BVWG 23

chapter 23

In the demon realm, two messages appeared consecutively in bright pink letters floating in midair.

<Message 1>

Submission 2. You have met the candidate male, Morpheus Benvolio. Befriend him.

Reward: ??? / Failure: ???

<Message 2>

Submission 3. You have met the candidate male, Beret Judicum. Befriend him.

Reward: ??? / Failure: ???

So, in the end, the message was telling me to befriend both candidate males. Not exactly a very informative message.

I was about to summon the demon realm into my right hand when I heard a rustling sound from behind.

Turning around, I saw Dalia, holding something in both hands. But the child’s reaction was strange.

“Dalia, you’re here? Where did you go?”

“…….”

“Dalia?”

“Sis, what are those pink letters coming out of your right hand?”

“What? You can see them too?”

Had Dalia somehow been recognized as a guide of the game and could now see it?

After a brief pause, Dalia nodded affirmatively.

“This is the demon realm I told you about before that shows me the rules of the game with the demon. This time, it sent a message. It said to befriend the candidate males.”

“Oh, that’s what it was?”

Dalia seemed to be trying to accept the situation.

I quickly clenched the demon realm in my hand and imagined it being absorbed into my palm. And just like that, the demon realm truly vanished into my right hand.

I turned my attention away from the troubled-looking child so she wouldn’t worry about unnecessary things.

“But Dalia, what’s all that you’re holding in your hands?”

Looking closely, it was toy pots, teacups, spoons, and similar items.

“You said you’d play with me, so I brought the toys I wanted to play with together.”

“What kind of game do you want to play?”

Dalia’s face flushed pink with excitement. The demon realm was long forgotten in the back of her mind.

“Sis, let’s play tea party. I’ll set up the tea table.”

So she meant she wanted to play house. I nodded at her enthusiastic explanation.

Dalia busily pretended to cook something with the toy pots and spoons.

Soon, she poured the imaginary contents into a toy teapot decorated with a rabbit.

Two teddy bear-patterned toy teacups were also arranged alongside it.

I chuckled at how busy Dalia looked.

“Then, I’ll have a delicious cup of tea, Miss Dalia.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

Encouraged by my response, Dalia answered even more cheerfully.

Soon, she pretended to pour from the rabbit teapot into the teddy bear teacups and placed them neatly in front of me.

“I’ll drink it well.”

I pretended to sip from it, and Dalia took a seat opposite me at the tea table.

The child pretended to pour something into her teddy bear teacup and sipped it as well.

She imitated adult tea-drinking surprisingly convincingly.

“Then, Miss Asha, would you tell me the latest news? Any interesting stories recently?”

It was the way young ladies of society spoke during tea time. Where had such a young child learned that tone?

“Well, I’ve been quite busy recently. I had to see His Majesty the Emperor, visit the southern slums, and got caught up at an accident scene in front of the royal palace.”

“I see. I’m glad Miss Asha is safe. I’d like to hear more about the accident in front of the palace. Could you tell me?”

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I told Dalia about my meeting with Beret and the accident in front of the palace.

Since she was the game guide, it was something I had to tell her.

Dalia soon asked, wearing the most serious expression a child could make.

“Did the knight commander say that this incident happened again after 20 years?”

Even while asking, she didn’t forget to sip her teddy bear teacup.

“Yes. But I don’t understand what that means.”

“I think it’s also the start of disasters that happened in the game. Those kinds of things used to happen in the games you played.”

“Then why did it happen again after 20 years? If that’s the case, shouldn’t it have happened before as well?”

I maintained the tea-time concept while answering her. Dalia pondered but soon gave up.

“I don’t know either.”

“Hmm… this is a problem that needs some investigation.”

Yet, thinking about how to investigate it, I had no clue. At that moment, the demon I had seen earlier came to mind.

“It would be most accurate to ask the demon about the demon’s game.”

“I’m sorry Dalia, I couldn’t be more helpful.”

Looking at her, the cute face that hadn’t yet lost her baby-like charm looked thoroughly sulky.

“It’s okay. I know an expert to ask about this problem. Just by telling me about the candidate males, you were a great help, Miss Dalia.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

I comforted Dalia while maintaining the pretend tea party. Then, I pretended to finish the contents of the teddy bear teacup.

“Thanks for the tea. By the way, it’s really delicious. Please serve me again next time.”

Dalia quickly refocused on the pretend play, her face lighting up.

“Yes. Next time, I’ll prepare even more delicious tea.”

Looking outside, darkness had already fallen. Playing house with Dalia had made time fly.

“Dalia, I’m tired now. I’ll play with you again next time. You should go to sleep too. Kids grow taller when they sleep early.”

Dalia smiled brightly like sunshine.

“Thank you for playing with me, Sis. Let’s promise to play again next time.”

Suddenly, Dalia hugged me and said.

“Okay, promise. I’ll call Mercy.”

I called Mercy, sent Dalia to her, and lay down on my bed.

But I didn’t sleep immediately.

‘Maybe I can summon the demon from my side first?’

I stared at my right hand and summoned the demon realm. A dazzling silver hand mirror appeared in my hand. I stared into the mirror and shouted recklessly.

“Demon! Demon! Come out!”

The mirror still reflected only my face.

“Demon! Please come out!”

‘Would being more polite change anything?’

Still no change on the mirror.

“Hey! Demon! You bad guy! You’re ignoring me calling you?”

Since the demon clearly wasn’t going to appear, I decided to vent my frustration.

Just as I was about to unleash a string of curses, the mirror turned white. And the demon I had met earlier appeared.

“You insignificant human, you dare summon a demon!”

Still exuding decadent charm, the demon looked very annoyed.

I was a bit surprised that he really appeared.

“This is the first and last time I respond to your call! Got it? You’ve entertained me enough lately, so I’ll let it slide just this once.”

I quickly nodded, realizing it wouldn’t be good to irritate him further.

“Okay, okay. Calm down. Sorry for calling you.”

The demon eyed me with obsidian-like eyes.

“Then why did you call again after seeing me earlier?”

The atmosphere was completely different from before. Maybe his pride was hurt by responding to a human.

I felt a little tense in the precarious situation. Still, I had to ask.

“Did you cause the ground to sink in front of the palace?”

I had mustered some courage.

“So you called this busy body just to ask that?”

“If not, I apologize.”

The mood demanded a preemptive apology.

“Yes, I caused it. But I didn’t do it willingly. It’s too bothersome to explain, so ask that Kairos fellow or whatever.”

“My mentor?”

“He knows too. Business done? Don’t call me again.”

Without listening to my reply, the demon vanished.

“How does my mentor even know about that?”

I shouted at the mirror, and in response, the mirror glowed white as I heard the demon’s irritable grumbling.

“End times, end times. A demon responding to a human call!”

The next morning, the butler visited my room.

“Miss Asha, did you sleep well last night? A letter has arrived for you.”

The white envelope bore the seal of the Desdemota Duke family: a black wolf.

It seemed Klepta Desdemota had replied to my letter.

I had expected that Klepta Desdemota wouldn’t disdain or ignore my letter like Beret.

The Desdemota family always valued practicality above all else.

Being close to the Esperanza family wasn’t a disadvantage for the Desdemotas.

Still, the reply had arrived sooner than expected.

I quickly opened the letter.

[To the Honorable Princess Esperanza,

I hope you have been well under the protection of the White Dragon.

It is an honor that the most beautiful princess in the empire has taken an interest in me.

I too wish to meet the beautiful princess as soon as possible.

Please let me know a convenient day, and the Desdemota household will host you.

(…)

I hope that the Desdemota and Esperanza ducal families maintain a close relationship.

May we together lead the Deuscornu Empire to eternal glory.

With reverence for the beautiful princess,

Klepta Desdemota]

It was a long, sincere letter.

Judging from this alone, among the three candidate males, this one seemed the easiest to secure a proposal from.

But he was overly eager in requesting a meeting.

His attitude toward me was completely opposite to Beret. Somehow, it felt off.

Considering what Dalia had said about Klepta…

I decided not to ignore my instincts.

So I wrote a reply saying I could visit the Desdemota household in two weeks and sealed it with our family’s emblem, the North Star.

It seemed better to take time and gather information about the Desdemota household rather than immediately scheduling a meeting.

I sent the letter with the butler.

Afterward, I called Mercy to prepare to go out and summoned the wizard of our estate, Curie Shade, to the front gate.

Today, I had to go with Q to the Benvolio Duchy.

I was scheduled to take my first magic lesson from Morpheus there.