Chapter 2: Part 2
Sateriasis awoke in a horse-drawn carriage.
It seemed he had fallen asleep for a bit.
“You awake? You were having quite the nightmare.”
The red cat sitting in the seat beside him said that without showing the least bit of concern while looking at the changing scenery out the window.
Outside spanned the idyllic countryside. It seemed that they were close to the village of Abito.
Sateriasis asked I.R., the one next to him, about how much time had pa.s.sed since they left Lasaland.
“About an hour, more or less. We didn’t have to come all the way by carriage.”
“Regardless, I’m still the Lord* of these lands. Traveling to a neighboring village on foot isn’t good for my appearance——”
“You want to care about that sort of thing now? Simply not bringing a single servant along with you is weird enough.”
“Is that so?”
The young blond coachman, while pulling the reins of the horse, glanced at him for a moment.
“…… Hey, I.R.”
Sateriasis suddenly lowered his voice and whispered to the red cat.
“Is it alright for us to be conversing normally like this? Talking cats, in Asmodean at least, aren’t exactly common.”
“Hm? Ah, it’s fine. You’re the only one who can understand my words like a person. To the coachman, you’re just a weird cat lover. ”
“…… That’s a problem too. Why didn’t you come with the form of a young woman?”
“Rumor would spread if a young woman with an unknown background travels with the Duke. Anyway, it’s more convenient for me to move around in the open in this form.”
Talking to a cat was already something that would spread rumors…… Sateriasis wondered which one would be the better choice. Well, since I.R. said it was “more convenient” for her, he’d accept that as a good reason.
The carriage traveled over large stones along the road and bounced slightly.
Even though the rain patterns of the Asmodean region were low overall, the Lasaland area was an exception; it’s rainfall was unexpectedly high compared to the other regions. Therefore, there were several farm villages scattered within the vicinity of a big city like Lasaland.
Now, even the village that Sateriasis was heading to, Abito, was one of those farm villages
“Abito Village, eh…. Have you ever been there, Duke?”
It was rare for I.R. to ask Sateriasis a question.
“No… I’ve never been there. At least, it hasn’t remained with my current memories.”
Sateriasis’ memory hadn’t fully returned yet. Or rather, he hadn’t remembered what they were.
There were three important things he remembered.
One, that he made a contract with the Demon of l.u.s.t under the guidance of I.R.
Two, that the culprit of the ma.s.sacre within the Ducal mansion was none other than him, Sateriasis.
And three, that he made the contract with the demon so he could attain her——Gumina.
And even with those three, he had yet to remember all the details.
The one who killed his entire family, including his parents, was Sateriasis. There was no doubt of that, but his own motives behind it weren’t quite clear.
(I hated my family…… perhaps. Somehow, I remember that feeling. But why would i hate my family so much?)
Even when he asked I.R., who had witnessed the event, she was unwilling to tell him the answer. Or to put it another way, that I.R. happened upon the incident by pure chance and didn’t know the cause that led to Sateriasis’ actions.
However, according to I.R., when she first met Sateriasis in the mansion, he said that his motive was he “wanted someone to love him”.
(Love… That’s right, I loved Gumina. And then she said that terrible rejection. Was that the reason?)
Regarding Gumina, besides her appearance and hurtful outburst——he couldn’t remember many details.
He felt like they had probably been acquainted from childhood for a very long time. However, it was just “how he felt”, nothing that could be proven.
(But, if she’s an old acquaintance, and has green hair……)
His Mother too had the same green hair——It was likely they were both members of the Gla.s.sred family.
(Visiting the Gla.s.sred family in the near future would be the quickest way to find out…… but I’m reluctant to go)
Marquis Gla.s.sred——Ever since the argument about him not hiring any servants at the mansion, the relationship between Sateriasis and his uncle had been tense.
(Be that as it may, no matter what, the most important thing to do now is to solve the problem at hand)
Ahead of their path, he could already see the main gate of Abito village, a shabby wooden gate.
Sateriasis asked the red cat grooming herself beside him.
“The girl with the water jug you mentioned before…… she’s in that village, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. That girl——Mikulia Greeonio, is a peasant* living in Abito village.”
“I’m quite amazed you were able to find her in such a short period of time.”
“It’s because I have connections in the government of this country. The reason you became the Lord and Duke so easily was also due to my various actions.”
I.R. praised herself, looking proud. Did she want his praise too?
“Well, I should give you my thanks. But I was already the heir of the Dukes, so I would’ve become the next Lord even without your help.”
“…… Naive fellow.”
Sateriasis lightly raised his arms and stretched them to dispel any drowsiness.
“Mhhhhhh. As I thought, I’m still a little tired.”
“It’s because you stayed up all night…… You seemed to have a lot of fun last night. Or should I say, “last night as well?”
“Lukana as well. She should be sleeping soundly in bed at the mansion by now. Especially since yesterday was particularly intense.”
“I’m quite amazed at how you went at it for a week and, well, didn’t get tired.”
“Wasn’t it you who made me like that? Huh? Are you red by any chance?”
“My whole body’s already red!”
Sateriasis recalled the day when he remembered how to use the powers. He used the Demon of l.u.s.t to steal Lukana’s heart.
With the contract that he has made with the demon, Sateriasis could now make any girl he set his eyes on his.
I.R. said that, after he got used to using the power, he wouldn’t need to undergo a full demon transformation to use it.
However, there is a condition in order to continue maintaining the power.
That is to have intercourse with women on a regular basis.
If that were to stop, the contractor would feel a intense surge in l.u.s.tful pa.s.sion, and start to want the bodies of women. This was precisely why Sateriasis was afraid to have anyone near him when he lost his memories.
Sateriasis had also thought of officially making Lukana his wife to the public.
However, in the Asmodean region, or rather all the regions in the Beelzenian Empire, monogamy was the norm. According to the precepts of the state religion, Levin, having more than one wife is not allowed.
Sateriasis’ only goal was to attain Gumina, to make her his wife. So he couldn’t afford to marry Lukana, and if anyone were to find out that he kept a mistress in his mansion, it wouldn’t be very easy for him.
Lukana wasn’t necessarily vital for the sustaining of the demon’s power either. Sateriasis could always dissolve her brainwashing and send her back home. He could always find some local prost.i.tutes to eliminate his l.u.s.tful pa.s.sions.
Even so, Sateriasis had no intentions of letting Lukana go.
(I like Gumina, but I also like Lukana. To only have one wife is ridiculous. What’s wrong with loving every woman I like?)
Even though Sateriasis thought so, he was only one local lord in the end. He didn’t have the power to change the laws in this country.
Through his demon transformation, he had attained superhuman abilities. However, it wasn’t enough for one to face the entire army of the Beelzenian Empire. The main power of Demon of l.u.s.t was only the ability to attract the opposite s.e.x. The only thing that Sateriasis can do for now was to keep Lukana unseen, hidden deep in the mansion, where only they could indulge each other for their nightly antics.
There was a bas.e.m.e.nt in the mansion. It seemed that it hasn’t been used for a long time, though Sateriasis had lost his memory of any of that and had never set foot in it. Without any windows, the place was cut off from the outside world, making it the perfect place to confine Lukana.
The bas.e.m.e.nt’s s.p.a.ce was comparable to the first floor so size wasn’t the problem, but it had a lifeless and insipid atmosphere. It made Sateriasis feel reluctant to confine Lukana there.
That said, he now had a completely different reason to not have servants in the mansion, so he’d have to consider how to deal with that.
And there are still other complications. By now, Lukana’s family——her parents and uncle, should notice she’s gone missing and start causing a commotion about it. He’d have to think of some sort of solution for that too.
Lukana staying at Sateriasis’ mansion to do some tailoring was a well-known fact. If she had disappeared, Sateriasis would definitely be suspected.
But it seemed that I.R. has already found a solution to that problem. When Sateriasis asked her to explain what it was, all she said was she’d tell him after they dealt with Mikulia Greeonio.
(Mikulia Greeonio, eh….?)
The green-haired peasant girl.
Why didn’t his spell work on her at that time?
It’s in order to know that reason. And Sateriasis would "use any means” to keep the one who witnessed his body’s mouth shut.
With that, Sateriasis and I.R. pa.s.sed through the gates of Abito village.
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*The term used for “Lord” literally means a “feudal lord”.
*A peasant refers to a farmer in a feudal era setting.