“Umm… what in the world is this?! Could someone explain the situation to me? I’m utterly lost…”
The atmosphere in the living room of Lily Lalabai’s large suite, which served as our lodging for the night, was quite the contrast. While the existing Party Members, led by Elise—who seemed to be anticipating something—along with Alicia and the rest of the ‘Princess Harem,’ were all gathered, Safiya, a first-time guest participant, looked completely bewildered.
She tilted her head slightly as she stared intently at the beautiful girl we had brought back from the fortune-teller’s house.
“Safiya, calm down a little. Hal-sama will explain the situation shortly. Of course, I’m also curious about this girl we brought back…”
Liliana, who revered Hal as her future lord, swiftly chastised Safiya for jumping ahead.
The living room was packed to the brim—thirteen people in total, including Alicia, Elise, Mai, Ly, Kirika, Tirna, Edele, Freya, Dietlinde, Liliana, Shera, Eria, and guest participant Safiya. Adding myself, Swan Hilda, and the Holy Spirit Serena from the fortune-teller investigation team, plus our “spoils of war”—Astarotte—it was a chaotic, lively gathering.
Fortunately, the living room was spacious enough for large meetings, with chairs arranged around a long table to accommodate everyone.
That said, Astarotte, who hadn’t yet introduced herself, stood stiffly behind me, her nervousness evident from her expression.
Incidentally, a well-worn platform and a wooden board were placed against the wall.
That platform was used for the ‘Quality Check’—an initiation rite for new members of the ‘Princess Harem’ at the base mansion. Elise had likely brought it here, intending to perform the ‘Quality Check’ on Astarotte, whom I had brought back.
But what was the wooden board for?
“It seems we have quite the complicated story ahead. Tirna, my apologies, but could you prepare some tea and snacks?”
Before I could begin speaking, Ly preemptively instructed Tirna to prepare refreshments. She also seemed to exchange some meaningful glances…
“I’ll help too.”
“Of course, I’ll assist as well.”
“M-me too!”
Following Tirna, Edele, Freya, and Eria also stood and left, returning shortly with tea and snacks for everyone.
Astarotte was then seated beside me, and once everyone had settled in, the debriefing began.
The tiny Holy Spirit Serena sat on my shoulder, happily sipping tea from her own toy teacup.
“Now then, let’s begin the debriefing on the fortune-teller’s house. I’ll explain the situation step by step, so feel free to ask questions at any time.”
As I declared the start of the meeting, everyone’s attention turned to the unfamiliar beauty, Astarotte—though most were also leisurely sipping their tea.
“First, to cut to the chase—the person sitting next to me, Astarotte, was the one disguised as the elderly fortune-teller. Due to certain circumstances, she has now joined the ‘Princess Harem.'”
“My name is Astarotte. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
At my introduction, Astarotte gracefully stood, slightly lifting the hem of her dress in an elegant curtsy.
Currently, we were all showing our true faces, and the living room was filled with an almost surreal atmosphere, brimming with beautiful girls. Yet Astarotte remained utterly unfazed, greeting everyone with confidence.
“W-wait just a moment! The Astarotte I consulted for a fortune was definitely an old woman! I mean… I mean…—”
Naturally, Safiya—who had actually received a fortune from her—was the first to voice her disbelief.
However, as she spoke, her words gradually slurred, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
“Tirna, did you slip her something?!”
“Yes, under Ly-sama’s orders. It’s just a sleeping draught—we’ll wake her with a stimulant once the meeting is over.”
“It seemed the situation was rather complicated. We judged it best to spare our guest participant from overwhelming details.”
As expected of Ly, the former imperial princess—she must have sensed the tangled web of circumstances from our demeanor.
“Ly, you’ve gone out of your way for us.”
“Not at all. It was only natural.”
Afterward, Elise and the others briefly introduced themselves, and the explanation began.
“Now then, while Safiya is asleep, let me explain. At the fortune-teller’s house, we were greeted by Astarotte, disguised as the elderly fortune-teller, and Salitori, who played the role of her so-called grandchild. The eerie decor of the waiting room and the fortune-telling chamber was likely Astarotte’s taste, right? As for Salitori, whose true form was a corpse puppet—Astarotte, would you explain?”
“That room and the fortune-teller act were in terrible taste. And that gloomy Salitori was just plain unpleasant.”
“I agree, yo.”
Swan Hilda and the Holy Spirit Serena nodded in agreement with my words.
“T-those furnishings… were for work purposes. My personal tastes are more… bedroom-oriented. As for Salitori, she was sent by Barberu-sama to act as both my guard and my overseer. She was created by an old necromancer named Zolgelge.”
Astarotte’s face flushed bright red as she defended her decor choices.
So Salitori, the corpse puppet, had also been Astarotte’s watcher?
It seemed Astarotte wasn’t as trusted by Barberu, the demon, as I had initially thought.
“So… your real tastes are more like that maidenly bedroom of yours?”
“…Yes…”
When I pressed for confirmation, Astarotte nodded before hanging her head in embarrassment.
“Now, tell me about Barberu and Zolgelge.”
“I was essentially abducted and forced to work for them… so I don’t know much. I was bound by Barberu’s restraints, which Hal-sama already knows about. By the way… when exactly did you see through my disguise?”
“When you tried to read my palm, the elderly fortune-teller’s black veil slipped just enough for me to catch a glimpse of your youthful fingers—just for a split second.”
“So… you knew almost from the very beginning…”
Astarotte slumped in defeat at my answer.
“Um, Hal-sama. What exactly is a ‘corpse puppet’?”
Elise, the vice-leader of the ‘Princess Harem,’ raised her hand to ask.
“A corpse puppet is an abomination created by necromancers—evil mages who reanimate corpses with temporary life. They retain some memories from their past lives, but their speech is stilted, their veins run with decayed black blood, and when defeated, their bodies rapidly decompose. Needless to say, the Asgard Holy Church considers them targets for extermination.”
“I… I see.”
Elise visibly relaxed upon hearing this.
Likely because it confirmed her own condition was different.
The same went for Ly and the others, who had also been revived through my ‘Resurrection Magic.’
“Now, back to the story—after Astarotte finished telling my fortune, I exposed her disguise, leading to a fight. Swan Hilda defeated Salitori, the corpse puppet, while Astarotte tried to flee but was mortally wounded by the Sex Spirit’s ‘breast-groping’ technique.”
The moment I mentioned what Swan Hilda had whispered to request, everyone averted their eyes in discomfort.
“Here, returning the borrowed short sword.”
“Mhm.”
Swan Hilda pulled the short sword from her waist and returned it to Mai, its rightful owner.
“But… the ‘breast-groping’ technique is just embarrassing, not harmful, right…?”
Ly, blushing but still skeptical, raised the question this time.
“That’s related to Astarotte’s true nature. Right now, she’s just an ordinary human, but when we first met, she was a low-ranking demon from the Demon Realm—known as the Succubus Princess. And—”
I proceeded to explain everything—without omitting any details—about the incident. The living room fell into stunned silence.
“Demons… the Demon Realm… and this beautiful girl was once a Succubus Princess who became human for Hal-sama’s sake…? It sounds too fantastical, but is it true?”
Amid the collective head-scratching, Edele—a former demonkin—was the first to voice her disbelief.
“The term ‘demon’ appeared in the ancient texts accompanying the Holy Spirit Serena’s sealed ark. I had assumed ‘demons’ were just an archaic term for demonkin—how are they different?”
Next, Liliana—an avid Hero researcher—jumped into the discussion.
“The gods imposed strict information control on this matter, but the Holy Spirit Serena, who knows their darkest secrets, explained it to me. Demons are—”
I elaborated on what I had learned: demons were malevolent spiritual entities from the Demon Realm, their miasma corrupting those who absorbed it, turning them into demonkin. The ‘Divine Yoke’ that Elise had sealed was meant to keep the Demon Realm—and the demons trying to invade—at bay.
I also explained how the near-extinction of the royal and imperial families in the Kingdom of Portland and the Wahl Imperial Kingdom had weakened the seals, allowing demons to infiltrate our world.
“As expected of me… I’ve accomplished something truly grand.”
Elise puffed up with pride upon hearing this.
“To think the ancient Heroes fought against demons… how splendid!”
Liliana, thrilled by the revelation of these long-hidden truths, was practically vibrating with excitement.
“But to think demonkin were just humans corrupted by the Demon Realm’s miasma… I have such mixed feelings.”
Meanwhile, Edele—a former demonkin herself—buried her face in her hands.
In stark contrast, Swan Hilda remained surprisingly composed.
Perhaps she had learned the truth when summoned to the ‘Garden of the Gods’—though she must have been sworn to secrecy.
As for me, I omitted the details of how I had dyed Astarotte’s body with my essence inside her woven dreams—ultimately transforming her into a human—to make her my Summoned Beast.
Glancing sideways, Astarotte also seemed to exhale in relief.
“W-well then, Hal-sama… while the Holy Spirit Serena was a special case, I believe both she and Astarotte should undergo the initiation rite.”
Just as I had expected, Elise—wearing a dark smile—insisted on conducting the ‘Quality Check.’
Though I hadn’t anticipated her including the Holy Spirit Serena.
Would we even be able to perform a ‘Quality Check’ on the elusive spirit?
—
Thank you for reading!
Episode 36-12: Quality Check (1) △
Scheduled for release on September 11th at 00:00.
