Volume 3, Chapter 5-2 – An Exiled Dragon Needs No Tombstone

Stella maintained her general-like pose with her hands clasped behind her back until the footsteps of the succubi faded at the far end of the corridor. Only then did she collapse onto the sofa as though every bone had been pulled out of her body.

It was finally over.

Her subordinates had finally set off for Nightmare Street to start whatever business ventures they were planning.

Stella herself didn’t even know how many of the things she had just said were true.

Probably…

Not a single sentence.

But whatever.

The people were gone, the trouble had been redirected, someone would clean up Blood Demon Manor, and her little treasury had been saved.

“An excellent arrangement.”

Remedios sat elegantly on the single-seat sofa opposite her, legs crossed.

She opened the notebook on her lap and twirled the quill once between her fingers.

“Turning a group of students who originally knew nothing but shouting slogans into the vanguard of our commercial expansion. Not only does it redirect our internal conflicts, it also drives a nail into the middle layer of the Abyss for the Valentine family… Stella, we really do think alike.”

“…Heh.”

Stella buried her face in the throw pillow.

Think alike?

If she could, all she wanted right now was to pry open Remedios’ head and see exactly how her brain was constructed.

“This move really is brilliant.”

“Nightmare Street is the most prosperous den of extravagance in the middle layer of the Abyss. If the Lionheart Society can establish a firm foothold there, not only will our funding problems solve themselves, our intelligence network will also be able to cover the entire middle layer.”

“Besides, Blood Demon Manor really does occupy an exceptionally advantageous location.”

Remedios tapped a mark in her notebook with the end of her quill.

“The No. 3 intersection, directly opposite the Belphegor family’s core business, Cloudtop Manor.”

“Speaking of which…” Remedios closed her notebook. “I’ve also heard some interesting rumors. Miss Franleya of the Belphegor family, known as Sleeping Beauty, seems to have recently left her territory as well, and she just happens to be staying at Cloudtop Manor.”

“The Seventh Watch symbolizes sloth and eternal sleep. The Belphegor family holds authority over sloth and dreams in the Abyss, and they are the true rulers of Nightmare Street.”

Rеad οո ΚαtRеαԁіոgСafе

“Since the Lionheart Society is going to establish itself there, both as a neighbor and as another young lady with inheritance rights…”

Remedios closed her notebook and leaned forward.

“Why don’t you go meet her? Establishing diplomatic relations might save us quite a lot of trouble.”

“I’m not going.”

Stella did not even lift her face from the throw pillow.

Her voice was muffled, yet utterly resolute.

Meet her for what?

There was already Mara, who wanted to use her as a vessel for her former master, Vivian, who had unilaterally declared herself Stella’s mother, and Cheryl, whose thought process traveled along paths no normal person could comprehend… The concentration of demons around Stella had already exceeded safe limits by a serious margin.

And now they wanted her to voluntarily provoke another Elector’s daughter?

Did they think she had lived too long?

If the Sleeping Beauty Remedios mentioned could hold actual power in a family like the Belphegors, where everyone was committed to doing absolutely nothing, there was no way she was someone easy to deal with.

When it came to demons, the fewer she knew, the better.

Besides, there was currently a felon demon on the loose.

Nightmare Street or whatever, she was definitely not going there.

Stella rolled over and lay on her side across the sofa, her gaze falling on the grandfather clock by the window.

The pendulum swayed.

Speaking of which…

Vivian’s letter.

—Lastly, if you have time, go check on Cheryl.

“Right, Remedios.”

Stella sat upright and smoothed out her long hair, which had been crushed into a mess.

“Hm?”

Reаd οո ΚаtRеаԁiոgСafe

“Have you seen Cheryl?”

Remedios blinked.

“Cheryl?”

“Yes.” Stella nodded. “Vivian said in her letter that Cheryl hasn’t been doing very well and asked me to check on her. I walked all around the school today, but I didn’t see her anywhere, whether at the training grounds or the cafeteria.”

Although Stella could not be bothered to obey every word from her so-called mother Vivian, no matter how she looked at it, that mansion on Nightmare Street was a very real sugar-coated shell.

Take something from the Valentines, and your hands were tied. Live in a Valentine house, and even your resolve went soft.

Remedios was pouring tea.

Amber liquid streamed from the spout and spun into a tiny whirlpool inside the cup.

“Oh, her.” She set down the teapot. “She went to Nightmare Street.”

“Nightmare Street?”

No wonder Stella hadn’t been able to find her.

Since it was a school break, it was only natural for everyone to head to Nightmare Street.

Perhaps Cheryl, battle maniac that she was, had gone there to buy a new weapon or find some unfortunate soul to spar with.

“What did she go there for?” Stella picked up the black tea in front of her and took a sip.

“From what she said herself…” Remedios raised a finger and lightly twirled the tip of her hair around it. “It seems she went there to pick a fight with a wanted criminal.”

“Oh, to pick a fight with a wanted criminal…”

Stella responded absentmindedly.

That really was Cheryl’s style.

With nothing better to do, she would go find a wanted criminal or two she disliked and use them for practice. Perfectly reasonable…

The teacup stopped at her lips.

Stella blinked.

One second.

Two seconds.

Reаd oո КatRеаⅾіոɡCafe

A wanted criminal?

The famous wanted criminal on Nightmare Street recently…

Other than the legendary Bone Dragon, there did not seem to be anyone else, right?

The relaxed expression on Stella’s face instantly froze.

“…Wait, which wanted criminal?”

Remedios’s movements paused.

She raised her head, met Stella’s eyes, then somewhat sheepishly shifted her gaze away.

“Uh… about that…”

“Remedios.”

“Alright, alright.” Remedios sighed. “While you were sleeping like the dead, Cheryl and I were chatting, and I accidentally let something slip.”

“What did you let slip?”

“Just… the matter concerning Aetlana.”

Remedios scratched her cheek.

“I told her that the felon demon who recently appeared on Nightmare Street seemed to be your guardian, and that she had come specifically for you.”

“And then?”

An ominous feeling welled up in Stella’s heart.

“Cheryl’s expression was terrifying at the time. After hearing it, she crushed the cup in her hand on the spot.” Remedios imitated Cheryl’s tone from back then.

“——That relic of the old era who abandoned Elder Sister, left Elder Sister to wander outside and suffer, and now wants to come back and harvest the fruits…”

“——Anything that might threaten Elder Sister must be eliminated.”

“Then she slammed the door and left.”

Remedios shrugged.

“I originally planned to tell you about this the moment you woke up, but then that human slave of yours caused another incident and distracted me.”

Rеad oո ΚаtReаԁіnɡСаfe

“From the looks of it, she plans to strike first before Aetlana finds you and help you deal with this incompetent guardian.”

“She may be somewhat impulsive, but this protective desire to monopolize her Elder Sister really is touching.”

“…”

It was as though someone had pulled the plug from a bathtub. Stella’s mind drained completely empty, leaving behind nothing but a hollow shell.

Her bargain-bin little sister…

Was currently preparing to find her bargain-bin guardian.

For a duel.

‘If those two actually started fighting…’

A string of images flashed through Stella’s mind.

Cheryl getting cut down by Aetlana with a single sword strike.

Aetlana getting killed by Cheryl…

Not very likely. Aetlana was a higher demon, and even one of the terrifying figures who had followed the Pale Lord in conquering the world. Cheryl definitely couldn’t beat her.

In any case, no matter who won or lost, the final blame would come flying back like a boomerang and land squarely on Stella’s head. After all, this whole thing had started because of her.

Stella finally understood.

Blood Demon Manor, economic warfare, the Belphegor young lady, compared to this, all of them were nothing but passing clouds.

The most important thing right now was to drag her idiot little sister back before Aetlana hacked Cheryl to death!

‘Sorry, Principal!’

Translator Note

In the end Stella is coming for another trouble again HAHA xD