episode_0152

000

“This is… the room of the manager of this store from before…”

Alulu was taken aback by the sudden teleportation, but soon took a deep breath and released Arondight’s liberation. She was still concerned about the story Raymond, or rather, Remilia, was telling just before. But what’s important now is confirming that others are safe, more than her. Fortunately, Iona, looking exhausted, and Eustace, with a haggard expression, were next to her. She could tell that they had also been re-teleported and gathered here.

The reason the teleportation magic circle reactivated is simple. Cleon beheaded Kamala, the owner of the magic circle, and, after barely keeping her alive with his dark magic, ordered her to summon everyone. Her body had completely disintegrated and disappeared, and accordingly, Kamala, having lost her core heart, should have been forcibly returned to hell on the spot, but even that was not allowed. Iona and Alulu simply stared in silence at Cleon, who was sitting with his back against the bed next to her, after seeing her rolling around in her room, shedding tears, snot, and a nosebleed, with only her head remaining.

“Cleon, you’re safe. And, you succeeded in… subduing the demon?”

“Yeah. I’m glad you guys are safe too.”

The moment Cleon said that, Eustace, who had been teleported with Iona, collapsed to the ground. The traces of dark magic had disappeared from Mistilteinn, which he was holding, but his body showed no signs of returning to normal.

Iona quickly checked Eustace’s condition and found that he had simply fainted due to the side effects of moving his body beyond its limits.

“His life is not in danger, it seems.”

Cleon, letting out a sigh of relief at Iona’s words, picked up Kamala’s head, which was rolling on the ground. Kamala, hearing a “Hiek” sound, looked up at Cleon with a pale face, as Cleon’s hand grabbed her head.

“Okay. Now, you’re going to have to tell me this and that.”

“N-no. Even if I tell you, you’re going to send me back to hell anyway…!”

Kamala resisted Cleon’s words, sweating profusely. She knew best that she had no choice, having been defeated. Because if she revealed their secrets here, there was a possibility that she would not be resummoned.

Cleon stared at Kamala’s resisting head for a moment, then sighed deeply. Then, with a truly pitiable, dark, and sad expression, he grabbed her head with one hand.

“You may not understand this, being a demon. But sometimes, being allowed to die is the greatest mercy.”

“…Huh?”

Cleon continued, speaking to Kamala, who was making a foolish sound as if asking what he was talking about.

“I have a mage among my companions who studies ancient technologies. I can’t even imagine how happy he’d be if I gave him something like a living demon’s head as a gift.”

“Lyla, so that’s your taste…”

“Shhh…”

“Hmph. I’m not afraid of a low-level modern mage. I could even absorb magic power from that mage, you know?”

Kamala felt a moment of unease, but she raised her voice as if trying to pretend she wasn’t afraid of Cleon. But Cleon, looking at her, pressed on even further.

“That guy will do anything for research, you know? He might open your head and examine your brain. Come to think of it, there was a guy at the Academy who stuck needles in brains to extract information from them…”

“Needles in the brain…? Open the head…? What’s wrong with you humans!? Even demons don’t do that!”

“That’s a relief then. I guess you’ll have a fresh experience.”

Looking down at Kamala, who was screaming in horror at the cruelty (?) of humans, Cleon quietly smiled.

“Ugh… Humans are more demonic than demons…!”

“Are you a little more willing to answer my questions now?”

Kamala quickly turned her head. If she answered here and was annihilated, being reverse-summoned to hell, she could plan for an opportunity later to be resummoned by Ishtar or Lilim and take revenge at that time. She already knew the difference in skill well while fighting this man, so if she saved up a lot of magic power in preparation for that, she thought she could do something about it. So. This was not being scared of this man or his companions at all, but rationalizing it as a brave retreat for two steps forward.

Be that as it may. Her face was pale and she was making groaning sounds with her eyes tightly closed, making her look like a complete loser.

“O-okay… What do you want to know…?”

Kamala finally uttered words close to a declaration of surrender, quietly looking up at Cleon. Alulu and Iona silently applauded inwardly at the sight. To scare a demon, whose nourishment comes from negative human emotions, magic power, and vitality, and break its will. Of course, the two thought that Lyla would do anything to extract information from the demon. In any case, if they could obtain their information with this, it would be easier to take action afterward.

“First… Return all the brainwashed and gender-swapped men, including Eustace, back to normal.”

First of all, the top priority would be that. Eustace also suffered an accident while coming to find them. If they return, the Adventurer’s Guild will also return to normal.

But Kamala, hearing those words, turned her gaze away with a flick, sweating profusely. She hesitated before answering.

“I, I can’t do that…”

“… …”

When Cleon looked at her with a suspicious look, Kamala closed her eyes tightly and shouted as if throwing caution to the wind.

“I, it’s true! That technique was developed by Sister Ishtar, so I know how to cast it, but I don’t know how to undo it…! Only she can undo it…!”

“Ishtar… The succubus with human and demon blood who is the leader of Astaroth.”

Cleon nodded at Iona’s words.

“And, she was also playing strange tricks at the Academy…”

Obstructing the fight or using a seduction demon. Alulu’s face blushed slightly as she recalled her secret meeting with Cleon, but she soon shook her head and looked at Kamala’s head.

“Is that true?”

“I, it’s true! I swear on the name of the Demon Lord!”

When Cleon glanced at Caliburn, she instantly transformed into light, taking the form of a human—a beautiful young girl—and sat next to Cleon, looking into Kamala’s eyes.

Soon, she sighed and told Cleon with a bored expression.

“It’s not a lie~ It seems to be the truth~”

“Tch…”

Cleon nodded at Caliburn’s words and clicked his tongue. Does that mean he can’t free the captured men just by catching her?

“Then. Why are you doing this? What exactly is Astaroth’s goal?”

When Cleon asked about that, Kamala made a frustrated voice as if what was coming was coming, then took a deep breath.

She cautiously opened her mouth and answered his question.

“What Sister Ishtar and Sister Lilim are aiming for is the descent of Demiurge ‘Satanel’…. For that, they are changing men into women to create a source of powerful magic power. The ‘Crystal of Perfection’…”

“A, A Crystal of Perfection!?”

It was Iona who raised her voice at Kamala’s words, who had been quietly listening to the story from the side. She jumped up and approached her, grabbing her face and looking into her eyes. Cleon and Kamala were embarrassed by her sudden action, but the heat felt in her eyes came from her thirst for knowledge.

“The Crystal of Perfection is a magical source that appears very, very rarely even in ancient records! Only a few know the manufacturing technique, and if you have it, you can obtain magic power that is close to omnipotent… that!?”

Iona, shaking Kamala’s head as she spoke, was excited and Kamala, even in her grabbed state, somehow answered her with a “Y-yes, yes, yes, that’s right, that…”

“I, Iona. Calm down.”

When Cleon put his hand on Iona’s shoulder and spoke, Iona widened her eyes as if surprised by her actions. Then she coughed dryly, stepped away from Kamala, crossed her arms, and told Cleon.

“I, I’m sorry. Cleon. I never thought the name of the Crystal of Perfection would come up here…”

“Just hearing the story, all I know is that it’s a substance with immense magical power… But what does that have to do with turning women into men?”

When Cleon asked Kamala that, Kamala had a complicated expression like a child who had swallowed bitter medicine and quietly continued the story.

“The Crystal of Perfection. Is a substance made using humans as materials. And, not just ordinary humans. But men and women. It is made by refining the soul of unity, which has both souls.”

“…So?”

Cleon didn’t get a very clear feeling even after listening to her explanation, so he asked again. Iona answered instead of Kamala.

“Um… In other words. It’s about resolving the imperfection of humans who only have one gender. And creating a crystal using a soul imbued with the concept of perfection as a material. Ancient documents sometimes say. Humans with both gender identities appeared, and such people were considered to have immense magical potential. However, thanks to that, they were often persecuted by many people and died without living out their full lives…”

“Well. The truth is that the ancients secretly killed them to create the Crystal of Perfection, though…”

Kamala chuckled at Iona’s words. Cleon thought that the more the truth about the ancients was revealed, the more he would have no choice but to hate them.

“Anyway. By forcibly making men into women. If both the male self and the female self coexist or are in perfect harmony. They judged that they could create a soul of unity even artificially. That’s what your contractor did.”

“That’s right. I nodded after hearing the story, but there are no success stories yet. If they are eroded by magic power, only one of the man’s self or the woman’s self remains. They often experience disharmony with the body and collapse, or they completely give up their masculinity and become women. It’s often one of the two.”

“…Wait. To bring down Demiurge. Isn’t it enough to activate the factor? Why do you need something like a source of magic power?”

Cleon was listening to her story, recalling what he had experienced at the Academy, and asked her another question. Rail and the Black Covenant aimed for the factor that Beatrix had, rather than securing magic power to descend the Demiurge Saclas.

“Of course, Sister Ishtar has the factor, but it’s only a part. She’s working hard to find the other person with it, but. As a fallback, she’s trying to fill the missing factor by using the infinite magic power of the crystal.”

“Using the people of the kingdom as experimental animals to summon a demon…”

Alulu couldn’t hide her anger at the demons’ behavior of playing with the people of the kingdom that she had to protect. When Cleon grabbed her clenched fist, Alulu quietly released the strength from her hand and looked at Cleon.

“It’s not like me to give myself over to anger… But this time, it’s a little difficult.”

“…I know. But. If we gather information like this, we can definitely stop it.”

At Cleon’s words, Alulu nodded and asked Kamala.

“Where is Ishtar? How much power do you guys have?”

“Th, that’s… Because of the, the covenant…”

When Cleon looked at Caliburn once again, Caliburn made a circle with her finger and showed it to Cleon. It meant that she was telling the truth. Then, Cleon questioned Camilla as if he didn’t understand well.

“Covenant? Are you saying that what you’ve said so far is outside of the covenant?”

“Y, yes…”

Of course, any information would be important, but he couldn’t understand the fact that they didn’t place a covenant on revealing their purpose and means. It seemed that Iona was the same, tapping her forehead with her index finger and talking.

“I don’t really know what Ishtar is thinking.”

“It may be as difficult as reading a demon’s mind… Anyway. The work to be done has been decided.”

Cleon said that and handed Kamala’s head to Caliburn. As Kamala touched Caliburn’s skin, a hissing sound rose, and she screamed “Kyaaaaack~!” from the powerful divine magic power that Caliburn was emitting. Caliburn just smiled at Kamala, holding her cheeks in her hands.

“We have to find Ishtar and stop her before they make something called the Crystal of Perfection, and if possible, find another person with Satanel’s factor before that person and protect them on this side…”

“Yes. And, a way to turn the women who have become men back… Lyla and I will have to research that.”

Cleon nodded at Iona’s words and looked at Alulu.

“I… will help Saint Princess with my mother. Together with Cleon. As a warrior who is the shield of the kingdom.”

Alulu said that and clenched her fist once again. In that fist, there was a will to encourage herself, rather than anger.

“W-wait a minute! I told you everything you wanted, so let me go now! No, forcibly repatriate me!”

Kamala, screaming while being held in Caliburn’s hand, raised her voice, and Cleon looked at her.

“Doesn’t Ishtar have any weaknesses?”

“We, weaknesses!? Come to think of it, she said that she didn’t want to fight that person- Ah, ouch!?”

Cleon seemed interested in her words and took Kamala’s head from Caliburn.

“Who is that?”

“Th, that’s-”

001

“So. You brought this with you?”

Lyla, together with Cleon, was in her room. She was looking at the pink-haired demon’s head, which was placed on the table with a gag in its mouth.

After that, she worried about what to do with the feminized men who had been liberated from the brothel. First, she decided to report to the Tromea family and prepare a place where they could be protected. Alulu took them along a path that was not visible to people and headed for the Duke’s mansion.

…Some of the men regained their memories and harmed themselves out of shame and self-loathing. Fortunately, Iona stopped them, and they were transported unconscious. However, most of them did not regain their memories and were waiting for customers without realizing that they had lost their jobs.

Treatment for them had to be done in some way, but the method was not yet visible.

That’s why. Cleon, as planned from the beginning. He returned to Lyla with Kamala’s head. Lyla had been sighing ever since she came in with something wrapped in a bundle and handed it to him without showing it to Sasha or Quon, because she had an uneasy feeling. Furthermore, she could feel something moving inside the bundle.

“What a great trophy.”

“There are still many things to investigate.”

Cleon said that and pulled out Kamala’s gag, and she took a breath and looked at Cleon with resentful eyes.

“Beast! Angel! Demon!”

“What’s the angel. …Ah, is it an insult to you guys since it’s the opposite of a demon.”

“You know that well…! No, that’s not it! It was a promise that if you told me what you know, you’d send me back!”

When Kamala said that, Cleon smiled at her.

“I never promised. I just said that would be a merciful measure.”

“Y-you…”

Lyla grabbed Camilla’s head and pried open her eyes, looking at her pupils up and down with her fingers.

“Are you saying to investigate this head and find a way to turn the men who have turned into women back to normal?”

“That’s right. She says she doesn’t know how to undo it, but based on the memories she has, we should be able to analyze the technique, right?”

Lyla looked at Cleon for a moment, then raised one corner of her mouth and smiled. Her eyes were already sparkling with the joy of finding a new research subject.

“Of course! To be honest. I didn’t think I would be of much help just by fighting demons. But if it’s something like this, it’s my field…! Hmph! Cleon knows that well too!”

“Of course. Because I’ve been helped so many times… I’ll ask you again this time. Lyla.”

Lyla, hearing Cleon’s words, blushed and swept her hair back. Apparently, she was still a little embarrassed to hear a frank request from him.

“…Leave it to me. There’s also the matter of the Trismegistus, but. After all, we can’t leave the demons alone like this. I’ll have to trust the Tromea family’s investigative power and wait.”

Cleon also nodded at Lyla’s words. There were many things to do, but rushing could ruin even things that would have gone well. Dealing with the problems in front of him one by one is the secret to a successful adventure.

Lyla smiled brightly at Cleon, then rolled up her sleeves and stood up from her seat. Then she took out the analysis tools she had stuffed into her bag.

“Hey, what’s that small excavator you’re holding in your hand? Mage unnie?”

“Ah, this? Don’t worry. I’ll regenerate you properly. Ah. Of course, only your head.”

“W-wait a minute!? Cleon-nim! Save me! This kid seems to be using a drill instead of a needle!?”

Leaving the pleasant voice behind, Cleon left Lyla’s room.

002

Dinner time. Cleon, who had finished setting the table with Quon’s help, headed to Lyla’s room to call Lyla, who hadn’t been out of her room since he handed her Kamala’s head during the day.

Today’s menu was salmon dishes that Lyla liked, so if he started eating before her, he would have to see the sight of her cheeks puffing out.

Quon and Sasha were also sitting at the table waiting for her to come down.

“Lyla. It’s dinner time, take a break soon and-”

After knocking twice, Cleon opened the door of the room, which was not locked, and stepped inside. He couldn’t help but be instantly embarrassed by the heat and sweet scent emanating from the room.

“…Lyla?”

“Wa, wait! Wait! Cleon! Ah…Ugh…♡”

Hearing Cleon’s voice, Lyla, who had turned her back to Cleon and was curling up her body, raised a voice close to a moan. Looking at her workbench, he could see Kamala’s head passed out. Did she do something to her!?

“Lyla, are you okay!?”

Cleon raised his voice and tried to approach her and check her face. The moment he put his hand on her shoulder and tried to turn her around.

Her body, something was wrong.

Her red hair and blue eyes were back to normal. He could understand that her body was warm because she originally had a high body temperature. But, from the neck down.

Were her breasts this big originally?

“…Lyla-ssi…?”

“Ugh…”

Lyla’s breasts, which could not be called large even as a figure of speech, were now swollen to the size of her head. Since her original body line was slender, the appearance was a little abnormally erotic. In addition, because her chest was being squeezed due to her clothes not fitting, something, a liquid, was flowing out from the tip and soaking her clothes. He could see that the reason the scent of sweet liquid, warmed by her body temperature and rising with warm steam, was filling this room.

“What-”

“Cl, close!”

Before Cleon could say anything further, Lyla used the magic of closure to close her door.

Then, showing a flushed face towards Cleon, she quietly opened her mouth.

If a bang was heard from behind, Cleon carefully looked at Lyla’s face. She grabbed Cleon’s sleeve with a steep breath, sweating from her head.

“S, sorry. Cleon. Th, this…. Solve it, together…”

Quon and Sasha are waiting. The moment he was about to say that, Lyla’s lips overlapped with Cleon’s.

When he felt a soft and smooth sensation near his chest, Cleon nodded as if he couldn’t help it.