Chapter 65

Chapter 1 Chains of the Past Pastoral fields. Lush forests. Rows of gray boulders crowded together on a mountain range. Clear water of a river reflecting light. Nothing seemed to differentiate this land from the world above. Nothing…except for the cow-sized, unicorn-horned rabbit nibbling on the grass, hunted down by a two-headed lion with four focused eyes. In place of normal animals, only the most grotesque of beasts seemed to roam the underground. Rays from the blue sun poured down on the demon world. The half-dragon hero Arian took it all in, marveling at the sights. “Their sun doesn’t seem to move,” she observed. It had been almost an hour since the Demon King teleported them away from a fatal attack waged by Goddess Elazonia. The sun hadn’t budged in the sky since they’d gotten here. “Maybe night never falls in this world?” If the sun never sets, how do they mark the end of a day? Arian wondered. Walking next to her, Celes, the dark elf maid, supplied an answer: “The blue sun fades at the same rate as the moon shines on the surface.” “What?! The sun turns off?!” “Yes. It’s almost night.” “Wow. That’s so strange.” Arian couldn’t wrap her head around how that could happen. “As a demon, I was alarmed to see the sun move in the sky.” Celes narrowed her eyes, fondly remembering her first time on the surface. “Your sky changes colors: from white to blue to red before fading to black. At night, the dim glow of the moon and stars break through the darkness… I’ll never forget seeing it for the first time.” “That was unexpectedly poetic.” “Rude! As if you expect less,” snapped Celes, looking over her shoulder. Shinichi Sotoyama was usually one to jump on every opportunity to make a wisecrack. However, the Dirty Advisor of the Demon King was stooped low, cradling a young girl in his arms. It didn’t seem like he’d processed a single word of their conversation. “…” Celes elected to remain silent, because she knew about this girl created by Goddess Elazonia. “Shinichi…” Arian had no clue about who she was. She was dying to find out, but the solemn expression in Shinichi’s eyes told her enough: This person meant the world to him. She was too scared to know the answer. Leading the group was the Demon King’s wife, Regina, carrying Rino, who had cried herself to sleep. An uncomfortable silence settled on them. “There’s my home,” she announced. Arian looked up to see a mountain-sized castle towering over them. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be carved out of a rocky sierra—it was a mountain fortress in every sense of the word. It made the familiar castle of the Demon Lord look like a shack in comparison. “Wow…,” Arian whispered in awe. “My husband insisted on making ‘the best home for our child’ when he learned of my pregnancy. He wouldn’t listen when I said we didn’t need it, and he made this thing,” she explained, drained. The size of the castle seemed to symbolize the Demon King’s love for his daughter. Regina must have known that, because she didn’t seem too upset. “I think we’ve relaxed enough. Let’s fly the rest of the way,” she suggested, casting a spell to float into the sky. Celes followed her lead, casting Fly on herself, Arian, and Shinichi, who still clung to the little girl. “We’re going ahead. Meet you there,” Regina called down to the rest of the demons. “Understood, oink,” grunted Sirloin, watching her soar toward the castle. Taking flight, Arian looked down at the foothills, where the castle city stretched out in front of them. “I can’t believe there’re so many demons…” Familiar orcs and minotaurs meandered through the streets. Lizardmen and lamias bathed in the river. Goblins and kobolds argued in front of market stalls. Teeming with demons, the streets seemed to be paved at random, unlike the urban grid of the Holy City, home to the Cathedral of the Goddess Elazonia. They were almost chaotic but overflowed with life, making Arian smile. A group of harpy children noticed them and came up to them in the sky. “Lady Regina!” Their happy cries drew the attention of demons in the streets. When they saw the blue sun dance across her blue hair, they let out a loud cheer. “Welcome home, Lady Regina!” “Who did you beat up this time?” “Fight me next!” “Don’t. She’ll kill you with her pinkie again.” They waved at her, roaring with laughter. Their eyes communicated their respect of her strength and burned with desire to surpass her someday. “You’re revered,” commented Arian. “Because I’m strong,” replied Regina, waving back. They touched down on the summit, which had been turned into the highest floor of the castle. “Rino. We’re home.” She gently roused her daughter in her arms. Rino rubbed her eyes, tacky from dried tears. “Hmm… Mommy? …Ah! Daddy—?!” “I know. Calm down. You can fill me in.” Regina stroked her hair to keep her from bursting into tears again. She invited the others into the drawing room. Only Shinichi made no attempt to enter, stopping in front of the door. “…Lady Regina, I’m sorry. Go without me.” “Hmm?” “…I need some time to think alone,” he admitted weakly, gazing down at the face of his childhood friend sleeping in his arms. When she saw his expression, Regina didn’t press him about it, instead pointing down the corridor. “You can use the guest room over there.” “Sorry…” Shinichi apologized again before disappearing down the hallway. She sighed upon closing the door to the drawing room. “I don’t know what happened, but he’s a poor excuse for a man.” Demons valued strength over all else, which meant she couldn’t help being annoyed by his current state. However, the three maidens immediately rushed to his defense. “Shinichi isn’t pathetic!” Arian cried. “Uh-huh! He’s really cool and kind!” Rino added. “I insist you refrain from dismissing him without knowing his circumstances,” Celes warned. Admonished by both her gentle daughter and obedient student, Regina widened her eyes. It didn’t take her long to read between the lines. The corners of her beautiful lips curled up. “Oh-ho. I see. Seems there’s been some…developments during my absence.” “…My Lady?” Celes realized her mistake a moment too late. Regina released her taciturn student from her gaze, bowing her head to them all. “You’re right. It was impolite to talk behind his back without knowing everything. Forgive me.” “We should be apologizing for raising our voices,” Arian replied. “I don’t want you to say anything mean about Shinichi, Mommy…” “I know. I’m sure.” Regina ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair. Speaking of the devil, she let her lips spread into a wicked smile like Shinichi’s trademark smirk. “How about you fill me in about him?” “Of course!” “…Erm?” Arian seemed the opposite of overjoyed. Disclosing everything about Shinichi would give verbal proof of the events that had transpired between them. It might include the embarrassing way they’d met: He’d witnessed her naked body attacked by a slime and licked the scales on her throat. She couldn’t help worrying every little secret would come out. “…Celes?” Arian looked to the maid for help. “…Save it.” She seemed helpless, shaking her head. Celes might have been one of the smarter demons, one who tried to solve everything with raw power, but they were dealing with Regina—her master. In intellect, rhetoric, and physical strength, Regina ranked above them. “Go on. Tell me everything.” “Uh, I–I need to go to the bathroom…” Upon seeing the glint of the town gossip in Regina’s eyes, Arian tried to slip out of the drawing room. However, Hard Lock had been cast on the door, sealing it tight. It wouldn’t budge even when she pushed and pulled. “What’s happening?!” she cried, starting to panic. Regina chuckled under her blue hair. “Don’t you know? There’s no use running from the Demon King’s wife.” “Eek—!” “What’s wrong?” asked Rino. Unlike the other two, she had nothing to be ashamed of. Under the guise of full transparency, they started to divulge their deepest, darkest secrets. After an hour, their discussion came to a close, finishing with a disgusting cup of demon-world tea prepared by Celes. Regina downed it without raising an eyebrow. “I see. My husband was defeated.” No anger or distress settled on her face, though her other half had been captured by the enemy. In fact, she seemed excited by the prospect of a powerful opponent. Her eyes shone like sharpened knives. “Except the Goddess used underhanded—” Arian started to protest. “You’re so naive. A defeat is a defeat. It’s his fault for not reading into her crafty plans.” Regina sighed, cutting Arian off mid-sentence. “He’s lost his spark since Rino was born. He’s nothing compared with his younger days, when he shone as bright as the blue sun, when we tried to kill each other. I’m certain he never would have been taken captive back then.” In other words, if his body and mind hadn’t gone soft in Rino’s absence, he would have noticed the magic circle on Fey’s stomach as soon as he laid eyes on her and blown her away before asking any questions. Rino’s eyes started to well up with tears again. “I’m so sorry…” “Don’t cry. You haven’t done anything wrong. It’s all the fault of El-something-or-other,” Regina immediately cooed, giving the Demon King a run for his money on who the most overbearing parent was. When the Blue Princess of War observed Arian smiling dryly at her, she cleared her throat, instantly switching topics. “Anyway, I can’t accept him losing to another woman. I won’t feel better until I give her a good thrashing.” Her crass words didn’t hide her genuine concern for him. Regina seemed to drip with murder and magic, causing Arian to break out into a cold sweat. “But we don’t know where she is, and…” She chose not to finish her sentence and looked in Shinichi’s direction, staring at the guest room. It was hard to imagine winning against the Goddess with brute force. After all, she had managed to weaponize Fey, an innocent explorer, to capture Rino, proving she wouldn’t think twice about using nasty tricks. Their only bet was to pick the brains of the Demon King’s Dirty Advisor. Their every strategy until now to beat back the heroes had drawn on his ideas. However, their MVP seemed crushed ever since he laid eyes on that girl and had locked himself away in another room. “Shinichi…,” Rino whimpered, looking in his direction. “……” Celes stared at the ground in silence. Regina had picked up that her student’s attitude was unlike the others’. “Celes, tell me about Sleeping Beauty,” she said, referring to the girl in his arms. “—?!” The maid practically jumped out of her skin. Her reaction made it obvious that she had some insight into the relationship. “You know about her…,” Arian accused. Shinichi must have confided in Celes; her chest felt like it had been stabbed. This wasn’t the time to be jealous. “Tell us! Who is that girl? Why is Shinichi in pain?!” she demanded, grabbing Celes’s shoulders. “Well…” She averted her gaze, becoming silent. Regina let out a frustrated sigh. “I get you can’t talk about it lightly. You’ve always been a stubborn one. Even when you were a little girl.” “Can we not talk about the past?” Celes snapped, though it fell on the deaf ears of the woman who had taken her in. “Or do you want to keep this little secret between the two of you?” “My Lady!” “Heh-heh-heh. You’re too old to be blushing for nothing.” “Let’s switch the focus away from my age! You’re the one who brainwashed me into thinking that ‘all men have the hots for younger girls’ and ‘rag on older women’!” “That was just my way of looking out for you. I was worried you’d miss your opportunity to get married since you always had your mind on taking care of me and Rino. I just had to give you a nudge in the right direction.” “Stay out of my business!” Face flushed, Celes stuck her nose in the air. Arian was floored to see the composed maid throw a childish tantrum. “I never dreamed of seeing you this flustered…” “She’s always like this with Mommy,” explained Rino. “Uh-huh,” Regina affirmed. “Until one day…she started acting too cool for us…” “Because you and Ribido make fun of me for everything!”