Ch.143Chapter 143. You Need to Be Punished, Right?

Irie was the last descendant of the Haven clan.

Though she was truly a being who could be called a demigod, ironically, due to what she had experienced in the Empire, she had lost much of her confidence.

Perhaps her prophecies were useless, or even if they were effective, they might not be much help in changing the inevitable future of mortality…

‘…Hyoseong, what on earth are you doing to get involved with such an absurd being again?’

Such confusion was temporarily suppressed by worry for him as he had been gone to the Imperial Palace for days, leading her to attempt to unfold a prophecy.

The result was the same as before—a vision of a new face forming a relationship with him.

At first, she felt confusion and betrayal at the sight, but as time passed, the past of the other person she glimpsed was shocking enough to overturn even that.

‘Francesca, a hidden guardian in human history… Among them, she was said to be a born warrior specialized in hunting anomalies.’

Irie herself had encountered ancient technology a few times, but in her case, it was on a completely different level from the artifacts or remnants she had seen before.

It was impressive enough that she was an artificial life form created by humans, but she was also the original being of the deity worshipped by the Priga Order, the state religion of the Empire.

Her status might not rival the “God of Destruction” flowing in her own blood, but for humanity, her existence could rightfully be classified in the realm of mythology.

How such a being had become entangled with her partner, and how she should accept such a future…

“My daughter, why are you suddenly stopping in the middle of your meal?”

While she was racking her brain over this, Tashian threw a concerned question from the side of the table.

Realizing belatedly that it was breakfast time, Irie turned to her with a start.

“Yes, what?”

“Perhaps you don’t like the food I made?”

“Ah, no. I just had something on my mind… It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Fortunately, Tashian didn’t want to get deeply involved in her concerns.

She was the type who preferred not to pry into others’ thoughts, but rather waited for them to come to her when the time was right.

Of course, she could rely on such generosity and consult with her directly, but if she informed her that he was involved in something serious, wouldn’t she worry in many ways?

‘That’s right, I shouldn’t worry about it now. The fact that the future turned out that way means that at least Hyoseong is safe for now.’

Yes, what she needed to focus on right now was not the future he would face, but the current situation.

After regaining her composure, Irie’s gaze turned forward, and she began to see another companion sitting across from Tashian, having a meal.

“Here, my daughter. Say ah~”

Merilyn Sutherland.

A being who had once been a close associate of the Demon Lord, the greatest calamity in this world’s history.

“Aah~”

“Hoho, you eat well. Is it delicious, my daughter?”

“It’s so delicious~ The food you prepared seems even more delicious today, Mom~”

Not only was she sitting across from Tashian having a meal, but she was also playing along with her.

And unlike herself, she was even freely using the term “Mom”…

“Whohoho, our Meri eats so well, it’s rewarding to cook for her~ I wish Irie would eat like this too.”

“It can’t be helped since she’s at an age where she feels shy. Ah! I’ll feed you too, Mom. Here, say ah~”

“Oh my~ My daughter is such a filial child~”

None other than one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Tribe was calling a dragon who had reached the pinnacle of all beings “Mom” and exchanging food with her.

What on earth was this? This farce…

No, rather than a farce, it would be better to call it a “grotesque spectacle.”

Anyone who knew the identities of these two would surely feel the disconnect, as this situation could never occur under normal circumstances.

“…Ms. Merilyn.”

“What is it, Ms. Irie?”

“I’m a bit concerned about your attitude toward Tashian… Were you two always this close?”

“Hoho~ If they’re Hyoseong’s family, then of course they’re my family too~”

“Ah, yes. Family?”

“Above all, before I was taken in by the Demon Lord, I didn’t have anyone I could call family. So I was curious about what a mother’s embrace would be like~ That’s why I’m grateful that Tashian has volunteered to be my mother~”

An overtly expressed yearning for family love.

While Tashian was accepting even that gladly, Irie, who had been constantly at odds with her, couldn’t possibly accept it at face value.

‘What scheme is she up to this time, a woman who knows nothing but plunder from birth…’

Yes, that cunning, treacherous, and black-hearted demon couldn’t possibly desire something like maternal love.

For her, the only object of affection was her partner.

Even now, she was clearly trying to flatter her way into getting closer to him.

‘Hoho, even if you’ve noticed, it’s already too late, Irie Haven.’

As if to confirm her suspicion, a smile tinged with melancholy began to form on Merilyn’s lips as she watched Irie.

‘I understand your feelings for Hyoseong, but it’s naive to just sit around sucking your thumb while he doesn’t return.’

As a demon faithful to her desires, she was pouring everything into being united with her love.

As such, if she couldn’t be with him right now, it was only natural for her to devise strategies to close the distance in preparation for his return.

‘And if Hyoseong isn’t here, the person I need to win over is this one.’

Merilyn’s gaze shifted forward.

There existed a person who, though not a lover of her love, was bound by a “family bond” that could be said to be even closer than a lover.

‘Unlike demons, humans value the concept of family. Rather than fighting against that naive woman who considers only first experiences to be everything, this woman who can narrow the distance with him by forming family bonds is the key to winning over Hyoseong!’

In war, if you want to shoot the general, you must first shoot his horse.

By indirectly getting closer to the person before her and forming a tight bond that her rival couldn’t interfere with when he returned, she would reign supreme in his heart.

‘Hoho~! Being proud just because you were the first will only last for now. Hyoseong is mine!’

Merilyn laughed heartily, revealing her desires without hiding them.

While Tashian seemed not to notice and looked at her fondly, she couldn’t deceive the eyes of Irie, who was quietly eating beside her.

‘…That’s probably what she’s thinking. This childish plunderer.’

Though she was the most capricious and difficult to predict, her love for him was so clear that it was obvious what she was thinking.

The reason she felt uncomfortable despite the seemingly insignificant situation was that she sensed an inexplicable chill from Merilyn, who was trying to exploit Tashian’s family love.

For now, it was just a feeling, but instincts honed by prophecy usually have meaning when they’re raised…

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Are you going to the bathroom?”

“Yes, something like that… I’ll be back shortly.”

After briefly leaving her seat and returning to her room, Irie looked down at her crystal ball.

Then, swallowing hard to clear her throat, she began pouring her magical power into the crystal ball.

“Please.”

Hoping that her current whim was just a groundless fear.

-Heung~ Maman~♡

But contrary to her hopes, the future observed by her ancestor was an incredibly shocking sight.

-Hoho, my baby. Are you hungry? I brought food~

-Milk, please~ I want to eat~♡

The second-in-command of the Demon Lord’s army, wearing a bib around her neck and curled up like a baby.

The whining and flailing hands coming from her mouth showed no trace of the madness-infused appearance that had once tried to strangle her to death.

-Oh my~ Didn’t you say the same thing last time and now you want to eat again?

But what was even more shocking was that, for some unknown reason, it wasn’t Tashian who was playing along with her infantile regression, but herself.

-No, this is for my child with Hyoseong…

-Please! I want to eat too~!

-Mmm, I guess I can’t help it. Just a little, okay?

Slurp, slurp.

The lunatic clown, sucking on her breast and giggling with delight.

And herself, looking at such a horrifying being as if she found her adorable.

-Hoho, our baby Meri. Is it delicious?

-It’s delicious~! I love Irie’s milk~

-Oh my. Don’t suck so hard, it’s troublesome~♡

“……..”

After silently watching the scene, Irie finally turned her gaze away from the crystal ball and quietly left her room.

Yes, it was a dream.

It was just a dream. If it wasn’t her, then the God of Destruction who had given her the prophecy must have been tired.

With such disbelief, Irie was thoroughly denying the future she had foreseen.

“Oh, Ms. Irie. You took quite a while, were you having trouble with your bowels?”

Just looking at her face made her blood boil.

To think that a future might unfold where she herself would breastfeed this detestable rival.

“…Ms. Irie?”

“Aaaaaahhhhh!!”

Despite her efforts to deny it, her emotions finally exploded, causing her to flip the table.

As the dining table they had been eating at collapsed with a crash, Merilyn looked at Irie with a bewildered expression.

“Why are you suddenly acting like this? Is it your mating season?”

“Who are you calling in mating season?! Do you even have the right to say such things?! You lustful, pretentious woman!”

“Wh-what?! Did you just say what I think you said?!”

“Shut up and stop eating Tashian’s food right now! And don’t you dare come near Tashian again!!”

Irie grabbed her by the collar and shouted at her.

The desperation felt in her emotional attitude indicated that the current situation was more important than the usual nerve war.

She must have seen something.

Otherwise, this proud and cautious fortune-teller wouldn’t have reacted so emotionally.

“You! What exactly did you see in the future to cause such a scene?!”

“As if I could say it with my own mouth! You breast milk thief!”

“What do you mean by breast milk thief?!”

“Even if you’re a plunderer by nature, this time you’ve crossed the line by far! Being an idiot is one thing, but why are you stealing baby food?!”

Waaah! Waaaah!

A chorus of incomprehensible screams.

Just as the rage, which partly felt like madness, was about to reach its peak, Merilyn’s eyes began to catch sight of a shadow approaching from behind her.

No, not just a shadow.

A being whose years of existence far exceeded her own, and whose status as a being might be equal to her former master.

“…Irie?”

At the murmur of the woman with such a background, Irie’s body froze.

Then, releasing her grip on the collar, her stiff neck gradually began to turn toward her back.

Toward Tashian, who was staring down at the overturned table she had set herself.

“Ah, um. Tashian. That’s…”

“Our Irie, was the food I made not to your liking?”

The term “daughter,” which she usually used to address her, had been replaced with her name.

Sensing the seriousness from this, a vague image of the imminent future began to form in Irie’s mind.

“No matter how excited you are, flipping the table is too much… Since we can’t have this happening again, I have no choice.”

Though her eyes were smiling, she was angry.

And the action that would follow would lead to a threat to her own safety.

“My daughter, you need to be disciplined, don’t you?”

“Ta-Tashian. Wait a moment…”

-Thwack!!

Irie’s body fell with a chop to the neck.

The subsequent trembling of her fallen body was due to the impact transmitted through her forehead, which was by no means light.

‘Wh-what is this power… Didn’t she say she had exhausted all her strength in that battle…?’

No, rather, she felt a certain lightness as there was no need to suppress her power.

Though she had fallen far from the pinnacle of all beings, even with the little power that remained, she easily transcended the limits of humans.

In other words, it was impossible for her, whose physical body belonged to the human category, to resist.

‘I can’t endure this twice. If I keep getting hit like this, I might lose my mind…’

Perhaps the corruption that occurs in the future is the result of angering her and allowing such blows multiple times.

“Um, Mom? Why did you suddenly raise your hand against me…”

As such thoughts vaguely occurred to her, Merilyn’s gaze, frozen by the momentum, quickly turned toward Tashian.

“Hmm, considering everything so far, it seems Irie’s behavior is somewhat due to our Meri as well. Since it’s come to this, I think it’s good to instill some sense of caution in Meri too.”

“N-no. You don’t have to do that. I’ll be more careful from now on…!”

-Thwack!!

A palm swiftly struck her back as she tried to escape.

Feeling the shock throughout her body, Merilyn collapsed next to Irie and began to tremble.

“M-Ms. Irie… Wasn’t that woman supposed to be weakened?”

“What about you? Didn’t you say you got stronger? How can someone who’s the second-in-command of the Demon Lord’s army fall so easily…”

“I was never a combatant to begin with. I’m like a glass knife, easily broken… Ugh.”

Merilyn and Irie’s heads slumped down.

Watching them, Tashian began to look at the two with bitter eyes.

“…This is troublesome. They didn’t cause such incidents when he was around.”

Of course, she understood their feelings.

The reason they could gather like this was because he formed the center.

The longer he took to return, the greater their anxiety would grow.

“I wonder when our son will return.”

Tashian turned to look out the window.

In her gaze, filled with longing, the shadow of the Imperial Palace located at the center of the system was faintly reflected.

*****

And, after about four days since arriving at the Imperial Palace.

During that time, while staying with Vivian, I felt that I was in a crucial situation of my life at this moment.

“Ms. Vivian, please calm down first.”

“N-no. No matter how I think about it, this is the only way now!”

“That’s not being calm! Put down that knife in your hand first!!”

Vivian trembling with a knife in her hand in the library, and me urgently trying to dissuade her…

Damn, how did it come to this?