rilyn Sutherland.
Now, the demon who wanted to live a new life under that na felt bored in the absence of her love.
Though she worried about him leaving for a dangerous place, she believed he would succeed.
The peace she found through that trust soon intertwined with her demonic instincts, leading her to seek out sothing that stimulated her desires.
“Hello there, little maid~ I’m rilyn, newly joining the Ark~”
What she found was a maid cleaning the hallway of the Ark.
This maid, known to everyone as Flang, had a special relationship with her love.
“…phisto.”
However, the gaze directed at her was filled with hostility, unrelated to that relationship.
“Aha, as expected, you recognized right away~”
“Of course. I rember every mber of the Ark. No matter how skilled you are at hiding, you can’t erase your unique aura.”
Flang imdiately saw through her disguise.
But rilyn also realized that her opponent was no ordinary being.
Because the vitality that any living being should have was completely absent in the entity before her.
Could she be considered a golem-like being, perhaps?
“Hoohoo, it’s nice that I don’t have to introduce myself again.”
In any case, the opponent was also a being with consciousness and will.
rilyn, who had a deep interest in his romantic relationships, naturally beca interested in the girl standing in front of her.
“But seeing that you recognized yet didn’t react much… does that an you’re accepting my joining here?”
“…The current master of the Ark is my lord. Until the results of his choice co out, I plan to respect and watch over his decision.”
“Hoohoo, so you’re accepting for now. I guess I’ll have to work on getting closer to you.”
“Don’t misunderstand. If you show any signs of doing sothing foolish, I won’t sit idly by.”
Flang raised her head and spoke in an angry voice.
Her furrowed brows and sharp voice were clear expressions of her hostility.
“My lord only made an alliance out of necessity. Many of us, including myself, still don’t trust demons like you.”
“I understand that. We haven’t known each other for long, so it’s natural that trust is lacking.”
“It’s not just about trust! The Demon Tribe is an enemy of humanity…!”
“But with humanity’s territory on the verge of collapse, borrowing power from other races, excluding the Demon Tribe, seems a bit narrow-minded, doesn’t it?”
Grit, the sound of teeth grinding.
rilyn dismissed it lightly and gave a slight smile.
“As I ntioned before, what Yasmo did is her sin, not ours. We value our lives and circumstances too much to risk hostility with hard-won allies.”
“…So you’re saying that if there were an alternative, you might betray us at any ti.”
“On the contrary, if no alternative exists, our alliance will last forever, unless you betray us first.”
The mont when a clan known for betrayal turned the possibility of betrayal onto the other side.
Flang, trembling with anger, finally turned her back on rilyn and let out a voice full of frustration.
“…Just rember that I’ll be watching you closely.”
Soday they would be enemies, but now was not the ti.
Watching Flang calm herself and walk away, rilyn’s lips slowly curled into a blissful smile.
‘Aha~ This is a much better reaction than I expected~’
Though they might anticipate betrayal, ironically, rilyn had no intention of betraying them or bringing harm to the Ark.
Her only goal was to strengthen her relationship with her love and secure enough self-control to prevent her desires from spiraling into impulsive actions.
‘Does this girl know? That the one she calls master and follows so loyally is yearning for a true relationship with ?’
And this provocation was just a spice to fulfill those desires.
Revealing her relationship with him when Flang’s hostility was at its peak would surely shatter the girl’s heart.
‘If she knew that I had already beco close to him before her, how would her expression crumble?’
Her hostility would turn into despair, betrayal toward him… and then anger directed at her.
The intense conflict that would arise would effectively suppress her love from escalating into impulsive actions.
As rilyn followed, full of such anticipation, Flang noticed her and began to speak in an angry voice.
“How long are you planning to follow ?”
“Coincidentally, I’m still unfamiliar with the Ark. I was hoping you could show around while I observe, and since you’d want to keep an eye on anyway, there’s no reason to refuse, is there?”
“Grr!”
Flang’s anger was boiling, but even she knew that being close would help monitor any tricks rilyn might pull.
In the end, Flang silently allowed rilyn to follow, and rilyn let out a small chuckle as she cheerfully trailed after her.
Their final destination was the kitchen, responsible for preparing als for the Ark.
“Oh my, Flang, you’re back~”
“Keh-ek!”
The mont rilyn encountered the figure standing there, she gasped sharply.
It was only natural—after all, the person in the kitchen was her worst possible nesis.
“Did you finish all the cleaning?”
“Yes, I’ve finished for today.”
But unlike the frozen rilyn, Flang casually continued her conversation with the woman preparing food in the kitchen.
For Flang, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
Initially, she had seen her as a terrifying presence, but after witnessing how the woman cared for the people of the Ark during repairs, her fears subsided.
Through this process, Flang realized the woman was harmless, and now she even felt a sense of respect for her devotion to helping others.
“Hoohoo, thanks to you, things have gotten much easier, Flang. Everyone’s been so busy lately that it would have taken a long ti to clean by myself.”
“I was just doing my duty as a maid, Great Mother.”
“Great Mother? That title is a bit too burdenso…”
“Please don’t feel burdened. It’s a title expressing gratitude and respect for your hard work.”
The title Flang used at that mont was an expression of such respect.
Of course, it started because Flang couldn’t find an alternative title, fearing she would have to use sothing like “Dear Mother” or “Mama~♥,” but regardless of the reason, her respect for the woman had grown undeniably.
“Hmm, alright. If you insist, I’ll accept it.”
Fortunately, Tashian, the woman, was also showing a willingness to respect her.
With a smile, she accepted the title of Great Mother and gently patted Flang’s head.
“Now, Great Mother will prepare the al here, so you go rest, Flang.”
“No, I’ll handle the al preparation.”
“You haven’t fully recovered yet. You shouldn’t overdo it.”
“Thanks to your repair skills, I’m even healthier than before. Don’t worry about ; please, take a break, Great Mother.”
Flang tried to stop Tashian as she reached for the kitchen utensils.
Unable to watch any longer, Tashian took Flang’s hand and spoke in a concerned voice to stop her.
“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”
If there is unrest in your heart, you need ti to calm it.
Tashian wanted to give Flang ti to settle her heart, confused by his absence, which she couldn’t bring herself to stop.
“But isn’t that the sa for you, Great Mother?”
“I’m used to waiting, so it’s alright. I’m sure he’ll do well…”
“I also believe the Master will succeed.”
Flang shook off Tashian’s hand and pulled the utensils toward herself.
But Tashian wasn’t one to give up either.
As the struggle continued, Flang cautiously expressed her concerns about Tashian.
“Great Mother, I’ve heard that you haven’t been in the best of health…”
“Oh dear, Mother may be old, but I’m not weak enough to collapse over household chores.”
“But don’t you still need rest and sleep? I, on the other hand, can work without sleep as long as I replenish my energy. Handling all the Ark’s al prep is better suited for .”
“Still, Flang, you’ve taken care of him every day while I’ve been away, haven’t you? Kids your age should be running outside and indulging in hobbies when they can.”
“I’m not as young as you make out to be.”
“In my eyes, there’s no difference between you and that child. Now, give the knife.”
“No, I’ll…”
As the argunt between the two stretched on, Flang started to feel a growing sense of urgency inside her.
‘This is troubling. Her overwhelming motherly instincts refuse to let handle the work.’
Flang indeed admired Tashian’s work ethic, but it beca a different story when it infringed on her own responsibilities.
If she couldn’t assert her role here, her very purpose could be threatened.
As Flang pondered how to deal with her rising impatience, Tashian’s gaze shifted to rilyn, who was standing at the entrance.
“Oh my, ry, you’re here?”
A cheerful greeting directed at none other than the second-in-command of the Demon King’s army.
Flang quickly realized the close relationship between Tashian and rilyn, enough to use a nickna, and she focused on rilyn, who stood frozen.
“Did you co to watch Mom work?”
“Uh, yes, but actually, uh…”
“This is perfect timing~ I was thinking of trying out a new nu, and I needed a taste tester. Could you sit here and help out?”
“Uh, sure. Of course, I’ll do it. If it’s Tashian asking, how could I refuse?”
“Hmm, why are you acting so distant with my na? Don’t tell you’re upset because I scolded you a little before?”
“Oh, no, no. How could I possibly dislike you, Mom? Ehehe~”
Despite her forced smile, the second-in-command of the Demon King’s army couldn’t stop her body from trembling.
Tashian looked at her with a fond smile, finding her cute, while Flang felt a strange sense of déjà vu from the scene.
‘The second-in-command of the Demon King’s army… calling her Mom?’
It was just like how Flang had looked when she was newly fixed by Tashian.
It ant that rilyn, like Flang before her, had been swayed by Tashian’s overwhelming motherly instincts and had ntally submitted to her.
In other words, as long as Tashian was around, that despicable demon wouldn’t act out of line.
“Aha~”
Even without knowing all the details, that much was clear.
With that realization, Flang sighed in relief and subtly approached Tashian with a suggestion.
“Great Mother, may I offer a suggestion?”
“A suggestion?”
“Yes, it’s regarding the little disagreent we had before…”
Swoosh, her gaze shifted toward the countertop.
Flang noted the unprepared ingredients and utensils, then pointed to them as she made her proposal to Tashian.
“If it’s difficult for us to give up on being in charge of al prep… why don’t we settle it with a little competition?”
“A competition, you say?”
“Yes, a cooking contest to see who can make the best dish and which of us can create a al that better suits the mbers of the Ark.”
Naturally, since Flang had already ntally submitted to Tashian long ago, she had given up any thought of defeating her through strength.
But that submission didn’t extend to her area of expertise.
If anything, for the sake of her duty, Flang felt a strong desire to prove that she excelled over Tashian in this field.
“Hmm, that certainly sounds like a way to serve better als and have a clean resolution. I like it.”
“And for an objective judgnt, we should let a third party evaluate our dishes. Since rilyn is here, how about we let her judge our cooking?”
rilyn flinched, her body trembling.
rilyn shot Flang a look that scread, ‘What are you up to?’ But Flang ignored it and waited for Tashian’s response.
With Tashian present, rilyn had no thought of running away.
“rilyn, you’re not busy right now, are you? Could you judge our dishes for us?”
“Uh, yes, I can, but…”
“Alright then~ Co on, rilyn. Please, take a seat over here~”
Flang gently pushed rilyn toward a seat, forcing her to move.
rilyn, now seated, was still on guard, but by then, Flang had already finished her preparations.
-Snap!
The mont rilyn sat down, wires tightly bound her body to the chair.
Feeling her movent restricted, rilyn shot an angry glare at Flang.
“You, what on earth are you thinking…?!”
“You know that if you run, Tashian will chase you down imdiately, right?”
rilyn flinched again, her body trembling.
Flang, realizing that rilyn had also ntally submitted to Tashian, smiled brightly and approached Tashian with confidence.
“Now, Great Mother, shall we decide on a nu for our competition?”
“Hmm, a nu… everyone has different tastes, so I’m not sure what to start with.”
“If you’re unsure, how about baby food for the Elf children?”
“Baby food, you say?”
“Yes, they’re the youngest, so wouldn’t it be best to prepare sothing with extra care?”
“That’s a wonderful idea~ Of course, growing children need special attention in their als.”
“B-baby food? Wait, are you going to feed baby food? Don’t be ridiculous! Do you know who I am…? Ooph!”
Sothing suddenly gagged rilyn’s open mouth as she shouted in confusion.
The sound of sucking soon filled the air, and her face turned pale with horror.
“Ooph, ooph! Mmph!”
“Sorry, rilyn. It would be troubleso if you were too noisy during the competition, so I just used sothing that happened to be in my pocket to gag you.”
Flang smiled sweetly as she approached rilyn, gently stroking the pacifier now stuck in her mouth.
Humiliated, rilyn sucked on the pacifier, while Flang casually rummaged through her belongings, pulling out various items.
“Don’t worry, I’ll free you when it’s ti to eat. Oh, and wouldn’t it be easier if I just fed you myself?”
“Mmph, mmph!”
“Just in case, it would be a sha if you spilled food and stained your clothes, so here’s a bib~ Oh, and you might get bored while we cook, so here’s a toy to keep you entertained~”
-Jingle, jingle~
A baby toy jingled in rilyn’s bound hands.
Flang stepped aside, proudly showing Tashian how rilyn was now decked out in baby accessories intended for the Elf children.
“Oh my~ Our ry looks absolutely adorable~”
As expected, Tashian’s reaction was exactly what Flang had anticipated.
For soone overflowing with motherly love like Tashian, seeing her “daughter” dressed in baby accessories was enough to make her lose all sense of reason.
“Since my little rilyn looks so cute, Mommy has to work even harder to make sothing delicious.”
“Mmph! Mmph!!”
“Don’t worry, rilyn. Mommy will make you so delicious baby food~”
With that, Tashian happily began preparing the ingredients, humming as she worked.
Watching the scene with satisfaction, Flang turned back to the frozen rilyn, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling wickedly.
“Don’t worry, rilyn. As long as you don’t try anything funny, I’ll gladly accept you as part of the Ark and take good care of you~”
“So please, enjoy the service I’m about to provide… to the fullest~♡”
The hostility had long since vanished from Flang’s face.
Now that she knew there was no need to fear the demon before her, all that remained in the maid’s heart was a cruel, sadistic desire to tornt the one who had dared mock her.
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