It’s strange how premonitions are always right. I’ve never won the lottery. And…
“When are you going to take this collar off? I’m your husband.”
Even after being captured and complaining daily, Alma wouldn’t budge. She’d shake her hips, though…
How many days has it been? I’ve lost track of time. I wonder if Alana safely rejoined the White Lily Corps. Is everyone else okay?
“Speaking of which, that man from before hasn’t been seen since. What was his name?”
I remember the face of that man from Koatotemites from that intense, hour-long battle. The fight devolved into individual skirmishes, but his face stuck with me. Alma’s waist, too. And the mole on her back, near her shoulder…
“You mean him? That’s Darius McKenna. I’ve known him for a long time.”
I’ve memorized his face, and now I know his name. Next time I see him, I’ll take him down. He deserves to die for making Christine cry. I’m going right now, so take this collar off!
My pleas are, as always, ignored. Today is another fun day of torture. Alma Rosenberg, it seems, is a researcher among demons, interested in my demon blood and Godspeed.
As the subject of her research, I’ve had my blood drawn, watched my wounds heal, had magic power infused and drained, been strangled, and put on display. I’m busy, busy, busy with all these ‘beens’ and ‘have beens.’
In the evenings, I’m immersed in one-on-one research with Alma. I admire her libido; doesn’t she ever get bored? I prefer the ordinary. Going to bed, making love, spending blissful time, and waking up in the morning. Just normal, ordinary life is the best.
The sun rises on another day. How many days have passed since Klinshberbach fell? As my sense of time fades, my other senses sharpen.
It feels like a terrible premonition, a sense of mortal danger from something colossal…
“Alma, I want to take a bath once in a while. Instead of getting clean with magic, I want to soak in warm water.”
My request will surely be denied, but I do miss baths. If you’re Japanese, you’d miss baths. I want to float some sake on a tray in a hot spring and down some warm sake.
“Once in a while is fine. I’ll prepare it.”
Oh! Finally, she’s listening to her husband! Good girl, Alma. I knew you could do it. Want to go in together? Shall I wash you?
“I can’t wash with this collar on…”
“I’ll take that off, too. It’ll be good to get clean.”
A chance! As a man, I can’t let this opportunity slip by. I’ve already confirmed in bed that my Godspeed can go up to Mode Three. Even if I can’t kill her, I can escape.
Alma leads me towards the manor’s basement. If it were an open-air bath, I could escape from anywhere, but why is it underground? Who built this?
In the basement, I find a massive pool. My feet… it’s warm! Is this a heated pool?! How luxurious! Is Alma more capable than I thought to have acquired this?
“I’ll take the collar off. But I’d be troubled if you escaped.”
Alma prepares ankle cuffs. Attached to a chain is a weight so enormous it looks like it would break my back if I tried to lift it.
“I have to wear this? On both legs?”
“That’s right. Once you put it on, I’ll remove the collar.”
These ankle cuffs, like something out of an old TV comedy skit, would prevent me from moving quickly, even with my Godspeed. And putting them on both legs… is she planning to sink me in Tokyo Bay?
But the freedom I felt when Alma removed the collar after placing the weights on my ankles was ineffable. Though my legs are chained, the freedom of my neck and hands is the greatest.
“I’ll be right back.”
The Undead Knight, holding the weights with both hands, casually throws them into the heated pool. Chained, I am dragged into the pool as well.
It’s deeper than I expected. I sink next to the base of the round weight on the bottom. I push off the pool floor, but can I reach the surface? Or rather, I barely make it. My face peeks out, angled upwards.
“Alma! Help, glug glug…”
If I shout too loudly, I’ll swallow a lot of water. Even if I lose my balance or make big movements that create waves, water will relentlessly fill my stomach.
“Oh, it’s deep. I’ll help you.”
She should be able to see that I can barely breathe, with just my face sticking out, but the Undead Knight dives in carelessly, creating large waves. I feel like seaweed at the bottom of the sea.
The Undead Knight lifts me by the shoulder and carries me to a shallower part of the heated pool. If possible, I wish he’d carried the weights, too. My legs are going to stretch.
“I’m going in too. I’ll wash your back.”
I wait by the pool’s edge, now shallower, for Alma, feeling the need to expel the contents of my stomach. This is, without a doubt, one of the most exhausting baths of my life.
I thought it was a bath, but it’s more like a pool. There doesn’t seem to be any place to wash.
Even so, I might let Alma wash me. Her figure is flawless. Aside from the horns on her head and her purplish skin, her excellent physique rivals Christine’s.
My hands are free. I could grope Alma’s breasts right now, but I need to prioritize escape. There are two Undead Knights. One demon, one exit. There were researchers inside the building, but that’s not a problem.
Alma has the key to the ankle cuffs. It should be with her discarded clothes. It’s about three meters away. If I can pull the weight at the end of this chain close enough to the pool’s edge, I might just reach it.
Alma takes off her clothes and approaches, walking like a model. Beautiful women are truly beautiful, transcending skin color.
Skin color doesn’t matter to me. I’ve been with Lycanthrope Priscilla and demi-human Alana. Anyone who cares about purple, white, or black skin is the strange one.
People are about substance, not skin color. Kindness, compassion, respect, action, and love. Cutting, poisoning, stopping hearts, being shot by lasers… Wait.
Anyway! You shouldn’t judge people by their appearance. I believe that applies to demons too.
“Deep in thought?”
Alma sits in front of me, pressing her back against me. Her cold body seems to lower even the temperature of the heated pool.
“It’s nothing.”
This is my chance. Alma has her back to me and feels safe. I’ll snap her neck and kill her. I’ll finish her quickly without the Undead Knights noticing and pull the weight closer.
Then I’ll snatch the key, remove the weights, and escape with Mode Three. At full power, I can get away. Though, if I find some clothes or rags along the way, I should grab them. Running naked through the fields would be mentally taxing.
I can’t tell where the Undead Knights are looking from their appearance. But this must be my greatest chance. If I’m going to kill, it’s now!
With the Godspeed of Mode Three, I reach out in front of Alma and… I grabbed her breasts… No, that’s not what I intended!
“You’re doing it here, too… Husband is quite vigorous.”
But, but, but… I wanted one last embrace before killing her.
But, but, but… it would be a waste, wouldn’t it? Beautiful people are a treasure of humanity.
“Ahaha…”
Alma turns to me, her eyes closed. A chance! Now I can reach for her neck without her seeing. This time I’ll break it! A snap! I’ll break her neck and let her float in the pool like seaweed.
I lean in to kiss Alma, unhook my arms from her chest, embrace her, and jump towards the far side of the pool!
Where Alma and I were, a rock weighing tons punctures the roof, creates a hole in the ceiling, and flies over the wall. What in the world is going on?! Have the Harm forces started their rock-throwing attack?!
More massive rocks fall in succession. I can’t escape because of the weights… Oh, they’re broken! Did the first massive rock snap the chain? All I need to do is unlock the weights on both legs and escape. I even grab Alma’s discarded clothes with my feet, hopping along with my Godspeed.
My hands find the key to the ankle cuffs immediately, and I remove them. Now I’m free, I can escape. The exit is already blocked, but I can see the sky through the hole I made in the ceiling.
With a Godspeed jump! Even if I have to carry someone, this much is possible with Mode Three… Huh? Why am I carrying Alma?
“Husband, what happened…?”
Did she lose consciousness? Alma’s eyes meet mine in my arms. From her eyes to her neck, from her neck to her chest, from her chest to her feet, I examine her beautiful yet fragile purple skin. I’m not looking with any weird intentions, just checking for injuries, with only a little bit of weird intention!
“Let’s run! Just stay with me.”
Leave her, me. Remember what she did to you. You’re a captive since the Royal Capital fell. You must harbor some resentment. There’s no reason to save a demon!
The building we were in has already collapsed from the massive rocks, and the surroundings are littered with them, forming a modern art sculpture. Looking up at the sky, I see the second wave of massive rocks raining down like shotgun pellets. Honestly, where should I run? Alma and I look up at the starry sky…
No time for that! Full speed ahead, risking my life. The weight of Alma in my arms and her flesh transmit to my arms, spurring me on. I’m getting motivated!
“Ughhhhh!”
I look up at the sky, check my footing, and run through the gaps in the artfully placed massive rocks. Why! Why do they curve in mid-air to target me? I don’t know how they work, but if I asked, the answer would be a simple “It’s magic.” Convenient, isn’t it, the word “magic”?
Damn it! There’s no end to it. These massive rocks, incorporating trick shots, throw curves and shoots. If it weren’t for my Mind’s Eye, I would have certainly died from those knuckleballs.
It goes without saying, but this is Sophia’s “Meteor Strike.” Alana has probably rejoined the White Lily Corps. There, Alana must have explained the situation, and during that, she must have mentioned the marriage with Alma as a condition for prisoner exchange.
Alana, rejoining them means you’re safe. Thanks to you, I might not be. As I dodged the fourth wave of falling massive rocks, I finally sank to my knees.
So heavy… Why do I have to run carrying Alma? Perhaps it would be safer to leave her, as the rocks seem to be targeting me. But a woman’s jealousy turns towards her own sex, and I can’t bear to see Alma crushed flat. More importantly, it would be a waste.
I wish Sophia had aimed her attack at the Demon Lord in Lauenstein instead of me if she was going to fire. However, it seems to be over after the fourth wave of Meteor Strike. The stars shining in the night sky are beautiful.
And the stars disappeared from the night sky. Because a mass of colossal rocks, so large they blotted out the stars, covered the sky…
