Chapter 24: Lady's Village
Lady's Village is located southwest from Succubus Village. It's a relatively small settlement with no more than a thousand people living in it. Like the name implies, the village is said to be filled with highly refined women who had taken a liking to its peaceful nature, choosing to live there for the remaining of their life.
Now, the reason for them journeying there is due to a certain rumor that's been going around about said village. Supposedly, humans ranging from outgoing adventurer to opportunistic merchant has been missing after deciding to explore the area. Some sources say they were met with unfortunate accident and it was all just simply a coincident, others have said that their disappearances were directly cause by going to the village itself.
One thing that is clear however, is that the forest dweller wouldn't let another missing incident happen if he could help it. Whether it was all truly a coincident, or something more sinister is at play, Luka is determined to put an end to it.
"How heroic~"
...And Alma Elma is here too.
Can't forget about that.
===0===
When they got there, Luka was impressed by how lush and healthy the plants and vegetation are around the village. The elegant style and designs of the cottages and the resplendent greenery highlighting the beauty in their architectures.
He was tempted to inquire them about their planting methods before shaking off the thought. Focusing on the main reason they were here.
"Pretty flowers they go here. I might even take some for my room~!" The heavenly Knight hold no such restrain however, as she then proceeds to shamelessly pluck the vibrant flora from their soil with her wind magic.
"Don't steal from people!" He admonishes, quickly running over and apologizing to the owner of said flowers for his perverted friend's behaviors.
...
...
...
Behind him, as he was talking with the woman about the rumors, Alma Elma stare deep into the woman's eyes. The real one, beneath the mask of an ordinary human.
They were two predators looking at each other.
She doesn't need to be a genius to understand the context and see through the hidden veil...
When her friend (It still left her a little stump to refer to him as that) ask her to give back what she took, the Succubus did so without any of her usual teasing. The purplette were understandably surprise by this, but before he could question her, he was then pull along to continue on their way.
===0===
It went on like that for a bit more, they would find a villager and ask them about the rumors surrounding the village, they would deny such notion and stated that everything has always been peaceful throughout their stay here. They even ask an adventurer who also happen to be investigating there and she told them about her lack of finding towards the subject.
"I tried looking around for anything suspicious around here but so far I couldn't find anything..." She said with a somewhat worried expression.
Her concern was understandable, he thought. Seeing as the missing cases has been going on for the past couple years. If it doesn't have anything to do with the village itself, then wouldn't that mean the problem is still massively unresolved?
No traces, evident, or even a single clue...
Such despairing thought is something not many would want to consider.
But Luka was not done yet, there's still a sliver of hope there. That is of course, referring to the lord of Lady's Village. She's said to be a fairly tall woman with long green hair and that she would always wear a fanciful dress wherever she goes.
Hopefully she could provide them with some useful information about the missing incident (other than the fact they are all looking at him like a piece of meat on a plate).
===0===
The beaten path led them to a big mansion build further away from the central living area. Just by looking at it, anyone could tell that the people living there are incredibly wealthy.
As they approach the mansion, Luka saw a girl with vibrant yellow hair styled in a long pig-tails playing with her dolls on the front yard. Coming closer, he saw that she appears to be having a tea party with her as the host and that she had caught sight of them too.
"What's this! Mother didn't tell Emily we were having special guests today!"
That's to be expected. They never announce their arrival after all...
"Hello there, Emily..." He greeted her a warm smile, very different from the one his travelling companion is giving her.
After introducing Elma Alma and himself to the young girl, they told her about their reason for visiting and ask if she knew anything about the missing people.
"Nope~!" The young girl cheerfully stomps on his hopes for any clues.
"Ah... that's unfortunate. Would it be rude if we ask for an audience with her?"
"Who knows~? Mother is usually too busy with all her works..." The young girl grimaces at that word. "Bleh! Emily hates talking about works!"
"I can relate~" The heavenly knight agrees.
"You mean that, as in you hates the concept of working, or that you hate the word because of what it causes and the implication of it?" Ask the forest dweller.
"Hm!" She nodded. "Mother said paperwork is evil! Emily don't wanna do any when she grew up!"
"Go off, sis~!"
"Alma, please. Don't encourage her..."
===0===
Anyways, they then proceeded to get drag into a tea party. Emily as the host, Luka as the wife, and Elma Alma as the husband. Sitting on their respective seats, the young man asks a concerning question.
"W-Why do I have to be the wife...?"
Emily huffs, looking at him like one might a child who had just ask a stupid question. "Obviously! Emily has to be the host and your hair fits the role of a mother too well!"
The Succubus laughs, mischief in her eyes. "Alas~ The price of such marvelous locks has revealed itself! And my of my~ What a price it was, Luka-boy~!"
The forest dweller gave her the driest stare he could.
"Fufu~" She raises her cup. "She said it, not me~"
Before he could retort, Emily also raises hers. "May the tea party commence!"
Oh boy...
Who would have guessed it'll be so exhausting having to play tea party?
Not only that, but also having to entertain the brattiest kid he has ever meet while dealing with Alma Elma's constant teasing. To be honest, he set himself up for failure with that one.
But it had been worth it. At least, he thinks so...
...
Taking one last sip of the bland tea from his cup, Luka calmly places it on the small table.
"Would you like some more, Madam Luka~?" The host excitedly implores.
"Not really, I just wanted to ask some questions..."
===0===
Another day, another amusing misadventure with Luka-boy~
The way he would awkwardly moves past questions regarding his halo got a laugh out of the heavenly knight.
And although it was very on brand for them to get dragged into playing house by a bratty Scylla, it did make her raised an eyebrow at his decision to continue for this long.
"...Oh~?"
The heavenly knight's questioning looks disappeared halfway into the tea party as she comes to understand what he's actually been doing.
The obvious question would be: why is he choosing to play tea party with Emily instead of investigating the disappearing case further?
Alma Elma had come up with a few theories. One of them is that the forest dweller is using the opportunity to discreetly interrogates the young girl. Her other theory, is that he's already gotten all the evidence and is taking the time to piece together the mystery while they were playing.
And the answer is... he has been doing both the entire time.
His smile dimmed not too long ago.
"Say, Emily..."
"Hmm~?"
"Would you consider your mother to be... a good person?"
"Huh? What do you mean by that~?"
Awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, he tries again from a different angle.
"What do the people of Lady's Village think of her as the lord?"
"Oh!" She perks up at that. "Everyone respects her! Of course they do, she's Emily's mother after all~!"
"Everyone...? Not one person ever has a problem with her?"
She huffs again. "They would never! Mother don't accept troublemakers into the village!"
"And what happen to them?"
Smiling cheerfully, she answers. "Mother made them all disappears~!"
He broke eye contact with the host and stood up from his seat.
"Alma Elma..."
Simply leaning back on her seat, the Succubus waves her hand in affirmation.
"I'll stay with her; you go be a yourself~"
"Thank you." At this, he manages to muster a small smile before disappearing into thin air.
Swoosh.
"Eh!? Where did he go~?" Looking around in befuddlement, Emily could only turn to the other monster in the room.
She laughs in amusement. "Fufu~ Don't you worry your pretty little head over that. My dear friend is just going to have a small chat with your mother~"
Emily starter getting worry. "What for!? We were having an amazing tea party!"
"Hmm..." Playing with her empty cup, she twirls it around her finger. "From your point of view, it was 'amazing'. But I don't believe Luka-boy were very enthrall, what with the figuring out grim secrets and all~"
"E-Emily already told you two we knew nothing of the rumors!"
"And both me and Luka-boy can detect lies~"
Her worries turn to panic. Getting up from her seat, Emily was about ready to ran to her mother when she got snatch by Alma Elma's tail.
Just as she was about to lash out and attack the Succubus with her tentacle-
"I wouldn't do that if I were you~"
It was a sobering experience for the young monster. Face with someone who could end her live in an instance, she predictably froze up.
"As I was saying... just wait here and cherish the fact neither of us will place the blame on you~"
"R-Really...?"
CRASH!
"Of course not~!" Completely ignoring the loud crashing in the back ground, the heavenly knight brought the girls face in front of hers and continues. "You're not a bad girl right, Emily~?"
"N-No! I'm good!"
"And a good girl wouldn't eat others would they~?"
"Um..."
The Succubus' eyes shine a bright crimson.
"They don't! They don't!"
She patted her tentacle-like hair. "Good girl~!"
===0===
It was barely a conversation, much to his shame.
"Excuse me, do you mind telling me where's the lord of this mansion?"
"I will eliminate the enemies of my master..." Her true form appears.
"I'd rather we not fight each other..."
"Then you are to become my pray, much like the others who have threatens my master..."
"...Pray, you say?"
CRASH!
With one swing of his sword, Iris sent the monster maid through the double door into Cassandra's office. Her unconscious body lay unceremoniously in front of the village's lord as she finishes her tea.
"I'll make you pay for that, human." Her indignant voice reached him.
"For the door, harming you maid, barging into your office, or having my companion held your daughter hostage as we talk...?"
"None of those." She scoffs at the forest dweller. Getting up from her seat, she fully transforms into her true self, a 9-foot-tall monster with... Luka found it hard to describes her appearance with words other than 'horrifying'.
"You are going to be consume by me for the crime of daring to interrupting my free time. You, a weakling, a mere worm beneath the ground I lives on dare to stood up to me?"
His eyes narrowed even more than it already is, righteous fury fulling his soul. "So you admitted to being the culprit in the missing cases!? You and everyone here ate those people!"
Laughing contemptuously, she said back. "Why, of course! It is the natural order of things~ The one who are strong enough to take shall rule over those who are too weak to do so~!""
"..." Her fleshy body started covering the entire mansion in a dominant show of power. And while his instinct is telling him how dangerous the situation is, the only thing Luka could think of at the moment is...
"In this world, only the strong survive... we plant monsters are simply better than those insects, we deserve to have this forest to ourselves! If a war is needed to enforce that, then It's just how it is..."
It's just like back then...
"Tell me, little human~" Said one of them, their limbs opening like a mouth. "Which way would you like to be consumed...
Back when he fought the Canaan Sisters...
"How pathetic!" Said Raffia, a hungry look in her eyes. "Well! Time to feast~"
Survival of the fittest, eat or be eaten, a world view fit for those who always wish to trample on everyone around them.
The forest dweller knew then, as Cassandra's evil cackle continues and the spirits warns him to moves, that there is no way for him to settle this without a bitter taste in his mouth.
"How pathetic! Have the weak little human given up already~?" Gloating her supposed victory maliciously, the Queen Class monster misses the way Luka brought his fingers together. "I wonder how you'll taste when-"
"It's a pity." He cuts in, much to the monster's bemusements.
"...Pray tell~ What is?"
"You, someone with the ability to manipulate the flesh with such precision... all the good things you could have done... it was all wasted by lack of control over primal instinct..."
"Oh please." She rolls her eyes. "Spare me the moral speech nonsense and perish with the rest of you prey!"
[Dissolving Sonata]
As the walls around them turns to fleshy tentacles, the purplette leaps into action. First by avoiding the onslaught of attacks aimed towards him and then-
The cruel monster lost sight of him as he moves behind her with great speeds. By this point, using Undine's and Sylph's powers at the same time is as easy as putting on a pair of gloves so he decided to practice using 3 at the same time.
Depending on the situation he'll switch between Gnome and Salamander.
[Cyclone blade!]
By the time she realizes he was behind her, hundreds of wind blades assaulted her from every angle. Chunks of her body were removes as the attacks continues and yet, in an act that truly highlighted her monstrous nature, Cassandra simply ignores her damaged figure and unleashes a brutal blow.
Her fleshy body forms a giant fist and it launches itself at him without a care as he dodges to the side.
CRASH!
"How annoying..." Indifferent to it all, the cruel monster easily doubles her last effort in catching him. Now, instead of multiple tentacles coming after him, the entire room morph and molded itself into a sea of sticky tentacles.
[Sticky Symphony]
'It's dangerous to play it safe when you're fighting an opponent like this. Young man, turn the tides by force!'
Luka decided to take the Spirit of Fire's advice and let out one of his most devastating moves.
"Come, Salamander!"
[Serene Demon Whistle!]
With his soul invigorated, Luka swung his burning partner in awesome velocity!
"What!?"
The cruel monster's eyes went wide as she witnesses the forest dweller summon forth three wind clones of himself. Skillfully slicing their way through her powerful attacks as if they were wet papers, the Lukas then coordinate an assault against her.
One of them disrupt her vision with a wind blade while the others work in tandem to separates her from the floor.
Unlike his previous attacks, the fire burns. And the pain she felt as her skin was sears is one she couldn't just ignore.
"GAHHHH!"
Thud!
As the Queen Class monster fall to from the attacks, she finally comes to realization of how dangerous the purplette truly are. Underestimating him from this point on will be nothing short of foolishness.
"You..."
"..."
Slowly getting up from the ground, Cassandra gave him the most hateful glare he had ever seen. Her violate eyes locked on to him with upmost malice as her fleshy body begins to heal itself.
"...For me to be humiliated like this..."
A crooked smirk made its way into her face.
"I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart!"
And then she...
Luka did a double take to what he's seeing.
'The hell is she doing!?' Salamander commented.
'This large amount of magic is...! Luka, you have to stop her...!' Undine warns him.
Before he could do anything, Cassandra beat him to it. With her hands together in front of her in a strange hand sign, and the rest of her fleshy tentacles behind her forming disturbing looking music notes, she yells out in a menacing voice.
"Behold! You lowly worm! This is the supreme arcane arts that separates me from you weaklings! My magnificent masterpiece!"
[DOMAIN EXPANSION: PREY'S REQUIEM]
Almost as if an eclipse was happening, the entire mansion and Lady's Village was engulf in darkness as Cassandra's domain took effect.
===0===
...
...
...
"Hmph!" The cruel monster let out a satisfied huff as she drowns the forest dweller in piles upon piles of flesh-eating tentacles, knowing with certainty that he was well and truly consume by her.
Not only that, but she has also decided to consume the rest of the village too.
There was no logical reason behind why she did it. At that moment, she just felt like it. Her primal instinct taking over cruel monster and she follow through with it.
Not once did she think of her loyal followers, her maids, or even her own daughter.
In her twisted mind, she was well and truly in the right.
Which is precisely why he could not forgive her.
SNAP!
[DOMAIN EXPANSION: COGITO, ERGO SUM]
In an instance, the world around them were swallowed by a ginormous green spiral so bright the cold-blooded monster had to covered her eyes.
===0===
After a couple minutes of waiting in the sky, Alma Elma thought it was enough time and let out her usual laugh when she saw the giant sphere of Luka's domain shows up bellow them.
"Fufu~ Did you see that~?"
"S-See what?" Ask a terrified Emily.
All around her, unconscious humans and monsters who were innocently living inside the village was held in the air by her magic, the Succubus waited until she could see her dear friend standing over the defeated Cassandra before flying down to greets them.
Swoosh!
"Well hello there~!"
The purplette turns to her in surprise. "Alma Elma..." Looking up where she was previously, he also saw everyone she had saves. The sight made him let out a breath of relief, his body sagging in the aftermath of the strenuous domain battle.
"Who would have guessed you would meet someone who can also use that nifty trick of yours, hmm~?" She leans in, draping her arms around the forest dweller as he recovers from the fight.
"I never..." He averts his eyes in shame. "I thought I could end it quickly... it got way out of hand when she started consuming everything around her..."
Her voice softens as she toys with his braids. "What happens then...?"
"My domain... her nature ended up spelling her end..."
The Succubus waited patiently for him to continue when Emily got out of her initial shock.
"Mother! Noooo!" A shrill voice screams out in sadness.
'Oh, right. I almost forgot about her.' Thought the heavenly knight as Luka flinched.
Cassandra, or what's left of her, is now just a small pile of fleshy blobs on the ground.
"H-How could this have happened!" The distraught child cries out. "Mother was beaten into this! It's impossible!"
In her arms, the forest dweller answers. "She... ate herself..."
"She what!?"
"How ironic~"
She supposed it can be call poetic justice.
===0===
"It was a close fight, all things consider..." Luka said as he threw some woods into the campfire, keeping it alive as he continues recounting the fight he had.
"I couldn't make any physical contact with her or else her flesh would eat me up instantly, and she couldn't keep up with my speed and firepower while our domain was clashing."
Yoko gently stirs the pot as she places the finishing touch on their dinner.
"When She started monologing about her superiority, how she was going to consume everything... I thought it was a good chance to use the effect of my domain to severs her connections to her powers... but that's not what happens..."
Cogita kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, her glare was enough to dissuade most of the monsters from coming closer and leaving.
"When my domain took effect, her mad words became reality." Staring into the fire, his eyes became unfocused. "Either of us notices it at first, but as the battle progresses... Cassandra's domain started eating its own creator..."
Annie hovers closer to him, no words came from her but he could feel her worries nonetheless.
"I watched it all happened... her prideful expression leaving as panic sets in. I had no idea it was because of my domain at first, but it doesn't really matter if I did... all of her tentacles started devouring each other and winning the tug of war become as easy as breathing..."
Up above the tree, Alma Elma ceased her painting. The Succubus observes her drawing before shrugging and made her way down.
"There was no mocking from Cassandra after that... not even her screaming and begging could save her from what her own nature has created... it may be only a few seconds for me but... I'm sure it felt like an eternity for her..."
As he was reminded of how thankful he was that the heavenly knight took everyone innocent with her up into the air, the spirits gave their words of encouragement.
"Here you go~"
"Hmm?"
When Alma Elma shows him her finished work of art, he was brought out of his mussing.
"What's this...?" He said as he examines the painting.
"Since we left the place of such a downer ending, I figure you needed to be reminded of some lighthearted moment to balance it out~"
Balance it out? As he ponders her words, the rest of his friends came over to check on the painting as well.
"Is this what you were doing while we were in the book...?" Annie questions their choice of pastime.
"Awwww~!" Yoko gushes over the painting.
"How memorable. I take it you at least part ways with this girl on relatively good terms?" Cogita inquire about what happened.
Looking back at it, the forest dweller held the painting of himself, Alma Elma, and Emily having a tea party on her front lawn.
"With Emily? Well, I hope so..." He answers her as he admires the painting.
===0===
Back then, after explaining what had happen to the cruel monster's daughter, they advised her not to follow in her footsteps and made the same mistakes as she did.
"What's Emily gonna do next...?" The now orphaned Scylla asked despondently.
"Well..." The purplette thought back to the updated world map he has memorized. "I guess the closes settlement you and everyone could go to would be the Succubus Village. And if you guys don't like the place, you could always just move to Grangold instead."
"B-But what if they don't accept us in?" One of the innocent people living inside the village asked them.
"That's up to you to decides, little one~" Alma Elma jest.
"Huh!?"
Luka immediately cuts in. "W-What my friend here mean is that you don't have to worry about that..."
"How so...?" Emily questioned his words.
Rubbing the back of his head nervously, he answers. "The people there already knew of me so... if they ever ask for anything... just tell them that you're my friend, alright?"
All things consider, the forest dweller was a bit surprised the Scylla never expresses any form of scorn or vengefulness towards him. It might be due to her still processing everything that's happened, but at the same time, Luka could guess it was because of the teachings of her mother.
He won the fight, proving himself stronger than her... following Cassandra's twisted world view; Emily must've thought it was completely fine for him to leave the cruel monster into a blob of flesh on the ground...
He grimaces at that. A bitter taste in his mouth.
"...Emily."
"Hmm...?"
"Once in a while... how about we have a tea party again? This time, everyone can join."
That brought some light back into her eyes.
END OF CHAPTER
Author's note: I have no excuse. My procrastination got the better of me.
On another note; here's the Lady's Village chapter that was way overdue. Hope you guys enjoys it!
Here are some explanations just in case:
1. The reason the village has such healthy plants is because they've been burying any leftovers of the people they ate as fertilizers. Alma Elma figured this out immediately but it took Luka some times to realize this due to the difference in their mindsets.
2. Luka knew something was strange about the people in the village, but his kind nature prevents him from solving the mystery sooner.
3. While playing house with Emily, Luka uses his connections to the wind to scanned every inch of the village and that's when he figures it out. His eyes dimmed.
4. After he left the room, Alma Elma took Emily with her and cast a sleeping spell on everyone innocent living in the village. She took them all up in the sky as a safety measure because she had a hunch something big was going to happen.
5. The reason Alice and the rest of the top tier monsters knew about domain magic is due to the fact Cassandra uses it in a fight against Alice's mother and still loosed just like in canon. How did she still lose even when she had a domain? Skill issue.