Chapter 2: Part 5
Abito village didn’t draw any fun or interest for I.R. It was just an ordinary farming village. She had seen many villages like it and had destroyed many of them.
(Better to just burn this village to ashes, too)
She considered that to be best, and it seemed faster too. It would eliminate any witnesses who might’ve seen the Duke’s demon form.
But, I.R. had already decided to not use her magic for the time being.
Sateriasis Venomania was the first contractor to a vessel of sin.
What actions would he take and in what form?
She desired to see it with her own eyes.
(I can’t use magic in this form anyhow)
The “girl body” she usually controlled every day was left at the Duke’s mansion today. Normally, she wouldn’t be so far from the body when acting in her red cat form. When not manipulating it, the “body” was merely a corpse left exposed in its rather defenseless state.
But, Lukana is currently at the mansion. Taking care of the “body” was left to her. The Lukana who became the Duke’s puppet can’t do anything to harm I.R.’s “body” and was ordered to protect the body if any danger were to come in proximity to it, even if it risked her life.
(How convenient it is to have a partner)
It was also nimbler and felt easier for I.R. if she was only acting in her red cat form. She ran through the village with ease.
The village was very small, as was its population. Finding their target was relatively simple.
(…… Found you, Mikulia Greeonio)
Mikulia wasn’t in a working state. She was heading somewhere empty-handed while humming a tune.
“♪~I. Am. A~li~ttle~Prin~cess~~”
With a light step, she was walking toward the edge of the village.
I.R. secretly followed behind her. She couldn’t do anything to Mikulia in her red cat form.
(d.a.m.n Duke, are you still being held by that old geezer?)
She was frustrated by the finesse of the duke’s evil. That said, it seemed they didn’t know about the duke’s ident.i.ty yet. The manner of the village chief was the biggest evidence to that.
Mikulia either didn’t talk to anyone about it or no one believed what she said——at any rate, it was just like I.R. predicted. Without any evidence, the humans around her wouldn’t easily believe the rumors of a peasant claiming a person had transformed into a demon. Mikulia may not have even noticed that person was the Duke in the first place.
(Regardless, we can’t afford to leave her alone forever)
A forest stretched across the west edge of Abito. Mikulia came up near the entrance of the forest before kneeling onto the ground.
And then she held her hands together in front of her face and began to pray.
From behind her, I.R. looked at the situation.
(That prayer to the forest…… I see, so it’s like that, huh? That’s troublesome)
In the Levin faith, the national religion, there existed three sects.
The Levia sect, the Held sect, and the Behemo sect.
Those of the Behemo sect were considered “heretics” by the other denominations and have almost completely died out. They have actually continued their activities behind the scenes, one of the parent bodies of such organizations helping I.R. in the shadows but….. because so much of that is currently irreverent, I’ll stop right there.
Regarding Levin in the Beelzenian Empire, the majority were part of the Levia sect. While the Held sect was popular in the neighboring nation of Elphegort, it wasn’t believed in nearly as much in this country.
But, the “prayer to the forest” Mikulia was doing now…… this was a religious practice of solely the Held sect.
The subject of the Held sect was the “Earth Dragon Held”. I.R. knew that this G.o.d continued to exist in this world in a strange form. Held had transformed into an enormous tree and continued to watch over the world. This idol existed within “Held’s Forest” in Elphegort.
What was troublesome for I.R. was that Held planned to eradicate the vessels of sin that had the power to create HERs like herself from this world, something to that effect.
Mikulia was a follower of Held, and the Duke’s l.u.s.t spell didn’t work.
Which means——.
(That Held found some way to disrupt it or something. Curse him, that d.a.m.n old G.o.d)
I.R. made a slight sound as she grinded her teeth.
Either Mikulia heard the sound or had unexpectedly decided to turn around and stand; she noticed I.R.’s presence.
“O, it’s the demon’s minion.”
The demon would probably be the Duke. Mikulia had witnessed the Duke and I.R.’s conversation there.
That was when I.R. was in her girl form, carrying her red cat body on her shoulder. So the fact she’d call her the “demon’s minion” wasn’t entirely unnatural.
“Though I’m somewhat reluctant to be branded a minion.”
I.R. involuntarily murmured so. She didn’t remember ever becoming the Duke’s subordinate. Speaking of which, she considered herself the one standing on top.
Mikulia tilted her head to one side and replied.
“Eh~? But~, if you are a cat then wouldn’t that make you the demon’s minion?”
“What a common, narrow view. Someone created such tales that have influenced the future generations of humanity.”
“So Ms. Cat isn’t the demon’s minion?”
“Of course not. Rather, I am in the position of using the demo——Hey, wait a minute. This is odd.”
Only humans contracted to a demon can hear I.R. in her red cat form——that would be only the Duke currently. To other humans, her voice should only be heard as the cries of a cat.
——Yet why was this girl able to talk to her?
“Hey, girl. Why are you——”
I.R. tried to ask Mikulia that but then a man appeared there as if to block her.
“Ah, I.R. So this is where you were. It took effort looking for you.”
It was the Duke.
“…… So you have already found her, eh, I.R.?”
While the Duke tried to speak to Mikulia, she opened her mouth before him.
“Ah! It’s the demon! My demon prince!!”
Based on her tone, she didn’t seem afraid. It seemed to be in an excited manner.
“I see. So you are that girl who saw my other form after all.”
“Yup! Today you’re a prince. You’re dressed like a normal human!”
“…… Why are you calling me a “prince”?“
”‘Cuz you’re really cool! Even though you don’t have chestnut hair.“
“You are not afraid of me?”
Mikulia exaggeratedly shook her head to the Duke’s question.
“I’m not afraid! Though I was a little surprised at the time, you looked handsome when I looked closely. "This person must be a prince,” I thought.
“And you are not afraid if I am a prince?”
“Yup! ‘Cuz my prince is supposed to make me happy!”
With that insanely cheerful tone and att.i.tude of Mikulia’s, the Duke looked towards I.R., seemingly begging her for help.
“Hey, what should I do with this child? Should I try the spell again?”
“…… You should try seeing if it works while there’s no one looking. It probably won’t work though.”
The Duke grabbed both of Mikulia’s shoulders and drew close to her face.
“What an adorable face…… While it was the course of events, perhaps our encounter was fate.”
“……”
“So this time, I shall try doing this without changing my appearance, all right?”
Without resisting, Mikulia stared at the Duke’s face.
“Look into my eyes……”
The Duke’s pupils slowly turned red.
At the same time, the Duke’s back began to tremble slightly. It was a sign of his demon transformation. But the Duke was suppressing it, neither sprouting wings nor growing claws. Only the goat horns peeked shyly through his hair.
In silence, the two stared at one another. Only faint sounds around them resounded, which seemed like they wouldn’t reach the ears of those two.
After a while, the Duke whispered into Mikulia’s ear.
“Mikulia, will you come with me to my mansion?”
“…… Yep, I’ll go.”
With that surprising answer, the Duke faced I.R. while still holding Mikulia’s shoulders.
“…… It seemed to work.”
“…… Did it really work?”
“…… It may have worked, maybe.”
With all her might, Mikulia jumped into the Duke’s chest, almost like a tackle.
“Heheh, My Prince~~♪”
The Duke gently patted Mikulia on the head.
“There, there. So, shall we go?”
The two remained in an embraced state while going back to the village but I.R. stopped them.
“Wait a second, Duke. It would be bad to take her in broad daylight.”
“Yeah, you are right. So, what should I do……?”
I.R. jumped on Mikulia’s shoulder and whispered to her.
“Mikulia. Go home alone today. When it’s midnight, get out secretly so you’re family won’t notice.”
“Eh~? But I don’t know the way to my Prince’s mansion.”
“In that case, I’ll remain in the village as well. Once it’s midnight, I’ll guide you to the Duke’s home.”
“I get it. Please do so~, Ms. Minion.”
Looking rather reluctant to do it, Mikulia released the Duke and ran back into the village.
“That was pretty considerate, for you.”
The Duke said so in a slight teasing and a bit mystified tone.
“…… There are things I want to hear from that girl. It’s incidental.”
“I see. Then I shall return to the mansion. Lukana is likely waiting for me as well.”
After saying so, the Duke also went back to the village.
The remaining person——the remaining animal, I.R., made a huge sigh while watching the Duke’s back.
(He has no questions about the conversation I had with that girl…… I worry about that man’s future)
At midnight that day, I.R. brought Mikulia to the mansion in Lasaland.
For the following three days and three nights, Mikulia and Sateriasis made love with one another to their hearts content.
Venomania’s Harem
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