“Everyone seems to be here. I’m about to open the door, are you ready?”
I confirmed the readiness of those in the “Princess Harem.”
“We will hide our identities with the formal attire of the ‘Princess Harem.’ Could you, Hal-sama, please handle the initial negotiations and investigate the true nature of our enemies?”
Liliana requested that I act as the negotiator.
Strategically, Liliana, Yuliana’s half-sister, was a trump card, so this was a reasonable decision.
“Understood, Liliana. I’m counting on you when the time comes!”
“Of course, I understand, Hal-sama.”
“We’re hiding in the back, so if there are any demons, please take care of them first. And Holy Spirit Serena is also well hidden!”
Swan Hilda, who is of divine race, also seemed to agree with Liliana’s plan.
“No need to be told by Swan Hilda,”
Holy Spirit Serena became invisible, and then her presence faded.
“Then, let’s open the door!”
*Creak, groan*
I turned the doorknob and slowly opened the sturdy, heavy door.
Then, light streamed through the gap in the door.
It was illuminating the interior, as the luxurious chandelier hanging from the ceiling was lit.
Inside, a carpet with intricate geometric patterns was laid out, and expensive-looking vases and armor were placed along the walls as furnishings.
In one corner of the wall, a built-in bookshelf with expensive rare books arranged haphazardly could be seen.
Furthermore, the rear half of the room was raised one step higher, and a part of a gorgeous gold-leaf-gilded chair peeked out from between heavy curtains, like a colorful stage curtain made with lavish amounts of gold and silver thread.
It seemed this room was an audience chamber.
And it appeared someone was sitting on the throne.
After confirming that there was no one in the front part of the room, I immediately stepped inside.
The party members of “Princess Harem” followed suit.
Simultaneously, the four members of the “Knights of the Azure Moon” took positions around the door, securing our retreat.
“You insolent curs, do you know where you are?! How dare you barge into the royal residence of Her Majesty the Queen, who rules the New Yangus Kingdom?! And you defeated the gatekeeper! I can’t believe it…”
Suddenly, a shrill, childish voice from behind the curtain scolded us.
At the same time, there was confusion about allowing our intrusion.
“Who are you?”
Next, a cute, beautiful girl with an arrogant demeanor that didn’t match her stature questioned us.
However, her accent was strange, which was characteristic of a “doll of the dead.”
We looked intently at the back of the room again.
On the gold-leaf-gilded throne sat a beautiful girl, wearing a crown and an opulent dress befitting a queen.
Her hair was braided and tied up, but it was a faintly reddish-silver hair.
It was a beautiful color and luster, contrasting with Liliana’s bluish-silver hair.
Her features held a resemblance to Liliana, suggesting she was of her bloodline.
Moreover, she was a beautiful girl with a more fragile, unfortunate air than Liliana.
This beautiful girl, a “doll of the dead,” must be Yuliana, Liliana’s half-sister.
Suddenly, I felt a gaze and turned around to see Liliana trembling.
This confirmed that the beautiful girl sitting calmly on the throne was Liliana’s half-sister, Yuliana, and that she had fallen into the state of a “doll of the dead.”
Furthermore, three young girls were attending Yuliana.
The first was a young girl in a black gothic lolita dress, standing with her left hand on the back of Yuliana’s throne. She had lustrous blonde hair and mystical crimson eyes, and she was likely the one who spoke to us first.
The second and third young girls were sitting on the floor to the left and right of the throne, reclining.
The one on the right wore a red gothic lolita dress and was characterized by her silver hair and golden eyes.
The one on the left wore a blue gothic lolita dress and was characterized by her black hair and silver eyes.
There was a decadent, decaying, and overripe aura about them… even though they were mere young girls. My mind was in disarray.
“My name is Hal Raymond. I have arrived here as an adventurer, following the trail of an evil necromancer. Do you know the whereabouts of the necromancer called Zolgelge?”
I inquired about Zolgelge’s whereabouts, assuming he wasn’t in this audience chamber.
I quickly scanned my surroundings, but it seemed no one else was there besides them.
“There’s no way such an impure wretch would be here! Well… I am Lara_Berze, the Prime Minister. Those lounging there are my sisters: the second daughter, Lili_Berze, in red, and the third daughter, Lulu_Berze, in blue. Know them well. And before our master, Yuliana Leticia Yangas, you should bow! Remain in your seats!!”
The one who answered my question was the first young girl in the black gothic lolita dress.
For a moment, she cast a scathing glare toward the bookshelf, as if at an object of disgust.
Then, the next moment, with a polished, commanding demeanor, she introduced herself and her sisters, along with their master, Yuliana.
However, for such a young girl to be a prime minister… I felt as if I had been deceived.
It also appeared there was a hidden passage behind the bookshelf.
“Hal-sama, may I borrow your ear for a moment?”
As the next development was unclear and a moment of silence threatened to fall, Astarotte approached from behind and whispered in a low voice.
“What is it, Astarotte?”
“Those young girls are actually mid-level demon vampires who have lived for over a thousand years. They are what you call ‘lolibaba’. They are the ones who called me a lowly, lustful succubus. I implore you to bring divine retribution upon them!”
Astarotte, who had spoken in a low voice, said something outrageous.
At first glance, they appeared to be precocious young girls, but their true form was that of mid-level demon vampires!
As expected, mid-level demons would not be underestimated.
Their strength was unknown to me, as this was our first encounter, but there was a high probability that they were equal to, or stronger than, the executives of the Demon Lord Army.
Should I retreat for now?
“Hey, Astarotte. By the way, the necromancer Zolgelge doesn’t seem to be here!?”
“That old bone is cautious. They probably fled, leaving them behind!?”
“So, are Yuliana and the others also used as pawns, just like the Muscle Brothers?”
“Probably… wouldn’t you agree? It’s speculation, but… Zolgelge might have gone to report to Barberu, a high-ranking demon?”
“R-really… Then, going back to the topic, do you know their weakness?”
“Yes, they said that the original forms of those three sisters are alluring beauties. They also said that when they crossed from the demon realm to the human world, they took on those forms to have fun playing games. Therefore, in that form, I believe they can only wield power equivalent to low-level demons. They will either be quickly defeated while underestimating us and taking that form, or we can completely subjugate them and make them our servants.”
While Hal and Astarotte were whispering, Yuliana and the others, perhaps due to their absolute confidence, ignored them.
The atmosphere felt as if the battle would begin the moment they said their goodbyes…
However, as Astarotte said, they were probably underestimating them like common folk.
Should I rely on the trump card, Swan Hilda, and annihilate them all at once…
Or is it more strategic to defeat them halfway and subjugate them into obedience!?
“By the way, Astarotte. You said their true form is vampire, right? They need blood to sustain themselves, don’t they? For example, they might prefer the blood of innocent virgins, or handsome men. How about that?”
“As long as they maintain their young girl form, their thirst for blood can be suppressed. In that state, normal human food should be sufficient. If they were to drink blood, it would likely be a matter of preference. If you became their master, you could probably forbid them from drinking blood.”
“That sounds like an interesting conversation.”
As if on cue, Swan Hilda approached.
“I’ve heard their general situation from Astarotte. The rest is up to Hal-sama’s judgment. As for me, I’ve been told by the Valkyrie elder sisters to exterminate demons upon discovery, but Astarotte is already in this state… I’m in a ‘might as well’ state of mind.”
“I agree with Swan Hilda’s opinion.”
To their surprise, Holy Spirit Serena poked her head out from the opening of Swan Hilda’s hooded robe.
“Serena, you think so too? They are your enemies, aren’t they?”
“Master, as I’ve said before, demons that take the form of beautiful girls can be turned into summoned beasts. Since the enemy is already easy prey, we should bind them. And—”
Holy Spirit Serena, standing in the sisters’ blind spot, passionately explained her theory, and then produced a pure white pill from somewhere, stating that she had created items to capture them using adventuring gear from Elise and Shera’s Item Boxes.
“Wh-what is this!?”
“This is a spiritual medicine called ‘Seiken-gan.’ This spiritual medicine was created using an elixir accidentally recovered from a certain saint. Its effects are—”
The “sex spirit” (erotic old man) showed a dark smile and began to explain the effects of the “Seiken-gan” with a meaningful glance.
It seemed the “sex spirit” had secretly obtained the elixir I had ejaculated and created it.
He explained that the current “Seiken-gan” was stable and harmless, but if a saint like myself, Swan Hilda, or Holy Spirit Serena imbued it with holy aura, it would immediately detonate and scatter holy aura in all directions. He claimed that if it was somehow implanted in a demon’s body, it could be detonated at any time, decomposing them into miasma. In essence, it worked on the same principle as Dietlinde manipulating fire spirits to direct heat in the previous battle with the Muscle Brothers. It seemed that Holy Spirit Serena, being a collective of holy element spirits, was capable of such feats.
Furthermore, the “sex spirit” urged them to implant it deep within their uteruses. He also mentioned that the “Seiken-gan” was adjusted to emit a subtle holy aura, which would fix them in their young girl form. This was also a preventive measure against the necessity of blood-sucking for survival if they were to return to their beautiful girl form.
It was as if all the preliminary steps had been taken, and the discussion had settled on a plan to enslave them.
“How dare you, even as incompetent adventurers, not prostrate yourselves before the great Queen Yuliana and us… Perhaps you require punishment.”
Lara_Berze, the self-proclaimed prime minister, who had grown impatient with our whispered conversation, uttered a menacing threat.
Our policy was decided, and all that remained was action!
Thank you for reading.
This concludes the split posting of Episode 38, “Liliana IV.”
The consolidated posting of Episode 38, “Liliana IV,” titled “The Dead Half-Sister (Yuliana) Makes the Living Half-Sister (Liliana) Run,” is scheduled for December 26th at 0:00.
A character memo will be released on December 28th at 0:00.
The release of Episode 39 will be announced later in the activity report.
