50. The Moon Rabbit Siblings (7)
The sun reached the tips of their toes.
?!
A small wisp of white smoke appeared. Her toenails turned black and shriveled up, the rest of her feet soon following suit. The ashes that remained soon disappeared without a trace. The sun continued to rise and its light crawled up their feet, their knees, and then their thighs.
Kyaaaaah!
The Vampires cried out in agony. Their faces turned bat-like as they scread, but there was no one there that showed any sympathy for them. Karinas face turned back into that of a humans and she cried tears of blood.
S-save ! Ill do anything! Ill even be your slave! Ill follow any order you give! Ill even betray my brother! So, please save
Karinas face grew stiff as she spoke. Tom was smiling at her with great satisfaction. As he stood amidst 40 or so Vampires all crying out horrendously in agony, he appeared to be enjoying the scene. His clear, golden eyes looked pure and innocent, but that made his expression that much more terrifying. The sight of her being extinguished had no effect on him.
She knew at that mont that there was sothing seriously wrong with the man. He was twisted.
This bastard is crazy!
Groveling didnt even phase him, so her goals quickly changed. She turned to Demon Lord Lily.
Lily didnt avert her gaze. She held to her conviction to watch until the very end, but her hands and pupils trembled as she t Karinas gaze. Karina didnt miss these cues.
I-I can still live! Theres still a chance that I can survive!
If she begged and struggled then she was sure that the Demon Lord would save her due to how soft her heart was. It may not have worked on Tom, but the Demon Lord was another matter.
Sunlight reached her lower body and began to turn it to ash. She was slowly being extinguished. She realized that her ti was running out so she began to shout desperately.
Aaaah! Your Majesty! The highest of all highnesses! I, Karina of the lowly Vampire tribe, begs you! Please save !
Lily twitched uncomfortably after hearing Karinas pleading. Ellin, noticing Lilys reaction, stepped in front of her and glared at Karina.
Shut your dirty mouth, Vampire!
Ellin growled angrily, but Karina did not relent. She had nothing to lose with her life on the line the way it was.
Your Highness! I beg of you! P-please! Give a chance to show you my dedication! Please! Just this once! Shade from this accursed sun! If you do so, I shall lower my head and kiss your feet as a show of loyalty!
The sunlight reached her chest. Her feet had already disintegrated into ash leaving behind nothing but her blackened bones. Her lower body had been completely destroyed. Her bountiful chest rose up and down with every breath, but as it began to shrivel and turn to ash, her ribcage began to show. Karina beca even more desperate as she was faced with her impending death.
Please! I beg of you! Your highness! I please beg beg you! Please Anything Ill do anything! I beg you! I said I beg you!
Abruptly, Karinas tone changed.
You damned bitch! You crazy slut! Im begging you! Im groveling before you! Kyaaah! Im dying! Q-quickly save !
Her expression had gone through a series of phases. It had turned from earnest to despairing, then finally into resentnt. She directed all her anger toward Demon Lord Lily as she cried tears of blood.
Karinas body was slowly being consud in fla.
Lilys eyes grew wide. When the sun seared across the vampires neck and reached her chin, Karinas expression changed once more.
Aah I-Im sorry! I didnt an it! Honest! Ill apologize so save !
As Lily watched this, she saw it as a sincere apology and an expression of regret. She began to move instantly. She pulled Ellin behind her and frantically ran over towards the vampires. She tried to reach out to so of them, but she found herself clutching only what was left of their clothes as they faded away.
As they all died, Lily ran over towards Karina and tried to block the sunlight from reaching her face. However, soone abruptly walked in front of her.
?!
Tom kept his back to Lily as he grabbed Karinas neck.
You talk too much.
Karinas eyes grew wide.
W
Tom grabbed onto her neck right then. Karinas head was ripped free from the rest of her body along with the majority of her spine, and her face was exposed directly to the sunlight. It completely burned through. Karinas pained expression faded in an instant as all the skin on her face vanished.
Tom carelessly tossed her remainsher skull with a section of her spine still attached over to Karakul.
You have to perform her rites, yes?
Karakul wordlessly lifted her skull. His eyes turned to Tom who smiled back.
Then send that to Bludifer, Tom said. Im sure hell carefully hold the rites for her.
I understand.
Just what did you!
When Lily tried to shout at him, Tom smiled at her. On the surface, it looked like a truly friendly and amicable smile, but the only thing that Lily could feel from it in this situation was cruelty and violence.
Your Highness. Youre too naive.
Naive?
Yes. Truly naive.
***
They cut down the surrounding trees and placed the remains of the dead Vampires into newly-built coffins. As their flesh and muscles along with their organs had all turned to ash leaving only their blackened bones behind, it wasnt all that difficult moving them. As such, Orcs couldnt help but feel sympathy for the Vampires as they moved the remains. They carefully organized the skull, hurus and femur, vertebrae and pelvis of each one into the coffins. Karakul retained his formality toward the dead as he watched the Orcs.
He turned his gaze to Tom.
Wouldnt it have been better to leave her alive?
Mm? Ah, I decided that it was too dangerous to leave that woman alive. Do you really believe that there could be a shred of loyalty to the Demon Lord from soone that would betray her own brother?
But if we used her, we could have negotiated with Bludifer to free the Apostles that have been cursed.
But if we did that the Vampires would just return to hiding in the shadows. Theyd bide their ti for the next opportunity to strike. In that case, isnt it better to take this chance to sweep away all those that defy the Demon Lord?
Karakul was lost for words hearing his reply. Those that defied the Demon Lord didnt feel like it was restricted to just Bludifer.
May I ask if youre planning on killing the Apostles as well?
I could if I felt like it, but as you said, looking at the abilities of the various races, itd be a bit of a waste to just throw them all away. Currently, they dont have any fealty to the Demon Lord, but if the Demon Lord manages to defeat Bludifer and forces him to his knees, they might change their minds.
Did he plan things that far ahead back when he let the Vampires go?
Karakul finally realized the reason Tom had let the Vampires go during the Heros invasion. He wanted the unification of the Demon Kingdom. To completely unify them under one rule. Regardless of the process, what his master before him cared for most was the result. It ant that no matter who died, no matter how many were sacrificed, all of these things would be completed with Demon Lord Lily at the center.
Well, Im giving them a chance because the other Apostles showed her respect out of formality, but the Vampires did not. They were aiming for her from the start. I repay those that show kindness with kindness, but those that show hostility with hostility. Isnt that just common sense?
You will be hated by Her Highness.
I know.
Karakul sighed deeply in his mind.
In any case are you planning on sending it back looking like that?
Tom turned to the Orcs, who by now were raising the coffins onto a rickety-looking wagon.
I was considering whether to decorate it with flowers.
He would appreciate that.
Tom shook his head sarcastically.
Cover it in silk with the Demon Lords crest. Were treating it as a formal ssage; at least do that much.
Crest?
When Karakul looked confused, Tom grew quiet.
Im talking about a mark that symbolizes the Demon Kingdom, the mark of the Demon Lord.
There is no such thing. We Orcs have a flag that our tribe uses, but there is nothing that represents the kingdom.
There is no flag?
Is it necessary?
Tom pressed on his temples. Now that he thought about it, he hadnt seen a flag in the past when hed invaded the Demon Lords castle. He didnt think about it much back then, but as he was involved with the kingdom now, he began to realize the importance of such a symbol.
Karakul was definitely one of the wisest and contemplative Orcs out there. He had the talent necessary as an individual warrior and as the chief of a tribe, but lacked the knowledge and forethought required to lead an army or a nation.
A symbol is one of the basic diums needed to unify people on a national level. Each tribe would do their own thing without one.
As they lacked the identity of a unified organization, they wouldnt care about helping each other. It was one of the main reasons that the Demon Kingdom was so powerful, yet found themselves being slaughtered all the ti by the humans and having their leaders murdered.
Take so ti later to discuss it with the Demon Lord to properly create one. Along with a set of rules for the kingdom as well.
I understand.
Karakul tried to think of so symbols of Hell and groaned. Other than martial arts, he didnt have any talent for the art.
***
The image of the execution monts ago swam in Lilys head. Karina had been begging for her life. To be saved. That she was sorry. However, Lily had not been able to save her. Of course, she knew that begging alone would not have absolved Karina of her cris, but at the very least, shouldnt she have been given a chance?
Your Highness. You are too naive.
Am I too naive? Is that it?
Lily asked the Moon Rabbit Siblings beside her. They stood in their servants outfits with their heads lowered toward her.
Not at all.
Your Highness is always friendly and amicable.
She felt a little reassured by their words.
Im tired. I couldnt sleep at all because of the Vampire invasion.
She thought of Tom and frowned.
Could it be he hates ?
She began to suspect that the strangely familiar man might hate her. She felt that their distance was intentionally being grown every ti she tried to get close to him. It was like that in this case as well. The feeling that he disliked her in particular because she was the Demon Lord.
Was he disappointed? Had he co here with high expectations and instead found soone like as the Demon Lord? Why does he hate ?
Lily laid on the bed and used her plushy sli as a pillow, burying her face into it. Her face softly indented its gel-like flesh.
I dont like being hated.
She definitely didnt like the feeling of being hated. As soone who had been on the receiving end of so much hatred by the other Apostles, she felt that it was one of the worst feelings. The feeling of trying her best to et expectations, yet still being ignored. It felt like she was invisible. Like air. However, this ti, it was a bit different. She really didnt want to associate the word hatred with that man.
Why? Why?
She felt a completely new feeling swell within her. Nostalgia. His golden locks and eyes. She felt like she had t him sowhere before, in the past.
Where did I see him? This feeling like Ive seen him t him
Exhaustion slowly washed over her and her crimson eyes began to shut she was drifting asleep.
The Moon Rabbit siblings who noticed this jumped up and looked at each other.
Ill read you a story!
Ill hug you warmly!
Lulu quickly raised a storybook while Luli entered the bed and embraced her. They were truly a pair of like-minded siblings. Despite their activities, Lilys eyes shut due to exhaustion.
A long, long ti ago there was a certain Ajin girl. She
Lulu continued reading his story.
Long ti ago? An Ajin girl?
And so then A He
Luli embraced Lily tightly. Lily reciprocated her embrace by warmly hugging back. Lulis eyes twitched as she playfully dug into Lily even deeper. As Lily enjoyed the sensation of Lulis soft, white hair and her long rabbit ears, she felt relieved.
Warm Soft
said. Ill protect A vow
Protect? Vow.?
Lily fell into a deep sleep in the middle of Lulus story.
.
.
..
There was an Ajin girl amidst the flowers deep in the forest. A girl with small horns, a tiny fra, red eyes, and copper skin.
Is that ?
The girl turned around.
There was a man. A golden-haired man with bright, golden eyes.
Tom? Why is Tom?
He was sobbing on his knees and looking as though he had just managed to escape from a truly horrendous nightmare. The Ajin girl who saw this approached him. The man embraced her. He embraced her softly as though he was holding onto sothing precious, and he said sothing to her.
Ill protect you! Ill protect you no matter what happens, Ellie!
That was so kind of a vow. A vow to protect her. Dozens of years later, Tom had made that sa vow to Lily.
.
.
.
Lily shouted as her red eyes shot open.
Ive t him!
Luli who had been embracing her jumped back in surprise and Lulu dropped his book. The siblings watched her in confusion.
Your Highness? Whats wrong?
Did you have a nightmare?
The siblings eyes held great concern. However, Lily didnt have the ti to think about that. Because she had rembered and could barely contain her thoughts.
She had t him! A long ti ago! Dozens of years ago in fact! She didnt rember it clearly, but it was definitely near the human territories! At the flower beds near Lania, the city that the humans abandoned! That was where she had t Tom, the Devil of Lania!
That was it! And
He had embraced her younger self warmly and lovingly. She had felt so comfortable and sweet that she still hadnt forgotten about it all these years later.
He embraced you? E-embraced you tight?!
Her bestial ears stood tall and faintly trembled.
Should I hold you too?
When Luli asked with her head tilted in concern, Lulu pressed down on his sisters head.
N-now that I think about it when she asked what his desires were it was definitely
Let protect you.
He had co to keep the promise that he had made to her dozens of years ago.
She sat dumbly. The strange sensation that she was so kind of protagonist in so dumb romance novel for girls surrounded her. Her heart was filled with doubts. At that mont, the na he had shouted stuck out in her mind.
Ellie.
Who is Ellie?
Her throat tightened as she uttered that strange na. Anxiety pressed down upon her like a hamr.
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