Of course, Histori’s meaning was simply that she was burdened with the Demon King’s Blood Contract, a landmine planted within her body that would explode if she left Amir, making it impossible to return to her former carefree, decadent life.
However, when these words fell upon the ears of the Succubus Lord before her, they took on a completely different flavor.
…Can’t go back?
What do you mean, can’t go back?
Histori, why are you making such a miserable, desolate expression, as if you’ve lost everything?
After standing frozen in place for a moment, the purple pupils of Bicuisi began to tremble violently.
She clenched her hands tightly together, then suddenly whirled around, fixing a death glare on the black-haired Hero sleeping not far away.
A violent surge of magical power swirled wildly around her, even lifting the surrounding grass clippings into the air.
“Damn it, unforgivable, absolutely unforgivable!!!”
Bicuisi ground her teeth, her low growl filled with venomous resentment and jealousy.
“I thought since the Hero was also a woman, no matter how cruel her nature might be, she couldn’t possibly do anything to you… I never imagined she would…”
Seeing Bicuisi, for some reason, suddenly raise the wooden staff at her waist and prepare to smash it down on Amir, Histori hurriedly grabbed her arm.
“Hey!? Bicui-chan, have you gone mad!? She’s the Hero who slew the Demon King in one strike! We can’t possibly defeat her on our own! And right now, I can’t leave her side at all! Just go, please! I’m begging you, alright!?”
For some reason, after hearing her plea, the Demon Race’s Four Heavenly Kings before her grew even more agitated.
“Please don’t worry about me, Lady Histori! There are some things one must do, even knowing they are impossible!”
“Even if it costs me my life right now, I will seek justice for you!!”
With an angry shout, ripples of purple energy slowly took shape around her spell-staff.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, she swung the staff down.
A wave of magical power, carrying an aura that seemed to annihilate everything, surged fiercely towards the black figure resting on the tree stump.
BOOM——!!!
A purple magical storm erupted instantly.
The ancient tree stump, the target, was blasted into a large crater, wood splinters and dirt flying through the night sky.
However, the expected scene of blood and gore did not appear.
Bicuisi’s powerful strike passed straight through the Hero’s figure without even tearing a single corner of her clothing.
…An afterimage?!
Bicuisi’s pupils contracted.
An intense sense of crisis descended upon her from above.
In that instant, she instinctively pulled Histori back two steps.
At the same time, two ordinary stones were thrown down from the tree branches above, leaving two deep pits in the ground.
Along with the stones came a cool, composed, and elegant voice—
“…Oh? Quite quick on your feet. If I recall correctly, you are the leader of the Demon Race’s Four Heavenly Kings, the succubus named Bicuisi?”
Somehow, the black-haired Hero, who should have been sound asleep, was now leisurely hanging upside down from a tree branch.
Moonlight filtered through the leaves, spilling over her and outlining her figure with a faint silver glow.
Amir, hugging her chest like a bat, had the heavy, door-plate-like Heavy Sword strapped to her back.
Her deep, unfathomable black eyes looked down from above, not with anger, but with a faint trace of amusement.
“So now, ‘Dear Lady Histori’…”
She let out a light chuckle towards Bicuisi and Histori, then nimbly leaped down from the branch, gripping the Heavy Sword in her palm—
“Do you have anything you’d like to explain to me regarding the appearance of this succubus?”
“…Um, Hero-sama…”
“Lady Histori, you need not bow your head to this despicable woman! Please, go! I have a way to stall her!”
Bicuisi’s figure flickered as she positioned herself in front of Histori.
Tch, why don’t you get lost instead!?
All you’re doing is adding fuel to the fire!
“Heh, stall me?”
The mockery at the corner of Amir’s eyes grew even thicker.
She didn’t even bother to look directly at Bicuisi, simply picking up a small stone from the ground and flicking it with her fingertip.
Whoosh——!
Accompanied by a sharp sound of splitting air, the stone instantly pierced through Bicuisi’s chest.
The tall, purple-haired figure instantly dispersed into a cluster of purple particles, only reforming several meters away a few seconds later.
“And what are you going to stall me with? This weak little projection of yours?”
“…”
Though Bicuisi’s reformed figure showed no outward change, her expression had turned much uglier.
“You… can see through my illusion?”
“I just instinctively felt there was nothing there. A projection with only magical power is no different from air in my eyes.”
Amir gave Bicuisi a slight tug at the corner of her mouth, then turned her gaze back to Histori’s face—
“So, Histori, what is your answer? Will you follow this Heavenly King back to her territory, or will you continue to go with me to the United Kingdom?”
As she spoke, she rubbed her chin and added—
“By the way, no matter what you choose, I will respect your wishes.”
For a moment, both Amir and Bicuisi fixed their eyes on Histori’s face.
The air fell into an eerie silence.
“…”
At this point, did she really need to keep up this ‘former human’ persona?
She had a feeling Amir already knew the truth…
But even so, that wasn’t a reason to abandon the act.
In just this single day of traveling with Amir, Histori had discovered—no, confirmed—something.
Amir was not the type who hated evil as a personal enemy, viewing all demons as mortal foes.
If anything, in her eyes, whether someone was a demon or a human might be completely irrelevant.
As long as the other party didn’t show hostility towards her, Amir seemed unlikely to take action.
In other words, her words just now might have been sincere.
If she said she wanted to leave with Bicui-chan, Amir might truly not stop her.
If only the Demon King hadn’t planted this Blood Contract within her…
The corner of Histori’s mouth twitched silently a couple of times.
In the end, she stepped forward and offered Amir a soft smile.
“Hero-sama, what are you saying? Of course… I will stay by your side.”
“Lady Histori!?”
Bicuisi’s eyes widened in shock.
Her body flickered, then she reappeared between Histori and Amir.
“You… have you been deceived by her act? She… she is nothing like what you imagine!!”
“Just this morning, my informants within the United Kingdom sent information about this woman. Before being chosen by the so-called Divine Blessing, this person named Amir was a notorious assassin, a heavily-bountied fugitive in the United Kingdom. Despite her young age, she spent her life constantly harming her own kind.”
Bicuisi stretched out her arm, pointing directly at the tip of Amir’s nose—
“In the end, she is nothing but a vile murderer! For money, she would casually kill even her own countrymen, people she had no grudge against!”
“Lady Histori, I don’t know why you are making this choice, but… if you go with her, nothing good will come of it!”