Novel Full Chapter 623: Preparations
Chapter 623: Preparations
"...So I’ve gathered you all here to share some wonderful news! Zephyra, Tsukuyomi, and Delphina, this concerns you as well, and even though I normally wouldn’t speak with you, this case is special!" I say to the three seated around the dining table.
"What do you want, Grimm?" Delphina asks sharply. She obviously dislikes me, but that hardly matters.
"Oh, come on, don’t be so mean! We’re all girls involved with Pandora, right? I brought you here to let you know that Pandora is coming back." Obviously, I know. I see the future. I know exactly where she is and what she’s doing at this very moment.
’It’s ironic that Pandora thinks I’m a depraved pervert when she acts that way with her own sister.’ When I say this, everyone looks surprised, and Zephyra quickly glances at me, her eyes shining with excitement. Even Delphina has a small smile when she hears it.
Only Tsukuyomi seems tense. After all, she isn’t a wife, a girlfriend, or someone Pandora loves. She’s merely a side effect who, by chance, ended up giving birth to Pandora’s daughter and nothing more.
"Will it take long?" Delphina asks curiously, her previous aggressive tone partially gone.
"No, less than five months. So I called you all because I was wanting to throw a welcome-back party for Pandora. We have to prepare as soon as possible; after all, Pandora now has a new girl to shower with love." When I say this, Delphina’s expression jumps from happiness to something irritated.
Zephyra, on the other hand, still has that stupid sparkle in her eyes, caring only about the fact that Pandora is returning.
’Hahaha, how funny. Pandora broke her completely.’ Tsukuyomi looks relieved. I get it. With one more girl in the picture, Pandora will have less time to check on certain things.
"It hasn’t even been three years since she left, and she’s already found another one!! She’ll see when she gets back!!!" Delphina puffs out her cheeks with a rage Pandora would deem cute.
"Well, well, well, is no one going to pay closer attention? You should know that Pandora has changed a lot." I’ve watched it all. Just as I’ve always watched Pandora’s life whenever I can, I’ve discovered some very interesting things.
The most interesting, obviously, is that Pandora is a reincarnated soul who came from the world of heroes and that she used to be a man. I only found out because she told Violet about it, and the two of them had a conversation.
’Hehehe, what excellent blackmail material.’ I can hardly wait to use this against Pandora, having some kind of leverage over her for once—though I don’t actually plan on revealing it to anyone.
Besides, I doubt Pandora would care. At most, she wants to avoid the headache of other people finding out, but she also wouldn’t be bothered much if everyone knew that fact.
"What do you mean?" Tsukuyomi asks, confused.
"Oh, it’s nothing major. Pandora just got colder, more monstrous, and more manipulative. But look on the bright side: she’s harder to irritate now, so she’ll punish those who wrong her with a clear head!" When I say this, Zephyra starts gasping, and her tail and wings tremble with fear.
"..."
"What? Don’t look at me like that. I’m just stating facts. Pandora has become even more monstrous, or rather, she’s drawn closer to her true nature and become even more complicated than before." I’m only telling the truth.
"Incidentally, another change is in her strength. Pandora is intensely powerful now, so I think the closeness you two had with her will have to shift a bit." I can handle it because my level is also in the billions, and Delphina, as a goddess, can handle it too.
But Zephyra and Tsukuyomi? Hahaha, those two don’t even stand a chance of getting physically close to Pandora anymore without it being dangerous for them.
"Obviously Pandora will try to solve the proximity problem. I’m just stating the facts here for all of us. After all, you should be prepared for many things to change when Pandora arrives."
’Though I say that now, it’s no longer entirely safe for me either...’ Before, Pandora had zero chance of beating me or stopping me from doing anything. Now, she’s already stronger than me and could kill me.
"Alright, I’ll help because I want to see Pandora happy!" Delphina does exactly what I predicted she would. Of course she’d help. She can act however she wants, but in the end, she’s Pandora’s little puppy who can’t help being submissive most of the time.
"I-I’ll help too... b-but now I have to go back to my room." Zephyra is more hesitant now, not because she doesn’t want to participate, but because she’s afraid of failing Pandora and being punished for it. Which is hilarious, since Pandora would never punish any of us for messing up a party.
"...I suppose I should participate too, then." Tsukuyomi, obviously not wanting to join, ends up agreeing due to peer pressure. After all, she is Eclipsya’s mother, and since she has a child with Pandora, it would be strange not to take part.
"Great! I’m so glad we all think alike! Pandora is going to love this," I say animatedly to them as we can now begin planning her arrival.
...
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...
"Lycoris, what do you think?" I ask Lycoris while I’m lying atop a pile of bodies. Ever since we arrived at the war, everything has been very easy. Most of the opponents are weak.
"Aqua, I think you’re being far too reckless!! We can’t advance this deep into the elf forest. We might end up in danger..." Lycoris looks around, cautious and tense. In that sense, she’s less adventurous than I am.
"Oh, Lycoris, who could possibly hurt us? These weaklings here don’t stand a chance! We’re too strong! You know what? I think we could even win the war by ourselves!" I say arrogantly.
"Aqua!! Let’s head back. Calypso will be worried. You didn’t even tell anyone we were going into the forest, and we didn’t bring any soldiers."
"Lycoris!! It doesn’t matter. Just look!! We’ve taken out 2,469 eleven soldiers all by ourselves!! We’re invincible compared to this bunch of trash! We don’t need soldiers; they’d just get in our way." We’ve been at war for about two weeks now.
Before, we were quite limited and only had control of about a thousand soldiers. But now, it’s much more fun to come hunt directly. The adrenaline of slaughtering my enemies is addictive.
"I think we should go now!! Aqua, you’re being incredibly irresponsible about something serious again! I-If we get attacked by someone strong, there won’t be anyone to help us!! Calypso doesn’t even know we left, so if something dangerous happens, we could die."
"And I don’t want you to die..." she murmurs weakly. She doesn’t want me to be in danger, but she’s also too submissive to forcefully drag me back to base.
"Lycoris, don’t be a coward! I know what I’m doing, you’ll see! Once I conquer the elven kingdom, Mommy Pandora will—" Before I can finish speaking, Lycoris shoves me as an arrow grazes her neck.
"Urgh..." Lycoris tries to get up but stumbles and falls to the ground. She’s gasping, and as I analyze her, I realize it’s poison. Lycoris can regenerate from this on her own, but she needs time.
’Oh no!!’ I didn’t sense that arrow coming, and if not even Lycoris sensed it approaching, then this person is either very strong or very skilled at stealth.
"You little abominations!! How dare you kill my squad!! I am the elven princess, Elariel Sylmira!!!" I hear someone shouting from atop a tree in an incredibly arrogant manner, and I see a girl.
"?" I look at this elf with blue eyes and silver hair.
"How dare you hurt my sister!" I say, furious with her, even though it’s partly our fault for venturing too deep into the forest.
"You and your sister will die here today! And I will reclaim my family’s honor!! Besides, that abomination you call a mother destroyed my bow!! It was important!!" She says something I have no clue about.
’Alright, it’s no big deal. She’s just another enemy...’
"If you don’t take the antidote I have with me, your sister will die." She wears a devilish, taunting smile as she says this, shaking a small vial. I look at Lycoris, who has collapsed back onto the ground, gasping and unable to breathe properly.
’No!! Why isn’t she healing?’ I run toward her, but I hear the sound of an arrow and dodge, pulling her out of the way to avoid being hit. I glare at this shitty bitch who poisoned Lycoris.
"You speak of honor, yet you use poison, you wretched little whore." My hatred swells for this stupid, pointy-eared creature who uses such cowardly means right after boasting about honor.
"Filthy demons and monsters do not deserve the right to an honorable duel." She fires another arrow, again aimed at Lycoris.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, YOU WHORE?" I scream at her, snatching the arrow out of the air. Now she’s crossed every line. We’re at war; it was obvious they’d attack.
But to target my sister when she’s already incapacitated? That’s this bitch’s idea of honor? I feel hatred boiling inside me. My teeth grind violently against each other, creating a scraping sound like metal, while my gills flare open aggressively and my tail lashes about.
"Invaders like you have no right to complain." She uses some magic to fire hundreds of arrows, but again, all of them are aimed at Lycoris. This makes me completely lose my mind.
"Oh, you whore. I wasn’t going to kill you so quickly after this. I had planned to give quick, merciful deaths to all my enemies."
"But now? Now I’m going to beat you until your face is deformed. I’m going to destroy your mind and your body completely for daring to touch what’s mine." I lick my lips.
I let my instincts take over. It’s the first time my monster instincts have crossed certain limits. All my senses become dangerously sharp, and my sense of smell amplifies to the point where I can scent blood from miles away, confirming that she, too, came alone.
"Try it, daughter of the Demon King." She continues speaking in that pretentious, superior tone. I charge toward the tree she’s on, but instead of climbing it, I deliver a kick so violent that the tree is uprooted and hurled far away along with the elf.
"La la la, la la lala..." I sing softly, generating a barrier around Lycoris. It will stabilize her body so she doesn’t die immediately from the poison. Given enough time, her body will adapt.
’She’ll pay dearly. I’ll crush her. I’ll crush her. I’ll crush her. I’ll crush her. I’ll crush her. I’ll crush her. I’ll crush her. I’ll crush her. I’ll crush her. I’ll crush her.’ I snap my fingers, advancing at full speed to begin this battle.