episode_0017

Episode 17

My head hurts.

Perhaps from squeezing my thoughts to deliver a message to Chris, it hurts more than yesterday.

At least the message seemed to have been delivered properly. Since Chris, who had a heart for me and even ate Mahwahwan, promised compensation, he would surely grant the request.

Although I had no reluctance in using him, I had no choice but to have an essential ally inside to escape from here.

“…It seems like you enjoyed the conversation.”

As soon as the sand in the hourglass ran out, Lumaniel, who blew away Chris with magic, puffed up her cheeks and nestled into my arms.

Transformed into a demon, her enhanced senses perceived her presence even more strongly than before.

Why are women’s bodies so soft and fragrant, and yet why are they stronger than me?

It was always a mystery, but facing each other’s skin like this felt even stranger. Shouldn’t someone like me with more muscles be stronger? Could this be the mystery of life?

“Edward?”

No, it won’t work. Even if I deliberately try to think about something else, it becomes increasingly difficult to resist the physical response.

My current state was truly a double ordeal. The urge to rise from below and the impulse to emerge from above continued.

Whichever change Lumaniel sensed, it was certain that she would be overwhelmed without any reward for delaying time until now.

Even if my dignity is tarnished, it doesn’t matter to me, but I didn’t want to do it because Leila would be sad.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

With a worried look, Lumaniel leaned her face close to mine, and our eyes met. It felt like I was being sucked into her gem-like eyes.

My body is hot. It has been like this since eating Mahwahwan, but I gradually felt that I was reaching my limit.

I was worried because Chris, who also ate Mahwahwan, had a precedent, but contrary to my concerns, there was no feeling of erosion or change in my ego and consciousness.

Instead, my body became incredibly active. Already living a stimulating life in various ways, not being able to relieve it felt like I was going to die.

“Lumi.”

“Huh, what?!”

Unintentionally calling out with heat, Lumaniel’s face turned red in an instant.

The sensation that horns were about to sprout cannot be properly described in words, but I somehow became convinced that once they sprouted, they could not be returned to their original state.

It was probably related to the activation of the body. It felt like accelerating the transformation into a demon when putting the body into a combat state or becoming excessively excited.

“Ugh…”

As I gently stroked her chin, which she lifted, a moan escaped. Watching her close her eyes and savor my touch made me feel ecstatic.

At this rate, I felt like I would be the first to lose control rather than Lumaniel, but I couldn’t take my hands off.

The lower part of my body had already hardened to the point of pain. Lumaniel seemed to have felt it too, pressing her hips closer.

We looked at each other. Driven by an irresistible attraction, our faces drew closer.

Just before our distance became zero.

“Your Majesty!”

A knock was heard. Startled, I quickly moved back as Lumaniel turned roughly towards the door and shouted.

“Who goes there!”

Ah, she’s really angry. The momentum caused by anger made her scream like a wild beast, and a frightened response came from outside the door.

“I-I’m invading!”

“What nonsense!”

Lumaniel got up and rushed to open the door. As she did, the female demon standing outside trembled and tried to say something.

“Go and listen. Be quiet for now! Edward! Don’t do anything foolish and behave yourself!”

In front of the subordinate, perhaps due to the interruption at the moment of starting, Lumaniel, who instructed me in a rough tone, closed the door with the Yema tribe and left.

Thanking the unknown demon who allowed me to stop in the middle, I got up from the bed and went near the window.

The entire Demon King’s castle was very noisy. Soldiers were busy arming themselves and there were echoes coming from all over.

Combining the word “invasion” that I just heard here… It would be natural to think that the Human Alliance army formed by Lumaniel’s attack had invaded.

I told Chris that we would act in a few days, but I can’t miss this opportunity.

I bowed and grasped the chain wrapped around my ankle. I still didn’t know how much power I had gained as a demon, but it would be difficult to immediately break the chain made for demons in the first place.

It’s okay. I never planned to break free from the chains in the first place. I knew there was a way to escape without necessarily breaking the shackles.

Following the chain on my ankle with my gaze, I approached the wall where the chain was fixed.

“Hoo.”

The rest depended on how far Chris could move in this situation.

Hoping that things would work out well, I pulled with all my might on the chain connected to the wall.

After finishing the conversation with Edward, Chris, following the orders of one of the three generals, Nephanis, was searching near the Demon King’s castle.

The reason for the search was, of course, to find his younger sister, Laila, who had infiltrated the demon realm.

Even so, he wasn’t really sincere about finding her, so he was wandering around aimlessly when a colleague came running and told him an unbelievable story.

“Halli Bell has invaded?”

“That’s right! It’s insane! It’s not the Alliance army or the Dweor Kingdom army! She came alone with Bell’s forces!”

He agreed that it seemed insane, but if she was his mother, she was someone to be reckoned with.

‘Wait, if Mother moved at this timing…’

Due to his frailty, he had never taken direct action, but nevertheless, she was also Bell. He knew well that there couldn’t be any meaningless military actions.

“General Nephanis has called for a meeting! We need to go quickly!”

“No, you go alone.”

“What!? What are you talking about?”

“I’ll tell you that the enemy is aiming for a pincer movement. You’ll understand that.”

It wasn’t a lie. If he lied now, he wouldn’t be able to justify his actions later, and even if he were questioned later, he could blame his lack of ability for failure.

Even if he managed to get Edward to escape, it would be meaningless if he died. It wasn’t so much the fear of death itself as the fear of not being able to see him again because he died in vain.

Therefore, giving his companion a suitable hint, Chris ignored her calling him and ran out.

‘Even if she’s a demon, the only one who can confront Mother is probably a Demon King. In other words, the Demon King’s castle is like an empty house right now!’

So, although it was different from the original plan, Chris speculated that Edward, too, would consider the current situation as an opportunity.

In fact, her thoughts were turning out to be exactly right.

Halli Bell, leading the soldiers of the territory, was in battle with the defense forces at the entrance of the Lemen Forest.

To counter this, the Demon King Lumaniel rushed there immediately, with the two generals following behind, excluding the injured Peronica.

Of course, no matter how formidable Halli Bell was, confronting the entire Demon King’s army alone was impossible, and she herself must have been well aware of that fact.

Nevertheless, the troops must have come to lead an attack solely for Layla, who infiltrated the underworld alone. It meant to hurry and save Edward while buying time.

“Mother wouldn’t allow Layla to move alone, so it must not have been planned in advance, but you know.”

Chris, who accurately understood the situation to avoid being mistaken for Bell, entered the demon castle. However, she did not head straight to the demon’s room where Edward would be.

Confident that seizing the opportunity was not just for herself and Edward, she hurriedly searched the bustling demon castle and soon found the target she was looking for.

“Layla!”

“Sister?!”

Although they were sisters who found each other, their running speed did not decrease.

Without slowing down, the sisters continued.

“Die!”

“You die!”

They swung their swords at each other.

—

Arriving at the Lemen Forest, which could be considered the entrance to the underworld, Lumaniel, who had been observing the situation, raised an eyebrow.

“No casualties?”

“Yes. Since Hali Bell is rampaging alone, it’s probably the same over there.”

It was an impossible situation. The opponent was Erems’s nightmare. Although Lumaniel had not directly faced him yet, wasn’t he the demon slayer who had been ingrained in his ears since childhood?

Over a decade ago, the former demon king raised an army to unite the demon realm. Ignoring the closest Dweer, he continued his aggressive campaign, gradually destroying the surrounding small kingdoms.

The plan to expand the demon territory was thwarted not by the belated Human Alliance but practically by Hali Bell alone.

“With such a presence rampaging, and no casualties…”

It was something that could only be seen as turning a blind eye. At the same time, although some possibilities crossed Lumaniel’s mind, it was too late to turn back.

Erems’s nightmare was approaching right in front of them.

“Jegiral!”

For whatever reason, he couldn’t leave his subordinates fighting while retreating. Cursing inwardly, Lumaniel stepped forward.

“Everyone step back. I will go out.”

Including the generals, no one tried to stop or deter Lumaniel. Facing Erems’s nightmare and acting in such a way was not loyalty but merely an obstruction.

As Lumaniel raised his momentum and stepped forward, the demons fighting with Hali quickly withdrew.

As the fleeing demons did exactly as Lumaniel expected, Hali, watching her, chuckled.

“Oh my. This demon lord is quite young, isn’t he? We look about the same age, how old are you?”

“There’s no need to provoke recklessly. You already know why you’re here.”

“Is that so? That’s fortunate. Arguments like this don’t suit my taste.”

Hali lightly waved her greatsword hanging on her shoulder. A simple act, but the resulting wind left numerous scars on the ground.

In response, Lumaniel drew his sword and said,

“While cherishing your child is admirable, the price to move a demon lord must be paid dearly, Bell.”

“If you fear the cost, you can’t call yourself a parent. To protect your child, even wielding a sword against a demon lord is what being a parent is all about, little one.”

Explosive energy erupted from both sides, intertwining as if devouring each other, signaling the start of the duel.