Chapter 3
Dripping Venom from the Lips
(Part 2)
How much time had passed?
I didn’t know how long I had been crying, but I had cried myself to exhaustion and collapsed on the spot.
Perhaps because of my state, one of the maids came running over.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Her voice was completely monotone, like an automated recording… I felt no emotion in it.
Both her words and actions were perfunctory, and I dislike that. I couldn’t just stay lying there, so, supported by the maid, I got up.
After I told her I was fine now, she bowed slightly and returned to her work.
In the beginning, I tried hard to communicate with them. That didn’t work out in the end either… They have few variations in their responses, and their replies are minimal.
Anyway, their actions and conversations are as monotonous as robots, making it awkward, so I try to avoid interacting with them as much as possible.
It must be lunchtime now. They brought me lunch, but I said I wasn’t in the mood and had them take it away.
That said, I had barely eaten anything since morning, so my stomach was growling.
Ah, thinking that the demon might worry about me again feels heavy.
I decided to go to the mansion’s library to distract myself from my mood and hunger by reading.
The library was packed with the manga and novels I like. It even had complete series of novels that were in my house before I was kidnapped.
My head felt fuzzy, but I wasn’t in a state where I couldn’t read. Reading after so long was still enjoyable.
The warriors facing adversity, the athletes rising from逆境 (gyakkyō -逆境/hardship), the people in the world of stories are so brave and have such strong convictions. Thinking about my own mental state, I feel wretched, and my chest aches.
It’s too early to give up. Get a grip! I slapped my own cheeks with both hands.
I don’t know what the demon was thinking when he left this morning, but I’ll try to stay strong.
“Noel-chan, I’m home.”
Just as I thought that, I heard that demon’s voice calling my name from afar.
Looking outside the window, the sunset was already fading.
“So here you are.”
I heard a voice from behind and hurriedly turned around.
That demon was there, though I don’t know when he arrived. He peered into my face, which was probably dumbfounded.
I hadn’t even heard the sound of the library door opening. Had my concentration been that lacking?
“Huh? The area around your eyes is swollen! What happened? You’re not hurt or anything, are you?”
The demon flusteredly reached out and grabbed both my shoulders.
Please, don’t look at me with such a genuinely worried face.
“Uh, no. It’s just… I got a little moved by the novel’s story and cried,” I blurted out a strange excuse.
It probably sounded like a flimsy excuse no matter what, but the demon readily backed down.
“Oh, I see. Noel-chan is quite sensitive. I’m not good at empathizing, so I’m a little jealous.”
This demon always believes my words without question.
Should I just tell him I’ll die if I don’t get off this island? No, I don’t think he’d obediently release me if I said that. It would likely just make things more troublesome, so I’d better not…
“I think today’s meal is really delicious. I prepared an extremely luxurious one. It’ll probably take some time to make, so please wait here and read your book.”
“Y-yes.”
As usual, the demon just said what he wanted to say and then, like when he disappeared in the morning, his body became transparent and vanished.
Judging from his earlier demeanor, he must be quite confident that I’ll be pleased.
But in this kind of life, no matter how delicious it is, there’s no way I could be genuinely happy…
About an hour must have passed since then.
Just as I was getting tired of reading, one of the maids came to the library. It seemed dinner was ready, and she had come to call me.
I said I’d come right away, bookmarked my page, and stood up.
As I left the room, I glanced inside and saw the maid efficiently tidying up the books. She left the book I had bookmarked and a few volumes of the next in the series on the desk.
Is she planning to bring them to my room later? I appreciate the maid’s consideration, but my feelings are complicated.
But… are they eating properly?
She… no, the other maids too, seem somewhat thinner than before. Their skin tone doesn’t seem healthy either. It doesn’t look like they’re dieting through exercise.
I don’t want to get too involved, but I hope they aren’t overdoing it.
When I returned to my room and sat down in front of the table, I heard a knock on the door.
Then the demon entered, carrying a tray laden with food.
It seemed he was telling the truth about it being luxurious; the plates were filled to capacity.
There were several types of bite-sized appetizers, bread, salad, a clear consommé soup, and the main dish appeared to be roast beef.
It was served with mashed potatoes, assorted grilled vegetables, and a caramelized onion sauce.
The food seemed freshly made, giving off a delicious-looking steam.
A pleasant smell tickled my nostrils.
But… Huh? Why is that? Somehow, the food looked familiar.
The combination of ingredients, the plating, the faint, unique aroma of spices and herbs…
It felt strange to have a sense of déjà vu about the food, but it didn’t feel like I was seeing it for the first time. Far from it, I felt like I knew it well.
Ignoring my bewilderment, the dishes were laid out on the table.
All the while, I racked my brain, trying to remember. After a few seconds of thought, I arrived at one answer.
…No, that can’t be.
I imagined the worst possible scenario, and a sensation as if the blood was draining from my whole body came over me. I felt dizzy, and the food before me blurred for an instant, but it was indeed something I knew well.
Praying that I was wrong, I picked up the knife and fork placed beside the plate.
I poured sauce over the familiar-looking roast beef, cut a bite-sized piece, and brought it to my mouth with a trembling hand. The more I chewed, the more my suspicion turned into certainty.
The knife and fork slipped from my hands, clattering with a dull sound.
“Th-this food… could it be…?”
“Ah, you noticed? I brought a new chef just for you. Look.”
Saying that, the demon took a few steps back and gestured towards the door. At that moment, the door slowly opened, and someone entered.
Their attire was the same as the other maids in this mansion. Their expression was vacant, like the other maids, and their eyes… faintly glowed with a pattern resembling a heart-shaped magic circle.
But that face… belonged to my childhood friend, whom I knew very well.
“…Why… why are you here?”
Why is she here?
At this hour, she should be working as the chef at the restaurant she opened. With trembling hands, I grabbed my childhood friend’s shoulders and shook her. No matter how many times I called out to her, I got no response.
My childhood friend has always loved cooking.
Her skills were impressive even as a child, rivaling those of adults, and she worked hard, even graduating from a famous culinary school.
She always said, ‘I want to open my own place someday.’
I had always supported my childhood friend, and I even helped provide the necessary funds for her to open her restaurant. Of course, it was partly because I loved her, but more than anything, I was her fan. I believed her restaurant would be a success.
I loved her cooking.
Because I loved it, I ate at her restaurant many times.
Even though I’d eaten the menu countless times… I still didn’t want to believe it… but the moment I saw her face, my knees almost gave way. Even though I hadn’t seen her for about a month, there was no way I could mistake the face of my beloved childhood friend.
“You! What did you do to my childhood friend!? You didn’t just kidnap her, did you!? Her eyes are glowing, it has something to do with that, doesn’t it!?”
I turned towards the demon and shouted loudly.
She’s always smiling, a clever woman who is kind and considerate to everyone.
It’s strange that she’s so unresponsive and expressionless, even though I’m calling out to her so desperately. This guy did something to my childhood friend. This can’t be allowed.
“Ah, I guess I didn’t tell you about my ability, huh, haha…”
The demon averted his eyes from me and fidgeted his fingers nervously.
That atmosphere, which seemed to scream ‘awkward,’ grated on my nerves even more.
“You see, I have a special ability that other demons don’t possess. It seems I have the power to brainwash others. There’s a condition that the target must be weaker than me, but I can control anyone who has ingested my bodily fluids as I please.”
“Brainwash… with bodily fluids…?”
“Yeah, well, I’ve only really tried it with semen, so I don’t know the details…”
“…Huh!?”
What is this demon saying… Brainwash? Something this absurd can’t be possible.
But the words that followed were so shocking I was confused.
If everything this demon said was true, it meant my childhood friend was brainwashed as a result of ingesting this demon’s semen. But, that means, in other words…
“Did… did my childhood friend… allow you to… do it with her…?”
There were many other things I wanted to say. But this was the one thing I had to confirm…
I had a faint feeling it was better not to know, but I prayed that this particular suspicion was wrong…
But reality was even more cruel.
“No way! I’m not even a little bit interested in anyone other than you!! I only brought this girl and the other maids here for your sake, after all.”
“Oth… other maids too… all of them…?”
“That’s right. They all put up a huge fight, it was tough. They got angry, cried, tried to hit me, screamed so loud I was worried other humans would find out. Well, there were a few other reasons too, like dealing with sexual urges… but that’s trivial stuff.”
“…!!”
This is despicable… utterly, utterly despicable…
The treatment they endured must have been far more horrific than anything I went through.
How could anyone do something like this?
And you say it was for me?
I never asked for this. I never wanted this. I can’t believe you’re calling this ‘trivial’ after doing such things.
“You don’t look so good… Maybe it doesn’t taste good? You don’t have to force yourself. If you wish, I can bring as many chefs as you want from now on.”
The demon in front of me seemed more terrifying than ever before. I found myself imagining things I shouldn’t, felt dizzy, and ended up sitting down right there.
His depravity is so extreme it makes me sick.
I managed to suppress the rising nausea, but my head felt heavy. I must have been pale as a ghost.
Ah, I want to punch myself for even starting to open my heart to him, even if it was just a little.
His true nature is that of a real demon, one who violated my childhood friend and innocent young girls without a shred of guilt or remorse.
“Are you okay!? …Was there something strange in it after all?”
The next moment, the demon turned eyes filled with anger toward my childhood friend.
This is bad… an alarm blared in my head. Sensing an impulse to attack about to erupt from him, I desperately grabbed the hem of the demon’s clothes, clinging to him.
“That’s not it! Stop! It’s very delicious.”
“Noel-chan…”
The demon suppressed his anger, turned back to me, knelt down, and crouched in front of me where I was clinging to him.
He gently wrapped an arm around my trembling back and patted it softly, like soothing a child.
I really wanted to shake him off immediately, but I was so terrified and shaking that I couldn’t move properly. I just let him soothe me as he pleased.
When I cautiously looked at the demon’s face, he was looking back at me with concern.
Why can he make such a face, yet do such heinous things to them?
What is it about me that he finds so good? Long ago, the demon told me it was ‘love at first sight,’ but is that really enough to warrant such different treatment?
He’s always been single-minded towards only me.
Even though he’s such a bastard, every time he makes that face, my heart throbs deep inside. Every time he worries about me, every time he says he loves me, every time he treats me as special, I feel a sense of joy.
Am I being influenced by him too?
I hate it. It’s also true that my childhood friend has suffered this fate and is in great pain right now.
I wish he’d just get angry at me too. Why does he always have to look so worried…
“Huh…?”
“Yeah? What’s wrong?”
Memories from the time I first met this demon suddenly started flashing back.
That’s right, in the beginning, I resisted stubbornly, determined not to let this demon have his way.
It was ultimately futile, but… for example, when I refused to eat, he would forcibly open my mouth and pour soup in.
At that time, this demon… was crying.
I was being manipulated by magic and couldn’t move my face, but I avoided his eyes out of awkwardness and looked down, so I saw it clearly.
Tears overflowed from his eyes and dripped into the soup.
That tear-filled soup was then brought to my mouth, and I swallowed it.
It seemed less like the demon did it intentionally and more like he was so focused on dealing with me that he didn’t even notice. At the time, I only wondered why he was crying.
Thinking back, I stopped refusing meals from that day on.
My feelings of dislike hadn’t changed, but I figured it was pointless anyway and lost the will to keep trying.
Another time, when I tried to go outside and escape.
I managed to slip past the demon’s eyes and attempted to flee. In despair and panic at finding no one around, I tried to escape by diving into the sea.
Trying to swim to escape across a vast, deserted sea was practically suicidal.
But I was desperate to break the situation and felt I had to run.
As a result, I drowned and lost consciousness.
I struggled, gasping for air, swallowing large amounts of seawater each time, until I finally exhausted my strength.
If the demon hadn’t pulled me out, I would surely have died.
I must have stopped breathing after losing consciousness.
When I came to, I was on the beach, and he was giving me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. His face, calling my name with worry, was close to mine.
I remember the feeling of his warm lips pressed against my weakly slightly parted mouth, breathing air into me. I remember the sensation of his warm tongue brushing against me in the process.
It was unpleasant, but I didn’t even have the strength to push him away.
When I slightly opened my eyes and groaned, the demon immediately stopped the resuscitation, but I think I probably swallowed some of his saliva.
Thinking back, I stopped trying to escape by force from that day on.
Part of it was surely the realization that I had tried everything and failed, but was that really all?
After I stopped putting up any real resistance, I started looking more at the demon himself, rather than the outside.
Originally, I was watching him like a hawk, waiting for an opportunity to find some weakness… but when I looked at him, I started to see various reactions and expressions, and my heart would race at how he treated me…
Days of anguish over my own weakness continued, but what if it wasn’t just a matter of my own mental strength?
I remember the maids who have been here since I arrived.
Their robotic, monotonous movements, their vacant expressions, their emaciated bodies.
Am I going to become like them? Like my childhood friend?
“You… do you plan to use me eventually too, like a convenient housemaid, just like my childhood friend?”
“Eh!? No!! It’s true I have that ability, but you are my precious first love. I’ve lived longer than most humans, but you’re the only one who has ever captivated my heart like this. I want to have a serious romantic relationship with you, become lovers without using abilities or anything!!”
The demon desperately denied my words. I could tell he was speaking with complete sincerity. And yet, I just couldn’t accept or understand his feelings. I had vaguely sensed it before, but even though he looks so human, his values are just too different.
He has no sense of guilt towards others, and if anything, there isn’t even malice—it’s worse.
“If you wish for it, if you’ll become my lover, I’ll do anything. My ability is amazing. You could even order the maids here around as you please.”
“Stop it…”
“If you need more hands, I’ll work hard! If I use my ability, I can do all sorts of things. I can bring famous chefs from gourmet guides, if I brainwash travel agency people we can go on trips anytime we want. If I brainwash shop clerks, you can easily get any jewel you want. It’s okay, I’m actually a pretty strong demon, despite how I look. If I use my control magic, anyone will spread their legs without being able to resist…”
“Stop it!! Stop it, stop it, stop it!!”
I don’t want to hear any more. I feel like I’m really going crazy.
How can he think of such horrifying things?
Even if that wasn’t my intention, their lives were ruined by this demon… because of me.
The maids were brought here to manage this mansion, surely it’s my fault…
My childhood friend ended up like this because I was stubborn and put up pointless resistance…
Their silent, vacant eyes started to look like they were glaring at me. No matter how much I apologize, I can never atone for this sin in my lifetime. And yet, far from reflecting on this matter, the demon intends to keep using his ability for my sake, even though I don’t want it.
What should I… what should I do…?
“…I have to…”
“A-Are you okay? Did the food make you feel sick after all?”
“I have to fight…”
I stood up, grabbed the back of the chair I was just sitting in, lifted it with both hands, and swung it up towards the demon.
Even though my heart was filled with so much anger, I froze for a moment when I tried to bring it down.
This must also be because of the demon’s bodily fluids faintly flowing within me. It’s an unrealistic thought, but in this situation, I can’t think otherwise. If that’s the case, it would explain it.
The demon instinctively protected his head with his arm, and the chair I swung down with all my strength hit his arm with a loud noise.
I heard a creaking sound from the beautiful wooden chair.
I had swung it down with all my might. Even though it didn’t hit his head, his arm must have hurt quite a bit. Normally, an impact like that could even crack a bone.
“Whoa, that surprised me… What’s wrong?”
But the demon showed no sign of being in pain. Frustrated, I swung the chair down again.
That hit him directly too, but the demon only seemed perplexed, with no sign of pain.
“Noel-chan, calm down!”
“Shut up!!”
Ignoring his attempt to stop me, I’ll swing it again… I’ll swing it as many times as it takes!
The demon jumped back to avoid it, and the chair slammed against the floor. The chair broke, and a part of the leg flew off somewhere.
The impact made my arms go numb. It was the first time I’d ever swung something so large so violently, and my shoulder creaked.
Every time the demon called out to me with concern, even though I truly thought I had to defeat him, my heart pleaded, ‘Stop.’
The unbearable pain in my shoulder and the agony of my confused, tangled heart made tears start to stream down my face.
It’s painful, but I have to do it… If I leave this demon unchecked, my heart will be gradually eroded, and more women will become victims. To break this chain of tragedy, I have to be the one to defeat this demon.
Sobbing, I tightly gripped the chair with its broken leg.
“No, that’s dangerous!”
Perhaps having lost patience with me, who showed no sign of stopping my attacks despite his verbal attempts, the demon strongly grabbed my hand as I tried to swing the chair, stopping my movement.
I was startled by the sudden action, and my arm was numb, so the chair just fell to the floor.
The demon, still holding my arm, looked at me with concern, but to me now, he just looked like a monster that brought harm to people, and I felt like crying and screaming.
I bit my lower lip hard, suppressing the sounds trying to escape, and struggled desperately, trying to shake off his arm.
“Wait, let’s calm down and talk, okay?”
The demon’s eyes glowed faintly. Even when I tried to kick him or shake my arm free, I couldn’t move at all.
He was probably using his movement-control magic to restrain me.
I was the one desperate, yet he wasn’t flustered, just constantly trying to placate me. No matter how much I struggled, I was no match for this demon. The difference in power was too great; my resistance must have looked like nothing more than a helpless infant crying and screaming.
Even when I struggled desperately enough to feel like my shoulder might dislocate, my arm only moved slightly.
Trying to move the immobile only made my shoulder hurt more. The frustration made even more tears flow.
“I’m sorry.”
At the same time as those words, something warm and soft touched my lips.
For a moment, I didn’t understand what was happening, but when I opened my eyes wide, the demon’s face was right in front of me.
I immediately realized the demon was stealing a kiss.
“…!! Mmmph—-!!”
This is bad. If this continues, something terrible will happen.
Logically, I knew I should stay calm, but I was panicking from shame and urgency.
The moment his lips touched mine, I was so surprised I opened my mouth slightly. I felt the sensation of the demon’s… warm, wet tongue entering.
I shook my head violently to escape his lips, twisting my immobilized body trying to get away, but the demon pressed down on me, covering me over the desk behind us.
Even if I escaped his lips, he would press his lips against mine again, almost as if biting. Our tongues tangled, and I could hear wet sounds I didn’t want to hear.
And gradually, my strength left me.
Even though it was unforgivable, even though I wanted to resist, the moment I thought of defying him, my mind went blank and my thoughts stopped. As if obeying the demon’s will, the strength drained from my body and I slumped flat against the desk.
When I stopped resisting, the demon separated his lips from mine. In the corner of my vision, I saw a string of saliva connecting us, and I knew—ah, it’s over.
I can’t even vent my anger. Even when I try to curse, the words vanish before they form. I can no longer act against this demon’s wishes, let alone even speak.
The part that is “me” is now only this faint will that remains. And even that is becoming hazy, about to disappear.
The demon, having separated his lips, looked down awkwardly. His face was bright red, and even though he was the one who initiated the kiss, he seemed embarrassed.
…For a while now, something hot and hard has been pressing against my lower abdomen. I thought about shoving him away, but I couldn’t. When I looked down, the demon flusteredly jumped back.
“S-s-s-sorry!! I just wanted to calm you down. I absolutely won’t force you!! But, sorry for kissing you suddenly. I didn’t know what to do…”
No sooner had he tried to explain with a bright red, awkward face, than he started apologizing, seeming genuinely sorry.
I found his rapidly changing expressions endearing. I felt like I wanted to hug him with a smile. …I felt it.
It seems “I” have reached my limit. This will of mine probably won’t last much longer.
Until a little while ago, I felt like I was being torn apart by two conflicting hearts, but now I don’t even feel that.
…However,
……I must have been out of my mind until recently. If I just accept him, it feels this good.
“Sorry for causing a fuss, Kizuna. I must have been out of my mind.”
“Eh!! Noel-chan, you said my name…!?”
Ah, that’s right, now that I think about it, I never called him by his name, did I?
He introduced himself at the very beginning, so why didn’t I?
I think there was something I didn’t like about it, but for some reason, I can’t quite remember. When I try to remember, my mind goes blank.
…No, I can actually remember a little. Those futile days I spent resisting.
Yes, it was all futile resistance. And from now on, it will be futile too.
This “my” will should disappear. I’ll become the existence he desires; that way, everything will be resolved smoothly. Surely there won’t be any more victims.
I want to erase this last remaining bit of will and find relief quickly.
I got up from the desk and approached him.
He flusteredly took a step back, but I gently leaned against his body and softly touched his chest.
He seemed confused about how to react to my actions, but he seemed happy with the action itself and didn’t seem inclined to push me away.
Until now, he had initiated physical contact with me, but this was the first time I had touched him myself.
“Sorry for being sudden. But, I want you, Kizuna. I want you to touch me to my very core.”
Saying that, I touched his lower abdomen. He jumped like a cat splashed with water, his face bright red and trembling. It was an innocent reaction, hard to believe this was the demon who had raped numerous women.
The heat didn’t seem to have subsided; I could feel his reaction even through his clothes.
“Ah, no, dinner and… you haven’t had a bath yet either… um…”
“I want it now… Is that no good…?”
I said, looking up at him with a pleading, coquettish look.
Normally, such a sudden invitation would be suspicious, but he always believes even my obvious lies. I was grateful for that now.
Normally, even as an act, words like that would stick in my throat and I couldn’t say them… But perhaps because it’s something he genuinely desires, they spilled out so easily, surprising even me.
“There’s no way it’s no good…! I-I’ll be gentle, okay!”
“Yeah, thank you.”
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and hugged me gently.
It was eerily comfortable, and I felt like I could really entrust everything to him. I was led to the bed as if flowing, and we sat down side by side.
Looking out of the corner of my eye at my childhood friend, I saw she was silently trying to leave the room, holding the mostly untouched meal.
I wish I hadn’t noticed, but I saw a single tear tracing a path down my childhood friend’s cheek.
I’m sorry for making you see something unpleasant. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you… I’m truly sorry for getting you involved in this…
“Noel-chan…”
Before any words of apology could leave my lips, he… Kizuna called my name.
His hand gently touched my cheek, and our eyes met.
His face was bright red and he seemed nervous, but his serious eyes were looking straight at me.
I closed my eyes and slightly pursed my lips, and soon they met his. As our tongues slowly intertwined, the last remnants of my will faded away.
The last thing I heard was the bang of my childhood friend closing the room door.
