I, Diyu and Susanoo goes back to the guest room from earlier. Susanoo didn’t do anything, even though he looks so mad earlier. Susanoo has much more proper mental reasoning than I have so I am in no position to question him.
We seat back on the couch and try to calm ourselves.
Silence fills the room as we wait here, wondering if the council meeting of Cattleya will end soon or not. Susanoo is trying to make himself comfortable but never taken a nap.
…
As we seat there motionlessly, Diyu breaks the silence…
“I…really don’t think Cattleya should be the demon lord…”
“Why do you say that…?”
“My father…Gria Hellbeing…is far better to lead…”
“…”
“Cattleya is young and still naïve in most things… True, she knows the in and out of politics… true… she is strong and most of the councils know her power…but still…”
“There’s one thing got my attention… how powerful Cattleya is?”
It was one question I would like to ask and to be answered.
They mentioned Cattleya being powerful… if so… why is she so intimidated by us?
“Since… young…Cattleya has an immense magical power… as she is the niece of the Demon Lord Baal who was the previous demon lord, the one who rules this Demon Capital Maaji.”
“Previous…Demon lord?”
“Yes… Demon Lord Baal wasn’t dethroned by anyone from the demon race… It was the current human king… Ashfon Astlan Lionheart.”
“…I see…but… dethroned...? Not killed?!”
“Demon Lord Baal…was immortal…or so… his immortality is tied to his magical power…”
“Or so… wait…”
“Demon Lord Baal was killed…not too long ago…”
“Not too long ago? You mean he was recently killed, right?”
“Yes…it was unknown who did it… it happened a month ago…when his enormous presence disappeared from the Cave of Vortex where he was kept sealed…”
“This unknown… who do you think is it?”
If this Demon Lord Baal is immortal but someone managed to kill him… the probability that it could be a Sin or Nil himself could do it.
Or even more, an enemy or a new ally…
“She was called Blooming Thorn…”
“Blooming Thorn… you say…”
“Yeah… I really didn’t get any information from it…but it seems that this blooming thorn sent back a SS class adventurer running for his life… any more information about it was not disclosed. I may have more information if I was actually here but I was away from this place.”
“What happened to this Blooming Thorn?”
“It was last seen on the border of the demon and fairy continent.”
“I see…but…let’s not stray far from the topic…about Cattleya.”
“Yes…Cattleya…as someone who has an immense magical power…is also sensitive to other people’s presence.”
“Eh?”
“People with immense presence… like you two… scare her…”
“That’s convenient isn’t it?”
“It is for detecting strong enemies within the vicinity of her domain…but… strong presence like yours scares her…”
“…”
“She became too scared and turns into shambles because of panic and too much stress from her work… she is more vigilant to her surrounding after all.”
My eyes widened from what I heard. Even Susanoo twitches from what Diyu said.
If people with a strong presence like us scare her and make her panic because of stress…then we are truly sorry for intruding.
“She has always been a cry baby since we were little. Even when we studied at the same academy, she would always cling to me that it’s a bit annoying… even so…”
“…”
“Even so… Cattleya would stand up for others despite her size and attitude.”
“…”
“She’s always soft and gentle…and that’s why I think she doesn’t fit to be the Demon Lord. It should be my father.”
“But what we saw earlier…?”
“Of course…that’s her tough front… she won’t last long in this place if she let them sway her.”
I already know that.
Someone as small as her putting up a tough front in those people, it must be really tough. To deal with all of them with just her own…it must have been hell.
As we were engaged in the talk, the door was opened and the girl we are worried for came…
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Cattleya…putting up a smile…
“Everyone!~ Ehehe! I am happy that you guys stayed!~”
“””…”””
I force a smile on my face as Cattleya cheerfully walks towards and Diyu and seats beside her like nothing happened.
Susanoo just closes his eyes and let the flow of the conversation continues.
Since Diyu kind of stop trying to talk, I take the initiative to speak.
“Demon Lord Cattleya, how was the meeting?”
“Ah..ah..w-well… We talked about minor things like this and that… nothing…really happened. Also… since you guys stayed… I really want to present your rewards later… I shall have the servants prepare your rooms as well…”
“Ahahaha… as we told you earlier…we don’t need any rewards…”
“That’s a shame… eliminating the threat in the eastern part of our continent was a big feat after all…”
“Ummm… Demon Lord Cattleya…”
“Eh? Since… you are Diyu’s friend… please refer to me as Cattleya only…”
“Fuehh?! These guys aren’t my friends or anything!”
Diyu bashfully denied it.
Well yeah, we are your kidnappers after all.
“They are not?”
“They aren’t!”
“Well, I still owe them. It’s not something I can forget.”
“Haa…you’re always like that…”
“Like what?”
“Cattleya…stop pretending everything is okay… “
“Diyu…”
Diyu didn’t step on the break and upfront said it!
“Were you guys…watching?”
“We heard just a little…Cattleya… you should stop it… being the Demon Lord I mean…”
“Diyu…we talked about this many times already…”
“You aren’t cut out for it… my father would have been a better man for the job.”
“Uncle Gria don’t want to! And I am the only legitimate heir left!”
“That doesn’t mean you should! You were even given the chance to back out!!!”
“My teacher in politics, Sir Ashfon… I made a promise with him… to make the demon continent a better place!”
“That man again! You always use him as a reason! That’s why I hate him! I am grateful for him defeating Baal but I hate what he did to you!”
“Diyu…! This isn’t the time for us to argue… I don’t want to…”
“You are always like that! Finding a reason to continuously hurt yourself!”
“I am not trying to be a martyr or anything! I am doing this because not for that promise alone! But I want this continent to be better for the people! I am doing this because I want this continent to be better for you too! You are the only one left for me Diyu!”
“I know that! I know that! You don’t have to keep saying it! But still…! Still…! You… If you hadn’t met that Ashfon, you would have…you would have…”
“…”
“Grrrraah!”
Diyu stands up after losing something to say back against Cattleya. She then strides towards the door.
A walk out?!
Cattleya just stands there. Her shoulders are trembling and tears start to roll down her cheeks. Diyu is the same. Before she left, I saw tears running down from her eyes too.
“Diyu…!”
I tried to call out to her but I don’t know what to say. Susanoo and I clearly don't have any involvement with their argument but…
“There, there. You should probably sit down for a moment and relax… you poor girl…”
“*hic* yes…*hic*…”
Susanoo began to comfort Cattleya by stroking her head gently and carefully. He had her sit down as she cries from her argument with Diyu.
“Are you sure you should just be standing there, Ichirou?”
“S-Susanoo?”
“…”
“I get it… I am sorry… I’ll be back!”
I run out from the room and tried to follow Diyu.
The castle is large it will be hard to find her in this place. I ask random people on the way and ask about Diyu. I ask every servant and soldiers I meet. They were suspicious of me, but when I started talking about Diyu and Cattleya, they nod their head like they understand what’s happening.
Don’t tell me this often happened?
One of the servants told me that Diyu should probably be outside the castle perimeters, outside the demon capital… in a flower bed not too far from this place… where Diyu and Cattleya always play when they were young…
I hurriedly exited the castle walking with haste…
At the castle gate… I saw Diyu leaving…
I run to her and gently grab her shoulder from behind…
“D-Diyu…”
“What?!”
“Nothing…umm…let me come with you.”
“Do what you want!”
Diyu walks away from me as she said that. I just quietly follow behind her as she angrily stomps her feet on the ground as she walks away.
It was already night…
The stall that the people manage was already stowed away. Merchant and alike are already trying to find an inn to stay. The citizens are already lighting up the magical lamps in the street.
The purplish bizarre sky watches over the capital as the night covered the whole place. The weird buildings of the demon race are amusing.
People with horns and many more appearance are to be seen in the night street.
And in the middle of the road, a beautiful girl with swollen eyes from crying, and a man with a weird metallic arm can be seen.
That was us.
It can lead to misunderstandings…or so I think…
………
……
…
After walking for half an hour, we arrive in a flower bed full of blooming flower.
There are glowing crystals sprouting from some trees.
As if this place is magical and beautifully made. Some orbs float around like a firefly giving a faint radiance in the air.
There was a large flat stone in the middle.
Diyu walks towards the stone and sits.
I followed her and just stand there staring at her for a minute and then stare at the sky.
Stare at the surrounding.
Stare at Diyu again…
………
She is so beautiful… and even though at first, I thought she is a bit tomboyish, she was so girly… and a fragile maiden…
I can’t help not to look at her direction…
As the floating orbs illuminate Diyu, she gives off a brilliance… a wonderful, pretty brilliance… a sad and a lone girl sitting in a flower bed… it’s simply romantic my heart was skipping beat…
As I my hand unconsciously tried to reach out to her… she begins to speak…
I immediately pulled out my hand.
“Cattleya… lost her youth…”
“…”
“She should be spending more time…with freedom…and not locked up in that place…”
“Diyu…”
“When she became the demon lord, I tried to find ways to help her on my own…”
“You…became an adventurer… is that it?”
“I thought… maybe I can take off some burden from her shoulder…If I go around myself, helping people…”
“…”
“There’s so much burdens…thrown to her shoulders…”
“…”
“But as years came by and the young Cattleya tried to lead the continent, her stress builds up and she began having panic attack and nightmares…”
“T-that’s…”
“Whenever I visit, she always show that smile…”
“…”
“Maybe… she could complain to me… maybe she could tell me what’s wrong… but… she was trying to keep it all by her own… and she dare call me her best friend…or childhood friend or anything…”
“Diyu…”
“I hate how she wants to keep doing that work! I hate how that Ashfon influenced her! She is smart and politically wise but, she isn’t cut out for it because of her attitude…”
“…”
“She is just ruining herself…”
“…”
“I know how painful it is for her, contemplating every night and day how to manage the continent, the lack of stock of food and resources to support the people. I know how she cries as report of casualties, deaths and other misfortunes struck her people from starvation. She always blames herself from her own deficiencies.”
“…”
“As someone close to her… I can’t take it… I can’t take it anymore…”
“I see… your wish is simple… you wanted your father to be the demon lord… to free her from these responsibilities…”
“…”
She didn’t reply.
She doesn’t want to.
I just approach her from the back and put my arms around her giving her and embrace…
“I…don’t know what exactly I can do. I don’t have any rights to meddle with your problems, but, you should be more open to Cattleya… you should try to convey your honest feeling to her…”
“…”
Diyu didn’t say anything.
She just gave in to my embrace and holds my arms with her hands.
………
……
…
I sit beside her after she became calmer.
The problem is, I can’t look her in the eyes anymore as I was too embarrassed by what I did earlier!
Gaah!!
“Thank you… for being there…”
“Ah…don’t worry… it’s fine… I want to be here anyway…”
“I see…”
As our brief exchange ends, silence befalls the place.
What should I say?!
What should I do?!
I don’t want to look funny in front of her!
Am I making weird faces?!
“Hey…”
“Eh? Ah?? What is it?”
“Umm…”
“C-can…I suck…”
“Eh?! Eh?!”
Suck?! Suck what?!
Ahhhh!!
“Y-your blood…I want to…taste your warmth…”
“Ah…that’s what you meant…”
Perverted Idiot me!
She’s a vampire!
“I don’t see any problem with that. I’ll gladly… let you…”
“But… I don’t know if my fangs can pierce your skin…”
“That’s easy…”
I conjure a small dagger in my hand and point it at my neck.
I stab my neck with a little force to make it bleed.
It doesn’t really hurt when it bleeds. It will heal too…
“T-that’s…”
“Do you think you can do it now?”
“Y-yes…”
I face towards Diyu, she draws closer to the neck I stabbed with earlier.
She put her face close to mine. She then draws her lips closer to my neck.
I can feel her breathing. I can smell how good she is. I can feel her presence close to me.
My heart starts to beat really fast.
THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
As Diyu’s lips land on my neck, I hear a slurping sound.
…
Oh god…
I can’t take it anymore…
My little Johnny is also reacting from it…!
Ahhh…!
As my mind further stray away from reality… Diyu fell down…
Eh…?
“*Hic*…eheehe…*hic*…”
Eh?!
What happened?!
Is she drunk?!
Ah…
It seems my blood is too alcoholic…
I should cut down on excessive drinking of liquors.