Chapter 103 – Bond (3)

She was a woman who was very familiar yet also strange.
Black hair with a purplish sheen and black eyes. A girl with horns on either side of her head and an indifferent expression.

Although the horns on her head and her significantly increased height were hard to believe as changes that had occurred in just two weeks, it was definitely Carsilla. No, it had to be Carsilla… But what was with that indifferent look in her eyes?

‘It can’t be Carsilla… There’s no way she would look at me with such indifferent eyes.’

A strange unease filled my heart, and without realizing it, I hesitated and took a step back.

“My knuckle. Give it.”
“This… this knuckle… Whose is it?”
“Mine.”
“……Carsilla?”
“Yeah.”

I had never imagined receiving such a look from Carsilla, not even in my dreams. Just the fact that Carsilla… that Carsilla was looking at me with such eyes made my heart sink.

And at the same time, an old memory surfaced. Her current appearance. Carsilla’s grown-up form now… it was close to the form she took in the game when she appeared as a boss monster, called the ‘Witch of Calamity.’

Of course, there were subtle differences when compared to the illustration that appeared when she was a boss monster. The boss monster Carsilla looked about six or seven years more mature than she did now, and she had a venomous expression, not an indifferent one like now.

However, it was a clear fact that she looked more like her boss monster form than her younger self.

Why? Why did Carsilla become like this?

【Carsilla】 ● Seed of Calamity 《Blooming》

The status window I unconsciously opened showed a change. And it was a change for the worse. Damn it, blooming? Why? What made Carsilla like this?

Albert Hamatan, that bastard. What the hell did he do? I should have extracted information before killing him… A belated regret washed over me.

It was better than the worst-case scenario that Carsilla might have been seriously injured or in danger, but this was close to the worst in its own way. How could my own child that I raised… my own child that I cherished so much be blooming? The seed of calamity was blooming?

“Oh my god… you, you’re Carsilla? Really?”
“Yeah.”
“That little kid is right? Kids these days grow up so fast. That tiny little kid is already this big.”
“Not a kid.”
“Okay, okay. I can’t even call you a kid anymore. Look, you’re already about my height. What did you eat to grow so much while we were suffering, kid?”
“Not a kid.”
“Pfft. Okay, I get it. But what’s that on your head? What kind of horns are you wearing? They’re pretty elaborate for fakes.”
“They’re real.”

While I was panicking, Irian and Carsilla were having a casual conversation. …What is this? Why are those two so calm?

Irian, that idiot, can’t he sense anything strange even after seeing Carsilla grow up so quickly?

“Yurian. Something feels off. I don’t know what happened, but something definitely happened to Carsilla. Even if we ignore the unbelievable growth… I can’t just overlook the fact that I can feel magic coming from Carsilla.”

As Diana whispered cautiously, ominous magic was surging from Carsilla’s body. Demonic magic.

I didn’t know what Albert Hamatan had done, but it was clear that Carsilla was awakening as the Witch of Calamity. …But I couldn’t attack Carsilla. On the other hand, I couldn’t just leave her blooming like this.

Once the blooming was complete, Carsilla, as the Witch of Calamity, would become a boss monster who would unleash powerful demonic magic. I might be able to handle it, but Diana wouldn’t stand idly by. Is there… is there no way?

Wait a minute. Even though her indifferent gaze was hard to get used to, she was answering me every time, so it didn’t seem like she didn’t know us. Was her memory intact? Then why wasn’t she hugging this Papa like usual… That’s it!!

I realized it now.
Carsilla… she was embarrassed!

Of course, she would be.
Until now, Carsilla was a young child who looked to be about 10 years old at most. In modern times, she would have been just an elementary school student. Naturally, it was okay for her to hug me, saying “Papa~ Papa~” like a young child, but now Carsilla looked like she was in her late teens.

Puberty. Yes, it’s puberty! It must be puberty!
Her current indifferent attitude was all just the shyness and rebellious spirit unique to teenage girls!

‘Hmph… This Papa didn’t even realize it.’

How long had she been waiting for me to treat her like usual? I know it all. Like a teenage girl, she might act all huffy on the outside, but on the inside, she wants me to treat her like before.

“Carsilla! Hug Papa!”
“……?”
“Come on! Hurry!”
“Give me the knuckle.”

……What is this? This isn’t it.
Why does she still have that indifferent expression?

Carsilla walked right up to me, who had my arms open, snatched the knuckle, and took it away.

“C, Carsilla?”
“……?”
“Don’t you remember me? I’m, I’m Papa! Don’t you know Papa?”
“Yeah. I remember everything.”

She remembers, but why does she look at me like I’m a stone on the side of the road? Why is she looking at me so indifferently?

“Heh heh, it’s already too late. The memories of her ‘vessel’ days have no value to this one anymore.”
“…Lilith!!”
“Hi~ It’s been a while~”

Lilith, who suddenly popped out of Carsilla’s shadow, waved her hand with a sly smile. Was she the cause? Damn it… I didn’t expect that the one who always plotted behind the scenes would move so actively.

“That woman… isn’t she the woman from the Apostle Church? Yurian, don’t tell me you’re still seeing that woman?”
“Is that what’s important right now? Get a grip, Diana! That woman is Lilith! A succubus!”
“…I knew it. She was suspicious from the moment she seduced Yurian. How dare… how dare she kiss Yurian…”

On this side… her fighting spirit was burning fiercely. Come to think of it, Diana had acted strangely after I kissed Lilith before. Did she know? How?

“Tsk, I knew it from the way you were acting all lovey-dovey. So, all we have to do is get rid of that succubus, right?”

Cha Hyewon’s drawing her sword was the signal that the atmosphere was about to explode. It was then that Lilith, who had been wearing a strange smile, opened her mouth again.

“You really don’t know anything, do you? You’re so frustrating.”
“What do you mean we don’t know anything?”

Albert Hamatan’s words suddenly came to mind. He had also mocked me for not knowing anything. What am I missing?

“While knowing nothing, who do you think has been protecting this one until now? It’s all because I helped, you fools.”

Lilith’s words, as she flaunted her large chest, made me suspicious. In the game, Lilith was a cunning and insidious demon who liked to plot. She preferred to plot behind the scenes rather than fight in the front, and she would quickly run away if things got dangerous, which was incredibly annoying.

“You don’t believe me? Even though this Lilith is telling you this?”
“How can we believe you?”
“Then don’t.”
“……Can’t you tell us what we don’t know?”

This might be the direction Lilith wants, but… I have to listen. She wouldn’t just lie, and it was entirely up to me to distinguish between truth and lies.

I would use my game knowledge and the status window to extract the truth from Lilith’s words.

【Lilith】 ● Succubus

▼ Status
[Triumphant] [Favorable] [Anticipating]

Unlike her usual self, who moved around as a clone, Lilith was here in her true form. If necessary, I would capture her.

“You fools. You’re fools who don’t recognize a treasure right in front of your eyes. Do you still not know who this one is?”

I barely managed to stop Cha Hyewon, who didn’t see NPCs as the same as people, from rushing forward, and then Irian drew his sword.

I could communicate with Cha Hyewon through whispers so that Lilith wouldn’t notice, but Irian couldn’t whisper yet, so I had to stop him physically. Of course, Lilith, seeing this, only mocked us with a laugh.

“Ahahaha! Look, look. If you can’t accept the truth even when I tell you, what can this body do?”
“…I’m sorry. Please keep talking.”
“Hmph~ I’ll tell you especially because of your face. That night was quite nice.”
“……Yurian?”

……Damn it. It was killing me to try to analyze Lilith’s words while barely managing to calm Diana down with whispers.

“This one is Carpe Silvanus. The one that I… no, that we demons have been searching for.”
“Carpe Silvanus? Is that an ancient language? Gather the forest… I don’t understand. What does it mean?”

Lilith clapped her hands in delight at Sandra’s interpretation, who was well-versed in ancient languages as a mage.

“Yes! The forest! Do you know what the forest means, mage?”
“If it’s ancient magic… Silva. The forest means life.”
“Smart. That’s right, life. And rebirth! Carpe Silvanus, this one is a ‘vessel’! The one and only being who can revive the Demon Lord.”

The revival of the Demon Lord? Lilith’s emotional state, as confirmed by the status window, was the same as before. Even her triumphant expression didn’t seem like a lie, but I couldn’t believe it easily.

Carsilla was clearly a mid-to-late game boss monster in the game’s story. Carsilla, who appeared with the alias ‘Witch of Calamity,’ was a vessel for the revival of the Demon Lord?

“That’s why so many of the Demon Lord’s minions have been searching for this one. And the first one to find her was this body, Lilith. Unfortunately, when I found her, someone had already made the first move. You, Yurian. At first, I was worried that you knew her identity and took her to the central church of the Theocracy of Hespote, but you brought her out on your own. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
“Is that why you approached me?”
“That’s right. And I was convinced. That you, and no one else, knew the value of this one. So, I’ve just been waiting for an opportunity since then. While getting rid of those who were loitering around. You should be grateful to me. Who do you think made the Demon Lord’s crazy minions retreat so easily, and who do you think has allowed you to roam around safely until now? It’s all because I, Lilith, have been helping you from behind.”
“How? With what ability?”

Hmph, Lilith’s lips stretched into a long grin. Her violet eyes, drawing a smooth arc, shone eerily, and fragments of information flowed from her mouth, which was stretched so wide that her sharp, pointed fangs were revealed.

“I have endured for a long time… a very long time. Only for one moment, a moment like this. How did I do it? It’s simple! I just slowly, over a long period of time, seeped in and moved humans! For example… yes, like the Nahara Kingdom.”

……Damn it. I understand now.
The Nahara Kingdom.

A country where the king, who had fallen for Lilith’s clone in the game, acted as a puppet. The quest I had remembered when I first met Lilith, the annoying quest to reveal Lilith’s identity to the king and nobles of the kingdom who had fallen for Lilith’s clone… it was this old?