214. The Demon of Darkness (1)
“Then, good luck.”
By the time Sisilia had casually dumped the newbies in front of a suitable dungeon and sauntered off, Ariana had plopped down at the entrance, sniffling back tears.
“A suitable dungeon? Really?”
“Why are you making that face like Siu?”
“Yeah, she said it’s suitable. It might even be easier than yesterday’s.”
Ariana shot Jay a glare for his thoughtless remark. But when she saw the rest of the party staring blankly at her, she let out a sigh.
“The dungeon ranks that get released to the public go from A to F. Anything the civilians can’t handle gets passed to the Windsor Knights.”
Ariana stood and brushed off her butt.
“...Which means Windsor calls dungeons ‘suitable’ that even adventurers, mercenaries, or the Mage Tower can’t clear. They’re a bunch of lunatics.”
In short, a “suitable” dungeon was anything but—named by the strongest knight order around.
“We’re done for. Telling a party that can’t even take down an ogre to kill a lower demon...?”
But contrary to Ariana’s fears—and beyond even Sisilia’s expectations—
“Sacrifice an offering, and I’ll let you go? Then you’ll do just fine.”
The hero party was brilliant.
Ariana had always been a solid mage, Jay brought his gutsy heart, Ian his sharp insight and smart mana distribution—always punching above his weight. And Ruby—
She was a star that outshone all their talents, utterly peerless.
“Slicing the air with her sword to summon a meteor shower, turning the whole dungeon to ash.”
Sisilia smiled warmly at the updated dungeon攻略 guide.
“Wow, wasn’t that the trick Sisilia showed us in a suitable dungeon? We couldn’t figure it out ourselves, but she nailed it solo.”
Beatrice—who’d opposed it fiercely at first—was now nothing but cheers for the hero party’s eye-opening growth.
“At this rate, they might actually be useful.”
“Yeah.”
But Sisilia’s face stayed blank. Beatrice, who’d expected her to be thrilled, tilted her head.
“Everyone but one.”
Even without the standout Ruby, Jay, Ian, and Ariana showed steady progress. Jay especially fought well despite still not knowing his own blessing.
But one was a problem.
“Siu.”
Siu trembled before Sisilia.
“In every single subjugation, you bolted without fail. Right in the middle of fights.”
“H-hic. Th-that’s...”
Sisilia couldn’t tolerate Siu. Back at the academy, he hadn’t joined in bullying Ruby but hadn’t stopped it either. Beatrice had beaten him bloody as punishment—and she was surprisingly lenient with her subordinates’ choices—or she’d have booted him like the rest.
One of the four great blessings Sisilia recognized: Darkness. Such immense power, wasted on a crappy pilot.
Time’s no issue—Freya’s got that covered. But no darkness? That’s trouble.
She couldn’t replace him. She wasn’t cruel enough to kill over cowardice.
“You’re too scary. What am I supposed to do?”
“I assigned missions with razor-thin margins based on all your stats. Ruby overperformed, or you’d all be dead without Siu’s share.”
Siu blubbered snot and tears.
“S-see? Hero party’s too much for m-me. L-let me quit now...”
“Sure. Understood.”
Sisilia’s clean acceptance stunned Siu—his tears even stopped.
“...For real?”
“Yes. But you’re no longer hero party, so no more basic supplies. Dorm room’s gone too—leave Terezia.”
As Sisilia donned her coat to leave, Siu panicked and clung to her cape, groveling.
“Sorry! I’m sorry! Sniff, cancel that—I’ll stay! Please, please!”
“...Aren’t you ashamed, a 17-year-old girl with a crying guy hanging off her? Betty’s grossed out.”
Beatrice exhaled in disgust. Even Sisilia thought it was a bit much. She loved crying girls—hated crying guys.
“You sure you’re a dude?”
“Sniff, what’s it to you?”
“...Sisilia, I’ll drill some discipline into him.”
Betty grabbed her favorite newbie by the nape and dragged him off. Watching with disdain, Sisilia had a passing thought.
“How’d you escape the dungeon, anyway?”
It was like fleeing a kidnapper by saying you were scared—they wouldn’t just let you go. Once inside, you were trapped.
Even I’d struggle to leave without smashing it.
Siu sniffled.
“I-I don’t know. I ran, and somehow...”
“Describe exactly what happened.”
“A-a globe of darkness swallowed me and spat me out outside way later. ...But inside was terrifying. Like... it mocked all my thoughts...”
For the record, he’d escaped four times. No fluke.
Sisilia pondered deeply, then cracked her eyes open at Siu.
“No way...”
**
Siu slumped toward the mansion. Beatrice had scraped together this modest outskirts place after the academy blew. With nowhere to go, her worrywart self had approved it. Handy dorms for the accident-prone Sisilia-nyang meant the owner never came home.
“I’m back...”
Siu hit his room, flopped on the bed. His pillow soaked fast.
“...Sniff.”
He pitied himself. Worse: tomorrow would be the same.
But he thought his party was weird. Normal to fear hideous monsters?
“Sniff, and the party’s all sociopaths and psychopaths.”
Click.
The door opened. Siu jolted under the covers.
“B-Betty?”
“Haha, nope. That yellow furball’s off tonight. But you’re crying? Cute human—my type.”
Siu peeked out wide-eyed. Liliana grinned slyly right there.
“Eek! D-demon!”
“Bingo. Prize? Just my body, sadly.”
Liliana swayed seductively. Terrifying to Siu.
“Eek, first human my type in forever. Owner’s orders rarely thrill me.”
“Y-you’re that succubus by Jay.”
“Hey, watch it. Just held hands on orders. Think succubi bang anyone?”
Succubi were pickiest about looks. Siu wept harder.
“S-sorry.”
Liliana covered her mouth.
“S-so cute.”
Unable to hold back, she mounted Siu.
“Yay.”
Siu shook his head wildly.
“Ugh, annoying. But cute, so...”
She stripped him forcibly. Tears welled in Siu’s eyes.
“Wh-what happens to me?”
“Death by bliss.”
“Aaaah!”
Siu thrashed, but level 55 couldn’t resist a top-tier Sin of Lust.
“Bon appétit—”
Siu squeezed his eyes shut, wishing desperately.
“I-I wanna live!”
Flash!
“Hm?”
Liliana sensed massive mana, scanned around, then touched her belly. A red tattoo glowed.
My mana’s... half gone?
Sisilia refilled it in seconds, but the drain was real.
Lust ignored trivia. “Hehe.”
As she yanked his pants—
Liliana froze in shock.
“It’s... gone?”
**
“If Betty had darkness blessing, what power do you think?”
Over cake lunch at Golden Honeycomb, Sisilia asked.
“Me...? Hmm. Opposites, so hard to say. But mental stuff? Erasing inner malice.”
“Solid use. Hope-as-light, very Betty.”
“You?”
“Black hole, obviously.”
“No idea what that is, but sounds busted.”
Blessings depended on worldview. Betty saw darkness as heart; Sisilia as cosmos. Their darkness would differ wildly.
Darkness was destructive enough for Sisilia to covet—instant black hole would top Heaven-Breaking Powerless Sword. If mana allowed.
“User matters most.”
“Why bring it up...? Siu, right?”
Beatrice sulked. Guilty over her pet’s antics.
“My fault. Maybe my indecision rubbed off.”
“Yeah, Betty could make oceans of milk.”
“...I’ll choke you in it.”
Sisilia grinned.
“No worries. Turn his cowardice, stammering, tiny-dog-fleeing heart into strengths.”
“...Those aren’t strengths.”
As Beatrice fretted, slicing Sisilia’s cake—
Ding.
Jay burst in, bowed to Sisilia.
“I-I’ll do my best!”
“...?”
Beatrice puzzled; Sisilia smirked knowingly.
Jay pleaded up earnestly.
“S-so don’t take my precious!”
“Huh?”
“L-losing it unused is too sad! That’s cruel—!”
Patrons stared baffled. Beatrice blanked, then got it.
“Sisilia.”
“Yeah.”
“...What did you do?”
At Golden Honeycomb’s door stood a black-haired girl, mentally shattered.
Sisilia beamed; the girl freaked, eyes welling.
“Flaw to strength overnight.”
Cute was best.
**
Sisilia’s steps home were light, unexpected gain in tow.
“Who’d think Sia was a gem.”
Sia’s darkness: Twisted Wish Granting. Desires fulfilled in her “worst” way.
She escaped dungeons via darkness—but faced scarier Sisilia. Wished survival from succubus—became girl.
Wild perception, but...
“Used right, total cheat.”
Boosted Demon King odds hugely. Risky, needed practice—but her fear was perfect. Extreme thoughts amplified flaws.
“Step by step. Plenty of time.”
Say world’s 24 hours. Demon King at noon, Demon God at midnight—now ~9am. Darkness far off.
Sisilia smiled happily imagining it, opened her door.
And.
“...”
Her smile vanished.
“Surprised.”
4pm. Room pitch-black. Amid it, an extra-dark shape—alien, like another dimension. Unperceivable, unwanted.
It matched Sisilia’s memory: pre-Demon God spawn.
“...It’s 23:59 already.”
Demon King long dead. Time flowed; darkness arrived.
Darkness itself.
“Demon of Darkness. Not weakened crossing realms—full presence from Demon Realm.”
Sisilia strode into it without hesitation. Faced the invisible black form boldly.
“Watch me.”