Episode 135. Ruler of Demons
"Even if you're hiding something from me.. I'm fine."
There's nothing really hidden...
"What else have you misunderstood?"
The Grand Duke's misunderstandings had become quite familiar to Rose. She didn't take his casual remarks seriously.
"But... is that jewel really in my eye?"
Rose, having heard everything from the Grand Duke of Artaeum, stared blankly at her own eyes in the mirror.
Rose opened her eyes wide, then narrowed them.
She also rolled them around. After staring at the mirror for a long time, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
"...You weren't trying to tease me, were you?"
Common sense dictated that a jewel would be absorbed into the eye. Does that make sense?
It was a reasonable suspicion, but Rose quickly shook her head.
"...No. If that were the case, the demons wouldn't have listened to me."
Rose muttered to herself and sighed.
"It's hard to believe, but it must be true."
She crossed her arms and spoke to herself in the mirror.
"Rose, what on earth were you thinking when you did this?"
If only she could, she longed to face the original Rose one-on-one.
It was a useless ability for her. What good would controlling monsters do?
Oh, but there was one good thing.
"I get to see a lot of cute baby monsters. That's nice."
Some monsters transformed into hideous creatures as adults, but not when they were babies.
All monsters were born with a very cute appearance that seemed to stimulate their protective instincts. It was a natural law of survival.
"I want to see them again. When will they come?"
'Could it be... you’re intentionally trying to trick me?'
Otherwise, there would have been no reason to suddenly let go of her hand.
Rose looked at Neruan, who was just scratching his head with his hands, his face down. For some reason, the corners of his mouth slightly quirked up.
His face was embarrassed, and he didn’t know what to do, but since Neruan had done so many things to Rose, Rose just thought that he had picked on her again.
‘...I’m upset, but I have to get over it.’
Since he had been helping her a lot recently, she could let this go with tolerance.
Rose dusted her hands and got up from her seat. She also patted her skirt, which was covered in dirt.
“Finn, come here.”
Today was the first time she had seen Finn since she had collapsed.
Finn's tail swished at Rose's affectionate voice, but that was it. He didn't approach her.
The dog simply circled around her, accompanied by pitiful cries.
Hearing Finn's moaning, Rose felt sorry.
'He must be acting like that because he tried to attack me.'
She had hoped Finn wouldn't remember.
Monsters that obeyed her orders didn't move of their own free will. So she'd assumed he wouldn't remember anything.
But that was Rose's wish.
Finn remembered the moment he attacked Rose. That's why he kept her at a distance.
"Finn, it's okay. Come here."
Perhaps it was because Rose's warm voice kept repeating? Finn glanced around helplessly, as if asking Neruan for permission.
Neruan loosened his leash. Finn's tail, staring at Rose, swished from side to side with increasing speed.
Finn, his tongue sticking out, panted as he approached Rose.
“Finn.”
Rose lowered herself slightly and spread her arms toward Finn.
She wasn’t afraid of Finn.
The creature had attacked her only because he was ordered to. Instead, she felt only sorry.
She wanted to comfort Finn.
Even animals that couldn’t speak had a sense of self. Joy and sadness, pain and loneliness—they were living beings who could feel it all.
Finn approached cautiously and stuck his nose out to Rose as if asking for permission. Rose smiled and held out her hand.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Finn.”
Finn sniffed Rose’s hand exploratively and then carefully licked her hand.
Rose chuckled and stroked Finn’s body. The creature must have enjoyed being stroked, as it leaped toward Rose.
Finn, as if he had been whining for a while, kept licking Rose’s face.
“Haha. Finn, don’t.”
Despite Rose’s smiling voice, Finn continued to search her face.
Neruan quietly watched Rose and Finn from a step away.
“It’s clear that Rose has Luna’s Tears...”
Unlike the night of the full moon, Finn didn’t seem to heed Rose’s orders today.
Neruan nodded, as if understanding.
“You haven’t awakened yet.”
The one who possesses Luna’s Tears becomes the ruler of monsters. The word “ruler” was by no means a light one.
Dominating monsters only on full moon days?
If that were the case, you wouldn’t have been called a ruler.
Your abilities were only amplified on full moon days, but you could control them sufficiently even on normal days.
And Luna’s Tears were originally a treasure Neruan had to reclaim. It was a jewel passed down through generations in Neruan’s family.
“Cedric... If he had absorbed the jewel...”
He would have killed him mercilessly and retrieved the jewel.
But now, there was nothing he could do. After all, Rose possessed the jewel.
There was another way to steal it besides killing her, but.
'...Absolutely, absolutely not.'
His face flushed, and he lowered his head. He couldn't bear to think disrespectful thoughts toward Rose.
"Neruan, I'll take Finn for a walk today."
Rose confidently called out to Neruan, as if she believed she could control Finn.
"It must be difficult."
Neruan looked at Rose with a distrustful expression, knowing she hadn't awakened.
However, Rose, still unaware of the truth, was brimming with confidence. She took the leash from Neruan and smiled brightly.
"No. I have a special ability. I can control Finn with one hand... Aaaah!"
Before she could finish her words, Rose was dragged away by Finn.
Finn, his massive body trembling, and Rose fluttering behind him like a paper doll.
It was absolutely impossible to leave Finn behind.
“Ugh! Finn!”
Rose’s sobbing voice rang out.
“Neruan, help me!”
Rose looked at Neruan for help. It was funny how he was looking at him with those wide eyes, but it was also cute in its own way.
Neruan tried to hide his twitching mouth and lifted Rose’s limp body with one hand. Then, he grabbed Finn’s leash with his other hand.
Finn, who had been excited and wild under the tight leash, calmed down as if by magic.
“Th-thank you.”
Rose looked at Neruan with trembling eyes. Neruan, unable to hide his true feelings at the sight of Rose crouching like a herbivore, finally smiled.
“What are you two doing?”
And then, just in time, the Grand Duke of Artaeum appeared.
Beads of sweat formed on Rose’s forehead as she faced the Grand Duke, still in Neruan’s embrace.
“Count.”
“...”
“Count, are you listening to me?”
Baku looked at Eric, his hands clenched in fists. He seemed to be suppressing his anger at Eric, who was absent-minded and unable to concentrate on his work.
‘If it weren’t for the Master’s request... I wouldn’t be assisting you.’
Cedric’s orders were as important as his life to Baku. His loyalty was that great. Cedric’s orders were law to him, enough to cover up his own crimes of unfilial piety.
“...I’m listening.”
Eric glanced at Baku, his eyes a bit uneasy.
“The Master has now told me to teach the Count how to control demons.”
“A demon? Is that something that can be controlled?”
“It’s not impossible. If you tie them up and train them from a very young age, they won’t dare to fight back. Even if they grow up and gain enough strength, they’ll still be useless to their master.”
Eric flinched at Baku’s words.
His words brought back memories of his own childhood.
“Damn it. The hallucinations and auditory hallucinations are getting worse by the day.”
It was interfering with his daily life.
He wasn’t getting enough sleep, and he was under extreme stress from Doana’s threats.
He sighed deeply and pressed his eyes.
“But, didn’t you just say that? There used to be a jewel that controlled demonic beasts, but it was stolen, so it’s difficult to completely control them.”
“I’m searching for the stolen jewels by all means possible. In the meantime, Count, try controlling some of the tamed monsters.”
Eric sighed, annoyed.
He wasn’t particularly interested in monsters. To him, Baku’s proposal was a real nuisance.
‘I’m already preoccupied with Doana...’
“...When will Father come?”
“...”
Eric asked, but Baku remained silent.
“I can’t tell if he rose to the sky or sank to the ground. He left everything to me, and then suddenly disappeared. Where on earth is he? I’m sure he’s drinking, enjoying women, oblivious to the concerns of those around him.”
“Count!”
Eric shouted, veins bulging on his forehead, at the words condemning Cedric.
“Even his whereabouts are uncertain. Shouldn’t you first worry about whether he’s dead... or alive? That’s the duty of a son.”
“You worry so much. Baku, be honest. You know where my father is, don’t you? Just tell me when he’ll be back.”
Baku’s eyes darkened at Eric’s words. He couldn’t easily calm the anger welling up in his throat.
"...Do you really want to find the Master?”
A low, resonant voice resonated meaningfully. Baku chuckled strangely and looked at Eric with sparkling eyes.
“You won’t regret it, will you?”
“What are you saying? Are you crazy?”
“I’ll find the Master’s whereabouts as soon as possible.”
Baku glared at Eric and then quickly left his room.
“Forgive me for not keeping my promise... Master.”
Granting this request was too much.
After a while, Baku really did find Cedric’s whereabouts.
Cedric was found, oddly enough, 10 kilometers from the mansion.
Not alive, but dead.
"Even if you're hiding something from me.. I'm fine."
There's nothing really hidden...
"What else have you misunderstood?"
The Grand Duke's misunderstandings had become quite familiar to Rose. She didn't take his casual remarks seriously.
"But... is that jewel really in my eye?"
Rose, having heard everything from the Grand Duke of Artaeum, stared blankly at her own eyes in the mirror.
Rose opened her eyes wide, then narrowed them.
She also rolled them around. After staring at the mirror for a long time, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
"...You weren't trying to tease me, were you?"
Common sense dictated that a jewel would be absorbed into the eye. Does that make sense?
It was a reasonable suspicion, but Rose quickly shook her head.
"...No. If that were the case, the demons wouldn't have listened to me."
Rose muttered to herself and sighed.
"It's hard to believe, but it must be true."
She crossed her arms and spoke to herself in the mirror.
"Rose, what on earth were you thinking when you did this?"
If only she could, she longed to face the original Rose one-on-one.
It was a useless ability for her. What good would controlling monsters do?
Oh, but there was one good thing.
"I get to see a lot of cute baby monsters. That's nice."
Some monsters transformed into hideous creatures as adults, but not when they were babies.
All monsters were born with a very cute appearance that seemed to stimulate their protective instincts. It was a natural law of survival.
"I want to see them again. When will they come?"
She had heard that the ability was amplified on full moon nights.
Rose still hadn't fully grasped the magnitude of her ability.
Seeing monsters in the city was incredibly rare, and even with this ability, she didn't think she'd have much to do with them.
Rose, who had been looking in the mirror, turned to look at the clock.
“Finn, it’s time to go for a walk.”
She wanted to use her powers on Finn once more. Of course, not in the crudest way as before, but with a very simple command.
Rose ran into the garden. In the distance, she saw Neruan holding Finn’s leash.
“Neruan! Finn!”
Rose waved at them. Finn, who had always been running towards Rose, didn’t climb onto her body. Today, instead, he stopped in front of Rose, his ears drooping, and whined.
Rose’s body lurched forward as she accelerated.
“Ouch!”
She almost collided with Finn if she wasn’t careful.
“Be careful.”
Then, Neruan caught Rose’s body. However, it wasn’t a very kind gesture.
Rose’s body dangled, supported by Neruan’s hand that was clutching her clothes. Rose staggered comically, looking at Neruan.
“I appreciate you catching me, but...?”
Did you really have to hold me like this, Neruan?
Unable to express resentment in a situation where he was already helping her, Rose could only show an awkward laugh.
“Ahaha...”
Rose and Neruan’s eyes met. Neruan’s heart started racing without him realizing it when he saw Rose’s smiling face.
Turning his head away in embarrassment, Neruan let go of Rose’s collar.
“Ah.”
- Woof, woof! Woof!
Rose fell to the floor with a loud noise.
It was the moment when all he had done to hold her back went down the drain.
Finn, perhaps worried about Rose, circled her, not knowing what to do. However, he didn’t lick her or come closer.
'Ah. It hurts.'
I'm not teasing you, but after going out of my way to help you, what the hell is this?
Rose still hadn't fully grasped the magnitude of her ability.
Seeing monsters in the city was incredibly rare, and even with this ability, she didn't think she'd have much to do with them.
Rose, who had been looking in the mirror, turned to look at the clock.
“Finn, it’s time to go for a walk.”
She wanted to use her powers on Finn once more. Of course, not in the crudest way as before, but with a very simple command.
Rose ran into the garden. In the distance, she saw Neruan holding Finn’s leash.
“Neruan! Finn!”
Rose waved at them. Finn, who had always been running towards Rose, didn’t climb onto her body. Today, instead, he stopped in front of Rose, his ears drooping, and whined.
Rose’s body lurched forward as she accelerated.
“Ouch!”
She almost collided with Finn if she wasn’t careful.
“Be careful.”
Then, Neruan caught Rose’s body. However, it wasn’t a very kind gesture.
Rose’s body dangled, supported by Neruan’s hand that was clutching her clothes. Rose staggered comically, looking at Neruan.
“I appreciate you catching me, but...?”
Did you really have to hold me like this, Neruan?
Unable to express resentment in a situation where he was already helping her, Rose could only show an awkward laugh.
“Ahaha...”
Rose and Neruan’s eyes met. Neruan’s heart started racing without him realizing it when he saw Rose’s smiling face.
Turning his head away in embarrassment, Neruan let go of Rose’s collar.
“Ah.”
- Woof, woof! Woof!
Rose fell to the floor with a loud noise.
It was the moment when all he had done to hold her back went down the drain.
Finn, perhaps worried about Rose, circled her, not knowing what to do. However, he didn’t lick her or come closer.
'Ah. It hurts.'
I'm not teasing you, but after going out of my way to help you, what the hell is this?
'Could it be... you’re intentionally trying to trick me?'
Otherwise, there would have been no reason to suddenly let go of her hand.
Rose looked at Neruan, who was just scratching his head with his hands, his face down. For some reason, the corners of his mouth slightly quirked up.
His face was embarrassed, and he didn’t know what to do, but since Neruan had done so many things to Rose, Rose just thought that he had picked on her again.
‘...I’m upset, but I have to get over it.’
Since he had been helping her a lot recently, she could let this go with tolerance.
Rose dusted her hands and got up from her seat. She also patted her skirt, which was covered in dirt.
“Finn, come here.”
Today was the first time she had seen Finn since she had collapsed.
Finn's tail swished at Rose's affectionate voice, but that was it. He didn't approach her.
The dog simply circled around her, accompanied by pitiful cries.
Hearing Finn's moaning, Rose felt sorry.
'He must be acting like that because he tried to attack me.'
She had hoped Finn wouldn't remember.
Monsters that obeyed her orders didn't move of their own free will. So she'd assumed he wouldn't remember anything.
But that was Rose's wish.
Finn remembered the moment he attacked Rose. That's why he kept her at a distance.
"Finn, it's okay. Come here."
Perhaps it was because Rose's warm voice kept repeating? Finn glanced around helplessly, as if asking Neruan for permission.
Neruan loosened his leash. Finn's tail, staring at Rose, swished from side to side with increasing speed.
Finn, his tongue sticking out, panted as he approached Rose.
“Finn.”
Rose lowered herself slightly and spread her arms toward Finn.
She wasn’t afraid of Finn.
The creature had attacked her only because he was ordered to. Instead, she felt only sorry.
She wanted to comfort Finn.
Even animals that couldn’t speak had a sense of self. Joy and sadness, pain and loneliness—they were living beings who could feel it all.
Finn approached cautiously and stuck his nose out to Rose as if asking for permission. Rose smiled and held out her hand.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Finn.”
Finn sniffed Rose’s hand exploratively and then carefully licked her hand.
Rose chuckled and stroked Finn’s body. The creature must have enjoyed being stroked, as it leaped toward Rose.
Finn, as if he had been whining for a while, kept licking Rose’s face.
“Haha. Finn, don’t.”
Despite Rose’s smiling voice, Finn continued to search her face.
Neruan quietly watched Rose and Finn from a step away.
“It’s clear that Rose has Luna’s Tears...”
Unlike the night of the full moon, Finn didn’t seem to heed Rose’s orders today.
Neruan nodded, as if understanding.
“You haven’t awakened yet.”
The one who possesses Luna’s Tears becomes the ruler of monsters. The word “ruler” was by no means a light one.
Dominating monsters only on full moon days?
If that were the case, you wouldn’t have been called a ruler.
Your abilities were only amplified on full moon days, but you could control them sufficiently even on normal days.
And Luna’s Tears were originally a treasure Neruan had to reclaim. It was a jewel passed down through generations in Neruan’s family.
“Cedric... If he had absorbed the jewel...”
He would have killed him mercilessly and retrieved the jewel.
But now, there was nothing he could do. After all, Rose possessed the jewel.
There was another way to steal it besides killing her, but.
'...Absolutely, absolutely not.'
His face flushed, and he lowered his head. He couldn't bear to think disrespectful thoughts toward Rose.
"Neruan, I'll take Finn for a walk today."
Rose confidently called out to Neruan, as if she believed she could control Finn.
"It must be difficult."
Neruan looked at Rose with a distrustful expression, knowing she hadn't awakened.
However, Rose, still unaware of the truth, was brimming with confidence. She took the leash from Neruan and smiled brightly.
"No. I have a special ability. I can control Finn with one hand... Aaaah!"
Before she could finish her words, Rose was dragged away by Finn.
Finn, his massive body trembling, and Rose fluttering behind him like a paper doll.
It was absolutely impossible to leave Finn behind.
“Ugh! Finn!”
Rose’s sobbing voice rang out.
“Neruan, help me!”
Rose looked at Neruan for help. It was funny how he was looking at him with those wide eyes, but it was also cute in its own way.
Neruan tried to hide his twitching mouth and lifted Rose’s limp body with one hand. Then, he grabbed Finn’s leash with his other hand.
Finn, who had been excited and wild under the tight leash, calmed down as if by magic.
“Th-thank you.”
Rose looked at Neruan with trembling eyes. Neruan, unable to hide his true feelings at the sight of Rose crouching like a herbivore, finally smiled.
“What are you two doing?”
And then, just in time, the Grand Duke of Artaeum appeared.
Beads of sweat formed on Rose’s forehead as she faced the Grand Duke, still in Neruan’s embrace.
***
“Count.”
“...”
“Count, are you listening to me?”
Baku looked at Eric, his hands clenched in fists. He seemed to be suppressing his anger at Eric, who was absent-minded and unable to concentrate on his work.
‘If it weren’t for the Master’s request... I wouldn’t be assisting you.’
Cedric’s orders were as important as his life to Baku. His loyalty was that great. Cedric’s orders were law to him, enough to cover up his own crimes of unfilial piety.
“...I’m listening.”
Eric glanced at Baku, his eyes a bit uneasy.
“The Master has now told me to teach the Count how to control demons.”
“A demon? Is that something that can be controlled?”
“It’s not impossible. If you tie them up and train them from a very young age, they won’t dare to fight back. Even if they grow up and gain enough strength, they’ll still be useless to their master.”
Eric flinched at Baku’s words.
His words brought back memories of his own childhood.
“Damn it. The hallucinations and auditory hallucinations are getting worse by the day.”
It was interfering with his daily life.
He wasn’t getting enough sleep, and he was under extreme stress from Doana’s threats.
He sighed deeply and pressed his eyes.
“But, didn’t you just say that? There used to be a jewel that controlled demonic beasts, but it was stolen, so it’s difficult to completely control them.”
“I’m searching for the stolen jewels by all means possible. In the meantime, Count, try controlling some of the tamed monsters.”
Eric sighed, annoyed.
He wasn’t particularly interested in monsters. To him, Baku’s proposal was a real nuisance.
‘I’m already preoccupied with Doana...’
How dare she use this opportunity to threaten me? I had intended to let her off until the child was born, but it seemed I had to get rid of her immediately.
“...When will Father come?”
“...”
Eric asked, but Baku remained silent.
“I can’t tell if he rose to the sky or sank to the ground. He left everything to me, and then suddenly disappeared. Where on earth is he? I’m sure he’s drinking, enjoying women, oblivious to the concerns of those around him.”
“Count!”
Eric shouted, veins bulging on his forehead, at the words condemning Cedric.
“Even his whereabouts are uncertain. Shouldn’t you first worry about whether he’s dead... or alive? That’s the duty of a son.”
“You worry so much. Baku, be honest. You know where my father is, don’t you? Just tell me when he’ll be back.”
Baku’s eyes darkened at Eric’s words. He couldn’t easily calm the anger welling up in his throat.
"...Do you really want to find the Master?”
A low, resonant voice resonated meaningfully. Baku chuckled strangely and looked at Eric with sparkling eyes.
“You won’t regret it, will you?”
“What are you saying? Are you crazy?”
“I’ll find the Master’s whereabouts as soon as possible.”
Baku glared at Eric and then quickly left his room.
“Forgive me for not keeping my promise... Master.”
Granting this request was too much.
After a while, Baku really did find Cedric’s whereabouts.
Cedric was found, oddly enough, 10 kilometers from the mansion.
Not alive, but dead.
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