Chapter 21
Footsteps went clack-clack ahead of me as I hurried after my teacher.
Afraid of losing her in the halls, I clutched the hem of her clothes and hunched in on myself as much as I could.
My barely trained mana sense kept nudging at the things around me, making the world feel oddly sharp. A towering arched ceiling, old windows carved from some unfamiliar material, stone pillars stretched in long rows to either side. I walked the corridor with the hard texture of stone under my feet laid bare against my awareness.
It was the first time I had ever left my teacher's mansion. I already knew where we were going because she had told me, and that only made my body shake harder.
“We’re here, stupid disciple.”
“Y-yes!”
My teacher opened the enormous door standing solidly in front of us and strode inside. I jumped and rushed after her, only to miss my footing and pitch forward onto my face.
“Ugh.”
So embarrassing.
“What are you doing, disciple?”
“S-sorry!”
At her snickering, I scrambled back up and swayed after the scent of my teacher. The moment I was pressed against her small back, I finally felt a little safe.
Then a voice colder than ice cut through the room.
“I wondered if you were finally showing your face after all this time, and instead you brought back something strange, Anagi.”
I held my breath. That emotionless, oddly androgynous high voice stabbed straight into my ears.
“How have you been, Demon King?”
My teacher greeted him like an old friend, and my already cramped shoulders curled in even tighter. I could sense nothing beyond my teacher and myself, and yet I knew without question that a third person was here.
And I remembered again that this was the person I had been led here to meet.
“If I had not been doing well.”
“Oh? And why would that be?”
“If I explained that a legion commander abandoned the battlefield without permission and then neglected his duties for nearly a year, would you understand?”
“Ahaha. Are you angry? Is that it? Oh, come on, between us, why get worked up over something so trivial?”
“Anagi. I am not in the mood for jokes.”
At my teacher's usual playful tone, the other voice answered with that same frost-laced chill. It wasn't directed at me, but my heart still seemed to freeze in place, and breathing grew difficult.
Then a familiar hand came to rest warmly over my shoulders. Little by little, I started to settle again.
“Hehe. Sounds like you're really mad. But I couldn't help it. You know I can't stand having an itch at the back of my head, right?”
“I heard about the rebellion of the pureblood count, the lord of Valentine. He's your subject, so I have no intention of involving myself in however you choose to deal with him. But to vanish from the battlefield over something so small? I have wanted to ask this for a while now. Are you out of your mind?”
“Oh, please. Of course there was another reason. You didn't really think it was just that, did you?”
“Then explain it. I would hope it was a reason I can actually accept.”
That was when my teacher, who had kept me hidden until then, pulled me forward.
“Ta-da! This is my disciple~”
“...Disciple?”
“Come on, my lovely stupid disciple. You should hurry up and greet our boss, shouldn't you?”
The sudden introduction left me utterly flustered. I edged one step forward and bowed as deeply as I could.
“H-hello...”
My tongue snagged on itself from nerves. The sharp taste of blood wet the corner of my mouth.
“Pfft. Bwahaha!”
My teacher's laughter beside me made it impossible to lift my head. I was already mortified, and now my face felt so hot it was about to burst.
“...Hello. My name is Cynthia.”
Shame or no shame, I had to do this much. My voice came out tiny, but I introduced myself anyway. After all, he was the Demon King.
Her boss was my boss too, more or less.
My first impression already felt ruined.
“...?”
But even after a long silence following my introduction, the Demon King still said nothing. Since I couldn't catch his presence with my senses, I had no idea what sort of reaction he was making.
Restlessly, I let my mana sense drift outward.
Crackle-
“Blegh!”
The mana sense I pushed forward was torn apart in an instant. The backlash turned my stomach over, and I vomited blood on the spot.
“So this insolent little thing is Anagi's disciple?”
“N-noooo!! Why are you picking on my cute stupid disciple? She's so delicate and fragile!”
My teacher rushed over and rubbed my back.
My body, which had been recovering sluggishly until then, began to mend far more quickly.
“...Looking at this, I don't think you're joking.”
“When have you ever seen me joke about something like this?”
“A pureblood I haven't seen before.”
“She's the last remaining crystallization of the lord of Valentine. She was human, then a half-blood, and now she's pureblood.”
“...What? Hah, ridiculous. And you want to make that your disciple?”
“She's already my disciple. She's adorable and hopelessly stupid.”
“Anagi, are you serious?”
The voice carried unmistakable contempt as it flew in like a knife and stuck deep. My body shook, and I couldn't even straighten my bent back.
Then my teacher set me upright and spoke.
“Of course I'm serious. And if it's my sincerity, I think you'll understand it better than anyone.”
“What does that mean?”
“Take a good look at this child.”
“This nonsense...”
The Demon King's voice trailed off.
I straightened my back as best I could, and an irrational anxiety swallowed me whole. For a moment, time felt stretched thin like a string.
Then my senses suddenly twisted.
Only after the fact did I realize something, or someone, was standing right in front of me.
A smell I hadn't noticed until now rammed into my nose without mercy.
Reflexively, I covered my mouth and bowed my head.
Ugh.
My head started to spin.
“...This is... Jusu?”
“Ta-da~ Correct!”
“How?”
My teacher's and the Demon King's voices rang in my ears, but even while I listened, none of it seemed to lodge in my mind.
“My disciple is a little unusual. And it seems the former lord of Valentine experimented on her using my vampire factor.”
“Why is she alive?”
“That's why I said she was unusual. Everyone else died. Only she survived.”
My teacher's heels clicked softly somewhere beyond me, sounding very far away.
“Maybe because she was born human, her will to live was absurdly strong. When I looked through the research records, I saw that she had adapted to two of my innate abilities.”
“If she became Jusu, then she inherited the Mind of the King and the Body That Does Not Kill?”
“Yep. Pretty amazing, right?”
“It is hard to believe that easily.”
Click.
A hand as cold as my teacher's caught my chin and forced my face up. The scent grew even stronger, and I gagged.
“What technique has manifested?”
“Only one so far. Hmm... roughly, I guess it would be the realization of all imagination possible through blood?”
“That is unlike you.”
“It matches the ancient records of creation. There have been no other cases to compare it to, so the timing worked out nicely.”
“...I see. So this is why you disappeared for so long.”
“Are you less angry now?”
“If that's the reason, then I have no reason to be angry. I understand. Still, why didn't you tell me earlier?”
My teacher let out a light laugh near my dazed ear.
“Like I said earlier, my disciple is pretty sensitive. Even if she inherited part of me, she was born human, right? So her mind's a little all over the place.”
“That makes no sense. How can she be like that with the Mind of the King?”
“The other way around, Demon King. She inherited me through a fierce will to survive, but after that, her heart bent. The abilities she inherited are what kept her from going mad, and that's what started to break her down.”
“...Is she all right now?”
“Heh. My efforts have finally paid off!”
“And her current condition?”
“She's grown into something as fragile as a pebble that can shatter if you so much as nudge it!”
“...So she can't be used in combat right away, then.”
The hand holding my chin fell away. The moment that support disappeared, my legs gave out beneath me.
I couldn't hold on anymore.
“Hrk!”
“Hm?”
I stumbled forward as if collapsing, threw my arms wide, and clung to him.
I buried my face against that firm chest and sucked in a breath.
Emotions.
“Waaahhh! Demon King, it hurts! Poor thing!”
They spilled out of me without restraint.
“What...?!“
“AHAHAHA!”
Moisture kept rising in my darkened eyes without end. My body trembled as I was swallowed by feelings that were not mine.
No, they were mine now.
Were they? It hurt. I hated it. No, that wasn't it. I liked it.
It was terrible. I was lonely. Don't do it. Please. Don't go.
“Haaah! Hrk. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was wrong. No, no. You did well! Uwaaaah!!”
I kept pouring out the feelings surging into me.
Tears and snot streamed everywhere, and saliva dribbled uselessly from the corner of my mouth. My heart felt like it was being torn apart, and even breathing was hard.
“Pwahahah!”
“Anagi. Is this your doing?”
“Kuh. Khk. No. No, it's not. I told you already. My disciple is unusual.”
“Explain properly.”
“Ahem. Fine, fine. Don't stare at me like you're about to kill someone.”
I didn't know anymore. I couldn't even follow their conversation.
All I could do was keep crying out this pitiful emotion that kept crashing over me.
“In short, that child has exceptional senses.”
“Exceptional senses?”
“Yes. It's not just a matter of seeing farther or hearing more. She's sensitive enough to take in what lies beyond that. In particular, her nose is absurdly sharp. Sharp enough to read other people's emotions.”
“...What?”
“It seems to be a power she had even when she was human, but she still can't control it properly. So if someone gets close, she can immediately distinguish that person's emotions or intentions by scent.”
Just like you are right now.
“Anagi, you!”
“Fufu. Don't get so angry. I went to the trouble of introducing my stupid disciple like this partly for your sake.”
“How is this for my sake?”
“Because even you, who hide that twisted knot inside you from me despite our long friendship, won't break when that child faces it naked and raw. She won't run away either. See for yourself how she treats you.”
“...!”
Disciple. Was that talking about me?
I didn't know. I didn't know anything.
It just hurt. I was so lonely I could go mad, so miserable I wanted to tear my own heart out.
“Hh, hhk. S-sorry. D-don't go. Staayyy.”
I hugged tighter and rubbed my face against him. Warmth. I needed warmth. I wanted gentleness. It was too cold.
“Heh. So what do you think? What does it feel like to stand before the only being in this world who can completely understand you, empathize with you, and accept you? Isn't it incredible?”
“...”
“I wonder if our Demon King can really leave that child alone?”
I don't think so, though~
- X years adrift in another world. In the audience chamber of the Demon King's castle. Recording one page of my dark history -
Consciousness began to rise.
It felt like I had been dreaming for a very long time. I slowly opened my eyes, and then...
“Sniff sniff.”
No, what is that smell?
Somewhere, the stink of urine had started to drift up.
“Unnie.”
“W-what?”
“Your arm. Let go. Right now.”
That voice was Lee Seo-ah's. But why was she so sharp?
Probably because I had finally managed a proper sleep for the first time in ages, and the drowsiness hadn't worn off yet. I lowered my head and met Lee Seo-ah's eyes.
Moist eyes. A flushed, reddened face. Lips pressed tight. And there I was, hugging her close to me.
Below that, the smell of urine was still seeping upward.
“Huh?”
Something had gone very, very wrong.
“Seo-ah... should I help?”
“No. Don't come near me.”
Lee Seo-ah answered with a face frozen cold, then disappeared into the bathroom. I dropped onto the floor and hung my head. The familiar beside me slowly shook his own head.
“Goreuk. You should've been careful.”
“I know, so shut up. I'm already miserable.”
This was the situation. If you wanted to adopt a child, you needed a place to live, obviously. So I had taken the money I had earned so far and bought a garden house with a yard.
It cost almost exactly the same as the familiar's weapon I had bought earlier, but money could be earned again, so it didn't matter. It took time before I could move in, since the house needed cleaning, interior work, and furniture.
Even after catching the Eraser, it had taken about six days. Once the house was ready, I invited Lee Seo-ah over for a housewarming. The three of us, along with the familiar, spent a fun time together, and when late night came around, Lee Seo-ah agreed to stay over for one night at my earnest request.
I forced the reluctant kid into a hug and fell asleep. I didn't even know how long it had been since I last slept so well, and that was why I had been careless.
I should have left my hearing open too.
I have a trait called Super Senses. Exactly what it sounds like: my senses go absolutely feral and become absurdly sharp. Back when I first got this body, I couldn't control it properly and had a hell of a time.
For example, I couldn't sleep. All the sensory information pouring in from every direction overheated my brain, and I ended up with terrible insomnia on top of it. After a long time and a lot of effort, I finally learned to control it and cured the insomnia, but it still got in the way of a deep sleep.
So I came up with a drastic measure: lock away all but one or two senses. That was what I had done last night too. As usual, I shut everything down except my sense of smell. That was why I hadn't woken up even when the child I was holding screamed, pinched me, and thrashed around because she needed the bathroom.
In the end, the child I was holding couldn't hold it any longer and wet the bed.
Everything was my fault...
“Hey, where'd you go?”
I asked my familiar. Now that I thought about it, if this guy had been there, this disaster probably wouldn't have happened.
“Goreuk. Don't try to pin your mistake on Gobra.”
“Ugh. That's not what I meant.”
This one seemed to be getting sharper by the day.
“So where were you?”
“I went hunting.”
As he said that, he gently stroked the belt around his waist.
Seeing how dearly he treated it, he must have really liked it. And honestly, I had been seriously impressed the first time I saw that weapon too.
“Goreuk.”
“What now?”
Suddenly, my familiar snapped his head up. When I asked what was wrong, his yellow eyes turned back toward me.
“Master. While hunting, Gobra was reminded of something.”
“What is it?”
“Didn't Gobra mention it when he was forcibly summoned last time?”
What was he talking about all of a sudden?
“The strange true dragon and the Demon King left a message for master.”
“...Ah!”
I had completely forgotten.
“Sorry. Gobra had forgotten for a moment.”
“Apologies are enough.”
When I looked at him with wide eyes, my familiar nodded.
“Loo-dav-kalva-soudir.”
The Twelve Demonic Languages of the demon realm. And not even in a normal arrangement.
But I knew this sequence very well.
“What is it, a messenger?”
“Goreuk. It's a first-class classified format. They said it could be opened even across dimensions.”
That made sense. It was a spell devised to make communication with the demon realm easier during war.
I immediately reached out and drew blood. Then I used it to sketch the formation my familiar had given me onto the floor.
“Ere-al-vyuk.”
As I spoke the activation phrase for opening the messenger, beams of light burst from the drawn magic circle and began writing words in the air. One set of handwriting was sloppy and the other neat and antique at a glance. The first was obviously my teacher's, and the second the Demon King's.
Now then. What had they sent?
I opened my teacher's message first and read it.
My stupid disciple.
I heard you said you'd only step out for a moment, and then you went right back home.
I'm so happy just thinking about the fact that I don't have to see you anymore.
I'm writing this to you while I drink a bottle of that Carmoa 544-year vintage wine I've been saving with our boss.
Eat well and live well from now on.
I hope we don't meet again if we can help it.
I'm smiling so much I can't stop because the time we spent together will remain a memory.
Ah, should I tell you what's been going on here?
Hmm. Your subordinates have been a nuisance lately. They still don't believe you've gone home. Can I kill them all?
And these days, a lot of pathetic trash has been running wild around us.
The weak bastards suddenly got stronger and started strutting around like they owned the place.
It isn't just the demon realm. The same thing is happening on the middle realm continent too.
According to what I heard from your familiar, it lines up exactly with the time you disappeared.
What on earth did you do before you left?
That said, I'm not scolding you.
Because we seem to have grown for reasons we can't explain, just like those guys, and I'm in a good mood.
Weaklings making a scene is always normal, so I'm letting that one slide.
Huh? Did I ramble too much?
Maybe I'm tipsy because I'm in such a good mood.
Anyway, my lovely stupid disciple.
Keep your head on straight at all times.
And work on your instincts.
Study too.
Don't bully the familiar too much either. Got it?
Then take care.
Let's not meet again, even if fate gives us the chance.
“Tsk tsk. I'd prefer my kids be allowed to live, at least.”
That was a letter through and through, written exactly like my teacher. The overflow of affection made the corners of my mouth lift.
“Goreuk. But what does this mean?”
The familiar, who had been reading beside me, pointed to a section of the text.
It was talking about how the creatures of Ragnarok had suddenly become stronger.
“Beats me. How would I know?”
Had I done something before returning to Earth? I thought I'd just finished the achievement payout and that was that. What was this?
“Master.”
“Yeah?”
“Here. There's still more to the message.”
I was about to move on to the Demon King's letter, but at his words I shifted my gaze. I found a few small lines written below the main text and slowly read them.
P.S. Disciple. I'm trying to hold things back one way or another for now, but the stronger I get, the stronger our boss gets too, so it's not easy. Besides, I'm the one who lit the fire, and it made my heart soft. So, sorry?
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Goreuk. Gobra doesn't know either.”
My teacher had always had a somewhat strange side to her.
Since I couldn't make sense of it, I let it go and opened the Demon King's letter.
Unlike my teacher's message, there was only a very short line.
Wait.
Wait for what? For whom?