Chapter 59
Not Me, But Mom
For a while, I was completely stunned and couldn’t say a word.
Did he really just call me ugly? Not anyone else, but me—the only daughter of Veronica?
It wasn’t even about me. I was upset purely because Veronica had been insulted.
And this face… it looked exactly like Veronica’s! The face of Veronica—the most beautiful woman in the world!
As my anger grew and I huffed in frustration, I heard Luerus’s curious voice.
[Hmm? Looking closer, this little one’s quite something, isn’t he?]
“Hoo…” I muttered.
[Kid, do you have an older sister? Or maybe a mother?]
Pervert. He’s a pervert too.
Still, compared to Bibi, who likes children, this one at least seems to target adults, so maybe he’s better. I glanced at Bibi, lounging lazily inside a pink rabbit doll, and rolled my eyes.
[Why are you looking at me like that?]
“…It’s nothing.”
I shook my head and looked back at Luerus. Then he spoke in a dumbfounded voice.
[Desmond, Bibi, you’re here too?]
[Long time no see.]
[Not really happy about it.]
[Hmm… so the little one brought you all here… could it be…]
Ignoring the unimpressed reactions from Desmond and Bibi, Luerus stared straight at me again and exclaimed in surprise.
[This little one is our master for this generation?]
[Stop calling me “little one”! It’s rude to the one you’re talking to!]
[Yeah! He’s so cute, this little one!]
“….”
For some reason, Desmond and Bibi’s words only made me angrier.
Instead of scolding them, I shook my head and finally spoke to Luerus.
“Unfortunately, it was me who woke you all this time, Winston.”
[Oh? Quite impressive for a little one.]
Red wisps of aura swirled around me. I could feel Luerus’s gaze on me.
He had a neutral voice. He seemed to be around Dorlens’s age, but I couldn’t tell if he was male or female—his voice was too androgynous.
Meanwhile, Niel’s hand had been frozen in place since earlier, and his eyes were fixated on the lingering traces of Luerus.
Well, even if I could tell a demon’s gender, it wouldn’t be useful.
[Hmm… maybe ten years from now. But right now, I’m not keen on making a contract with you.]
“Really?” I asked.
[What, Ilness? You’re here too?]
[Yawn… yeah.]
[So everyone except Dorlens is here?]
Moreover, Luerus clearly disliked me. While other demons, like Ilness, had been indifferent, I had never had a demon actively uncooperative with me—it was… unsettling.
But whatever, I wasn’t making a contract with him anyway.
[Dorlens made a proxy contract with someone else.]
[So this little one called all of us here?]
[Yes.]
[….]
At least it was lucky that I was still too young to contract directly with Luerus.
After Ilness’s answer, Luerus was silent for a while, clearly surprised.
I replied lightly, almost whispering.
“Good. I couldn’t make a contract with you anyway.”
[Huh?]
[Surely he’s not calling Lord Lucifelt too, right?]
“I already have contracts with Desmond and Bibi. They said adding more would be dangerous.”
“Lucifelt?”
[Ah.]
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name. Was there really a demon like that?
Only then did Luerus understand, letting out a small snort, still curious.
Then Desmond jumped up, furious, and shouted.
[But why did he call me?]
“I wanted someone else to make a contract.”
[Someone else?]
[You’re crazy, Luerus! How dare you speak the Great Demon’s name lightly!]
“Ah.”
“Yeah, my mom.”
So that Great Demon’s name was Lucifelt… kind of a cool name.
[….]
Luerus said nothing for a moment after I spoke. He watched, fascinated, as the other demons noisily bickered—well, it was more like Luerus being scolded than an actual fight.
[Did I say something wrong? This is ridiculous.]
But soon he countered in his blunt voice.
[Still not coming to your senses!]
[Your mom?]
[Are you proud of yourself now?]
“Yes, just like you wanted. Think of it as me twenty years from now….”
[Do it! Make the contract immediately!]
Normally, Desmond and Bibi would bicker endlessly, but in moments like this, they worked perfectly together.
Ilness just watched indifferently, so the three demons handled it directly.
This perverted little one… seriously.
“Alright, enough for now. We have to leave.”
“Dia, are you leaving again?”
I gave Luerus a sharp look, annoyed at how excited he was, and then sighed.
“Yes, we need to sleep.”
“Later, I’ll let you meet her. For now, just act well. You must never let our mom know that I’m the demons’ master.”
[Hehe, understood.]
I patted Niel’s shoulder, who looked disappointed, and gave Luerus one last instruction.
When I told him he would be contracting with an adult woman who looked exactly like me, his attitude completely changed.
“Remember, you must never tell my mom anything about me.”
[Got it, got it.]
I gave Luerus a suspicious look and turned away. For some reason, Niel was staring at me, holding his breath.
Soon, Luerus, sounding annoyed, muttered.
“Niel, is the cake good?”
Unlike the other demons, he seemed picky—but there was nothing I could do.
“….Yes.”
“Good. Tomorrow I’ll remove the gem and secretly give it to mom.”
[How about making it into a necklace so it’s easier to wear?]
Since I liked Niel from the first meeting, the Duke of Winston, who didn’t care about origin, had allowed Niel to interact freely.
“That’ll take a long time, though.”
Why did everyone feel so tense lately? I wanted to give Luerus to Veronica quickly.
But there was a problem—Abel and Niel. For some reason, the two didn’t get along.
I gripped the ruby tightly in my hand.
Even today, Abel and Niel kept glaring at each other, making me sweat nervously.
A few days later, the capital terror incident by Apocripha was almost resolved.
Dantellion ordered a pursuit, furious, but since the group had operated secretly for so long, catching them wasn’t easy.
Even in the original story, Apocripha was never fully caught. If they truly sided with the temple, it made sense that their identities remained hidden while the protagonists and temple succeeded.
It was a bit annoying, but I decided to leave it be for now.
If my guess was right, by letting them continue, I could discover Apocripha’s true identity while weakening the temple’s influence.
Until then, I could use them as needed.
“Alright, I’ll be going, Mom.”
“Okay, Dia!”
And today was Veronica’s trial—her divorce from Cedric!
She was calmer than usual, looking at me with concern. The Duke of Winston had assigned extra guards because he worried about me more than before.
“Dia, it’s fine. Go on, Mom.”
“Okay, Mom. I’ll be back soon.”
“Yeah!”
Veronica must have thought it was unsafe for me to accompany her to the courtroom, so she left me at the mansion.
I waved at her, and the ruby I had given her earlier was now crafted into a necklace around her neck.
The contract might not have been made yet, but Luerus would handle it.
Seeing Veronica, Luerus must have liked her, because he silently became the necklace around her neck.
I shook my head, watched her leave, and returned to the room.
“Dia, what shall we play now?”
“Hmm…”
Abel followed me and asked. I glanced at him and then turned to Niel.
“What do you want to do, Niel?”
As a trainee knight, Niel had become a companion for me and Abel, and they all played together well these days.
