TMD - Chapter 4 < The Saintess Who Visited the Devil (4) >





It was said that this place was often called night instead of the name.

Endless night. A strange land where days are as bright as day, but it feels like a disaster.

Thanks to that, it was a place where it was natural to carry around shiny things, except when you had to avoid monsters like now.

Maybe that was why.

I only saw pitch black outside the window. The night sky with only stars occasionally shining and the horizon was indistinguishable.

The knights were moving well in such a place.

It must have been because their eyes were accustomed to the darkness.

How long had they been going like that?

―Thump!

“!”

The carriage shook violently. Did it hit a rock? I flinched and looked out the window.

This time, it seemed like I could see something outside.

“Prepare!”

At that moment, an urgent voice burst out from beside the carriage.

What are you preparing for? An attack?

I half-raised my body.

The moment I opened the window, I saw the knight. The silver-haired knight I saw earlier.

His dark green eyes met mine again.

“What’s going on outside?”

The dark green-eyed knight had his sword half drawn. The cool air from outside flowed in through the window, enveloping me.

I shivered at the eerie feeling, whether it was the cold or the chills.

I felt it instinctively. There was something near the carriage that had stopped.

And it wasn’t friendly to us.

“It would be easier for you to stay here if you didn’t look. Of course.”

The knight said, glancing ahead.

“If you don’t plan on staying long, you can look.”

It was a strange word, kind and not.

It seemed to mean that it was an unpleasant sight...

I guess he thinks I suspect them of being devils. Since I pointed out Vine.

If I don’t plan on staying long, then... If I going to report them right away, then... Could I take that to mean that?

If so.

I neatly put my curiosity aside and turned my gaze away from the outside.

Of course, I was scared. This was a gamble. But if you think about it differently, what difference would it make if you could see the threatening presence outside with your own eyes?

After all, it was they, not me, who would have to swing their swords anyway.

“...You’ll protect me, right?” 

The knight was silent for a moment as if surprised by my response. His dark green eyes fixed on me for a moment as if examining me, then lowered slightly.

“Of course.”

His words were confident.

“It’ll be over soon.”

At those words, I closed the window as if I believed him.

―Click.

“Whew.”

Only then did I let out a tense sigh that the people outside couldn’t hear.

Still, I felt a little less tense. Was it because of those calm, calm dark green eyes, or was it because of that confident voice that said, “It’ll be over soon.” 

―Kukung! 

A commotion was heard. However, the commotion beyond the carriage wall seemed to be coming from a somewhat distant place. They say that demons use magic, but in this land full of demons, even though they met an unknown enemy, this strangely reassuring feeling was also magic. In a place where no one knew, even though there was an unknown danger ahead. 

―Koooooo! 

The howling of a monster. 

―Chang! 

―Haa! 

The sound of shouting, the sound of weapons clashing, and the magical power that swept over their bodies like a cool breeze. 

“Ah...” 

It resembled the pitch-black darkness that covered this ‘night’ area. They were real demons. I knew it. Duke Vine was definitely a demon, and since demons lived together, they must be demons too. 

But... I bit my lip, feeling nervous all over again. This place was incomparably closer to the ‘edge of the world’ than Orobas or Yunar, where I had been in my previous life, a place dyed in the night. They were the family that blocked and protected the monsters at the forefront and therefore were the least suspected. It was clearly the land of demons. 

“But why...” 

Do they kill monsters? 

They must have been born with the same power as Monsters. But there was no time to think long. 

―Kyaaaaak! 

The howling sound was heard again.

It was the sound of a monster dying. If I had been looking outside, I would have seen something hideous fall down, splattering blood.

The knight was indeed kind.

-Knock knock.

He knocked on the door as if it was over.

However, those who showed such kindness were also demons. Different from humans.

“Let’s go.”

A voice was heard from outside.

They seemed very accustomed to dealing with monsters. And at that moment.

“Ah...”

A stain on the window that I hadn’t noticed before appeared.

What was dripping down little by little seemed to be some kind of blood. Was it a fierce battle where blood had splattered all the way here?

But the knight’s face still looked unfazed.

They were used to this. Blood splattering and life-threatening battles.

“...”

The moment I saw the bloodstain, I realized something and felt my body cool down.

Night. A pitch-black place.

This place, where I couldn’t even make out what was right in front of me, was completely different from the world I had known until now.

This was the world of demons who were accustomed to darkness.

And the one who came into the middle of it holding a torch was a Saintess who was no different from an uninvited guest to the demons.

―Thump!

The carriage started moving again.

***

The Vine Mansion.

In fact, it was more like a castle or fortress in preparation for battles with monsters than a mansion, and it was a quieter place than expected.

Humans say that the demons fight each other all day long for their own interests, but that is an absurd misunderstanding.

Since humans rejected the demons, the demons had no choice but to gather, and since the demons had to share their lack of magic to survive, they had no choice but to stick together more closely.

Of course, there were times when there were conflicts.

However, that became a story of the distant past after the demon Duke Belled took control of the inside and outside of the gates of Hell.

If there were no monsters, Vine Castle would be a peaceful place.

But today was different. The demons gathered in one place with solemn faces.

It was literally the atmosphere before the war.

“They say the Saintess is coming.”

A voice rang out from the red fog.

The fog that had approached slowly transformed into a red-haired demon and descended on the gathered people.

It was the demon Ronove, who could turn into fog.

“You’re finally coming. I’m already finished preparing.”

The one who answered those words with a determined face was the demon Naberus.

He smiled, holding the sharply managed blade on his fingertips.

“Is it finally war?”

The other demons’ reactions were similar. However, Ronove waved his hand.

“Put everything in. It’s not like that.”

“No?”

Ronove nodded in response to the question filled with doubt.

“The Grand Duke has ordered us to welcome the Saintess as a guest.”

The demons looked at each other at those words.

“Guest?”

“What kind of guest?”

Aren’t there different types of guests?

Guests who should be treated well, guests who should be cajoled well, guests who should be threatened well and then chased away like beggars, guests whose throats should be cut off, etc...

However, since the other party was a Saintess, she wouldn’t be a guest who should be treated well. But that human from the temple with her head tightly shut wouldn’t be cajoled.

Then again!

“I’m confident when it comes to welcoming guests. As expected, it’s a dignified expression worthy of the Grand Duke.”

Naberus began to stroke his sword blade again.

“No, that.”

Ronobe slapped the back of Naberus’ head.

“A real guest, that’s not it.”

“Huh?”

Only then did the demons flinch.

“The Saintess? As a guest?”

“It’s His Highness’s order.”

No one could refute those words. Belled had enormous influence. However, something strange still remained.

“Prepare for battle and stand by.”

Didn’t His Highness say that before leaving?

Furthermore, the Saintess had designated this Vine as a demon family without a second thought.

She was a good Saintess. Wouldn’t it be less troublesome to get rid of her early?

The demons were already thinking of dozens of ways to ‘death by nature’ the Saintess.

However, they were all going to throw those perfect plans into the trash can.

“It’s an order to hide our war preparations.”

A thunderous message from Ronove struck them like a bolt from the blue.

“...Then should we be like a normal noble family?”

The demons looked at each other.

“What do noble families have?”

“Butler. Servant. Gardener?”

“Im is perfect for the role of butler. Where did he go?”

“He ran off to the battlefield half a day ago.”

One demon answered Naberus politely. Naberus frowned.

“Then who is the prettiest one here?”

At that, the demons pointed to each other’s faces without a second thought. Naberus was the same.

Ronove, who was watching, touched his forehead. He was the one who knew how to treat humans because he had some experience mixing with humans.

...At least.

“I’ll take the role of butler.”

Naberus hesitated at Ronobe’s words.

“Aren’t I the prettiest?”

Since there was no time, Ronove simply ignored Naberus’s words.

“But what does a butler do?”

“Isn’t that an abbreviation for housekeeper?”

It was truly a classy conversation.

“But do you know how to serve tea?”

Asked Saleos, who called himself the mansion’s cook. In fact, he was not a cook but a drinker, or rather, a person who handled alcohol well, but in any case, he was the closest to food.

At that, Ronove said,

“Just add water, so what are you worried about?”

At that, Saleos’ face crumpled.

“That’s an insult to drinks!”

“What are you talking about, just drinking alcohol.”

“Don’t you have a cook? Call a cook!”

Demons tend to have all sorts of hobbies as they live for a long time.

Demons only need the negative emotions that humans emit, and they don’t need food, but some demons are well-versed in food.

“Are you talking about Beris? He was thrown into hell a while ago for offering strange food to Lord Belled?”

The demon who was quick to report quickly answered. Ronove’s face crumpled.

“We can do something about tea, so first, put that damn weapon away!”

“Yes, yes!”

In an instant, the castle of Vine began to become noisy.

“What’s that magic cannon over there! Why don’t you put it away?”

Ronove raised his voice. Naberus spoke in the meantime.

“The monster’s head is okay, right? First, we need to create an atmosphere of fear—”

“A guest, you idiot!”

Ronove threw the monster’s head he had pointed at into the brazier.

―Whirl!

“No, the result of my 200-year struggle!”

“Are you welcoming guests with a monster’s neck?”

Naberus burst out, seemingly frustrated by Ronove’s words.

“What on earth is welcoming guests!?”

Ronove’s expression became very serious at those words.

Yes, come to think of it, this place full of monsters had never had a proper guest.

Since humans were reluctant to enter the realm of the ‘night,’ all of Vine's external affairs were handled outside of the realm of the night.

In the first place, Vine didn’t do any external activities, and outsiders were not allowed to enter. It was a closed structure.

Ronove realized it only then.

The vast Vine Castle. In this place where cleaning was done with magic...

The fact that he and Belled were the only ones who truly knew human culture.

Ronove grabbed his head.

“Are you saying that you lumped me in with these guys, Your Highness!”

The Saintess’s carriage continued to approach the Vine Castle, which had fallen into chaos.


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