Vengeance (4)
“L-Lily. Why are you looking at me like that? I did everything for you!”
“Shut up! This is all because of you, Mom! If you hadn’t given birth to me like this! I’ll make you the same!”
She’s going to turn her own mother into a succubus too? For revenge, that’s actually pretty impressive.
“Olivia! You! This is too much!”
She raised her daughter like shit and now she’s taking it out on me.
“After thinking it over, I realized this really is the best revenge. She tried to kill me for her daughter’s sake, and now she’s going to die at that very daughter’s hands.”
What’s the saddest thing for a parent? Burying their own child. But I decided to go with a little twist on the classic.
“How can you do something so cruel!”
“I was originally planning to tear Lily’s limbs apart right in front of you. But I’m the young lady of House Ashtar, so I’m showing restraint. A lady of Ashtar can’t do anything that barbaric.”
In other words, I’m going to execute you two in a relatively gentlemanly fashion.
“What?”
“I’ve cast a spell on this room. By tomorrow morning, this entire building will be buried underground.”
By tomorrow, only the roof will probably be visible.
“W-wait. You’re going to trap us in here?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Did they really think I’d show them any mercy?
“What if the Duke finds out about this!”
“Doesn’t matter. You two won’t be alive to tell him.”
“I-I don’t want to die! Stop this!”
Lily’s mother had a stronger attachment to life than I expected. She probably didn’t want to die like this after her daughter became a succubus. Maybe she even wanted to turn her daughter back to normal.
“I’m not a demon, you know. I’ll let one of you live.”
“If that’s the case…”
Lily’s mother glanced at her now-calm daughter. She was probably thinking that Lily could escape and find a way to resurrect her.
I flashed the two women a meaningful smile and raised a single finger.
“But one of you has to kill the other.”
“What?”
“There’s no way you could beat me at your level, so I’m giving you this chance.”
That’s right. I’m telling them to kill each other. If they were just comrades, this would test their loyalty or friendship. But they’re mother and daughter.
“How can you do this to us? This is way too cruel! Just kill me instead! Lily’s already become a succubus, so kill me!”
“Stop acting.”
Did she think I wouldn’t notice? This woman is obsessed with survival. She wouldn’t kill her daughter, but she was trying to gain my sympathy to stay alive.
“Olivia! Please, I’m begging you. Don’t do this!”
“Sister Olivia. Save me!”
Now that they finally understood the situation, the two women clung to my legs.
A good idea suddenly came to me. I tilted my head and spoke as if I couldn’t understand them.
“You two have been acting strange for a while now.”
“What?”
“Why are you calling me Olivia? I’m not Olivia.”
“Huh?”
I may be Olivia now, but at the very least, the last thing these women see before they die should be something new.
“Lily, you already knew, didn’t you? Did you forget already? What a bird-brained idiot.”
“T-then who are you?”
“When I died at Noah’s hands, I really thought that was the end.”
Everyone knows the Demon King was killed by Noah.
“Huh?”
“But you used Olivia as my vessel.”
“N-no way…”
“That’s right. I’m the Demon King. I’m not killing you for Olivia’s revenge.”
There was no need to reveal myself as Olivia.
“Then why…”
“D-Demon King! I’ll swear my loyalty, so please spare me!”
Lily’s ability to switch sides was truly impressive.
“Women with loose lips like you might spread rumors about me at any time, so I have to kill you. Think about it. I haven’t regained my full power yet. I need to build my strength using House Ashtar as my base. I can’t let worthless humans like you interfere with my grand plan. Right?”
“T-that’s…”
“Don’t tell me I actually resurrected the Demon King…”
Wow, they actually believe this? What idiots. It would be truly humiliating if my previous self had been killed by these two.
“I’ll take the survivor under my wing.”
With those final words, I tossed them a single knife and left the room.
Now then, who will survive?
Humans, when pushed to the brink of death, inevitably reveal their true nature. Up until now, she had played her role fairly well, thinking of her daughter with some intelligence. But would she keep that up until the very end?
No. As I’ve said before, I have a good eye for people. That woman wanted her daughter not to live like her, but she also tried to use her daughter to climb the social ladder. So when Lily chose the easy path of becoming a succubus, she didn’t stop her.
I was incredibly curious whether that whore would pick up the knife against her own daughter.
Thud! Thud!
At first they tried to escape by banging on the door, but it was useless. How could they when I was binding them with my mana?
And even now, the building was sinking into the ground.
Eventually, they would have to make a decision. Would the whore sacrifice herself for her daughter? Or would her survival instinct win out and make her try to kill her own child?
Either way, it didn’t seem like they would die together.
Strange sounds were coming from inside. Screams? Or perhaps moans born from an absurd situation?
Bang!
Once again, the sound of someone pounding on the door. I fiddled with my nails and quietly listened to the noise. When I had slapped Lily’s mother earlier, the tip of my nail had broken. My power was still strong, but after rapidly fusing with mana in this body, there were still some weak points left.
Claire had told me that a girl should take proper care of her nails. Since I still have Noah’s personality, I don’t really care, but apparently even a Saint has to maintain some standards as a member of House Ashtar. There might be a sudden inspection by the mistress.
“What a pain.”
I had nothing better to do anyway. I might as well tidy up while the mother and daughter killed each other.
Thud thud thud! Thud!
After pounding for a while, it suddenly went quiet. If someone else were here and we made a bet, I’d put my money on Lily. There was a high chance she would kill her mother.
Of course, I thought there was a decent possibility the mother would do the same.
Rumble…
The building continued to sink deeper into the earth.
“They’re holding out longer than I expected.”
I don’t remember my mother from long ago, so I don’t recall any maternal love. And my current mother, Katarina, is the head of an assassin guild, so expecting anything from her is even harder.
Maybe the mother and daughter will choose to die together? That might actually move me a little. In that case, I’d at least erect a tombstone for them.
Should I listen in on what’s happening inside? The mountain hut is already in the palm of my hand. It’s not difficult to use mana to eavesdrop.
I focused my ears on the sounds coming from within. Enough time had passed that they should be arguing by now.
-Mom. Just die for me.
-Have you lost your mind? N-no! Get away from me!
-You said you’d do anything for me!
-You’re a monster now!
-You’re pointing a knife at your own daughter?
-I’ve sacrificed everything for you until now! Let me live too!
Lily’s mother’s true nature had finally surfaced. As expected, when death was staring her in the face, she was trying to save her own neck first.
Inside, they had finally begun a fierce battle that would end with one of them dead. One of them was going to die. Who would win?
“One of them has to die before they can break the door and get out.”
I had set it up so that if one died, the barrier would break and they could escape through the hole in the ceiling. The door would also open easily.
“By the way.”
I turned my head and looked at the dead tree on the left side of the mountain hut. Unlike normal trees, this one was withered. Long ago, I had carved a monster detection marker into it and linked it with a spell to the adventurers’ guild.
In other words, the adventurers probably already knew about this. They would be coming soon.
Eugene had once looked at me like I was crazy.
That bastard who never helped with anything. Well, he did have decent durability. The problem was that out of ten battles, he only lasted in one. Every time, after I worked him like a dog, he’d throw a tantrum at me and then get comforted by the Saint’s and that half-elf bitch’s breasts.
That’s why I set up things like this—so the vigilantes or adventurers could prepare in advance. Back then, the Demon King was still alive and his forces were incredibly powerful, so I installed them just in case of an invasion.
Honestly, the real problem started after the Demon King died and the Four Heavenly Kings began running wild. I stuck this here because the hut was so shabby and it seemed like monsters might appear, but I never imagined it would lead to such a big picture. It would be nice if they arrived at just the right time.
They probably already knew by now.
Bang!
Oh, is the door finally opening?
“I wonder how it turned out?”
Who would come out? Lily? Lily’s mother? Either way, it would mean a child had killed her mother, or a mother had killed her child.
The being that crawled out from the slowly sinking building was a single succubus. Blood was smeared thickly around her mouth, on her hair, and all over her body. She had become an even more perfect succubus than before. Perhaps because she had killed her own mother with her own hands, all traces of her humanity had completely vanished.
“S-save me! Please save me!”
Now she had the face of a succubus. She carried that distinct demonic aura.
“Did you kill your mother?”
“Y-yes, that’s right. It’s only natural to kill the mother who ruined my life!”
Now she was rationalizing it all by herself. Not bad. Acting this shamelessly was very much like Lily.
“Truly a monster’s way of thinking.”
“You’ll spare me, right? Right? Demon King?”
She’s calling me Demon King. Crazy bitch. Did she really believe everything I said? What a lunatic. I wanted her to fall for the bait, but if she genuinely believed it and called me “Demon King,” she must think she can secure some position under me.
As if that were possible.
“I will spare you.”
“Eh?”
I keep my promises. So yes, I can spare her. I said I would let her live. I never said I would protect her.
I grinned. Considering the distance, they should be arriving any moment now.
“Over here, right?”
“That energy definitely belongs to a succubus!”
“For now, just shoot an arrow toward where you sense the succubus!”
I could hear men’s voices coming from nearby. They really had arrived right on time.
Lily must have sensed something strange too; her pointed ears twitched.
“There’s a monster detection net in this forest. This thing right here.”
I pointed at the tree on the left.
“What is that…”
“In short, you’re finished.”
Thwack!
An arrow flew near Lily and embedded itself in the ground. The impatient adventurers seemed to be shooting everywhere. Well, since they didn’t know exactly what kind of monster it was, I suppose it couldn’t be helped.
“Huh?”
“It’s a succubus! Kill her before she charms the villagers!”
The adventurers were closing in. I had already cast a spell that prevented them from recognizing me from a distance, so they couldn’t see me. To anyone else, Lily would look like nothing more than a stupid succubus talking to herself.
How pitiful.
“Well then, goodbye. As promised, I didn’t kill you, so don’t hold any grudges.”
“You have to keep your promises!”
I did keep my promise, didn’t I?
“Did you seriously think I would let you live? Still, I kept my word, didn’t I? I’m not the one killing you, am I?”
I didn’t lay a hand on her. It was just the brave adventurers of the village stepping up to slay a monster.
“W-what did I do so wrong? Just like you said, my only sin is being born to a whore!”
“That’s right.”
“That whore is the one who raised me like this!”
Now she was calling her own mother a whore without hesitation.
“Proper upbringing is important, so that’s true too.”
“Then why!”
Only then did Lily realize she had been tricked by me. The adventurers were already right behind her.
“If you’re so upset, you should’ve been born as Olivia.”
“!!”
“I hate dirty things. There’s no need for me to kill you with my own hands.”
I only stepped in when things wouldn’t get resolved otherwise. If you think about it, I was the one who did everything during the entire journey to subjugate the Demon King. It was all for the sake of Eugene and his worthless gang.
But this was different. Honestly, this was fun. Why bother with physical torture and killing? That’s boring. The best revenge is to toy with someone’s heart, lifting them up only to drop them into an inescapable despair.
“After all, giving them even the slightest hope of survival makes the eventual despair even greater, doesn’t it?”
“Y-you… demon.”
A succubus calling me a demon. Since most of my ego is made up of Noah, I consider myself quite diligent.
“In the end, you really did kill the mother who gave birth to you with those nails. If it means surviving, you’ll even kill your parents. I saw it well.”
I clapped a few times. Still, this was crossing the line. How could she kill the mother who gave birth to her? Who knows? If they had shown a moment of trying to die together, I might have been moved and spared them.
“T-this…”
“So, how does it feel? You killed your own mother because you had hope of surviving, only to end up being hunted by adventurers. What does it feel like? Since I was resurrected as the Demon King thanks to you two, I wouldn’t know?”
I looked at her and laughed as much as I wanted.
The ‘succubus’ seemed unable to hold back any longer. Her eyes turned red, her fangs gleamed, and she stretched out her long nails as she charged at me.
“I-I can’t die like this! I don’t know if you’re my sister or what, but I’ll drag you down with me! I won’t die alone!”
Too bad for her.
“Oh, one more thing. There’s no way I’d die to the likes of you, but I’m incredibly lucky.”
“What are you—”
Thud!
An arrow flew from somewhere and pierced straight through the ‘succubus’s’ solar plexus.
“The world helps me even when I don’t desperately wish for it.”
The succubus, with an arrow through her chest, coughed up blood and staggered back several steps.
“N-no… I don’t want to die like this…”
“Well then, in your next life, please be born as a good person, okay?”
With those words, I smiled refreshingly and turned my back.
The adventurers, unable to see me because of the perception-obstructing magic, rushed past me and swarmed the succubus.
“Kill the succubus!”
The poor succubus, who hadn’t even properly learned how to use her powers yet, flapped her wings desperately in a final act of resistance. But the adventurers, who had quite a bit of experience in this area, immediately began tearing at her wings.
For a very brief moment, the succubus’s scream rang out, then everything went quiet.
Stab! Slash! Thump!
All that could be heard was the sound of meat being stabbed and beaten.
“Wait, wasn’t she talking to someone just now?”
“I didn’t see anyone. Hey, isn’t this Lily?”
“And inside the collapsed hut… isn’t that Lily’s mom?”
The adventurers recognized both Lily and her mother. It was a small village, and Moran had a lot of adventurers. There was no way they wouldn’t know about the pink-haired whore who sold her body. The same went for her daughter, Lily. Since most of the adventurers were from Moran, there was no way they wouldn’t know the two women.
After watching for a bit, I confirmed that Lily was completely dead.
“Both of them were succubi.”
So that whore had become a succubus too. It seemed Lily had unconsciously turned her mother into one as well. Thanks to that, a new misunderstanding was born.
“Wow, so they’ve been living as humans while actually being succubi all this time? How disgusting.”
The mother and daughter were a pair of succubi. They had caused chaos in Moran and shaken the Ashtar family, the most prestigious house in the Empire. In this incident, there were no victims—only the foolish succubus mother and daughter who were the perpetrators.
It would probably appear in the newspapers too. The story would go something like this: Lily, who had revealed her true form on the way to the monastery and overturned a carriage, returned to Moran, fought her mother—the succubus—for some reason, killed her, and was then killed by the Empire’s adventurers.
Even if the commoners learned that Lily had been involved, they would probably say it was well deserved. But seeing the state she was in yesterday, she would have definitely run away, so it was right that I handled it.
From House Ashtar’s perspective, it wouldn’t just be about burying Lily—it would be about being deceived by a succubus, so they could gain some sympathy from public opinion.
“Well, since I’m Olivia, it’s only natural to help Ashtar.”
After confirming that the two monsters’ corpses were being dragged away by the adventurers, I returned to Atelina.