Chapter 37

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 37

Chapter Title: Meeting the Demon Pillar

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When I stepped outside, it was already night.

I remembered that Etwal was kept in the duke's study, so I hurried there.

As I walked down the dark hallway toward the study, light leaked through the slightly ajar door.

And then a familiar voice drifted out.

"Look at Cattleya. Her face is so pale. It's because she vomited blood. Because of the baby's holy power!"

The baron's wife cried out in a trembling voice, and the baron chimed in to back her up.

"Why did the baby attack my daughter? What did she do wrong?"

"You must hold the baby accountable. Someone with that much power isn't just a child!"

"Shut up."

It was Ishak.

He was slouched back on the sofa, arm draped over the armrest, lightly propping his head with his fist.

When the baron couple responded with "Pardon?", Ishak muttered in a bored tone.

"Makes me wanna kill you."

"How can you be so heartless? Cattleya is your blood relative..."

At that, Henri set down his teacup with a clink and smiled faintly.

"Baron."

At his honey-sweet smile, hope lit up the baron couple's faces. The baron, his expression brightening, said,

"As expected, Young Master Henri, you understand Cattleya's..."

"I'm barely holding back from putting up with you right now."

"What..."

"None of this would've happened if you hadn't pulled your nonsense in the first place."

"Y-Young Master."

Ishak scowled and jumped in.

"You all swarmed in and made such a racket that my little sister's legs gave out."

It was an embarrassing thing to say in front of Cattleya, who had spat up blood.

Everyone seemed to think so, their faces flustered.

'There are too many people. Should I come back tomorrow?'

But I needed to get Etwal before my voice fully turned me into a baby.

I was agonizing over it when...

"Little one!"

"Leblain."

The young masters, who had spotted me too, rushed over.

"You okay?"

"Why'd you come without lying down?"

"I'm otay, so I came."

I startled myself with my own speech.

My pronunciation, which had been steadily improving, had regressed.

'I definitely need to find Etwal today and ask my voice how to restore my condition.'

"Wanna see the young master..."

Then Henri and Ishak flung the door wide open and ushered me inside.

Once in the room, I saw an elder who hadn't been visible from outside.

He looked at me like an appraiser eyeing an object. His gaze was intensely probing.

Suddenly, I recalled what had happened earlier.

If that uncle hadn't egged things on, I wouldn't have been so anxious about my voice appearing or fully regressing into a baby.

'Now that I think about it, it pisses me off.'

I toddled over to the duke and looked up at him with teary eyes.

"Hiiing..."

The duke swiftly scooped up his whining self and rubbed my eyes.

"What's wrong?"

The young masters hurried over too.

"What's up? Huh? Does it hurt?"

I buried my face in the duke's chest and pointed my index finger at the elder with a flick.

"Uncle scawwy. Stawes meanwy."

At my words, Ishak glared at him with blazing eyes.

"I'll rip out your eyeballs."

Henri fixed the elder with a cold stare and said to Ishak,

"I told you to use polite words in front of Leblain. 'I will extract your eyeballs,' you mean."

Either way, it was about gouging out eyeballs.

The elder let out an awkward "Heh, heh heh, heh."

"I'd better avert my eyes before my eyeballs get extracted."

He bowed deeply to the duke and headed for the door. The other retainers scurried after him like arrows.

Only Cattleya shot me a sharp glare before leaving.

Once they were all gone, the room held Viscount Dubos and three pro-duke retainers, plus Nos.

The duke smoothed my tousled hair and asked,

"You don't need more rest?"

"I'm fine."

"Stubborn thing. Is there anything you want to eat? Anything else you need?"

His words made my eyes light up.

'Right, I can't steal Etwal from the duke's study while he's guarding it all day.'

So I'd have no choice but to sneak in with my voice's help. But if I couldn't control my holy power and the Duvered mages showed up asking 'Thousands? Or tens of thousands?!', I'd really be in trouble.

'So I need to ask when he's offering.'

I looked up at him cautiously and said,

"Etwal pwease."

The retainers' and Nos's eyes bulged. Even Ishak and Henri looked taken aback.

"Huh? Little one, that's..."

"Leblain, Etwal is..."

Of course they wouldn't just hand over something precious like Etwal.

'Gotta try something.'

I clasped my hands together and gazed at the duke with sparkling eyes.

"Daddy... Weblain wants Etwal."

It gave me chills all over, but I tried to sound as cute as possible.

I'd pee the bed before abandoning my dignity.

But I wasn't confident it'd work, so I squeezed my eyes shut.

'Why's it so quiet? Didn't it land?'

Then.

Thud!

A dull noise rang out.

Peeking through slitted eyes, I saw a glossy wooden box on the desk.

As the duke stared wide-eyed at the box, pop-pop! Pop, pop! It sounded like bombs exploding.

It was the sound of the 12-layer barrier that a hundred Duvered mages had layered day and night for a week shattering.

Boom!

With the final blast, the box jolted open, and blood spurted like a fountain from the duke's arm holding me.

He snatched Etwal and held it out to me.

"Want me to steal the one from the temple too?"

...No, that's fine.

***

"Daddy."

"Yes."

"Daddy."

"Yes."

"Daddyyy..."

"Yes."

How long do I have to keep this up?

The duke showed no signs of tiring, ready to listen to "daddy" all night.

I finally escaped his lap only after putting on an Oscar-worthy performance: "Ah, my head...!"

As I grabbed the doorknob, Henri and Ishak stared at me with terribly dark expressions.

'...This feels ominous.'

I bolted from the room.

And slipped out the castle gates with Etwal in hand.

'Can't do it in front of Lea.'

I looked around and found a suitable spot for talking to my voice.

The garden gazebo.

'Do I qualify now?'

I thought, but no reply came.

Why'd it go quiet all of a sudden?

I tilted my head and shook Etwal lightly.

'Does it need holy power like before?'

I was just barely infusing the tiniest bit of holy power into the Etwal in my hand when...

A gust of wind blew. Leaves and petals scattered in the breeze, and I covered my eyes with my arm.

"At last, I can greet you in this form."

"...!"

The voice didn't enter my head directly but reached my ears.

I lowered the arm shielding my eyes.

Under the silvery glowing full moon stood a strikingly beautiful man with long silver hair, evoking a lily.

"I am the twenty-second pillar, Bune."

His fine silver hair fluttered in the wind, his beautiful eyes curving gently. Behind him loomed a burning pillar.

"I've been looking forward to meeting you, little one."

"..."

When I said nothing, he tilted his head and gazed at me.

"Hm? Surprised? Why so quiet?"

"F-Fire."

"Pardon?"

"Put out fwire quick!"

What if people see I'm here! I stomped my feet, pointing at the pillar.

The voice—no, Bune—extinguished the pillar. Literally erased it.

With each wave of his hand in the air, the pillar vanished like it was being rubbed out with an eraser.

"I didn't mean to startle you. Besides, my 'pillar' is visible only to you."

"Why onwy me?"

"Because you summoned me."

"Can udders summin you too?"

"With powerful obsession, a very rare holy relic, luck, and a price."

"What's da pwice?"

"A soul."

I flinched.

"Do I gotta give soul too?"

"Of course not. You have power and qualification, little one. When you borrow our strength, no soul is needed. Your power alone sustains us."

That was a relief.

'Bune. Bune... I've heard that name somewhere.'

And talk of 'pillars' and 'souls' too.

Pondering deeply, a sudden realization hit me like a brick. I froze, trembling.

"Uncwe... no way..."

"Calling me 'uncle' makes me a bit sad."

"No way..."

"Yes."

"You a demon?!"

He clapped his hands with a smack and grinned brightly.

"Correct."

Daddy's the final boss.

My big brothers are war maniacs and venomous snakes.

The maids are a serial killer, a con artist, and a loan shark.

And now I've summoned a demon on top of that. Ha ha ha.

'What a mess.'

I thought, as I rested my hands on my waist and sighed heavily.

But Bune, who had been gazing at me with sparkling eyes, suddenly pulled me into a hug and rubbed his cheek against mine. My cheeks puffed out like buns.

"Ahh, even cuter than I imagined."

"Urgh..."

"Cheeks so plump, hands so soft..."

He murmured in rapture, nuzzling me.

"Wet go a wittle."

"Eyes round and shiny, hair so fluffy..."

"Wet go!"

I yelled in frustration, and Bune looked crestfallen.

"I didn't mean to trouble you. I just really like you. I've waited so long for the special one to call us."

"Why me?"

"We've always granted others' wishes. But no one could grant ours. Only you can."

He smiled and said,

"So you can wish for anything from us. Though it'll take a lot of your holy power to wield our strength."

"But why holy powew to keep you? Demons hate holy powew, wight?"

"I should be the one asking."

"Huh?"

"Why do you think we hate holy power?"

"You don't?"

"No. Some wishes are massive amounts of holy power."

I hummed and nodded.

"Okay. Then what can I do fow Bune?"

"You finally asked!"

He beamed with joy, meeting my eyes.

"What I desire is."

"What you want?"

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