The Preceding Hero and the Heretic Mazoku

「……To begin with, what do you mean by master? Why are you, a Mazoku, becoming Yashiro-san"s familiar?」

Maybe because she had drank some water and calmed down, Bernadette asked that with a disinterested tone.
Ahー, so she really did ask about that.

「Actually, how could you tell that she was familiar?」

Paimon and I are now in a master and servant relationship through the use of a familiar contract.

「The unpleasant feelings characteristic of Mazoku has disappeared. Rather, it"s a strange feeling like there is another Yashiro-san……I somehow can"t calm down.」

Another one of me? What does that mean?

「A familiar is something like half of your body. A presence that should be called a reverberation of its master dwells within the familiar. It is something like a side effect due to the contract.」

Fiona, whose dark eyes had become lighter since the time we first reunited, brought her teacup up to her mouth.

「Kiki, the reason why I have become your servant, is it.」

The blonde, little girl formed Paimon smiled with a grin.

「If I had to say it in one sentence, then it was because you had saved me from the evil hand of the Apostle, I suppose?」

「As if a Mazoku like you could say something like evil hand.」

Incidentally, the reason why Paimon had become smaller is because it seems it was for the sake of restraining her Maryoku consumption. Normally, a familiar was an existence that would receive Maryoku from its master, but seeing as how I don"t have any Maryoku, I am unable to supply her with Maryoku.

「I also had never thought that you would be the 『Bearer』. I had laid out my maximum amount of precautions, and just when I had thought I had gained some breathing room, that happened. Seriously, it is a bit strange for me, a Mazoku, to say this but you are a sly fellow.」

「To begin with, why did that Apostle suddenly appear anyway? It shouldn"t be all that simple for that thing to make a descent.」

I also had seen an Apostle one before, but it didn"t seem like it was a guy that could appear so easily. Rather, I got the impression that it tried to keep its distance from humans.

「It is said that Apostle-sama appears once every several hundred years. Even in the history books, it has only appeared twice.」

For what reason would those half-hikikomori guys suddenly appear.

「Didn"t it appear because G.o.d-sama was being denounced?」

「I did stuff like that three years ago. Though, it was thanks to that that I was called G.o.d"s enemy.」

「That isn"t something you should say like it"s a funny story!」

When I responded to Kuon"s question, I was scolded by Bernadette. Muu, recently, Bernadette has become hard to handle.

「……Not obeying the Demon Lord despite being a Mazoku, and trying to include the First Generation Saint as one of her subordinates, couldn"t it be because she was a heretic.」

Little by little, Fiona muttered that. That muttering had remained in my ears for quite a while.

「A heretic, is it……」

「In this world, there are established rules that exist and are like instincts of life.」

*Kachari* Putting down the teacup, Fiona rearranged her legs and continued.

「People fear Mazoku and harbor hatred and animosity for them, and Mazoku scorn humans like they were harmful insects and feel disgust towards them. The Demon Lord manifested for the sake of exterminating humans, and the Hero is created as the countermeasure for the Demon Lord. And then, there is one more thing. The existences that come under the Mazoku, they all prostrate before the existence known as the Demon Lord. ……Vampire Princess Paimon, for you who are of mixed blood of humans and Mazoku, do you fall under any of these?」

As if to ascertain her answer, Fiona sharpened the glint in her eyes, and asked that.

「Nay. The existence known as myself is not an existence that is confined to such rules.」

「I thought so.」

「I see……The end goal of the Demon Lord is the extermination of humans……Paimon"s end goal is domination of this world……More than not receiving the influence of the Demon Lord, Paimon wouldn"t be instructed by anyone, and would be able to provoke a fight against G.o.d.」

If asked, "if the Demon Lord destroyed the humans, would he provoke a fight with G.o.d afterwards?", it would probably be a no.
That guy exists for the sake of killing people. Nothing more and nothing less.
Even for me who is the Hero, although I don"t like him, if asked "would you overthrow G.o.d?", it would probably be a no.
There was no need to defeat him. As long as I am not driven to the need to defeat him, I wouldn"t challenge G.o.d.

However, for Paimon, overthrowing G.o.d was one of her goals.
By taking the proper steps, someday, she would invariably challenge G.o.d.
All for the sake of making both humans and Mazoku, even G.o.d her own subordinates.

As long as that was an inevitability, the Apostles would attack for the sake of making Paimon a dead person.

「So they were keeping surveillance on her……So that they could kill Paimon the moment the seal was undone.」

「So, it would seem. Since olden times, they had treated me as their enemy after all.」

Drinking up the tomato juice that was poured into a cup, Paimon said that sounding like she had no motivation.

「……P, please wait a moment. So as long as this Mazoku is here, there will be times where we will fight with Apostle-sama, is that what this means?」

Having turned pale, Bernadette looked at Paimon while her mouth was twitching. When she did, Paimon made a complacent smile and nodded.

「Indeed, with this, Yashiro-san will be treated more and more as the enemy of G.o.d. ……But rather than that, the point of allowing this Vampire to travel together with us is completely out of the question……」

「Now, now, don"t say that. Like they say, just as it is rea.s.suring to have a companion when travelling, it is important for us to care for each other as we pa.s.s through this life. There"s also the saying of "even a meeting by chance is preordained", right?」

「Muu……It"s starting to feel like I"ve become the bad guy. Or rather, you"re awfully supportive of that Vampire coming along, Yashiro-san. Even though you didn"t say anything like that when I tried to come along.」

Bernadette looked displeased, going *Bu–*
……A bit, it was for only just a bit, but I thought that that was cute dammit.

「No, no, it wasn"t like that, right?」

「At the time we were departing from Lizwadia, I"m sure that you said things like being troubled.」

Ahー, come to think of it, I did say something like that. It"s somewhat nostalgic.

「Fufu……What is this, lineage of the miko, jealousy? Kiki, a woman"s jealousy is quite unsightly, you know?」

Paimon left her seat, and laughed as if to stir something up. Getting hooked on that, Bernadette"s mood quickly went bad.

「How about I send you to h.e.l.l in place of Apostle-sama?」

Still sitting in her chair, Bernadette stretched her hand out to the slit of her skirt and grabbed her Magic Gun. While receiving the sharp look that Bernadette had turned towards her, Paimon approached me without removing her smile.

「Kiki, you are still quite green……」

「Oh」

Paimon got on my lap as I was sitting in my chair, and sat there leaning all of her weight on me.
And then――

「Is that not right, my master.」

Turning into her adult form on top of my lap, Paimon whispered to me with a voice that sounded like a spoilt child while gently brushing my cheek!!

「Uhihihi! Of, of course you"re right!」

「……I see, so you"re using seductive techniques. It would be a critical hit if used on Yashiro-san.」

Shoot.