brutal on top of it! Somebody get some water, because we got a FIRE in the house!> Nyra exclaimed at Noire’s request.

Indeed, I would never have thought that something so gruesome for a guy could be said with such calm and grace from a pair of beautiful lips like Noire’s. Considering her performance in the spar today, I think this just shows how terrifying of a woman she can be when pushed to the edge.

I don’t know why, but I find a girl who’s able to send shivers down my spine like that very appealing. Maybe I just have a soft side for those with a good backbone.

“Allow me to explain my reasons, and do pardon me for my crude language,” Noire then said.

I shook my head, “Please, be as open as you like. Nothing can get out of this [Soundproof] spell, after all.” Not to mention, I love this gap moe she’s got going here, if you can call it that.

“As a fortunate noble to live as I have up to now, I felt I had to put up with Father’s marital arrangements,” Noire explained, “He’s the one who brought the Krauss Family to its current, grand social standing, after all, and he’s someone of great power, political and otherwise. His word is pretty much law in our household. He’s helped raise me to be the strong lady I am today, so of course, I have to return the favor in some way. I didn’t have any males that caught my interest, anyway, so I figured I might as well leave it to him to arrange marriage candidates.

“There were a couple candidates that both of us agreed were no good after looking into their backgrounds, so we had no problems cutting off those arrangements,” Noire said before furrowing her brow in frustration, “The thing with Rowling, however, is that even though he embodies suspicion, Father wasn’t as willing to cut him off like I was.”

“I’ve been wondering why he’s still here. Your father seems like a perceptive man if what I’ve heard of him is true, and Rowling’s actions tell me he’s possessive of you to toxic degrees,” I pointed out.

“And that’s the strangest part. When we meet for our ‘dates’, despite the work I had put into prettying myself for formality’s sake, he never compliments me on my appearance, not even showing a hint of interest in me as a woman. One time, I went so far as exposing some of my chest to see if I could get a reaction out of him, and the first thing he said after seeing me? ‘What do you think you are doing walking around with that garish appearance in public? Make yourself decent before you embarrass us anymore than you already have,’” she mocked, imitating Rowling’s tone.

Oh my god, putting that guy from White Rapture who wanted to skin my wife for her scale hide at the top, this Rowling is the second guy who I want to do unspeakable things to.

Nyra asked.

“It’s definitely clear he’s more into marrying into the family than me,” Noire continued, “And to be frank, even though I sent that message to Father about calling off the engagement yesterday, I have a feeling he may actually not do anything.”

“Why do you think that?” I asked, surprised.

“I have two guesses as to why,” Noire said, holding two fingers up, “One, now that we know Konjiro is in cahoots with Rowling, it is possible they already took action in offing the messenger I sent.”

Oh, yeah, that would happen if Konjiro informed Rowling of this soon after yesterday’s events. To the poor guy who got pulled into this mess, I hope you rest in peace.

Noire then left one finger up, “Two, Father may have been threatened by something enough to not take action. I daresay he may even send forces to take me back and get right to the marriage with Rowling by force.”

“Isn’t your father the Minister of Defense and Weaponry? Shouldn’t he be using his position to look into who threatened him in the first place?” I asked.

The Vampire lady looked down somberly, “I’m afraid he has grown distant from his position as of late … no, he’s been like this since the last Demon King left and his daughter took the throne. From what Father told me, the two of them were rather close. The previous Demon King, before he even took the throne, saved Father’s life when they first met. From that point on, he would put his life on the line to keep him safe. It was because of his devotion and desire to protect that he became the Minister of Defense and Weaponry.”

Wow, quite the guy this Demon King was.

“They lived long lives through thick and thin together, even being there for each other when they had us, their children, so it’s understandable why Father would be in grief,” Noire continued, now changing from being somber to concerned, “However … the circumstances to how the Demon King ‘died’ may have gotten Father to doubt his own worth, questioning whether the efforts he put into our protection were all for naught.”

“Wait, what ‘circumstances’ to that king’s death are you talking about?” I asked.

Noire looked up in thought, “Well … we’re actually forbidden to speak of this to other demons, or really any resident in Padimon, buuuut, you weren’t born and raised in Padimon, yes? Would you keep what I’m about to say between us?”

This smells like some government conspiracy. Whatever the current Demon King’s hiding from the public must be huge if she forbade any of her subjects to speak details of her father’s ‘death’. If I could find out what this secret is, it could be a useful ‘get out of jail’ card should things go south between me and her.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” I answered after giving it some thought.

Noire then explained to me what it is about the last Demon King’s … you know what, let’s make this less confusing. We’ll call the father Demon King ‘F’, and the daughter Demon King ‘D’. Anyway, Noire explained what made F’s death so strange.

It all started in the early morning of the announcement four years ago. When F was first declared dead, nobody remembered his identity. None of his physical features could be remembered as well as his real name. F being a Devil might as well be a guess to what his race was since his daughter was one, but so was the mother. I didn’t know if interracial reproduction between different demon races worked in this world, and as long as that was a possibility, D’s race wasn’t much of a clue to go by on F’s origins.

There was no trace of F’s existence left in Padimon, either. Paintings, public records, all of it was as gone as his ‘dead’ body that was never found to confirm his death, but the memories of his achievements as Demon King still remained, like his contributions to the Territories’ Peace Treaty. Not even F’s wife and closest peers like Noire’s father—Ramone, I think his name was?—could not remember his identity, but they still somehow remember their time together with him. The only clue of his existence that remained was his will that declared he passed the position of Demon King to his daughter, D. That will was handwritten with ink while having both a thumbprint and the royal seal stamped with blood. The signature that was left behind only read as ‘Demon King’.

If that wasn’t crazy enough, the entire continent of Padimon had forgotten D’s real name, too. Soon after her last-minute inauguration, one of her first decrees declared that her real name will not be released to the public and will only be referred to as ‘Demon King’ and the honorifics that came with her position. Only a select few were allowed to refer to her by name in private. Should she hear her name from outside of this small circle, however, she will track down the one responsible for leaking it and everyone who has heard it from them will be immediately executed as punishment. Rumors say D’s mother, F’s widowed wife, is one of the few who knows it, but she was quick to attack anyone who even so much as questioned what D’s real name is. It was also said that the Court Magician, the same person Tephalia told me to ask about my [Devil Eyes], Shining Tea Set, was another person who knew D’s real name. As the Lamia Demon Lord of Dondegarm told me, however, nobody knows who or where Shining Tea Set was because, you guessed it, everyone mysteriously forgot her identity. Nobody knows if she’s still alive as she seemed to have disappeared like F was. Unlike F’s case, though, Shining Tea Set didn’t leave any sort of trace of her existence behind. There were a few mentionings where D had spoken with Shining Tea Set, but with how big of a mystery both of them are, it’s hard to really know whether it was the truth.

Nyra asked with obvious sarcasm.

A certain fake Arch Imp immediately came to mind the moment the keyword ‘remember’ was mentioned. As much as I’d love to confront her about this ridiculous conspiracy, I’m afraid she’ll immediately suspect Noire of spilling the beans, and I’d hate to be the one at fault for her penalty on something so ridiculous. The other demons in my harem might also be suspected of the same ‘crime’ and I’d rather avoid pulling them into such harm if I could. The best I could do right now is keep this important tidbit in the back of my mind to look into later.

“Anyway, taking all this into account, despite their history’s closeness, Father has gained the impression that the daughter Demon King has lost trust in him, probably because of how he failed to protect her own father,” Noire said, “That’s when he started looking into candidates for my marriage. He may have thought it was best to pass his position as a minister down to his successor who will marry into the family and likely surpass him. That, and maybe he’s grown increasingly concerned for me and my sister’s safety. I think he’s being too hard on himself on losing the father Demon King, but his depression has made him increasingly stubborn to really listen to anyone’s opinion.”

I nodded in understanding, and this isn’t the first case I heard of a person’s life thrown in the dumps after losing someone important. Hyo-chan’s parents were especially going through hard times after she and most of our homeroom got caught in that bus accident. Her old man, being a higher up in the police, was actually really stubborn with investigating the incident and claimed that it wasn’t an accident. Later, when he couldn’t find any more leads and had to give up the investigation, he pulled me out for ramen one day and explained what he had found. It was weird because we were never close, but I guess he went ‘fuck it’ with the discretion policies and wanted to vent to someone out of frustration and grief. What was it … the news said it was an explosion due to a gas leak, but the old man claimed the explosion was actually manmade for a third-degree murder?

I would definitely be angry if that was the case, but there wasn't enough evidence to back up that claim. Not to mention, why would someone pull a terrorist attack on innocent civilians while riding a mobile bus? Anyway, I just wanted to move on from the incident and tried to distance myself from Hyo-chan’s old man, so I dropped it there. I then later found out he developed a gambling problem that led to him getting a loan from my former employer, Heaven’s Cerberus. After that … both of Hyo-chan’s parents resorted to suicide when they couldn’t pay back the loan. I’ve met some stressed out, miserable clients during my time with the company, but that suicide was the last straw for me to resign my position immediately. You know the rest of what happens after that, which brings us here in Raiza.

Wait, if this case with Noire is similar to that, then what will Ramone do after he steps down as minister? He wouldn’t … would he?

“That’s why, with how things are right now, I’ll need to take matters into my own hands, and this couldn’t be a better time to prepare for what’s ahead,” Noire continued before looking up to me with determination, “Palocaesy’s dungeon isn’t the toughest one to clear in Padimon, but it’s certainly one of the more difficult ones in the Demon-Kin’s Territory, as far as what I’ve researched ahead. I was initially planning on clearing it at a moderate pace before preparing for my wedding with Rowling. With these current circumstances, though, I would like to take my time and get as strong as possible while we’re down there. I’m willing to live off of the monsters’ meat for sustenance should we run out of rations if it means we can extend our time down there.

“With me wanting to shove my scythe up Rowling’s ass and you finding evidence on Chaos Barrage’s coup, it seems like our goals align pretty well. I know what I’m asking for here is a lot more than what you signed up for, Jinma. I’m planning on confronting Rowling whether you decide to or not, but it would mean the world to me to have a reliable ally like yourself to fight with me. More than anything, though …” Noire trailed off as she got up from her seat before approaching me.

Then, to my surprise, while I was still sitting on Noire’s desk chair, she straddled on my lap, wrapped her arms around me, and pulled herself as close as possible. We have a good difference in height in this position where I could rest my face on her large bosom, but right now, I was focused on the Vampire’s violet eyes that were filled with longing, loneliness, and a tinge of anxiety.

“... I want to spend as much time as I can with you on this venture, Jinma,” Noire continued, “I confess that there is a significant meaning between us Vampires when we bite into someone’s neck. You may call it an ‘exchange of vows’, so to speak, except that we’re accepting each other’s blood into our bodies, binding our fates to spend the rest of our lives together through thick and thin. While part of me did want to see what biting into your neck and tasting your blood would be like, another part of me was admittedly desperate to keep seeing you after the quest is done. Though we’re of different kin, I was hoping that biting into your neck and taking your blood would help me become a part of your fate, become a part of your life, even if the blood’s only going one way.

“I understand that this progression may be fast for you, Jinma, but out of all the marriage candidates so far, none of them have ever made me feel as I am with you right now. These feelings have been rushing in my very being since the moment I first laid eyes on you. Everything I said in our spar earlier was the truth, and it’s never made me feel as alive as I do right now,” Noire said before taking my hand and gently pushing it on her chest to prove her point. Her heart was racing a kilometer a minute.

Even with all this clothing, she feels so soft underneath it all …

“Can you feel this, Jinma?” Noir asked before moving my hand further into her bosom, “You’re the one making it like this. I’ve never felt this rush of excitement, uncertainty, joy, and fear before, and I want to find out why this is happening with you. With me throwing away my engagement with Rowling, I’m currently single and not planning on seeing anyone else. Thinking back with a cooler head—thanks for that at the spar, by the way—I understand that my earlier actions would have sped up our progression to concerning degrees. I can restrain myself from rushing so we can take our time solidifying our relationship. I just want a chance to see if these feelings I have are really what I think they are, a chance that I might be a part of something like what you have with Mei and your harem. Won’t you give me this chance, Jinma?”

Despite how hectic our first meeting and bonding has been so far, Noire’s being really serious about this right now. While I’m very attracted to her and want to see where this is going, there’s still her position that needs to be considered.

“Let’s say we do explore this together, how will your parents and other demon nobles react to this? Though your family supports the peace treaty movement, would they accept you having a relationship with a human?” I asked.

Noire sighed, “Despite what some may think, the noble life isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Imagine being conscious of every minute thing you do, from how you speak, to the smallest twitch in your body, all to avoid being seen as offensive, getting ridiculed, or blackmailed for everything you have. At this point, I don’t give two rats’ asses what the noble community thinks about me, but I’d hate to rope my family into the messes that come with my decisions. Despite the hardships being in this family brought me, I still love them. If they must disown me as their daughter to maintain their noble hierarchy, I’ll be sad, yes, but I don’t think I’ll dwell on it for long. I hope you and your harem will be there to comfort me should that time come.” She then gave me a gentle smile that had acceptance and loneliness behind it.

I looked to the side and thought about it. I like Noire’s open-mindedness and willingness to explore the unknown, despite how it may be completely different from the life she’s grown into. At the same time, I don’t want her to be totally cut off from her family if she can help it. If you’ve had a good run with some people for a long time, then you’ll want to keep them in your life while you can. I’m not just speaking this out of personal experience.

If Mom were here, she would try to slap both Ramone and Noire silly about staying connected as a family. She segregated herself from everyone in her own family before she had me. Granny was the only one who still gave whatever support she could to Mom, despite her old age, right to the very end of her days on Earth. Aside from choosing to take care of me, Mom wouldn’t tell me what other reasons why she cut herself off from her family. Despite that, unless they’re in a toxic, unhealthy environment, Mom believed no one should ever feel they need to permanently cut themselves off from their families. I have a feeling what Noire’s trying to pull here might be similar to Mom’s complicated case.

I don’t even know anything about the old bastard’s side of the family tree and I could only think of numerous reasons for why they haven’t reached out to Mom up to her death. Whatever the case, I saw them as no good as the old bastard, so seeking them for any support was out of the question.

While I want to avoid this separation for Noire and her family, what I really want to prevent at all costs is Ramone falling into the same fate as Hyo-chan’s parents did. Not only do I want Noire to not experience the same pain and grief I went through, but I want to follow Mom’s example to kick his ass and get him back up to gear. No matter the reason why Demon King F is gone, I highly doubt he’d want Ramone to get so hung up over this if they’re as close as Noire described them to be.

I’ll have to fill the others in on this, somehow, but if kicking Rowling’s ass and stopping the coup is what it takes for Ramone to get his shit together, then that is something I can certainly do.

Nyra exclaimed,

I asked.

Nyra explained,

Well, so long as I get that son of a bitch fucked over, I don’t care what Nyra calls it, and regardless of what feelings he has for Noire, taking her for myself will be just the salty lemon juice I need to pour into his wounds once I’m done with him.