Afterwards, while having a light chat, I finished exchanging information with Tia, and next I headed towards that cave where Donatella was being held captive.
The place where I had been living to hide from women was, naturally, in a hard-to-find location. Under normal circumstances, it would not be a place I, without any knowledge of the land, could reach, but I have the banishment skill [Akashic Compass] so there’s no problem.
“………..Hmm?”
As I arrived in front of the cave listening to the cacophony of birds’ cries, it was eerily quiet. Thinking that Donatella would be shouting at the top of her lungs, I stepped into the cave with increased caution. There was a cell built like the one I had been confined in, and Donatella was sitting quietly inside.
“Ed? What’s up?”
“Ah, I just wanted to talk to Donatella. I’ll take over the watch, so go and eat.”
“Got it. I’ll leave it to you, then.”
After exchanging such a conversation with the man who had been on guard, he left the cave, passing by me. After making sure that he was gone, I settled myself down in front of the cell where Donatella was.
“How are you doing, Donatella?”
“…Do I look fine to you?”
Despite Donatella’s sharp glare, I just smiled without flinching.
“Yeah, you look fine, right? You weren’t harmed or anything, right?”
“I was made to smell a drug and locked in a cell. You think that’s not being harmed?”
“I was also summoned forcefully by someone somewhere and shoved into a cell without any explanation, so isn’t that “not being harmed” by comparison?”
“…Tch.”
Donatella turned her face away in displeasure at my joking words. But that’s all. She was confined, but she wasn’t restrained any further, probably because Donatella didn’t violently resist.
I have no way of knowing why she’s being quiet, but… If this is the case, it seems like we’ll be able to communicate more smoothly than I expected, and for me, it’s a happy miscalculation.
“Hey Donatella, if you’re this calm, we can talk, right? So why did you unconditionally expel all the men from the village? You could have at least explained the reason.”
“…The black star.”
Donatella quietly opened her mouth in response to my question. There seemed to be some kind of shame in her downcast eyes.
“Ten years ago, a black star fell to the east of the forest. From it wafted a black miasma, and anyone who touched it gave birth to a black demon that began to attack the village.”
“I see. Hamokin told me about that.”
“The men fought the black demon to protect the village. The women supported those men. I was one of them. We thought it was a woman’s pride to support the men and protect the village. But that was not the case! Five years ago, a shining star told me the truth!”
“…The truth?”
The truth taught by something incomprehensible falling from the sky sounds extremely suspicious… Donatella looks at me, her eyes full of passion, as I unconsciously grimace.
“That’s right! The truth! The truth about the men! The black star had the form of a woman! Her chest was bouncy, her hips were firm! All the men were transfixed by her, they couldn’t fight the black star! What we were cheering on was just a pervert! Men are the worst! Men are weak! Men are harmful! Men are useless!”
“Oh, really?”
The black star is supposed to be the Demon King of this world, huh? So, it’s a woman? And attracting men’s gazes means it’s in human form? Well, if there’s a thing like John, it’s not strange to have a female Demon King… But, what is it? I have mixed feelings about whether I want to see it or not.
“Anyway, so you’re saying that the reason you drove out the men was…?”
“The men were useless, too infatuated with the black star! They were more of a hindrance! That’s why I decided to drive out the men and try to defeat the black star with women alone. To that end, I performed the hero summoning ritual that the shining star taught me on that day… And the ones who came were Lunaritia and you.”
“I see, I see, so that’s how it connects…”
Forgetting for a moment about Donatella’s gaze that kept glaring at me, I started to think while looking at my own right hand.
The white something that’s still resisting inside me… The shining star that resides in Donatella, at this point, is almost certainly a force or will of a god. After all, it is supposed to be God’s power that is sending me to other worlds.
Of course, there is also the possibility that someone else is interfering, but rather than thinking that there are so many transcendent beings crowded here, it’s more reasonable to think that God has started to interfere more actively with the world than before.
In that case, there are two things that concern me. One of them, I can ask Hamokin directly later…
“Hey Donatella, give me your hand.”
“…No. You’re planning to do something dirty to me.”
“I’m not! Why would you think that?!”
“You’ve been looking over my body since a while ago! Your gaze is dripping with lust, it couldn’t be any more obscene!”
“Ugh!? No, I was looking at you, but not like that!”
I was looking at Donatella because I was curious about where this shining star is dwelling in her body. There is no other meaning to it.
“Come on, just give me your hand!”
“No way! Are you going to force yourself on me again!? Men are the worst! Men are the worst! No matter how much you try to defile me, I will not lose my pride!”
“Hey Ed, Donatella is one of us. Don’t be too harsh…”
Donatella started screaming loudly, and the man who had heard the commotion returned and sent a disapproving glance in my direction. With that, I raised my voice to deny the accusation.
“No way! I said that’s not it! There’s just something I’m curious about… So come on, you take Donatella’s hand and stretch it out to me.”
“Hmm, that’s…”
“Are you two teaming up!? Planning to lust over my body together!? Men are the worst! Among them, you are the worst of the worst!”
""
“……….. Alright. That’s enough.”
In response to Donatella backing away inside her cell, I gave a large sigh and backed off… but it was just a bluff. For just a moment, I activated [Hermes Dash]. With speed that doesn’t even register in the eye, I circled to the side of the cell, reached in, and forcefully grabbed Donatella’s hand.
“Ahg!? When did you…!?”
“………..”
“What are you trying to do!? Disgusting! Let go!”
“………..”
“Damn it, if it’s come to this…!”
“…Alright, that’s enough.”
Just as a faint golden light began to rise from the enraged Donatella, I hurriedly let go of her hand. Donatella crouched down, clutching the hand I had been holding to her chest, while the guard who had been watching the whole time gave me a suspicious look.
“Hey Ed, what did you just do?”
“Well, I thought I could somehow deal with the cause of Donatella’s strange behavior… the shining star? But… it didn’t work out.”
“So, is that it?”
“Yeah. Sorry, if it had gone well, most of the problems would have been solved…”
“No, it can’t be helped. Everyone knows Donatella has changed. But no one knows how to change her back.”
In reality, when I focused my consciousness while actually touching her hand, I couldn’t sense the shining star supposed to be inside Donatella. I tried sending the white something inside me towards it, or tried to see if I could pull it out, but no response at all made it impossible to do anything.
Could it be that, surprisingly, my entire assumption is wrong, and the white something and the shining star are completely different powers? Ugh, I don’t know. It would be nice if I could have Tia investigate, but if Tia gets close, she might be affected by mental manipulation again… I’m seriously stuck.
(Ugh, what should I do…)
Even if I can’t cure Donatella, it’s not a major problem for achieving my regular goals… namely, defeating the Demon King and returning to the <White World>. But, for the big goal I’ve newly set, guiding all worlds to the best outcome, Donatella’s treatment or detoxification was essential.
(I understand that God is interfering with me, the Demon King, but at least save people.)
I internally cursed at such an inflexible existence.
