Chapter 248: Outcome
"..." I look at Evelyn groaning in pain on the ground, and then I look at the dirty, blood-stained knife in my hand, my own blood dripping down my arm as I stare at Evelyn. I’m confused and hurt.
"You were really going to kill me..." I mutter quietly, staring at Evelyn on the ground, and I finally realize this hurts more than I could have ever imagined. A few tears escape, rolling down my face as I feel this emotional pain that dwarfs any physical wound.
"Ah, Evelyn... I never thought I could feel this much hatred in my life..." I approach Evelyn, my steps unsteady as I avoid tripping on the stones. I always thought, if Evelyn ever tried to kill me, it would mean she’d finally found the courage.
It would mean she’d stopped being such a coward. I always believed that pushing Evelyn to a point where she’d have the guts to kill me would be a way to protect her.
This world is cruel; there’s no way a coward can survive in it. But now I see the truth. I never really wanted Evelyn to kill me. I always wanted her to be brave, but I never wanted her to actually try to kill me.
Until now, all her threats and attempts were treated like jokes. I thought it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. I pushed her, so it was the expected reaction, and it was fun to see. It was cute. It was almost romantic.
But not now. Not this time. This time she planned, premeditated, and carried out an attempt on my life, without me doing anything, and it hurts so much. I never thought this day would come.
"You traitorous bitch!!" I fall on top of her, turning Evelyn to face me. She’s crying from the pain of her broken horn.
"You tried to assassinate me!" I slap her across the face, seized by a cold rage, a red mark instantly appearing.
"I can’t believe you’d betray me like this!" I thought she’d only try to knock me out to get the queen’s position, not that she’d actually try to take my life.
"Gaaahhh!!" She screams when I plunge the knife into her "heart." I hear a faint cracking sound; it must have hit her core.
"You like that!! That’s what you were going to do to me!" I yank the knife out and stab her again. She gasps for air, trying to push me away, but I punch her in the face. The force reverberates through me, making me flinch from the pain.
"How many times were you going to stab me? Three?" I stab her again.
"Four? Five? Ten?" I keep stabbing her in the heart. The blows, driven with all my strength, produce popping sounds as the core fragments, shard-like pieces of glass coming out with the knife when I pull it back.
She spits up blood, but I know she won’t die. She’s a puppet; she won’t die from just a few little stabs.
"E-Esth-"
"SHUT UP, YOU TRAITOR!" I stab her, the knife piercing flesh with a sickening sound, blood splattering onto my face. Evelyn just trembles in pain on the ground.
"..." I keep stabbing her, but with each thrust, my tears fall, dripping onto her face. Why do I feel more pain than I can bear, realizing this betrayal?
"I love you!! So why... why would you try to kill me?" My voice comes out trembling and weak. I press the knife in and start wiggling it back and forth, making her writhe in agony.
"Is the throne worth more than my love?" I say, my vision blurring from tears and my consciousness starting to fade from blood loss that I’m no longer even trying to stop.
"SAY SOMETHING, EVELYN!" I scream at her, pushing the knife until the hilt is partially inside. I can see the core where her heart should be; it emits a faint red glow even though it’s cracked.
"...Urgh..." I groan in pain. My trembling hands can no longer hold the knife, which slips because of the blood. I try to punch Evelyn’s tear-streaked face.
"..." Evelyn looks past me, and then, with some remaining strength, she pushes me. My fall to the side drains what little was left of my strength. Everything starts to go dark, the last thing I see is Eve, who almost hit me with the sword I had thrown away.
...
...
...
"Urgaahhh!" I let out a scream of pain, feeling the sword cut into my arm.
"I-I’m sorry, Evelyn-sama!!" Eve tries to approach, but I push her away.
"D-Don’t touch me!! W-Why did you try to kill Esther!" I ask angrily, dragging myself over to Esther, who’s collapsed on the ground.
"I-I saw her stabbing you... I j-just wanted to..."
"What you wanted doesn’t matter!! I ordered you to stay out of it!" I spit at her in anger, blood spraying from my mouth. The pain is almost unbearable, even with the pain reduction.
"..." I get close to Esther, pulling bandages from my storage ring.
"...Seriously, Evelyn-sama?! You... you’re choosing her? After she stabbed you?" Eve asks, incredulous and hurt, watching me wrap the bandages around the wound on Esther’s stomach.
My blood flows, staining Esther’s clothes even more, while pieces of my shattered core pierce my flesh, creating a sensation like shards of glass are cutting me from the inside.
"..." I quickly bandage the wounds with what I’ve learned, using my threads with the little magic I have left to suture the injuries. I hear her whimper in pain as the threads pass through flesh, closing the worst of her wounds.
"Haaa..." I sigh in relief when her heartbeat stabilizes. My trembling hands almost stop as I continue wrapping, while Eve sits on the ground in the distance, pouting as she watches me. She keeps staring at the cut on my arm that she made when I pushed Esther away.
"..." I stare at Esther. All the courage I had to try and kill her is gone. I hesitated when it came time to push the knife in, and after that, I simply couldn’t try anymore. I could have used my magic; I could have killed her.
But I failed. I think I failed from the very beginning. I ended up sabotaging myself because, despite being determined to kill her, I used nothing beyond physical capabilities and that knife.
"..." Finishing bandaging Esther, I look at the knife still stuck in my chest. I groan in pain as I pull it out; the blade is chipped from careless use.
"It would’ve... been so easy..." I stare at the unconscious Esther on the ground. My plan worked, but... why did I do it? Why did I make such an elaborate plan? Did I want to obtain the throne? Did I want to prove I wasn’t a failure? Did I want to make Esther proud? Did I want to show I’m not someone to be underestimated?
None of that matters, because I don’t know the answer. All I know is that right now, I could kill Esther, or have Eve kill Esther. But all I did was protect Esther when Eve was about to decapitate her.
I guess this is love, in the end. I love Esther too much to kill her, especially now, seeing her so vulnerable. The look of pain in her eyes hurt me more than trying to kill her did.
"..."
’Esther will probably wake up furious with me...’ I sloppily wrap a bandage around the wound in my heart, just to stop the bleeding. It’s not a big deal for my puppet body, but then a notification appears before me.
[Succession Notice concluded!]
[Be informed that despite the undeniably unusual method employed, Evelyn Ashcroft has fulfilled the basic and general requirements as a demon for obtaining the title of Demon Queen.
Throughout the ages, the title has been passed down based on various criteria: strength, intelligence, magic, governance capability, intellectual capacity, among many others.
Currently, Evelyn Ashcroft, although not the most favorably strong, has nonetheless demonstrated an intellect and foresight that surpasses any demon king that has ever existed.
Her ability to predict steps, attitudes, actions, and even how the terrain will react to someone’s actions has a 90% accuracy rate, which exceeds the previous maximum ever seen of 83%.
And for a demon king, who must guide their race, the ability to foresee the outcome of something so profoundly is seriously analyzed as a positive point.
Naturally, a unique evaluation method is used for each individual. Despite the recent display of sentimental cowardice, senseless love, and a total lack of empathy when necessary, her chances were slightly affected.
However, considering the victory was obtained legitimately, without the use of external cheating, and the truly excellent use of the [Domains] that were erected in battle, I say with reservations that Evelyn Ashcroft has proven herself capable of receiving the throne.
With this, you will be granted the Title of Demon Queen. The subsequent title following this notice will grant you several advantages.
Firstly, you will have [Aura of Despair] active 100% of the time. Coupled with the title, it generates a disturbance effect in the ambient Hikishin, causing any demon near you to feel [Fear], even when you are stationary, with a secondary effect of reducing the strength of any demon in a fight against you.
Secondly, there is the effect [Genes of the Ruler], which amplifies the chance of your offspring obtaining the position in the future, as well as permanently increasing all your magical and physical attributes by up to 10 times.
Thirdly, there is [Domain Amplification], an effect that amplifies the area your domain can cover by 50 times, and increases the power your domain holds by 10 times. As such, your domain gains an immediate advantage over any domain that tries to compete with yours.
With that, we move on to the direct capabilities! As a Puppeteer, the title of Demon Queen grants you [Divine Web of the Ruler], making your threads unbreakable should you directly channel your magic into them.
It also grants you [Reinforcement of the Immortal Mad Puppeteer], which makes your soul resistant to direct soul damage, allowing you to create copies of your soul and store them in puppets so you can re-emerge within them should your soul be destroyed.
And finally, we have the last reinforcement that comes with the title, a special reinforcement that no other Demon King or Queen has ever received in history, considering your unique "Biology."
You are both a Pure Demon, which is the term used when referring to a demon that is not a mixture with any other race that isn’t a demon.
And also the fact that you are Biologically a Monster of the Nymph type. Monsters and demons are not the same species, however, due to your blessing, you share both racial sides.
Therefore, you are granted [Grace of the Nymph], which turns any fluid from your body into a two-phase poison. Should any fluid from your body be ingested, touch the skin, or the scent be sensed by someone you hold affection for, the fluids generate an addictive and sweet effect, like a mild recreational drug.
However, if your fluids are ingested, touch the skin, or the scent is sensed by a being you hate, it becomes a deadly poison that consumes the Hikishin of the body, producing a harmful effect that corrodes the being’s body like a powerful acid.
With this, I congratulate you on your ascension, oh young Demon Queen, and may your future be full of fulfillment, conquest, abundance, and destruction~]
[Status
Name = Evelyn Ashcroft
Race = Storm Demon Dragon / Hylead (Living Demon Puppet) / (Material Spirit Nymph)
Title = Demon Queen / Tragedy / Master of Puppets / Material Nymph
Status Classification =
Strength = F —> C
Stamina = F —> C
Defense = E —> B
Physical Defense = E —> B
Magic = SS —> SSS+
Magic Defense = S —> SSS
Vitality = SSS+ —> SSS++
New Abilities =
Divine Web of the Ruler (Description = Makes your threads unbreakable should you directly channel your magic into them, acting as a powerful magical reinforcement.)
Reinforcement of the Immortal Mad Puppeteer (Description = Makes your soul resistant to direct soul damage, allowing you to create copies of your soul and store them in puppets so you can re-emerge within them should your soul be destroyed. Thus, the infamous Mad Puppeteer can always continue their Show on a Stage that never closes its curtains, merely changes its host.)
Grace of the Nymph (Description = Turns any fluid from your body into a two-phase poison. Should any fluid from your body be ingested, touch the skin, or the scent be sensed by someone you hold affection for, the fluids generate an addictive and sweet effect, like a mild recreational drug.
However, if your fluids are ingested, touch the skin, or the scent is sensed by a being you hate, it becomes a deadly poison that consumes the Hikishin of the body, producing a harmful effect that corrodes the being’s body like a powerful acid.)]
"This..." I stare at what appeared before me, surprised by it. But despite the incredible things written here... I don’t feel happy. And I’m still weak. These are amazing powers, but my true body is still fragile.
I only got a little bit stronger. What’s powerful are the abilities. But at what cost? This only stopped Esther from getting the powers, but it doesn’t stop her from continuing with her plans.
"...Damn it..." I collapse on top of Esther, too exhausted to continue, too exhausted to think about this, too exhausted to even try to see anything good in it. All I know is that everything has changed for my status as a living being, but nothing has changed for who I am mentally.
Being queen now hasn’t given me the pleasure I expected from a hard-fought victory. It just... it just gives me an empty feeling, for creating an uncomfortable distance between myself and others.
And mostly, for seeing that my relationship with Esther isn’t just a chain or motivation. It’s a gilded cage that traps both me and Esther. I close my eyes, fainting on top of her as Eve comes running towards me, tripping on the stones because of her injuries.