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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Thud!
The last corpse… no, he wasn’t a corpse, just unconscious.
“Phew…”
Demelie sighed deeply as she threw the last of the unconscious humans towards the dungeon exit.
“Humans are just as cruel as us demons. It gives me the chills.”
Seeing Roerte, who was unconscious and covered in bruises, made her feel a bit pitiful.
On the other hand, it also made her shudder.
“I could have ended up like that.”
Pertel, the attendant of the Sin of Pride.
If she had disobeyed her orders, wouldn’t she have been turned into such a miserable sight, maybe even a cold corpse.
“Let’s never meet again! Never!”
As she slightly turned her head, she saw a sign that read “Low-level Dungeon.”
“Who did this? seriously.”
No wonder humans were fearlessly entering.
Was it also related to monsters like Pertel crawling in?
Ah, who knew.
Demelie was just sensitive about everything.
Now she really needed to rest.
She thought her mood might improve if she could get some sleep hanging upside down from the dark dungeon ceiling.
It was just as she was about to return to the innermost part of the dungeon to catch some sleep.
‘……?’
She faintly sensed a presence.
The presence of a demon pretending to be human.
It wasn’t that they were weak because they were insignificant, but rather it felt like they were deliberately restraining their aura to be hidden?
In other words, it felt like they were hiding their presence to just that level.
Demelie, who had lived in the demon realm for a long time, could immediately grasp this.
If it weren’t for a vampire with good intuition like Demelie, this presence would probably have been read as just a ‘weak human.’
But I’m Demelie.
Demelie.
What insolent fellow was it this time?
Sister’s not in a good mood today.
“Come out.”
She spoke loud enough to resonate throughout the entire dungeon, but still, they did not reveal themselves.
‘I don’t want to do this again…’
There’s really no better or more effective way to drive out a demon than this.
Demeri first opened her eyes as sharply as possible, then slicked back her short hair.
Then she tightened the compression bandage on her chest even more thoroughly.
Ahem, after clearing her throat.
“Who is this fearless one?”
She lowered her voice as much as possible.
“How ignorant and uncivilized must you be to think of seeking the abode of the Sin of Pride, Jekkiel? It seems you don’t value your life.”
From behind Demelie, who was exuding as sinister and frightening an aura as possible, came a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
“Are you the Sin of Pride?”
“……?”
It was a voice she had heard many times before.
No, it was beyond just having heard it many times; she heard it so much to the point where her body trembled and reacted as soon as she heard it.
“I’m just an unremarkable professor. This is quite a predicament.”
Her head whipped around.
She saw a man looking down at her with an impossibly tall stature, his hands behind his back.
Sharp eyes that looked like they could cut just by making eye contact, a straight nose, and an arrogance that was all too naturally ingrained in his body.
Her body convulsed.
Before her mind could comprehend it, her body was already showing respect.
Though startled, her body didn’t even allow her to step back.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Jekkiel.”
“Ah.”
Demelie, who had been wondering what to say, just let out a sigh, “Ah.”
She should have written a will.
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“May I ask one thing?”
“Of course. Ugh…”
“Don’t make strange noises.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
The situation that had just unfolded was one where no one could have blamed her even if her head had flown off right then and there.
To impersonate the Sin of Pride in front of the actual Sin of Pride, how could such a thing happen?
No, but while Demelie herself was at fault, there was also a considerable amount of unfairness.
What were the chances that the demon who had entered this tiny dungeon would happen to be the Sin of Pride?
And after eight hundred years, no less!
Anyway, what was Demelie doing now?
She was doing anything and everything to survive.
Literally anything.
“The bar has gotten significantly lower since I left.”
“Ah, ah, no, it hasn’t!!!”
As Jekkiel poked Demelie’s waist, she lifted her waist with all her might.
The former Sin of Pride was currently sitting on Demelie’s waist, using it as a chair while she laid face down with her arms and legs stretched out.
He was heavy.
Really heavy… It had already been two hours.
Currently, Jekkiel was using black magic to exponentially increase his body weight.
Thanks to that, it was excruciating.
It felt like carrying an entire mountain.
It was physically exhausting, but mentally exhausting as well.
One never knew when he might have a change of heart and blow off Demelie’s head right then and there.
She wanted to live.
She had struggled so desperately to live, she couldn’t die like this.
“Who are you?”
“Your loyal servant! Demelie!”
“…My servant?”
“Eh, what?!”
What was that reaction, Mr. Jekkiel?
Demelie’s body trembled slightly.
Could it be that because of this incident, he was going to exclude Demelie from his servants?
It was true that she had made a big mistake, but Demeri had been loyal to Jekkiel her entire life.
Please forgive me just this once.
Just once…
However, Jekkiel’s voice was truly nonchalant.
As if he didn’t know Demelie at all.
“You?”
“Yes!”
“You’re saying you’re my servant?”
“Yes! Yes! Yeeees!!!”
Demelie continued to shout while trying hard to stretch her trembling arms.
“I am your loyal servant, Demelie! I used to manage the accounts, and because of that, I also handled tasks related to demon realm taxes… I even ghostwrote when official documents needed to be written! Also…”
“That’s enough.”
Jekkiel shook his head.
Of course, Demelie, being face down, could only hear his voice.
“A supposedly loyal servant impersonates me?”
“……”
She was about to say that she admired him so much that she wanted to be like him, but stopped herself.
She really felt like she might be cut into 64 pieces.
Jekkiel pressed his finger firmly on the nape of Demelie’s neck.
“Any last words?”
“What…?”
“What were you expecting? Did you think I would spare you?”
“What…? Yes…”
“Spare you? I’ve merely confirmed the traces of magic left here. I just finished checking.”
“Mr… Mr. Jekkiel?”
Demelie’s body went beyond trembling and began to vibrate greatly.
Wow, no need for a massage chair.
“P-please spare me! I can be useful in any way you need! No, I mean, I’ll work insanely hard to be useful in any way! I’ll do well!”
“Hmm.”
“Be-be-be-besides! You entrusted me with several very important things, didn’t you? I was in charge of your warehouse and banking operations!”
“Important things. You mean valuables?”
“Yes!”
Demelie frantically rummaged through the inner pocket of her top.
This action required her to support her prone body with just one arm.
Her arm felt like it was about to break for real.
Please hold on.
Please hold on… If it bent, she’d be dead.
Demelie placed a small box on her palm.
“What is it?”
“It’s your engagement ring, Mr. Jekkiel!”
Jekkiel momentarily showed a puzzled expression.
It was fortunate that Demelie couldn’t see this expression due to her prone position.
He immediately took the box and lifted the lid.
There was no doubt.
It was the one that paired with Christine’s engagement ring.
▶ The amount of blood consumed provides more vitality to the wearer.
▶ If the other person also has this ring, the effect doubles.
‘Nice.’
He wondered why he had entrusted such a thing to Demelie, but Demelie voluntarily offered an explanation.
“You entrusted it to me saying you’d take it back when you felt you were worthy of wearing this ring! You had to keep me alive until that day comes! Right!”
So that was the reason.
He first tucked the ring into his bosom.
It seemed that this one might have quite a few of Jekkiel’s cherished items or valuables, not just this ring.
It would likely be quite helpful in inquiring about past events as well.
Finally, Jekkiel stood up from his seat.
As soon as he stood up, Demelie collapsed onto the floor with a “puhah” sound.
“Hoo… ugh, uuungh… ugh….”
Demelie, stuck to the ground like a sticker, twitched and convulsed.
“You said you’d work hard to be useful in any way?”
“Of… of course…”
“You said you assisted with official document work, so then.”
Jekkiel took out a few neatly folded pieces of paper from his bosom.
He placed them at Demelie’s head, who was still face down.
“How long would it take you to summarize this much?”
“Just… just a moment…”
She barely managed to move her immobile arm.
And what came into Demelie’s view was unexpected.
‘A manual? A study guide?’
It was something along those lines.
Demelie recalled the official document work she had done in the demon realm.
The thousand-page official statement that had to be written to reach an agreement with places Jekkiel had scorched, the declaration of his stance towards his fiancée.
Coordinating Jekkiel’s daily schedule, and also coordinating the schedules of those who were to meet Jekkiel.
Money laundering for tax evasion in the demon realm, and so on…
Oh, of course, this was for his fiancée.
Anyway, the important thing was that compared to these, summarizing such materials was far too easy.
“This seems doable…?”
“If it’s a lie to survive, I don’t need it.”
“No, I, really. I’m confident I can do it well!”
“About six thousand pages a week.”
What? Oh right.
This is Jekkiel.
I almost forgot.
“Huh…? If I don’t sleep or eat, I think it might be possible…”
“Do you need sleep or food?”
A chilling voice.
Her body convulsed once again.
“Ah, ah, no! I can do it! I can do it! I can!”
“Good. Then I’ll let you live in exchange for doing that.”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
Demelie sprang up.
The mind is truly amazing.
Her body, which wouldn’t move no matter how much strength she applied, suddenly jumped up at the thought of survival.
“…Huh?”
And Demelie, who had just stood up, immediately froze.
What came into view was Jekkiel polishing the blade of a scythe.
Demelie knew best what that scythe was.
She couldn’t not know.
It was an item she had personally purchased at an auction in the demon realm while managing the accounts.
“Thanatos…? Mr. Jekkiel?”
“Don’t misunderstand, Demelie.”
“What? What… what, no. What do you mean?”
“You still need to be punished.”
Jekkiel swung the scythe around twice.
It made a chilling sound as the blade part glinted.
“Sparing your life and forgiveness are different. Aren’t they?”
“Uh…”
Demelie’s body floated up and then flipped over.
She ended up hanging upside down in mid-air.
“You still have a ways to go to prove your loyalty. Summarizing documents is just one of the things you obviously need to do.”
Jekkiel’s eyes were colder than ever.
“Even if you pledged loyalty falsely, don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure you develop real loyalty. It’s been a while since I’ve done 82 divisions.”
“Eh, uh, uuh? Ebep…”
She was so flustered that her tongue got tied and she couldn’t even speak.
Originally, she had wanted to say no, Mr. Jekkiel. I’m loyal to you sincerely.
None of that process is necessary…
“Well…”
Jekkiel poked Demeri’s forehead with his index finger.
“Research subject. That’s your name from today.”
“Eh… eeh??”
I feel like I’ve been in this situation before.
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I pity her