Chapter 206: The Fan Driven by Madness (1)

After Marianne came to see Sion, an hour passed while Sion calmly explained the journey she had taken.

That said, there wasn’t much to talk about.

There was no need to bring up the stories from her days reigning as the Demon King before the Great Invasion, and the events of the three years she traveled with Lier had already mostly been recorded and published by Mana.

What remained was only the very late part of the journey—the part intentionally left vague even in the travelogue.

The part where it’s revealed that “Magic Swordswoman Sion Lenos” and “Demon King Sien Astaroth” are the same person.

And as for Marianne’s reaction upon hearing about this time period—

“He, hehak…!! A Demon King who, after realizing his human emotions during his journey with his companions, deliberately lost in the final battle?! That’s SO COOL…! OH…

Wh-what should I do?! I’m so happy I feel like I’m going to faint from hyperventilating…!!!”

She rolled around on the floor, gushing endlessly.

No joke—it was seriously pathetic.

No matter how pretty a girl might be, if she rolls her eyes back and drools all over herself, it’s hard to feel any affection.

Sion, clearly uncomfortable with Marianne’s disgraceful behavior, waved her hand and said,

“Calm yourself. A young lady should not make such a spectacle of herself—”

“Kya, kyaaa♡♡♡♡!! Sien-sama is worried about me!!! What do I do, I’m so happyyyyyy!

No, I mean, if just a few words do this to me, what’s going to happen if she says anything more…!”

Leaving the flustered Sion behind, Marianne immersed herself in her own world, giggling uncontrollably for quite a while.

Finally, much later, she pulled herself together, covered in dust, and got to her feet.

“Huff, huff… It was really, truly such a wonderful story. It was so good I thought my heart was going to stop while listening.”

“If this story got out, Sien-sama’s fans would increase tenfold, I guarantee it!”

“No, don’t do that! Please! I’m begging you!”

Sion frantically tried to dissuade her.

Judging by the current state of modern society, even if it were revealed that Sion Lenos was actually a demon, it probably wouldn’t cause much trouble.

Her honor likely wouldn’t be tarnished at this point.

But what came after was the real problem.

Guaranteed, dozens more events like the last Hero Festival would be held all across the continent.

And with that, all those horrifying magic books would flood out in mass printings.

Sion couldn’t bear to face such a horrifying future.

She had to stop it no matter what.

“You must keep this a secret, absolutely! If it leaks, I shall never forgive you. Understood?”

“Of course! Don’t worry! I would never do anything to harm Sien-sama!”

Marianne answered immediately without hesitation.

Just to be sure, Sion read her mind using a mind-reading spell, but she really didn’t seem to harbor any hidden agenda.

If Sion told her to stay silent, she would; if Sion told her to die, she might just do it.

That last part was a bit unnerving in its own way, but for now, Sion decided to let it pass.

“By the way, why are you pretending to be a Hero, Sien-sama? Why are you hiding your true identity?”

“That’s a long story… but in short…”

Sion briefly summarized how she and Exia had reunited.

As expected, Marianne’s reaction was explosive.

“Eh, Exia-sama… woke up from her 100-year slumber the moment she heard Sien-sama’s voice…?! And even though your appearance had changed, she recognized you instantly?! Really?!?”

“A-ah, no, that’s because she first called me a ‘blockhead,’ so I responded…”

“Hiyahh?! I, I can’t take this!!! This is a lethal dose of Sien-Exia cuteness!!! I feel like I’m being consumed by the deadly poison of love!!!”

This was bad.

At this point, she wasn’t even listening anymore.

Marianne sprayed a violent nosebleed like a broken faucet and started thrashing around wildly.

At this rate, she might as well be called a “blood-leech” instead of a vampire.

Watching this scene from behind, Exia whispered,

-“She’s seriously crazy, isn’t she?”

“If we leave her alone, she’ll be running wild non-stop…”

-“I hate to say this, but Sion, could you do something to control her somehow?”

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible. How am I supposed to handle someone who can even withstand a mind crash?”

Even using an artifact wouldn’t likely change the outcome.

The [Eye of the Dominator] could alter minds broadly, but it wasn’t strong enough to break through that kind of resistance.

To begin with, it was bizarre for a mere underage girl to endure the Demon King’s mental destruction.

Just how solid was her ego, anyway?

Sion was once again reminded of the terrifying strength of a true, hardcore otaku.

And then, the next morning—

“Good morning, Master! Did you sleep well?”

“…….”

Marianne, now wearing a maid outfit and beaming with a dazzling smile, greeted her.

Sion blanked out for a moment.

She couldn’t understand the situation.

Countless questions popped up in her mind.

Why is she here?

When did she get into my room?

How did she break the lock?

Why is she greeting me beside my bed?

And more importantly, what was with that weird title I just heard?

“Th-the ‘Master’ thing…”

“Ah, did I accidentally let my true feelings slip? Oh no~ how embarrassing♡”

Marianne twisted her body bashfully and said,

“But I can’t help it. Ever since I was born, it was decided that the sole master of my soul would be you, Sien♡
So, Master Sien! Please don’t hold back and use me as you wish! Whether it’s cooking, cleaning, or even something indecent, feel free!”

“…………..”

Sien’s silence grew even longer. After much internal struggle, he barely managed to squeeze out a single word.

“…A cup of rum coffee, please. Black, no sugar.”

“Yeees, coffee, right? Understood♡”

Maid Marianne bowed deeply with a bright smile. Then, with her skirt fluttering, she briskly exited the room.

Having gained a moment of peace, Sion immediately shook the slumbering Exia awake.

“Exia! Exia! Wake up for a moment! Exia!”

-“Mmm…?”

Exia slowly blinked open her sleepy eyes. Groggily raising herself up, she wiped the drool from her mouth and mumbled,

-“What’s going on… Why are you panicking so much in the morning…”

“It’s Marianne! That Marianne girl attacked us!”

“Attacked…?”

Exia blinked drowsily and looked around. But Marianne was nowhere to be seen.

-“She’s not here? What do you mean she attacked?”

“She was just here! Dressed in a maid outfit, spouting suspicious stuff about serving me and whatnot! I barely managed to send her off by ordering her to make coffee!”

-“…?”

Exia tilted her head in confusion.

-“How is that an attack? Where?”

“Huh?”

-“I mean, if she’s offering to serve you, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? Why call that an attack? She’s doing something beneficial for you.”

“Uh, uh…?”

Sion was left speechless.

Now that she thought about it, there really was no reason for her to feel threatened by Marianne’s behavior just now.

In the first place, the power difference between them was overwhelming, making it impossible for her to cause any real harm.

While Sion stood there stunned, unable to reply, Exia frowned, clearly annoyed.

-“I thought Marianne was actually trying to assault you or something. You’re being dramatic.
Don’t wake me up over something so trivial. It’s a rare holiday, and I want to sleep until noon.”

“Y-yeah…”

Sion awkwardly trailed off, unable to argue for once.

Scratching her head, she watched as Exia flopped back onto the bed to resume sleeping.

It really wasn’t that big of a deal.

Whether Marianne served her or not, what difference did it make? She should just gratefully accept the help.

No matter how she reasoned it, the conclusion was the same: there was nothing wrong.

And yet…

Why was it, then?

Why had her instincts been blaring warning signals nonstop since earlier…?

“I’m back, Master!”

At that moment, Marianne burst through the door, carrying a tray with a steaming cup of coffee.

“Here’s your black coffee, made with lots of love! Please enjoy it!”

“O-oh, uh… thanks…”

Sion accepted the coffee cup with a reluctant expression.

It’s fine, right? It should be fine, right?

It’s safe to drink… right?

Just to be sure…

“You didn’t… put anything strange in this, did you?”

“Huh? Strange? Like what? You told me not to add sugar, so I followed your orders exactly.”

“No, I mean like… saliva, or blood, or something…”

Upon hearing Sion’s concern, Marianne let out a giggle.

“Ahaha, do you think I’m some kind of yandere? I would never do that!
There’s no way I’d do something like that to my beloved Sien~ That kind of thing only happens in exaggerated manga stories.”

“R-right? Hahaha—”

“Of course! I would never dare to taint your sacred body with something as filthy and lowly as mine…
Maybe if it were Lady Exia’s, that would be a different story…”

“.”

Sion’s hand, about to lift the cup to her lips, froze midair.

Cold sweat began pouring down her back like rain…