âThen couldnât they beâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ that fly?â
I timidly pointed at that fly.
âW-well perhapsâŚâŚitâs just a âdirt flyâ. Itâs an inferior organism that hangs around horse fecesâŚâŚ It doesnât have body hair like a demon doesâŚâŚâ
âExactly WHO is the inferior organism-jya?â
âMaster, please stop talking in such a weird voice! Itâs putting me on edgeâŚâŚ Please make jokes at a more peaceful time!â
âEeh? I didnât say anything. I donât have the skills to project such a voice.â
âIf thatâs the case, then t-that voice just nowâŚâŚâ
Harukaraâs eyes turned to the fly.
Itâs hard to watch the fly since it keeps buzzing around.
âThatâs right-jya. Itâs me-jya.â
Right after that declaration, there was a puff of white smokeâ
A young woman who looked like a distinguished female knight appeared.
She was wearing a close fitting skirt with slits, but it may be more appropriate to compare it to a leotard. She was also wearing a leather belt, complete with a sword, which was the opposite of what youâd expect the daughter of a noble to wear. She sort of resembled a cosplay of an evil female businesswoman.
As for her appearance, she had distinctly long, beautiful silver hair and brown skin.
She looked similar to my age, so judging by that, she must be a high-school student. However, this is a world in where itâs futile to judge oneâs age by their appearance; Itâs hard to say whether she is young or not.
âMy name is Beelzebub-jya. Would you further introduce yourselves?â
For this person to appear out of the blueâŚâŚ
But Beelzebub is a woman? Thatâs a strange name, even if itâs not specific to a gender.
âAah, because I can change into a fly, I am known as the Lord of Flies. So sorry for being an inferior organism. Allow me to give my apologies.â
Beelzebub placed her hands across her chest and gave a courteous bow.
Could it be that sheâs the type of person who will understand if you try to reason with her? No, this has to be a sarcasm. A fellow with such a courteous attitude has to be a wicked person. I canât let my guard down.
âHiii, Hiii⌠Uhm, the inferior organism was just a figure of speech. I would never dare to call the great Beelzebub such a thing⌠My expression meant n-nothing in the slightestâŚâ
Harukara seemed to have fallen from shock. Or perhaps I should say, she seemed unable to stand, and sunk down to the floor on the spot.
âNo, no. I do not particularly mind if you call me an inferior organism. Well then, that makes me wonder what type of existence an elf must be; if one of their kind can become so frightened by an inferior organism like me?â
âW-we elves are like dust⌠we-weâre not even so lofty as to be considered fodddeeerrrâŚâ
Even though youâre saying this to save your own skin, youâre slandering the entire elvish race!
âIâve come a long way to chase that dust-jyaâ
Without hesitation, Beelzebub pulled out an extravagant feather fan, and proceeded to fan herself. A sweet fragrance of fruit pervaded the room, probably due to that folding fan-like accessory.
âI like the fragrance of overripe fruits, so I like to use this fan which permeates such a smell-jya. By the way, this isnât the smell of rotting fruit. A rotten smell of decay is my favorite. Although Iâve said something like that, flies and dirt flies may be similar, but donât confuse the two.â
Whether she is actually a fly or not, itâs really hard to understand this fellow.
âYou were lurking in this house before I reinforced the barrier.â
I didnât expect her to intrude so early. Nevertheless, as a result, my two daughters and Lecia have already taken shelter, which is good news, butâŚ
âItâs like this-jya. The rumor that an elf was taking refuge here immediately reached my lair. Flies love human rumors and fragrant fruits⌠I, in no way, like putrid stenches.â
Flies are referred to as lovers of decomposing things, do you care?
âWell, Witch of the Plateau, I have no particular business with you. Since it took me great pains to journey here, you can have the honor of serving me tea. Since you arenât my servant, however, Iâll leave the judgment of what type of tea to serve to you. My business here is withââ
With a glare, Beelzebubâs gaze focused on Harukara who was still unable to stand upright, due to her being stricken by terror.
âHarukara. Since youâre always on the run, it took me some time to locate you. But I believe it was worth it in the end, donât you agree?â
âHii, hii! Pl-please spare me! Iâll do anything!â
âUmu, youâll do anything, right? I heard those exact words from you.â
Beelzebub giggled as she positioned the fan to cover her mouth.
Ah, according to how the conversation is going, sheâll probably say something along the lines of, âThen, die.â
It canât be helped. Even if it is for a brief period, a disciple is a disciple.
I stepped between them and held out my arms to interject.
âIf you want to harm my disciple, youâll have to go through me, her master, first.â
I gave off a fearless smile. Although this isnât a situation where I really feel like smiling, for my disciple, I have no choice but to put on a brave face.
On the opposing side, Beelzebubâs face became sullen.
âAre you going to impede me? Are you going to obstruct my path? Well, itâs good that I came prepared.â
âIt would appear that my disciple doesnât wish to speak with you any further, so would you kindly leave?â
âIf you demand me to leave, then isnât it only natural that I would want to stay?â
Transparent wings sprung out from Beelzebubâs back.
Theyâre beautiful, but theyâre in the shape of an insectâs(wings).
âThis is an ideal situation. My arms were beginning to weaken from lack of battle. You must be very confident in your abilities. Let us have a bout.â
âIâve been training for three hundred years by defeating slimes.â
âA mere three hundred years? The time youâve lived is only a tenth of mine.â
The enemy seems to have lived for 30 centuries. Still, itâs only 3,000 years. Itâs short compared to Chinaâs 4,000 years of history. If thatâs the case, in all likelihood, Iâll be fine.
Itâs possible to take her on.
Alright, Iâll claim victory and resolve this matter as peacefully as I can.
Itâs my first time battling a high-level demon, but I have no choice but to follow through with it.
âU-um, Witch of the Plateau-san, no, Master⌠i-is this really okayâŚ?â
I glanced behind me.
âA disciple should act like one and keep quiet. It is the role of the master to take responsibility for the mistakes of the disciple.â
However, this Beelzebub seems to be a tough customer who doesnât accept apologies. I have no choice but to try to resolve this situation by force.
âUm, Beelzebub, if I win, please donât send for any of your subordinates to attack me, alright?â
âThat sort of thing wonât happen. As for my visit here, itâs just one of my personal hobbies-jya. I came straight here from my remote home-jya.â
âAh~thatâs good. Then, thereâs nothing to worry about.â
If I defeat Beelzebub here, my disciples and I can live happily ever after.
âYou, I donât want to battle in such an environment. This building will be damaged if I were to show my might. Let us fight outside.â
Oh, I understand. Iâm grateful.
I wonât have to worry about anything being damaged.
âI accept your proposal. Let us fight fair and square.â