Chapter 1862: Before the Ship Party Starts ②
The Six Kings Executives, which are very well known worldwide, even to the general public…… vary considerably from camp to camp. No, if one were to exclude Death King’s camp, which has only recently begun to gain subordinates, only the Phantasmal King’s camp and the Underworld King’s camp had peculiar circ.u.mstances.
For example, the Five Warlords, the Seven Princesses, and the Four Great Demon Dragons are quite well-known and are sometimes featured in magazines, so even though it’s rare to see them face to face, there are opportunities to see images of them.
When it comes to the Four Great Demon Dragons, their dragon forms are widely known, so when they take on a human form, ordinary people might not recognize them, but figures like the Five Warlords and the Seven Princesses would be immediately recognizable to ordinary people…… Well, there’s also that certain Executive who wasn’t recognized by others because of how low of a presence she had……
In contrast, the Underworld King and the Phantasmal King camps are different. First of all, in the Underworld King camp, the term “Executive” itself doesn’t exist, so although there are several well-known members of the Underworld King camp, it’s unclear where to draw the line on who is considered an Executive. They don’t act as Executives or partic.i.p.ate in the Hero Festival under such a t.i.tle, so even though the people heard their names or aliases, the general popular doesn’t know what they looked like.
The Ten Demons, Phantasmal King’s Executives, are also similar in this regard. The codenames and aliases of the Ten Demons are widely known, but the Phantasmal King camp in itself is highly secretive, and so if their codenames and aliases are known, many of their members had their faces unknown to the public.
For example, even though Moloch and Lilim are known to some extent as the Head of the Satania Trading Company and the mother of the current Emperor, very few people know that they are members of the Ten Demons.
(W- Who could she be? Those very large horns…… Is she a Demon? Her dress is all black, but looking closely, her dress has a luxurious feel to it…… Is that kind of dress trending in social circles……? Ahh, no, that’s not it…… What I should know about is who this dreadfully unique woman is.)
Just like Greene, there are a significant number of commoners who didn’t know what the Ten Demons looked like. However, when it comes to Tiamat, she is one of the most widely known to belong to the Ten Demons.
(……W- What tremendous magic power. I was confident in my magic power, but the difference in our magic power is just overwhelming. Is she a Peerage holder? Large horns…… Black hair with a blue tinge…… Arehh? I feel like I heard about her somewhere…… Hmmm. Can’t remember.)
Since the species to which Anne belongs to, the Kruels, is said to have ancestors who were Demons, she has also heard a little about the “Dark Forest’s Monster” when she was a little girl, but she had only heard a little bit…… She didn’t recognize Tiamat because she’s currently Humanized and lacks the distinctive snake-like lower body.
Incidentally, as a side note, if a commoner from the Demon Realm were present here, the moment they saw Tiamat’s face, they would be fleeing. She’s recognized as one of the most dangerous creatures in the Demon Realm, with her huge two horns, slightly bluish black hair, and vertical slit golden eyes…… Just having these characteristics would be enough to make the majority recognize her as dangerous enough to flee at full speed.
[……Is something the matter?]
[Ah, no, errr……]
[I happened to hear your conversation, but you were looking for your room’s location? If you don’t mind, may I check your keys?]
[Ah, yes.]
Though she should be wearing a beautiful and gentle smile, for some reason, Greene and Anne couldn’t shake the feeling of a chilling sensation running down their spine as they showed their keys to Tiamat.
[Ahh, I see, if this here is your room number, that would mean you’re on the 3rd floor. It’s not far from here, so I’ll show you the way to your room.]
[Eh? T- Thank you very much. However, we don’t want to impose too much……]
[Don’t worry about it, it’s only natural to offer a helping hand to someone in need……]
Although puzzled by the unsettling creepiness, Greene and Anne, following Tiamat who had offered to guide them, continued. While the atmosphere may seem eerie, Tiamat’s actual words, actions, and goodwill suggest otherwise, making it difficult for them to refer to the eeriness except as their subjective feelings.
In the end, without much conversation, Greene and Anne followed Tiamat up the stairs to the 3rd floor. As they approached their rooms, Tiamat turned back with a smile.
[……Beyond this would be your rooms. There’s a room number on the door, so please check it with your key.]
[Thank you for expressly bringing us here…… Ahh, I’m sorry for not even being able to introduce myself. I’m———– Eh?]
Anne was about to thank her and introduce herself, but Tiamat quickly held out her palm in front of Anne’s mouth, as if to stop her from speaking.
When Anne stopped speaking, puzzled by this action, Tiamat spoke with a soft smile.
[……Do not introduce yourself to me. Knowing that would only make me more curious…… You shouldn’t ask for my name. Knowing that would only make you want to know more…… You must become close to me. If you get close to me, I will surely want to part ways……]
[……………..]
Those words seemed to carry an implicit pressure beneath them, leaving Anne and Greene speechless as they looked at Tiamat.
[Today’s encounter is but a transient dream…… a momentary coincidence…… “Forget it”.]
As both Tiamat’s eyes shine dangerously, Anne and Greene’s eyes lose focus. After smiling once more at them, Tiamat turned her back on them and walked back the way she had come, quietly muttering to herself as she approached the stairs to the 2nd floor.
[They who are pure, gentle, and proper…… They who I could easily kill if I wanted to…… shouldn’t be involved with a monster like me.]
Dark Forest’s Monster…… Medea Leviatash. Codename: Tiamat. She’s a psycho who harbors both affection and murderous intent, a desire to kill someone close to her.
Yes, there’s no doubt that she’s abnormal…… but perhaps, because of Alice’s guidance…… She understands that she’s distorted, and she also knows that her way of thinking is abnormal in the eyes of the world.
She’s definitely abnormal, but if one asks if her heart is evil, one can’t exactly say she is. At the very least, when she reached out to help the two who were lost and in trouble, it wasn’t out of desire, but pure goodwill……
A few seconds after Tiamat’s disappearance, Anne and Greene both have a surprised look at almost the same time.
[Ahh, Greene-san, I’m sorry. I was kinda in a daze there…… Maybe I really am quite nervous.]
[It’s the same for me, Anne-san. It’s embarra.s.sing to say this, but I was probably overwhelmed by the grandeur that my mind was distracted while moving from the reception area to here.]
[Hahaha, we’re both the same then. However, it’s good that we managed to get to our rooms like this “without having to ask anyone”.]
[Yes, things surprisingly worked out for us. Well then, let’s check out our rooms…… that said, going to each of our rooms by ourselves is kinda scary, so why don’t we both check our rooms together?]
[I agree.]
Smiling wryly at each other, they had completely forgotten about having met Tiamat earlier and engaging in trivial conversation along the way, they checked out the rooms a.s.signed for them.
Serious-senpai : [That’s right. She’s dangerous, but compared to other dangerous people, she seems better to some extent because Tiamat herself recognizes herself as someone abnormal.]
? ? ? : [As a side note, regarding her “Dark Forest’s Monster” moniker, Tiamat herself had asked m…… Alice-chan to spread it widely in the Demon Realm. It’s kind of a measure, like that snake’s way of ensuring that the most kind-hearted people avoid getting involved with her…… Well, doesn’t change the fact that she’s a pervert though. She frequently finds the time to kill Phenex and takes pleasure in doing it……]