Chapter 17
Léarwin lifted her chin slightly, feeling as refreshed as if she had been struck by a waterfall.
Oh my, how admirable!
Crescent’s cello performance had left a powerful impression on nearly everyone gathered in the garden.
Hmph. They looked down on our Senti for being an orphan, and now they’ve been dealt quite the blow.
She had easily noticed that the noblewomen had not believed Crescent could play the cello, and so had deliberately provoked her into performing. Anyone who hadn’t realized that would have been a fool.
Léarwin was furious at such malicious behavior.
Even when Rossi’s playing had been a cacophony that assaulted the ears, she had lavished the girl with praise—so how could they dare insult her protégé?
And even after hearing Crescent’s breathtaking performance with their own ears, they still acted as if they couldn’t believe it.
Even if Crescent was an orphan, she was under the patronage of none other than the Duke of Pluto’s household. To belittle her was the same as scorning the Pluto Duchy itself.
But Crescent had thoroughly broken the arrogant pride of those who had looked down on her.
Léarwin felt her shoulders continually lifting with delight. The freshness of it—it was a sensation she had never experienced before.
“…Hoho.”
Meanwhile, the lips of Countess Heyroth twitched as she forced a strained smile.
Crescent, tutoring Rossi?
No matter how skilled her performance had been, that was unthinkable.
How dare anyone bring a mere lowly orphan to a high society gathering—such a humiliation was beyond tolerable.
Forcing a smile, the Countess spoke.
“As expected of the Marchioness of Pluto. Of course you wouldn’t sponsor just any orphan. I was truly moved by Crescent’s performance. Our Rossi will certainly have much to learn from her.”
Her eyes turned toward Rossi. The girl’s expression was twisted, but the Countess’ sharp glance quickly forced a smile onto her face.
“I-I really enjoyed it. I had no idea Crescent could play the cello too. I think we could become friends, performing together from now on.”
“How kind of you, Rossi,” Léarwin replied warmly.
Rossi returned the smile, but inwardly she trembled with fury. The Countess felt much the same.
Truthfully, she had been shocked when she first saw Crescent’s strikingly pretty appearance.
Still, even if the Pluto Duchy sponsored her, lowering the standard of the north’s most prestigious social circle with an orphan was difficult to accept.
“Fufufu. The weather is so bright and pleasant today. Shall we listen to the next young musician’s performance now?”
With a dazzling smile, Léarwin shifted the subject smoothly.
But the children whose turns were next looked as if they might burst into tears at any moment—forced to play their instruments in such an intimidating atmosphere.
Just as everyone was waiting for the next performance—
Suddenly, Crescent’s vision went black, as if she had lost her sight.
“!”
What?
She blinked rapidly, and slowly, the darkness lifted and her surroundings came back into focus.
But it wasn’t the same garden as before. Before she could even process it, the ground gave way beneath her as though her chair had vanished, sending her tumbling.
At that moment—
“Everyone, don’t move!”
Meteor’s voice rang out.
His shout snapped everyone back to their senses. It didn’t take long to realize they were no longer in the Heyroth family’s garden.
“W-what is this, kyaa!”
“Mother! Waaah!”
In the chaos, Crescent’s system chimed.
Ding!
<You have entered the Demon Realm Dungeon—‘Lady Aldred’s Mansion in Festival’!>
I blinked at the system window. The abruptness of it left me dumbfounded.
…So we’re in the Demon Realm now?
Quickly regaining my composure, I looked around.
We were in the main hall of a vast mansion with an extraordinarily high ceiling. The space was so large it couldn’t be taken in at a glance.
And the décor was anything but ordinary.
The hall was dressed entirely in black and violet. The walls were covered in violet wallpaper, collaged over with scraps of black lace. Here and there, jet-black flowers bloomed.
From the dim chandeliers, droplet-like beads fell like blood, only to vanish before hitting the floor.
A black carpet stretched up the staircase, across which shadowy black mist-flowers slithered and writhed.
They were flowers of the Demon Realm.
Ugh. Just looking at this house makes me feel sick.
Outside the windows, crimson fireworks exploded, making the mansion tremble faintly with each burst.
Beyond them, the stars and moon in the night sky glowed blood-red. That alone confirmed the truth—this was indeed the Demon Realm.
And faintly, from outside, came the sound of laughter—not human, but demonic.
Yes, the air was festive.
As I continued scanning the mansion, something caught my attention. Of course, there were many strange things here, but this detail was especially troubling.
Why are there no doors…?
Even the windows were floor-to-ceiling panes that couldn’t be opened. Places where doors should have been were blocked by walls.
“What on earth is happening, Metti?”
Léarwin asked Meteor, who had already regained his composure and was keeping alert.
I had already figured it out.
Everyone from the garden had been swallowed by a surge of high-grade demonic energy. In the blink of an eye, we had been transported to the Demon Realm.
Meteor let out a sigh and said,
“This is strange. It seems we’ve been caught by high-grade demonic energy and brought here.”
“What? High-grade demonic energy? But hasn’t that all but disappeared ages ago? That makes no sense…”
Léarwin couldn’t easily accept it. Understandably so.
And yet, the impossible had just occurred.
…I felt sorry.
It wasn’t my fault, but knowing what I knew—that demonic energy would soon become common again—I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.
“W-what? This is the Demon Realm?!”
“Uwaaaah!”
At the Countess’ words, the children burst into tears. The other ladies were no less panicked.
Only Meteor, Léarwin, and I remained relatively calm.
Still bewildered, Léarwin asked again,
“Heavens… How could high-grade demonic energy appear? I’ve never even seen a low-grade one before.”
“That is what confuses me as well,” Meteor admitted with a troubled expression.
But I knew why. High-grade demonic energy was back because the Demon King had returned.
Soon, everyone would learn the truth.
This was just the beginning, and already my heart felt heavy.
“Is this really the Demon Realm? Then aren’t we all doomed?”
“Is there even a way to return?”
The noblewomen cried in despair.
Countess Heyroth clutched her head in confusion and muttered under her breath,
“…It’s over. We’re all as good as dead. The only holy knight here is that nine-year-old boy, Meteor. Do you really think he can protect us all?”
She wasn’t wrong.
Even with Meteor’s immense innate holy power, such power had to be trained and refined through years of discipline.
He had only been training for five years, since taking up the sword at age five.
That was not enough to escort all these people safely back from the Demon Realm.
And though I myself had become a holy knight, I hadn’t even begun proper training yet.
As despair clouded their faces, the moment suddenly shifted.
“Congratulations!”
Bang!
With a sharp burst like fireworks in my ears, someone appeared before us—a cute girl who looked about fifteen.
