NOVEL WEB Chapter 9
Having three meals a day and all my basic needs guaranteed, living a life being cared for by a beauty without earning money doesn’t sound like a bad idea if I proceed along this confinement route.
“Isn’t it happiness to be confined with a woman you like for life?” The system tempts me with a smirk, as if it were someone else’s business.
I glared at the constantly whispering system with cold eyes.
It seems this system has not learned how to strike and retreat appropriately. It was just as irritable when I possessed the previous game, and nothing seems to have changed this time.
I wonder if the system realizes how much I want to hit it every time.
Probably not.
If it did, it wouldn’t engage in such antics. Perhaps it does this because I can’t hit it. It’s uncertain if it has a physical form, so whether I can strike it is a question.
I’ve been curious about it for a long time.
Who is the one behind the system that kidnapped me twice on Earth but has never shown itself?
Such a systematic system couldn’t have appeared out of nowhere. I stared hatefully at the flickering quest window before me and looked away.
What’s important right now isn’t that. A pointless staring contest with the system is just a waste of time.
I looked at Leticia, whose eyes were shining dangerously.
Leticia, lifting her face with a look that demanded an answer, was beautiful enough that even as a woman, I found her attractive.
Yes, she was beautiful.
Except for the fact that her eyes were burning with madness and obsession.
Honestly, facing someone with such eyes would scare me when it comes to revealing the truth. My hands were clammy with sweat.
Should I call it an instinctive fear?
In terms of stats, my current body, Charlotte, should not be inferior to Leticia. If we were to fight now, I’m sure I would lose, but I wouldn’t be overwhelmingly defeated without a chance to even fight back.
I could probably hold on for a while.
Even with lousy stats, I’ve rolled around in games for a full three years.
During those three years, which were neither long nor short, I learned many tricks from those called geniuses on the battlefield, regardless of my stats, and I took the skills they had built up.
But now, looking at her ominous aura along with the vast amount of mana radiating from her entire being, fear overwhelmed me before any excitement could set in.
I felt like I would be crushed just by her mere presence.
‘She’s stronger than when I was in the Hero party.’
I can’t win. If I charge in, it would mean death.
Leticia may not say it, but she’s showing it through her actions. Don’t be clever. I don’t know how strong you are, but if you come at me, be prepared to die.
Of course, that was the right approach.
Sometimes, among those summoned by summoning magic, a foolish human, if they judge the summoned was weaker than themselves, would kill them. Even if they were bound, if the summoner is of a lower rank than the summon, it’s useless. Such people often get killed by the summoned.
Therefore, it’s not a bad thing to dominate the tempo from the very beginning.
It’s a bad example, but sometimes, foolish humans who wanted to summon Mazoku would try to dominate them and would get killed by the proud Mazoku instead.
Degenrate. I frowned at the thought of them.
There was a time when a crazy noble in the capital of the Empire summoned a Mazoku, causing people to drop dead like mayflies—such chaos ensued.
The game I previously possessed was apocalyptic in nature, right before the end.
The sequel is an academy love comedy featuring the younger sister of the original female protagonist. No, it’s a 19+ romance tragedy. How could I not feel my blood pressure rise?
Whether this ridiculous game’s sequel comes out or not, I had no intention of playing it even if I wanted to see Leticia or the other Hero party members.
“Huh? Are you not going to answer me?”
As she approached me fearlessly and now openly caressed my chin with her hand, I was taken aback.
Was this game making me feel the desperate position of being summoned? Having to kneel like a pet isn’t exactly a pleasant experience.
‘It feels like the owner is delighting in taming a ferocious beast.’
Once again sensing a shift in genre, I let out a sigh.
What should I do? If I speak truthfully, it’s a guaranteed confinement route. If I try to gloss over it, I might get interrogated over some trivial matter. If I say I’m a half-blood human, the end would be getting dissected alive here.
That’s far worse than confinement. At least in confinement, I’d still be alive. Dissection could lead to my death if things go wrong.
“…But the more I see you, the more fascinating you are. Is it because you’re a legendary demon? Come on, answer me.”
I was dying of curiosity. With her eyes gleaming and a smile that piqued interest, Leticia poked at her fangs sticking out from her lips and urged me to respond.
What’s so fascinating about me?
Unlike my face that showed no understanding, she looked at me with an inquisitive demeanor befitting a magician and added.
“If I can’t grant a wish, I would like to at least be allowed to dissect you later.”
Correction.
No matter who I am, I wouldn’t want to meet my end by being dissected by the one I love.
Staring blankly at Leticia, who looked at me with a curious gaze as if I were a fascinating being, I was momentarily stunned.
“You’re the first human who has ever wanted to dissect me in my life.”
“What kind of confession is that? Are you head over heels just because I’m the first? That’s unfortunate. Sorry, but I already have someone I love.”
“That goes for me too. I belong to someone already.”
“Oh. I’d want to ask who that is, but there’s no time. So, if I wish for it, can I summon beings from another world?”
Even if just their souls, that would be fine. I could make an artificial body and put it in there. Seeing Leticia casually utter such terrifying words, I stared at her with an expression of complete shock.
Is she thinking of creating a homunculus and putting my soul inside it, like in novels or movies?
Power over life and death is regarded by people of this era as divine power and is considered sacred, so if done recklessly, the church would definitely not stand idly by. If things go wrong, it could even threaten her life.
‘She must know that. How can she not get caught?’
If she had been caught, even if Claire, the Saint, were to block it as a friend, there would have been limits.
She wouldn’t be able to stay here at all.
The real power behind the church is the Archbishop, not the Saint. I remember that man despised those who defied taboos.
When the entire paladin order was sent to wipe out a Count family known for contracting with Mazoku, working with the Emperor, I felt a slight chill down my spine.
Not that I’m scared. Even if a group of paladins came, I feel Leticia would win.
Moreover, she is the eldest daughter of the Risiancheus family, known as the king of the north. She is also the next successor. I don’t know the current succession structure, but unless anything extraordinary happens, it’s highly probable that she remains the successor or head of the family.
In that case, I should have thoroughly read the game’s settings before coming here; regretting my choice, another selection window appeared before my eyes.
[Please choose one of the options.]
[1. I’m not a devil or a wish-granting demon; I can’t summon beings from another world. Even if it’s just their souls.]
[2. I’m not your all-powerful minion, either. I’m a being called a demon God who created Mazoku. Are you too arrogant, a mere human? Do you want to die, huh?]
[3. A demon that grants wishes? What kind of nonsensical babble is that? That’s nothing but a false illusion created by humans.]
Just like before, there were three options. Still, this time there were more choices than last time.
Option one is the most reasonable. Option two sounds too much like something from a Japanese yankee manga, so I’ll pass. Option three is okay too, but the most sensible choice is option one.
Then one would be the best choice. Pretending to wave my hand in the air, I clicked on the option, and my words automatically spilled out.
“I’m not a devil or a wish-granting demon; I can’t summon beings from another world. Even if it’s just their souls.”
Even after voicing it, I was anxious about what I might hear, but Leticia’s reaction was nonchalant. She looked at me with empty eyes, as if she hadn’t expected anything special at all.
“Boring.”
Just a single word. I thought Leticia would throw me a disappointed glance, but she spoke as if it was no big deal.
“People shouldn’t expect too much.”
Was I not even a half-wit? Leticia’s gaze locked onto me.
“If you’re a half-wit, does that mean you’re a hybrid of human and Mazoku?”
“…You’re quick to catch on… Yes, as you guessed, I’m a hybrid of Mazoku and human.”
“You’re a child born from a forbidden love between a human and a Mazoku. Hybrids are rare, but even if you’re not a legendary demon, you’re interesting in your own right.”
Was it because I jumped out of the summoning of a demon that I’m a hybrid? Plus, to appear with a new tattoo circulating mana on my face, I was a peculiar being that would definitely pique Leticia’s interest.
“How fascinating.”
With an intrigued expression, Leticia lifted the corners of her mouth.
“You look human, but your magic is closer to that of Mazoku. It seems you have more Mazoku blood than human. At least you wouldn’t have been discriminated against in the Demon World.”
That’s correct.
Charlotte inherited more of her Mazoku mother’s blood than her human father, allowing her to live without facing discrimination in the Demon World.
It seems there were those who spoke ill of her from behind, but judging from memories, it seems Charlotte had turned those around her into minced meat. Charlotte was quite a feisty Mazoku, unlike what was shown in the prologue story.
Irony, isn’t it? The one betrayed by their mother finds salvation through her strength.
I felt a twinge of sympathy when I thought about how, even if it meant dying in the end, she had begged to be killed by her mother. It was slight, but as I momentarily remembered the real Charlotte with a pained expression, I returned to my original neutral expression.
Then I asked.
“So, what are you going to do now? Isn’t summoning a Mazoku itself a taboo for humans?”
Since she summoned a demon praised as a god, there was no need to elaborate. If discovered, it would mean execution. If not that, at the very least, it would mean confinement.
Yet, Leticia’s reaction was quite different.
“As long as I don’t get caught, it’s all good. I haven’t fallen, and this is the first time I’ve summoned a Mazoku like you.”
“That is.”
That’s true. But the fact that getting caught means execution doesn’t change. Leticia smiled while looking at me, who had kept my mouth shut for a moment.
“You really don’t know anything about the world, do you?”
“…What?”
“The new Demon King wishes for a truce with humans. I don’t know if that’s the truth, but if it is, it would bring unprecedented peace.”
Leticia said that with a calm expression while observing my awestruck mouth hanging open before turning her back.
“There are opposing forces, but that’s none of your concern. And since you’ve been summoned by me, you have nowhere else to go now, do you?”
With a meaningful smile, Leticia spoke. I didn’t understand what she meant. Not knowing why I felt so uneasy, I had no choice but to follow her words without protest, as Leticia said I had nowhere to return to.
“…That’s true, but.”
“A summoned ally who can communicate well is a blessing. Since you look human, we can just say you’re a maid who was brought over from the north to serve me.”
“Who’s whose maid here? Are you trying to get yourself killed…?”
“…You want to die and go to the goddess’s arms?”
I should have just said it. Leticia, who spoke while smiling that she could grant me a peaceful exit, was smiling, but her eyes were not.
Seeing Leticia display her fist as if to say let’s be good about it, I could only nod silently in agreement.
I’m scared, so scared.
Is it a characteristic of protagonists with ash-colored hair to have such a fierce spirit?
There was no way I could defeat Leticia, who seemed to have maximum stats. Rather than being beaten and dragged away, wouldn’t it be better to obediently follow her?
“Good. Follow me quietly, got it?”
She treats me completely like a pet. I sighed inwardly.
I may be a hybrid with Mazoku blood.
I don’t know if it’s appropriate to treat a strong half-Mazoku blessed with the blood of pure-blooded vampires as a pet. Even if things were messed up, I thought it was a case of severe misfortune as I followed Leticia’s clicking heels, echoing in the hall.
As I walked behind her, I thought I should check my status and skill windows. Thus, my tumultuous life as Leticia’s slave… or rather, maid began.
[You have cleared the quest.]
I scanned through the briefly written quest window and turned my gaze away, crumpling my face.