Currently, Edele is in charge of driving the carriage, and I, Hal Harem Von Raymond, am sitting next to the driver’s seat, lost in thought.
Although I was supposed to drive from former Viscount Marquis Bottox’s hideout to the city of Karamiya, I was mentally exhausted from dealing with Toria Redeo Wahl’s “Puppet of the Dead” that we encountered on the way, so I switched with Edele.
From Toria’s perspective, it was probably an encounter with us.
Her soul, now freed from the shackles of flesh that could no longer be revived, has powerfully ascended and entered the womb of Princess Francine Egmont Waiyar, awaiting a new birth.
Furthermore, from my connection through “Slave Contract Magic,” I sensed that Francine accepted Toria’s soul as a matter of course.
As a princess of Waiyar, she must have had her reasons.
Still, Francine really got me.
The demon inside, Lamines Naga, is a rare talent that the high demon Barberu recruited as a military advisor for the invasion of the human realm, but to think that she secretly stole my semen and even became pregnant…
By chance, Astarotte was on night duty that night.
Since Astarotte had decided to remain with former Viscount Marquis Bottox, I had anticipated her strong desire due to our impending separation.
However, Astarotte invited her fellow former demon daughters, the three sisters Lara_Berze, and even Francine, turning it into a wild orgy.
I had understood Astarotte’s actions as a prelude to her taking on a more dominant role and asserting leadership, but…
It turns out Francine was the one who planned it all.
To steal my semen, she probably prepared five vaginas with the concept of “Hiding semen within vaginas,” much like “Hiding a tree within a forest.”
Furthermore, she concealed small bottles for semen collection inside her vagina and actively performed fellatio to encourage my ejaculation.
It seems Astarotte and the others were unaware of the true purpose of that night’s duty, but they didn’t seem to mind either.
In such a situation, her skill in collecting the semen was remarkable.
It was a stratagem worthy of the title of military advisor.
When devising a plan, it is best to have the other party willingly participate.
Even if they realize they’ve been deceived later, they might forgive you, and in this instance, strangely enough, it worked out.
Moreover, Lyusienne, who was directly involved, knew about it… so there shouldn’t be any problem.
And now, Toria, who was conceived in that fertilized egg, has been reborn as a princess with big breasts, making me feel the flow of destiny.
Along with the soul of Princess Margarita Pedos Wahl, residing in Lyusienne’s womb, I feel that everything has fallen into place.
Furthermore, both Lyusienne and Francine were revived after their deaths… It’s a precarious tightrope walk of legitimacy.
Royal lineages of ancient kingdoms sometimes demonstrate miraculous tightrope walks, and the royal lineage of the Waiyar Empire is likely no different.
Initially, Toria was filled with resentment towards the Wahl Imperial Family, but in the end, it was likely a manifestation of her desire for happiness as a princess.
Love and hate can change with one’s state of mind, and it’s difficult to resolve such tangled emotions alone.
From that perspective, I am truly glad that Toria could be saved.
Additionally, Dry and Fear, meeting the “requirements for humanization,” were an added bonus.
Looking back now, perhaps it was the best choice we made.
Still, Dry and Fear, who took over Toria’s body and performed a pseudo “First Night Ritual,” did a commendable job.
In that sense, was this humanization also a gift from the Divine Realm?
Generally, Mimics inhabit the depths of dungeons, mimicking monsters that roam their habitat or disguising themselves as treasure chests to prey on adventurers.
Did our deep connection with them, including Ain and Zwei, lead to their humanization?
By the way, Freya, who had just recovered from her injuries and was driving the carriage behind us, has also switched with Eria and is inside the box carriage.
And sitting next to Eria is Swan Hilda.
It’s quite something to have the drivers of the carriages all be from the Northern Nations.
As for me, I had planned to rest in the box carriage, but Glenda Shanti Von Iglewaas, whom we rescued, was crying and clinging to Alicia, so I felt it would be inappropriate to enter.
Toria, who had been trying to “prune” Glenda’s large breasts, had a fierce and demonic appearance.
The original Toria is a graceful beautiful girl, but consumed by vengeance and obsession, she had a terrifying expression.
Glenda was knocked unconscious, so she only knows Toria’s ghastly visage.
Looking forward again, the pure white tail of the white horse, “White Princess,” and the pure black tail of the black horse, “Black Princess,” are wagging happily.
The carriage is moving at a slow walk, but their mood seems to be uplifted from their full-speed run to the scene where Toria was attacking Glenda.
Incidentally, the movements of their tails are synchronized, and they are in perfect harmony.
The main road passes through a forest, and the surroundings are now grasslands.
To reach the city of Karamiya, we need to cut through the forest path ahead.
The Western Nations have a warm climate year-round, which allows trees to grow lushly.
“Hal-sama, the horses seem to be in a good mood. The weather is clear and pleasant, yet it’s a peaceful scene, hard to believe what just happened.”
“Indeed, Edele.”
“By the way, Hal-sama, I’ve been wondering for a while now, but there are no other travelers besides us. The only exception is Miss Glenda, whom we just saved. Could there be some other problem besides Toria!?”
“For now, it’s perfectly peaceful… though.”
The issue Edele raised is certainly worth pondering, so I’ll keep an eye out for any anomalies.
However, without further incident, the carriage arrived at the next point where we had to pass through a forest.
Since it’s a main road, the surface is paved with cobblestones, and the road is wide enough for carriages to pass with ease.
There are also gutters for rainwater runoff along the sides of the road, and even rest areas are built at regular intervals.
“By the way, Hal-sama… concerning the Kingdom of Desmonia, where I am scheduled to be enthroned as Queen, do its subjects truly exist?… The more I think about it, the more my head aches.”
“Currently, the Northern Nations are a haven for demons. It’s natural to worry, but I’m sure it will work out somehow.”
“Really…?”
“That’s why Edele is working hard with Swan Hilda and Eria, isn’t she? Besides, that country is also one of the keystones of the barrier restricting movement between the human and demon realms. There will surely be help from the Divine Realm.”
“Hearing you say that, Hal-sama, lifts a great burden from my shoulders. But why have the Northern Nations become a haven for demons?”
“If the source of a demon’s power is miasma, then the source of a demonkin’s power is wicked magic. And wicked magic is considered a diluted form of miasma. I believe the condition for humans to become demonkin is that the concentration of wicked magic in their surroundings exceeds a threshold.”
“A threshold…?”
“In the human realm, wicked magic can also arise from people’s negative emotions. However, in most cases, it is believed to be miasma leaking from the barrier separating the human and demon realms, diluted into wicked magic.”
“Considering the miasma leakage from the barrier, isn’t it strange that the concentration has particularly increased in the Northern Nations? I don’t think the leakage concentration is uniform or evenly distributed.”
“I don’t think the miasma leakage concentration varies by region, as Edele pointed out. However, perhaps demonization occurred specifically in the Northern Nations due to differences in lifestyle between humans and animals!?”
“Differences in lifestyle…?”
“In other words, while houses in the hot Southern Nations and temperate Western Nations have good ventilation, houses in the cold Northern Nations prioritize heat retention, thus having poor ventilation. Therefore, while leaked wicked magic does not concentrate indoors in the Southern and Western Nations, it concentrates in the Northern Nations, and people become demonized under its influence, I think.”
“Then what about beasts?”
“The beasts of the Northern Nations hibernate or go into torpor to survive the harsh winter. I believe they became demonized during that time, transforming into lower-level magical beasts.”
“…So that’s how it was.”
Edele, relating it to her past lifestyle habits, understood my explanation.
“Speaking of which, Swan Hilda mentioned that there are no longer any demon maidens left in the Demon King’s castle. I believe all the girls who could be saved have been rescued.”
“Swan Hilda, a Valkyrie, is truly powerful. When she has free time, she flies to the Demon King’s castle and brings back demon women… Starting with the beloved daughters of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Realm, she has sent quite a few to St. Agnes Abbey. Despite this, it’s strange that there hasn’t been as much chaos among demons as we anticipated.”
“…Th-that is— It’s probably because demon maidens are targets for abduction marriages, and someone must be abducting and keeping them. To them, demon maidens are merely an outlet for their lust and are nothing more than ‘things to bear children with’…”
Edele and I conversed about various topics.
She recounted Swan Hilda’s past blunders and anecdotes from when she masqueraded as Princess Jumilande, the only daughter of Demon King Gandaro, as well as memories with Eria.
And then our carriage passed the entrance of the forest and proceeded down the path within the dense woods again.
At that moment, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Edele was holding the reins, but she had not given any signal to stop.
In other words, the horses had stopped on their own.
And “Black Princess” and “White Princess” were twitching their ears, alert to their surroundings.
They braced their limbs, standing in a posture that, if they were human, would be akin to standing at attention.
Then they looked back at me.
And they turned towards me with pleading gazes.
These gazes seemed to be begging me to release them from their harnesses.
Come to think of it, I’ve known them for a long time.
They participated in the “Princess Harem” from the First Expedition Trip to the Southern Nations, and for Raymond Trading Company’s business, they transported slaves across various regions.
Therefore, when I took over driving from Edele, I removed their harnesses and set them free.
“Hal-sama, what’s wrong? Releasing the horses in a place like this!?”
Edele seemed bewildered by my sudden action.
“It’s because the horses wanted it.”
“The horses…?”
As I was about to tell the tilting-her-head-in-bewilderment Edele to investigate the surroundings.
Something leaped out from the shadows of the trees on either side.
Simultaneously, the carriage being pulled by the horses driven by Eria pulled up alongside us.
“What’s going on?”
Swan Hilda called out, looking puzzled.
Incidentally, Eria also had a bewildered expression.
In contrast, “Assy-kun” and “Crisky-kun,” who were pulling the carriage behind, had both their ears flat and their tails hanging down, looking frightened.
This was a stark contrast to the dignified stance of “Black Princess” and “White Princess,” braced on their sturdy limbs.
With this state of affairs, they won’t be getting any mating done anytime soon.
Thinking this, I explained the situation to Swan Hilda.
“Something leaped out from the forest on both sides! Everyone, be on guard!!”
“Ah, that’s! It’s a lower-rank demon, a Horned Wolf!”
Thank you for reading.
episode56-7, “Wandering Dismantler (Crusher),” was scheduled for posting at 0:00 on December 25th.
