Chapter 47

“My Lord is coming-“

“My glorious Lord is coming-“

“The blessed horn trumpets sound to welcome my Lord-“

“The day when my Lord’s grace showers down upon the earth-“

“That day, my Lord walks the path of love towards us-“

A woman’s delicate voice quietly sang a hymn. A sacred song praising the Lord, the angels, and the saints. When such a melody met her beautiful soprano, even the sparrows listening couldn’t help but chirp joyfully.

Typically, hymns are sung loudly with powerful voices to show how great the faith and belief of those who believe in the Lord is.

But this woman’s hymn was unexpectedly tranquil. As if singing it was itself a sin she wasn’t worthy of. She mumbled the hymn weakly.

Instead of the Lord’s grace, warm sunlight poured down on the yard.

An unusually peaceful scene that didn’t fit with the forest of demons, which was always filled with violent wild duels.

In the center of the yard was a gently swaying rocking chair. The woman sat there, singing while holding a greatsword on her lap. She carefully polished the blade with a handkerchief in her hand.

It was like a famous painting come to life, praising the beauty and warmth of nature.

Handling such a monstrous weapon so elegantly made any onlooker feel awe.

“My Lord is coming… To save all things…”

The woman’s voice faded as the hymn came to an end.

Because of this, two strange beings watching from far away frowned.

“Kiing… It was sounding good though…”

“Kikik, Aru. Aren’t you worse at singing than her?”

“Sing? Kuuuung! Kuuuuuung! Kuuuuuuuuuung! Like this?”

“Hey, damn it! Stop barking! What if that lady finds out!”

Face covered by a white mask, wearing a suspicious white suit and magician’s hat stood a tall figure.

“Ku… You’re the one who told me to bark…”

“I said sing, not bark! Is this bastard mocking the sacred song?”

“Grrr-”

“Ow! Hey! It hurts, it hurts!”

“Young demon, that’s bad. Really bad.”

Above his head were wolf-like ears sticking up, and behind his legs was a fluffy tail belonging to a full-grown wolf beastkin.

They were an unusual pair. A wolf beastkin dressed in dolphin shorts and a demon in peculiar clothing never seen before – quite different from typical demons who treat beastkins as slaves.

“Aww… Just leave this wolf alone.”

“Why, ku, what?”

“Hmph… Are you going through puberty? Why have you become such a rebel?”

“Ku ku. That’s something you shouldn’t say to a young demon.”

“They’ve arrived, they’ve arrived. Finally, here they come.”

The two incompatible beings continued their banter familiarly. Though their conversations mostly consisted of teasing each other, neither was genuinely angry.

“Hey, why do you keep calling me ‘young demon’? I’m 109 years old, 109 years old. A proper adult.”

“Ku ku. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“Rather call me Leader. You used to call me Leader just fine before, why have you stopped recently?”

“Ku! When did I ever do that!”

“Tsk, what can you say to a wolf going through puberty? Hmm… Do wolves even go through puberty?”

“Grrr…! I’m not going through puberty! Ku ku ku!”

“What was that, you sensitive boss?”

“Grrrrrr-!”

Although their teasing escalated into near-fights many times,

They had yet to fight even once. At least, not yet.

Realizing he couldn’t win against the demon verbally, the wolf beastkin shifted his gaze back to the woman.

The woman was still absorbed in polishing her sword diligently.

The wolf beastkin opened his mouth.

“Will we be ‘hunting’ this human this time? Ku ku?”

Wearing a mask, the 109-year-old demon Oscar Lucifer replied with a voice that sounded excited somewhere.

“No, this time we’ll ’embrace’ them.”

Since returning from the guillotine square and meeting Aru in Demon Forest, a hundred years had passed.

Year 314 of the Empire Calendar, the current year. There’s about four hundred years left until entering <Eden Academy> that the Saintess spoke of.

During that time… nothing much happened. Just hunting fairly strong monsters and absorbing their energy, or consuming nourishing things like Horus’ eggs to build strength.

Thanks to that, my demonic energy has piled up nicely. Compared to my prime in my previous life, it’s peanuts, but I’m probably ten times stronger now than I was in my previous life during Year 314 of the Empire Calendar.

Because of that, the range I can communicate with the Saintess through the rosary has expanded greatly.

Rub rub-

[Ah! Phew, phuh…! P-p-please stop…!]

“Kikik, why should I? Why should I stop?”

[Right now, Mr. Joker is engaging in a very improper act of tormenting others for pleasure and must immediately cease!]

“What are you talking about! Lady Saintess is enjoying it too! There’s no way she’d be laughing otherwise!”

[T-this is merely an involuntary physiological reaction…]

Rub-

[A hahaha! Ah ha! P-please stop!]

Like this, it became possible to synchronize the Saintess’ entire sense of touch with the rosary. Currently, I’m using that feature to mercilessly tickle her. Kuk kuk.

The Saintess turns out to be surprisingly ticklish. I often use that fact to play pranks on her like this.

Of course, it’s all in good fun. I haven’t done anything the Saintess truly didn’t want me to do. At least not yet.

The Saintess spends her whole day in unbearably monotonous hours. This tickling is simply consideration to send her boredom flying away. The Saintess knows this fact, which is why she doesn’t outright refuse.

Ugh… Could you scratch my stomach a bit? The armpits and such strange places are too ticklish. Please don’t do that.]

Rub rub-

“Here?”

[Ah… Yes, thank you. That’s enough.]

“Kuk kuk, feeling better?”

“Thanks to Mr. Joker. I appreciate your charitable deed.”

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

[Even small deeds hold great value.]

When I scratched the middle part of the rosary with my fingernail, the Saintess’ voice sounded much more relaxed.

By the way, can you feel ticklish even in a spiritual form? I idly wonder, but if the Saintess feels ticklish, then she feels ticklish. The Saintess is the type who can’t lie anyway.

“Ku ku ku! I’m done!”

Aru got up, his body drenched in sweat. The body that used to be frail and without a single muscle when we first met was now a solid frame filled with lean muscles thanks to my daily extreme training regimen.

“Nice job, Aru! Excellent work!”

“Grrr, aren’t you going to give me meat? Lately, you just praise me without giving any meat. Ku.”

“Just go hunt yourself, man. And I told you not to talk when I’m communicating with the Saintess, right?”

“Kiing… You’ve changed, turned bad. You were bad before too.”

“What do you want me to do about it? Run another lap around and I’ll give you bread.”

“Bread? Meat? Why bread?”

“It’s been ages since we ran out of meat. If you’re annoyed, go find some yourself.”

“Kiing… Ki iiiing…”

I continue to push Aru’s training harder. The reason is simple: Aru is currently going through his third growth spurt.

You need to train wolf beastkins hard during their growth periods. Even though Aru is close to being a full-grown wolf beastkin, after successfully passing through this third growth period, his physical body will strengthen significantly. While getting stronger is certainly a good thing, there’s also the possibility of an unfortunate situation where he can’t control his own power.

To prevent such a future, I need to keep Aru moving constantly so he becomes accustomed to handling his overflowing strength. That’s why I’m pushing Aru around.

Aru disappeared from sight to run a lap around while I turned my attention back to the rosary to converse with the Saintess for the remaining time.

[Has Lord Lang gone?]

“Yeah, he’s gone. You can speak now.”

[Yes, a few days ago you mentioned meeting someone, didn’t you? I still clearly remember how excited you sounded saying it would be the first time seeing a ‘human’ since reincarnating.]

“You remembered that?”

[Of course, reviewing the day’s communication with Mr. Joker is my daily routine after our connection cuts off.]

“Tch, who would willingly endure such hardship for someone like me?”

[Please don’t say that. Mr. Joker is the most noble person in the world.]

“Kikik, there’s probably no one else besides you, Lady Saintess, who praises such a wicked fellow so highly.”

That’s right, I did say that.

Just a casual comment made in passing.

“Lady Saintess knows, right? That the Demon Forest is a place where dimensions between the Demon Realm and the Continent intertwine?”

“Yes. That’s why one of the Five Kings resides in the continent’s ocean.”

“That’s correct. Therefore, humans occasionally come to the Demon Forest… Very rarely. No one comes here thinking it’s a place they should visit. Even demons avoid this bizarre forest.”

[Then, which human are you planning to meet?]

“You’ve probably heard the name too. Holy Knight Beatrix. Know her?”

[…!]

The sound of the Saintess gasping through the cross could be heard.

So she knows too. The strongest Holy Knight of the era, Beatrix Constantinople.

Four years ago, in Year 310 of the Empire Calendar. The Holy Order, which had always proudly maintained the largest size on the continent, faced an unexpected crisis.

The invasion by Tuguo, one of the Seven Nations that worshipped the Olympian gods and revered war as a sacred act.

Among the Empire, Military Nation, and Tuguo, these three countries boast unparalleled military power unmatched by any nation in continental history. However, people often rank Tuguo as the top military power. Of course, this is before the existence of the Military Nation at this point.

‘The Empire has the highest numbers, the Military Nation has the best technology, but Tuguo dominates in the quality of soldiers.’ This saying isn’t baseless. Tuguo is a crazy country that drafts all male children into the army at age seven and uses them purely as combat troops until they turn sixty.

Naturally, Tuguo lags behind in civilization and other fields.

This insane nation believes only in the glory of ‘battle’ and pours all its national resources into military power, disregarding such trivial matters.

Such a nation waged war against the Holy Order. No matter how strong the Holy Knights and White Knights the Holy Nation possessed, it was insufficient to stop a country whose entire population consists of battle fanatics. Eventually, within just a few months, the Holy Emperor’s Palace was surrounded, placing the millennia-old history of the Order in danger of collapse.

At that moment, during Tuguo’s final ‘Battle of the Holy Emperor’s Palace’ where they mobilized all their forces…

The tide of battle was reversed.

By a single powerful Holy Knight wielding a massive bastard sword, turning the entire war situation upside down.

Thanks to this meteoric Holy Knight, the Order escaped the crisis, but Beatrix herself wasn’t welcomed by the Holy Nation.

Because the immense power she displayed sweeping through enemy lines wasn’t divine power, but the power of a demon. Evidence that Beatrix had entered a contract with a demon for some reason.

Ultimately, Beatrix fled the Order under cover of night after being sentenced to death by burning at the stake through a religious trial. During this process, she assassinated the Pope of the time. This is likely why the Saintess’s breathing sounds shaky.

[Was Beatrix in the Demon Forest? I haven’t heard of such a thing…]

“That’s expected. According to written records, this was around the time Beatrix disappeared after fleeing from the Order, which marks the last record of Holy Knight Beatrix. That’s all I know too.”

[Yes? Then how does Mr. Joker know Beatrix is in the Demon Forest…]

“It’s obvious, can’t you feel it? The balance of power in the forest has shifted.”

The Demon Forest is a forest of fixed survival of the fittest. Four of the five beasts known as the Five Kings rule the east, west, south, and north, while mid-level powerhouses like myself live by eating smaller creatures within their territories.

However, starting a few years ago, the balance of power in the southern part of the Demon Forest began to change. Although there’s no visible mass extermination of certain forces, numerous relatively strong beasts have been leaving the south and migrating to other parts of the Demon Forest. This is a phenomenon that occurs when an unstoppable powerhouse enters the south.

And at this time, the only person who could enter the Demon Forest is Beatrix, the Holy Knight exiled for contracting with a demon.

“Also, I already confirmed with Aru. It was indeed Beatrix. She was meticulously polishing her bastard sword. She’s even built a house and settled down.”

[Is that so… Then what do you plan to do with her? Will you hunt her and absorb her energy like before?]

“No way. Who’s dying here? How can anyone defeat someone who went head-to-head with a nation in their current state? We need at least a hundred more years.”

[Then why do you wish to meet her?]

“We need to practice what you taught me. Knowing something without putting it into action is meaningless, right?”

[…Yes?]

“Inclusion.”

A brief silence hung between the Saintess and me. The Saintess muttered discontentedly.

[Isn’t Beatrix a woman…?]

“Of course. With a name like Beatrix, how could she be a man?”

[Another woman… Can you handle it… We only have four hundred years left, so… uh huh…]

“Huh?”

The Saintess muttering incomprehensible words. I prepared to cut off the magical communication after checking the time.

The golden sunset was sinking below the horizon. As the sky transitioned to a deep blue, I called out to Aru loudly.

[Will you make contact today?]

“Yeah, we have to. We can’t miss someone like Beatrix.”

[There’s no guarantee she’ll side with you, right?]

“I trust myself! If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just make it work!”

The Saintess seems uneasy about Beatrix, whom she hasn’t even met yet. I understand. She’s a Holy Knight who killed the Pope and contracted with a demon. Naturally, the Saintess would feel repulsed.

[Hmm… Can’t you just stay put with Aru?]

“Hmm, are you jealous by any chance?”

[Not entirely unrelated, but I’m worried. A Holy Knight who contracted with a demon is far too dangerous.]

“You seem to have forgotten, but I used to command demons myself.”

[That was in the past. You don’t even know Beatrix and are recklessly planning to meet her. It seems incredibly rash to me.]

“I’ve always been reckless. Finding miracles in that recklessness is my job.”

Our twenty-minute communication window is almost over. I was about to cut off the magical communication. The Saintess whispered urgently to stop me.

[Sigh… Very well. Since it’s what Mr. Joker wishes, I won’t stand in your way.]

“Thanks for understanding.”

[However, please remember one thing.]

“What is it?”

[First, second, and third priority is safety. I love you.]

“Kikik, got it. I love you too.”

Click.

The communication ended. Watching the darkening twilight, I started covering my body with mud. Meanwhile, Aru returned.

“Ku! What are you doing?”

“Come on, you too.”

“Ku ku? What are we doing right now?”

“Can’t you see? I’m covering myself in dirt! You too! It’s an order!”

“Ku… Such a strange demon…”

Aru grumbled slightly but faithfully carried out my command. Covered in dust and dirt, looking ragged, Aru and I transformed into perfect castaways.

Sssssk-

“Ku, Ku? What are you doing now?”

“Look, I’m tearing my clothes! Good grief, how clueless can this wolf be? You tear yours a little too! Make it look like we’ve been rolling around in rough places! It’s an order!”

“Kuuu… So annoying…”

Sssssk, sssssk-

Thus, Aru and I became perfect castaways, covered in dust and with torn clothes. I grabbed Aru’s wrist and headed toward the house I spotted earlier.

After walking through the bushes for about ten minutes, a cabin glowing alone in the dark forest came into view. Intentionally making our breathing heavy, I grabbed Aru’s wrist and sprinted full speed to the cabin.

Tatatatatat!

Tsk, maybe our endurance and lung capacity have improved too much. Our breathing is too normal. Annoying.

In this situation, there’s nothing to do but rely on our acting skills. With the acting abilities Aru has developed from assassinating strong individuals and my original acting background, deceiving a straightforward Holy Knight should be easy.

“Alright, Aru. Now pretend to be exhausted. Don’t talk much. Follow my lead completely. Can you do it?”

“Ku.”

“Ssh, it’s starting. Be quiet.”

We stood in front of the small wooden cabin we had surveilled earlier. Inside, there’s a Holy Knight who made a contract with a demon.

“Hack, hack.”

After clearing my throat briefly, I desperately knocked on the door. The wooden door shook violently.

Bangbangbang!

A moment later, the door creaked open. The fragrant smell of pie wafted from inside, tickling my nose.

“Who is it?”

Standing in the half-opened doorway was a woman. She had brown hair tied in a ponytail and wore clean casual clothes. Her appearance didn’t match the imposing and rigid image typically associated with Holy Knights.

Despite the frantic knocking, the woman didn’t seem particularly surprised. There was no sign of curiosity or bewilderment in her expressionless face. As if she didn’t care about whoever visited or worldly affairs at all.

Facing that gray expression, I panted dramatically and shouted.

“Oh! Lovely lady descended like a moonlight fairy! I am Oscar, a lost wanderer who came to the Demon Forest with dear companions and got lost! Please, kind and merciful lady, grant us poor and pitiful souls a warm place to rest for the night!”

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