CH 35

Vampire Princess and the Evil God 4

Translated by AmaLynne

……Hmmm, I’m getting quite used to this feeling.

It’s been a long time since I stopped trying to find out what it feels like.

「Good evening, Lean-san. I’m so glad you’re here. Amaterasu-chan brought me some puddings from a famous pastry store. Would you like pumpkin pudding or matcha pudding?」

Matcha pudding. Oh, do you have any tea?

「Yes, I do. Chamomile or lavender.」

Chamomile then.

No, I’m sorry I have to ask you to prepare it every time.

「It’s okay. I don’t have much free time these days, and I enjoy preparing for a tea party like this.」

I understand that feeling.

Oh, it smells so good. These tea leaves are very expensive.

「My, it’s true. Quite a connoisseur, Amaterasu-chan. Let’s eat.」

Yes, let’s eat.

……Mmm, it’s delicious.

The sweetness spreads in the mouth, and a bit later comes the bitterness of the green tea, which is not too strong.

Thanks to this, I don’t get tired of the sweetness at all. I can eat it as much as I want.

「Ah, the pumpkin pudding is delicious, too. The pumpkin flavor comes out well, but the pudding flavor is still there. It’s a very good product.」

Really? …Would you like a bite of the green tea pudding?

「I’m sure you’d like to try some of this too. Then we’ll trade.」

Thank you very much.

…Oh, it’s true. This one is delicious too.

Fuu… Thanks for the treat. Oh, the tea is delicious.

「It goes well with pudding. Tea is good, but I prefer herb tea.」

Me too. Oh, excuse me, can I ask you a question?

「Yes, please feel free to ask me.」

……Why am I being summoned? Isuzu-sama.

「You say that after eating a firm pudding and drinking tea. I thought you were so familiar with this place by now that you wouldn’t even tsukkomi.」

No, I had already made up my mind that if I was served tea and sweets, I would put off the tsukkomi.

I decided to wait until I was satisfied before interjecting my tactless voice.

「Well, of course, there is a reason why I invited you. In the first place, we had been holding tea parties in the name of progress reports every three months, but I can’t deny that it’s a little late for that.」

Yes, well, that’s true.

We have had more than ten tea parties in the past three years, haven’t we?

◆◇◆◇◆

「…I’ll continue, okay? The current hero is sent out to the battlefield and continues to hunt demons without a care in the world. However, as soon as she confirms the appearance of the executive, she immediately flees by transfer. She is probably planning to kill weak demons, raise her level, and then take out the executive safely.」

So, the current heroes are as strong as the executives, as expected. Even I might be able to go there rather easily now, since I should be stronger than all the executives if only on the night of the full moon.

「…………That’s………………」

Huh?

「This is my mistake… The talent of the hero was far beyond my imagination. That is both in terms of status and skill. Frankly speaking, even in her current state, she would be able to defeat a single executive normally.」

………Huh?

Wait, wait, wait. What does that mean, even if I succeed in the preliminary stage of the operation, I have to deal with a hero who is stronger than an executive and her four cronies at the same time? That’s tough, even with a full moon!

Oh, by the way, how powerful is the hero?

「I’m assuming from the video on the battlefield… Almost certainly, the average status is over 20,000. There is no evidence of magic use, so he is probably a martial arts-only type. However, even if you try to attack her from a distance, she is too fast and will approach you and kill you before you can use magic. On the other hand, even if we approach her, her swordsmanship is so extraordinary that most of us will be cut down in less than a second.」

It’s just a monster.

Oh, seriously, how am I supposed to deal with that?

……No, no, no, don’t worry about it, me. If it’s a full moon night, I can win if I can get it into a one-on-one fight.

After all, my status on the night of the full moon is already far above that hero. Then…

「Lean-san, well, I hate to say it, but…It is not only status that determines the advantage or disadvantage in a battle. It is because status does not tell you how strong you are on the skill side. Even if you train yourself to death and get a superhuman body, you will not be able to beat a martial arts master. In the same way, Lean-san is far behind the heroes in terms of skill.」

…Is it that bad, the swordsmanship of a hero?

「It’s hard to believe that this level was mastered in three years. It’s to the point where you can’t believe your eyes if you’ve been in a room where a certain day turns into a year.」

How do you know about that room?

No, this is not the time to be so picky.

You’re kidding me, you hero. To be honest, I might have underestimated you.

On a night with a full moon, I was sure that I wouldn’t lose to anyone.

But I don’t think I can win against a hero who is so skilled that Isuzu-sama, the god, is wary of her.

I’ve been learning a lot from Aron-san and practicing at Zedd-san place, but from the looks of Isuzu-sama, I must be inferior to her.

「She is a young girl of eight years of age, and she is a terrifying child. No, neither are you…The hero is more than you. Even Tiana can’t win against a hero. If there is a possibility other than you in the Demon King’s Army, it would be Gray, the strongest executive, or Rain, the second strongest. And Tiana’s nephew, the strongest of the quasi-executive… Sakura, at least.」

The top three fighters in the Demon Army, those people.

Sakura-kun is a magical genius who can handle more than 90% of the magic that exists in this world.

Rain-san is the most powerful fairy who can manipulate weather phenomena at will.

Gray-san is a transcendent warrior who is said to have mastered all the martial arts of the demon tribe.

I’ve seen them all fight and my impression was equally,「this is a cheat」.

About even with those 3 PS cheats? What level of monster are you?

I just recently realized that I couldn’t beat those three, even on a full moon night!

「And…..」

Still more!?

「The first thing you need to know is that the『Hero』occupational class has the effect of giving an advantage over the demon tribe. That advantage is the same level as your『Avenger』. In other words, the status doubling of the『Avenger』does not work on a hero.」

How am I supposed to win now!?

「……Well, after talking about the threat of a hero for so long, there is a possibility that Lean-san can win.」

You want me to trust you after hearing about the cheat hero up to now.

I can’t.

「Please hear me out. The hero is indeed great, but it is also true that you are twice as good as her in terms of status, if only on nights with a full moon. In addition, the physical techniques you learned from Aron and Gray, the actual battle experience taught by Zedd, and the magic given to you by Tiana. The swordsmanship of a hero is a marvel to behold, but on the other hand, it is the only thing she has. Of course, specializing in one art sometimes surpasses many arts, but even so, in this case, I think Lean-san has surpassed her overall.」

R-Really?

「Really. In the first place, if you didn’t have a chance to win, that Demon King wouldn’t have sent you, would she?」

W-Well… You’re right, the Demon King-sama is kind.

(That’s not what I mean……)

So there’s a chance that I could win against the hero?

「Yes, of course. To be frank, the cronies are not that strong, so you should just roll them up and kill them with the appropriate magic. After that, take your time attacking the hero.」

Oh, that’s great information!

I was wondering how strong the cronies were, but if they die from my magic, it’s no big deal at all.

Oh, by the way, what is my winning percentage in this case?

「…………」

Aree? Isuzu-sama?

O―i.

「Well then, Lean-san, good luck fighting the hero! Let’s have tea again! See you soon!」

Hey…I haven`t finished talking yet…

◆◇◆◇◆

When I woke up, I was on a bed in a dormitory for upper soldiers.

I got up, poured a glass of water that I always have on hand, and slurped it down in one gulp.

Then, I calm down and reflect on the conversation I had with Isuzu-sama.

And then, one word.

「………Impossible, isn’t it?」