Chapter 25: It Tickles

Two days had passed since Sia covered the Demon Realm with divine power.

As the vast divine power swept through the Demon Realm, the entire forest entered a state of lull.

Despite the brief moment of quiet, the price Sia paid worried me.

Staying awake for two days straight, waiting anxiously for Sia to wake up, I heard footsteps approaching nearby.

“She’ll wake up soon. The Goddess told me.”

Nodding at Diana’s voice from behind, I stood up.

We decided not to move until Sia woke up and set up camp instead.

As a transcendent being, I didn’t need human meals or sleep, but not doing them felt less human, so I usually made sure to eat and sleep.

However, since Sia collapsed, I had no desire to eat or sleep.

My overwhelming desire was simply for Sia to wake up soon.

In the campsite Butler set up, there were a few tents and a campfire, and I had laid Sia down next to it. Partly to keep her body from getting cold, and partly to feed her immediately when she woke up.

Of course, I didn’t lay her directly on the ground.

I spread out a blanket included with the tent and covered her with another one.

Even so, Sia’s lukewarm body made me uneasy, so I held her hand.

Diana returned from her business, so I stood up and left the campsite.

And went beyond the center of the Demon Realm, towards the abyss, killing the demonic beasts and Majin I saw along the way.

Shhhhhhhlick!

-Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!

-Kyarururururuk.

-@%*/_/@~!!

The sounds of dying demonic beasts and Majin spread throughout the forest, and their screams and blood soaked the forest floor, trickling down.

Repeating the massacre for two days didn’t improve my mood.

A feeling somehow familiar, yet now repulsive.

“Feels like I’ve returned to before I met Sia…”

Yes.

It felt just like returning to the old days.

The time when my master and I devastated the Demon Realm.

An aura even sharper than back then cut down the forest trees, killed demonic beasts, and executed Majin.

Slashing the air vertically severed space, cutting the diameter line, and slashing horizontally bisected the horizon, recreating the scene.

However, the Demon Realm is the Demon Realm.

I slashed and slashed again.

But the Miasma dissolved in the air seeped into the ground, regenerating the forest.

Venting my anger this way wasn’t right, but right now, unless I did something, my hands itched, leaving me no choice but to resort to this method.

Whoosh!

I cut down a poison arrow flying towards me with my sword and unleashed sword energy.

Thwack!

From the direction the arrow came, the sound of slaughter erupted, and the arrows stopped coming.

In the Demon Realm, even the sky was a deep purple, making it always dark and gloomy, whether morning, evening, or night, hindering visibility.

But that only applied to ordinary people.
For beings like me and my master, daily life and even combat were possible with our eyes closed, rendering such penalties useless.

Gazing at the forest shrouded in darkness, I turned back and returned to the campsite.

Having shed the guise of humanity, I didn’t sweat or show any signs of fatigue.

Looking back at the path I came from, no semblance of normalcy could be found.

The land and trees, split open here and there despite possessing tenacious life force due to Miasma, couldn’t avoid the transcendental mana. And the corpses of demonic beasts and Majin littered everywhere.

Staring at them with indifferent eyes, I finally started walking again.

Remembering Diana’s words that Sia would wake up soon, I returned quickly.

And at the campsite I arrived at, I saw Sia eating soup made by Butler.

Believing Diana’s words weren’t lies, it was worth returning quickly.

Seeing the awakened Sia made me feel human again, and the feelings of hunger and fatigue returned simultaneously, making me unable to stop smiling.

“Hot ttt! It’s hot! Can’t you give it a bit slow-. Huh? Lilac! Where did you go-.”

Cling!

Sia, spotting me, welcomed me with words slurred from a burnt tongue from the soup, but without time to answer, I went straight to her and hugged her.

“La-Lilac?”

“Yes. Why.”

“Not ‘why’… you’re covered in blood…”

“Ah.”

At Sia’s complaining voice, I quickly pulled away, cleansed my clothes and body with mana, confirmed I was clean, and hugged Sia again.

Diana, holding the soup bowl beside us, watched us awkwardly.

“You came back early today…?”

“You said Sia would wake up soon.”

“Well, yes, but…”

Ignoring Diana’s trailing words, I took the soup bowl she held and fed Sia myself.

“Welcome back, Your Grace.”

Butler, who was cooking by the campfire, belatedly bowed his head in greeting.

I simply nodded in return and focused on feeding Sia soup, making the surroundings quiet down until only the sound of Sia munching could be heard.

“Lady Diana, please be more careful. I almost burned my mouth.”

Sia, who had been eating quietly, suddenly remembered and spoke towards Diana as if tattling.

Diana wanted to retort, but perhaps remembering the difference in feeding speed just by watching me, she closed her mouth.

However, seeming to still have something to say, she opened her mouth and challenged.

“Someone was shouting they were hungry. Then naturally, I had to hurry, didn’t I?”

“No. You didn’t.”

“Hah. Are you really a Saintess?”

“Who was it that saved you again~.”

“Ooooh. I already said thank you for that…”

“Sorry~. I tend to hold grudges.”

Thoroughly defeated, Diana slumped her shoulders and fled into the tent.

Sia, myself, and Butler watched her go, clicking our tongues as if finding her pathetic.

“Tsk. Acting like that when she’s grown up, fighting with a child.”

“…I’m technically an adult too, you know?”

“Shush. You focus on eating.”

Anyway.

While Sia woke up and I fed her soup, we talked.

Butler also complained his back hurt and went into the tent.

And so, Sia and I were left by the campfire, gazing at the purple sky and starting casual conversation.

“I want to go home soon. It’s too dark and gloomy here, makes me feel bad.”

“Want to go back right now?”

“Just saying… Anyway, where did you go earlier? Covered in so much blood.”

“Just. Around the neighborhood.”

“Who goes around the neighborhood like that…?”

“Me.”

“…Sigh.”

While having such trivial chat, Sia brought up the story of using her ability.

“Sorry for acting on my own… I didn’t want to do something Lilac finds annoying, but it was necessary.”

“You did well. You can do whatever you want, don’t just focus on the results. Even if it’s not necessary, if there’s something you want or desire to do, just do it.”

“Hehe… thank you.”

Stroking Sia’s cheek as she smiled foolishly, I moved my arm to wrap around Sia’s waist.

Startled, Sia slapped the arm wrapped around her waist and said.

“What are you doing…”

“Why. You said you’d do it at night.”

“No! I said later, when did I-.”

Calming the jumping Sia, I cut her off and asked.

“When is later.”

“Th… Later.”

Whenever a vague answer came, the arm around Sia’s waist tightened, pulling her closer.

“So. When is later?”

“Umm…”

Sia blushed deeply and hesitated.

With the campfire nearby, I brought my mouth to her even redder cheek and bit it with my lips.

“…That tickles.”

“Hurry.”

Urging her with slurred pronunciation, Sia seemed to make up her mind and spoke.

“When we get back to the mansion.”

Narrowing my eyes, I licked Sia’s cheek, still held by my lips.

“That’s dirty, you know?”

Sia raised her hand to pull my cheek, but her hand lacked strength, so I didn’t pull away.

Nom nom.

“It tickles…”

“Punishment.”

“Ugh. It’s only been two days…”

Pretending not to hear Sia’s trailing words, I continued biting, and a sigh was heard as Sia’s hand rested on top of my head.

Then she stroked my head and continued.

“You’ll see this side of me often from now on. Are you going to be like this every time?”

“I actually like it.”

I accepted Sia’s touch without avoiding it.

Soon, I met her pouting eyes and blinked.

Her gaze towards me wasn’t exactly kind, so I narrowed my eyes, and Sia sighed again and asked.

“You’re really not a pervert, why are you acting like this… Kinda like a puppy or a cat.”

“What are you talking about. You’re the puppy.”

“Am I?”

“Yeah. Then I guess I’m the cat.”

Definitely.

Looked at one way, my personality did seem quite similar to a cat’s. And Sia resembled a puppy.

It would be funny if we both thought that way about each other.

“So. When are we leaving?”

“We leave when you recover.”

Sia looked at me with a puzzled face.

“I’ve already recovered?”

“What are you talking about. You don’t even have the strength to walk.”

“Ah, right. It’s still a bit difficult to walk- isn’t it not? Can’t Butler just carry me?”

“Butler’s back hurts.”

“Was he serious about that?!”

“Probably.”

“Ooooh. Then let’s leave the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Having decided on the departure date again somehow eased my mind. Anticipation welled up at the thought of playing with Sia until then.

Gazing at the sky, indistinguishable between morning and night, I thought.

‘Need to return as soon as possible.’

The moment a new purpose emerged.