The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 375: A chaotic beginning is part of what makes it fun!

Chapter 375: A chaotic beginning is part of what makes it fun!

On a quiet night, the sound of hiccup seemed like it was amplified threefold. Naturally, everyone turned around to look at the source in reflex. Thanks to that, I could finally look at the girl without the bulky clothes.

In fact, the clothes behind her cloak were of the highest quality compared to the others. It was easy to conclude who she was; the princess of Midas--who was the financial sponsor of the Hero’s...hero-ing effort.

The girl was covering her mouth, looking surprised at the sound she made herself. But even with that, I could recognize her. How couldn’t I? He was the only friend I had in my previous life.

But the others were looking at her in confusion. "Cecilia? Did he mean to call you? But..." the elementalist looked at me briefly, before going back to the hiccuping girl. "But your name is..."

And then, someone shrieked; the inventor girl with bulky clothes and a tool belt. She clasped her mouth too, and looked at Cecilia--or Zarfa Goldbell, as it stated in Heraz’s report--with widened eyes of shock.

Ah...it seemed like she didn’t tell anyone that she was a transmigrated soul.

But I could tell; because she was here despite being non-combatant, because she was looking at me with a weird and panicked stare, and because she was responding to the name I uttered. Honestly, half the reason for me throwing the name was to test her, because I still couldn’t be a hundred percent sure.

But now?

Now it was even more than one hundred percent.

And once I knew, everyone other than her did not matter. She was the sole reason why I was doing this whole charade and made sure no one got hurt, even if I had to face an annoyed Natha.

"Ceci," I called her again, using the name we only used with each other, standing up so she could see me even more clearly.

Behind her hands, I heard her whisper. "V-Val?" she stepped forward despite the others’ strange gazes. "Valen...is that...is it really you?"

The smile forming on my lips was something I couldn’t prevent even if I wanted to. "It’s been a while, Ceci."

And then she just bawled, to everyone’s surprise--including me. She didn’t even bother to sob, just full-on bawling while wobbling forward and clutching me like a child. Literally, like Jade in a human form when he was crying.

’Why are you crying?" I chuckled and patted her head and back, but she just gripped my back even more, pressing her face on my chest until the sound of her cry was getting muffled.

Naturally, the other three humans were confused and shocked, looking at us with flabbergasted expressions. Of course they would; even my companions were confused. Jade chirped inquisitively while flying around us, and Ignis flicked its tail on my shoulder.

"This is my friend," I told them. "The one I told you about."

"I..." she finally lifted her face; tears and snot smearing her face as well as my clothes. "I’m sorry..."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I...it’s because of me..." she sobbed incoherently, but I could still sound her out. She looked the same as the time she was bawling on the night before her first surgery. "You b-become Valmeier...because of me..."

Ah...so she didn’t know? Did the Goddess say nothing to her when she was transmigrated?

"It’s not your fault, Ceci..." I patted her head. "You’re not responsible for anything. It was all the action of the three deities, including the vision of the untold future you’re seeing."

"H-huh? B-but...I was the one who..." she blinked more tears down her cheek. "...huh?"

Hmm...this would be a long night. I didn’t know if I could call Natha yet.

"Umm...e-excuse me? But...what exactly happened?"

The one who made the first inquiry, surprisingly, was the timid-looking inventor girl. Perhaps because she was the most curious out of everyone, while the two combatants were still in half-fighting mode.

"Ah..." I smiled as I looked for an easy answer. "Let’s just say that we are the same; you and me and Ceci--I mean, Zarfa," I looked down and grinned as the girl flinched.

"The same?"

"I mean our soul," I said further. "Where they came from."

The inventor girl--Aina was it, according to the report?--squeaked again, before clasping her mouth in embarrassment. But we could hear her mutter. "I knew it!"

What a fascinating person, this one.

"Ugh--what is this? I still don’t understand," the elementalist frowned in exasperation. Now that I thought about it, she was the only ’native’ soul in here, huh? Well, aside from my little companions, of course. "You never said you know the Battle Priest, Zarfa. And there’s still no answer as to why you’re here--in a Demon Lord’s Lair!"

At that, Ceci looked up and gasped. "Val--are you here...could you be here for Amrita? To cure yourself?"

Oh, look at her finally using her brain. "Isn’t that why you’re here? To see if the missing Valmeier found a way?"

She nodded profusely, and that seemed to agitate the elementalist even more. "What is this again? He knows about the Amrita? You knew about this?!"

Ceci flinched and hid her face in my coat again, just like how she used to hide in my room when the nurse was looking for her. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory and it seemed to finally stirred the Hero--who had been merely staring in stun the whole time.

"Fatia, let’s calm down," he said, before shifting his gaze toward me. "Priest, can you...would you explain to us about all of this? There seems to be a lot of confusion, and--"

"Sure," I shrugged and patted Ceci’s back so she would let me go. "I was about to ask you the same; why don’t you let down your staff, Elementalist? I think I’ve shown enough that I had no ill will towards you. After all, I’ve let you inside without a single scratch on your body, haven’t I?"

"What?"

"How could I--"

"Besides," I cut the elementalist’s words, pointing at the air, "my companions will see it as an act of aggression if you don’t cease rousing your mana."

It was then she realized that a little bird with several wind bullets hovering around and a lizard with crackling, flaming fire were staring hard at her. She flinched when she saw them, and gingerly lowered her hands that were holding a magic staff.

But for a reason that was rather different.

"Is...is that..." she looked at Jade. "A...an elemental bird? A baby...elemental bird?"

[Jade no baby!]

Of course, the little bird chirped loudly and was ready to hurl one of the wind bullets toward the elementalist. "Jade, you can’t do that. "Pardon me; my elemental bird doesn’t like to be called a baby."

Unless I was the one to do it, of course.

But the elementalist didn’t seem to be offended. Instead, she had these sparkling eyes that the druids had every time they looked at Jade. Ah...I probably shouldn’t let Jade morph in front of her, or she would go gaga over it.

Well, anyway--everything seemed fine, right?

"Why don’t you sit first," I pointed at the set of couches in the middle of the room, leading Ceci over so the others would follow.

At this point, the only one with slight hesitation was the Hero, who despite having sheathed his sword, had never let his hand off the hilt. Eh, whatever.

"Angwi," I turned to the door and only within three seconds, it was opened. The humans were flinching as they finally set their sight on their first proper demon in close proximity, eyes darting to Angwi’s six arms. "Can you prepare a meal for our guests? It must have been exhausting for them to roam the border stealthily."

My statement seemed to make the Hero and the Elementalist flustered; perhaps feeling their conscience getting pricked.

Angwi simply nodded as usual, but she also curtsied, as if to show the humans that I was the owner of this Tower. Oh, this demon!

She straightened her back and was about to head down, before stopping as if she remembered something and pointed down.

"Ah, can you tell them to wait for a bit more? There’s still something I need to talk with them first," I said, recalling the demons and an elf who had probably started to get bored on the sixth floor. "Also..." I looked back at the humans who had started to take their seats. "There’s still another one down there, isn’t it? We should send the twins to retrieve him."

"Ah!"

"I’ll do it," Ignis suddenly said. "It’ll be faster."

"Oh, would you do that?" I looked at the Salamander in surprise, and then added. "You can’t hurt him, okay?"

Ignis clicked its tongue in response. "I know that much," the flaming gecko hissed before disappearing from the room.

Jade, finally retracted the wind bullets, flew down to the head armchair and patted the armrest as if reserving the seat for me. Well, I guessed the swivel chair effect could only be effective once.

"Now," I swept my gaze across the four humans. "Why don’t we start by introducing ourselves?"