I walked along the night road, accompanied by Mastema, who had disguised herself as an ordinary human by hiding her horns and wings.
We ended up getting tangled with some really strange folks.
Though I was walking normally, my entire body ached quite a bit.
โYouโre bleeding,โ Mastema said as she grabbed my finger and licked the blood from the tip.
Her red tongue slid over my finger, and just like that, the bleeding stopped.
โYour blood tastes good,โ she said, licking away every drop of blood.
It reminded me of a snakeโa snake that tempts and corrupts humans.
โI thought you didnโt eat people,โ I said.
โI donโt. They taste bad. But your blood tastes good. It has the flavor of angels and apples.โ
โWhat the hell does that mean?โ
The taste of angelsโฆ I have no idea what sheโs talking about.
Could it be a side effect of using the Heavenly Sword?
Itโs true that since I started using it, my magical power has increased significantlyโฆ I thought it was just the result of the strain.
As for the apple part, that makes no sense at all.
When we finally reached home, the house was already lit up inside.
The slaves must have been awake.
As I opened the door, Arnella rushed over with a warm towel in hand.
โWelcome home, Master.โ
โAh, thanks for your hard work.โ
I wiped my face with the towel, and it felt like Iโd just taken a bath. The unpleasantness faded away.
โHey, Arnella. I did my job properly.โ
โThank you, Mastema. Hereโs what I promised,โ Arnella said, handing Mastema three sweet breads.
Mastema clutched them and dove onto the sofa, immediately taking a big bite.
I sighed at the sight of Mastema spilling crumbs everywhere.
Not too long ago, she carried herself with the dignity of a demon, but nowโฆ
Arnella quietly cleaned up the crumbs.
โIt was getting late, so I asked Mastema to go look for you. She wouldnโt be in any danger.โ
โYeah, if you guys had come, it couldโve been dangerous. Good call.โ
Honestly, it saved me a lot of trouble. Things could have gotten messy if Iโd stayed there.
While I was praising Arnella for her judgment, Noel brought me a cup of hot soup. It seemed sheโd reheated it.
I gratefully took the steaming cup and gulped it down. The sensation of the hot liquid flowing down my throat was unbeatable.
Mastema, seeing me drink, decided she wanted some too and downed hers in one go.
Typical demonโseems sheโs resistant to heat.
As my body warmed up, probably due to the leftover alcohol, I started feeling drowsy.
โThe bedroom is ready,โ Noel said, helping me take off my jacket.
While she did that, Arnella brought a first-aid kit and treated the wounds that had been exposed. As for a bathโฆ I could wait until tomorrow.
I fell asleep like a rock.
Just before I lost consciousness, I thought I saw Mastema standing there.
The next morning, I woke up to find myself locked in a joint hold by Mastema.
Her body was soft and warm, but there was nothing seductive about this situation. I was completely pinned. No amount of my strength could break free.
Her behavior might have changed drastically, but in moments like these, nothing was different. Human strength was useless. At least my bones werenโt broken.
โWake up! Damn it, wake up!โ
I tried to peel Mastema off with my open hand, but she didnโt budge an inch.
Ah, now her drool was about to drip onto my arm.
I pinched her nose shut.
She switched to breathing through her mouth, but since she wasnโt used to doing that while asleep, she squirmed for a bit before finally waking up.
Itโs strangeโshe doesnโt even need to breathe, but here we are.
When Mastema woke up and saw me, she looked a little surprised, then got a mischievous look on her face.
โOh, is this a midnight visit?โ
โHow can you say that in this situation?โ
I finally managed to peel Mastema off and wiped her mouth with a towel. She let me do it without protest.
After wiping away the drool, I stretched. My joints cracked loudly.
The wounds were already healing thanks to the herbal-infused bandages. I might as well take a bath.
I left the room and headed to the bathroom, with Mastema following behind.
โYouโre coming to the bath too?โ
โAfter eating the bread last night, I got sleepy right away.โ
โYouโre like a child.โ
I ran into Noel on the way and had her prepare some clean clothes, then entered the bathroom.
Using magic stones for fire and water, I activated the mechanism to fill the tub.
โItโs pretty convenient. Who came up with this? Wouldnโt it be easier to just use magic to heat the water?โ
โNot everyone can use magic, you know. Thatโs why Iโm still attending the magic academy at my age.โ
The wide tub gradually filled with hot water, and steam filled the room.
I took off my clothes, washed myself with a bucket of water, and then soaked in the bath.
Bathing every day is apparently quite the luxury, but I canโt imagine life without it.
Mastema entered the bath as well, relaxing with only her face above the water. Her cheeks, warmed by the heat, turned red, making her look like a little round dumpling.
โAhโฆ Iโll definitely build a bath in Hell.โ
โGo ahead.โ
โThough I have no plans to return there. Until then, you can keep preparing it for me.โ
โAs long as youโre alive, Iโll take care of you. Iโd be too scared to sleep at night if I left you unattended.โ
โOh, do you like me that much? Let me know if you ever want to extend your life,โ Mastema teased as I helped her out of the bath and started washing her long hair.
It was a hassle, but with no one else around, it was my responsibility. Normally Arnella or Noel would do this, but today it was just me.
Mastema remained still, allowing me to wash her.
โYouโve rinsed it with water, isnโt that enough?โ she asked.
โWith such long, beautiful hair, itโs worth taking proper care of it.โ
โHmm.โ
I wasnโt sure if demons had a metabolism, but since she ate food, taking care of her hair probably wasnโt pointless. I think.
Once out of the bath, I got dressed and left the rest of the preparations to the slaves, who would dry her hair.
โThe preparations are mostly complete, but how will we travel to the Kingdom of Noareiz?โ
โOh, right. I havenโt mentioned it yet. Iโm going to show you something interesting.โ
โInteresting? What might that be?โ
I pulled out four ticketsโtickets for the magical train.
It was the latest creation from the Kingdom of Noareiz, a masterpiece of magical engineering, and what they call their greatest toy.