A Day for Lovers, But I Have No Man
It was a day for lovers, yet she had no man. The god of the demon race. Commonly known as the Demon God Immanuel.
Born two thousand years ago from the Black Virgin Mary, a chaste maiden, he was said to have comforted the demonkind who suffered beneath countless miracles and became their spiritual pillar by rising up on their behalf. Yet his crusade for the rights of a race that had been little more than slaves threatened the humans, and in the end they drove Immanuel to his death with foul traps. Even so, three days after his murder Immanuel rose from the grave, led the demons who followed him across the sea, settled this land, and founded a new nation. Thus he became the legendary savior who rescued the groaning demon race from despair and ultimately the progenitor of the Demon Kingdom—Immanuel.
And at this very moment, the Demon King—said to carry that same blood in her veins—stood watching the preparations for Immanuelmas, the festival celebrating his birth, and found herself seized by a deep, trembling excitement she had never felt before.
Two more days… When that time comes, with the hero…
The time with the hero she had longed for. She already believed they were close enough, yet precisely because of that closeness the Demon King was beginning to crave what lay beyond it.
From what I hear, when affection between man and woman deepens, the next step is making a child. Indeed… Jim believes she could now make a child with the hero.
A man and woman sharing love, conceiving, and bearing a child. It was the most natural thing in the world, regardless of race, and now the Demon King desired it with all her heart.
The hero’s and my baby… It would surely be strong. And… so very cute. Jim herself is not particularly adorable, but the hero is quite cute, so…
Whenever she stroked his head he would look up with those sparkling, puppy-like eyes full of love. A baby who took after such a hero would undoubtedly be precious beyond words; of that the Demon King was certain.
They say making a baby is no easy task, but… well, it doesn’t matter. Belzebeuty told me that if you simply ask when you’re alone with a man, he will take care of everything.
“Haah…”
Outside the window the festive streets sparkled. Gazing at the colorful ornaments surrounding the giant tree crowned with the black star that symbolized the Demon God Immanuel, Elisa let out a heavy sigh.
“Is something the matter, Master?”
Amelda, the dark elf, asked cautiously as she watched her master’s unusually somber mood.
Elisa glanced sideways at her, offered a bitter smile, and answered.
“Hm?… No… It’s nothing. You know today is Immanuelmas, don’t you?”
“Of course. I have been helping Master prepare for it these past several days. But is it not a sacred day commemorating the birth of the Demon God? I understood it to be a religious observance similar to the elves’ festivals for the gods.”
“Haah…”
Amelda’s reaction was predictably naïve; after all, she had been an elf, and elves tended to be rather conservative about such things. Elisa gave a deep sigh, then looked at her innocent subordinate No. 1 and spoke.
“Yes… it used to be. But that was four hundred years ago. You know how much the demon race’s faith in the gods weakened after the racial war, don’t you? In the process, Immanuelmas changed in many ways.”
“Changed… how?”
“It is no longer simply a day to celebrate a god’s birth. It has become a day for lovers to flirt and dote on each other.”
“Ah…”
Amelda’s face went blank the moment she understood. Watching her, Elisa continued with a wry smile.
“Now you see what I mean? In other words, for someone like me who has no lover whatsoever, an already lonely day feels even lonelier. And to make matters worse, it’s my day off. You could say misfortune has layered itself perfectly.”
Elisa poured her genuine disappointment out to her subordinate-slave. Strictly speaking, however, her foul mood could not be blamed on that reason alone. She had spent hundreds of years passing countless Immanuelmas days as a solo, yet she had never felt particularly lonely. She had always maintained that she did not need a man. There was no reason to burn with jealousy at the sight of lovers; she had simply accepted it and spent the day with family or friends.
But this Immanuelmas was different. It struck Elisa with an emotional wound far larger than any ordinary day ever had.
The hero… is probably flirting to his heart’s content with that woman right about now, isn’t he?
Hero Elan was rumored to be dating a mysterious woman X. Elisa had done everything in her power to uncover the woman’s identity, yet she had gained almost no useful information. All she knew was that Elan had been seen on dates with an unidentified woman on several occasions. The identity of X herself remained a complete mystery, leaving Elisa with nothing but a burning stomach and the bitter taste of helplessness.
Damn it… Who is she and where does she live that she can hide her identity so perfectly? For some reason every witness’s description differs slightly…
The situation almost suggested that the hero might be an incredible womanizer, yet that seemed unlikely. Elan did not strike her as particularly sociable; it was hard to imagine him changing partners so frequently. The only reasonable conclusion was that the woman was deliberately altering her appearance—wearing wigs, changing her makeup—to conceal her identity while meeting him.
She’s going to that much trouble to hide who she is… At this rate, further pursuit may be impossible…
The thought that she might have to sit back and watch the hero fall completely into the arms of this unknown woman filled Elisa with unease. Just then, Amelda spoke in a careful voice.
“Um, but Lady Elisa. If that is the case, don’t you already have an excellent partner?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Elisa’s face filled with confusion at the incomprehensible statement. Amelda turned her gaze to the side.
“Right here. Though he has changed somewhat, you still have someone who looks only at you—a ‘man who used to be.’”
With those words Amelda gave a light tug on the leash in her hand. From beside her crawled a female elf dressed in a black uniform, wrists bound, crawling across the floor on all fours.
“Hah… hah… T-that’s right, Master… There is no need to look so lonely. If you are feeling alone, please say so anytime. Your faithful bitch Cleopatra is right here. My pussy is always Master’s property, a loyal pussy hole prepared solely for you, so please use it however you wish.”
The elf’s face was flushed bright red, her expression one of desperate craving. Cleopatra. Although her skin still retained the pure white tone of a high elf rather than a dark elf, both Elisa and Amelda could not help thinking that this creature had fallen into true, irreversible corruption.
I really did create her, but this is a bit much. This is exactly why I never wanted to do this kind of thing.
She had created a lust-crazed beast to extract information. Honestly, Elisa sometimes felt like disposing of her immediately, yet she had decided to keep the woman as subordinate No. 2 and livestock for the time being. Her behavior was pathetic, but in pure combat strength she surpassed even Elisa; there were plenty of ways to put her to practical use.
Still… staying cooped up in the house like this is depressing. Mother is out on a date with someone and there are no guests expected. Maybe I should take these two outside?
Thinking that, Elisa rose from her seat, preparing to go out. At that moment—
Knock knock.
“Hm?”
The sudden sound of someone at the door. Elisa walked toward it, wondering who could possibly be visiting when she was expecting no one. Then—
“U-um… Hello, Elisa.”
“Nadan? What brings you here today?”
An unexpected visit from her friend. Surprise and delight mingled on Elisa’s face. Nadan’s cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke.
“No… it’s nothing special. I happened to obtain a restaurant ticket, and since I don’t have anyone to go with anyway… if it’s all right with you… would you… go out with me now?”
Her voice trembled a little. Elisa felt a faint flicker of doubt, but she had been about to head out anyway; there was no reason to refuse.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
“Ah!”