Kerdihak's Fury (3)
Kerdihak could do nothing but shut his mouth and stare blankly at the small succubus in the face of a situation he had never anticipated. When Lusteria had stepped forward to speak, he had been confident that no matter what she said, he would seize control of the conversation and extract the information he wanted. He had thought dealing with a young and innocent succubus would be far easier than facing Cardistella, who only stoked his anger without yielding a single word, and had even welcomed Lusteria's appearance. If he could simply learn whether the Demon Lord existed, he believed he could launch an attack right away and return home with peace of mind. To Kerdihak, Lusteria had seemed like a convenient shortcut.
No matter how carefully Lusteria tried to steer the conversation, he had assumed it would only benefit him. He expected her to make a desperate plea for him to withdraw for today, or a heartfelt request to overlook the powerless. At most, he predicted she might vent her resentment over the past incident that had killed her master, or attempt a feeble provocation by insulting him in imitation of Cardistella.
“First, you can use blueberries as they are, but personally, I think blueberry jam is better! Because the base ice cream or whipped cream is already sweet, using plain blueberries would only emphasize the sourness and you wouldn't taste the sweetness of the blueberries!”
“… Excuse me…”
“On top of that, if you use jam that's been cooked all the way through, you lose the unique flavor and texture of blueberries, so it's better to use jam that still has some shape left! In terms of texture, blueberry sugar preserves are fine too, but they lack that syrupy thickness unique to blueberry jam, so they're not great!”
This was truly beyond anything he had expected. He had been confident he could seize the initiative through clever rhetoric, but this situation had clearly slipped from Kerdihak's grasp. From the start, this was not a conversation at all—Lusteria was simply delivering a one-sided monologue about her own interests.
“Ice cream with less moisture is better! That way the sweet and rich flavor feels more concentrated, and the texture stays smooth!”
“I-I have no interest in this parfait thing…”
“Then I have to mention the manufacturing stage of ice cream. The mixing ratio is important, but the hardest part is the air! How you inject the air changes everything about the ice cream!”
Kerdihak tried several times to interrupt this one-sided cooking lesson, but none of his attempts worked. Lusteria simply kept talking, mercilessly ignoring every word he said. There was nothing he could do with words against her.
Lusteria was suspiciously serious about parfaits.
“In a situation where the Demon Lord's Castle's foundation isn't yet solid, we should avoid giving our enemies a sense of crisis. Rather, we need to spread false information that the reconstruction of the Demon Lord's Castle and the unification of the races were planned independently by the Demon Lord's army executives.”
“Understood. So Neromeltia's existence is confirmed as nonexistent, then?”
While a one-sided lecture on parfaits continued on one side, the rest of the Demon Lord's army executives were deep in a secret meeting. Beatrice's calm summary of the situation was so clear that it left no room for objection, so even Cardistella, who often argued with her, readily accepted her opinion. Then Crawford, who seemed to have thought of something, flinched and joined in, explaining what he had seen and heard.
“Lady Beatrice is correct! Our lord decided long ago to conceal her existence and even prepared a deception using Ego Dolls. She plans to create Ego Dolls modeled after the Humian soldiers who were sent to stop her resurrection and died, dispatch them to Esteronan, and have them deliver false reports claiming they succeeded in preventing her revival!”
“As expected of my master. So the magical research teams under Lady Hestinia were accelerating their Ego Doll research for that plan. To think she had already designed such a solid countermeasure… I am in awe of her profound insight.”
“Of course! Neromeltia is our Demon Lord, isn't she? Who could possibly rival the goddess of Luina and her wisdom? Maybe she told you about the Ego Doll plan, Crawford, because she foresaw this situation coming.”
“To indirectly convey through me her intention to hide her existence…?”
Beatrice and Cardistella smiled in admiration at Crawford's report. Cardistella went even further, thinking that the very content of the plan Crawford had heard was something Neromeltia had prepared in advance, foreseeing the current problem. Since Crawford learning of the Ego Doll plan would reveal that Neromeltia wanted to hide her existence, she believed that even if Kerdihak attacked later, Crawford would conceal her existence exactly as Neromeltia intended.
In truth, Neromeltia's Ego Doll plan had indeed been a scheme to hide her resurrection, but it was not a meticulously calculated plan designed with such precise foresight of the current situation as they believed. Yet by chance, events had aligned perfectly, and among the executives, it now seemed as though Neromeltia had predicted everything and crafted the optimal strategy.
If Neromeltia had witnessed this storm of misunderstandings, she would surely have been at a loss, her face pale with embarrassment.
Crawford wore a moved smile, thinking his lord was truly magnificent. Cardistella looked proud, as if it were her own achievement, while Beatrice lowered her head with a gentle smile, her expression reverent.
“It is almost shameful. I only thought of this while calculating how to resolve the immediate crisis, yet my master had already foreseen it long ago and set the plan in motion… It seems this humble maid can barely keep up with simply understanding and following her master's will.”
“Don't be ashamed! Even realizing Neromeltia's intention this late is impressive of you!”
“Lady Cardistella……”
Cardistella comforted Beatrice and even praised her. Their usual rivalry had vanished, replaced by a warm scene where respect for their Demon Lord fostered budding friendship. Hestinia found the entire situation highly amusing and giggled behind her hand. She clearly knew this was all excessive misunderstanding and delusion, yet she chose not to correct it, enjoying the moment because it was so entertaining.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Kerdihak is trying to determine whether our master exists. Therefore, he will likely remain still until that determination is made, but we cannot drag this out for long. If the situation where our master's existence cannot be confirmed continues, it becomes the same as her not existing. A dragon appearing at the Demon Lord's Castle without the Demon Lord showing herself carries that meaning.”
Having calmly summarized the situation, Beatrice turned her head. Her gaze shifted toward the orc army, who were burning with fighting spirit yet unable to shake off their tension while facing Kerdihak.
“That is why I said I would withdraw from this battle. We must minimize the movement of our forces and succeed in defense while keeping it secret so the enemy does not notice our strategy. Since Lady Cardistella and Sir Crawford have spoken at length with Kerdihak, if the two of you leave the battlefield, he will suspect we have another plan. The same goes for Lady Lusteria, who is currently diverting his attention.”
“Ah……”
“That is why I, the one who draws the least attention, must go to Caboni Forest. Losing just one executive will not be noticeable, and even if he notices, he will likely assume I went to help the residents evacuate. He does not know that the residents already evacuated earlier due to the appearance of Crimson Castle. Above all, Kerdihak has no experience facing me. I have only ever served at my master's side and have never engaged in external activities. He will probably dismiss me as merely a slightly strong maid. Given Kerdihak's arrogant nature, the chance he will be wary of me is extremely low, so my withdrawal from the battlefield will not stand out.”
Beatrice had designed a plan anyone could accept, based on information thoroughly analyzed from the situation. The others had no objections, and some even nodded in active agreement.
“But can you protect Caboni Forest alone, Lady Beatrice…?”
“I will go with the orc army. The orc army cannot fight effectively against a dragon, so even if they withdraw from the battlefield, Kerdihak will see it as the natural choice to avoid unnecessary sacrifices.”
Beatrice looked at Nella. Nella stood with her fists clenched, her mind already in battle stance. Beatrice's gaze toward her was filled with trust.
“Even if the ones attacking Caboni Forest are currently unknown, it is highly likely they are the Humian army. We cannot rule out the possibility of another dragon cooperating, but at the very least, the Humian forces will definitely come. After all, it was Kerdihak who joined forces with the Humians a thousand years ago. If that happens, the orc army will be able to fully demonstrate their abilities. Therefore, I will go with the orc army. Even if they struggle against a dragon, warfare against another army is their specialty.”
Kerdihak's patience was slowly reaching its limit. In truth, while he had only been listening to Lusteria's rambling, he had noticed the Demon Lord's army executives gathering behind her and conversing. They were clearly plotting something, yet he could not attack outright because he was tied down by Lusteria alone. If he became distracted attacking the executives and the Demon Lord launched a surprise attack, he would not be able to avoid a fatal wound. He might even die in a single blow. He had judged that if the Demon Lord had successfully resurrected yet still refused to show herself, she must be hiding and waiting for an opening.
However, the scales in Kerdihak's mind were gradually tipping in one direction. If the Demon Lord still did not appear even after this prolonged standoff, perhaps she had actually failed to resurrect. Perhaps the reconstruction of the Demon Lord's Castle he was witnessing was merely the independent work of weak beings who had grown weary of hiding and banded together. Perhaps the former Demon Lord's army executives had become the center in place of the Demon Lord and were dreaming of a counterattack.
At that moment, Cardistella, who had been conversing behind them, walked up beside Lusteria.
“Lastly, sugar powder is important too! It goes on top of the pure white cream, so it might not show much, but…”
Just as the blueberry parfait recipe was reaching its conclusion, Lusteria's parfait lecture ended when Cardistella placed a hand on her shoulder. Lusteria, who had been smiling brightly while giving her passionate lecture, finally revealed the fatigue she had been hiding. Even Lusteria, who had seemed to ignore Kerdihak so casually, had actually been extremely tense, and the mental strain had been considerable.
“Good work, Lusteria. Well done.”
“Hehehe…”
Cardistella gently patted Lusteria's shoulder and offered warm praise, and Lusteria responded with a bright, adorable smile that openly displayed her joy. Though exhaustion was clear on her face, Lusteria's smile was dazzlingly radiant.
After giving Lusteria a kind compliment, Cardistella stepped past her and moved further forward. She took the foremost position among the Demon Lord's army facing Kerdihak. Cardistella wore a meaningful smile. Her crimson lips stretched wide, revealing rows of sharp vampire fangs. With blood-red eyes gleaming, Cardistella shouted toward Kerdihak.
“The Demon Lord you are waiting for does not exist! The reconstruction of the Demon Lord's Castle was my plan from the beginning!!”
In that instant, violent sparks began to fly from the pair of crown-shaped horns on Kerdihak's head. Having achieved his objective, Kerdihak no longer needed to delay the situation. Fierce lightning began to blaze from Kerdihak's horns. It was as if he had been desperately waiting for this very moment.