Chapter 94 - Episode 10: "If They Strike Me, I Shall Strike Back"
Good day to you. I am Violia Nico Fortesia.
They have come.
Monsters, even though I did not ask for them.
And quite formidable ones at that... a swarm of Incubi and Succubi!
The swarm of lewd demons that appeared near the church was approaching the church windows. Carol is sleeping behind those windows! In other words, their target is Carol!
Indeed, an incubus is the perfect choice to attack Carol, a 'sister' and 'Saint candidate'!
Those bastards, they've done something quite spiteful! I find myself wanting to slaughter them all!
And so!
I directed all that bloodlust!
At the incubus below me!
Do not underestimate my skill with a bow! Shooting an incubus right in his testicles is a simple task!
The incubus whose testicles were destroyed by my first shot collapsed on the spot, foaming at the mouth. Lewd demons are similar to devils in that they seduce humans. Therefore, they should be highly intelligent monsters capable of understanding human speech, but from the sight of him foaming at the mouth, fainting, and currently dying after having his testicles destroyed, I can sense no intelligence at all.
Or rather, the moment his testicles were destroyed, he could no longer live as an incubus. Serves him right!
Of course, the swarm of lewd demons were not mere statues, so as soon as they saw their leader taken down, they noticed me and took up positions.
But it was too late.
Lewd demons, who have specialized in seducing humans, are far more trivial existences than devils.
Therefore... for me, who is immune to the aphrodisiacs emitted by lewd demons!
Such monsters!
Are an easy victory even alone!
By the time I descended from the roof, the incubi had their testicles completely destroyed, and the succubi were incapacitated with arrows stuck all over them. Some were already drawing their last breaths, or were already on their way to the next world.
Ah, but I enjoyed myself for the first time in a while. As expected, shooting arrows at moving targets is fun. Hunting is a pastime of the nobility. One must hunt from time to time. The reason I feel an occasional, irrepressible urge to hunt is surely because I am a noble. Ohohohoho.
"T-This wasn't supposed to... we were going to... enjoy that sister over there..."
"Do not be ridiculous, you lewd demons. Did you really think the likes of you could lay a hand on Carol-san?"
They likely looked at my low mana and underestimated me, but I can fight perfectly well with just arrows! Protecting Carol is a simple matter!
"Now then. I shall ask you all a question."
And so, I ask the succubi and incubi who are still relatively alive, while pointing my notched bow at them.
"Which one of you was sent here to do this? I shall let the one who speaks first go free. However, the last one remaining will be killed here. ...Now, who shall speak first?"
After slaughtering all the lewd demons who had started talking with great fervor, I was finally able to confirm Carol's safety.
...Though, since she seemed to have woken up around the time the lewd demons started screaming in agony after having their testicles destroyed and was peeking out the window, I knew she was safe. Ohohohoho.
"Carol-san. Are you alright?"
"Y-Yes. I'm fine. But, what is this...?"
The scene visible from the church window was, well, wretched. There was a large number of lewd demon corpses. I wonder how much they would all sell for... The corpses of lewd demons sell for a high price. Yes.
"It seems some noble pulled strings from behind the scenes to sic these lewd demons on us. It's alright. I shall find that noble soon and put their head on a pike."
"I-I see..."
Carol said this, but she seemed somewhat restless. Well, I suppose that's natural since she was the target.
"By the way, Teacher. Why did lewd demons come here instead of normal monsters or devils?"
"That is likely because the people who want to get rid of you thought this: 'If we kill Carol while she is still beautiful, she will become an insurmountable legend.'"
"An insurmountable legend...?"
"Yes. When people die, they become 'good people'."
"Huh?"
Was that too sudden? Carol looks blankly at me. Let me explain a bit more clearly.
"Hardly anyone speaks ill of the dead. After death, only 'good memories' are remembered. In fact, they are sometimes remembered as being far more wonderful than they actually were when they were alive."
"T-That's true. I understand that much."
Even a person who did filthy things becomes a saint once they die. For some reason, that is how humans are.
"Therefore, they could not afford to let you die. If you were to die, you would be passed down to posterity as the 'greatest Saint in history,' and at the same time, the Royal Family, who was trying to harm you, would be viewed with suspicion and would have their reputation eternally tarnished. That is something the enemy wanted to avoid at all costs."
"I see. So that's why they couldn't kill me..."
"Yes. And so, lewd demons."
"A Saint attacked by lewd demons—what a fine scandal. It is obvious that rather than the logical argument that someone summoned and sicced the lewd demons on her, there would be more baseless criticisms claiming the Saint was lewd and thus attracted the demons."
If you die, you are a saint forever, but if you are defiled while alive, that is the end of it.
So, sending lewd demons to a political rival in the Saint Selection is a superb tactic. It's the worst for us, though.
...Even so, their vigilance toward Carol, who has already become unable to earn a significant number of votes, is quite high. They must know the rumor that 'voting for Carol will result in Royal retaliation'...
Well, I suppose they anticipate that Carol might go even one step further. It means the enemy is not just idling. Of course, that struggle became futile the moment I notched my bow. Ohohohoho.
"...U-Um, Teacher."
By the way, Carol has been acting quite restless for a while now. I wonder what's wrong. Does she need the toilet? She may go.
"Since a while ago... well, it's strange."
...Oh?
"I feel... itchy..."
Itchy.
If she says itchy...
...I glanced behind me.
Behind me were the corpses of the lewd demons.
Yes, a mountain of treasure. After all, lewd demon corpses sell for a high price.
Lewd demons contain a great deal of lewd energy, so their blood and horns—parts that contain particularly high amounts of mana—are used in love potions and aphrodisiacs.
...Ah.
"Carol-san! Close the window immediately and stay inside the church! Breathe the air in the other rooms! Do not breathe the outside air until morning! Do you understand!?"
Carol is being affected by the lewd demon corpses!
"Violia! What happened!"
"Doran! Your tail is out! Your tail!"
A short while later, Doran rushed over with a terrifying expression. A werewolf's sense of smell is superior to a human's. They can sniff out the lewd energy of demons even from a distance.
"...Damn, this is..."
"Ah... ah, this is bad. This is the bad kind. Yeah. Lewd demons."
"...I'll pass on this."
Giovan and Keeb, who arrived later, were also speechless.
"You all should go somewhere else. I shall handle the disposal here."
"But..."
"Doran. Your tail is out, your fangs are out, and all sorts of things are coming out. If you are being affected, please disappear before you attack me."
Keeb seems to have some resistance, and Giovan quickly left after realizing his own limits, but Doran is... well, his eyes are gleaming, his tail is out, and he is clearly being affected. This is bad.
"...Are you alright?"
"Yes. This is just another kind of poison. I have resistance."
While covering his mouth and nose with his arm, Doran looked at the lewd demon corpses and me with an indescribable face... and then, as if giving up, he retreated.
"...Then I'll leave the disposal here to you. I'll handle the evacuation of the pioneers."
"Yes. Please do so. I can manage here alone, probably."
And so, after seeing the men off, I looked at the corpses of the lewd demons... and let out a deep sigh.
Disposing of this many by myself is going to be such a chore...
Since it was a chore, I just stuffed them into my Spatial Bag. I shall process them when I have the time, strength, and will.
Now, as for the soil that has been soaked with lewd demon blood, it cannot be helped, so I shall sprinkle anti-lewd demon disinfectant while letting the sunlight hit it, and then I shall light a fire to purify it. Honestly, they've put me through so much trouble! I've ended up having to pull an all-nighter! They say sleep deprivation is the great enemy of beauty! Honestly! What a nuisance!
Haa! Disposing of the lewd demon corpses later will also be a chore! Honestly! It really is nothing but trouble! The enemy truly knows what I dislike and does it!
...And so, while waiting for the sun to rise, I thought.
The lewd demon corpses I stuffed into the bag. I wonder what I should do with them.
Lewd demon corpses are not something you can usually get your hands on. Why, you ask? Because there are hardly any people who can defeat a lewd demon!
A lewd demon's greatest weapon doesn't work on me, so I was able to slaughter them normally, but they are usually truly troublesome opponents. These guys.
...Therefore, while blood or horn fragments are one thing, having this many corpses piled up... it is truly a problem.
If I sell them all at once, the price will surely crash, so one Spatial Bag will be occupied for the time being. Well, it's fine, but... they really have done something troublesome. I wonder how I should pay them back.
Pay them back.
Yes. I should just pay them back.
Yes... there is one path I have been avoiding until now.
That is, the slaughter of all Saint candidates other than Carol.
If everyone else dies, Carol will have no choice but to become the Saint.
But that is no good. Because if everyone except Carol is killed, it will be obvious that Carol's people did it. That would destroy Carol's prestige, invite unnecessary resentment from all sides, and might even boost the Royal Family's prestige. That is something that must absolutely be avoided.
...But, that is the talk of 'slaughter'.
Right. A swarm of lewd demons was sicced on Carol.
Because they couldn't kill her, they used the cowardly trick of having her attacked by lewd demons.
...In that case, we should just do the same to them.
If they strike me, I shall strike back. It is only natural!