Ch.235Now Going to Meet the NPC (5)

That day, my wounds from the humans hadn’t even fully healed yet. I clearly saw the human man who descended from above the cave where I had fallen stop just before attacking me.

“…Oh, oh. Don’t come…!!”

And I did see him withdraw his fist, asking if I was crying. However, I couldn’t help feeling more afraid because his appearance somehow resembled those who had attacked me that day.

-Thud, thud.

I shouted, stretching out my arm threateningly, but the gray-haired man, faintly illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the hole above the cave, approached me without seeming to care. Ah, I’ve used all my demonic energy to recover my body, so if I fight now, I’m finished.

“I said don’t come!!”

Should I die like this, or should I force myself to activate my power one more time with almost no demonic energy left and try to control this man? I didn’t have many options.

“I, I, Luxuria of the Seven Deadly Sins, command you!! Lust (Luxuria), the source of all life! Reproduce!!”

The power I forcibly activated by squeezing out what little demonic energy I had was weaker than that night when I was wounded. They say that the power I activated that day could cover the moon in the sky with demonic energy even when I was on the verge of death, but now I couldn’t even block the beam of light leaking from the cave hole. However, that doesn’t mean the ability of my power has disappeared. The black smoke that amplifies sexual desire in living beings and takes control of their minds by dominating their nature to focus on reproduction properly attached to the man walking toward me…

“Huh? Haa-choo?!!”

-PAAANG!!!

“Eeeek?!!”

Just as the demonic smoke was about to enter his nostrils, he tilted his head as if something was strange, then let out a tremendous sneeze that completely blew away the smoke of my power!!

What the heck?! Is this normal?! Is it normal for my power to be blown away by a human sneeze?!!

-Sniff.

“What was that? Was that a power activation just now? I don’t feel any mental attack coming in?”

The man, who scratched his high nose bridge once after sneezing, spoke as if he knew about my power and then completely approached me. Ah, hahaha. Well, this seems to be the end for me. A demon’s power being blown away by a sneeze!! I’ve never heard of such a thing?!!

“Hahaha… *sniff*. Ah, please, make it painless, in one go.”

Finally lowering my outstretched arm, I raised my head and looked at the man. Oh, come to think of it, could this be the man the demon follower who summoned me talked about? Gray hair with orange eyes. He’s quite handsome, but I heard he’s a human who fights brutally without using weapons, the one who killed Ira of Wrath by using Avaritia who betrayed the demons, so I guess this man is…

“Hmm. Painlessly in one go, you say? Wouldn’t getting hit hurt anyone? But wait, what’s this? Your face looks very familiar…”

“…Huh, what?”

The man who suddenly started saying strange things sat down and began staring intently at my face. Eh? Could he have fallen for my beauty? Was that a pickup line just now?!! This…!!!

“Hmm, where have I seen you before? It’s not from game memories…”

“A-ahem! W-we are meeting for the first time today, but if, if you’re okay with it, should we in-introduce ourselves?!”

Having lived as the Deadly Sin of Lust for 4,000 years! Perhaps because the only person who ever showed interest in me while I was conscious was Wrath, my voice trembled involuntarily, and I even bit my tongue at the end!! B-but it’s for survival!! I don’t want to die yet!!! I don’t want to become a corpse next to an animal carcass!!!

“…Introductions, introductions? Ah? AH!! Hey, wait a minute.”

“Eh, ehhh?!!”

The man, who suddenly seemed to realize something, began to reach out and gently grabbed my hair with both hands, pulling it back!! W-what is this?! Is this how humans court?!! No, this is strange!! Is it normal to touch a woman’s hair like this when you’ve just met?!!

But his touch wasn’t forceful; he was slowly brushing my hair upward with gentle hands, so I just stayed still, swallowing hard. It’s not like resisting would do any good except cause me pain. Besides, the way he’s stroking feels oddly familiar. Mmm… it, it feels nice.

“Ha, haha. Just as I thought…”

“*Gulp!*”

The follower said he was quite handsome, but seeing him up close, he’s not just handsome—he’s gorgeous! After manipulating my hair from various angles at a distance where our noses almost touched, the man seemed satisfied and neatly arranged my hair before letting it down. Then he raised the corner of his mouth and spoke.

“About those introductions? My name is Jack. I’m the one who killed Wrath among your Seven Deadly Sins, and I know ‘Avaritia.'”

“Ah, I see. M-my name is Luxuria… and, well, I don’t want to die right now?”

As I awkwardly scratched my head with my barely movable hand, the man looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, “Huh? Is this not right?” What’s going on? What is this handsome man dissatisfied with?!

“I told you I know Avaritia, right?”

“Ah, yes. I know her too. But, what about it…?”

“Hmm, you look exactly like Avaritia. Aren’t you Lust? Don’t you have confidence in your appearance?”

“…Eh?”

The man who suddenly said something that made my head go blank grabbed my chin and began examining my face closely.

Wait, wait a minute. Who looks like whom? I don’t have confidence in my appearance?! That can’t be right!!! Are you looking down on me for being single for 4,000 years?!!

-Slap!!

“Oh.”

“D-don’t be ridiculous!! I am the most beautiful among demons, the Deadly Sin of Lust!! It’s not that I look like her!! She’s the one copying me and transforming into me!!!”

When I unconsciously became angry and slapped his hand away while shouting, the man, undisturbed by being hit, nodded to himself as if saying, “Ah, so that’s it?”

What a rude man!! He touches my hair and face as he pleases, and then compares me to someone like Avaritia?!! She was never a match for me in looks to begin with?!! That bitch!! Why is she going around with my appearance?!!

“Y-you!! Even if I’m weakened and easily killed, I have no reason to tolerate this kind of treatment…!!”

“Sorry, sorry. Certainly, looking closely, you are prettier.”

“Hiccup?!!”

I involuntarily hiccupped at the man’s words as he apologized and complimented me. Then he muttered to himself, “Now I understand what my ancestor meant when he said she was pretty and that was good,” nodding as if understanding something on his own, which started to irritate me.

No!! Am I in a life-threatening situation right now? Or is this a chance to seduce this man?! Which is it?!!

“You! If you’re going to kill me, just do it quickly!!”

“Huh? But you just said you didn’t want to die.”

“O-of course I don’t!! But I don’t want to live being treated like this!! I am the Deadly Sin who encourages all sexual desire and love!! This, this…!!!”

I don’t like how this man, whose appearance is exactly my type, examines me as if he’s found an interesting animal, and what’s worse, he was only interested in the fact that Avaritia takes my form. The situation feels like it’s playing with my heart, which was slightly fluttering until just now, and I start to feel upset again, involuntarily shouting in resignation, while the man just tilts his head in confusion.

Damn that Pride for making me believe false information and come to the human world! What kind of situation is this?! It’s unfair!! So unfair!! I’ve only been beaten by humans since I arrived!!! Not finding proper love and this…!!!

-Drip, drip.

“Huwaaah!! D-damn it!! Kill me!! If you’re going to kill me, do it now!!!”

It’s so embarrassing that my voice is cracking because of the tears that are overflowing again. I had accepted Pride’s plan to invade the human world thinking that, with luck, I might find someone in the human world whose mind couldn’t be controlled by my powers and who would love me ‘for who I am,’ but as soon as I arrived, I was beaten like a dog on a hot summer day, and now that I’ve barely survived, a man who’s my type is comparing me to another woman. I guess I’m definitely a being who can’t achieve love…

“Hmm, I don’t like that. You haven’t killed any humans yet, have you?”

“…What?”

“I just saw you activate your power. Your mind control ability is weak, and your wounds don’t show any signs of healing. From the looks of it, you came here, got beaten up without being able to do anything, and have just been crying alone, right?”

“Ugh!! Are you mocking me?! Is that what you’re doing?!!”

The man, who had only spoken the truth, which made me even angrier, burst into laughter at my words and began to stand up. What, what is it?! What’s so funny?!!

“I’ll give you two choices.”

“What?”

The gray-haired man smiled, held up two fingers in front of my eyes, and continued.

“One, you get captured by me, have your demonic energy sealed, and live in the human world.”

“…!!!”

If he seals my demonic energy, I’ll become even weaker than a low-level demon. That’s more terrifying than death!

“Is that so? Then, the second option. Betray the other Deadly Sins right now. I’m sorry to compare you to Avaritia again after what happened earlier, but like Avaritia, join the human side. Then I’ll take responsibility and protect you until you recover. And even after that, if you don’t attack humans, I’ll protect you ‘for life’ so you won’t die. How about it?”

“…Uh, what?”

F-for life? That’s completely…

“And if during that time you come to like me too, well, let’s see how things go.”

-Thump!!

“Uh, what? Huh? Huh? Eh?”

Surprised by the sudden loud beating of my heart, I touch my chest while looking at the gray-haired man. Uh, what? Could this be, no. But, what he just said is…!!

“What? You don’t like the second option either? Then, besides the first one…”

“No! I like it! Ha!! Let’s, let’s see! I, I, Luxuria of Lust, will make you submit to love instead!! You, you!! You’ll, you’ll regret this choice!!”

When I shouted with a trembling voice, putting on airs in response to the merciful words of the man who was toying with me, especially his words that seemed to suggest dating in the future, the man opened his eyes wide and then burst into laughter.

Why, why?! What’s so funny again?!!

“No, it’s just that I’m starting to understand why my ancestor said to take good care of you.”

Ancestor? Who has he been talking about all this time? Someone said to take good care of me? What on earth does he mean…?!!!

“Eek?! W-wait…!!”

“Well, let’s go with the second option. Let’s go up and make a contract. You demons have something like that, right?”

“We do!! We do, but?!! This…!!!”

Perhaps noticing that my legs were in pain, the gray-haired man Jack gently put his arms under my knees and around my waist, lifting me up, and while saying only what he wanted to say, he began climbing up to the hole above the cave, stepping on the walls with inhuman leg strength. And when we got outside.

“Oh. It’s a full moon today.”

The arrogant handsome man who had rescued me from the cave filled with animal carcasses—me, who had been forcibly confined in the cave for days, thinking there would be no ray of light in my remaining life—pointed to the bright gray moon in the sky, the same color as his hair, and smiled at me.

…While fulfilling the princess carry I had longed for since 4,000 years ago.