TMD - Chapter 5 < The Saintess Who Visited the Devil (5) >

“The mansion is pitch black, too.”

It was my first thought when I saw the Vine Castle.

Of course, the lights weren’t all turned off in the Vine Castle. The lights were brightly lit as if they were confident that any monsters would invade at any time.

People could be seen coming and going through the wide-open windows.

Those people must all be devils.

I was thinking that.

“Hello, Saintess.”

A voice suddenly came from outside the carriage. I flinched.

There had definitely been no one in front of the carriage until just now.

Was it someone from the mansion?

When I looked at the mansion again, I saw the red-haired man who had been standing in the hallway until just now standing in front of the carriage window.

...It seemed to be the devil’s magic.

I nodded, pretending not to know. Then

I opened the window.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, I am Ronove, the butler of the Vine Castle.”

Oh, this devil... No, the butler is a person. I looked at Ronove.

It felt somewhat different from the butlers of Yubar and Orobas that I had seen in my previous two lives. They were wearing uniforms without a single wrinkle on their clothes, but Ronove’s clothes even looked somewhat free.

First of all, it wasn’t even a uniform, it was a robe.

...This must be the original Vine family, I thought.

Yes. Because it was Vine.

However, the butler Ronove didn’t say anything after that. I blinked.

Could it be that he was telling me to open the door and get out? Of course, there was nothing he couldn’t do.

In the end, it was when I reached out to the door.

The silver-haired knight stepped between Ronove and me and opened the door. Ronove bowed and stepped back.

Oh, is it the custom for knights to escort people?

The knight glanced at Ronove and extended his hand to me.

“I will take care of it.”

The green eyes sparkled again. I looked into those eyes, then stepped onto the night ground with the tips of my snow-white shoes.

Now, it was really Vine.

***

This is not a demon family. I just came to a human family.

I tried to brainwash myself constantly. I tried to relax my tense body.

It’s strange to be this tense when you’re among humans.

Of course, they say you came because you suspected me of being a demon, but... How did I deal with Yubar and Orobas?

Was I this nervous back then?

While I was trying to collect my thoughts, the butler Ronove led me to the reception room.

“What about the Duke of Vine?”

Ronove, who had been silent until then, paused.

“...He’s out for a while.”

The answer was a little slow. As a butler, you don’t know the whereabouts of the head of the household... Right?

“Just come up this way.”

Ronove continued to guide me. I tilted my head.

“Is the reception room on the second floor?”

Because the place Ronove led me to was the stairs leading to the second floor.

Even though I had been locked in the temple for a long time, I had already experienced the life of a noble family in my previous two lives.

That’s why I knew. The reception rooms of noble families were usually on the first floor.

Why would an outsider be allowed to wander above the second floor?

But it didn’t seem to be Vine. Ronobe’s body froze.

“...It’s the third floor.” “

Huh?”

But the reception room was on the third floor? Something was strange.

When my  expression became strange, Ronove quickly said,

“I’ll move it to the first floor.”

“Huh?”

I asked again without realizing it.

The reception room wasn’t some kind of vase, so how could you move it so easily... Ah.

This is a demon family. I quickly controlled my expression.

That could be true. The reception room could be on the third floor, and it could be moved like a vase.

This isn’t a demon family. I’m just a human family.

But it’s suspicious.

It’s so suspicious that I can’t pretend not to notice...!

“Yes. The third floor is... I think it might be inconvenient to greet guests.”

If I were to become the hostess of this place in the future, I would be in charge of all of these things, so it wouldn’t be an overstepping of authority.

...If I really were to live and marry the devil Duke Belled.

“Yes, then I will serve you.”

The reception room was far away. However, I pretended to be used to this situation.

I must not feel awkward. I must not seem to suspect that they were a devil.

But that was harder than I thought.

When Ronove was wandering around the living room, not knowing where the tea was, or when he lifted the kettle that was clearly filled with hot water without even holding the handle, I managed to somehow control my expression.

However.

-Crunch.

When I drank the tea that was poured with impeccable etiquette, I almost failed to control my expression.

“Hmm.”

Why does the tea taste salty?

“How does it taste?”

Ronove’s face was somehow filled with satisfaction as he asked.

I was starting to get confused as to whether I was the first customer at a novice chef’s restaurant or being treated by a butler from a noble family.

“It has a unique... taste.”

I couldn’t bring myself to ask if he was confusing sugar and salt, so I said that. Ronove nodded and smiled.

“Then drink plenty.”

...This salt water?

However, Ronove poured the tea(?) into his own teacup and began to sip it. He seemed to be nervous as if his throat was burning. But this is so hot.

But he kept slurping the salt water as if he didn’t feel the temperature and smiled kindly.

There’s steam rising from his mouth...

“It tastes good.”

But I was starting to get confused because he looked so refreshed.

Was it really delicious? Did demons have different tastes?

“Gulp.”

In the end, I couldn’t stand the saltiness and covered my mouth, and Ronove’s expression instantly turned anxious.

“Is there a problem?”

There were so many problems. But I shook my head.

“I think I’m not used to Vine’s culture yet.”

Demons have unique tastes, so this was the best answer I could give.

“Then would you like to try this?”

It seemed that demons also ate tea and snacks together.

But wouldn’t it be better if they ate something sweet?

“Thank you.”

But I realized that I had let my guard down.

“?”

The snack didn’t bite. First of all, it was too hard.

-Crack.

And the snack that she barely managed to chew with force...

“Cough!”

It was spicy. It was like there was pepper instead of sugar!

“Are you okay! Someone, bring me water!”

Eventually, Ronove shouted outside.

Then, from outside, mercenaries in free-spirited clothing that would never have looked like servants ran over and handed them water.

It seemed... It would be very difficult to pretend not to know that they were demons.

Really.

It seemed really difficult.

***

As soon as Belled went up to his room, he returned his silver-dyed hair to its original color.

His jet-black hair was briefly reflected in the window.

“What about the Saintess?”

It was entirely his choice to dress up as a knight and go see the Saintess first.

And it was he who read the three deaths in the Saintess’s eyes and impulsively ordered them to ‘take her as guests.’

However, the demons were less accustomed to welcoming guests than he had thought.

However, he knew that Ronove was somewhat familiar with the civilization of the human world, so he thought that there would be no major incidents.

“They say she is looking for His Highness the Grand Duke.”

answered Helbas, the demon who was serving him.

“The Saintess?”

The temple would be reluctant to have a couple meet before marriage. It was unexpected.

The Saintess, who knew that it was a den of demons, was afraid and instead went to find the leader. She definitely seemed nervous.

“...By the way, Your Highness the Grand  Duke.”

“Oh, I will correct that.”

Helbas immediately bowed his head.

“Would you allow me to call you Your Highness the Duke in front of the Saintess?”

The demons knew him as the Demon Grand Duke Belled, but in the human world, his title was Duke Vine.

Belled laughed instead of answering. What good would it do to hide it? The Saintess already knew that he was a demon.

It was when he absentmindedly looked back at the mirror.

“...?”

The last of him is seen through his dark green eyes.

He lost his sanity and grew wings made of membranes, his hands were covered in strange scales, and he soon let out a scream. He should have lost his sanity and turned into a monster, but he saw something pure white. It looked like someone’s dress.

Was there anyone among the demons who would wear such clothes?

He took a step closer as if he was being sucked into the mirror without realizing it. He was lying in a white dress. He didn’t seem dead. He hadn’t been transformed into a monster. With a calm expression, he was reaching out to someone. At the tip of his hand was something dark green...

Crunch!

“Ah.”

Belled closed his eyes reflexively. Blood formed in his eyes where the magic had been forcibly concentrated.

“Your Highness!”

Helbas, startled, brought a handkerchief.

However, Belled couldn’t react even though the bright red drops of blood fell on his pure white shirt.

Even though he hated having something on his clothes, it was the same.

It had changed.

All his attention was focused on that one fact, and he didn’t even feel the drops of blood.

“My end has changed.”

“Yes?”

Helbas opened his eyes wide.

The dark green eyes looked at the mirror again. The pure white dress, and Belled lying on it. He couldn’t see any future beyond that, but it was certain.

His end had changed to something other than transformation into a monster.

He couldn’t even see death. In his eyes, it meant that there was death or many variables in the distant future.

“Saintess...”

And there was only one person who could lead this change.

The only thing that had changed in the same old routine was the Saintess.

Beryl, I think.

He recalled the strange things he had seen in the Saintess’s eyes.

“What will the Saintess do?”

Helbas asked. At those words, Belled’s lips curved softly.

“For now, I have hidden my weapons, but I can enter battle mode at any time.”

The Saintess was no different from the head of the temple. She could command the priests with her fingertips, and she could also declare their presence to the human world.

The most difficult enemy.

Helnas’s eyes flashed with murder.

Belled said to him,

“I will withdraw all preparations for war.”

“Huh?”

Helbas gaped. Hiding his weapons for a while like now was different from completely withdrawing preparations for war.

It would take time to get ready again.

“Your Highness?”

“There’s something I need to watch.”

If my future were to change. If our future could change.

Belled laughed.

Magic.

The power that allowed demons to survive was supposed to go to the strongest demon first.

If that magic power was lacking, the demon would lose its reason and become a monster.

However, if the strongest of the demons became a monster, it meant that the demons would be destroyed due to a lack of magic power.

However, that future changed. With a Saintess entering this castle.

“If this continues, it will be a matter of time before our identity is discovered. Ronove is currently serving the Saintess, but the Saintess may have sensed something strange as well.”

Helbas said urgently. However, Belled’s answer was relaxed.

“Leave it as it is.”

“Yes?”

The story that Ronove had clearly brought the wrong tea had already been circulated among the demons four times.

It was natural for the Saintess to question whether this was a noble family.

“The Saintess's already knows our identity.”

Helbas opened his mouth at those words. Regardless, Belled said,

“So leave it as it is. I need to know why the Saintess came here knowing our true identities.”

“That means...”

“Just pretend to be human like you are now. It doesn’t matter if it’s awkward.”

The more I do that, the more embarrassed I become, the more I will have no choice but to reveal my thoughts.

He laughed. What kind of change will the Saintess bring about?

How will she change my future?

Maybe she can bring a future other than destruction to the demons?

He was genuinely curious. What will the Saintess’s frail fingertips, trembling with fear, be able to draw?

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