Chapter 129 - A Wizard's Natural Enemy (5)

At Paimon's spectacular entrance, Gremory reined in her agitation and spoke in an icy voice.

"...Is this your trump card? Summoning another demon to stop a demon?"

Gremory's red hair swayed with stately grace amid her blazing mana.

"If you thought I'd get scared and run away, that's hilarious."

"Not really. I wasn't thinking that."

I looked at Gremory.

I'd never summoned Paimon to defeat Gremory in the first place.

I hadn't summoned the Chains of Light because I didn't want to hurt her. Wouldn't it be strange to summon another demon just to hurt Gremory instead?

I wasn't trying to stop a demon with another demon.

"Just...."

Step- step-.

I walked forward and stood completely defenseless between Gremory, who was gathering her mana, and Paimon.

"If you two seriously fight, I'll die in the crossfire."

If I had to put it one way, I'd summoned another mom.

Paimon watched the scene with intrigued eyes.

"Hmm~."

Gremory's expression stiffened for a moment.

"You...."

Then she frowned with that pretty face of hers and sighed.

"Haa... Is this the story of Solomon and the two mothers? ...Unbelievable."

The story of Solomon and the two mothers.

Obviously, that didn't mean Solomon literally had two mothers.

His father, David, took eight wives, so Solomon certainly had no shortage of mothers.

'Wow~ Eight moms!'

Anyway, "Solomon and the Two Women" was a famous story about Solomon's judgment, one that even appeared in children's tales.

One day, two women appeared before King Solomon with a single baby and asked him to determine which of them was the child's true mother.

And as everyone knew, Solomon told them to cut the baby in half and split it between them.

'Two moms, one baby? Cut it in half. Share nicely.'

Everyone was stunned by this absurd judgment.

'Does the king have no heart?'

The two women reacted in completely different ways.

One told him to hurry up and cut the baby in half, while the other said she would give up the child and begged him not to kill the baby.

And naturally, the baby's true mother was the woman who begged him not to kill her child.

In other words, Yo-han was telling Gremory to back down if she didn't want him to die.

The corner of Gremory's eye twitched. Emotion crept into her voice.

"You recreate some paltry old tale... and stake your life on... this ridiculous gamble? Are you insane?"

"Does this look like a gamble to you? I don't think it is."

I stared into Gremory's red eyes, which reflected my own face, without looking away.

"Even if it was a fake world, you were warm and kind to me."

Without hesitation, I took another step toward Gremory.

"This isn't a gamble to me. I'm taking the leap because I trust you."

".........!?"

"Well... if you're sick of me or you've come to hate me, that's fine."

My eyes curved in a smile as I spoke.

"I'm used to being abandoned."

Gremory caught her breath, her shoulders trembling faintly.

"You...."

Just who had taught that wizard love before she ever could?

Unable to use magic, he was now restraining a demon with affection instead.

Gremory glanced at Paimon, who was grinning cheerfully, then shot me a sidelong glare with her crimson eyes.

".........."

Before long, the tension left her gaze. Wearing a complicated expression, she gently bit her soft lower lip and turned away.

Fine. She would indulge his spoiled little act. She was still sulking, though.

She was embarrassed about losing control of her emotions too... and she wasn't going to see him for a while.

With a flutter of pure-white wings, Gremory's body broke apart into a flock of doves.

The doves flew out through the temple windows and disappeared.

The temple fell silent in an instant.

"Oh? I was about to discuss which of us would get the upper half and which would get the lower half. She left?"

But soon Paimon's beautiful voice filled the silence again, chattering merrily.

...Right. Gremory had backed down, but now I was stuck with this one.

"Hmm~ For the upper half, the face is just my type... and as for the lower half~ Oh my!"

Paimon pressed both hands to her cheeks and gently swayed her blond hair, coyly pretending to be embarrassed.

I frowned in irritation and glared at her.

".........."

"Haha~ I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I'm just happy to see you."

Paimon grinned.

"I even prepared a little routine for Your Majesty while looking forward to the day we'd meet."

'...A routine?'

Paimon cutely swung her arms and hips, fluttering the hem of her pink camisole like an idol doing a dance.

"Paimon-chan~ nani ga suki? Choco minto!"

Then she held out a palm toward me and winked.

"Yori mo~ a-na-ta♡"

I like you more than mint chocolate♡

Pink heart effects created with magic burst all around Paimon.

I immediately gave my verdict.

"That trend's already over."

"Eeeh~ Really? But it's cute, so let it slide~."

Apparently not particularly disappointed, Paimon answered in an exaggerated, playful voice and padded barefoot toward the center of the temple.

"And besides that~."

She spun gracefully like a noble and flashed her golden eyes at me.

"I prepared lots of things Your Majesty likes."

Paimon raised a hand and snapped her fingers.

"Fire Arrow."

".........!"

Along with the completely unnecessary fantasy-style spell call, tiny flames ignited in midair and danced in circles around her.

At Paimon's gesture, they merged into one and grew into a large sphere.

"Fireball."

Paimon brought her raised arm down, and the blazing sphere followed, crashing into the temple floor and exploding.

BOOM-

Flames spread in a straight line, surging spectacularly upward into a wall of fire.

-Fwoooooosh!

"...Firewall."

Paimon murmured softly, then stood with the wall of fire at her back, clasped her hands behind her, and leaned forward slightly at the waist.

The shadows cast by the flames created an air of mystery, making Paimon's blond hair sparkle.

She spoke to me in a sultry voice.

"Your Majesty, you like this sort of thing, don't you?"

".........."

I frowned and clenched my fist.

'Damn it, I hate to admit it... but maybe she looks kind of sexy?'

That Fireball into Firewall combo was way too cool! ...I wanted to use it too.

Of course, it wasn't actual fantasy magic or anything.

Paimon had simply staged the whole thing using the power of the King of Fire Elementals.

"Haha~ I was so happy that Your Majesty remembered our last conversation that I ended up amusing myself a little."

Paimon extinguished the towering wall of flames, then smoothly swept her gaze over the ground at my feet.

'I look forward to the day Your Majesty steps out of that coward's circle and caresses my body with your own hands.'

There was no Magic Circle protecting the wizard.

"~."

Paimon's eyes curved with delight as she lightly approached me.

"...Then what should we play together now? Want to play a little squeeze-and-touch game?"

And with an indifferent expression, I opened the Grimoire <The Lesser Key of Solomon>.

Flutter-.

".........."

I summoned the Chains of Light and bound Paimon's neck and limbs.

Clatter-!

"-Huh? Kyaa!"

I looked down at Paimon, who had collapsed onto the floor.

"If you remembered that, you should've remembered that I also said, 'That's never happening'."

I spoke in a calm, low voice.

"I didn't use these on Gremory... but don't assume I won't get rough with you too."

I wound the Chains of Light extending from the grimoire around my free hand.

Clink....

Then I forced Paimon's head up.

"Ngh...."

I bent forward and coldly stared into Paimon's golden eyes as she looked up at me.

And....

The corners of Paimon's mouth curled upward beyond her control as her cheeks flushed red.

"Haha... rough with me? ...Oh dear... I like that."

Her golden eyes glittered. She smiled seductively.

At the sight, I narrowed my eyes, released the chain in my hand, and straightened up.

Clatter....

".........."

"Ghk- huff-."

There wasn't much point in restraining someone if they enjoyed it.

I watched Paimon cough lightly and spoke.

"Haa... I'm not into screwing men, so go back."

"Huh? Aha~."

Paimon tilted her head, then smiled mischievously.

"You thought I was a man? Du~mmy♡"

She briefly stuck out her tiny pink tongue, then pulled it back in.

"I'm a cute girl right now."

Paimon giggled mockingly at me.

"I'm a high-ranking demon, so I can change something like my sex whenever I want."

With her legs folded into a W as she sat there.

"Or would you like to check for yourself?"

Paimon took the thin hem of her camisole in both hands, lifted it slightly, and fluttered it back and forth.

I silently looked down at the sight.

".........."

According to occult demonology, Paimon was said to spout confusing words. Was this what they meant?

Anyway, I was ready to dismiss her.

"Right, whatever. Thanks for helping me. Bye."

"Huh?"

Before Paimon could react, circles of light formed all around her and forcibly sent her back where she'd come from.

‧

‧

‧

Boing~.

Paimon dropped onto the enormous, plush bed in her own room.

"Ah~ Seriously~!"

Rustle... Paimon pushed herself upright on the bed, puffing out her cheeks and cutely pretending to sulk.

"You make a demon's heart pound like this! Then you don't even give me lovey-dovey, filthy, pure-love sex! That's criminal! Criminal!"

Paimon grumbled and reached out.

She picked up the little chibi-style Yo-han doll lying on the bed.

Its grumpy-looking eyes were adorable.

"Hmph! Paimon's sulking~ I'll just play with Doll Majesty instead."

Then she picked up a Paimon doll modeled after herself with her other hand.

As if she had never really been sulking in the first place, Paimon dropped the act and played on in a relaxed voice.

"Your Majesty~ Welcome home. Dinner? A bath? Or...."

"Shut up, you sow!"

Paimon used the Yo-han doll's arm to smack the Paimon doll.

"~Kyaa."

"I come home after working my ass off. The second I walk in! You get me hard! Fine! I'll give you exactly what you want!"

Paimon lifted the Yo-han doll and pounded it down against the Paimon doll. Bam! Bam! Bam!

"Hya! Hya! Hya!"

"Nooo~ Hngh! I'm a king~ Ah~ ah~ I'm coming! I'm gonna have tons of cambions~."

[Cambion – A hybrid of a demon and a human. Because of their extraordinary parentage, they are born with exceptional magical talent.

The wizard Merlin, famous from the legends of the Knights of the Round Table, is a cambion.

However, because of their demonic blood, they may be born with features unlike those of ordinary humans, such as tails or wings, or they may be born intersex.]

At this shocking sight, the demon maid with the cute tail, who had been cleaning the room with a feather duster, blinked and stared with her mouth hanging open.

"...Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

Paimon stopped acting and answered with a perfectly straight face.

"Playing house with dolls."

"...That is absolutely not playing house."

"Ahaha~."

After laughing, Paimon flopped back onto the bed and stroked the Yo-han doll.

".........."

Well~ it didn't matter that she'd been sent back just like that.

Simply being summoned a second time was enough to satisfy her.

The rule that he would never summon her had already been broken long ago.

To Yo-han, she had already become something he was willing to use.

"...I'm looking forward to the next summoning."

Paimon's golden eyes gleamed.

***

The empty temple was finally, truly silent.

"......Haa."

I let out a tired sigh and took out my phone to check the date and time.

I'd expected as much, since my body didn't feel too bad.

Thankfully, the date hadn't changed. Only the time had passed, and it was now evening.

In that case....

"...Guess I'll head back."

I murmured quietly to myself, started walking, and left the building.

On the way back.

I spotted a cake shop and, without thinking, bought an assorted set.

I held up the cake box and stared at it.

".........."

Yeah, well. I was always getting fed there anyway. Buying something once in a while was fine.

Tired, I took a taxi and got out near the Cathedral.

".........."

There was Ellie, standing in front of the Cathedral.

I looked at the blue-eyed nun with long black hair, the tip of her nose slightly red against her pale face, perhaps from the cold.

I stood there for a moment, staring at her.

Yeah. There was no point denying it anymore. I didn't know exactly when it had happened, but....

'I'm in love with Ellie.'

".........."

...This was completely out of nowhere, but the Mesopotamian myths of Babylon had a hero named Enkidu, a monster who became human.

To roughly summarize the myth: Gilgamesh, a demigod hero with divine blood, was such an outrageous tyrant that....

The gods created Enkidu from clay and sent him down to punish Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh took one look at him, got scared shitless, and sent Shamhat, a priestess of Ishtar's temple, to Enkidu.

Well, some versions called her a prostitute, while others called her both a priestess and a prostitute, but anyway, the important thing was....

Enkidu spent two weeks with Shamhat, learned many things from her, and went from being a monster to becoming human.

Then Gilgamesh decided he could take Enkidu now and challenged him to a duel, but....

Enkidu remained strong even after becoming human, so the fight dragged on until the two acknowledged one another and became friends.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu went on many adventures together after that.

Then one day, Ishtar proposed to Gilgamesh, and Gilgamesh turned her down by pointing out that she'd killed or cursed every husband she'd ever had.

Ishtar appealed to the king of the gods, who sent an enormous monster called the Bull of Heaven down upon the city of Uruk.

To protect the people, Enkidu fought the monster sent by the gods alongside Gilgamesh and won.

But for defying the gods, Enkidu was cursed and died.

".........."

...There was nothing wrong with being ordinary.

But in a world overflowing with enemies who wanted my grimoire and threatened my life, becoming ordinary wasn't good.

Not for a wizard.

Then Ellie noticed me and approached with a bright expression.

"Ah, Yo-han-ssi!"

These feelings I had for Ellie would someday kill me, a wizard.

Even so, I stepped forward and approached her.

"I'm back."

"You must've had a long day."

I looked at Ellie's slightly flushed face and asked.

"Why are you outside? Did something happen?"

"Well... I just had a feeling you'd be back soon, Yo-han-ssi...."

Ellie cautiously averted her gaze.

"...Did that make you uncomfortable?"

"Not really. Still, if you needed something, you'd be better off waiting inside. It's cold."

I handed Ellie the cake box.

"What's this?"

"Cake. Eat it with the kids and Soo-ah."

Ellie accepted the box with both hands and smiled brightly.

"Thank you! We'll enjoy it! Oh, Yo-han-ssi, have you had dinner yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then I'll make you something right now!"

I was tired too, so I took her up on the offer.

Ellie watched Yo-han's back as he walked toward the Cathedral.

".........."

Her bright blue eyes, which had been sparkling a moment ago, trembled with self-loathing.

Waiting for Yo-han in front of the Cathedral.

'Yo-han-ssi didn't seem bothered by it, but....'

It really was a creepy thing to do.

As if she were saying, I am waiting here for you. So please come back to me.

Wasn't she practically making a show of it?

'...These clingy, sticky feelings.'

She wasn't treating Yo-han well because she was a nun.

She wanted to treat him well because he was Yo-han.

When Yo-han first came to the Cathedral, he had nowhere to go, like a bird with an injured wing....

But now his body had fully recovered, and work had started coming in again.

...He could leave the Cathedral whenever he wanted.

She hated that.

Ellie's grip tightened, crumpling the handle of the cake box.

".........."

She didn't care if he stopped getting work, as long as he stayed here.

...She wanted him beside her.

It felt like breaking the wings of a healed bird because she couldn't bear to see it fly away.

Ellie's face flushed at the ugly, sticky emotion she had never felt before, and she bit her lip.

She placed her free hand over her chest.