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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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The mansion was modestly sized, befitting a demoted official.
The ivy clinging to the old fence and the unkempt flowerbeds spoke to the absence of a gardener.
The large yard was barren, devoid of crops, and a pile of firewood was stacked in the corner.
Carlson, the homeowner, didn’t seem to mind the messy flowerbeds.
Or rather, from Lumia’s perspective, it seemed he didn’t even realize it was a flowerbed.
Just a few steps inside revealed a neatly swept yard and a tidy house.
“Your house is very clean.”
“The servants do a good job.”
Lumia nodded.
Carlson chuckled and opened the door, and a maid emerged from the kitchen, tying her hair back.
She was a blonde with a refined appearance, more like a noble’s daughter than a maid.
She looked slightly surprised to see her master home so early, then bowed her head in greeting.
“Welcome home. Is the person next to you a guest?”
“Yes. Bring some tea to the parlor. Hey! We have a guest! Come and greet her!”
Lumia quickly scanned Elena.
There was a faint demonic scent, but she didn’t seem to be possessed or a demon herself.
It seemed she had simply absorbed the demonic scent from being in the mansion for so long.
After giving Elena his orders, Carlson called out for his three servants.
But they didn’t answer.
Only Evan emerged awkwardly from a doorway.
“Yes… Master.”
“Where are the others?”
“Uh… I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Even though those bastards are getting paid for free… Where could they have gone?”
Carlson grumbled, but he didn’t hit Evan or complain further.
He knew it would be rude to behave that way in front of a guest.
Evan, who had been tense, stiffened as he turned and saw Lumia.
Evan recognized Lumia.
Lumia thought it was their first meeting, but Evan had seen her once before, when she was outside the temple for a donation drive, around the time he first awakened his incubus powers.
After a moment of awkward shuffling, Evan turned and walked towards the attic, pretending nothing was amiss.
Lumia simply watched Evan disappear into the attic without a word.
She was slightly surprised that he had revealed his identity so easily.
The demonic energy emanating from the mansion belonged to that servant.
A typical rookie demon, unable to control his power, using it recklessly.
She could exorcise a demon like that with her eyes closed.
But demons were a rare find in this rural area.
Lumia needed to exaggerate this achievement as much as possible in her report.
She needed to prepare a grand and elaborate exorcism ritual, and she had to perform it alone.
A priestess who successfully performed a grand exorcism ritual to defeat an unknown demon.
It had a nice ring to it.
Lumia nodded and followed Carlson to the parlor.
Isabelle was in the parlor, along with Carlson.
Lumia was surprised by Isabelle’s doll-like beauty, and even more surprised to detect a rather strong demonic scent emanating from her as well.
It seemed the demon had been lingering in the mansion for quite some time, emitting its energy.
Lumia greeted Isabelle.
“I am Priestess Lumia.”
Carlson gestured to Isabelle and Elena.
“This is my wife, Isabelle, and my maid, Elena. And there are three other servants and the slave you just saw, but… should I call them to the parlor?”
Lumia shook her head.
Isabelle and Elena exchanged uneasy glances before looking back at Carlson.
The presence of a priestess in their mansion wasn’t a good sign.
Isabelle asked,
“Why is a priestess here?”
“Be quiet, you bitch. The Priestess will tell us.”
Lumia frowned at Carlson’s rude behavior and Isabelle’s seemingly timid demeanor.
But she wasn’t here for marriage counseling; she was here to hunt a demon.
Noticing Elena’s fingers fidgeting nervously, Lumia said,
“One moment.”
She raised her hands towards the sky and began to recite a prayer in a low voice.
As her murmuring grew louder, a luminous aura gathered at her fingertips.
The small, firefly-like lights grew into a bonfire-sized blaze, then exploded like fireworks, illuminating the entire room.
Isabelle, Elena, and Carlson simply blinked, unsure what was happening. Lumia confirmed that the demonic scent surrounding Elena and Isabelle had disappeared.
Neither of them showed any adverse reactions or any sudden changes in their demeanor.
There were no demonically possessed or marked minions in this room.
This magic would have caused a strong reaction in anyone bearing traces of demonic influence or possession.
Lumia nodded, then looked around and declared,
“There is a demon hiding in this mansion.”
At Lumia’s words, Carlson glared menacingly at Elena and Isabelle.
Both women flinched at his gaze, and Lumia couldn’t tell if it was out of fear of Carlson’s usual temper or if they were hiding something related to the demon.
Carlson pressed Lumia,
“So, who is this demon?”
“I saw a brown-haired servant earlier. How long has he been employed here?”
“About a year.”
Carlson gritted his teeth.
Even though Lumia had only asked a question, he seemed to have already figured out who the demon was.
Isabelle and Elena’s faces had turned pale.
They held each other’s hands tightly, taking deep breaths and pressing their hands against their chests.
It seemed the people in this mansion trusted that slave.
“That slave is the demon. A very cruel and terrifying one. Even now, he’s likely scheming to become stronger by sucking your blood and draining your life force.”
“Such a…”
Isabelle shook her head with a confused expression.
Elena squeezed Isabelle’s hand and patted her back.
Lumia could tell that the two women were quite close.
Lumia smiled warmly, trying to comfort the two distressed women.
“It’s alright. I’m here now. You must have suffered a great deal because of that demon. I will exorcise him for you.”
“…Yes.”
Isabelle nodded.
Lumia empathized with Isabelle’s somber expression.
To have lived in the same house with a demon, how terrifying.
That frightened look was undoubtedly born from fear of the demon.
Lumia brushed her hair back and stood up.
The demon’s power was insignificant.
None of the three people here were possessed or minions of the demon.
This meant she had three assistants who could help her, even without relying on the temple’s power.
Lumia said,
“I’ll go to the temple and prepare the necessary items. In the meantime, if the three of you could gather the items I mention, I would be grateful. Do you have a crucifix in the mansion?”
Carlson scratched his head and replied,
“Ah, we don’t have a crucifix. I’m not religious.”
“Then I’ll bring one from the temple. Madam and Maid, I’ll draw an exorcism circle for you. Please arrange the items in the first-floor lobby according to the markings on the circle.”
Carlson said,
“But what if that demon realizes what’s happening and goes on a rampage or tries to escape? Will we all die?”
Lumia had heard this kind of concern before.
Of course, she had long since prepared for such a situation.
She pulled three rings from her pocket and said,
“If you wear these rings, the demon won’t be able to approach you easily.”
“Good. I’m going to beat him to a pulp.”
Carlson grinned, making a punching motion. Lumia spoke to him firmly,
“You mustn’t provoke the demon. And it will take some time for me to gather the necessary materials…”
Lumia stood up again.
Before Elena or Isabelle could stop her, she flung open the door and came face to face with Evan.
Evan, startled, stumbled backward, then gritted his teeth and prepared to throw a punch.
But before he could extend his fist, Lumia gathered a white energy in her hand and shot it towards Evan.
“Kyaaaaa!”
Struck by the white energy blast, Evan was thrown backward, rolling like a ball.
Steam rose from his body, and Isabelle gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Elena jumped up and shouted,
“Evan!”
Lumia turned to Elena and scolded her sternly,
“Don’t sympathize with him! He’s a demon. The kindness he showed you was a mask. Do you understand? All demons must be eradicated from this world.”
Lumia pulled a white rope from her pocket.
She approached Evan, who was writhing on the floor, and bound him tightly.
Evan struggled to escape, but he couldn’t seem to break free of the rope and could only squirm.
“Ugh…! Eek…! Fuck…!”
Lumia nodded with a satisfied expression, then looked at Elena and Isabelle.
“You must not untie this rope. Do you understand? Keep him locked up somewhere isolated until I return.”
Isabelle and Elena both nodded silently.
Lumia thought, everything was going perfectly according to plan.
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[T/N: You are not Aizen dumb lass]
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