Shekina let out a dry laugh as she looked at the awkwardly hanging banner at the entrance of the castle.
[★Congratulations!★ Welcome, Shekina!]
“They’ve lost their minds. They’ve really lost it.”
Shekina shook her head in disbelief. Then, she casually glanced at Lucart.
“Boss. Should I take care of them all?”
Lucart looked at Shekina, who casually uttered such threatening words, and briefly pondered.
Is it okay for her to act like this?
And then, he gazed up at the deflated balloons drifting in the sky above the Demon King’s castle.
Is this really okay for the future of our demon clan…?
After closing his eyes for a moment in thought, he slowly shook his head.
“Others must have had something in mind to allow this to happen.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Yeah. So, it would be best to go inside.”
Shekina agreed and walked into the castle with Lucart, matching his pace.
“If this is the result of thinking once, then if they think a hundred times, the entire castle will collapse.”
She didn’t forget to mutter these words.
***
The inside of the castle was even more ridiculous.
There were strange decorations, hastily prepared, and even a human band that was clearly put together at the last minute.
Of course, the humans had blindfolds on. They were playing instruments without even being able to see. It was a bit pitiful, but… Shekina didn’t care much about that at the moment.
Sigh. Shekina quickly turned her head, scanning the surroundings to find the one responsible for all this.
And it didn’t take long for her to find the culprit.
‘Yurian, that bastard?’
There he was, grinning from ear to ear in the distance. Was he unaware of his mistake? Was that why he was smiling like that? Shekina’s eyes narrowed.
And just as quickly, Yurian disappeared, as if he had never been there.
‘If they were going to be so cautious, they shouldn’t have done something like this in the first place…!’
Shekina’s clenched fist began to tremble. At that moment.
“This is amusing.”
Lucart muttered.
“They’re throwing such a grand party, yet none of the high-ranking demons show up.”
He smirked with amusement.
Just by looking at the crude decorations, it was obvious who had arranged this mess. It was probably the homunculus.
But why?
Why would the homunculus do something like this?
Was it merely to welcome Shekina?
No, that’s not it.
There must be a clearer reason.
Yes. Just like how the elders haven’t even shown their faces, despite the loud music blaring through the castle.
“They’ve been quite bold.”
Understanding the general situation, Lucart placed his hand on top of Shekina’s head and said,
“You stay here and play with the others.”
“What? Then what about you, Boss?”
“I’ll go and bring those who didn’t show up after being invited.”
Shekina tilted her head, not fully understanding the meaning, but soon nodded as if she figured it out.
She had her own task to take care of.
So, after Lucart left, Shekina smiled brightly and spread her arms wide.
“If you don’t come out by the count of three, you’ll get hit once more. One, three.”
“Hey, why did you skip two?!”
“Because I felt like it.”
Shekina tightened her grip around Didi’s neck, putting her in a headlock.
“I told you to stay still until I got back, didn’t I? But the moment I return, you cause this mess?”
“No, what mess did I cause?! I didn’t do anything!”
“Liar, again. Every time you open your mouth, it’s a lie. Everyone knows this mess is your doing, don’t they?”
“W-what the hell…!”
“What the hell, what? You messed up, didn’t you!”
Shekina rubbed her fist against Didi’s head, scolding her.
At that moment.
“Isn’t that enough?”
A voice came from the shadows.
It was Nisha.
What are you doing here?
Wait, were you part of this too? Did you help create this whole mess?
Betrayal glimmered in Shekina’s eyes.
Sensing this, Nisha hurriedly spoke with a somewhat desperate tone.
“T-this, we have a reason for doing this. We didn’t have a choice. Time was tight and all that.”
Noticing that Nisha wasn’t speaking in her usual manner, Shekina narrowed her eyes and scrutinized her face.
Her troubled expression didn’t seem to be a lie.
“Hmph.”
And so, Shekina quietly released the headlock she had on Didi.
“If you had a reason, you should’ve said so. I ended up hitting you for no reason.”
“Hey! You didn’t even give us time to explain!”
“I did. One, three.”
“…You’re insane.”
Didi spat on the ground, stretching her stiff neck. Even when I’m doing something for her, she flips out. Never again. Didi grumbled, feeling upset.
“Shekina, you can’t act like that. Everything we did was for you.”
At that moment, Yurian suddenly popped up and chimed in. Shekina and Nisha both looked at him with incredulous expressions. Even Didi wore a face full of betrayal.
“Master Yurian, how could you run away like that…! That’s so mean!”
And then she quickly exited the hall, like the heroine of a tragic story.
“Huh? Well, I didn’t want to get hit either…”
“Oh. What a coward.”
Shekina scratched her ear while staring at Yurian.
“Follow Didi. Go stay with her. I need to talk with Nisha.”
“It’s not Nisha, it’s ‘sister’.”
“Right. I need to talk with Nisha.”
Although Nisha’s eyes widened in frustration, Shekina didn’t seem intimidated at all. Seizing the moment, Yurian hurriedly chuckled and ran off in the direction Didi had gone.
“Didi! Wait for me! I don’t think I should stay here either!”
Ugh, what a coward.
Shekina shook her head in disbelief, then turned her attention to Nisha, who wore a sullen expression.
“So, what’s going on?”
Suppressing the urge to poke Nisha’s puffed-up cheek, Shekina asked again.
“What’s all this commotion about?”
Nisha debated whether or not to tell Shekina, feeling frustrated, but then she sighed and answered.
“The elders decided not to welcome you.”
As soon as she heard that, Shekina’s mind started working quickly.
“So, they’re going to pretend they don’t see all the hard work I’ve done?”
She immediately came to a conclusion.
Nisha, calming her surprised expression, nodded her head.
“Yes.”
“So, to make me feel welcomed, you guys set this all up, right?”
“Yes.”
“Hmmm…”
Shekina grinned and stroked her chin.
“I’ll give you guys a gift later. Good job.”
“…I have a bad feeling about this.”
Nisha felt like she had just become Shekina’s underling but quickly pushed the thought aside, refusing to accept it.
“Those old fools really are pathetic. They’ve gone completely mad.”
Shekina clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.
“I have a good plan.”
Then she twisted her lips into a wicked smile.
“I’ve gotten my hands on something pretty nice this time.”
Ring!
[SYSTEM]
You have obtained an Advanced Summoning Circle!
“Let’s give it a try.”
Shekina spread out her hands.
