Volume 1, Chapter 71 – Pale Daughter

Come to think of it, Remedios was also a student of the House of Terror and Slaughter.

A question suddenly occurred to Stella.

Why was she so completely different from those Terror and Slaughter students outside, who seemed to have masochism and self-destruction engraved into their very bones? It could even be said that she did not fit in with them at all.

Remedios could be considered quite elegant, wise, and confident. At most, she would occasionally come up with some wicked scheme or bloody idea, but that was merely the standard disposition of a demon.

Compared to bizarre succubi like Cheryl and Patolize, Stella truly did not think there was anything remarkable about that. Even then, the former was only a student of the House of Domination.

Yet Remedios had most certainly been assigned to the House of Terror and Slaughter by the magic mirror.

There had to be a reason.

Stella looked down at the manuscripts beneath her feet, then at the Human Realm defense map in the corner. The previously blank strategic locations were now densely covered with vicious crimson arrows, their paths carved across the map like scalpels.

‘…Could Remedios actually be quite capable at commanding troops too?’

Stella felt as though she had just discovered something rather extraordinary.

“Stella?”

Remedios’ voice interrupted her wandering thoughts. The well-read and refined succubus tilted her head and looked at her innocently.

“What are you looking at? Is there something wrong with the map in the corner?”

“…No.” Stella looked away and forced out a smile. “It’s quite good. The way you drew it is very… artistic.”

“As long as you like it. Anyway, did you need something from me?”

“Whew…” Stella took a deep breath, her expression turning serious.

It was time to get to the point.

“Remedios, do you remember what we mentioned at the Lionheart Society last time?” Stella asked softly.

“The Eye of the Black Mass?” Remedios raised an eyebrow. “The Pale Lord’s relic.”

“I received definite information. It’s in the Blasphemous Forbidden Forest.” Stella met Remedios’s eyes. “Do me a favor. Come with me tonight into the depths of the Forbidden Forest and help me retrieve it from the Lord of the Forest’s lair.”

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“Sure. I’ll lead the way.”

“You… agreed just like that?” Stella was somewhat surprised. “This is a serious violation of school rules. If we’re caught, we’ll be expelled.”

“Stella, what are you talking about?”

Remedios turned around and looked at her as though it were the most natural thing in the world, a certain conspiratorial fervor gleaming in her eyes.

“Aren’t we accomplices? Ever since that day in the restricted section, I told you that as long as you help me hunt Saintesses too, I’ll do anything.”

“…Alright.”

This girl’s resolve was far too strong.

Strong enough to make Stella nervous.

“It’s just that the Lord of the Forest isn’t an easy monster to deal with.”

Remedios stood up, walked over to the bookshelf, pulled out a copy of Illustrated Guide to Demon Realm Ecology, and flipped through it for a moment.

“In fact, it isn’t a monster native to the Forbidden Forest’s ecosystem. It’s a guard personally created by Principal Gehenna. Its true body is an Abyssal demon vine living in symbiosis with a slime.”

“It’s enormous. The sea of vines blotting out the sky will be hell for any intruder. More troublesome still, it retains the domination trait bestowed upon it by Principal Gehenna. It can release highly concentrated sleep spores, and its blooming flower buds have even evolved hypnotic patterns. Most intruders fall into dominated dream illusions before they even see its true body, then have their magical power drained by it forever.”

Stella: “…”

Just hearing about it was already deadly enough.

Stella instinctively wanted to back out, but when she thought of the countdown Sanctity on the back of her hand, she could only steel herself and go through with it.

For a Saintess like her, whose Holy Light was maxed out, she probably did not need to worry about hypnosis or hallucinations, right?

Probably.

“That’s why I need you.” Stella forced herself to remain calm. “Do you have a plan?”

“Hehe.”

Remedios gave a soft hum, closed the book, and looked immensely proud.

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“Of course. I’m a Bledia.”

“The Lord of the Forest is essentially nothing more than a low-intelligence slime driven by seduction. As long as no other Archdemon overrides it, it will only obey Principal Gehenna.”

Remedios raised one finger.

“So all I need to do is use a bit of dark cursecraft to make it mistakenly believe I’m Gehenna. Something like… Pseudo-Soul.”

“Peel a little of the living soul away from the body and alter its cognition a bit… The principle is very simple, but very effective. Do you want to learn? If you need it, I can teach you right now and demonstrate it on the spot. Of course, you’d better bring your teaching aid, otherwise the two of us will have to use each other.”

“…Forget it. Maybe next time.”

Stella refused without hesitation.

She had no intention of casting something like that on her good subordinate Lainia.

“If you ever need it, come find me anytime.” Remedios dug a hand-drawn map of the Forbidden Forest out from among a pile of terrifying manuscripts.

Then she asked casually.

“It’s just… why do you need the Eye of the Black Mass?”

Remedios was simply too loyal. The instant Stella asked, she was ready to act, which left Stella feeling a little guilty and too embarrassed to lie.

Besides, judging from what she knew of Remedios, it would be better not to say too much.

It might cause unnecessary trouble.

“Mm… I have reasons I can’t speak of, but it really does hold a certain attraction for me,” Stella explained.

“Reasons you can’t speak of? Attraction?” Remedios blinked in confusion.

Why did Stella Valentine insist on obtaining the Eye of the Black Mass?

She had even said she felt drawn to it.

Although it was a legendary secret treasure, it was also an object of supreme evil and wickedness.

For Stella, who already possessed SSS+ talent, simply stacking more power on top of what she already had should not mean much.

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Unless this secret treasure held some special significance to her.

‘Since it belonged to the Pale Lord…’

‘Wait.’

‘Pale?’

‘At the end of Eternal Night, the Pale Daughter who burns with a blood-red shadow shall become a solar crown.’

Remedios suddenly remembered the nonsense from Prophet Weekly.

‘…A burning blood-red shadow.’

Remedios recalled how, in the dueling arena, Stella’s blood had turned into golden-red flames after she ignited it.

‘Mm… that could potentially match.’

‘And as for pale…’

Throughout the history of the Demon Realm, there had only ever been one existence worthy of being called Pale. A lunatic who had once nearly destroyed the Demon Realm in pursuit of the origins of demons, and Principal Gehenna’s most prized disciple, the Pale Lord.

‘And the Pale Daughter…’

In a daze, Remedios felt as though she had figured something out. All the pieces suddenly connected, and an earth-shattering conjecture exploded in her mind.

‘No.’

‘It still is not certain.’

Remedios recalled the secret history known to her as a member of the Book Demon family.

A hundred years ago, during an age when upheaval and chaos coexisted.

At the time, the current Family Head of the Valentine family had been at the peak of her strength. She was also notoriously passionate by nature, leaving illegitimate daughters scattered throughout the Demon Realm.

And at precisely that same time, the Pale Lord had been active throughout every corner of the Abyss, conducting heresy-defying experiments and even maintaining secret contact with all the great families.

Although a hundred years had passed, the higher-ranking the demon, the more slowly their offspring hatched from their eggs.

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The timeline matched.

The bloodline traits matched.

The SSS+ talent matched.

Although she did not know exactly what the Pale Lord looked like, since she was called ‘Pale,’ no matter how one looked at it, she had to possess features that were pale from head to toe. And Stella just so happened to have smooth, long silver hair, with only a streak of Valentine’s blood-red at the tips…

In that case, once all the clues were gathered together, no matter how unbelievable the truth might seem, it was still an absolutely indisputable fact.

Remedios stepped within arm’s reach, cupped Stella’s cheeks, and carefully examined her face.

‘Wait.’

‘Could it be, Stella, that you…’

‘No way?

‘Seriously?!?!’

Stella blinked in bewilderment.

‘…No, why are you suddenly touching my face for no reason?!’

Translator Note

HAHAHAHA

The principal thinks Stella is going to be the Queen of Eternal Night.

And now Remedios thinks Stella is going to be the second Pale Lord who destroy the Demon Realm xD