Chapter 95
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95
The desperate pleas for help pierced his heart. His inability to do anything for the dying woman sent him spiraling back to his own helpless childhood.
Back when Gabriel was very young, before he truly understood why holy water had no effect on him, he had nearly been run over by a speeding carriage.
“Your wounds don’t heal easily, so you must never get hurt.”
But the child two years his senior, who had always looked after him, shoved Gabriel out of the way and was struck by the carriage instead. Gabriel had carried the boy on his back, begging every adult he could find to save him, but no one was willing to lend a hand. Only Bishop Zabaniya, who happened to be doing volunteer work in the back alleys, belatedly arranged a funeral for the child.
Jeremia, her voice completely hoarse as she quietly begged to be saved, looked just like the Gabriel of the past. Perhaps that was why he wanted to take her hand, even though there was nothing he could do.
And perhaps… Jeremia might actually live.
“Do you want to survive?”
“Yes…!”
At Gabriel’s question, Jeremia forced her limp head to nod, crying out desperately in her raspy voice. She wanted to live, no matter what. The injustice and resentment of being betrayed by the family she trusted and the god she served made it impossible for her to simply close her eyes and die.
“…Even if it means taking a demon’s hand?”
“A demon…? I would welcome it…”
If a demon offered her a hand, she would gladly take it. After being wounded by Bishop Marik—the supposed manifestation of the Sun Goddess—and her own knight, she had no reason to keep her faith in the Goddess Rachel they all worshipped. As if in punishment for betraying her god, Jeremia’s eyes gradually began to close.
Hearing Jeremia’s resolve, Gabriel called out to Jelly, who was yawning indifferently despite the presence of a dying person.
“Mr. Jelly. Your presence here… must mean Lady Rohanson is nearby.”
“Of course. Why else would I be here if not for my master?”
Gabriel had seen Ryder at Marquis Toten's estate. Madame Toten had been reluctant to speak of it, but Ryder, whose constitution was also unaffected by holy water, had recovered enough to go horseback riding. It was a clear sign he had been saved by Lady Rohanson's grace. After all, Evangeline Rohanson herself was living proof, having revived her own body, which was also immune to holy water.
If that was the case, Evangeline might know a way to save Jeremia.
“…Lady Rohanson.”
Gabriel called out the name of the pure white demon who had reached out to his younger self in his dreams.
“Yes, Sir. Did you call for me?”
Then, as if by magic, Evangeline answered. Her voice was so dreamlike that he wondered if he was still asleep.
How long had she been by his side? The reply was so immediate, as if she had been waiting for his call, that all Gabriel could do was utter her name again in disbelief.
“Evangeline.”
“Yes, Sir Gabriel.”
Evangeline answered his call once more without a hint of annoyance. For some reason, a strange warmth filled his chest. He pushed aside the question of how someone who was supposed to be in prison had managed to evade countless guards and watchful eyes to appear right before him. It was clear Evangeline had come to offer him her hand.
“Are you surprised, even though you were the one who called me?”
Evangeline chuckled as if looking at something adorable. Her benevolent smile made it seem as though she could grant his every wish. The Evangeline who once exuded an unnerving aura and openly disdained humans had now become quite adept at feigning kindness.
“Please… save the Princess.”
Amidst the descending darkness, Evangeline Rohanson shone alone—a pure white dress, white hair fluttering in the wind. He recalled what Canna, Evangeline's maid, had once teased him about, asking if he thought Evangeline was an angel.
As if.
“If that is what you wish, Sir.”
Gabriel’s demon smiled benevolently.
* * *
Pudding located Tenebrae with his Clairvoyance, then hastily rushed off on his own.
“Master. He went by himself.”
I know… Jelly and I stared blankly at the spot where Pudding had vanished.
Seriously, if you found her, shouldn’t we go together? How could he just run off alone when it might be dangerous? Maybe because Pudding was still young, he didn't seem to realize how treacherous the world could be.
Well, it’s normal for kids to insist on running errands by themselves. I should have known when he was straining so hard to find Tenebrae on his own earlier…
“Let’s follow him.”
At least it was a relief to have Jelly with me. Jelly snapped his fingers, and we teleported to Pudding’s location. Just the two of us.
“What about Sir Ante?”
“Someone needs to guard the dungeon.”
True. Since my dress is still in the dungeon, I trust Sir Ante will be clever enough to wear it and pretend to be me. There’s always an episode like that in RoFan novels. I nodded and looked around.
“…A forest?”
The place we teleported to was a dense forest. Pudding must have teleported here after finding Tenebrae, but she was nowhere to be seen. It seemed she had run away again.
A forest, though… Tenebrae must have escaped the Imperial Palace in that short amount of time.
I was about to lament that such excellent escape skills should have been used for a runaway female lead trope instead of murdering her own father when the top of a familiar castle caught my eye.
She hadn't escaped the Imperial Palace; this was just the forest in the backyard. I take back what I said about her being a runaway female lead. To think she only fled to the backyard. The male lead would catch her in less than a day.
So Tenebrae was gone, and Pudding… did he chase after her? I had Jelly lead the way as we followed Pudding’s trail. The forest was vast, so I thought it would be hard to find him, but fortunately, we located him before long.
“Pudding.”
“Don’t come any closer.”
I was stepping forward to ask if he had found Tenebrae, but Pudding cut me off firmly. First he disappears on his own, and now he’s telling me not to come closer? My cat must be going through puberty! Even though I didn’t actually give birth to him, tears of sorrow welled in my eyes.
There’s really no point in doting on these beastkin companions. Feeling hurt, I shut my mouth and stayed put. Then, as if to show Pudding wasn't alone, I heard the rustling of bushes and approaching footsteps.
I wondered if it was Tenebrae, but the person who emerged was a tall, handsome man. Judging by his clothes, which were similar to Gabriel’s, he seemed to be a paladin.
“I wondered where that cute bell sound was coming from, and of course, it was you. You did well to find me.”
The man smiled brightly at Pudding. When he was still, he looked like a clean-cut church boy, but the moment he smiled, sharp teeth and a forked tongue were revealed, completely shattering his image. His neat, handsome look vanished in an instant.
“Only an idiot wouldn’t notice when the stench of blood is this strong.”
Pudding bared his teeth, on high alert. He might not have been exaggerating; as the man appeared, I also caught the metallic stench. Blood was dripping from the sword he held, so the smell was definitely coming from there. Eek, who did he just kill?
“You’re no different, reeking of a beast. Besides, what on earth did you eat? You smell like rot.”
His words made me flare up instantly. Rot? What nonsense was this bastard spouting! My kids are perfectly fragrant because the servants at the Rohanson mansion put their heart and soul into washing and brushing them! Pudding and Jelly are practically living solid perfumes, you know? I was too scared of the sword in his hand to say it out loud, so I only retorted fiercely in my head. Pudding, however, being young and fearless, kept sneering.
“Shut up. I’d rather smell like rot than reek of blood.”
“Is it because of your master that you’re wasting your breath bickering, unlike your usual self?”
Seeing how he mentioned the beastly smell and the bell, he was definitely a fellow beastkin who knew Pudding and Jelly well, but for members of the same kind, their relationship was incredibly hostile.
Why was he even here? Seeing him in the forest, he was either chasing Tenebrae or helping her… As I was trying to figure out which side he was on, the man’s gaze suddenly snapped to me. Wh-What a shock. My heart nearly leaped out of my throat. The man smirked slyly and bowed in a mockery of politeness.
“This is the first time we’ve met in person. I am Azazel Astaroth.”
Perhaps because I had just heard him speak so insolently to Pudding, his polite tone felt incredibly greasy. He spoke similarly to Gabriel, but for some reason, they felt completely different. Come to think of it, Gabriel had a clean, refreshing charm, probably thanks to his male-lead buff. Azazel didn’t stop there and strode toward me. With every step he took, blood dripped onto the ground, leaving a trail behind him.
“I was quite shocked when we just brushed past each other, but seeing you up close, you are even more stimulating to creatures like us, My Lady. Now I understand why Flauros tucked his tail and submitted.”
Fl-Flau… what? I had no idea what nonsense he was talking about. Besides, what kind of pathetic pickup line was this? And that half-formal, half-informal tone is not meant to be used like that, you know?
Azazel reached out his hand as if to stroke my hair.
“How dare you lay a hand on—!”
Pudding lunged in a rage, and Jelly also moved to stop him.
“Stop.”
At my voice, not only Azazel but also Pudding and Jelly, who were rushing toward me, froze in their tracks. Their concern was touching, but they were overreacting. I could handle this much on my own; I knew a bit of self-defense, after all.
I firmly grabbed Azazel’s wrist as he tried to touch my hair. He whined, pretending it hurt.
“Ugh, that strength…”
As if it actually hurt. Are all beastkin just big crybabies, or do they have a low pain threshold? I squeezed his wrist even harder. Annoyed by his attempt to touch me without permission, I had to say something.
“You’re the same kind as Pudding, aren’t you?”
“…You could say that.”
His vague answer meant he wasn’t a cat. Since his tongue was forked, was he a snake?
“Then why are you acting so insolently toward me?”
I’m Pudding and Jelly’s guardian, after all. How dare you shamelessly flirt with your friend’s guardian, you bastard? Maybe I should turn him into snake wine.
As I stared intently into his eyes in a silent challenge, Azazel’s pupils shook wildly, seemingly flustered by my directness. Even you think you crossed the line, don’t you? Thinking he had finally understood, I let go of his hand. Azazel stumbled backward, covered his face with one hand, and began to giggle. Did the shock drive him mad?
“Haha, hahahaha… You really are something.”
After laughing for a long while, Azazel stopped and turned serious again. I felt a strange sense of déjà vu; it was similar to the method I used when I was passionately acting like a villainess in front of Donau. Was this how Donau felt back then? Experiencing it myself, it’s actually pretty terrifying…
“I see exactly why these guys roll over and submit to you. But it feels unfair for me to be treated the same as those toothless fools. Whenever someone is above me, I always feel the urge to drag them down.”
Now I get it. If Pudding was going through puberty, Azazel was suffering from eighth-grader syndrome. Honestly, rather than a snake beastkin, I could easily believe he was an imugi on the verge of evolving into a dark dragon.
“I’m the type to play with people, and I absolutely hate being controlled. That’s why I want to devour you right this instant… If I give it my all, I could at least crack that pretty vessel of yours, don’t you think?” Azazel said, pointing his sword at me.
He had seemed creepy just a moment ago, but now, far from being scared, I felt a little embarrassed for him. Hey, buddy, have you ever heard of secondhand embarrassment? Because I think mine just bottomed out. I wish someone would come and uncurl my cringing fingers and toes.