The Morning After
“Runi, are you really going through with this?”
“Yes, Mother. My mind is made up.”
“Please, just make sure you don’t get hurt and come back in one piece.”
“I will, Father.”
“Belial, I’m entrusting our Runi to you.”
The very day my graduation ceremony ended, I informed my parents of my future plans.
I knew that if I had asked for their opinion, they would have opposed it, so I delivered the news only after everything had already been decided.
I know how wrong it is for a child to act this way, but to achieve the dream I’ve held for so long, this was the only path.
“Runi, if it’s because you couldn’t summon a familiar… please, don’t let it weigh on you too much.”
“It’s not that, Mother. Whether I summoned a familiar or not, my goal remains the same.”
Even if I hadn’t contracted with a demon, even if I had summoned something else entirely, this journey would not have changed.
“I’ll be going now.”
After bidding farewell to my parents, whom I wouldn’t be seeing for a long time, I turned away with my sister.
“You’re calmer than I expected.”
“If I hadn’t acted this way, I don’t think they would have let me go.”
Stroke, stroke!
At my answer, my sister gently stroked my hair with her soft hand.
Soon after, she took my hand in hers.
“You’ve grown so much, my little Runi.”
“I’m an adult now, after all.”
We boarded the carriage we had arranged in advance and set off for our first destination.
Our first stop was Rebellion.
Twenty years ago, it was known as a holy kingdom, but now it was a fallen land, ravaged by monster attacks.
“Runi, have you ever seen a monster in person?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Monsters are creatures that have mutated due to the influence of human mana.
The first monster was discovered 150 years ago.
As time passed, their numbers grew, and they became increasingly ferocious, evolving into the greatest threat to humanity.
“Well, I suppose Astasha doesn’t have a monster problem.”
Having lived in Astasha from birth until now, I knew they hunted and purged monsters more thoroughly than any other nation.
The reason I decided to head to Rebellion, a land ruined by monsters, was to gain practical experience.
There is no better opportunity to hone one’s combat experience with magic than by facing monsters head-on.
“Have you ever seen a monster, Sister?”
“I’ve been around since before monsters even appeared, you know?”
“Ah, right. Then have you ever fought one?”
“Yes, I have. Dealing with monsters isn’t difficult at all.”
“Isn’t that just by your standards, Sister?”
“Maybe so. Hmm, well, it’s certainly easier than dealing with those demons who try to crawl into my territory without knowing their place.”
How could the standards of a demon who governs human desire be the same as mine?
I was certain that the land would be overflowing with monsters far too strong for me to handle.
“It’s going to take quite a while to reach Rebellion. Get some sleep, Runi.”
“Ah, okay. What about you, Sister?”
“I’m fine. Demons don’t need to sleep.”
“Then was all the time you spent sleeping with me before just a ruse?”
“To put it simply, sleep is optional for a demon.”
“Optional. I see.”
Before long, the sun set, and the pitch-black darkness arrived.
Even though so much time had passed, the carriage continued to rattle on without stopping.
“Sister, I’m going to sleep for a little bit.”
“Okay, Runi.”
As I leaned against the carriage wall to close my eyes, my sister guided my head onto her lap.
“Sleep comfortably. That’s the only way to keep your body in good condition.”
“Ah, okay. Thank you.”
She didn’t stop stroking my hair until I closed my eyes and drifted off.
That touch made a corner of my heart feel warm, lulling me into a deep slumber.
*
“Sleep well, my little Runi.”
While I watched her sleep, stroking her hair, I reached out the window and knocked on the door.
It was a signal for the coachman to stop the carriage.
“Is something the matter?”
“From now on, you are returning to Astasha.”
I looked into the coachman’s eyes and cast a suggestion.
The coachman stood blankly for a moment before bowing his head and turning away.
Snap!
I snapped my fingers to create a portal that could take him straight to Astasha, and the coachman stepped inside.
I don’t usually have the heart to do this much for a human who isn’t Runi, but this was to prepare for the moment she might find out.
This should be enough to avoid getting scolded too badly.
“Runi, keep sleeping soundly.”
After lightly pressing my lips to Runi’s cheek, I stepped out of the carriage.
I had been feeling a surge of mana ever since we left Astasha.
This mana was undoubtedly demonic, and as we neared Rebellion, it grew thicker until it reached a point I could no longer ignore.
“Why don’t you stop skulking around and come out?”
Soon after, several black portals manifested in the air, and demons emerged from within.
All of the demons were in human form.
“Belial Astharot.”
“How insolent, using my name so casually.”
“From now on, we will…”
CRUNCH!
I lunged at the demon who had dared to speak my name and grabbed its face.
Because I didn’t control my strength while slamming its head into the ground, the creature’s skull crushed like tofu.
“You lot, Leviathan sent you, didn’t she?”
“…”
“I see. So, did Leviathan tell you to kill me?”
“We are to purge you.”
“This is insulting. She’s trying to kill me with a mere five thrall demons.”
Whoosh!
The remaining four demons rushed toward me, their weapons raised sharply.
If Leviathan had any sense, she would have come to face me herself.
The fact that she didn’t—was this some kind of warning?
“How arrogant.”
I extended my hand and applied intense gravity around me.
The demons, who had been flying toward me at high speed, were slammed directly into the ground.
Squelch!
“Gah—ugh!”
I created a black spear with my mana, suspended it in the air, and drove it deep into one of their bodies.
I walked over slowly and trampled on its head.
I was pressing down on their bodies with enough gravity that they couldn’t possibly resist.
Slash!
At an unexpected moment, a sword flew sharply and left a cut on my face.
“…So, you’re the one who wants to die first?”
I approached the one who had thrown the sword and grabbed its wings. Then, I stomped on its back.
“You know, don’t you? Just how much pain a demon feels when their wings are torn off.”
Rrrrip! Squelch!
“Argh… AAAAAAAH!”
“You’re noisy.”
I summoned the spear I had driven into the other one’s back to my hand, gripped it, and plunged it deep into this one’s throat.
“My girl is sleeping. You mustn’t wake her.”
I grabbed its remaining wing.
This time, I pulled slowly, applying force gradually so it could feel every bit of the agony.
The sight of the wing and back muscles tearing began to show, and with a sound like a thick book being ripped in half, it separated from its back.
The creature writhed in pain, unable to even scream.
“I won’t kill you. I’m going to send you all back to Leviathan as half-crippled wrecks.”
I grabbed its head and lifted it up.
“But you… you have to die. You left a scar on my face.”
I grabbed each of its two horns and pulled them apart, applying force little by little.
Just as its forehead tore and blood began to flow—
GRIP!
The creature resisted the intense gravity and grabbed my two hands.
At the same time, it was kicking its legs frantically.
“Does it hurt? Of course it does. Your head is being split in two.”
Crack! CRUNCH!
As the horns were pulled apart, the creature’s thrashing came to a sudden halt.
It fell limp to the ground, a corpse bleeding out a massive amount of blood.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t kill the three of you.”
If Leviathan sent me a warning, I’ll just send one right back.
*
“Mmm… Haaah…”
I opened my eyes to the sunlight beating down on my face and woke up with a massive yawn.
“Huh?”
I was definitely in a carriage when I fell asleep, but now I was in a shabby-looking room.
“Where am I?”
“Runi, you’re awake?”
“Sister, where is this?”
Just then, the door opened and my sister walked inside.
“It’s an inn in Rebellion. It’s shabby since the country is in ruins, but it has everything we need.”
“Rebellion? We arrived in Rebellion?”
“Yes, that’s right. You were sleeping so soundly you didn’t even know we arrived. You must have been very tired.”
No matter how tired I was, to have slept so deeply in a carriage…
Could it be because I was sleeping on my sister’s lap?
Of course, it was soft and cozy, enough to make me drift off, but it was strange that I had been able to fall into such a deep sleep.
“Let’s eat breakfast. I made it for you.”
“You made breakfast?”
“This inn is practically an empty house. So, I had to do everything myself.”
On the tray my sister was holding, there were two bowls of stew with meat and potatoes floating in them.
“I’ll eat well, Sister.”
“Even if we have money, there’s nowhere to spend it. I shouldn’t be feeding you such a sloppy breakfast, Runi.”
“Nom… Mmm! It’s delicious! This is more than enough!”
Even if it was a simple stew, since my sister had made it, the taste was enough to make me exclaim in admiration.
Seeing her look somewhat apologetic, I ate the stew even more enthusiastically, expressing how good it was.
“It’s really delicious, Sister! It’s not sloppy at all!”
Breakfast was satisfying, but everything else was a problem.
The place to wash had only a wooden door that looked like it would break at any moment, and only freezing cold water that felt like it would turn my body to ice came out.
“Ugh…! It’s cold…”
“Indeed. It’s very cold.”
“I need to wash quickly and get going.”
Just having the cold water touch me gave me goosebumps, so I quickly pushed my body into it.
Thrust!
Just then, something hard touched my buttocks.
That something soon burrowed between my buttocks and began to move slowly up and down.
“Sister, why is your cock suddenly…”
“To have sex.”
“Here…?”
“Yes. My cock hurts so much because of my morning wood.”
If we have sex here, I’ll catch a cold…
Thrust!
“Hee-hng… aahhh♥”
My sister didn’t care about such things at all.