Volume 3, Chapter 6: The Magnificent Daily Life of Demons, Part 1
It’s been several months since my [Princess] business in Shiguresu ended and we returned to Tariterudo.
Daytime life hasn’t really changed much. Going to school in a carriage, I walk with my four attendants while being stared at by the rest of the students who would surround us.
……Wait what? Thinking about those [Stories] that I’d heard about my Elder Sister-samas, don’t I also give off the feeling of a [Villainous Young Lady] right now?
I sometimes meet with Rick during the evening. Since whenever he comes to the cla.s.sroom, everything fall apart, I’ve been avoiding him.
With an att.i.tude like that, it’s almost a copy of [His] character………
The point is, that att.i.tude is clearly a no-go. Put bluntly, the reason why I’m having a headache is because these days, Timothy-kun keeps coming over to see me to “Fuss over his cousin as a gentle Prince-sama” to make up for Rick, but since he comes over so frequently, [Dubious Rumours] began to arise. It’s scaring me.
Well, while I’ve been making idle complaints about having this kind of school life, I haven’t been too busy.
Partic.i.p.ating in other n.o.bles’ tea parties, studying magic, answering and writing letters to Noel, shopping with Sh.e.l.ly, Betty, and my own escort knights in a group, although we trouble the shops. I’ve been really busy as the [Duke’s Daughter Yurushia], but I there were times where I was really worried both as a human and demon as the [Demon Princess].
My attendants (Demons), have you all been diligently working?
＊＊＊
“… Here’s the report.”
“Yeah, thanks. Would you like a candy?”
At the sight of an eight year old little lady presenting [Black Candy], the vampire butler had a strained smile upon his face… but he still gladly received it, and disappeared into the darkness of the town.
Left behind was a small girl with pure white hair, dressed in a maid’s uniform.
Late at night with all the devout residents having already gone to bed… in an incongruously dark alley, Fannie was seeing off a vampire with a bright smile as she took from her pocket a piece of [Black Candy] that she threw into her mouth appetizingly.
Of course, anything that demons or vampires which found human food unpalatable, found delicious couldn’t be a good thing. It would be better if you didn’t think about the [Raw Materials].
Under her master, Yurushia’s, orders, Fannie was investigating the Kostoru church.
Due to Fannie’s childlike disposition, Yurushia had Millaine cooperate with her, and asked the vampires to investigate the rumours in the populace.
Although she’s called childish, at her level, it didn’t really hinder her carrying out her task.
Fannie would receive the intelligence reports from the vampires, and from there would extract the essential points of it. Besides investigating the church in the capital, she would also go to Shiguresu and investigate the high priest there, Callisto.
Fannie’s [Power] as a Demon was the lowest among the four Arch Demons.
But it’s not the [Case] that her overall ability is lower, but rather that her powers aren’t really suited for direct combat.
Fannie’s [Power] can be used to perform [Spatial Teleportation] by using human souls as markers.
Other demons could also use teleportation, but only Fannie could use long-ranged teleportation without cost, an ability that was most suited for espionage.
Yurushia, was even more unusual as a demon, since she has no ability, but an enormous amount of magical power…
“Is something wrong…?”
In the church of the Royal Capital, nothing was out of the ordinary. Although a little bit of embezzlement and dishonesty were found, the kinds of intel that the master was looking for didn’t exist. Fannie didn’t know if Millaine had received any other instructions to deal with the matter from her master.
However, the one thing that worried her master was high priest Callisto of Shiguresu’s church. Although on the surface there weren’t any problems, the aforementioned [Hero’s Party] was being dispatched on unusual tasks.
The contents of the requests were all proper, and the Heroes also diligently performed their contents.
However, for someone like Fannie, who [Sensed] things through people’s [Nightmares], she thought that what she saw was very unnatural.
“Why, are so few people being helped?”
The Heroes received the request to find a few children and rescued them.
But, on the day the request was received, she would always find a large number of other people caught somewhere else.
“N~~…”
As much as she thought about it, she couldn’t understand. Therefore, Fannie decided to go to the scene herself to satisfy her curiosity.
In that place, there was one child and three adults. Fannie chose the most appropriate out of several locations she knew of.
If she were forced to say why she chose this place, it would be that it looked [The Most Delicious].
While she peeked into the small hut that looked like a restroom or an old storeroom on a farm, she heard
“Shut up, brat!”
Someone yelled as a large man kicked the small child. It seems the man wasn’t kicking the child with full force, since the little girl who was smaller than Fannie was doubled over in pain, rolled up in fear and crying.
“Fu~hnn…”
Fannie let out an emotionless humph. As a demon, she didn’t have the heart to feel pity for humans, the feelings that flowed from that little girl and the adults weren’t what Fannie preferred, so she wasn’t particularly interested.
“…Who’s there?”
The big man, who noticed Fannie’s faint voice, instantly went on alert, drawing his thick-bladed cutla.s.s and turning towards the door.
As an ex-mercenary with battle experience in forests and remote regions, he was well-prepared.
“……Hyuu…”
As he walked out, he met the gaze of [Something]. He sucked in a breath to scream, but the flame of his life was instantly extinguished by the tens of thousands of [Nightmares].
“Good eveningー”
When the victims saw a young girl dressed in maid clothing coming back in instead of the kidnapper that had gone out, the men and women looked at the girl in both fear and confusion.
Strangely, the girl looked around the hut then approached the crying little girl, patting her head gently.
Fannie didn’t say anything, instead she kept stroking the hair of the little girl, who turned her tear covered face upwards with a look of fear.
“……Woo’re yuu?” (TL: who’re you, slurred for little kid crying)
Fannie smiled brightly at the little girl who lisped out the words.
“Would you like a candy?”
“……Wanna eat.”
Fannie took out a [Black Candy] from her pocket and presented it to the little girl, but she didn’t move. Fannie could see her own reflection in those cloudy eyes.
“Are you blind?”
“Yeahh…”
“Well then, open your mouth.”
When the little blind girl obediently opened her mouth, Fannie put the candy into her mouth and tore apart the rope that bound her body easily with the tip of her finger.
“…Thank you, Onee-chan…… but does this candy tastes strange?”
“Isn’t it delicious?”
“Umm, well…… it’s delicious, but strange.”
“Ehehe, I see.”
Fannie laughed delightedly at the little girl’s honest impressions.
Just don’t think about the raw ingredients of that candy.
At the carefree scene between little girls, the man and woman who had been kidnapped let down their guard, but suddenly, a commotion broke out.
“Oi, Missy, before that man comes back, cut the ropes binding us.”
“Leave that brat alone, cut the ropes binding me, hurry!”
Fannie turned around with an annoyed look towards those men and women.
“Are you not this child’s parents…?”
“No, we don’t know that brat at all.”
“That’s right, so missy, hurry up and cut these ropes”
“Fuh~n…”
At that answer, Fannie instantly lost her interest and began stroking the little girl’s hair again.
“Oii?”
“Wa-wait, what are you doing?”
“……”
As the little girl was getting scared from the adults’ voices, Fannie’s smile began to twist.
“……Annoying”
Fannie stood up and walked towards the men and women, finally answering their calls for help, the man couldn’t conceal his irritation even though he looked glad.
“Now, hurr-…… byu”
As he started to say something again, Fannie struck the man’s head, instantly crushing it.
The blood and flesh splattered onto the face of the woman next to him, dying her red.
“Hiie”
Just before she could release a scream, Fannie tore her head off at the neck, after a second of soundless screaming, the light faded from the woman’s eyes.
“…Onee-chan, what’s happened? What happened to the other people?”
“Mmm… they fell asleep?”
“Is that so…… what a strange smell.”
“That is the smell of [Death]”
As Fannie had a self-satisfied face that said [Hey, I Said Something Cool] while the smell of blood hung in the air, the blind little girl inclined her neck, and muttered, “Why is that?”
Fannie didn’t especially mean to help this girl. Just like finding a feral cat in the neighbourhood, she merely wanted to pat that hair since it looked like it was really soft.
Had it not been a human child, but a kitten, Fannie would have done the same thing.
So, now that the uselessly annoying human beings were gone, Fannie once again began to stroke the hair of the little girl.
“Put your hands up!”
As the voice came from the entrance to the hut, so too did multiple fireball magics, but Fannie put on her Clown Mask and stopped the attacks.
“Release that child, Daemon!”
The black haired man shouted and pointed his sword at Fannie, along with an Elf that came after, and a girl who looked like a swordswoman, stared at her with both anger and caution.
{That’s definitely the hero… right? But what in the world is a Daemon?}
Few people could tell at first glance that Fannie, with the mask and form of a human child, was actually an Arch Demon.
The hero savagely slashed at Fannie that was inclining her neck in puzzlement from the misunderstanding.
“Die, Daemon!”
Swinging his sword so quickly that the little girl near him couldn’t even see, Fannie dodged it simply, before it continued and destroyed the wall of the hut, leaving a hole to the outside.
“………”
To suddenly be shouted at and then violently attacked, Fannie couldn’t wrap her head around why.
As the little girl began to cry again, the swordswoman hugged her close, soothing her repeatedly, saying ‘It’s alright, you’re safe now’. For Fannie, however, it felt like her beloved [Kitten] had been stolen from her.
“…… Human sc.u.m.”
Although she wanted to exterminate them all due to her feelings, according to her master, Yurushia’s, instructions, she was told to avoid getting into a serious fight.
Besides, Yurushia was concerned about the [Hero’s] combat ability.
Although Fannie didn’t think that her opponent would be a serious problem, since this was the word of her creator and mother Yurushia, she thought that Yurushia must surely have some significant reason.
“…[Let there be Lie-t]” (TL: this is Yurushia’s “Let there be light, but with forced p.r.o.nunciation.”)
The Elf girl, used Holy magic without speaking the incantation properly, casting defensive divine protection magic upon her companions.
Fannie was preoccupied with comparing this ungraceful use of magic to her master’s own, while the hero, who had been magically-enhanced, swung his sword with a speed that exceeded that of human beings. The moment Fannie dodged it, the swordswoman who left the little girl behind showed up on her flank.
“Got you now!”
At the sudden lunge of the saber, Fannie pinched the blade with the tips of her fingers, and with a *pakin* snapped the blade.
{Heeh… are they cooperating?}
While Fannie leisurely entertained these thoughts, from behind,
“”Fireball!””
Two overlapping voices were heard and two fireb.a.l.l.s came flying.
It was troublesome, and she thought about blowing away those magic power users with all her strength,
“…!?”
Fannie unexpectedly stopped and received the fireb.a.l.l.s squarely.
“I did it!”
“Well done, Athena, Ophelia.”
“Hold, don’t let your guard down.”
The two girls rejoiced at being praised while the Elf girl admonished them.
“It broke my sword easily…… Is this guy at the level of a Daemon King’s aide?”
The swordswoman girl borrowed a spare sword from the elf, and readied herself, cold sweat running down her back as Fannie was engulfed within the fireball.
“………”
Everyone held their breath as it became clear that from all that flame and smoke, only Fannie’s maid clothing had been burned.
But Fannie, not so much.
First, was the redheaded girls that had released the fireb.a.l.l.s, the two of them ………
Master Yurushia has talked about those humans, saying: “If you touch my prey, you’ll be punished.” Fannie knew that she might be scolded if they were damaged.
“……I’m going home.”
Punishment was scary.
Since she didn’t originally plan to fight, after giving the little girl a reluctant look, she rapidly left that place.
“…………Did she escape…?”
The heroes, after that strong [Daemon] retreated, finally let out the breath they didn’t know they’d been holding and sat down.
“……She was strong. ……even though she looked like a child.”
“It’s because she’s a Daemon. There are tribes of them that’re small-sized.”
“Ah, the child.”
Rushing over to the child that the swordswoman had left alone, the little girl that was constantly crying and calling out for [Onee-chan]. Once the heroes’ party discovered the corpse of the woman in the hut, it seemed that she was an awfully kind child, mourning for the woman’s death.
As the sun rose, the hero made a vow.
“That Daemon, the next time we meet, I will definitely exact revenge for this child’s [Onee-chan].”
Later, when the blind girl was returned to her parents’ home, a little light returned to her eyes. To her parents, who wondered about it, she said: “I received a mysterious candy from the gentle onee-chan.” Although, that is a story for another time.
Author’s Notes: I’m not used to writing in third person, so I did well this time.