Chapter 45: Heading Towards our Goals and my Turmoil
On the morning of the second day, after Princess Sistina had been in seclusion in the depths of the underground dark elf temple.
I was just passing by the room Celesta was supposed to be sleeping in and that’s when I heard it. The Princess was speaking in a troubled tone of voice and her loyal knight was speaking with self-blame.
「Oh, are you awake, Celesta?」
「Ah, good morning Tooru-sama」
「Uu……..S-Slavemancer Tooru!?」
As soon as she saw me entering the Princess Sistina’s beautiful face was beaming. Celesta was kneeling on the ground prostrating herself and even though she raised her face to look up towards me, she had a complicated expression and couldn’t really say much.
「Good morning, Princess. It seems that you have been able to obtain a dream prophecy earlier than I expected?」
「Yes, although there are still some hazy parts……I think that I have been able to gain some information in relation to curing Nana-san’s condition desuwa」
「…….! Is that so? I’m really glad to hear it」
I spontaneously heave a huge sigh of relief when I heard her words.
The ponytailed Celesta was opening and closing her mouth in front of me as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to do it, she then averted her eyes as she blushed……..It was a really interesting reaction.
「Hey Celesta. Considering you are way too damned honest, I bet that you approached the Princess for forgiveness and you have been continuing to blame and punish yourself for your mistakes, am I right?」
「Uuu…..T-that is!」
「Although I understand that you can’t really accept it, you really shouldn’t impose on the Princess right now, at the very least you should postpone this conversation. Although she doesn’t show it, the Princess has been in seclusion and was working hard to obtain a dream prophecy within the sacred temple, so she is actually very tired」
「Ah…….!」
She finally seems to notice that the Princess didn’t have the brightest complexion right now, and Celesta’s own face became pale.
Well, a lot of things did happen to her one after another, so much so that any normal person would lose their cool, so it was understandable that Celesta acted in this way.
「Fufu, Thank you for worrying about me. Tooru-sama, is always looking after me isn’t he?」
「Even if I look like this, I intend to fully manage and take care of the physical condition of each of my girls. Alright then, Princess, shall we head of to our meal? After we finish our meal, I would like you to tell everyone the contents that was revealed through your dream prophecy」
「Kuu……W-wait, Slavemancer Tooru!」
The moment she stood up, her stomach suddenly rumbled adorably with a *kuuu*.
Both the princess and I couldn’t stop ourselves from laughing and she was left with a magnificent blush.
「I understand, don’t worry, I will also prepare a portion of food for you to eat」
「Auu……..! A-asides from that! I haven’t forgiven you for what you’ve done you know!? I am grateful for the fact that you protected the Princess, however, but the things you did to Kirika is a completely different story!」
「Yea yeah, I will listen to your complaints later. Even for you, aren’t you feeling tired? Stop forcing yourself and go rest in bed. Here, grab on to me」
Celesta was still on the floor and I extended a helping hand…..and for a while she just sat there with a dumbfounded expression as she stared at my face.
Abruptly shaking her head left and right, even her ears were becoming red and her ponytail hair was swaying left and right as she averted her gaze.
「T-there is no need to give unnecessary consideration to a knight! I can stand on my own! 」
「Is that so? alright then, suit yourself」
「In that case, I will see you again later, Celesta. We need to drink tea together again sometime soon, alright?」
I left the obstinate Celesta behind as I went out of her room together with the princess.
I could her a soft murmur or grumbling as I left the scene, but I couldn’t really make out what she was saying——.
「……I didn’t know it because he always had his mask on but……Is that what his face looks like?…… it’s totally unexpected and he looks so young…..I always thought he was older….. H-he’s so good at it so I…..Auuuu, W-what am I thinking…….!?」
「Paravata the Historical Ruins……..?」
「Yes. It was at that place I saw a glimpse of both Nana-san’s figure and the Divine Corpse」
We were sitting at this huge round stump table made out of wood, moreover we enjoyed the meal created by both the dark elves (with the help of Amelia’s cooking skills) while listening to Sistina’s dream prophecy.
A mixture of meat, vegetables and mushrooms along with fruit, it was a bountiful and extravagant meal freely making use of fresh ingredients, the combination created nice balance and delicacy.
「Eh? You are talking about that “Paravata”!?」
「Do you know the place, Nina?」
「Of course I’ve heard about it, If you are an adventurer it is a highly ranked location that anyone would like to step foot into at least once. It is known as an ancient historical ruins that houses a heap of hidden treasures! Big and small dungeons and even underground temples are being discovered all the time, several of these places are said to contain precious books and artifacts that existed even before the devil war occurred!」
「Fumu, considering that it is related to the devil king’s war…….There is bound to be some connection with the Divine Corpse」
Palmyra muttered in a serious tone (But the fragments of food on her mouth and lips messed up her dignified look).
Thousands of years ago…..he was considered the absolute strongest man in the entire devildom, capable of uniting the demons he was the highest ranked “Devil King”.
The demon king was accompanied by his hordes of demons who all obeyed his will, and they aggressively invaded the world of humans. In those days most of the human nations that existed were destroyed. Even if high ranking demons were the ones to commence the assault, the humans would already be hard pressed to retaliate, considering that it was the demon king capable of splitting the seas and blowing away the mountains with his overwhelming power, the humans didn’t stand a chance.
That’s right……Except for the existence of the “Hero” who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
「And, what kind of person was he? this so called “hero” that was able to confront the demon king with a human’s body」
「The thing is almost no records remain. The origins, gender, age and even fighting style of the hero are all unknown….」
「Then, I suppose it means that there is a possibility that person was just like me and or Himeno-san; a person from a different world?」
If I am not mistaken, the “manager” who transmigrated us here told us that…… it has been several hundred years, before the last transmigration.
In that case, there is a good possibility that several thousands of years ago, someone was able to obtain the rare job “Hero” just like how I obtained my job as the Slavemancer. Although, it may not always be the case that the person transmigrated originated from earth.
「The fight between the hero and the devil king continued until they both perished, and it was a fight that scorched the skies in flames and changed the geographical features of the land. It goes without saying that normal men could not even put up a fight against the three archdukes who are ranked second. And being able to survive in such a place filled with peril was not something anybody could do so recording such an event was next to impossible jya」
「Fuu~,I don’t really get what’s going on but, it seems really amazing! Heyy hey, Sistina, can I have more of this sweet stuff?」
「Oh, you want some more? Then I will pour you some」
「Yayy, Thank you Amelia!」
The only one who couldn’t feel the tension in her surroundings was Flamia.
Before I noticed it, it would seem that she has gotten along really well, with both Amelia and Princess Sistina. Or more like, did she get tamed by food?
「Reaching a draw in their fight, the traces and vestiges were erased from this world for all eternity……That’s the legends of what has been passed down from the Dark elf and Elf Tribes. Even in the Demon World, is that the same legend that is told?」(Dianne Speaking)
「Umu, that’s the gist of it jya. The three grand dukes and the eight great families tried to search for any hints in regards to the Demon King, for hundreds of years, but at the end, they could not find anything」(Palmyra speaking)
Dianne asked Palmyra this question in a quiet voice and Palmyra answered the question with a nod.
「So, the inheritance that has thrown the demon world into chaos is the corpse of the demon king….. the fragments of the “Divine Corpse”? 」
The fragment of the Divine Corpse that we kept, was already wrapped around in a magical cloth and stored deep within the room on the shelf, it’s size was around a 2 litre pet bottle, and everyone’s sights seemed to be gathered in that spot.
The fact that something as small as this was actually the super-existence and legacy that controlled the destiny of the world was something that wasn’t easy to believe in, however, considering the extraordinary events that have occurred because of it, indicates that this is precisely the case.
「The historical ruins Paravata, is actually the last fortress that became the stage of the final decisive battle with the demon king forces. Innumerable ruins that remain in the surroundings are actually buildings created by both the humans and the demons when they tried to secure their boundaries across the battlefield….」
「Oi oi, it seems this has reached a completely nonsensical scale for both the Demon King and the Hero…..」
In terms of possessing power beyond the norm, even Flamia would be able to do such a thing, but just hearing this story leads me to believe that their strength was on a completely different level.
Listening to these legends, I can understand how even after thousands of years, both the human race and the demon race, still fear these predecessors.
「However, if the Hero also disappeared along with the Demon King, why did the greater demon nobles stop their invasion? I would have thought that, invading such a worn out human kingdom would be a cinch for the powerful demons even without their devil king?」
「That is certainly true…….I wonder why……..?」
Both Amelia and Sierra also had their doubts.
“I will be the one to explain it” Palmyra said. For some reason, she’s always so high spirited when it comes to explaining things.
「To begin with, the merits of invading the human world is quite small. We already have a large boundary of land along with an excess of magical resources in the devildom, besides, for high-ranking demons who already had bountiful lands, coming to the human world where magical energy is always lacking, will actually cause us demons to become weaker over time. Therefore, even within our long history, only the demon king would actually strive to go for such a large scale battle, even then it was considered a heresy action jya」
「Hee, so in other words, even for the demons this was an action that was pretty incomprehensible?」
「I believe so. Thus, with the disappearance of the devil king, to a certain extent the demons took advantage of this fact to cease the battle and retreat, and since then, all the demons have been doing is enter into power struggles to see who is fit to rein supreme」
「It feels somewhat like an anticlimax doesn’t it? Well, I guess for the humans it was a pretty lucky break」
「Asides from that, if you think about it, the human race suddenly had a large scale invasion to defend and the two devil king and hero were monsters in their own right………..If by some chance, another hero showed up to protect them, what would have happened?」
「Ahh, that’s true. If that did occur and the demons insisted on the invasion, then the demerits of the case would only continue to increase」
Even so, for a hero to just abruptly appear when the world is about to become destroyed……what a convenient story this is.
Well, I suppose this kind of story, was a pretty typical production in my previous world.
Hero, Devil King, and also the Divine Corpse. There are plenty of mysteries, however, over thinking things right now won’t do any good either.
If this Historical Ruins Paravata, really does contain the method to revive Nana along with some clues about the Divine Corpse, then there is really only option that we can take.
「Alright. After waiting for Princess Sistina to recover her physical strength, we will depart from here. We will revive Nana, and without a doubt we will obtain the fragment of Divine Corpse way before that bastard Cruz can do it」
Looking at everyone, I made this declaration.
It is likely, that even though we don’t want to, we will cross paths with that fellow again.
This time around, I will make sure that none of my Magical Slaves are harmed! As if I’d let them become sacrifices.
For that purpose, even if I have to acquire the strength from this Divine Corpse, I will make sure to obtain the fragments and control them.
「Our goal is…..The Historical Ruins Paravata!」
After I finished my meal, I wandered about the underground village looking for Kirika.
In her seat a little while ago, she was barely speaking and was just silently eating her meal, after eating her fill, she quickly stood up and went alone somewhere, and I’m kind of worried about her.
(Hmm. Maybe I pushed her too far…….?)
Because it’s been totally crazy since I met Flamia, in the end I haven’t had the chance to bed Kirika in quite the long time.
Having come this far, I feel as if I may have gone too far in this game of cat and mouse.
I was thinking that perhaps Kirika would be the one to initiate our interaction, but I should probably give such thoughts up……Just when I was thinking about this…
「Oi, Tooru」
「Nn? What’s up Palmyra?」
“What do you mean, What’s up?” Palmyra pouted. the high ranking demoness looked around her surroundings to make sure no one was around and then began to speak in a low whisper.
「Ah……I have one thing that I feel like I should tell you jya」
「Well, what is it then? No need to stand on ceremony. Don’t tell me that you stole some summer vegetables so that you would be able to play with your asshole?」
「Of course that’s not it! Don’t make fun of me! As if something as big as that would fit into me?! ………*cough* the thing I wanted to talk about was something else. It’s about the Princess Knight nojya」
「About Kirika?」
I don’t know if this timing is good or bad, and I tilted my head as this was such a strange coincidence.
「The thing is when you were kidnapped by Flamia, and I was alone with her… I proposed to the Princess Knight….. that it may have been the time to free ourselves from your rule as a Magical Slave」
「What did you say? You were trying to plot such a thing behind my back——?」
「W-wait, that time was that time, now it’s different! T-that’s why I’m coming out to you honestly like this jyarouga!」
I was drawing closer to her, and the goth loli demoness began to frantically provide justification.
Well, I guess that’s also true. Taking advantage of the battle I had with Flamia, I suppose that both of these girls had similar objectives thereby sharing a sense of fellowship.
「And so…..when I presented her with this invitation with the possibility of escape, how do you think the Princess Knight reacted?」
「……..What are you implying?」
Palmyra began to explain her plan of escape at that particular time. Indeed, if she used such a method, it may truly have been a golden opportunity that came once in a life time to escape my Enslavement Magic.
And Palmyra is asking me how I think Kirika reacted at the time when she was presented with such an option…..?
「Listen up alright? Contrary to my expectations, she actually refused my plan and had no desire to use such a method. Because she was worried about the predicament you were in, she actually threw away her chance that may never come again. And in order to save you, she actually confronted Flamia all by herself jya……..The rest of the story you already know」
「Himeno-san………Kirika did such a thing?」
Feeling shaken, a shiver was running along my spine.
What the heck! I never thought she would be such a good-natured person to this extent.
For someone like me who was the assailant who violated her and subjected her to my servitude….. It would have been so much easier for her to just let me die in the hands of Flamia.
And yet, she threw away her own chances to save someone like me? and then she even become so injured and tattered…….!?
「Kufufu, so there are also things that will shake your heart? I’ve learnt something new today, good good」
「……」
For the moment, I wasn’t really able to retort Palmyra’s joking way of speaking.
My heart was beating with a strange vigor, even the blood vessels behind my ears were throbbing. Oi oi, What on earth is this…….This is totally not like me.
「Well, that’s all I have to say to you jya. Although I don’t really know…..But at this sorts of times, aren’t humans supposed to say “thank you” when someone does something like this for them?」
「……………………」
「Alright then. Anyways, it’s time for me to take my nap after my meal jya」
Floating away, the Goth Loli dressed demoness disappeared to the other side of the hallway.
I was left standing here alone…….I could only stand there dumbfounded.
(For you to run away from that girl Flamia, and for you who is running away from this situation…….It totally makes you look uncool)
Palmyra was floating through the passageway with her arms folded, and these words that were spoken by Kirika in the past entered into her mind.
Whilst it wasn’t a self-ridiculing expression, it was enough to bring a smile to her face.
「Kufuh……those words really hit me hard nou…..」
It was without a doubt these words that provided courage for Palmyra to fight against Flamia, and it reignited her pride that was severely crushed down for several hundreds of years.
Tooru and Kirika, both of these people gave words of encouragement that empowered her.
「With this, I believe I have repaid by debt for that time, Princess Knight. The rest is up to you human beings…..to make it up to each other jyana」
Before I noticed it, I had already returned to my own room.
After hearing Kirika’s devotion towards me from a third party, I just couldn’t arrange my thoughts and it made me feel irritated.
(There should be a limit to how good-natured someone can be…….Crap, why would she do something like that for someone like me?)
Not only that, she didn’t even try to take credit for the things she has done.
In other words, she wasn’t doing it just to make me feel grateful. In that case, why did she do it?
……..What is going on, at first I was the one who wanted to make Kirika feel flustered about me, but why is the reverse happening instead? Why am I the one that has to feel like this?
(Am I feeling shaken? Just by hearing something like this…..? Eeei, this is totally unlike me)
Palmyra said…..”Why don’t you at least say a word of thanks?”
Does she think it’s easy to say something like that so frivolously…?
Saying something like this face to face is something so embarrassing, I don’t think it’s that easy.
While holding all these incomplete feelings bottled up inside of me, I blew away the candles and threw myself down into the bed——At that time.
「…….Odamori-kun?」
「U, Uwaahh!?」
Suddenly someone spoke and I felt like my heart was going to fly out of my mouth.
The person who spoke out was the usual girl with huge breasts pushed up by her plump white blouse and her healthy thighs which were peeking out of her navy blue mini skirt.
Before I realized it, she was already standing before me.
「W-what is it? You scared me you know? Suddenly barging into my room like that, where are your usual manners——」
Her raven black hair swayed gently and she closed the distance. Inside of this dim room, her hot breath tickled the nape of my neck.
「H….Himeno, san?」
She firmly grabbed on to my sleeves. She took one more step forward. And just like that she lost her balance and stumbled into my body.
“What kind of a joke is this——?” I was about to say these words out of my parched throat.
However, the thing that she whispered right into my ears before I was able to say a word was…. Something unbelievable, it was something that I would have never expected her to say, her passionate voice caused me to freeze up.
「Odamori-kun. …….Let’s, have sex」
Chapter 29: is where Palmyra and Kirika; and this is also the chapter where Kirika reprimands Palmyra for trying to run away from her adversary Flamia.
Chapter 41: This chapter explains the fragment of Divine Corpse that Tooru managed to obtain which is about the size of a 2 litre pet bottle.
I’m not sure if these will be helpful, but I might try putting these once in a while as a refresher ~