Chapter 19: Great Demon (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19: Great Demon (1)
The Ahaia Ruins, bathed in the morning sunlight, offered me a welcoming sense of déjà vu.
Though, calling it "ruins" was a bit of a stretch; it was really just a crumbling temple.
Solomon, the Holy Emperor who founded the Empire after sealing the 72 Great Demons, was revered as a god after his death. Even now, a denomination that worships the first Emperor as a deity exists as the state religion... however.
No matter how great the myth, it is bound to weather and degrade over the passage of time.
In this temple, forgotten for five hundred years, there were no priests and no believers.
Only the stone floor, cracked like a turtle's shell, and the temple itself, shrouded in moss and vines, reminisced about the glory of the past.
"Hmm... still, it's much wider and larger than I remember. As expected..."
Looking at the white stone fragments crumbling in my palm, the realization that this world was indeed reality hit me even harder.
Just as I was thinking about the 500-year-old MILF—no, the Great Demon Sitri—who would be beneath this temple...
I heard the click of the carriage door closing.
"Ah, Teacher. Are you all ready?"
"Yes, Young Master."
Today, Helena wasn't wearing her usual formal attire.
She wore sophisticated leather armor made of ogre hide, combining both mobility and style. Furthermore, a magnificent longsword and a shortsword were fastened to her waist.
Finally, her gaze, sharper and more serious than ever, was proof enough that Helena was indeed a descendant of the Sword Saint.
"You look wonderful, Teacher. Truly."
"Fufu, thank you."
Seeing her face flush at a single word of praise made my heart swell with pride.
To think that this cool and beautiful woman was mine.
"Shall we head in right away?"
"...Yes. Even if the Great Demon is released from the seal, I will protect you at all costs, Young Master."
"Hahaha, then I'll have to be careful to make sure that doesn't happen."
"By that logic, it would be best not to enter at all... but I suppose you won't do that."
"Right. I can't just leave a lady who's been trapped for five hundred years like this."
"Sigh... if only that 'lady' weren't a demon..."
"As long as she tastes good, that's all that—I mean, no one should be discriminated against based on their origin, status, race, or species."
At my incredibly logical and perfectly righteous words, Helena finally took a step toward the temple.
Following behind me, of course, as I walked a step ahead.
"Um... Young Master, still, five hundred years older is a bit... isn't that too much...?"
"Hmm? Are you perhaps worried about me saying Sitri is pretty?"
"T-That's not it...!"
"Don't worry. As I told you before, the moment I stop loving you will never come."
"...Yes, Young Master."
*
Inside the temple, only the musty smell of accumulated dust lingered.
It was a place that must have once bustled with believers and priests, but the myth was so great that it had become ignored.
Because "a myth is just a myth, not a story of reality."
This wasn't just the case for the Ahaia Ruins.
True believers who remember Solomon's achievements and life and pass on his philosophy are extremely rare. The vast majority of believers are merely people who mistake their desires for faith.
The temple, covered in vines and moss and filled with dust, fully revealed the bitter state of the world.
"It's a somewhat lonely sight..."
"Do you think so too, Teacher?"
"Yes. When I was a child, I was a naive girl who dreamed of becoming such a person after hearing the legends of the Holy Emperor..."
"Teacher. Have you ever heard this saying?"
"Yes? What...?"
"A man's dream never ends!"
"...?"
It seemed the passion of a shonen manga filled with dreams and adventure didn't reach the world-weary adult.
Ah... it's a bit of a shame I won't get to see the end of that manga... I wonder what the One Piece actually was...
While I was lost in such reminiscence, looking around the desolate interior of the temple...
Helena suddenly wrapped her hand gently around mine.
"You said... dreams never end."
"Huh? I did."
"Thinking about it, I believe you're right. Because my dream has come true now, and it will continue to come true in the future. As long as you hold me, Young Master, the day my dream ends will never come."
"...Teacher, are you a genius?"
"Yes? What do you..."
"A genius at making my cock angry!"
If I had it my way, I would have rewarded Helena right then and there for making me "angry."
But I am a man who knows how to distinguish between what I must do and what I want to do.
So, I satisfied myself with showering Helena's ass and breasts with affection.
"Haa... ngh..."
"Please bear with it for now, Teacher. Even so, doing it in front of His Majesty the Holy Emperor is a bit much."
"Yes, Young Master..."
Before we knew it, a stone statue covered in dust and vines stood before us.
A statue of Solomon, wearing the laurel wreath—the symbol of the Emperor—and standing atop a demon.
"Hmm~ I wonder where it is...?"
As if playing a game of hide-and-seek, I circled around Solomon's statue.
Searching for the crest of Ahaia, the Archangel who corresponds to the Great Demon Sitri.
Eventually, I found the dust-laden crest of Ahaia on the back of the statue.
"Oh, found it. Teacher~ over here~"
"I'm coming."
In the original work, pressing this crest would teleport you to the temple's basement.
Right in front of the Archangel's sword where Sitri was sealed.
"I wonder if that's the same too...?"
"Young Master?"
I blew the dust off the crest and carefully placed my hand on the crest of Ahaia.
Finally, after firmly grasping Helena's hand, I applied pressure to the hand resting on the crest.
Then...
"Nothing's happening."
"I guess so. Tsk, is a myth just a myth after all?"
"For me, that's a relief...!"
—Rumble...
An ominous sound, as if the temple itself was vibrating, echoed from somewhere.
Before we could find the source of the sound or escape the temple...
The floor Helena and I were standing on literally vanished.
"Waaaaah!"
"Young Master!"
*
"Uwaaaaa!!"
"Ah... ack?"
I thought we were falling deep underground, but as it turned out, there were stairs beneath our feet.
...A slightly embarrassing memory came to mind.
The kind where you flail around thinking you've fallen into deep water, only to realize it's shallow...
"Ahem, ahem. L-Let's head down, Young Master."
"L-Let's do that! Yes. Right. Ahem."
Feeling somewhat sheepish, we laughed awkwardly and headed down the stairs.
Surprisingly, the stairs leading down were as bright as day.
Thanks to the magical lights that still functioned, illuminating our path with every step we took.
After descending the spiral staircase for quite a while...
Finally, there was nowhere further to go, and a wide cavern appeared before Helena and me.
"Hmm... I don't feel any particularly suspicious presence. Though we can't rule out the possibility of traps..."
"There's only one way to find out."
I walked forward boldly in front of Helena.
The fact that the sight before my eyes was identical to the Milfgard I knew gave me courage, but more than that...
I couldn't be a man who hides behind a woman out of fear.
"As expected, no traps."
"Young Master, please...! If anything were to happen to you, I..."
"Haha, yes. I won't make you worry from now on."
"Please, keep that promise. I beg you."
To show I understood, I gave Helena a light kiss.
While wet and sticky skinship is great, this kind of light touch is special too.
As we continued forward... it finally appeared.
The sword where Sitri, one of the 72 Great Demons Solomon subdued and the ruler of the Domain of Lust in Hell, was sealed.
"Oh... it looks even cooler in person."
Leaving Helena, who silently drew her own sword, behind, I slowly climbed onto the altar.
A pitch-black sword body that looked as if it were forged from the night sky itself.
The handle, which seemed carved from a silver moon, and the large red gem embedded in its center were luscious and seductive.
'Now... I just need to grab this handle.'
Before that, I carefully observed Sitri.
If the seal were to break by some one-in-a-million chance, it would be game over.
"Hmm..."
Fortunately, there were no suspicious signs.
Unlike the ring from the greatest fantasy movie in human history, I didn't feel this sword tempting me.
If I wanted to, I could give up on Sitri and turn back right now.
Other than that, there was no black mist flowing from the sword, no strange light flashing from the gem on the handle... nothing like that.
"What do you think, Teacher?"
"It is certainly... a fine sword. It's clear just by seeing that it hasn't rusted at all despite so much time having passed. The term 'Archangel's sword' is quite fitting."
"Hmm, any suspicious points?"
"Well, I'm not sure. A mage might be able to find something... but I don't know much about magic..."
Still, I hesitated once more.
The way to obtain Sitri in Milfgard was simple.
Pull the sword from the altar, then defeat Sitri in a battle within the mental world.
For the record, there was no penalty for losing.
Sitri's difficulty was also... well, she was a pushover boss you could easily clear unless you skipped about ten turns doing nothing.
In the first place, Sitri was an item designed to easily bypass the unnecessarily high-difficulty combat content of the eroge.
There was no reason for the battle to obtain such an item to be difficult.
So, the moment you lost, the battle ended with the protagonist letting go of the sword.
You could retry as many times as you wanted by gripping the sword again.
'But this is reality, not a game.'
If I were to lose the mental battle against a Great Demon, the possibility of the demon taking over my body was more than enough.
If that happened, I wouldn't be remembered as the protector of modest and busty wives, but as a pathetic fool who destroyed the world because he was blinded by lust.
...Come to think of it, what I'm doing right now is exactly that.
"Teacher."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Shall we just go? I'm starting to wonder what the point of all this is. Honestly, it's not like Sitri is the only woman in the world."
"You are right. The risk is far too great compared to what we gain."
"Right? Then let's just leave. Let's just say we saw something cool."
"Yes, Young Master. That is an excellent decision."
Just as I was about to give up on the Demon Sword Sitri and step down from the altar.
Suddenly, a low humming sound echoed from somewhere... and then it immediately went quiet.
"What was that?"
"I'm not sure."
"Anyway, let's go."
"Yes, Young Master."
And so, the moment I turned around to leave this temple for good...
Silver hair that looked as if stars from the night sky had been ground and woven into clarity.
Crimson eyes that glowed eerily yet seductively like a red moon.
A truly devilish set of tits and a lusciously large ass.
Furthermore, the line from her waist to her hips and thighs was enough to make me gasp involuntarily.
Finally, two horns sprouting from her head, a pair of bat wings fluttering behind her back, and... a tail with an arrowhead-like tip.
"Sitri...!"
Appearing exactly as she did in Milfgard, the Great Demon Sitri stood before Helena and me.
"Are you fools?! Why do you give up after coming all this way! Pull that sword this instant! Are you humans not an inferior species that constantly takes reckless risks with your lives!"
"...?"
Helena was pointing her sword at her while breaking into a cold sweat... but to me, she seemed... lacking in impact, so to speak...
I wasn't scared at all.
It wasn't because the original Sitri was a pushover boss, but because her presence itself felt very faint.
"...She's still damn hot, though. But why does she seem a bit dim-witted...?"
"W-What? Dim-witted?! How dare a lowly human say such things! I shall immediately...!"
"What can you even do?"
"Grrr...! I will kill you! I will burn your soul forever in the fires of hell!"
At that moment, Sitri lunged at me, extending her sharp claws.
Helena tried to block the attack, of course, but...
"What?!"
Sitri's claws didn't just pass through Helena and her sword; they passed right through my body as well.
Forget weight or power; I didn't feel any mass at all.
Literally, Sitri's attack permeated through both Helena and me.
Thus, Helena and I were both completely unharmed.
"Huff, huff..."
Sitri was still huffing and glaring at us, but Helena sheathed her sword without hesitation.
It seemed she had reached the same conclusion as I had.
"She doesn't seem to be... a ghost. This feeling of having no physical form at all... it's more accurate to see her as a mental body or a thought-form."
"Hmm, like an illusion."
"Exactly. In that state, she won't be able to affect reality at all, so let's just leave her be."
"Let's do that. She gave me a fright. Ah~ that was a good show~"
Myths still exist today.
Just as I concluded that this was today's gain...
This time, with a very urgent and desperate expression, Sitri blocked our path.
"W-Wait! Hold on!"
"What now?"
"Pull that sword! If you do, you can obtain my power, the power of a Great Demon! How about it! Isn't it magnificent? Don't you crave it?"
"There must be a price. What is it?"
"It is nothing much! Simply offering your body and soul to me forever! How about it, isn't it a small price to pay for the power of a Great Demon?"
"I see. So 'Great Demon' is a term for a woman who sells her body for a cheap price. Ah, I'm not insulting you. Personally, I think such people are necessary for social stability."
"Y-You insolent...! How dare you equate me, the Great Overlord of Hell, with a common street prostitute!"
With that, I walked right through Sitri, intending to leave the temple for real this time.
If I had blindly grabbed the sword, I really would have been in deep trouble.
I would have had my body taken over immediately.
As the ancestors said, you should tap even a stone bridge before crossing it.
"W-Wait! Fine! I won't take your body! I won't take your soul either! I will even specially forgive your rude remarks toward me!"
"You are persistent. Even if you are a demon, if you call yourself a king, show some dignity and composure befitting a monarch."
"Shut up! How could a girl like you understand my feelings after being trapped in a sword for five hundred years!"
The word "trapped" lingered in my ears.
Come to think of it, I was also trapped in a cage called Rheinstein Castle until yesterday.
Fortunately, I was able to escape the cage thanks to my brother, who supports me unconditionally, and Helena, who is unconditionally devoted to me.
But... Sitri would probably be sealed forever.
If Helena and I were to leave just like this.
In the end, I turned back and looked at Sitri.
"Don't go... set me free... what sin have I committed... I... I just..."
"This is the first time I've seen a Great Demon acting so pathetic. Are you really a demon?"
"...What is it, suddenly? You were walking away as if you were leaving."
"You won't take my body, and you won't take my soul. So? What is it you want?"
"Young Master?!"
Helena hurriedly tried to stop me, but I had her step back for a moment.
I was currently negotiating with the ruler of Hell.
Of course, the negotiation could completely fall through depending on the conditions.
"I-If you free me, I will lend you my power! In a way that doesn't involve taking your body or soul! No, I don't even ask to be freed! Just pull that sword from the altar! It is enough if I can just go outside!"
"Hmm, you're talking big. But... although I don't know much, I've heard that to get power from a demon, you have to make a contract."
"The method of contract is simple! You just have to make me admit defeat! How about it, isn't that a fair condition?"
"You're still being so picky. Does the Great Demon of Hell not know her place? I'm debating whether to do it even if you offer unconditional surrender."
"W-Wait! I cannot give my power unconditionally! The transfer of power is only possible by sharing a part of the soul through a contract!"
I stared at Sitri for a moment.
As expected... no matter how I looked at her, she was hot.
If I could have Helena on my right arm and Sitri on my left, I'd sleep like a baby.
To make that happen, I had to tap the stone bridge again.
"Hmm, let's say that can't be helped. But how can I trust that you're not lying?"
"A demon can never tell a lie. We can hide the truth, but we can never make up something that doesn't exist or say something we don't mean. Humans are the only creatures in the world who can speak falsehoods."
"Sounds good. So I'm asking, how do I trust you?"
"...Fine! I swear! In the name of Sitri, ruler of the Domain of Lust, I command my soul! If I break the oath to speak no lies, I shall lose all my intellect and power and fall into the state of a mere beast!"
As if her words weren't just empty talk, a chilling red light emitted from Sitri's mental body, bound her, and then seeped into her body.
I didn't know what that light meant... but I decided to trust Sitri just once.
Because Sitri's red eyes were brimming with tears.
It seemed my weakness was a woman's tears...
"Young Master."
"I'm sorry, Helena. I said I wouldn't make you worry... but could you trust me just this once?"
"...I understand. However, if an emergency occurs, I will act according to my own judgment."
"Yeah, please do."
Once again, I walked toward the altar where Sitri was sealed.
I had already forgotten thoughts like feeling sorry for Sitri or empathizing with her being trapped for 500 years.
My only thought was how to make that Great Demon admit defeat.
"There's only one way, after all. Now, Sitri. I'm going to make you admit defeat in my own way, is that okay?"
"Fine! Go ahead and say it! I'm not in a position to be picky, but I shall specially show you some generosity!"
"My, aren't you smart. You're not completely dim-witted. By the way, can't you come out of the sword at all? I need at least an hour."
"That is... impossible. Because Solomon placed a seal using the soul of Ahaia... that damn thing, how could he give not just his power but his very soul to a human? Does that angel have no pride as an immortal?"
"That's none of my business. Hmm, this is a problem... to give a massage, I have to touch the body directly..."
As soon as she heard those words, Sitri's flustered and restless expression changed completely.
With a look that said, "I knew you were like that~"
"Hmm? What, do you wish to touch my body? Fufufu, you are indeed an inevitable male! I understand! I am the Demon King of Lust! It is only natural to be in heat upon seeing this body!"
"That's true too, but that's the only way I can make you admit defeat. But you can't come out of the sword at all... it can't be helped."
"W-Wait! It's not like there's no way at all! Blood, just a little bit is fine, put some blood on the sword body!"
"What happens then?"
"I can construct a temporary body using your blood and my magic power! You just need to let this mental body possess that body, right?"
"Fine. How long does the temporary body last?"
"The more blood, the better... but in my current state, one drop would last about an hour. Ah, I used to create countless clones... if he was going to leave a gap in the seal, he should have made it a bit larger..."
"That's perfect. Just in case, you're not stupid enough to attack Helena and me as soon as you possess the body, right?"
"Of course! If you two are gone, the human who will pull that sword will also disappear! Also, a body created while sealed like this cannot properly contain my magic power."
Good, these conditions were enough.
I immediately made a small cut on the back of my hand with the sword stuck in the altar.
Then, Sitri slowly emerged from the drops of blood flowing down the sword body.
At a glance, it looked as if Sitri was being born from the sword.
"It's... done! Ah, finally...! Haa, haa... how long has it been since I last breathed, how long has it been since I stood on this ground!"
"Quiet, and just lie down here. We don't have much time."
"I understand! But, what are you planning to do?"
"Don't worry. I'm going to make you feel good."
"...What? You want to make me feel good...? Did you really say that? S-Say it again. Did you really say that?"
"I did. Now, let's begin. Close your eyes and focus only on my hands."