"Click! Click! Click!"
The friction of something turning echoed through the room. Zesshi Zetsumei sat upright on the edge of the bed, dressed in a brown undershirt.
Her long, slender fingers deftly twisted a six colored, three by three Rubik's Cube.
The pristine white bed resembled a soft cloud, covered in a layer of fine velvet that complemented Zesshi Zetsumei's snowy skin.
Her beautiful legs were clad in mismatched stockings, one white and one black. As her body swayed gently, the stockings gleamed alluringly in the sunlight.
Zesshi Zetsumei tilted her head slightly, causing her cascading hair to sway with the movement. A few playful strands brushed across her fair cheeks.
Her gaze drifted toward the window. Sunlight streamed through the glass and fell across her beautiful face, illuminating her mismatched eyes and delicate features.
"How much longer are you planning to stare?"
Zesshi Zetsumei slowly narrowed her eyes. Her hands stopped moving as she spoke in a teasing tone.
The corners of her lips curved into a faint smile, like a flower in full bloom, exuding an enchanting fragrance.
At the doorway, astonishment appeared on Naohara's face.
"Oh my, it's been over two months since we last met. Have you been captivated by this young lady's beauty?"
"If you can't hold yourself back, you're welcome to pounce on me~"
Zesshi Zetsumei raised her head, her large, bright eyes brimming with allure.
As she spoke, she gave her feet a playful swing.
The white and black stockings matched her hair and eyes perfectly, creating a beautifully balanced appearance.
"...Why are you still here?"
Naohara felt a headache coming on as he stared at the sight before him.
It was bad enough that she had not left, but why had she moved into his room? Had she been living here for the entire past two months?
Why had Renner not reported any of this?
And what was wrong with that cat obsessed idiot? Did he not bother keeping track of anything? Had he not noticed there was an entire person missing when he left?
Tsk. Had cuddling cats rotted his brain?
"Why shouldn't I be here?"
"Darling, have you forgotten? You personally ordered me to be brought here~"
Zesshi Zetsumei tapped a finger against her crimson lips and gave him a sly smile.
What did she mean?
When had he ever given an order like that...
[Someone, find any room and toss her inside.]
Confusion flashed through Naohara's eyes. He was about to speak when the memory from not long ago surged back into his mind, forcing him to swallow his words.
Fine. Apparently, he really had given that order.
But he had clearly said to find any room and toss her inside!
Who could possibly be dense enough to throw her directly into his room?
Strictly speaking, the decision was not wrong. It could even be considered perfectly logical.
Even so, Naohara silently vowed to teach that smart aleck a lesson.
Meanwhile, out on the street, a Beastman leading a patrol suddenly shuddered as an inexplicable sense of dread welled up inside him.
"...So you took over my room and my bed, then freeloaded here for two whole months!?"
"Okay, I hereby declare you free. Hurry up and go back to the Theocracy."
"But I..."
"No!"
Before Naohara could finish, Zesshi Zetsumei turned her head away and answered impatiently.
"Huh!? Now you're being picky?"
Naohara's brow furrowed when he saw that she refused even to listen, and his voice grew stern.
He had no patience for unreasonable tantrums.
"I hardly ever get the chance to leave, and I don't want to go back so soon. You know what my position is like. Who knows how long I'll have to wait before I can come out again?"
"So please, darling. Even if I have to stay as a maid, just let me remain here~"
Sensing the anger in Naohara's voice, Zesshi Zetsumei immediately softened her attitude and put on a pitiful expression.
She was not lying about that part.
As one of the Theocracy's greatest assets, Zesshi Zetsumei's strength and unique identity meant she could not leave the nation whenever she pleased.
It still felt as though she had some ulterior motive.
Staying here was probably just an excuse. What she really wanted was to wait for a chance to get into his bed.
Honestly, Naohara had never encountered anyone like her in either of his lives. Who constantly pestered someone to have a child with them?
"Oh, come on, darling. Say something. Don't be such a killjoy. If being a maid won't do, I can be your pet instead~"
When Naohara remained silent, Zesshi Zetsumei wrapped herself around his arm and shook it while whining affectionately.
She honestly could not understand what was so difficult about it. It was only sex, something they would both enjoy.
Had she not been completely outmatched, she would have found a way to force herself on him long ago.
Before coming to the Sorcerer Kingdom this time, she had made a special trip to the Theocracy's library and read quite a few books about romance. (Six Great Gods: Guess who left those books there.)
After all, if the forceful approach failed, she would simply try a gentler one.
Although they had not spent much time together, Zesshi Zetsumei had already gained a rough understanding of Naohara's personality.
Woohoo! The thrilling battle of wits in love had begun!
"Your bottom line is remarkably low."
Naohara calmly pulled his arm free, walked over to the bed, and lay down.
Zesshi Zetsumei was certainly quick to back down. She was also trying every possible way to seduce him, such as pretending to brush her chest against his arm by accident, as though she were slowly testing his limits.
He had no idea who had taught her, but she was surprisingly convincing.
Unfortunately for him, Naohara happened to be a sucker for this sort of thing.
His earlier irritation vanished without a trace.
He had noticed that the more he resisted, the harder Zesshi Zetsumei pressed her advantage, persistently coaxing and wearing him down.
Things only seemed to be escalating.
Naohara took a deep breath in exasperation.
Tsk... The entire bed smelled like her.
"So, darling, does that mean you agree?"
Seeing this, Zesshi Zetsumei climbed onto the bed and obediently knelt beside Naohara. To avoid annoying him, she restrained herself this time and did not push her luck.
"In theory, I could agree. But I refuse!"
"Ah? Why?"
Zesshi Zetsumei was taken aback by Naohara's firm refusal.
She instinctively touched her face. Was she not beautiful enough? Had the books not said that men loved this kind of thing?
"Am I not even qualified to be your pet?"
Despite her confusion, Zesshi Zetsumei put on a wounded expression.
"You don't need to pretend to be pitiful in front of me. How about this? I'll have Renner show you around the Sorcerer Kingdom."
Naohara took advantage of the opportunity to make a suggestion.
"No!"
"..."
This conversation was going nowhere!
Looking at Zesshi Zetsumei's expression, which clearly said she would burst into tears if he spoke another word, Naohara felt as though he had punched a wad of cotton.
Maybe he should just toss her back there after all.
Why did everyone with great power have some strange flaw in their personality?
Just as Naohara ran out of ideas, inspiration suddenly struck him.
"Come to think of it, some Demihumans from the desert secretly came to the Sorcerer Kingdom to request an audience before. Do you want to know why?"
Naohara rose to his feet and abruptly addressed Zesshi Zetsumei.
During the Sorcerer Kingdom's festival, a Pabilsag from the desert had arrived in secret. The incident had left quite an impression on Naohara.
After all, he had wasted a great deal of time listening to a pile of nonsense.
"Not interested."
Zesshi Zetsumei froze. A trace of hesitation flashed through her eyes, and it took her a while to respond indifferently.
"What a shame. If the Theocracy is caught off guard, it may suffer a devastating blow."
"Are you saying the desert intends to attack the Theocracy?"
Zesshi Zetsumei immediately became serious, her eyes growing solemn.
The Doluo Desert was an enormous region.
Countless monsters lived there, along with Demihuman nations and tribes of every size.
If they launched a surprise attack, even the Theocracy would suffer heavy losses.
Zesshi Zetsumei was confident that she could slaughter her way through them, but the real problem would come if the Demihumans resorted to guerrilla warfare afterward.
After all, one person had only so much time and energy.
She could not exactly rely on that God of Death who had suddenly come back from the dead, could she?
"That's right. They wanted the Sorcerer Kingdom to join forces with them and attack the Theocracy from within and without, but I refused. After all, we're allies."
"Hmph. So you're trying to force me to go back?"
Zesshi Zetsumei also stood, her voice filled with resentment.
Because of the difference in their heights, the top of her head barely reached below Naohara's chest. She had to crane her neck to speak to him. Combined with her current outfit, it gave her an adorably pampered air.
"No. You're free to refuse."
"Then I can stay?"
Zesshi Zetsumei's eyes lit up as she considered making the Captain of the Black Scripture and that God of Death who had returned from the dead work a little harder.
"Not unless you want me to tie you up again and dump you outside the gates of the Theocracy."
Naohara gave her an amiable smile as he spoke.
"Tsk. What a heartless man."
"But what can I do? I like you."
Zesshi Zetsumei pouted and muttered under her breath.
"Oh, you're surprisingly decisive this time."
Zesshi Zetsumei had yielded more readily than Naohara expected. He had assumed it would take much more persuasion.
"I've never believed in the so called Six Great Gods, and I don't believe that brat, the Captain of the Black Scripture, can handle everything either. To be honest, there was a time when I felt nothing for the Theocracy."
"But perhaps I've simply lived there too long. I've developed some sense of responsibility toward it now. After all, I watched those old priests grow up."
Zesshi Zetsumei's feelings toward the Theocracy were complicated.
After giving birth to her, her mother had spent every day in a deranged state and remained that way until the moment she died.
Zesshi Zetsumei's childhood had not been a happy one. No one treated her with respect, and she was often subjected to the scorn of others.
After all, she was a bastard who had tainted the bloodline of the great Six Great Gods.
That was also when Zesshi Zetsumei began to hate the Six Great Gods.
"Hah. If they hadn't discovered my unique Talent, along with an Ancestral Blood Awakening from both the Six Great Gods and the Eight Greed Kings, I would never have become valuable. Who knows what those old fools might have done to me back then?"
As though recalling a painful memory, Zesshi Zetsumei unconsciously grabbed Naohara's clothes and bunched the fabric in her hand. Tears faintly shimmered in her eyes.
The Theocracy's doctrine of human supremacy was deeply warped.
Things were better now. The current generation of priests had all grown up under Zesshi Zetsumei's watch, so she knew them well. Outside of work, they would occasionally stop and talk whenever they crossed paths.
The priests from back then were different. They had perfectly embodied the concept of ruthless decisiveness. They were either exterminating Demihumans or on their way to exterminate them.
Oppression?
There was no such thing. To them, the only good Demihuman was a dead one.
(P.S.: Elves and Dwarves are also considered Humanoid Races, so they were not included at the time. However, the Elf King singlehandedly forced the Theocracy to expel elves from the ranks of Humanoid Races.)
(At the same time, he withstood the Theocracy's pressure on behalf of the Demihumans of that era, securing a place where they could survive. In a way, the Elf King actually did something good. Heh.)
Zesshi Zetsumei could imagine what would have happened if the Six Great Gods' bloodline had not awakened within her and she had never gained her Talent.
The fate awaiting her would likely have been grim.
The Theocracy was ruthless toward Demihumans, but even more ruthless toward its own people.
(P.S.: See Clementine's childhood.)
"That was also when I came to understand the one eternal law of this world: strength!"
With overwhelming strength, no one would dare look down on her. With strength, she could obtain anything in this world!
That was why she began to worship the strong. Her goal in life became finding someone stronger than herself and having a child with them.
Whether they were beautiful or ugly did not matter. Whether they were human did not matter either. They only had to be stronger than her.
By inheriting the talents of both parents, their child would surely grow into someone powerful, someone capable of living freely in this world and taking control of their own destiny.
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