Chapter 14: Let’s Have a Family Chat

“What’s Lady Doroshi looking at?”
Ren, watching Doroshi’s small movements with a faint smile, asked casually.
Even without her maid outfit, she used the respectful title.

“Oh, right! Didn’t we talk about it earlier? Something’s going on with that monster plain. The news says there’s been some incident there.”
Showing Ren her phone screen, Doroshi spoke lightly, as if discussing an urban legend.

“A continuation of this morning’s topic?”
With her demon god-enhanced vision, Ren easily read the phone’s contents without leaning closer.

The screen showed a photo, likely taken from a distance, of a massive red light pillar stretching from the ground to the sky in the Leitinghake Plains.
A few days ago, an anomaly occurred in the plains, and this skyward red pillar had alarmed the “World Alliance,” becoming a hot topic of public discussion after hitting the news.

“But you’re a super powerful demon god, way above those monsters, right? So this probably has nothing to do with you.”
Doroshi felt the news was far removed from her life and didn’t dwell on it, treating it as post-dinner gossip.
If anything, having a demon god like Ren by her side was on a whole different level from mere monsters.

To her surprise, Ren shook her head gently.
“Lady Doroshi, while I’ve said that demon gods are entirely different from lowly monsters…”
“That red light pillar in the Leitinghake Plains might have some connection to me.”

“What’s that about?”
Doroshi’s interest spiked.
If it involved Ren, as her nominal master, she needed to understand.

“Since Lady Doroshi wishes to know…”

Ren summoned her tentacles again, this time extending from under her pajamas.
Unlike Doroshi’s initial panic at seeing them, she now leaned in excitedly to examine them.
Ren didn’t stop her childlike curiosity, even extending the tentacles for Doroshi to touch.

“Whoa, this texture! Soft, smooth, super springy!”
The strawberry-red tentacles were slick and elastic, with rows of circular suckers lining their undersides.

Doroshi’s gaze traced to their base, her mischievous hands itching to lift Ren’s pajama hem to see how they emerged.
But Ren, blushing slightly, stopped her odd behavior.

“Oops, sorry.”
Doroshi gave an awkward laugh, realizing her joke went too far, though Ren’s shy reaction was unexpectedly cute.

Unbeknownst to Doroshi, Ren’s blush stemmed from failing to maintain her elegant maid composure.
Ren pressed down her pajama hem, adopting a proper posture.
“Lady Doroshi, I’ll continue.”

“Go for it!”

“When I first gained consciousness, it was after you brought me out of the fire. Meeting you awakened my self-awareness.”
“After you gave me that precious treasure, I went to the hospital in the ambulance.”
Ren raised her left arm slightly, the red ribbon Doroshi gave her gleaming vibrantly under the light.

Doroshi wanted to quip that it was just a cheap night market trinket but held back, not wanting to hurt Ren’s feelings.

“In the hospital room, I recalled that I am a being born from the fusion of the demon god—Sophiatola, Calamity God of the End—and the human girl, Kimihiro Ren.”

While speaking, Ren multitasked, using her tentacles to boil water and brew tea.
Doroshi hadn’t noticed where Ren hid the tea set and leaves—she pulled them out like a magic trick.

“I’ve almost entirely lost the memories from before the fusion.”
“Thankfully, I retained basic knowledge from both my demon god and human sides, allowing me to serve you as I do now.”

‘Your actions don’t exactly scream “basic knowledge.” Is being an absurdly capable maid just standard for demon gods?’

“My presence in that orphanage was likely influenced by the human Ren’s memories. That place might have been significant to her.”

‘Okay, you still look human, so don’t talk like you’re not Kimihiro Ren!’

Serving perfectly warmed tea in an elegant cup, Ren’s tentacles presented it to Doroshi on a tray.
“Lady Doroshi, please.”

“Thanks.”
Doroshi sipped the tea, her face relaxing in comfort.

Ren’s lips curved slightly upward.
Doroshi’s happiness brought her joy too.

“But I haven’t lost all memories beyond basic knowledge.”
“As Sophiatola, I was deployed to this world a thousand years ago by the demon gods as a final weapon for some purpose.”
“For reasons unknown, they haven’t yet come to activate me.”

Doroshi hesitated, setting down her cup.
“We talked about this earlier, but… you really won’t destroy the world, right?”

“Never, Lady Doroshi.”
Ren spread her hands, smiling.
“You are my only priority.”
“If those meddlesome demon gods show up, I’ll deal with them mercilessly. The underworld is where they belong.”

Doroshi gave an awkward laugh.
As expected of a final weapon—completely unfazed by world-destroying demon gods.
‘Though I still don’t know what a “final weapon” even entails.’

“Wait, a thousand years ago…? So your age is…?”
Doroshi’s eyes widened, her gaze turning odd.

Ren nodded calmly, unbothered by age as a taboo.
“Roughly over a thousand years, I’d say. Among demon gods, I’m practically a newborn, but in terms of power, I’m confident I rival any of them.”
To emphasize, she waved her fist cutely.

“No, no, that’s not the point!”
Poor Doroshi, who’d always seen Ren as a peer, was floored by her true age.
“Ten, twenty, fifty, sixty… you’re like sixty times older than me!”
‘Old enough to be my ancestor’s ancestor!’

Ren smiled serenely, shaking her head.
“Please don’t mind it, Lady Doroshi. Though I’ve existed for a millennium, I spent most of it asleep.”
“With so few memories left after the fusion, it’s only been a week since I awoke. Just think of me as a week-old infant.”

“Your age is way too extreme!”
Unable to wrap her head around Ren’s age logic, Doroshi sighed in defeat.