Should We Respect Grandma's Preferences?
The creature’s leg was as thick as a building pillar. “That’s it! The exact thing Kastab wanted!” I cheered. One leg that size would cover a full week of stir-fried dishes without breaking a sweat.
“Kraaaah! (How dare you invade my territory?)” The kraken swung its massive tentacle. The force looked strong enough to collapse the entire cliff.
“Watch out!” The Black Flame Dragon stepped in front of me. “Curtain of darkness! Dark Barrier!”
Boom—! The kraken’s leg bounced off the black shield. She held her ground without being pushed back, but I saw her bite her lip.
“Ugh… It’s huge and stupidly strong.”
That was when Lucy readied a glowing red magic bullet in the sky above us. “Move. I’ll turn it into charcoal.”
“Wait, Lady Lucy!” I shouted in a panic. “You can’t burn it! The meat will turn tough! We have to harvest it fresh!”
“Ugh, you’re so picky.”
Lucy grumbled and dispelled the magic bullet. Perfect timing. I looked at the Black Flame Dragon. “Sis! Tie its legs so it can’t move!”
“Tie it up? On it!” Her eyes sparkled. She had clearly been dying for this kind of cooperative play.
“Chains of the abyss, bind the sinner! Shadow Binding!”
Her shadow slithered out like snakes and coiled around all eight of the kraken’s legs. The monster thrashed wildly, but the binding cast by an archmage wouldn’t loosen even slightly.
“Now, Daon! Finish it!” the Black Flame Dragon yelled.
I pulled the magic-enchanted butcher’s greatsword I’d borrowed from Baron out of my inventory. Then I shouted at Lucy. “Lady Lucy! Throw me!”
“Throw you?”
“Yes! Right onto its head!”
“Ha. You crazy bastard. I like it.”
Lucy wrapped my body in telekinetic force and launched me like a cannonball. Whoosh—!
I sliced through the air, flying straight toward the top of the kraken’s head. Below my feet, the giant octopus head writhed in panic.
“Tonight’s dinner is… a takoyaki partyyyyy—!”
I wreathed the greatsword in black magic. Spells with the Corrosion and Severing attributes activated at the same time.
“Hiyaaap!”
Squelch—! Slice!
One clean strike. The kraken, stabbed through its vital point, sprayed ink everywhere and collapsed, strength gone.
Thud—!
When the massive monster fell, the waves surged wildly. I landed on its head and caught my breath. The Black Flame Dragon floated over using levitation.
“You did it, partner!” She grabbed my hand and shook it excitedly. “I knew my eyes weren’t wrong. That finishing blow was perfect! So ruthless, just like a proper black mage!”
“It was all thanks to you pinning it down, sis. The timing was flawless.”
“Hmph. Well, that much is basic for me.” She twirled her twin tails and looked away, embarrassed.
Right then a breeze lifted the hem of her lace skirt. She quickly pressed it down, cheeks flaming. “D-don’t look, you idiot!”
“I wasn’t looking.”
[Hey.]
Lucy had already turned back into a small red cat and wedged herself between us.
[Why are you two holding hands? Should I cut them off?]
She yanked my hand away from the Black Flame Dragon and wrapped it around her own waist instead.
[Good work, Daon. Now let’s hurry up and butcher this thing. I’m starving.]
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll call Baron over for the dismantling.”
An hour later, at the Demon King’s Table.
“Whoaaaa—! This is incredible!” Kastab cried out, voice thick with emotion.
On the kitchen counter sat a mountain of fresh S-rank kraken legs and all kinds of seafood.
“A kraken! And the condition is perfect! The ink sac didn’t even rupture!”
“It was a bit of work,” I said, collapsing into a chair. Beside me, the Black Flame Dragon was tiredly sipping cola through a straw. A gothic lolita dress and cola… quite the combination.
“Good work, partner. It’s been a while since I really stretched my muscles.”
“All thanks to you, sis. I mean it.” I spoke from the heart.
Today I learned that behind her edgy “dark lord” concept was genuine skill and real warmth toward her comrades.
“......”
The Black Flame Dragon chewed on her straw and gave me a sideways glance.
“Hey, Daon.”
“Yeah?”
“Aren’t you curious about my real name?”
“Huh? Isn’t it Black Flame Dragon?”
“No, you idiot! That’s my nickname!” Her face turned bright red. “My real name is… Yuna. Lee Yuna.”
“Oh, Yuna sis.”
“Keep it a secret from everyone else! The gallery people will make fun of me. Especially that sinister old hag…”
She held out her pinky finger.
“You’ll protect my secret, right? We’re… partners, after all.”
I smiled and hooked my pinky with hers.
“Of course. I’ll keep it strictly confidential, Yuna sis.”
“Hehe…” She beamed.
For that one moment she looked like an ordinary girl instead of the Black Flame Dragon of Darkness.
[Annoying.]
Meanwhile, Lucy the red cat, who had been grooming herself on the counter, narrowed her eyes with a dangerous glint.
[Look at that twin-tailed slut flirting. Should I break into her room tonight and shave her entire head bald?]
Her murderous telepathy rang in my mind. I quickly walked over and slipped a piece of premium kraken sashimi into her mouth.
“There, there, Lady Lucy. Calm down. This one’s super chewy.”
[Yum… Hmph. I’ll let it slide just this once.]
That evening the Demon King’s Table’s special was “Deep Sea’s Rage—Kraken Iron-Plate Stir-Fry.” The perfect balance of chewy texture and spicy seasoning had customers cheering, and sales hit an all-time high.
But I knew. Behind this peaceful dinner, an invisible war had begun between Demon King Lucy and the veteran gamer Yuna, with me stuck in the middle.
The next day.
The whole incident started on a sunny afternoon.
Lunch service had ended and we were in break time. I was sweeping in front of the shop. Lucy was sunbathing on a bench, toasting some bread. That was when I spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
It was CaneCarvingOldMan—grandmother—wearing a flower-patterned robe over her muscular build. Walking arm-in-arm with her was the rumored “granddaughter,” the succubus she had contracted with.
Golden wavy hair. Voluptuous figure. A heart-shaped tail swaying behind her. She was the very picture of a woman who could enchant any man.
“Grandma~ Buy me that! Please?” The succubus shook a department-store catalog with a coquettish voice.
“Aigoo, my pretty one. I just bought you a new bag last week. Grandma’s wallet is getting thin.”
“That was last season! This is the empire-limited ‘Ray-Bitton’ clutch bag! I need it to look stylish!”
…Huh?
I stopped sweeping. Why was a succubus obsessed with a men’s clutch bag? Did she like a boyish style?
“No. I spent all the allowance this month. Let’s just enjoy our walk quietly.”
Grandmother refused firmly. The succubus’s expression instantly turned icy.
“Haa… You really won’t buy it?”
“I said no.”
“Fine. Then I’m going on strike.”
The succubus suddenly stopped in the middle of the street and began the most shocking performance.
Swish. She grabbed her long golden hair and yanked. Plop. The entire head of hair came off. It was a wig.
Beneath it was a short, neatly cropped black haircut.
“Eh?” A dumb sound escaped my mouth.
But the shock wasn’t over. Scrub, scrub. She—no, he—pulled a wet wipe from his pocket and violently rubbed his face. The thick makeup came off, revealing sharp eyes and a strong jawline. Then the voice dropped an octave.
“Master. Can’t you at least protect my dignity a little?”
A husky, sleazy male voice. This bastard wasn’t a succubus. He was an incubus.
“Uwaaaaaagh—!” I screamed and covered my eyes. Lucy, who had been napping on the bench, shot up with her fur standing on end.
[What the hell is that horrific hybrid?]
“Why is an incubus walking around in women’s clothing?!”
My scream made both grandmother and the incubus turn to look at me. Grandmother looked visibly flustered.
“Aigoo, our newbie… you saw?”
“Grandma… what is this…?”
She cleared her throat and avoided my eyes. “Well… Grandma has particular tastes. Ever since I was young I dreamed of raising one pretty granddaughter. But when I summoned, this dark fellow popped out instead.”
So she forced him to cross-dress? Was this otherworld child abuse… no, demon abuse?