste truly important information on such idle chat.

“A
few weeks ago, one of my laboratories on the 16th floor was
completely destroyed.”

In
such a situation, it was an unexpected decision for Sleeve to calmly
reveal her own damage.

“Your
laboratory?”

“Look
at this.”

-Thud.

In
response to Gott’s question, Sleeve threw a test tube the size of a
middle finger onto the center of the round table.

Whoooshㅡ

Faint
light leaked into the space that had been shrouded in darkness.

Inside
the test tube standing straight in the center of the round table was
a remnant of holy power, so faint it was barely visible.

“When
I was away and came back to find my precious chimera dead, I
investigated and found this. Now high-ranking explorers from the
Explorers’ Union are occupying it and searching inside, so I can’t
investigate further.”

“Kuk…”

“Shit.
What the…”

“……”

Different
reactions sprang from the mouths of the demon worshippers who saw it.

Some
turned away with contempt, some were blankly amazed, and some spat
out curses.

Though
it was a tiny amount befitting the term ‘remnant,’ it contained light
so pure it was among the most remarkable holy power they had ever
seen.

Lilith
remained quietly silent.

‘That
time, that…’

Lilith
had felt this holy power before.

The
holy power mixed in with the mark of subjugation that the
high-ranking incubus had instinctively engraved.

Though
it was an even more brilliant light than then, it was clearly the
holy power of the same being.

“What
the hell is that holy power! How can even just the remnants have such
intense light?”

“A
saint. It must be a saint…Such bright and intense holy power could
only be from a temple saint…Damn, if only that bitch Idelbert
hadn’t killed the high priests in the past, the saint would have been
on my side long ago…”

The
wrath worshipper Gott raised her voice and the envy worshipper
Karelos muttered as if enchanted.

“It’s
not the saint. She didn’t enter the labyrinth then.”

The
round table was enveloped in silence at Sleeve’s definitive answer.

What
those words meant was only one thing.

“Another
person with saint-level high-purity holy power has appeared.”

The
reactions came immediately.

“Let’s
kill them.”

“We
should bring them to our side.”

Gott
and Lilith’s statements clashed.

Gott
immediately raised her voice and shouted.

“Are
you out of your mind, Lilith! Has stuffing dildos in your holes every
day done something to your head? We can’t let someone with that much
holy power live again! The 16th floor means they’re not a monster
yet. We need to cut off the bud now!”

“If
someone with that level of holy power becomes one of us, they would
be a great force.”

“One
of us? What bullshit. Since when have you cared about other demon
worshippers?”

“Hmm.
Starting now?”

“You
fucking bitch!”

-Bang!

The
Minotaur’s fist roughly shook the round table and the marble round
table shattered as easily as glass.

“I
think we should brainwash them first…If it works, we can use them
well…If not, well, we can just kill them…”

“I
agree. Above all, even without the holy power, they were strong
enough to kill my chimera. The chances of them being male are low,
but if they are male, I’d like to use them for monster breeding.”

When
Karelos and Sleeve threw in their opinions to capture them first, the
scale tipped towards keeping them alive rather than killing them.

Gott
glared at Ignorion, the pride worshipper but she maintained her
silence.

At
that, Gott shouted in rage.

“Fuck!
You bastards have lost your minds. Instead of thinking about somehow
resurrecting the Great Ones and exterminating the bloodline of those
abominable people who called the hero that imprisoned the Great Ones
in that terrible underground prison of Arlonia Kingdom, you’re just
obsessed with fulfilling your own desires!!!!”

“Unlike
some fanatics living somewhere, I’m not such a zealous worshipper.
I’m not interested in mythological grudges. Demons are just beings to
fulfill wishes…Like a magic lamp.”

When
Sleeve mocked him in a slow tone, veins bulged on Gott’s forehead
again.

Few
among them believed in demons through faith and devotion.

They
just had wishes and hopes as intense as that.

“But…Is
there any way to find them?”

When
Ignorion opened her mouth, silence fell.

The
gazes of others, including Gott, turned to Sleeve.

“All
I have is that remnant. There are no other hints.”

The
only information they had was that they were an explorer capable of
crossing the 16th floor.

Since
holy power rarely manifests externally except when performing
miracles.

While
others felt at a loss having to identify someone unknown without even
basic information like gender or age, Lilith smiled deeply inside.

The
figure was reflected in the eyes of the sparrow familiar perched on
the window.

‘But
the problem is…’

-Morning
is here, Balkan.

The
woman who was sticking close by his side, guarding him.

The
guard of the inn’s demon was too solid.

***

It
was a quiet afternoon as we were sitting around the table for a late
breakfast.

First
came Diana’s soup that they were having after a really long time,
followed by a rich salad along with crispy pork cutlet and a
demi-glace sauce set with excellent deep flavor.

“Wow…”

Belle
holding forks in both hands let out a pure and sincere exclamation.

A
small flag was specially stuck in her pork cutlet.

“Looks
delicious, right?”

“Yes.
*slurp* My lord. In my life, such a luxurious meal…*gulp* is a
first. Can I really eat all of this?”

Diana
also smiled brightly at Belle’s pure reaction.

He
had told Diana the truth about Belle just as he had with Serif but
Diana took it rather nonchalantly.

Since
Diana was also an explorer who had been through thick and thin, she
seemed to just accept it.

Rather,
she seemed more surprised when she found out that Denshi was
connected to the Puppeteer.

“Of
course. There’s plenty in the kitchen, so just say if you want more.”

“Thank
you. Pork cutlet sister. People who give food are good people. You
are a kind and pretty pork cutlet sister.”

“S-sister?……huhu…This
child…”

Diana’s
eyes looking at Belle softened even more. Her slightly trembling lips
couldn’t hide her smile and drew an arc.

“It’s
probably just ordinary soup though…hmm…”

Denshi,
who looked at the soup as if it were ordinary, took a spoonful and
soon focused only on eating the soup without a word.

Eventually,
after drinking the soup with the bowl and all, she let out a hot
sigh.

“Is
this how you captivated Master…? Master, you fell for this, right?
This soup?”

“It’s
not like I have no stake in it.”

Probably
about a quarter. Maybe even more than that.

“Denshi,
just say if you want more too. There’s plenty.”

“…Then
I’ll have another bowl please.”

Denshi
politely held out her bowl to Diana.

Perhaps
because they had seen each other’s embarrassing sides last night,
their relationship seemed to have changed subtly.

Should
I say the strange nerve war and power struggle had decreased?

Or
should I say their eyes looking at each other had become somewhat
gentler?

At
any rate, it was a welcome thing, so I cut the pork cutlet with
relief and put it in my mouth.

It
was a proper pork cutlet that was crispy while keeping the meat juice
alive and a smile naturally drew on my face.

Even
eating similar dishes, there was a big difference between Diana’s
food and others’ food, so much so that I wondered if she had some
kind of cooking blessing.

After
finishing a truly satisfying meal, we had tea time.

“…Denshi.”

“…Yes.”

Diana,
who took a sip of coffee, called Denshi’s name. I could see Denshi’s
shoulders trembling slightly as if tense.

As
if having made up her mind, Diana’s mouth opened.

“Do
you believe in Balkan?”

Denshi’s
purple pupils were reflected in Diana’s narrowly opened amber pupils.

Diana
believed that a person’s essence was contained in their pupils.

Because
eyes contain a person’s mindset, just by looking at the eyes, you can
vaguely guess whether that person has malice or goodwill.

“Can
you completely trust him and swing your sword for him? Can you
sacrifice yourself to protect him?”

Denshi,
who was a slave, would be by my side more often than Diana who had
retired from labyrinth exploration so she had to check whether she
could give loyal advice when I was about to make wrong choices, and
whether she could be a reliable sword and shield supporting my side
when I was about to take dangerous paths.

To
that question, Denshi nodded without a moment’s hesitation and showed
eyes filled with will.

“Even
if I have to give my life.”

Satisfied
with the answer, Diana nodded with a bitter smile.

Having
somehow even spent a night together, it wouldn’t be bad to prepare to
welcome a new family member.

“Please
take good care of Balkan from now on.”

“…Likewise,
please take care of me.”

The
two women held hands with faint smiles.

-Slurp.

Balkan
bowed his head while drinking milk coffee made with Diana’s breast
milk stored from last night.

The
two women who came to some kind of agreement with calm faces were
lovely but incredibly embarrassing.

Should
I say it was thrilling yet embarrassing to see the moment when those
who sincerely cared for him connected?

“Ahem.
I heard the inn was closed for a while when coming, did something
happen?”

“Ah.
I was going to tell you but forgot.”

So
I changed the subject for no reason.

“I’m
thinking of opening a second branch of Cozy Winter Night Inn.”

Then
Diana answered with an expression as if remembering something she had
forgotten.

“On
the 15th floor. In Eden.”