Chapter 59: Not Me, But My Mom
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59: Not Me, But My Mom
I stood there dazed for a long while, unable to utter a single word.
Did this guy just call me ugly? Me, of all people? The one and only daughter of Veronica?
It wasn't for any other reason—I was purely offended because I felt like Veronica had been insulted. This face was the spitting image of hers! The face of Veronica, the greatest beauty in this entire world!
As I began to huff and puff in growing indignation, Luers’s puzzled voice reached my ears.
[Hmm? Now that I look closer, you’re not half bad for a brat.]
“Phew…”
[Hey, kid, do you happen to have an older sister? Or maybe a mom?]
“…”
He’s a pervert. I knew it; this guy is a pervert too.
Still, considering he seemed to target adults, he felt slightly better than Bibi, who had a thing for young children. I shot a sidelong glance at Bibi, who was currently lounging nonchalantly inside the pink rabbit doll.
[Why are you looking at me with those eyes?]
“…It’s nothing.”
I shook my head and turned my gaze back to Luers. He spoke in a bewildered tone.
[Desmond, Bibi, you guys were here too?]
[It’s been a while.]
[Can’t say I’m glad to see you.]
[Hmm, if you two are here… don’t tell me that brat is…]
Ignoring the indifferent reactions of Desmond and Bibi, Luers stared straight at me again. Then, he cried out in a shocked voice.
[A brat like this is our master for this generation?]
[Stop calling her a brat. It makes the brat feel bad!]
[Yeah! Do you have any idea how cute this brat is?!]
“…”
For some reason, Desmond and Bibi’s defense made me feel even worse.
Instead of nagging them, I simply shook my head and addressed Luers.
“Unfortunately, the Winston who woke you up this time is me.”
[Ho, you’re quite something for a kid.]
A red haze fluttered around me. I could feel Luers’s gaze.
He had a gender-neutral voice. He sounded around the same age as Dollens, but I couldn't tell his gender because his voice was so ambiguous. Well, it wasn't like knowing a demon's gender would be of any use to me anyway.
[Hmm, maybe in ten years or so. But right now, I don’t really want to contract with you.]
“Is that so?”
Furthermore, Luers clearly disliked me. While there had been demons like Ilnes who found me a nuisance, I had never encountered one so uncooperative, which was inwardly flustering.
‘But whatever, it’s not like he’s contracting with me anyway.’
The silver lining was that I was still too young to contract with Luers directly.
I replied in a casual tone.
“That’s perfect. I wasn't in a position to contract with you anyway.”
[Hmm?]
“I’ve already contracted with Desmond and Bibi. They told me it would be dangerous if the number increased any further.”
[Aha.]
Only then did Luers seem to understand, letting out a small hum of realization. Then, he asked curiously.
[Then why did you call me?]
“Because I want you to contract with someone else instead of me.”
[Someone other than you?]
“Yeah. My mom.”
[….]
Luers fell silent for a moment at my words.
However, he soon asked back in a voice that stood in stark contrast to his previous bluntness.
[Your mom?]
“Yeah. Let’s just say she’s what I’ll look like in about twenty years…”
[I’ll do it! I’ll contract right now!]
“…”
This perverted creep, seriously.
I glared at Luers as he looked around excitedly. Eventually, I let out a sigh.
“Phew, I’ll let you meet her later. Just make sure you act well. My mom must never find out that I’m the master of the demons.”
[Hehe, understood.]
Luers, who I thought would be uncooperative until the very end, completely changed his attitude the moment he heard he’d be contracting with an adult woman who looked just like me.
After glaring at Luers with a look of disgust, I turned my head. For some reason, Nathaniel was watching this way with bated breath.
“Niel, is the cake good?”
“…Yeah.”
Nathaniel answered slowly, his hand having stopped moving a while ago. His gaze was tenaciously chasing Luers’s afterimage.
[What, Ilnes? You were here too?]
[Yawn… yeah.]
[Everyone’s here except for Dollens, then?]
[Dollens also made a proxy contract with someone else.]
[…You mean this brat summoned all of us?]
[That’s right.]
[….]
At Ilnes’s answer, Luers was silent for a long time, seemingly shocked.
Then, he asked in a voice that was almost a whisper.
[You don’t think this kid is going to summon Lord Lucifelt too, do you?]
“Lucifelt?”
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name. Was there a demon by that name?
Suddenly, Desmond jumped up from his seat and shouted in a fit of rage.
[Have you lost your mind, Luers?! How dare you speak the Archdemon’s name so carelessly!]
“Ah.”
So the Archdemon’s name was Lucifelt. That’s a cool name.
After a moment of pure admiration, I watched the demons bicker and shout at each other. Actually, it wasn't much of a fight; it was more like Luers was being one-sidedly scolded.
[Ugh, did I say something I shouldn't have? You guys are being way too much.]
[You still haven't learned your lesson!]
[What gives you the right to raise your voice?]
Desmond and Bibi, who usually growled at each other, were perfectly in sync at times like this.
Since Ilnes was just watching with an indifferent expression, only the three demons were actually fighting.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough. I have to go back now.”
“Dia, are you leaving already?”
“Yeah, I need to get some sleep.”
After patting the shoulder of a disappointed Nathaniel, I gave Luers one final warning.
“Got it? You must never tell my mom about me.”
[I get it, I get it.]
Luers replied in a dismissive tone, as if his ears were starting to bleed from hearing it so much.
Unlike the other demons, I wasn't entirely satisfied with him, but there was nothing I could do.
“Phew, I’ll have to take the gem out tomorrow and give it to Mom secretly.”
[How about making it into a necklace so it’s easier to wear?]
“That would take too long.”
For some reason, I’d been having a bad feeling lately. That’s why I wanted to give Luers to Veronica as soon as possible.
I tightly gripped the ruby in my hand.
*
A few days later, the aftermath of the Apocrypha’s terror attack on the capital was mostly settled.
An infuriated Dantalion ordered a pursuit of the Apocrypha, but since they were an organization that had operated in secret for a long time, catching them didn't seem easy.
In the end, they weren't caught in the original story either. If they really were on the side of the Temple, it would be normal for their identity to remain hidden since the protagonists and the Temple were the victors in the original work.
‘It’s a bit bothersome, but I’ll leave them be for now.’
If my guess was correct, I would naturally find out the truth about the Apocrypha while dismantling the Temple’s power.
Until then, I just had to use them to my advantage.
“Mom’s leaving now, Dia.”
“Okay!”
And today was the day of Veronica’s trial. The day she would finally divorce that jerk Cedric!
Dressed more soberly than usual, Veronica looked at me with worried eyes. However, because Duke Winston was so concerned about me, I had far more guards than before.
“Dia will be fine, so go ahead, Mom.”
“Alright, Mom will be back soon.”
“Okay!”
Perhaps thinking it wasn't right to take a child like me to a divorce trial, Veronica ultimately left me at the mansion.
I simply waved at her as she worried. The ruby I had given her a few days ago had eventually been crafted into a necklace and was hanging around her neck.
‘I don’t think they’ve contracted yet, but Luers will take care of it.’
Luers must have liked Veronica the moment he saw her, as he had turned into a necklace and hung around her neck without a single complaint.
He was probably thrilled right about now. I shook my head inwardly as I saw Veronica off and returned to my room.
“Dia, what do you want to play?”
“Hmm.”
Abel asked, following close behind. I stared at him before turning my head.
“Niel, what do you want to do?”
“…”
Nathaniel, who had become a trainee knight, often hung out with me lately as a playmate, just like Abel.
Perhaps because I had taken a liking to Nathaniel during our first meeting, Duke Winston, who didn't care much for social status, had allowed him to interact with me.
‘What’s with the atmosphere between these two?’
But a problem had arisen. It was because of Abel and Nathaniel. For some reason, the two of them didn't get along.
I broke into a cold sweat as Abel and Nathaniel glared at each other again today.