Chapter 17: Wives Are Scary
Author: Geraint
Walking back to camp with the red twin-tailed girl, Koizumi Kanna, we talked. She told me everything that had happened after her group split from ours and returned to human territory.
Things were fine at first, but by the fourth day, they started running out of the food I had prepared for them. People began to notice they were traveling slower and slower, taking more frequent rests, and making little progress on their journey.
A few of the guys, frustrated, confronted the leader. The next day, those same guys went missing, causing unrest in the group. The leader and his lackeys started acting strangely, calling some of the girls to their tent—set far from camp and heavily guarded.
Kanna and her friends grew suspicious. While bathing together at the river, they planned their escape. But before they could leave, they were suddenly attacked by the men. It was thanks to Murai Junko—the ace of the Karate Club—that they were able to fight back and escape. Only four of them made it out. The rest were captured, and most likely... already assaulted. A cruel fate awaited them in those men's hands.
"How does your body feel now?" I asked.
"I'm fine now. Just a little tired and sore all over. I thought I was done for, but... we made it back." Kanna clasped her hands behind her back, glancing at the scenery.
I stared at her for a moment. She didn't seem afraid of me anymore—almost friendly.
"I see... that's good, then."
She suddenly looked at me, straight into my eyes.
"May I ask... how are you related to that class idol, Yuuka?"
Feeling a bit uneasy, I replied, "We're step-siblings."
"Really? Doesn't seem like it to me."
She had sharp instincts—she guessed right.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
"Ugh! I can't deal with her. She's always surrounded by those delusional fans. She's too popular, and haters like me get pushed away and fired back at. That's the main reason I decided to join the other group. I just wanted nothing to do with her." She shrugged.
"Wasn't it because I'm a demon?"
"Well, I can't deny that—but it was only a small part. I was afraid of you at first, after watching you massacre those soldiers who tried to assault us... but you did that to protect us. I'm not dumb enough to hate you for being a demon. You being close to Yuuka was the bigger reason we decided to leave—and follow those scumbags we later regretted trusting."
I was confused by her reasoning.
"Why do you hate Yuuka so much? It's not like she's done anything horrible to you. I've seen her sincerely kind to all of you."
Kanna suddenly stopped walking, trembling as she looked down.
"Hm? Koizumi-san? Why did you—"
"I want to be popular too..." she whispered, her amber eyes teary.
For a moment, I was even more confused.
"Huh?"
"Did you hear me? I WANNA BE POPULAR TOO! With Yuuka around—and the worst part is, she's my classmate—everyone's eyes are always on her, while I just stand on the sidelines, a typical wallflower!"
She vented her frustration, crying.
"She outshines me in everything! I have nothing left to brag about in class! It's so unfair!"
Hearing this, I felt disappointed.
"In other words, you just want attention. How petty."
I started walking ahead, but she suddenly grabbed my arm and clung to it, giving me a pitiful look.
"Don't leave me!"
"Hey—"
"At least try to cheer me up! I've been through a lot these days! I was almost raped by those scumbags!" she cried loudly.
I was annoyed, but I didn't have much choice.
"Such a pain."
"Please don't be like that! Just once in my life, I want a handsome man to call me cute. If I look closely, you're actually handsome—if I ignore the fact you're a scary demon."
She held onto my arm stubbornly.
I sighed. "Kanna, you are cute—"
I didn't notice Yuuka and Shiina standing in front of us.
"Eh?"
Shiina looked surprised, but Yuuka's expression shifted—from shock, to something darker. She stared at me with empty eyes and smiled.
"What's the meaning of this, Onii-sama?"
Her cold voice sent a chill down my spine.
"Yuuka?"
Finally, Kanna noticed her. "O-Onii-sama..."
Yuuka slowly approached, her cold gaze fixed on me.
"Aside from Fuyumi, you've never called anyone else cute."
She glanced at Kanna, who was already looking terrified.
"Get off. That's my spot."
"Yes!" Kanna immediately let go and backed away.
Yuuka grabbed my arm and pulled me away, her gaze still icy.
"Calm down, Yuuka. We weren't doing anything suspicious. You're just being jealous over something trivial. It reeks off you."
"Huh?" She pouted. "But you just called her cute! You've never said that to me!"
"Why would I? It's obvious. Don't you get enough compliments from everyone else?"
She blinked, looking confused.
"Oh... you mean those? I wasn't paying attention, so I didn't even know what they were saying."
"You're horrible, you know?" I sighed.
"I mean, I quit being an idol months ago after graduating middle school. Why are they still admiring me? I just want a quiet life now."
"Wasn't being an idol your childhood dream? Why stop?"
I remembered how she cried when she injured her face in a car accident.
"Well... a lot happened. After I reached the top, it wasn't as enjoyable anymore. It became exhausting."
Shiina, silent until now, clung to my other arm.
"Yuuka-sama, I heard from Mia-sama that you received huge offers for a single gravure photoshoot. Why didn't you accept any?"
Yuuka glanced at her strangely.
"Eh?"
Shiina blinked, surprised by her reaction.
Yuuka sighed. "Why would I sell my body for pocket change?"
Shiina's eyes widened.
"Pocket change? 11.4 million yen?!"
"Ayaka... even our whole family's assets combined are nothing compared to Onii-sama's wealth. He saved Mom's company from bankruptcy."
"Huh?"
"He's hiding tons of gold and gems in his magic dimensional storage."
Shiina looked at me; I simply smiled.
"If you need money, you could've just asked me."
Meanwhile
Naamah and Hecate returned with the girls and a few boys from the other group. They found Hannya sitting atop a pile of soldiers, waiting for them.
The blonde hero hung from a tree, arms tied to a branch, her companions beaten and bound beside her.
"You guys took your time. I've been waiting."
Her skin was unscathed, but her clothes were torn in several places.
-------
At the camp, Yuuka and the other girls brought their laundry together to wash when they saw Seir sneaking out alone, heading toward the woods. Yuuka frowned, feeling suspicious.
"Onii-sama is going somewhere again. I wonder where it is this time."
"Yuuka-sama, I think it's nothing suspicious—like this morning," Shiina chuckled.
Yuuka looked at her in disappointment.
"You're so naive, Ayaka. We have to keep an eye on him, or his attachment to this world might return and he'll never come back with us."
"Well... I agree with you. I don't wanna lose him either." Shiina's face turned red, aware of her feelings.
"We still have to wash our laundry or we'll have nothing to wear tomorrow," Kaho approached, carrying a large basket full of dirty clothes and blankets.
Riko arrived with a white bag containing her laundry, surprised that Kaho was carrying such a heavy load without difficulty.
"Wah! That's a lot, Kaho-senpai!"
"Well, we have patients and Saeko-sensei is looking after them. I should at least help with the laundry."
When Kaho turned toward Yuuka and Shiina, she saw them heading into the woods together.
"Hey! Where are you two going?"
It was already too late—they had entered the woods.
"Seriously? Those two aren't listening!"
Kaho, irritated, put down the basket of laundry and followed after them.
"Eh? Kaho-senpai? Where are you going?"
"Stay! I'm just gonna scold those two!"
"Wait! That's unfair! Are you gonna make us wash those by ourselves?" Riko ran after her.
Kanna, who had been watching the whole time, put down her things and followed.
"I'm going too."
The other girls hesitated, but curiosity won.
"We're coming too!"
Yuuka and Shiina were hiding in the bushes, watching Seir climb toward the mountains, following the river upstream.
"I wonder where Seir-kun is going?" Shiina asked.
"Don't know. Let's just follow him."
They tailed him until he encountered a huge boar drinking from the river. The beast was massive, with large tusks protruding from its mouth. It turned toward Seir, preparing to charge.
Seir stood motionless. The boar charged, and the two girls panicked.
"Onii-sama, watch out!"
SLAP!
The boar collapsed to the ground, twitching and losing consciousness from a heavy slap to the head.
"Good meat."
Seir pulled a knife from his dimensional storage, ended its misery, and began dismantling the carcass. He took only the necessary parts and buried the rest. Wrapping the meat in large leaves, he stored it away, then continued his climb.
Eventually, Seir reached his destination: a waterfall cascading down from a cliff. Sunlight caught the water droplets, forming a rainbow in the mist.
"See? Nothing unusual, Yuuka-sama," Shiina said with a smile—until Seir began stripping off his clothes.
"Yuuka-sama, I think we should go back. This is inappropriate." Shiina grabbed her arm, shaking her, but Yuuka remained fixed on the view.
"Yuuka-sama! We have to stop this!"
Blood dripped from Yuuka's nose when Seir removed the last of his clothes.
Shiina's face turned beet red while Yuuka seemed to be enjoying herself.
"What are you two doing?"
Kaho's cold tone came from behind. She grabbed them both by the collar, furious—until she saw Seir completely naked near the waterfall. She turned red.
"Wah!"
Behind her, Riko and Kanna arrived, followed by the other girls, all seeing the same sight.
"Kyah!"
They ducked behind the bushes before Seir noticed. His annoyed expression suggested he already knew they were there, but he ignored them and dove into the water.
Yuuka's irritation grew as more girls crowded their hiding spot.
"Ah! I don't care anymore!" She leapt out from the bushes.
"Yuuka, where are you—Wah!" Kaho stopped mid-sentence as Yuuka stripped off her skirt and shoes.
"What are you doing?"
"Of course, I'm joining him," Yuuka replied casually.
"What? Are you nuts?"
Wearing only her blouse and white underwear, Yuuka ran toward the waterfall.
"Ayaka, hurry! Come and join me!"
"EH!!"
Shiina shyly stepped out from the bushes and unzipped her skirt.
"Wait! Not you too!" Kaho panicked.
Shiina's skirt dropped, revealing light blue underwear.
"Sorry..." she said, showing she wasn't entirely against the idea.
"Yuuka-sama! Wait for me!" She ran after Yuuka, who had already jumped in.
Kaho watched them, aware of their feelings, when Riko suddenly stood up and began stripping too.
"Riko, not you too."
"Kaho-senpai, I want to have fun too! I don't want to be left behind!"
Her pink underwear barely visible under her blouse, Riko walked carefully due to her old foot injury.
Kaho held her head—until she saw the waterfall and remembered something very important she'd forgotten since arriving in this world.
Her eyes widened.
"Mizuno-senpai?"
The other girls started to speak, but Kaho stripped off her uniform, revealing a sarashi undergarment.
"SEIR! YOU DARE FORGET OUR SWORD TRAINING? LET'S DO 10,000 SWINGS TODAY!"
She charged toward the waterfall, furious.
Kanna and the other girls exchanged glances, hearing Yuuka and Riko having fun in the water. Envy won—they stripped and joined the others, splashing around.
Seir, submerged for almost fifteen minutes, surfaced after sensing the commotion. He found half-naked girls in their underwear playing in the water. Most turned red, embarrassed that their wet blouses were see-through.
Only Yuuka seemed unashamed, smiling at him.
"Onii-sama, anything to say?"
Seir blinked twice.
"Perv."
He turned away and swam off—until Yuuka jumped onto his back, laughing.
"I got you, Onii-sama! Hahaha!"
Her soft chest pressed against his back.
"Ayaka! Come here and help me!"
"Yes!"
Shiina jumped in—then realized it was deep.
"Wah!"
She flailed, swallowing water.
Seeing her in trouble, Seir swam to her. She clung to his arm, wrapping her arms around his neck while coughing.
"You okay, Shiina?" he asked calmly.
"Uuu... I'm scared!" she cried.
Once she calmed, she noticed something hard pressing against her thigh and reached for it.
"Huh? What is this?"
"Shiina, that's—"
Her hand confirmed it was something stiff, connected to him. Her face turned crimson.
"Kyaah!" she screamed—and fainted.
--------
While walking back to the camp after a bath, all the girls behind me are soaking wet, with their underwear showing through their blouses. Shiina is covering her face in embarrassment after touching an inappropriate part of my body, and Riko is cheering her up. Kaho-san seems satisfied with our sword training, while the other girls have something on their minds. But after I left the water and put my clothes back on, all of them were stunned, their faces turning red. Yuuka is the only one who seems unbothered, and right now, she's happily clinging to my right arm like an attached lover.
I tend to forget that she's my lover since I'm used to being her stepbrother.
I might not show it, but I actually care for her.
My complicated relationship with her is something that will harm her image. Maybe she's already realized this and decided to end her career as an idol while still at her peak. Some of her classmates have realized it by now and become disgusted, but they can't do anything since they all depend on me for their safe return home. Their lips are sealed for the time being because of me.
It was already afternoon when we arrived back at the camp, where I found Naamah and the other witch disasters had already returned. Hannya looked roughed up, but there were no bruises or injuries on her body. Her face looked pale, and she seemed to be enduring something.
"Hm? What happened to you?"
"Nothing, really. I'm just a little tired after getting ambushed by humans."
She tries to ignore it, but I can see that something is wrong with her.
I grabbed her arm and checked the condition of her skin, but I couldn't find anything.
"Boss?"
"Don't move and relax your body. Let my demonic mana enter you."
Touching her nape with my other hand, I used my blood and flesh manipulation to search for foreign objects inside her body.
Hannya is renowned for her toughness and can sustain herself through longer battles. She is a member of the Red Ogre Tribe and the daughter of the Tribe Leader, known for their strength. Since she's a girl, she's been mocked by male members for acting like a man and picking fights. Learning that she would be engaged to an unknown male red ogre once she turned fifteen, she decided to leave her tribe to search for her own purpose.
Red Ogres are also known for their anger issues and quick tempers, but Hannya is the complete opposite. She's calm and tactical during a fight, and the longer it goes on, the more weaknesses she can find and exploit. She is good at tanking with her abilities, and her manifestation form instantly regenerates any injuries she receives while greatly enhancing all her physical attributes. She's a charming girl despite being a red ogre, but don't be deceived by her rough appearance—among the seven disaster witches, she's actually the most normal. She just looks rough because of her tomboyish personality. Other than that, she's a sweet girl.
"Boss Seir! I told you that I'm—UGH!"
She suddenly felt sick and nauseous, then vomited up some liquid.
"Spit it all out. That's poison inside your body."
Hearing that widened her eyes, and she tried to cough it out while I tapped her back.
"Naamah, give her an antidote later."
"Yes, Seir-sama!" Naamah responded.
Glancing to the other side, I found half-naked girls with messed-up appearances and some boys with terrified faces. They came from the other group that parted ways with us and had now returned after being rescued by Hannya and the others.
The girls were crying while hugging Saeko-sensei, who was also in tears after hearing the cruel things that had happened to them.
When I arrived near their camp, they noticed me approaching. They all gave me unpleasant looks but were still anxious to say anything.
Saeko-sensei looked furious and suddenly rushed toward me, grabbing my collar with an intense glare. She tried to yell but couldn't form any reasonable words against me. Only moments of silence remained. She must have already thought this through many times, but she couldn't come up with a good answer, which only stressed her out.
"Say it. I'll listen."
"Akitsuki-san... Is it really the only way? I just can't stand seeing my students end up like this. Why can't we just save them all?"
"You are asking something impossible, Saeko-sensei."
Saeko-sensei cried at my words, then fell to her knees.
"Not this again," I sighed and mumbled.
"BOSS SEIR!"
A loud voice called from behind, and it was Hannya dragging a half-naked guy with exposed genitals, tied at the arms and legs with a rope. His mouth was covered with a cloth.
"Most of those guys were brutally killed when we arrived at their camp, but at least we found one alive."
Hannya threw the guy in the middle of the group, and some of the students averted their eyes at his nakedness. Some girls who had been abused looked terrified, but one of them became furious and immediately grabbed a stick to beat him.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!! How dare you do that to me?!" she lashed out. "You dirty scumbag! I will kill you!"
Behind her was Kanna, holding back tears while her body trembled.
"Kanna?"
"I'm not crying!" she immediately wiped her tears with her wrist.
"Well, I'm not asking, but here..."
I picked up a stick and gave it to her.
"Huh?"
"Go and beat him up." I smiled.
"Why?"
"Why? If you don't vent it out, you'll get stressed. That will cause you to become gloomy, and you'll never be popular. Trust me, I learned it from my mentor doctor."
"Seriously?" Kanna finally smiled and grabbed the stick from my hand. "Fine."
She rushed toward the guy and hit him several times.
"You shameless bastard! You tried to assault me in the river with others, you piece of shit!"
One by one, the victims stood up and joined in beating the guy.
"You murderer! You killed my boyfriend and smashed his head with a rock!"
"Scumbag rapist! I will never forgive you!"
"What have I done to deserve that? Was it fun? You guys deserve to die!"
"You raped my childhood friend in front of me, you heartless bastards!"
"You killed my friends and stole their food! I will make you pay for your crimes!"
"Come with me, and we'll survive—The hell! You guys deceived us! You just wanted to take advantage of the situation and do anything you wanted!"
They all cried in anger.
Not all attacked out of anguish—some did it to face their fear and move on from the horrible things that happened to them. The students who stayed with our group watched the brutal scene, wondering what would have happened if they had gone with the other group instead. Some felt relief, some were still anxious, but most of the girls were thankful—to the portable toilet that kept them from leaving the group.
That night, I sneaked out of my tent in the middle of the night when everyone was already in deep sleep. It took me a long time to escape because Yuuka and Shiina were sleeping close to me. I found Lory with Lilith watching the camp, and I walked straight into the woods with a torch I picked up from the camp, arriving at the tree where the beaten guy was tied. He was crying from pain and hunger after not being fed for a day.
"Hey! Are you awake?"
He glanced at me slowly.
"How are you doing?"
"P-Please... kill me..." he spoke in a weak tone.
"Answer me first. Where is your leader? Naamah told me she didn't see his corpse among the dead, which means he's still alive. He must pay for his crimes, you know?"
"I don't... know..."
"Really? Well, I can see you're not lying." I sighed. "You guys really did a lot of terrible things. Was it fun tormenting someone? You didn't show any remorse, especially to the girls you raped and the guys you killed."
"Please..."
Tears fell from his eyes.
"Huh? You want me to end your misery after all the terrible things you did? Nah, you're just running away from your crimes."
"Uuuuugh~"
He cried in pain.
"I don't really know what to do with you, and I don't want to dirty my hands with your blood, but..."
I moved my hands and snapped my fingers.
Blood emerged below my feet, spreading to our surroundings as it glowed, showing a reflection underneath. His eyes widened at the countless glinting eyes, revealing horrifying and grotesque forms trying to grab him from behind the reflection.
"No! No! No! Stay away! What the hell!"
He tried to move away, terrified of what he witnessed, trembling.
"That place is where I store all the corpses I collected from battlefields. I was planning to use them as cadavers for practicing surgery, but I lost control of my emotions and created those monsters with my power. Now, your existence will only cause uneasiness to the group, so I was thinking of giving you a free vacation. Away from everyone." I smiled.
"No! No! Please don't!" he spoke in a desperate tone.
"Oh, you can also call that place hell."
"I'm begging you! Please! Not that place!" He rolled down, pressing his forehead to the ground, seeing the monsters below trying to grab him while the mirror-like barrier stopped them.
I squatted down, tapping his shoulder.
"Didn't your victims say the same thing? What did you do?"
Hearing my words, his face turned pale.
"Huh?"
I stood up and turned around, leaving him.
"Well, enjoy your stay."
After waving my hand, several grotesque undead hands grabbed him and dragged him down into the reflection.
"NO! WAAAAAH! HELP MEEEE—"
His scream immediately died down, and silence remained after he was pulled to the other side.
The reflection closed like an eye, and the pool of blood flowed back beneath my feet as I walked back to the camp.
I, Seir, a half-demon—the demon prince feared by both humanity and demonkind. This world shall remember again how fearsome I can be—
"Huh?"
Ahead of me were Yuuka and Shiina, waiting in their enticing pajamas. Both were looking at me intensely, their eyes saying they were very mad about me leaving without telling them.
"Onii-sama!"
"Seir-kun!"
A chill went down my spine as I thought of a thousand ways to escape this situation.
There is only one solution.
I jumped high, performing multiple front flips until I landed smoothly in front of them with my head touching the ground, kneeling.
"I'm sorry!"
(To be continued.)