Chapter 40

Kiiiik-!

“Kieeeaaak…!”

“Hmph, your entrance was pretty impressive, but that’s all. All style and no substance.”

“Ghhhhhhrrrrr…!”

“Heheh… Both of you are so foolish for letting your guard down. Who told you to relax?”

While watching the two demons being purified by the holy cross in my hand, I smirked.

The fight ended in an instant. After taking a few hits from them and kneeling, I waited until they let their guard down, then swung my cross and utterly demolished them.

If they had maintained their vigilance throughout, I would’ve lost. I didn’t give them any magic-suppressing poison or anything.

There’s still no way I can defeat a properly trained adult demon from afar without magical power. Though it might be possible if I set everything up beforehand.

“Hahaha, see ya? When you get to the afterlife, say hi to our two older brothers for me.”

“Kieeeaaak…!”

“Ah, wondering who I am? I’m the youngest of the Lucifer Dukedom family. Don’t know if you’ve heard of us.”

“…!”

The pitiful breathing of the two demons ceased as I severed their windpipes with the cross, which burns like lava to demons.

Without the saintess’ cross, I would’ve been in serious trouble. Truly, Saintess Maria is very kind.

“Back already…?”

After finishing the battle and returning to where Aru was, I found him staring at me blankly.

“What’s wrong, Aru?”

“Ruff ruff ruff! You’re back! Ruff ruff!”

“Yeah yeah, I’m back. Why are you barking?”

“Ruff ruff ruff ruff! Young demon! You’re alive!”

“Are you seriously wishing for my death? Tsk, you ungrateful little wolf. Have you forgotten who saved you?”

*Whack!*

“Yelp! Yelp! Why did you hit me? That hurt!”

“I hit you because you just stood there watching while your leader fought. Problem?”

“Grrr… I was locked up! I couldn’t come!”

“Sounds like you would’ve come if you could, huh?”

“Ruff ruff! Seriously! Young demons can’t die!”

“What are you talking about since earlier? The one who was panicking about killing me before…”

“And anyway, I knew there were iron bars here. If not, I would’ve definitely done THIS!”

With a threatening lip curl, I pulled out my magic staff. Aru, who has deep trauma from my magic staff, immediately started shaking and curled his tail upon seeing it.

“Kiing… Kiing…”

Heh heh, this foolish and inferior creature. Completely cowed by just my magic staff.

“Be thankful it ended with just a lump on your head, young pup.”

“Kiiee… I’ll kill you… I will definitely kill you…”

“Are you going to say that again? Do I look like someone who wants to die?”

“Evil demon… Someday I’ll definitely kill you… Kiing…”

“Hmm, so that’s your desire?”

Aru buried his head between his bent knees and muttered something. While casually spinning my magic staff, I leaned in close and whispered softly.

“Then, kill me!”

“Ruff…?”

“If you can!”

“Urrr…?”

“I’ll allow it! You can kill me! But I won’t go down easily! When you’re confident you can kill me, try it!”

“R-really? Ruff ruff?”

“Yes! I don’t suppress desires! But!”

*Swish!*

Through swinging my magic staff, I sent a silent message: You know what happens if you fail, right?

Understanding my meaning, Aru flinched momentarily, then swallowed hard as if making a firm resolution.

That’s right, that’s the spirit.

“All you need to do is take responsibility worthy of that desire.”

This is the key point.

Having forbidden desires isn’t bad. However, when you express those desires and attempt to realize them…

Karma will come back to haunt you. Karma that leads life to ruin. And I like that. When your eyes glaze over and you lose all sense of judgment…

I looked up. The dark blue night sky of the Demon Realm stretched above. Occasionally, flying monsters could be seen in the distance.

Among them, the moon hung bright. Though it was waxing, it wasn’t yet full.

About three days left, maybe?

On the night of the full moon, I’m preparing for quite the show.

***

Epomis nigricans.

Also known as the greater yellow ground beetle, this bug is truly unique.

Normally, bugs are no match for amphibians like frogs, who are their natural predators.

However, this Epomis nigricans hunts and eats frogs instead. A tiny bug, only 2 centimeters long, preys on frogs many times its size.

The hunting method is simple. It wiggles its antennae to lure the frog, then sticks firmly to it and slowly nibbles away.

There’s nothing the frog can do. It can’t shake the bug off or resist. Even if the frog swallows the Epomis nigricans before it attaches, the bug eats its way out from inside, forcing the frog to vomit it back up. Then the bug latches on again and continues eating.

This is an extremely rare reversal of the food chain, where predator becomes prey and prey becomes predator.

We might wonder:

“Why don’t frogs evolve to avoid the Epomis nigricans? It’s natural selection that they should run or hide from predators, so why don’t frogs evolve to do that?”

The answer is surprisingly simple yet astonishing.

The success rate of Epomis nigricans hunts is 98%.

Meaning, 98 out of 100 frogs that encounter this bug die. For frogs to recognize “Ah, this bug is dangerous” and evolve to avoid it, some need to survive. But with a 98% success rate, evolution itself becomes impossible.

Every frog that meets the Epomis nigricans simply becomes food for nature.

It’s the same for me right now.

Kiiiik-!

“Kiiiiieeaaaak!”

“Wow, fellow demons seem to have similar screams when they’re not me. Actually, don’t we share the same mother? Oh right, there was a Demon God too, wasn’t there?”

The demons tracking me all meet the same end. Letting their guard down, getting ambushed, then dying helplessly. There’s no other way. They’re ignorant and alone.

I kill anyone who knows I possess the fatal cross to demons. Everyone except Aru. But Aru is on my side now.

“Ruff ruff! Blood smell!”

Again, I killed another demon who came after me.

“Do I smell of blood? We need to get rid of this if we want to keep others off guard… This is giving me a headache.”

“Ruff? Don’t you like the smell of blood?”

“I do, but it’s inconvenient in this situation. Because of this, future enemies will be much more cautious… Ah!”

“Ruff ruff! Scary expression! Thinking evil thoughts again!”

A good idea just popped into my mind. An ingenious and reasonable way to get rid of this blood smell that made my lips curl up to my ears.

“Aru! Order time! Lick all the blood off my body!”

“Ruff? No way! Gross!”

“Oops, forgot to mention – hitting you now will hurt more than usual. Can’t control my strength very well right now, you see?”

“Ruff ruff! Bad demon!”

“You know what to do, brat.”

By forcefully ordering while pressing against the bars, Aru reluctantly stuck his head out.

“Kiing… Such a bad demon… Making the king do this…”

So Aru opened his mouth and started licking the blood off my arm. Without nearby lakes or rivers, coming up with this solution really makes me appreciate my brilliant mind.

“Hek… Hek… Jaw hurts…”

“It’s okay. Aru can endure!”

“Hekk… I will definitely kill you…”

“That’s right! Aru can definitely kill me!”

“Young demon… Are you crazy…?”

Squatting by the bars, Aru cleaned my left arm. Suddenly struck by mischievous curiosity, I reached through the bars with my right hand to pat Aru’s forehead while keeping my left arm in place.

Rub rub.

What an amazing creature. His scruffy hair becomes soft and fluffy when messed with, making me feel calm every time I touch it. I should use this often in the future.

“Urrr… Stop it…”

Apparently not so pleasant for the person being touched.

“What’s the problem!”

I’m your leader, brat. Can’t a leader pat his subordinate’s head?

“Urrrrrr…!”

Wait, hold on. This growling sounds serious.

*Kaang!*

“Ahah!”

“Urrrr! Grrr! Don’t touch! I said don’t!”

Suddenly, Aru violently bit down on the arm he had been licking moments ago. Those gentle tongues were replaced by sharp teeth sinking into my tender skin.

“Ahh! Aru! It hurts! Stop! I’ll stop! Take the pressure off your teeth!”

“No! Urrr! Revenge!”

*Kwaang!*

“Ow! What the hell… This toothy bastard…!”

“Grrrrr! Feel pain! Same pain!”

“Aru! Stop! That’s an order! Ahh!”

At the word “order,” Aru hesitated briefly. Remembering the magic staff, I assume.

You fool, undoing that means death. Did you dare bite your master? That jaw pain was all fake, wasn’t it?

“Urrr… You can’t use it anyway!”

Hmm, true. The magic staff is a bit far away.

Without letting go of my left arm, there’s no way to grab the magic staff. In short, I messed up.

“Aru… Can’t we resolve this through dialogue? If you really dislike it, I promise I’ll never touch your head again…”

“Don’t trust you! It hurt a lot! Ruff ruff ruff!”

“Tch… Aru, you really…”

*Kwaek!*

Hiding such powerful jaws. Bright red blood flows from my poor left arm.

There’s nothing to be done.

To save magic power for the show on the night of the full moon.

I extended my right hand toward where the fallen magic staff lay. Bubbles of magical energy form and rise from the tips of my spread fingers. Pitch-black energy gathers at my fingertips.

That paltry amount of power is enough to manipulate the magic staff several meters away. Intangible force touches the staff. Though nothing visible occurs externally, the staff trembles as if moving on its own.

Telekinesis.

The power that protected Saintess Maria’s face from the oven-like floor in Tartarus.

My signature ability, operated using magic as material.

Woooom-

Whoosh!

“Ruff?! Something’s wrong with the stick!”

“Ho ho, you beast. Never misses an opportunity, does it?”

Though my magic power is minimal thanks to Horus’ egg, I can still use this light telekinesis. It’s a bit of a strain, though.

Thud!

I grabbed the flying magic staff with my hand. Then, with lightning speed, I struck Aru’s forehead.

Crack!

“Yelp! Eep!”

Of course I’m not letting him go so easily.

While suppressing the stinging pain from my torn-up left arm, I extended it to grab Aru’s neck. He wildly thrashes around, but there’s no way I’d release him.

Crack!

“Yeeeeeep! Yelp! It hurts! It hurts!”

“This is punishment for disobeying orders!”

Crack!

“It hurts! Yelp! Eep! It hurts!”

“This is punishment for daring to bite your master, no, your leader!”

Crack!

“Yelp! Mew! Nyaah! I’ll stop! I won’t bite!”

“This is punishment for mistaking my affection for mere violence!”

And so, I continued striking Aru’s forehead for quite some time. Despite jumping around wildly, Aru had no way to resist once I had him by the neck.

Thus ended the lengthy beating that lasted approximately thirty minutes.

“Kiing… Kiing… It hurts…”

Aru completely lowered his tail. Curled up in a corner of the prison, licking his wounds, the sound spread quietly through the cell.

I was bandaging my left arm beside him. A victory with only wounds, a fight with only losses. I didn’t expect him to react so strongly to just patting his head.

“Haa… So this is suffering. I’m tired too.”

“Kiing… You wouldn’t hit if you didn’t… right…”

“You bit me first.”

“But I told you not to… kiing…”

“True… Still, isn’t biting so harshly for just a pat a bit too much?”

“Ngh… Kiing… Nyaah… I’m the king, you know…”

Sigh, what fault does this young wolf have? After thoroughly beating him, my heart feels wise. Unnecessarily pitying him. What sin has he committed to receive such treatment from me?

Gurgle…

Aru’s empty stomach growled. Glancing over, Aru was clutching his belly and kiing-kiing.

No matter how much strength he used, he shouldn’t be hungry so quickly. Wolf stomachs shouldn’t be more susceptible to hunger than demon ones either.

I rummaged through Arachne’s sack and pulled out some meat to offer him. Just as Aru was licking his front paws, a sudden chunk of meat fell in front of him.

“Eat it, brat.”

“Kiing, I didn’t follow orders.”

“I noticed.”

“B-but why are you giving me food…?”

What should I reply?

Giving it because I feel sorry seems a bit off.

Ah.

“Because I love you.”

“Kiing…?”

“That’s what love is. That’s what the most important human said. Giving without reason. You didn’t follow orders, but I love you. That’s why I give.”

I wonder if Saintess Maria felt this way looking at me.

I’ll have to ask her if we ever meet.

“Doesn’t suit you. Ruff.”

“You little-”

“Munch munch…”

When he said his jaw went limp, where did that energy come from? Aru enthusiastically chewed and swallowed the meat.

Suddenly, I wanted to pet his forehead again. But I restrained myself. I don’t want to injure my bandaged arm again.

Instead, I rested my head against the cold iron bars. Back-to-back with Aru, separated by the bars.

The sound of tearing, chewing, and swallowing meat mixes with the insects’ chirping outside, creating a background melody.

If only I had remembered to bring a stylish cigarette from the dukedom.

“Is it tasty?”

“Gulp.”

“Not answering?”

“…It’s tasty. Don’t hit me. I’ll be a good boy.”

“Kick kick, I don’t have the energy to hit anymore.”

Still gazing at the not-quite-full moon. About two days left until the full moon. I hope the telekinesis power I used today recovers by then.

Is it the hazy night air, or just exhaustion from sweating so much?

Under the influence of the pale moonlight, I asked while sitting back-to-back with Aru.

“Hey, Aru.”

“Ruff ruff. What.”

“How did you end up like this?”

“Ruff…”

“Tell me a story. Usually after a good fight, we drink wine and tell stories. Add some seasoning to make it tastier.”

While eating the meat, Aru began speaking.

“I… gulp… was supposed to become king.”

“I know.”

“Dad was proud of me. Born after hundreds of years, the king of our clan. Everyone loved me. Uncles, aunts… crunch crunch…”

“Sounds nice.”

“I ran everywhere. Saw huge fields. Met big animals, but mom, dad, uncle, aunt always killed them. Always ate this kind of meat.”

“Must have been full.”

“But… a demon came a few days ago.”

A demon?

“What did they look like? A demon capable of wiping out a whole pack alone must be extraordinary.”

“A male demon. Smelled like iron, then everyone… disappeared. No, they died.”

“No no, what did they look like?”

“Appearance? Kiing… don’t remember well…”

The king doesn’t remember his clan’s enemy? Even if he has a human-like appearance, a wolf’s brain is unavoidable.

“Ah, ruff ruff. I remember now.”

“What was it like?”

“Mustache… urrr. Seagull-shaped mustache demon.”

Hm?

Hold on.

Seagull-shaped mustache… The demon who sat next to me at the auction house… Ah.

That’s what it was.

<In the complicated mind, a picture forms.
The villain for the show has been decided.>

***

Ahhh.

It hurts so much.

I got beaten up badly.

I don’t want to be hit.

It’s delicious.

Really delicious.

As delicious as the meat I ate with mom.

It hurts.

But it’s comforting.

I’m cold.

But it feels warm.

The young demon loves me.

Yet he hits me.

Because I’m a bad demon.

Even though I told him not to touch my head, he keeps doing it.

It feels good but it’s bad.

It feels like my memories with mom and dad are being tainted.

But touching my head feels nice.

I got carried away and reacted strongly. That’s why I got beaten up badly.

It still hurts.

He said I could kill him if I wanted.

I still don’t understand.

When the full moon rises, I’ll kill him as he wishes. But I have to endure until then.

Arrogant demon.

Cunning demon.

Laughs while hitting me.

He’s evil to the core.

I’m the king, king of wolves.

I won’t lose.

For now, I’ll endure by eating the food given by the young demon.

Soon, when the full moon rises.

When the full moon rises…

***

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