Makai Senki Disgaea: Revelations
2: Unfortunate Company
1
"Prince— Prince—!"
Etna came running down the corridor. Throwing the door open, she entered Laharl's room.
Today, too, things in the Netherworld castle were off to a boisterous start first thing in the morning.
"What's with the racket? Is there an alien attacking this time or what?" Laharl responded, sitting up in his coffin bed. "Or maybe someone from another dimension?" Whatever he was imagining, Laharl seemed to be enjoying it.
"Nothing like that! Even if this is the Netherworld, we're not going to keep having invasions and attacks one right after the other."
"Then what is it?" Laharl asked, his expression clearly disappointed.
"Someone's come who says he's a relative of yours. He says he's your uncle. Hadn't you better go greet him?"
"What? That's nothing to make such a fuss over. Find him something to eat and send him—" Laharl was just about to flop down and go back to sleep when suddenly he sprang up again. "What did you say!?"
His violent reaction made Etna draw back. "What is it, Prince?"
"He said he's my uncle?"
"That's right."
"Is he wearing a pink cloak?"
"Yes. And it's bright enough to make your eyes pop."
"Is he alone?"
"No, there are three of them."
"Three?"
"He seems to have come with his wife and daughter."
The moment he heard this, Laharl pulled his scarf over his head and flung himself into bed. "I- I'm seriously ill! Got it!? I'm refusing visitors!!"
With a clatter, his coffin lid moved on its own and slammed shut. From the outside, nothing could be seen of him at all.
"Prince!?" Etna pounded on the coffin, but there was no response. "Well, that's funny."
For Laharl, who until now had always expressed the attitude that he would fight any enemy head-on, this kind of behavior wasn't trivial.
"Hmm, something's up~" Etna's eyes shone with delight. "Hmhmm, why don't I investigate the cause?"
Moving as lightly as though she were dancing, Etna ran out into the hallway. Her aim, of course, was the guest quarters.
"I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting."1 Etna entered the guest quarters and bowed her head slightly.
The guest quarters were in the southeastern part of the castle, and from the windows was an unbroken view of the town and the mountains beyond. There were four rooms, comprising a living room, two bedrooms, and of course a bathroom.
When Etna entered, two of the guests were seated on the sofa in the living room. Laharl's uncle—that is, the younger brother of the previous Overlord Krichevskoy—and his wife. Their names were Vesuvio and Yasurl.
"Where's Laharl?"
It was the wife, Yasurl, who asked, her voice cool.
Her hair was an even more brilliant red than Etna's, and she wore it short in a style that looked as though she had mussed it up with her hands. It looked altogether like flames. Even more that, what caught the eye was her body. From head to toe, she had hourglass proportions. It was difficult to see her body clearly while she was seated, but it had to be incredible. To say the least, her clothes were such that whether she undressed or not, the effect was the same.
If it were the Prince, he'd say, "Don't come within 10 meters of me!" She's even worse than Jennifer. I wonder if this is why he didn't want to see them? So thinking, Etna continued on calmly and officially.
"Please call him 'His Majesty,'" Etna requested, ignoring the fact that she never did so herself. "It has been 10 years since his enthronement."
"That's right, now that I think about it. Not that I went."
There's no way anyone could forget if this bunch had shown up.
Laharl's uncle Vesuvio was also someone remembered with one glance—or rather, the impact was to want to erase him from memory.
At any rate, that florescent pink scarf was seldom what caught the eye. Even worse, beneath that he wore only a pair of underpants—no, on that body they were exactly like bikini bottoms. It was as if he intended to swim in the ocean, or train at a gym. He wore his black hair in a crew cut, and kept his arms folded to show off his muscles. Certainly, his arms and his broad chest were unusually thick. Finally, there were his eyebrows which extended far to either side.
"So then, where's Laharl-chan?"
It seemed that no matter what, Yasurl had no intention of calling him 'His Majesty.' Etna put an emphasis on it as she spoke.
"Unfortunately His Majesty has come down with a sudden illness. I'm sincerely very sorry, but he is in no condition to give an audience."
"Oh, well in that case, we had better pay him a get well visit."
"He is refusing visitors, so I must ask you to refrain."
"It's because he doesn't like us. Even though we doted on him so when he was small," Yasurl said with a laugh.
That laugh is the epitome of a demon's laugh, Etna felt immediately. It was a laugh that showed when her thoughts were the complete opposite of her words. Despite appearances, demons were quite honest.
This woman is the origin of the Prince's fear, huh? Etna was certain.
"By the way, what's your name?" The deep-voiced question was Vesuvio's. His strange intonation which did not match his voice gave Etna the sensation of insects running along her spine.
"It's Etna."
"Etna-chan, hm? How cute. I'd like you to call me Vesvie."
"V-vesvie— you said?"
"Yes. And say it cutely, okay?" Wriggling his body, Vesuvio blew her a kiss.
"I- I understand. I will try." Dodging the kiss flying her way, Etna looked around the living room. "Wasn't there another young lady with you?"
"Yes, Shas. Kira's probably come with her, too," Yasurl replied.
"Were there two of them?"
"That's how it turns out." Yasurl looked at Etna, a smile floating on her lips that was full of some hidden meaning.
"Where might they be now?"
"Who knows? Perhaps they're walking around the castle. They went off somewhere while we were on our way here."
"I see. I will go search for them."
"They'll be fine on their own," Yasurl replied casually as Etna turned her back.
"But, they could run into problems within the castle."
"There's no need to worry. I've brought them up so that they'll be fine no matter what happens."
Yasurl's expression was composed, and Etna did not press the matter further.
"Well then, if there is anything you need, please ask the prinnies outside," Etna told them in parting, and then she left the guest room.
Shas and Kira— those two are part of this ridiculous lot, too, aren't they?
Even so, she was awfully cold concerning her own children. No, that's normal for a demon. Have I been influenced by Flonne-chan, too, without realizing it?
Greatly troubled by this possibility, Etna left the guest chambers behind.
"Ah, he's still sleeping. That's no good."
A high-pitched voice characteristic of a child fell upon Laharl as he lay shut up in his coffin bed.
The lid of the coffin was suddenly flung open, and Laharl glared at her from where he lay.
"Hello!"
The owner of the boundlessly cheerful voice and bright smile was a girl of about 10. Holding up the lid of the coffin, she peered at Laharl.
Her black hair was stuffed beneath a round hat with hexagonal edges, and curled back up from beneath. Notably, her eyes were different colors, gold and silver. This happened occasionally among demons. It delighted them to have them called demon's eyes or evil eyes.
"Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?"
Not the least bit timid in the face of Laharl's strong displeasure, the girl replied cheerfully, "It was open. Me, I'm Shas. And onii-chan2 is—?"
"Open? That Etna, what a careless......" Laharl grumbled in response to the girl named Shas. Still lying down, Laharl folded his arms and growled with an air of great self-importance, "I'm the King of this Netherworld, Laharl."
But, she seemed not to have comprehended his majesty at all. Looking like she was enjoying herself, she waived her tail—of course, as a demon girl she had a tail—and asked, "Is a 'king'3 important?"
"O-of course. The most important in the Netherworld."
"More important than Mother?"
Laharl's expression grew strained. "'Mother'— You don't mean that you're Yasurl's—"
"Yasurl is my mother."
"Nggh......" Instantly, the color drained from Laharl's face. His breathing grew rough, and he reached out his hands to grip the sides of the coffin. It seemed he was in enough pain that he wanted to hold on to something.
Unconcerned with his reaction, Shas continued with her questions. "Ne, ne, are you more important than Mother?"
"O-of course I am."
"Then, are you stronger than Mother?"
"Uhn......"
"Father can't win against Mother. Could you win, onii-chan?"
"I- I could—" As though finally reaching his limit, Laharl grew evasive, and he shouted, "Go back to your parents already! I'm tired!!" As he spoke, he flung his arm towards the door.
"Okaay!" Giving this unexpectedly obedient reply, Shas raised both her hands and let go the coffin lid she had been holding up.
The heavy granite lid dropped onto Laharl's hands which were set on the edges of the coffin, catching his fingers.
"Ow—!"
Laharl sent the lid flying with a loud clang and raised his voice to a shout. "What the hell are you doing, you brat!?"
The color returned to his pale face and he grew beat red. But, feeling no fear, Shas kept a calm face and tilted her head.
"You're pretty weak, onii-chan."
"You just caught me off-guard! You caught me by surprise, I wasn't prepared!!"
"Just that much won't kill you."
"As if I'm going to die caught in my own bed!"
His raised voice brought a steady knock at the door. It was the prinnies who were posted in the hallway for security.
"Prince, what happened, dood?"
Two prinnies entered in a strangely leisurely manner. Because no one thought there could be anyone who would try an impossible thing like attacking Laharl, they weren't at all concerned.
"Huh?" The prinnies saw Shas and their beaks clacked open in surprise. "Prince, no matter how much you like flat-chested girls, you shouldn't go after little kids, dood."
"You idiot—!"
One of the prinnies was hit by a fire spell thrown by Laharl, became enveloped in flames, and rolled about.
"What kind of guard lets some kid slip past and come in!"
"That's weird, dood. No one went in, dood," the uninjured prinny answered while putting out the flames on its colleague.
"Maybe because you were half-asleep. Keep a better watch!"
Then, having heard the disturbance, Etna came peering into the room. "Ah, the Prince is awake."
"Oi, Etna. You're in charge of security within the castle. Retrain these guys!" Laharl ordered her, holding his injured fingers.
However, Etna's gaze was focused only on Shas.
"Shas-chan?"
"Here!" Paying no mind to Laharl's injury, Shas raised a hand energetically.
"Let's go see your mother."
"Okay!" Shas scampered on over to Etna.
"Where's Kira-chan?"
"I dunno."
"Weren't you together?"
"Yep. He had something else to do."
"My work's just piling up, isn't it?" Etna muttered under her breath. Then she raised her voice. "In that case, I'll guide you back to the room first, Shas-chan."
"Thanks. Let's play again!" Shas waved a hand to Laharl.
Together with Shas, Etna left Laharl's room.
"Oi, are you ignoring me?"
Left behind, Laharl took out his anger by hurling flames at the prinnies following after Etna.
2
"To think that we'd wind up coming back here again."
Looking at the reddish sky shown on the main screen, the man in the navy blue space suit let out a sigh.
He was called the Defender of Earth, Captain Gordon. He was a hero who had been in a 20-season TV series and big-hit movies. He was already 45, but he was on active duty, working hard to secure Earth's peace.
"What are you saying, Gordon? He's the person—no, the demon we're indebted to."
His assistant Jennifer was in her mid-thirties, but she hadn't lost her perfect proportions. Her hair was still shining and golden.
"THAT'S RIGHT. GORDON WAS ABLE TO MARRY JENNIFER, THANKS TO LAHARL. EVEN THOUGH THURSDAY WAS AGAINST THE MARRIAGE," said a robot, noisily turning the two arms that stuck out from his egg-shaped body. It was the invincible all-purpose robot, Thursday. 'MK-2' was printed on his body.
"GORDON IS A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING. JENNIFER GROWS UNHAPPY. HE IS A DRUNKARD, GAMBLES HEAVILY, ABUSES HER, AND HER BODY4—"
"Wait, what kind of cheap melodrama is that? Jennifer, he hasn't been infected by some sort of virus, has he?"
"That's odd. His protection should be perfect." Jennifer tilted her head. If a genius scientist said it was perfect, then it had to be perfect.
"THAT WAS A JOKE. RELAX, GORDON." Thursday walked over to Gordon, extended an arm with a whir, and clapped him on the shoulder.
"I can't laugh at that, Thursday."
"BEING UNABLE TO LAUGH REALLY MEANS THAT YOU ARE HURT SOMEWHERE, OR THAT YOU ARE TIRED."
"Something's definitely wrong," Gordon said.
"But, it really doesn't seem like anything's wrong."
"Jennifer......" Gordon looked at his wife as though he were about to cry.
"It's a joke. Here, why don't you fly?" Switching over the controls to Gordon, Jennifer smiled.
When I had been living according to my father's way, he is the one who taught me the true path, and gave me a reason to live. There's no way I could regret marrying him.
With a gentle gaze, she looked at Gordon who had taken over the controls.
Ten years prior, Jennifer's father, General Carter of the Earth Defense Force, had plotted to invade the Netherworld. When he had used her and brainwashed her, it was Gordon who had saved her. And then, after the whole incident was resolved, the two had gotten hitched. After that, they had continued to work together as heroes and partners. They had had a child, and their movies and series had become big hits, and it had been a good 10 years. Until suddenly being summoned by Laharl—
"Here, we've arrived."
Gordon had landed the spaceship in the courtyard of the Overlord's castle, and it was now about time to disembark.
"Papa, Mama, are we there?" asked a very young voice from the door of the bridge.
"Yeah, we're there— buh, huh?"
Gordon turned to look behind him, and standing there was a girl who might or might not have been 10 years old yet.
She looked like a miniature Jennifer. The only thing she shared with Gordon was the shape of her bangs.
"Jane!? What are you doing here!?"
"She stowed away." Jennifer calmly realized what had happened. "Do you know where this is?"
"It's the Netherworld, right?"
"That's right," said Gordon. "It's a very dangerous place."
"But, you're always talking about the Netherworld. I wanted to come."
"It's dangerous, so go home."
"How?" she replied, completely confident in herself.
"Ah, darn it! This is the only ship that can make the dimensional warp!!" Gordon could only groan, at his wits' end.
"Right? So let me come with you." Smiling triumphantly, Jane looked up at Gordon and put her hands together. "Please, Papa! I'll be a good girl!!"
Gordon didn't look happy about it, but seeing his daughter's face, he could only nod in assent. "It can't be helped. Listen closely to what Papa and Mama tell you."
"I will! Thanks, Papa!!"
Spreading both arms, Jane flung herself at Gordon's waist.
Gordon's face couldn't help softening. Consequently, he didn't see Jane sticking out her tongue.
"Well then," said Jennifer, "you absolutely mustn't go ahead of us, but be sure to follow along behind. Okay?"
"Okay."
With Gordon in the lead, the three descended from the spaceship.
They called it a courtyard, but it was an enormous space which could fit 1,000 baseball fields, soccer fields, and ping pong tables. There was plenty of room for one little spaceship.
Gordon descended the gangway to find a group of prinnies already there waiting to receive them.
"This way, dood. The Prince got tired of waiting and forgot he called you, dood." It was a very frank way of putting it.
"He forgot?"
"That's right, dood. It was two days ago. The Prince is fickle, dood."
"Could he just be messing with us? What on Earth happened?"
"Ask the Prince, dood."
The prinnies walked on and on ahead. Gordon went along without harboring any doubts, but Jennifer, following along at his side, tilted her head.
"I wonder where we're going? This isn't the way to the audience chamber, is it?"
"The Prince hasn't left his room for a whole day, dood."
"Oi, oi, tell me it's not some kind of weird sickness. We have our daughter here, too, you know," said Gordon.
"If there was a sickness the Prince could catch, the whole town would have been annihilated by now, dood."
"Oh. That's true, huh." Smiling at this assurance, he continued down the corridor.
"You're late, Gordon~"
As soon as they entered Laharl's room, they were greeted by Etna's cheerful voice.
"Etna-chan, it's been a while."
"You're looking well, too, Jennifer. You've gotten a little old, though."
For an instant, Jennifer's temple twitched.
Pretending not to notice, Etna shifted her gaze to behind Jennifer. "Who's that?"
"Our daughter."
"So that's it, in the human world a kid can get this big in 10 years, huh."
Etna looked at Jane as though she were looking at an unusual animal. Not at all frightened, Jane held out a hand.
"I'm Jane. I'm eight years old."
Reflexively, Etna extended her hand and introduced herself. "I'm Etna. 1480 years old."
"Hmm~, you're a really old lady."
With Jane's one remark, the surrounding atmosphere froze instantly. The prinnies, preferring to let sleeping dogs—no, sleeping demons—lie5, silently evacuated from the room.
Only Gordon looked from Etna to Jane to Jennifer in turn, panicking. This was really bad, but he did not know what to do.
"Um, Etna-san? I wonder if you could explain the reason we were called here?" Humbly offering a change of topic was Gordon's limit.
"Ask the Prince," Etna said curtly, and pointed within.
"Jennifer, let's go."
To escape from that atmosphere, Gordon lifted Jane into his arms and went on farther into the room.
"Uhh, Your Majesty. It's the Defender of Earth, Captain Gordon." Bowing obsequiously from the waist, he went into the interior, where Laharl was seated in his coffin bed.
"You've come too late! The enemy's already been defeated!!" Laharl said high-handedly, at the same time mumbling that a more worrisome enemy had settled in the castle.
"Even so we came as fast as we could. It takes a while to open the super space gate, you know. And that's not all. We had to submit documentation asking the government, and listen to the admiral's lecturing, and the spaceship's—"
"You talk too much for a manservant."
"M-manservant......"
"That's right."
"I'm still your manservant?"
"Of course you are. You've proven that yourself by coming without even asking the reason."
"Uhn......" Having no reply, Gordon could only groan.
"Laharl-chan, what's wrong?" Looking worried, Jennifer came closer to Laharl and peered into his face.
"Mm, it's no big deal."
"It is a big deal. For me to come so close, without you getting flustered......"
No one knew the reason, but Laharl showed a strong reaction to women with sexy, buxom bodies. However, even looking at an embodiment of sexiness like Jennifer, he was calm.
"Unless... because I'm older now, my proportions are no good anymore?"
Jennifer staggered in shock. Without a moment's delay, Gordon embraced her from behind.
"That's not it at all, honey. No matter how much time passes, your body will always be perfect."
"Gordon......"
The two gazed at each other.
"Cut the married couple talk! It's disgusting!!" Laharl shouted.
"My, Laharl-chan, are you jealous? Now that you've become king, won't you be needing a queen before long? Don't you have anyone? Though Flonne-chan would be a good choice, I think."
"M-make F-flonne my queen, you say!? W-who would ever choose that Love Freak!?"
"He got embarrassed. Laharl-chan, you're so cute."
"Don't come any closer."
Laharl thrust out his palms, restraining Jennifer who seemed about to come closer and hug him.
"Laharl-chan, that's still no good? I wonder if it's because you didn't have your mother."
"My mother wasn't that busty."
"Is that so? Then, Flonne-chan is best, isn't she?"
"What about her is 'best'?"
Scowling, Laharl looked past Jennifer and noticed Thursday there. On Thursday's body, he saw letters he did not recognize.
"What's this MK-2?"
"Jennifer remodeled him," said Gordon.
"Remodeled? Nothing stands out." Laharl stared at Thursday.
Then, suddenly, there came flying a white figure.
"You've converted Thursday into a new model!?"
It was Flonne.
"FLONNE-SAN, IT HAS BEEN A WHILE."
Without reacting to Thursday's greeting, Flonne began inspecting his body. But, three minutes later, she looked at Jennifer with an expression of disappointment.
"He hasn't changed anywhere~ And I was hoping you'd given him four arms, or changed his coloring, or made him a transformer......"
"I rewrote his operating system. See, he's talking a little more smoothly, isn't he?"
"Is that all?"
"His operating speed is three times faster."
"Oh, I see......" Crestfallen, Flonne's shoulders slumped.
"By the way, Flonne, why have you come to the castle?" Laharl asked.
"I saw the spaceship, so I knew that Gordon-san and the others had come."
"And yet you still haven't even said hello?"
"Ah, I'm sorry." Flonne bobbed her head towards Gordon and the others. "It's because I heard about the remodeling from just outside the room."
"Jeez, your otaku style hasn't changed at all."
"I am not an otaku6! It's love directed towards things!!" Indignantly, Flonne approached Laharl where he sat in his coffin bed and went off at him. Her face was suddenly close.
Taken by surprise, Laharl grew flustered. Involuntarily, Jennifer's earlier words floated into his mind.
My queen? Flonne?
Somehow or other, Laharl imagined that possibility.
Seeing Laharl's face, Flonne abruptly stopped and tilted her head. "Laharl-san, what's wrong? Your face is red. Are you sick?"
"I-it's nothing!"
"Do you have a fever?"
Flonne was about to lay her hand against his forehead, but Laharl hurriedly shoved her away.
"I'm fine! I said I'm all right!!"
Averting his gaze from Flonne, Laharl ordered everyone gathered in his room, "You lot, go on and get out! This isn't an assembly hall!!"
Seeing Laharl in his distress, Jennifer smiled in amusement. "Isn't this getting interesting? Since we went to all the trouble of taking time off, why don't we stay a while, dear?"
"Jennifer, since when did you like looking out for others?"
"Well, once you've taken care of yourself, you start to worry about other people. And it'll be a while for Jane."
"I will never let Jane be anyone's wife."
"Yes, yes."
At Jennifer's half-hearted reply, Gordon said again in a stronger declaration, "I will never ever let any man have her!"
3
"Ah, Gordon-san." Flonne called out to Gordon, who had been thrown out of Laharl's room. "I took the liberty of using those things. Would you like to have a quick look?"
"Ah, those. That's right. I'd like to see how you've used them."
"What are you talking about?" It was the first Jennifer had heard of it, and she turned an accusatory eye.
"No, it's nothing important."
Gordon was dodging the question, and Flonne offered him a helping hand. "Jennifer-san, would you like to see, too? It's about my missionary church."
"A church? In the Netherworld? It's a little like having Jesus in Hell, isn't it?" Jennifer said.
"That's right. Laharl-san let me build it so I could spread the teachings of love."
"Laharl-chan gave you the OK on it, did he?"
"He acts like that, but Laharl-san is really very sympathetic to love. I can tell."
"I wonder if he realized it from his experiences 10 years ago?"
"Yes, he did."
Flonne nodded, smiling, and Jennifer smiled back.
"If that's true, then he might just realize that, too."
"Realize what?" asked Flonne.
"Nothing, I'm talking to myself. Let's go," Jennifer urged the puzzled Flonne, and the four of them left the castle and went outside.
"Here it is."
They walked through the town, which had been fixed up so that no one would think it had been almost completely destroyed two days earlier. What Flonne had led them to was a building whose style did not at all match the Netherworld.
A church— Gordon and Jennifer could not see it any other way.
From the outside, they could see complex, geometric-patterned stained glass, and above hung a large bell. The pure white walls were something practically never seen in the Netherworld.
In the human world it would have been an ordinary building, but in the Netherworld, it could not be described as anything but conspicuous.
| Flonne | House of Love |
That was written on the entrance.
There's something unseemly about that, Gordon thought, but he did not have the courage to say so.
"It's free time now, so I think they're working."
"Working?"
It's like a shady new religion that's actually a money-making scam, thought Jennifer, but she did not dare say it aloud.
In a small garden there were flower beds which boasted colorful—well, not colorful, but morbidly-colored blossoms. Grass waved back and forth, and the fang-like blades appeared to be eating each other.
"I tried gathering Netherworld flowers, but it's hard getting them to look cheerful. Next time I'm thinking about bringing some flower cuttings from Celestia."
"You can't really call these flower beds." Gordon kept his distance as he walked to avoid being bitten.
Upon opening the front door, the interior image was completely different. The benches lined up facing the altar and the statue of Christ at the front were the very picture of a church, but crammed into the room were tens of demons bending over low tables.
"Th-this is......"
A strange and foul odor hung in the air.
"This smell is—"
About twenty demons slumped as if lifeless, their eyes vacant.
"Flonne-chan," Jennifer began, "don't tell me... the sinners have stopped brea—"
"Ahh, jeez. And I told them to air the church out properly when it's time for painting."
"Painting?" Jennifer asked, looking around without the slightest comprehension.
"Look, look, do it properly!" Flonne said.
"Aahh~, if it isn't Flonne-saaan." Roused by Flonne, the zombie children spoke up with bewitched voices.
Scarecrows, hobbits, and other such demon children were absorbed in some kind of work just before the face of the Ascension.
"What on Earth are they doing?"
"It's just as you see. I'm teaching them love."
"What?"7 Jennifer knit her eyebrows together, her expression saying she did not understand.
"It's this." Flonne took down some things displayed on a shelf and held them out in both hands.
"Dolls?"
"They're figures!"
In her right hand, the heroine from a big-hit anime in the human world struck a sexy pose. In her left hand, a robot from a mecha anime leveled its gun.
"Because these are a huge craze in the human world, I'm using them to teach love."
"Um, Flonne-chan. I don't see where you're going with this."
"So there are things even our genius Jennifer doesn't understand." Gordon spoke with some sense of triumph.
"Before love, the people of the Netherworld have no concept of valuing things. That's why, I decided first to start with teaching them how to treasure things."
"So that's it. You thought maybe if they assembled them themselves, painted them themselves, had something made only by themselves, then they would treasure them," Gordon said.
"Is it going well?" asked Jennifer.
"Umm, we're still in the middle of it......" With a troubled face, Flonne forced a smile. "But, love is steadily being introduced," Flonne answered, full of confidence.
"Love...... hm."
When she looked at the demons holding the figures, Jennifer got a slightly—no, quite a different feeling, but she didn't dare say anything.
More than love, I think it's an attachment.
Making a troubled face, Jennifer shifted her gaze to Gordon. "So, you arranged for these then?"
"That's right. I had the movie staff tell the retailer."
"But, figures......" Jennifer looked like she wanted to say something.
"Is it strange?"
"There are plenty of other things that could be hand-made, like stuffed animals or accessories," Jennifer said, looking at Flonne while she spoke. "Although really, now that I think about it, this is just like Flonne-chan."
I wonder if that's all right, Jennifer thought, and smiled weakly.
"I mean to teach love little by little."
"Do your best, okay?"
"I will!" Flonne answered, a smile with absolutely no ill intent on her face.
"I have a souvenir for you." Gordon held out a small box to Flonne.
"What is it?"
"It's a new release not yet on sale. A series called 'Space Hero Captain Gordon' in which you have a minor part."
"Minor—"
From the box, Flonne took out a figure whose parts were not assembled and which had no color. Staring at the face piece, she murmured glumly, "I am after all a minor character......"
In Flonne's hand was her own face. Her rune staff was there, too, but the figure looked like the angel version of her; there was no tail piece, and the shape of her wings was different.
"N-no, the Laharl and Etna in this are minor characters, too. Movies are just set like that, and, what should I say, that's—" Gordon hastily seized at Laharl and Etna's heads.
"It's okay, I'll just... have to try harder. I'm definitely in the background, aren't I?" Flonne said in what was undoubtedly a misunderstanding, and she put the lid on the box.
Just then Jane pulled at Jennifer's clothes. "Ne, Mama. Can I play here?"
"Eh?"
"There's a Ham-chan doll."
Jane was pointing at an incomplete figure—the hamster main character of an anime. Girls were struck by the way he rolled around.
"Y-you shouldn't, here—" Gordon said hurriedly.
"It's all right. There are still more of them," Flonne said, beaming, but of course that was not the parents' concern.
"That's right, it's all right."
It was a good thing not to be cowardly, but whatever anyone said this was the Netherworld. This was not a normal Sunday church service.
"Why don't we do it together?" Jennifer could only make that proposal.
Alone in his room, Laharl lay in his coffin bed glaring at the ceiling.
"I can't stay shut up in here forever," he said, but he showed no signs of moving. "This isn't like me......"
He knew that, but his body would not move because of the influence his childhood memories had on his instincts.
"I'm the Overlord. I have to get that through their heads," Laharl muttered, trying to persuade himself, and then he continued firmly, "Tomorrow I will. Tomorrow."
And, at that moment, a voice called out to him from the recesses of the room.
"Your Majesty."
In the semi-darkness, he caught sight of a familiar hat.
"You again, Shas?" Once the words left his mouth, he stared hard at the figure. "No, that's not right. Your aura is different."
"You've surmised correctly. That's right. I am her brother Kira. Nice to meet you."
"You're twins?"
"It is just as you see." Kira spread his hands.
His height and his clothes were no different from Shas's. Only, he did not appear to have a tail.
"You seem different from your airheaded sister."
"My sister is just that kind of person," he replied, chuckling.
"What do you want? Are you lost?"
"By no means. I have come to introduce myself. I'm sure you're aware, but Mother is very particular about etiquette."
Laharl's forehead twitched slightly. But, so as not to let Kira notice, he replied, "I see. In that case you've finished your errand."
"Yes."
"Well then." Still lying down, Laharl coolly waved a hand.
Kira went to the door and returned the wave. "Flonne-san, she's cute, isn't she?"
Just one beat late in replying, Laharl asked, "You have a thing for older fallen angels?"
"No, that isn't it." Laughing at the outrageous idea, Kira added, "Just—"
"Just what?"
"Seeing someone like her, as a demon, doesn't it make your blood boil?" he said in a voice devoid of emotion, and then Kira opened the door and stepped out.
"What was he getting at, that brat?"
With an expression of displeasure, Laharl stared at the door through which Kira had left.
Next Time's Preview
- ^ During this conversation, Etna is using keigo, very respectful language.
- ^ Shas is recognizing that Laharl is older than her and is referring to him as "big brother." She doesn't know at this point that they're cousins.
- ^ "King" here is written in hiragana rather than kanji, as though Shas doesn't know the word.
- ^ To be clear, Thursday isn't saying "he abuses Jennifer's body." Japanese puts the object before the verb, so he gets cut off before he can say what Gordon is doing to "her body."
- ^ The Japanese idiom used here is more literally something like "One will not be cursed by an untouched god," which probably fits a little better. The narration pauses to replace the word "god" with "demon."
- ^ Otaku has a more negative connotation in Japanese than in English, so Flonne is rightly taking it as an insult.
- ^ She says this in English. ワット watto.