Ch.216Chapter 216. Sweet Revenge

Merilyn Sutherland.

The demon who now wished to live a new life under that name was feeling boredom in the place where her love had disappeared.

Though she was worried about him going to a dangerous place, she believed he would certainly succeed.

The composure she found through such trust soon blended with the habits of the Demon Tribe, leading her to seek out beings that stimulated her desires.

“Hello, little maid~ I’m Merilyn, newly joined to the ark~”

At the end of her search, she found a maid who happened to be cleaning the corridor of the ark.

Called Flan by everyone, she was also someone who had formed a special relationship with her love.

“…Mephisto.”

But regardless of that relationship, what was drawn in the gaze aimed at her was hostility.

“Aha, so you recognize me right away~”

“Of course. I remember all members of the ark, and no matter how skilled you are at hiding, your distinctive aura cannot be erased.”

Flan saw through the disguised appearance at a glance.

But Merilyn also realized that her counterpart was no ordinary being.

After all, the vitality that any living being should possess was completely absent from the being before her.

If pressed to describe, would she be like a golem?

“Fufu, it’s nice not having to introduce myself again.”

In any case, her counterpart was also a being with self-awareness and will.

For Merilyn, who had a deep interest in his romantic relationships, she couldn’t help but be curious about the girl before her in many ways.

“But seeing that you’re not taking any particular action despite recognizing me… may I take it that you also accept my joining this place?”

“…The current master of this ark is my lord. At least until the results of his choice are revealed, I intend to respect and observe his opinion.”

“Fufu, so you’re accepting me for now. I suppose I should make efforts to get along with you?”

“Don’t misunderstand. If you show any signs of mischief, I won’t stand idle either.”

Flan raised her head and spoke with an angry voice.

Her furrowed brow and sharp tone expressed her hostility toward Merilyn.

“The master only formed an alliance with you because his current situation requires it. Many people, including myself, still don’t trust you and the rest of the Demon Tribe.”

“I understand that. It’s natural to lack trust when we’ve only just met.”

“This isn’t about trust! The Demon Tribe is the enemy of humanity…!”

“When even humanity’s domain is collapsing and borrowing power from other races, isn’t it too narrow-minded to make an exception only for the Demon Tribe?”

A grinding sound of teeth.

Merilyn dismissed it casually and drew a slight smile on her lips.

“As I said before, Yasmo’s crimes are Yasmo’s alone, please don’t attribute them to us. We value our lives and circumstances too, so we have no intention of bearing the loss of antagonizing hard-found collaborators.”

“…So you’re saying you might betray us immediately if an alternative appears.”

“Conversely, if no such alternative exists, our alliance would continue forever. That is, if you don’t betray us first.”

In that moment when the clan of betrayal ironically shifted the possibility of betrayal to the other side.

Flan, trembling with anger, finally turned her back on Merilyn and spoke with resentment.

“…Just know that I’ll be watching you constantly.”

Though they would eventually become enemies, that shouldn’t happen now.

As Flan calmed her heart and moved on, a smile soaked in ecstasy gradually began to form on Merilyn’s lips.

‘Aha~ This is a much better reaction than I expected~’

She would surely expect a moment of betrayal to come, but ironically, Merilyn had no intention of betraying or causing any harm to the ark.

After all, her only goal was to strengthen her relationship with the person she loved and secure enough restraint to prevent her desire from turning into impulse.

‘Does this child know? That the person she calls master and follows sincerely craves a relationship with me.’

And the current provocation was like a spice to fulfill that desire.

Revealing her relationship with him when hostility toward her reached its peak would surely distort this girl’s heart greatly.

‘If she learns that I formed a bond with him before her, that I became close to him, how would her expression distort?’

Hostility would turn to despair, to a sense of betrayal toward him… and further to anger directed at herself.

The intensified battle that would result would effectively suppress her love for him from turning into impulse.

With such expectations, Flan, aware of Merilyn following behind her, turned around and began to speak in an angry voice.

“You, how long do you plan to follow me?”

“As it happens, I’m still unfamiliar with this ark. I thought I’d rely on you for guidance and a tour… and since you’d want to keep a close eye on me anyway, there’s no need to refuse, is there?”

“Kugh!”

Though furious, she also thought it better to be close to confirm any schemes.

Finally allowing Merilyn to follow without words, Flan moved on, and Merilyn followed with lighter footsteps, bursting into laughter.

And at the end, they arrived at the kitchen responsible for the ark’s meals.

“Oh, Flan, you’re here~”

“Kehek!”

Upon encountering the figure already there, a violent breath burst from Merilyn’s mouth.

It was only natural. The one now in the kitchen was the worst natural enemy to her.

“Did you finish cleaning?”

“Yes, I’ve completed today’s portion.”

But unlike the frozen Merilyn, Flan tried to continue the conversation smoothly with the woman preparing food in the kitchen.

It was nothing special now.

Though she initially considered her a fearsome being, through the process of entrusting repairs to her, she had observed how warmly she cared for the people of the ark.

Having realized she was harmless, Flan had even developed a sense of respect for her spirit of service.

“Fufu, thanks to Flan, work has become easier in many ways. Everyone is so busy that cleaning alone would have taken quite some time.”

“I’m just doing what a maid should do, Mother.”

“Mother? That’s too burdensome a title…”

“You don’t need to feel burdened. It’s a title that expresses gratitude for your efforts and respect for you.”

The title she used at this moment also expressed such respect.

Of course, it started because she couldn’t find an alternative to the title and would have to use terms like ‘beloved mother’ or ‘mama~♥’, but regardless of the reason, it was an undeniable truth that she had come to respect her.

“Hmm, alright. If you insist so much, I should accept it.”

And fortunately, Tashian also showed a willingness to respect her intention.

Having accepted the title of Mother, Tashian smiled and gently stroked Flan’s head.

“Then mom will prepare the meal here, so Flan, go inside and rest.”

“No, I’ll prepare the meal.”

“You haven’t fully recovered for long. You don’t need to push yourself too hard.”

“I’m healthier than before thanks to Mother’s excellent repair skills. Please don’t worry about me and take a rest.”

Flan tried to reach for the dishes in the kitchen while restraining Tashian.

Unable to watch, Tashian took Flan’s hand and spoke with a worried voice.

“You’re worried about that child.”

If there’s turmoil in one’s heart, time is needed to calm it.

Tashian hoped that she, who would be confused by his absence that she couldn’t prevent, could have time to ease her mind a little.

“But isn’t that the same for you, Mother?”

“I’m used to waiting, so it’s fine. That child will certainly succeed…”

“I also believe that the master will succeed.”

Flan shook off Tashian’s hand and tried to pull the dishes toward herself.

But Tashian didn’t give up either.

In the ensuing test of strength, Flan carefully expressed her concern for Tashian.

“Mother, I’ve heard that you’re not in good health…”

“Dear, though I’m of age, I’m not so weak as to collapse from household chores.”

“But don’t you need rest and sleep? Whereas I only need energy replenishment and don’t even need sleep. For heavy labor like being responsible for all meals in the ark, I would be more suitable.”

“But Flan, you’ve been taking care of that child without missing a day while I was gone. Children your age should be playing outside and devoting time to hobbies when they have free time.”

“I’m not as young as you make me out to be.”

“To my eyes, both that child and you are no different. Come on, give me back the kitchen knife.”

“No, I will…”

As the dispute between the two continued.

The longer it went on, a sense of urgency began to grow in Flan’s heart.

‘This is troublesome, her infinite maternal love is refusing to let me take on the work.’

Certainly, Tashian’s work ethic was admirable even to her, but if it infringed on her role, that was a different story.

If she couldn’t take the lead here, there was a risk that even her reason for existence would disappear.

As she pondered how to handle this urgency, Tashian’s gaze began to turn toward Merilyn standing at the entrance.

“Oh, Meri, you’re here?”

A friendly greeting toward none other than the second-in-command of the Demon Lord’s army.

Recognizing a relationship that went beyond acquaintance to using nicknames, Flan began to focus on Merilyn’s frozen appearance.

“Did you come to watch mom work?”

“Ah, yes. I mean, well…”

“This is perfect~ I was thinking of developing a new menu, and I needed someone to taste it. Could you sit here for a moment and taste it for me?”

“Uh, uh. Yes. Of course. I should, since it’s Tashian’s request.”

“Dear, why are you addressing me so formally? Could it be that you’re upset because I scolded you a bit before?”

“Ah, no. That’s not it. How could I dislike mom? Ehehe~”

The second-in-command of the Demon Lord’s army, trying to smile but unable to calm her trembling.

While Tashian looked at her as if finding it cute, Flan felt a strange sense of déjà vu from that appearance.

‘The second-in-command of the Demon Lord’s army… mom?’

An appearance no different from herself when she was just receiving repairs from her.

That meant she had experience being overwhelmed by Tashian’s uncontrollable maternal love, which also meant she had mentally surrendered.

In other words, as long as Tashian existed, that detestable demon would not be able to act recklessly.

“Aha~”

Though she didn’t know the details, that much was certain.

With that conviction, Flan let out an exclamation and approached Tashian, casually speaking.

“Mother. May I make a suggestion to you?”

“A suggestion?”

“Yes, regarding the friction we had earlier…”

Her gaze shifted to the counter.

Noting the unprepared ingredients and dishes on it, Flan pointed to them and explained her business to Tashian.

“If neither of us can give up being in charge of meals… how about having a competition to decide who takes the duty?”

“A competition, you say?”

“Yes, let’s compete right here to see who can make better food, and which of us can provide more suitable meals for the members of the ark.”

Of course, having already mentally surrendered, she had long given up the thought of winning against the person before her by force.

But such surrender didn’t extend to her specialty.

Rather, for the sake of her mission, Flan even felt a desire to prove that she was superior to Tashian in this field.

“…Well, that would certainly allow us to serve better quality food, and it would be a clean way to concede, so that’s good.”

“And for an objective judgment, it would be best to leave the judging to a third party. Since Merilyn is here, how about entrusting the evaluation of our cooking to her?”

Merilyn’s body twitched nervously.

Though she sent a look that said ‘what are you plotting?’, Flan dismissed it casually and waited only for Tashian’s answer.

After all, as long as Tashian was present, escape wouldn’t even cross her mind.

“Meri, you’re not busy right now, are you? Could you judge our competition?”

“Ah, yes. I could, but…”

“Yes, yes~ Then, Ms. Merilyn, please sit over here first~”

Pushing her back, Flan forced Merilyn to move.

By the time Merilyn sat down and raised her guard, Flan had already completed her preparations.

-Swish!

As soon as she sat in the chair, wires bound her body all over.

Feeling her physical freedom constrained, Merilyn glared at Flan with angry eyes.

“Y-you. What are you thinking…!”

“You know that Tashian will chase after you immediately if you run away, right?”

Merilyn’s body trembled nervously.

Thinking that she too had surrendered, Flan smiled brightly and immediately approached Tashian.

“Now then, Mother, shall we first select the menu for the competition?”

“Hmm, menu… Everyone eats differently, so I’m not sure what to make first.”

“If you’re unsure, how about baby food for the elf children?”

“Baby food, you say?”

“Yes, since they’re the youngest children, don’t we need to take extra care in making it?”

“That’s a great idea~ Indeed, growing children need special attention, don’t they?”

“B-baby food? W-wait a minute. Are you saying you’re going to feed me baby food!? Don’t be ridiculous!! Do you know who I am… mmph!”

Something blocked Merilyn’s open mouth as she shouted in surprise.

Following the sound of sucking that came as soon as she swallowed her breath, her face turned pale.

“Mmph, mmph! Mmph!”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Merilyn. It would be troublesome if you were too noisy during the competition, so I blocked your mouth with ‘something I happened to have in my pocket’.”

Flan approached Merilyn with a smile and stroked the pacifier in her mouth.

Feeling humiliated by that action, Merilyn continued sucking while Flan casually reached into her bosom and began taking out various items.

“Don’t worry. I’ll untie you when it’s time to eat. Oh, and it would be better if I feed you directly to save you the trouble, right?”

“Mmph, mph!”

“Still, just in case, it would be troublesome if you spilled food and soiled your clothes, so here’s a bib for you~ Oh, and waiting while we cook might be boring, right? Here’s a toy for you~”

-Rattle, rattle~

A baby toy rattling in her bound hands.

Flan, looking at Merilyn adorned with tools prepared for the elves, stepped aside and showed Merilyn’s appearance to Tashian.

“Oh my~ Our Meri is so, so cute~”

And the response came as expected.

For someone full of maternal love like her, the sight of her daughter adorned with baby items was enough to make her lose her reason.

“Since our Meri looks so cute, mom needs to work hard too.”

“Mmph! Mmph!!”

“Don’t worry, Meri, mom will make you delicious baby food~”

Tashian stood at the counter humming and preparing ingredients.

Flan, watching her with satisfied eyes, turned to the frozen Merilyn, placed a hand on her shoulder, and began to raise the corners of her mouth.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Merilyn. As long as you don’t misbehave, I too will accept you as a member of the ark and take care of you wholeheartedly~”

“So from now on, please enjoy my service comfortably~♡”

Hostility had long disappeared from her face.

For the maid who realized she no longer needed to fear the being before her, all that remained was malicious sadism aimed at the one who had mocked her.