Chapter 22: Dream
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 22: Dream
Demons grant the wishes of humans.
Demons corrupt humans.
I am a demon.
So, that is what I did.
Because that is what a demon is supposed to do.
Because that was all humans ever expected of me.
“Great Demon of Lust, grant me immortality! In exchange, I offer you my soul!”
“Very well.”
“Sitri, give me infinite magic power! I will give you my everything!”
“It shall be so.”
To the human who craved immortality, I gave a body that would neither age nor rot.
To achieve that, I joined my body with theirs.
I did the same for the human who wanted limitless magic power.
And for the human who wanted infinite treasure.
For the human who desired a woman, and for the human who desired a man.
Because I am a demon.
Because I am a demon, I simply did what a demon must do.
I bestowed the power you craved and granted the wishes you desired.
How is that a sin?
What did I do wrong?
What did we do wrong?
“Why must I be sealed! I only granted their wishes!”
“Those who obtained immortal bodies are running rampant.”
“I only did so because they asked for bodies that would not die! It was not I who used that power in such a way!”
“Those who obtained your magic power are spreading chaos throughout the world.”
“That, too, was not my doing!”
“Indeed. It was not your doing. You are not at fault, Sitri.”
“Then why are you sealing me! Solomon! Why! What sin have I committed!”
He was right.
You are innocent.
A pitiful tool used only as necessity dictated.
Even as he said those words, Solomon pierced my heart with the Sword of Ahaia.
With the Angel's Sword and an immortal soul, he sealed me away forever.
“I will curse you. I will curse you, Solomon. What sin is mine? What sin belongs to my brothers and sisters?”
“Yes. You, your brothers and sisters, the 72 Demons—none of you are guilty. If there is guilt, it lies with the humans who had no choice but to use you.”
“Then should you not punish the humans! Are you not the Emperor of humanity!”
“You are right. However, humans are creatures that cannot live without dreaming. I am sorry. Curse me. Hate me. Resent only me.”
And so, I was sealed.
Just like my other brothers and sisters.
Under the pretext that our very existence breeds chaos and fear.
I did not create chaos and fear.
Was that not a disaster you brought upon yourselves?
“I have one last thing to tell you.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“One day, a man will come to find you. A man who wants only you—not your power, nor your immortal body.”
“Be silent! If such a thing were possible, why did you not do so yourself!”
“I have committed an unpardonable sin against you and your siblings. Even if I wished to, I no longer have the right.”
Don't make me laugh.
Humans were all the same.
They summoned me because they needed me; they laid hands on me because they needed me.
They despised me, calling me a demon, and feared me, yet they called for me whenever they were in need.
They only knelt before me and kissed my feet when there was something they desired.
How could such a race ever want me—and only me?
“You are right to doubt. But he will surely appear. A man who does not see you as a tool. A man who will bring you joy.”
“The title of Holy Emperor is wasted on you. Emperor who imprisons the innocent. The sin was committed by you and your kind. Then it is only right that you be the one to seek forgiveness.”
“Yes. In the end, I am a pathetic, powerless man who had no choice but to sacrifice the innocent for the sake of the innocent. I am one who lacks even the qualification to atone or beg for your forgiveness.”
“Silence. I do not wish to hear another word from a hypocrite.”
“I will leave a crack in the seal. For you, and for that man.”
With that, Solomon departed.
Leaving me imprisoned in the deep darkness.
Leaving behind nothing but a hollow prophecy with no promise of fulfillment.
*
“…”
My eyes snapped open before I realized it.
It was already night, and the carriage was stopped in the middle of an unknown meadow.
“Mmm… Young Master… hold me more…”
“My love… you are too strong…”
Helena was asleep, cradled in my right arm, and Sitri was asleep in my left.
Seeing the two women sleeping in my arms, a smile tugged at my lips involuntarily.
Careful not to wake them, I gently slipped out from between them.
“Whew…”
The moment I stepped out of the carriage, a night breeze infused with the scent of green grass brushed past me.
Taking a deep breath of that air, I lay down under the endless sea of stars.
‘That just now… must have been Sitri’s dream. Or rather, a memory.’
To be honest, I pitied Sitri.
I thought what happened to her was unjust, and naturally, it made me angry.
However… I couldn't say Solomon was entirely wrong either.
A demon who could grant immortality, immense power, or make anyone fall in love just by wishing for it was dangerous by nature.
While I empathized with Sitri, I also understood why Solomon did what he did.
“A man who wants Sitri herself, not immortality or power… huh.”
Am I truly that person?
As Solomon prophesied, am I someone who doesn't look at Sitri as a tool?
Is that the kind of person I should be?
One question led to another, keeping me under the night sky for quite some time.
“So this is where you were.”
“Hm? Ah, Sitri.”
Standing under the night sky looking at me, Sitri was a demon through and through.
She was beautiful enough to make me forget to breathe, and she looked lonely enough to make my heart ache.
Sitri approached me silently and leaned into my arms without hesitation.
“It is warm…”
“Haha, were you cold?”
“It is not that. I simply… wished to feel your warmth. I wished to feel the man who wants me.”
“…Is it because it’s been 500 years?”
“What is the meaning of those words? It sounds as if you think I would be doing this even if it were someone else and not you.”
“I can’t say the thought didn't cross my mind.”
“Fufu, no. You are the only one I have ever embraced of my own volition. You may take pride in that.”
Pride… well, I wondered if I could.
Solomon prophesied to Sitri that a man who wanted her would appear.
But… I wasn't that kind of man.
I simply wanted Sitri.
I just wanted to make the Demon Sword—the strongest item in the game from my past life—and the female character I had my eye on mine.
How could someone like me…
“Fufu, you truly are human. Can you not endure even a moment without doubting yourself?”
“How did you… Ah, you mentioned the Fated Community. The one where we can read each other's thoughts.”
“Indeed. You and I, and even Helena sleeping inside. We are connected by our very souls. Well… reading thoughts isn't always possible, though.”
I couldn't stand the sound of Sitri’s voice as she whispered happily.
Because I was ashamed of how I had acted like a brat, relying only on knowledge from my past life.
Because I was ashamed of my hypocrisy—pitying Sitri while simultaneously understanding Solomon.
“My love.”
“…Yes?”
“Will you not hold me? It is lonely simply being held.”
“Right…”
I supported Sitri’s slender waist with my left arm and wrapped my hand around her snow-white shoulder, bathed in moonlight.
However… I couldn't bring myself to pull her close as she wished.
“I was happy. That you appeared before me, and that you told me you wanted to make me happy.”
“…Because the prophecy came true?”
“Fufu, no. Prophecies are hollow things. No one can know the future. Solomon’s prophecy is but one among those countless stars.”
Without realizing it, I began to pull Sitri closer.
Before I knew it, I was looking directly into her face, which I had been avoiding.
“My love.”
“Yes.”
“Forget the prophecy. I am not embracing you because you are the man of the prophecy. I am embracing you because you are the man who wanted me and wished to make me happy. You wanted me of your own will, not anyone else's. Is that not so?”
“…Haha, I suppose so. Man… I made you worry over nothing. I’m sorry.”
“Fufufu, why be sorry? You and I are already in a relationship that can never be severed.”
Sitri leaned in and kissed me of her own accord.
The sensation of her soft, full lips pressing against mine felt so very unlike a demon.
“Ah… it is merely the act of kissing, yet why does it feel so…”
“How does it feel?”
“…Must I put it into words for you to know?”
“Yes. Humans are those kinds of creatures.”
“Fufu, is that so? Then I suppose I must try again.”
Unlike a moment ago, this time our tongues intertwined.
We drank each other's saliva and licked each other's lips.
“Haa… haa, haa… do not be too forceful…”
“I just couldn't help myself. Did you hate it?”
“It is not that I hated it… I am purely happy and grateful that you want me this much, but…”
“Haha, then I have nothing more to wish for.”
“…Even if I am satisfied, you are not, are you? That weighs on my mind. Unlike… Helena, I am… a novice…”
This is driving me crazy.
Helena is one thing, but Sitri is truly a genius in her own right.
Both women have a natural talent for setting me ablaze… but.
A true man must fill his woman with joy and ecstasy.
“Hahaha, don't be like that. I love you, including that part of you.”
“…Do you mean it?”
“Of course. You can feel it, can't you?”
“I… I see. Lo… love… it is the first time… hearing such words… I see, so this is love… this is what it feels like to be loved…”
I pulled Sitri into a deeper embrace than ever before.
Gently, preciously, and lovingly, just as she desired.
“You’re especially beautiful today.”
“We only met today, did we not?”
“Hahaha, is that so? Still, you’re extra beautiful today. Those eyes like large rubies, hair like starlight, your dainty nose, and those soft, full lips…”
“What, is that all? Praise me a little more.”
“Hahaha. Yes, Your Highness. The way your body trembles at just a breath against your ear is adorable, and the way you grow damp at just a kiss is truly precious.”
“Ugh… mmm… is that so… th-that was unexpected…”
Sitri looked so lovely in her embarrassment that I kissed her again without thinking.
Of course, I kept it light and delicate, just as she wanted.
“Mmm… fufu, I truly feel loved.”
“I’m glad you feel that way. However…”
“I know even without you saying it. That you are a human who cannot love only me. In fact, it should be at least that much. For one who holds the Great Demon of Lust in his arms.”
“Hahaha, is that right?”
“It is. Well… even for me, it is difficult to fully understand your preference for older women… but I shall accept it nonetheless.”
“Your grace is immeasurable, Your Highness.”
“Fufufu.”
Before I knew it, my hand was gripping Sitri’s luscious buttocks.
I held her soft, elastic breasts against my chest and buried my face in the tender skin of her neck.
“Mmm… haa… you are… truly skilled… every time your hand touches me, every time your breath brushes against me… I feel alive…”
“I… I’m sorry for being rough at first.”
“Fufu, how many times must I tell you? I did not dislike it. I love you when you touch me delicately like this, and I love you when you make me kneel and lie prostrate. The roughness had its own unique stimulation, which was good.”
I wanted to give her a cool response, but I didn't have the chance.
I couldn't hold back any longer.
Maintaining the position where we embraced face-to-face, I carefully inserted myself into her.
“Hng…! Ah, as expected…”
“Haa… why?”
“You are different… even though this is not the first time, why is it so enchanting… you are the only one… only you can fill me…”
Is there any greater praise a man can hear from a woman?
I don't know what others might think, but I decided to take it that way.
Perhaps because of that thought… I found myself telling Sitri the same thing I had once told Helena.
“Haa, haa… Sitri…”
“Ah, haa… speak to me…”
“As you know, I’m not someone who can love only you. Kh…”
“Fufu, yes. I know…! Ahh!”
“But… I promise you this…!”
“Haa, yes… tell me…!”
“Kh… there will never be a moment from now on when I don't love you…!”
“Ah… I shall do the same… haa…! The only one I shall ever embrace is you…!”
I kissed Sitri.
We swallowed each other's saliva as if accepting one another, our tongues tangling.
Finally, I poured everything of myself into her, and Sitri accepted my release with tremors and ecstasy.
“Haa, haa… I love you, Sitri.”
“I… love you too…”
The night was still deep.
In my heart, I wanted to keep holding Sitri like this, but…
“Let us go back now.”
“Huh? Already? I want to stay like this a bit longer.”
“I wish to as well… but my love, surely you haven't forgotten Helena.”
“Ah.”
“You have a duty to please not only me but Helena as well. Do not forget.”
“Mmm. Then I shall perform my duty with a joyful heart.”
I could hear Helena’s sorrowful whisper calling for me from inside the carriage.
It seemed the conversation, thoughts, and sensations I just shared with Sitri had awakened Helena from her slumber.
‘Ah, Young Master… me too…’
And so, I returned to Helena while still holding Sitri in my arms.
Just as Helena desired, and in the way that brought her the most joy, I loved her.
Though… it seemed the stimulation was a bit too strong for Sitri.
“I-is it alright to be that rough…? D-does it not hurt…?”
“Ah, Young Master! Deeper! Harder! Aaaahhh!”