[TS] Surviving in a Yuri Visual Novel

I instinctively grabbed Leo by the nape of his neck and pulled him back. Not only was Leo’s demeanor toward the woman concerning, but a dark crimson aura was swirling around her as well.

Both of them had an exceptionally strong presence.

While it’s fine to enjoy a fight, the opponent isn’t right for it now. This place was certainly not suitable for a serious battle.

“Kwaek?!”

“Calm down.”

As Leo’s neck was suddenly yanked back, a strange scream escaped his lips, but that wasn’t my concern. Perhaps due to the difference in power, I frowned as I awkwardly pulled Leo backward by the nape of his neck. Even though he must have become lighter since turning into a girl, pulling Leo back felt challenging.

‘Is it that my D-ranked strength is far from enough?’

I had expected there would be a power difference between the Hero Leo and me, but I didn’t think it would be this much.

It was clear I had become weaker.

In times like this, I longed for the body I had when I was Damian Redius. Then I could confidently reveal my identity to Leticia… maybe. I briefly imagined being summoned in the body of Damian Redius and meeting Leticia.

“Long time no see, Damian.”

“Where have you been without telling me?”

“I love you, Damian. I really do. So let’s not part anymore.”

Goosebumps crept all over my body. This was not just a delusion. Why did only the image of Leticia holding a black collar with an ecstatic expression come to mind? It was frightening. The fact that no other face appeared was terrifying to me.

I swallowed hard. Glancing at Leticia, I shifted my gaze back to the woman in front of me. Right. What I should be concerned about now is not my future. In any case, the woman seemed to have no intention of fighting, so a needless conflict didn’t seem necessary.

Moreover, my opponent was no ordinary foe.

She wasn’t a half-blood; she was a pureblood.

A vampire in broad daylight who seemed strong enough to easily turn into a pile of meat, appearing at least as a noble among the Mazoku. At this point, she had to be a vampire. Turning such a vampire into an enemy would result in trouble.

Leo, grimacing as if displeased with the situation, turned to me and asked.

“What are you doing?”

“You know there’s no need to fight.”

“…Right. As you said, there’s no need to fight that woman.”

“You’re surprisingly easy to accept. Then….”

“Do you not know that you’re a Mazoku? If you knew her true identity, you wouldn’t say such things.”

Regardless of my confused expression at his words, Leo took a deep breath and continued.

“I remembered. How could I have forgotten? She’s a Mazoku I should know.”

“Who is she?” I asked, but Leo remained silent. With a tense expression, he pointed his holy sword directly at the woman. Was he on guard against her?

It felt as if a Demon King had appeared. I narrowed my eyes.

If Leo, Leticia, and I all attacked together, the probability of winning would be high, but honestly, the woman’s power was unknown. Just a moment ago, she had deflected Leo’s holy sword with the back of her hand, so she was definitely not an ordinary opponent.

The holy sword was meant to destroy Mazoku.

It was a great Mazoku weapon forged to purify unclean mana, punishing the essence of demons. It was considered the ultimate weapon, known grandly as a holy sword. A hero is chosen to wield it, and even a regular Mazoku would usually be reduced to ash upon merely touching the holy sword.

Even an Archdemon, known as the right arm of the Demon King, would not deflect a holy sword with the back of their hand. But that woman had only suffered slight burns on her skin. No other injuries were visible. Even that healed up quickly.

She brushed her hands off lightly and said.

“That hurts. Is it really a holy sword? It doesn’t seem to be fake.”

“The holy sword can’t be fake.”

“…There are so many scum impersonating heroes that it can’t be helped.”

“So, what’s your purpose? The Demon King wouldn’t send you just for a single rebel.”

To Leo’s probing, the woman shrugged and showed the vampire she was holding. The vampire, with all its legs cut off and only its arms remaining, was somehow still alive. Vampires sure had a knack for survival. As she held the vampire, it let out a pained groan.

“I came to deal with a kin causing unnecessary trouble among humans. That’s all.”

“You?”

“Of course. If the representative of my kin doesn’t step in, who will?”

“Hah!”

At her words, Leo scoffed in disbelief.

“You’re spouting nonsense. Is it an honor to have the queen come down personally?”

“Leo.”

“Stay quiet, Leticia. Three months, was it? How absurd. You claim to want peace between Mazoku and humans, yet you send an Archdemon? That’s a breach of contract. Is it not, Your Majesty?”

The vampire queen, the first Archdemon of the Demon King, “Ancestor” Lumani Tepes. The very fact that an Archdemon known as a walking calamity was here was the real issue. Leo pointed his holy sword at the woman called Lumani Tepes.

“Really.”

With a cold expression, Leo revealed her identity and then asked in a low voice.

“There won’t be a second chance, Lumani Tepes. Tell me why you came personally. Forget the excuse of coming to handle a rebel. That’s something you could send a subordinate for.”

“It’s the same for you, Leo Starfield. If you’ve become such a ridiculous sight, you could have sent a sage, yet you not only brought a sage but also a half-blood.”

Her red eyes glowed menacingly. Leo flinched at her sharp comment. In an instant, Lumani had seen through Leo’s true identity and mocked him with a smirk.

“Did you have the desire to become a woman? You actually look pretty good. Much better than when you were a man.”

“Should I take that as a challenge to fight?”

“Has becoming a woman narrowed your mind?”

“What?!”

“Have you lost your patience? No, I see your temper is still the same, so that’s a relief.”

Lumani Tepes, the woman who had seen through Leo’s true identity, sneered. As Leo was about to mutter something, he seemed to hesitate, perhaps reacting too sensitively to her provocation, and fell silent, speaking calmly instead.

“Now that you’ve been exposed, there’s no use in hiding. Well, I never intended to hide it. But there are circumstances I can’t explain, so I won’t tell you. Just so you know, my strength is the same as when I was a man, so don’t get any foolish ideas.”

“So, even though you say you don’t intend to fight, this was an independent action I took without the King’s orders. I just happened to want to deal with the rebel as well.”

“An Archdemon invading the realm of humans is a violation of the treaty.”

“If you want punishment, speak to His Majesty. I won’t be coming out of the Demon World for a while. However, it’s certainly true that I have helped you. Isn’t that right, Hero?”

An unlosable battle of wills continued. By the way, was the hybrid vampire with the Hero interesting? Perhaps having lost interest in Leo, Lumani, who had cold eyes, suddenly looked my way and narrowed her eyes with a curious expression. Feeling a chilling sensation as my true identity was nearly exposed, I took a step back.

[The yuri (S) trait is automatically activated. As you meet the unfamiliar woman ‘Lumani Tepes,’ the player feels an indescribable fondness due to the trait activation.]

What do you mean by that…!

Then Lumani raised one corner of her mouth. The yuri trait was taking effect. Just as I began to feel uncomfortable, Leticia grabbed my shoulder and pulled me toward her, glaring at Lumani.

“Keep your eyes off, Tepes. She’s mine.”

“…Oh my, does she already have an owner? More so, a sage protecting a hybrid vampire… it makes me even more intrigued.”

“Sadly, Charlotte has made a contract with me, so I can’t have dual contracts.”

“Huh, you actually share a contract with a hybrid vampire.”

Things were getting interesting. With a pleased expression, Lumani chuckled lightly and looked at the vampire in her hand, licking her lips as if disappointed, then tossed the vampire in this direction.

Thud.

Without legs to land on, the vampire, crashing to the ground, let out a scream.

‘Its regeneration is quite slow.’

Evaluating the unfortunate vampire sprawled on the ground, I remained coldly composed. While it was regenerating little by little, its speed was significantly slower compared to a regular vampire.

Upon closer inspection, there were burn marks on its legs and severed arms. Wiping away the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand, Lumani swiped her tongue across her lips and spoke.

“Take it away, a traitor like this should be easy to give up.”

Her attitude was far from how one should treat one’s kin. It was a gaze that looked down on them, perhaps even worse than treating them like garbage. At the same time, covering half of her face, Leo let out a deep sigh and waved his hand in the air as if exhausted.

“…Hah, fine. There’s no point in talking further. Let’s just call it even and you quietly return to the Demon World.”

“I was going to leave without you saying so. My business here is over. Hmm, before that, just a moment.”

While I was listening to their conversation with my lips twitching, suddenly feeling my jaw being tugged, I opened my eyes wide.

Upon looking, I realized Lumani Tepes was already gripping my chin.

What the…

“Oh?”

Lumani’s eyes, glowing an eerie red, narrowed. That was when I first made direct eye contact with Lumani.

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