A Demon Lord’s Tale: Dungeons, Monster Girls, and Heartwarming Bliss

CH 260

Default Dyslexic Roboto Lora

open as wide as they would go.

“Guru…? You guys know each other?”
“We are acquainted,” said the spirit.
“It warms me to make the observation that her good health has endured.”

He sighed in relief—or at least weaved his words in a way that gave off the impression that he had meant to.

“So it was you who blessed her?” asked Lefi.
“I was unable to examine the blessing’s details, but I had long suspected that it was your doing.”
“Scarcely ever does even the most infinitesimal of details escape your gaze, old friend,” the hooded figure’s head bobbed ever so slightly, as if to nod.
“Blessing? What blessing?” I asked while cocking a brow.

The spirit lord took the question as an opportunity to segue into an explanation of the circumstances that led to his visit.
Apparently, the supposed life form was one that spent his time wandering the world.
Several years ago, his journey led him to a small but beautiful village.
The people that lived within it had not claimed the land from the natural world, but rather lived in harmony with it.
As spirits were creatures that were effectively as one with nature, their king found himself unable to feel anything but appreciation for their—the vampires’—way of life.

As his appearance was by no means within the norm, the villagers were startled by him at first.
But as spirits were, in some regions, worshipped as the gods of the land, they welcomed him with open arms regardless.
He stayed with them for a period.
And it was during this visitation that he met Illuna.
Coming into contact with her led him to realize that she had the affinities required to manipulate spirits.
And so, he gave her his blessing.

“To establish oneself as a medium compulsates a dyad of requisites, purity of the heart and an unbiased regard for all of creation,” explained the spirit lord.
“Those that qualify are scarce.
The duty to effectuate the transfer of wisdom falls to me each time one is discovered.”

When he said rare, he really meant it.
Illuna was apparently the first person he’d blessed in several hundred years.

A fair amount of time had passed since he blessed her, so he returned to her village, only to find it in ruins.

“So what you’re saying is that you’re basically here to check up on her?”
“Her people received me with utmost amiability and manifested boundless generosity.
I am only obliged to ratify the safety of the child whom the village adjudged its own.”

He went on to explain vampire society.
The bloodsuckers’ settlement was one that was isolated from the rest of the demon realm.
It was home to only a few dozen, and children were only born once every few years.
Their scarcity led them to be beloved by all and they were raised not only by their parents.
Every member of the community considered her their own daughter. I guess that’s why she’s such a good girl.

“Still, her current habitation is unforeseen.
What fate befell the wrongdoers that nobbled her from her once domicile?”
“It’s a bit of a long story, but it basically went about as you’d expect,” I said.
“Her kidnappers are already six feet under.
I’ve thoroughly destroyed them, and there’s not much revenge left for you.
Sorry I stole your thunder.”
“How… bodacious.” The spirit lord met my sarcastic shrug with gratitude.
“I am beholden to you, for you have enacted their comeuppance in my stead.”
“Eh… I only did what was natural,” I said.
“I know Illuna’s important to you and all that.
Same goes over here.
She’s pretty much a sister to me.”

I didn’t feel like it was necessary for him to thank me, by any account.
None of the murder I committed that day was for anyone else’s sake.
Not even Illuna’s.
Everyone I killed, I killed for myself.
Nothing more, nothing less.

“It occurs to me now, oh dragon of silver, that the alteration in your expressibility stems primarily from him.”
“…I would have liked for that to remain a secret, but I suppose it cannot be helped given the length of our acquaintance,” she sighed, bitterly.
“You were analogous to a drawn blade,” he said with a light chuckle.
“None could retain your attention.
This alteration is one that brings me exultation.
I find it propitious to know that you are now capable of making expressions so heterogeneous.”
“I am not like you,” the dragon spat, bitterly.
“I cannot forever remain unchanged.”

Though she wasn’t exactly entertained by our guest, I certainly was.
His presence had led her to make expressions that not even I had ever seen.

“I suppose not.
Still, Supreme Dragon, there are none in this world who would have ever dared to fathom that you would take a mate.
It is a fact so stupefying that the proliferation of its facticity is capable of upturning the very world itself.”

“That is an exaggeration,” said Lefi.
“That is an assertion of a veracity I must demur.”

His phrasing and choice of words led me to believe that he had likely used Analyze to read her title’s description. Speaking of, so I know you might be wondering, why the hell didn’t I know about Illuna’s blessing if I’ve got Analyze? The answer is that the Spirit Lord was the one that hid it, and he’s too much stronger than me for me to be able to see through his spell.

“I’m sorry.
I should have told you about the spirits.” The individual that our conversation had initially been centered around joined it with a timid apology.
Her eyes were moistening up, and it seemed like she was genuinely feeling terrible about not telling us everything.

For a moment, I wasn’t really sure how I was supposed to react, but after a moment of internal deliberation, I ended up opting to blink in mock surprise.

“Huh? Why are you apologizing?”
“Huh?” The vampire blinked back at me.
“I mean it’s not like you needed to tell us.
Besides, you know what they say.
Secrets are part of a woman’s charm,” I said with a grin.
“Yuki is correct.
There is no reason for you to apologize.
You were forced by an enigma of a man to accept a blessing that is dubious at best.
Any apologies should stem not from you, but him,” said Lefi, backing me up.
“You are the only entity that would ever construe my blessing to be deleterious,” scoffed the spirit lord.
“If that is so, then I shall speak loudly enough to account for the voices of all the poor fools you have deceived.”
“I have no alternative but to entreat that you enact a degree of reticence.”
“You know, now that I think about it, this is pretty much the only time I’ve really seen anyone treat Lefi like a kid,” I thought out loud.
“Hmph,” she snorted.
“He is at such an age that we are all children in his eyes, regardless of the length of our lives.”
“Is it just me, or did the timescale just totally get blown out of proportion? ‘Cause a thousand years seems pretty long to me.
If you’re still just a kid compared to him, then uh… oh man…”

Seriously…

“Thanks Yuki! Thanks Lefi! You’re the best!” After seeing that we genuinely weren’t concerned with her not telling us about all her secrets right off the bat, Illuna ran up to us and gave us a big hug each.