Sophia's shocking words were like a heavy bomb, leaving Ash stunned.
It was just instinct. He could accept responsibility for anything else, but he absolutely didn't want to admit that there was something wrong with his teaching. Otherwise, it felt like he had lost. So without realizing it, he pushed the blame onto Shiro and Ariel.
Seeing that Ash wasn't saying anything, Sophia simply placed both hands on his shoulders. Her little face tensed as she took a deep breath.
"Wait!", Before the girl could bare her fangs and make a move, Ash reflexively reached out and pressed his hand against her face, forcefully pushing the rebellious girl away.
Sophia immediately shook her head to throw off his hand. Her lips puckered as she put on such an aggrieved expression that she looked ready to cry.
"What the heck! You won't let me drink your blood! I can't talk back! And now I can't even kiss you? This is abuse! Domestic violence!"
"I don't understand the logic behind why you're angry. Under normal circumstances, of course that's not okay, right?", Ash looked at Sophia, utterly helpless.
The strange way she got angry, along with how she acted like a sulking child, made him want to throw her over his knee and spank her on the spot.
But there were too many people watching here. He couldn't do something like that, so he could only suppress the urge and decide to properly discipline her after they got back.
In Ash's eyes, although Sophia looked like a cold, arrogant beauty on the outside, she was actually just all chest and no brains... no, more accurately, simple-minded.
Still, she had her good points. She trained very hard, so she was quite strong now. Normally she listened to whatever he said too. If he told her not to drink blood, she really wouldn't. It was only in these strange areas that she never listened.
'Thinking about it that way, is she good or bad?'
'Honestly, I really can't tell anymore.'
Compared to Ash's inner troubles, his refusal only left Sophia with even more complaints.
She had just been about to pounce on him and continue arguing when someone suddenly grabbed the back of her neck.
Turning around, she saw Ariel wearing a speechless expression as she held onto the back of Sophia's collar, looking like she was carrying an unruly kitten.
"What are you doing, Miss Demon Lord? This is our family's private business. Could you stop butting in?", Sophia frowned and glared at Ariel unhappily. The dissatisfaction in her eyes hadn't lessened in the slightest. It was practically about to burst into flames.
"If it's family business, then deal with it after you get home! This is my castle. You're making a scene on my territory, right in public. Shouldn't I step in?"
Ariel shot back irritably. There was a trace of authority in her gaze, as though emphasizing that this was her domain and no one could run wild here.
Then she tilted her head and looked at Ash with one eye half-closed, a hint of reproach in her eyes.
"And you too. Since you already agreed to her request, then keep your promise properly. Bullying a child like this isn't good, is it?"
"I never said I wouldn't keep it. It's just..."
"Don't make excuses! Isn't it because you're always playing tricks on people that she ended up like this?", Before he could finish, Ariel directly pinned all the blame on him.
"I really can't see how this has anything to do with me. Isn't this obviously your fault?", Ash instinctively argued back.
In response, Ariel wore an expression that practically said, 'You're still trying to dodge responsibility?'
It was as though she were silently saying he was completely unreasonable.
"You're in no position to criticize me. I'd rather say that the way you..."
'Though I'm not exactly qualified to criticize other people either. Sigh... Isn't there anyone who could just quietly take the blame without arguing back... Ah, isn't there?'
Ash wanted to keep arguing, but halfway through, he suddenly froze. He had only just complained to himself when his gaze unconsciously landed on Shiro standing behind Ariel.
"So it really is Shiro's fault, right?", Ash blurted out as though he'd found a savior.
"Indeed. Shiro's got a big problem," Ariel instinctively followed his gaze. Somehow, she ended up thinking exactly the same thing and nodded seriously.
"??"
Shiro, who had been standing in the back watching the show from a distance, planning to sit back and enjoy the fight, was completely dumbfounded by the two of them.
'What the hell are you two doing? You don't raise your own kid. You dump her on me every day. When you're in a good mood, you come tease her a little. Now that something's wrong with her, it's all my fault? And if you're going to argue, then argue! What's with dumping the blame? And on me of all people? You think I'm easy to bully? Or are you bullying me because I can't talk? Are you two even human? Oh right! You two bastards really aren't human! No wonder you're not human! I knew there had to be a reason!'
There were quite a few people around, so just as the two of them expected, Shiro couldn't say a single word. But inside, she had already cursed the pair of them from head to toe, then spent a good while ranting to herself afterward.
The two of them naturally knew Shiro was definitely cursing them bloody in her heart.
But as long as they couldn't hear it... wasn't that basically the same as nothing happening?
Sophia, who was still being held by Ariel, opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, then stopped.
Normally, being carried around by a girl who looked small but whose strength was unfathomable would make anyone furious. But Sophia knew perfectly well that she was absolutely no match for Ariel, so in the end she only grumbled to herself a little.
Looking over at the others coming out of the conference room, every one of them was an important figure among the demons.
Yet now, they all acted as though they hadn't seen a thing.
Even Gulie pretended not to notice. Or rather... he truly didn't want to get involved in this chaotic and ridiculous situation, so he quietly left together with everyone else, leaving only the few of them still at a standstill.
After bullying Shiro a little as usual, Ariel turned around and began lecturing Ash, stressing that promises made to children couldn't be cheated, and that he definitely shouldn't play word games.
Sophia cooperated perfectly, immediately putting on a pitiful expression.
She looked like a puppy abandoned by its owner as she stared at Ash with longing in her eyes.
Her gaze was so full of yearning that, despite being unwilling to let her drink his blood, Ash helplessly took out the Holy Sword... and silently cut open the tip of his finger.
Sophia's eyes instantly lit up.
She pounced forward, hugged his hand tightly, and, like someone savoring a beloved lollipop, slipped his finger into her mouth.
She blissfully licked and tasted the blood, her face overflowing with satisfaction. Yet after licking for a while, she couldn't help quietly complaining, "Why just your finger? I wanted your neck more..."
"Isn't this already strange enough?"
The unusual sensation from his fingertip left him at a loss for words.
He didn't even know what kind of reaction he should have.
Especially with the way Sophia's throat trembled slightly and the entranced expression on her face, it really made people's imaginations run wild.
That sensation spread from his fingertip throughout his body, making him go numb.
And this... was exactly why he had never been very willing to let Sophia drink his blood, and why he couldn't help trying to wriggle out of it.
Just having his finger sucked was already like this.
If it were his neck instead, who knew what crazy things this girl would do?
Just then, Ariel gave a light cough.
The sound unconsciously drew Ash's gaze away from Sophia.
"The way you're looking is really dirty."
The moment their eyes met, Ariel first looked at him with complete disgust before clearing her throat.
"Ahem! Compared to how dirty you look, there's something more important. To balance our combat strength, and after investigating the Hero's situation, plus Gulie agreeing to help adjust the system... anyway, we need to deal with the Hero first."
After all, the Hero title had a special effect specifically targeting the Demon Lord title, so no matter what, the Hero had to be eliminated first.
Otherwise, if the Hero suddenly gained enough power to match the Demon Lord, the system would consume an enormous amount of energy.
And... the Hero Sword was also an extremely troublesome problem.
To avoid wasting energy for nothing, or letting someone use the Hero to threaten Ariel, eliminating the Hero was absolutely necessary.
Normally, when one Hero died, another would immediately appear.
But if the system administrator intervened, and with the Ruler Authorities of the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Heavenly Virtues title holders working together, there was still hope of deleting the Hero title altogether.
"Once the Hero is dealt with, we'll officially begin the war... But who should handle the Hero?", After explaining everything, Ariel fixed her gaze directly on Ash, as though she had already decided he was the best choice.
"So it ends up being me after all?", Ash sighed as if resigned to his fate.
"Because you're the most suitable," Ariel smiled ambiguously without explaining further.
Of course, this wasn't based on strength.
Part of it was because of personal relationships.
Through various methods of surveillance, they had already confirmed the existence of quite a few reincarnations.
The current Hero's older brother just happened to be the biological older brother of one of those reincarnations.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a little awkward to kill a classmate's older brother. Of course, it wasn't impossible if they really had to, but if there was a better choice, why not use it?
There was also the issue of strength.
The Hero's Hero Sword was said to be a weapon only the Hero could use. It possessed the power to defeat any enemy in a single use, even killing a god.
However, if there was a huge gap in strength between the Hero and Ash, then Ash could deal with the problem before the Hero even had a chance to use it.
"Of course, with your silver tongue, if you can persuade him instead, that works too," Ariel added, casually throwing the even more troublesome task onto Ash.
Ash reached out with a look of disgust and pushed away the smiling girl who had leaned closer.
"I don't think he'll be persuaded and happily say, 'Let's all go slaughter humans and demons together.'"
"What? Are you calling me a bad person?", Ariel pretended to sound aggrieved.
"I never said that," Ash brushed her off casually before flicking Sophia on the forehead.
"You can let go of my hand now, can't you?"
"Ehh~ No way~ It's so delicious...", Sophia muttered in protest, clinging tightly to his hand like she was drunk.
The pale white of her cheeks had taken on a strange flush.
The expression of enjoyment on her face was a little too sensual, making Ash embarrassed to keep looking.
Seeing this, Ariel smiled smugly and clapped her hands.
One of the eleven girls standing by, or rather, one of the spider puppets with the appearance of girls, immediately hurried over carrying a cup of blood.
Ariel took it and held it out to Sophia.
"I knew this would happen, so I had someone prepare this... blood from a virgin demon. Going by vampire habits, this should definitely be a top-class delicacy. Hurry up and let go."
"Top-class?", Sophia's eyes lit up.
But she still couldn't bear to let go. Turning her face away as though resisting temptation, she muttered, "I still don't want it! It feels way worse!"
"Oh, stop fixating on drinking from just one person. Just treat Ash as a snack. Even Ash needs to rest."
"Well...", Sophia hesitated.
"If you overdo it in one go, then next time he won't let you drink at all."
"O-Okay..."
Ariel was very good at handling Sophia.
After patiently coaxing her, Sophia finally let go of Ash's finger with reluctance.
Before releasing it, however, she unconsciously gave it two more licks, looking as though she were saying goodbye to an incredibly precious treasure.
Only then did Sophia turn her attention to the goblet filled with virgin's blood.
Curious, she picked it up and drank it in one gulp.
Then—
"Pwah! Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Sophia spat out the mouthful of blood all at once.
It sprayed out as dramatically as a fountain.
If Ariel hadn't reacted quickly and dodged, it would have splashed right onto her face.
Still coughing, Sophia stuck out her tongue and glared at Ariel resentfully.
"How is this demon blood? It's basically urine, isn't it? It's fishy, it stinks, and it tastes awful! You're bullying me!"
"No, this really is virgin's blood," Ariel looked genuinely puzzled.
"It tastes completely different!", Sophia shouted back.
"Could it be because of differences between species? Want to try human blood?"
Unexpectedly well-prepared, Ariel waved again curiously.
Another of the girls immediately brought over another cup of blood.
"This is blood from a human girl."
"Human...", Sophia cautiously stuck out her tongue and took a tiny taste.
The next second, her whole face scrunched up, "It's awful! Even worse than before!"
"So it's because of the difference in power? Or because of species?", Ariel rubbed her chin curiously before looking at Ash with a serious expression.
"You've spoiled her taste."
"My fault?", Ash pointed at himself innocently.
"Of course. At first, she should've been able to adapt to both human and demon blood. But you started her off with the very best. How is she supposed to adapt to something worse now?"
Ariel sounded perfectly reasonable, leaving Ash with the expression of someone who had just swallowed a fly.
"What kind of 'it's hard to go from luxury back to simplicity' logic is that?"
"Right! It's all Mr. Ash's fault!", Sophia suddenly seemed to remember something and excitedly declared, "So you have to take responsibility properly!"
"You're just looking for an excuse to drink more of my blood, aren't you?"
"Mhm!", Sophia nodded without hesitation.
"At least pretend a little."
"There's no point in lying, so why lie? Besides, aren't you always teaching me to be honest?"
"I don't know whether I should praise you for being honest or scold you for being so greedy..."
Faced with this honest fool, he really didn't know whether to laugh or get angry.
In the end, he only roughly ruffled her hair before shaking his head and quickly escaping.
Because, the way Sophia looked at him made it seem like she wanted nothing more than to pin him to the ground and bite into him hard.
That look sent chills down Ash's spine.
Ariel and Shiro watched the scene with only one thought, 'This is so interesting!'
———
"Now that we've decided, we can only act. But I've never been to the human kingdom before. I'll have to fly again... What a pain."
After escaping into the castle corridor outside the conference room and reaching the balcony, Ash looked up at the sky and sighed softly.
The next instant, his figure flashed and disappeared into the clouds.
Out of habit, he constantly kept his magic detection active while flying, not letting any potential unknown danger escape his notice.
It was just force of habit.
But surprisingly enough, as he passed over a barren wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew, he discovered a rather large ant-type monster nest beneath a flock of wind dragons.
At first glance, the nest seemed perfectly normal.
Yet his magic detection sensed a strange and massive metallic ruin deep below it.
The ruin also seemed to possess some special power that could actually block his detection.
His curiosity was immediately piqued.
Without hesitation, he cast a killing spell.
A black pillar of light descended from the sky, pouring down like raging waves.
It forcibly blasted through hundreds of meters of rock and earth, and in the blink of an eye, a huge, bottomless pit appeared before him.
Afterward, he decisively used Spatial Movement to bring Shiro and Ariel over.
"What is it? All of a sudd—Huh?"
Ariel, who had originally been planning to leisurely enjoy a drink while waiting for news about the Hero, had just started complaining when she noticed the pitch-black pit beside her.
She looked at it suspiciously, "So... you got bored and dug a hole? Or are you trying to dig a well? Don't tell me you're planning to retire here?"
"Yeah, sure. Once everything's over, I'll bring you here to retire," Ash joked.
"Seriously? Your taste is terrible. This place used to be worse than just barren. There was even radiation here. The wind dragons carried all that stuff into space, but even now not a single blade of grass has grown back."
Looking over the lifeless wasteland, Ariel looked thoroughly disgusted.
Shiro, who after all these years could finally chat a little with Ariel, who had become like another half of herself, couldn't help commenting,
"Normally, shouldn't you just reject that outright? Why... do you actually sound like you'd retire together with him?"
"Everyone has to plan for their old age. Finding a young man to take care of me isn't such a bad idea," Ariel laughed, trying to brush the topic aside.
But hearing someone with the appearance of a girl say something like that felt incredibly strange to Shiro.
Something about it just didn't seem right.
'Could the two of them be hiding something from me? Probably not... Forget it. If I can't figure it out, then I won't think about it.'
Inheriting Ash's fine habit of giving up on things she couldn't understand, Shiro simply stopped thinking about it.
Instead, she curiously glanced into the pit a couple more times before... jumping straight in.
The sudden scene left the other two staring in shock.
Shiro's body was certainly sturdy enough.
Within the system, only Ariel's was stronger.
But who saw a suspicious giant hole and immediately jumped into it?
"I've known her for a while now, but I still can't understand this girl," Ariel rubbed her forehead with a headache.
They hadn't even explained what was going on, and she had already gone down.
That left Ash equally bewildered, "Really? Honestly, me too..."
"By the way, I don't understand you either," Ariel glanced sideways at him.
"Does this count as getting caught in the crossfire?", Ash looked stunned.
Ariel ignored his complaint and looked down into the dark, bottomless pit.
"So, why exactly did you call us here? I'm the Demon Lord, you know. I have a lot of things to do."
"You just didn't finish the bottle of alcohol you opened, did you?"