The Slaughterhouse, as the mountain area entrusted by King Yeddu to the demon Gerud was called. The place was a kind of laboratory, where monsters were created and beasts were broken. Many of the subjects—often trolls or orcs—had died during the experiments, so much so that the cells to the side of the room were all empty.

  In the center of the laboratory stood a medium-tall figure, dressed in an elegant white suit and a plague doctor's mask with a golden beak. Unlike his clothes—which were clean and spotless—his gloves were stained with the blood of the corpse he was dissecting. He was one of the orcs guarding one of the exits. A few days earlier, a prisoner had escaped, and there were various repercussions among the staff.

  -This was one of those repercussions mentioned.

  Useless pig. This didn't yield anything fruitful either...

  Gerud sighed in annoyance at yet another failure. He had truly hoped to implant the Ruthless Devourer skill into a corpse to see what effect it could have. The undead were much easier to control than the living, especially for a Greater Demon like him.

  These pigs are only useful as fodder for my greatest masterpiece.

  Gerud's gaze shifted to the left side of the room. In the dim light, a creature approximately five meters tall could be seen, wearing only tattered rags for clothing. It appeared to be asleep, its back held against the wall only by the enchanted chains that constrained its limbs and neck.

  Empowering an idiot like Yeddu was a reckless move, but I'm sure this monster is a great insurance policy.

  Gerud smiled proudly beneath his mask. This creature would earn him the praise of his lord. He would surely grant him some of his power in thanks, and perhaps he would finally be able to evolve into an Archdemon. Gerud was already very powerful, but with this new strength he would even be able to surpass the level 35 he had reached after years of research and service.

  "So, Gerud! How are you?"

  “Hmm? Oh, it's you...”

  Laplace's voice echoed through the slaughterhouse. It wasn't the first time the jester had come to visit him, as if they were at a playground. Honestly, Gerud wasn't a fan of sharing the glory with others, but he had to admit that Laplace had been a great help. He was strong and probably over level 60. Furthermore, despite being a mercenary hired with vile money, his master seemed to hold the jester in high regard.

  If only He would treat me with all that respect and admiration. How envious I am!

  Gerud shook his head slightly. At that moment, he and Laplace were allies, and he couldn't deny that he could never have carried out his experiments alone. However, he was prepared to take full credit if they achieved victory. It's fine to be loyal, but not to be an idiot.

  “How is your little doll?”

  "He's fine, don't worry. If fine is the right adjective in this case, that is..."

  The creature chained to the wall awoke abruptly. It moved forward and roared ferociously, as if irritated by those words. Its saliva flew everywhere, landing not far from the two demons who were conversing.

  "Are you sure you can control it?"

  Laplace asked, with a feigned tone of concern.

  "Obviously!"

  The creaking of chain links echoed in the background, as if to deny Gerud's response. Despite being enchanted by the jester with extremely powerful magic, they still seemed to be suffering from the mutated creature's enormous strength. It seemed truly hungry.

  "Then why do you keep him on a leash?"

  "Would you let your dog roam free around the house, Laplace?"

  "Yes..."

  "That's because you're crazy! Anyway, as soon as I'm done experimenting, we'll have two very powerful creatures under our control!"

  "Good, good! He 'll be so happy!"

  "Oh, yes!"

  Gerud laughed beneath his mask and walked over to a workbench, picking up what looked like a large, bloody cleaver.

  "Ohhh! Beautiful! Is it to compensate for something? Maybe...you know, right? Over there..."

  Laplace's derisive laughter irritated him. He knew the other was just teasing him, as he usually did, but Gerud didn't like being treated so lightly. He was a Greater Demon, for crying out loud!

  "Ah-ah-ah-ah! Very funny, clown..."

  “Rather, the girl is asking a few too many questions about her King. Of course it makes sense, seeing as she's his bodyguard. However—“

  “Don't worry! She's an idiot ogre! We'll need her as a sacrifice later to further strengthen my monster. The only reason we're keeping her alive is to keep the ogres from becoming suspicious. After all, she's the strongest female in their tribe and is highly respected. We need to make good use of her!”

  "RAAAAAAAAAH!"

  The chained beast's cries suddenly silenced the two. A deathly silence fell in the slaughterhouse—too boring for Laplace's standards, so he decided to leave, amused, but didn't leave the room before giving his colleague a final, cryptic warning.

  "If I were you, buddy, I wouldn't take him off the leash until I've trained him well!"

  "Umpf!"

  Gerud rolled his eyes at Laplace's warning and went back to work as if nothing had happened. He doubted the creature could attack him—he had no proof that it couldn't happen, but he was sure he'd done a good job of mind control.

  He glanced to the side of the table; a large, magical iron collar was on it. It was one of his most recent experiments, which had sadly failed. The collar had been fused with a parasite called Plagas, which made any creature infected by it subject to Gerud's control. A brilliant idea in theory, but difficult to implement in practice. Using magic to properly program the parasite was extremely complex—furthermore, recent studies had revealed that for some creatures, it was necessary to use a conduit to increase the parasitic organism's influence. Essentially, a compatible body was needed to infect it, giving the parasite the opportunity to multiply within the host and be more effective against powerful creatures like the one chained in the room.

  Unfortunately, every experiment involving the use of the Plagas parasite on the latter ended in catastrophic failure. Gerud would have settled for the placebo effects of drugs and hypnosis sessions. He couldn't risk losing his most precious puppet. For Nasus, the Cerberus of the Waters, the use of the parasite hadn't been necessary—but for Renekton, it seemed obligatory. Where could he find an organism compatible with the parasite? He'd think about it after he'd solved his biggest problem: conquering the forest. His master's orders were clear: he and Laplace were to ignite a war with the Nexian Empire and the Ashen Kingdom, using Yeddu as the spark. After the fall of the Dark Jade Forest, they were to swell the Troll King's ego, prompting him to invade human lands.

  I wonder why He wants this. The theocracy certainly has the strength to crush Yeddu, even if he's empowered. I don't care...just follow orders.

  Gerud shook his head. From what his master had told him, the important thing was the deaths, not the conquests or the loss of a puppet as the Troll King. However, the biggest problem would be controlling Yeddu after his evolution. For now, he and Laplace had succeeded, but who could assure him that everything would go smoothly? That's why they had a Plan B.

  The brainwashing should have mellowed him, but he still has temper tantrums. Damn pig!

  Gerud gritted his teeth under his mask.

  “You stupid useless piece of shit!”

  Although the other couldn't answer him at the moment, he continued to shout at him, venting all his frustration at the chained creature. Gerud seemed confident, but his nerves were on edge . If even a single thing didn't go according to plan, his master would kill him without remorse. Despite being a powerful Greater Demon, Gerud wasn't part of his master's elite. They were called "The Cast of the Dark Theater", and he wasn't even close to their level.

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Did I have to get anxious right now?! Everything was going smoothly until that - “

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “RAAAAAAAAAAH!”

  “Eeeeek!”

  Another sudden roar made Gerud jump like a spring. Luckily, the magical chains had managed to restrain the mutated creature, otherwise there would have been trouble—and big trouble at that.

  “Fuck you, damn shit! You're lucky I'm not in the mood to punish you!”

  The demon placed a hand on his chest and quickly hid behind a proud facade, despite his racing heart. Unfortunately, if the creature broke free and attacked him, he would have no chance. The difference in level was exorbitant.

  “Lets get back to work...”

  Following a snap of his fingers, classical music began to fill the room. It was a combination of violins, basses, and piano, all artificially generated by an ability Gerud himself possessed—thanks to one of his bard classes.

  “That’s better.”

  As if conducting an orchestra, the demon grabbed some tools and returned to work; his experiments wouldn't end on their own. Now he wanted to test the regenerative abilities of that damned pig chained to the wall. He gripped a huge cleaver in his hands and began to slowly approach the creature, a wicked grin beneath his mask.

  Was it dangerous? Yes.

  Was he certain the chains wouldn't break? Not entirely.

  Would he have admitted to himself that he wasn't sure about the situation and that it was better to do something else? Never.

  “Don't worry, Your Majesty. I have a royal treat ready for you!”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  26th day of the month of the gray dragon (March) 10:30 PM

  “Here I am, sorry for the delay.”

  Shion declared once she left the house. Almodea had started making some popcorn for the anime they were going to watch before bed, and just then, Zed knocked on their door, asking permission to speak with her in private. Obviously, Almodea saw nothing wrong with that and gave Shion the okay to come out of the house and talk to the ninja.

  What the demoness didn't know, however, was that all the Oni were present in her garden, except for Ghu, who was still busy working despite it being late at night. The blacksmith was hard at work making the best weapons he could in preparation for the battle that would take place in a few days.

  “May I know why we had this emergency secret meeting? Did something happen?”

  Shion asked, crossing her arms under her chest as she scanned the other Oni.

  “Don’t ask me, I don’t know anything about it.”

  Huna also seemed confused by the situation, while Hattori kept his eyes closed and sat under a tree. Even Shen looked doubtful and glanced at the ninja, who was staring at Shion with a stoic expression.

  “So, Zed? Do you want to tell us why you brought us together here?”

  “Very simple, Shen. I want to ask Shion if she has been able to speak to Lady Almodea about my proposal.”

  “And you couldn't have asked him yourself? Was there really a need to call a secret meeting for this?”

  “I would like to hear your response before continuing.”

  The former Oni leader snorted at his friend's words, but motioned for Shion to respond.

  “Yes...I told her about it.”

  She replied confidently, feeling a strong courage pumping through her heart. She supposed it was one of the many residual effects from when she had wielded the sword Almodea had given her. They would wear off soon, but Shion would use them to tell things as they were. She was tired of feeling anxious. She was a warrior! She shouldn't think about how to solve a problem, but rather punch it until it could no longer be called a problem.

  “And what did she answer you?”

  “She has no intention of marrying Shen.”

  Both the person concerned and Huna breathed a sigh of relief, while Zed narrowed his eyes. He seemed strangely thoughtful, as if he'd realized Shion wasn't telling the whole truth at that moment.

  “Is that a definitive no?”

  The ninja asked, crossing his arms.

  “Yes. Lady Almodea...doesn't have that kind of interest in Shen.”

  “Maybe you could try asking again and-“

  “Was I not clear, Zed?”

  The woman moved forward, towering over her companion and forcing him to take a step back. Shion's eyes burned with a fire he'd never seen before—she was truly angry.

  “Lady Almodea doesn’t have that kind of interest in Shen. She likes something else. End of discussion!”

  “With her liking something else...you mean that-“

  “Yes! I mean what you're all thinking!”

  Silence fell. No one dared utter a word for the next few seconds.

  “She doesn’t like men, then? I had a feeling that was the case, to be honest.”

  Zed declared, crossing his arms. He had regained much composure, despite having an irritated Shion just inches away from him.

  “Uh-Uh! I figured that out too! It was pretty obvious, to be honest!”

  Hattori chuckled, rubbing his white goatee. It gave him a wise look, even though he hadn't said anything special at the time. Shen, on the other hand, seemed the only one who had fallen off the peg. His surprised and confused expression showed he hadn't noticed Almodea's many small behaviors that had revealed her true interests.

  “Wait, seriously?! Am I the only one who didn’t suspect anything?”

  “You're the same idiot as always, big brother!”

  “H-Hey! Calm down, Huna! There’s no need to get hot!”

  “You've always been terrible at understanding women! Bad! Bad big brother!”

  “Huna, have mercy!”

  There was a general chuckle as the two brothers bickered. The only one who didn't laugh was Zed, who instead looked up to meet Shion's eyes. He could see she was still irritated even though she was laughing.

  Should I ask? If she's going to start fighting, I can leave...

  He summoned his courage and decided to ask his question. He was always attentive to detail, and probably the only one brave enough to speak without fear of being torn to pieces by Shion. In a one-on-one fight, none of them would have stood a chance against her; not in a physical fight to the death.

  “Shion. Can I ask you a question?”

  “Just ask.”

  “You and Almodea...what's really going on between you two? You're not just mistress and bodyguard, are you?”

  The little laughter left from the previous argument died down at that moment. Huna blushed at Zed's insinuation, while the other two males backed away. It was inconceivable to them that Shion could be in a relationship in the first place, let alone with someone like Almodea.

  Shen was ready to speak out for his friend, but was beaten to it by her.

  “Yes. There's something between us...”

  The situation was absurd. Even Zed's stoicism had cracked a little—he'd had his suspicions, but now that they'd been proven right, he was surprised, to say the least. Hattori's eyes were wide open, and Shen's were literally bulging out.

  “...But it's not what you all think.”

  The Oni continued, with a seriousness that seemed impossible to come from her. Shion had always been a direct woman, who thought with her muscles and who—despite her beauty—had never been interested in having a partner. Yet there she was, before them with an authoritative expression, a sovereign pose, and a seriousness that would have made anyone pale.

  “Lady Almodea and I aren't a couple, yet. I don't even know what we are, to be honest! I...I see myself as a concubine.”

  “A concubine? You've already done that thing...you know, right?”

  “Yes Zed, I know! And yes to both questions!”

  Shion's response was so forceful that everyone took a step back. Huna was literally burning with embarrassment at talking about such intimate topics. She wasn't used to it, not at all.

  “I don't know how Lady Almodea feels about me, but know that I love her! I admit it, and I'm not afraid to do so! I fell in love with that girl, and don't tell me it's just lust! My loyalty remains to the Oni, I will never deny that...but now it also extends to the one who won my heart. Please, don't see this as a betrayal.”

  There were still minutes of silence after that shocking statement. Zed felt so embarrassed he wanted to disappear immediately, while the other two males were full of questions. Surprisingly, the first to speak was Huna, the one who until moments before had been as red as a tomato.

  “I'm happy for you, Shion!”

  “Eh? B-But...Huna! Don't you think I'm being selfish?”

  “No! Admitting love is never selfish! I completely approve! You have my blessing!”

  “Thank you, Huna! You're a true friend!”

  While the two girls exchanged smiles, the men looked at each other in confusion. Hattori had no objection, while Shen and Zed expressed several doubts—primarily that, since they were both women, Shion couldn't give Lady Almodea a child. It was obvious that this would become a problem in the future.

  Zed was about to say it, when he was preceded by old Hattori.

  “I'd say that - if Lady Almodea is happy like this- it's entirely to our advantage, right?”

  “Well...Yes, that's true.”

  The ninja didn't voice their doubts, not after the old swordsman's declaration. That Shion was Almodea's concubine was more than fine with them, since it would likely ensure that the Oni race wouldn't be betrayed or discarded. They had to once again swallow their pride and passively accept their fate.

  -They couldn't do anything else, after all.

  “Hey! Shion! Are you done?”

  Just then, Almodea's voice echoed through the air. She was calling from the kitchen: the popcorn was ready and she was waiting for Shion to return so she could start watching anime as they had promised.

  “Y-Yes, Lady Almodea! Give me a few more minutes, please!”

  “No problem, take it easy! But I want bonus cuddles when you get back!”

  “O-Ok!”

  Thinking about it, it was obvious that everyone—except Shen—had noticed there was something going on between the two; Almodea wasn't the slightest bit delicate in that situation. They were literally kissing on the mouth in public! If that wasn't a declaration of affection...

  “Well...At least Almodea seems happy too.”

  Zed muttered, looking away in embarrassment.

  “Lady Almodea, you meant!”

  Shion scolded him. It was true that they were close, but respect for their mistress was absolute. The honorific was mandatory, always and under all circumstances.

  “Yes, yes. I say to let you go now, before your mistress gets suspicious.”

  With that said, the Oni bade farewell to their companion and retreated to their quarters. Shion immediately returned to Almodea's house, heaving a heavy sigh and releasing all the anxiety she'd been storing up in her lungs. Honestly, she was happy with how she'd handled the situation: head held high and decisive. That's how she liked herself, that's how she was supposed to be—strong, decisive, and unstoppable.

  “There you are, Shion! I was starting to get worried!”

  As soon as she entered the house, she found a confused Almodea in the living room, a huge basket of popcorn in her hand. Shion had no idea how the other girl managed to eat so much and maintain a physique as slim as a breadstick. She was seriously beginning to believe that all the fat went to the demoness's chest.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  She answered, trying to maintain a casual, comfortable demeanor. If she'd felt anxious, Almodea would have sensed it immediately.

  “Zed asked questions about what I asked you this afternoon.”

  “Zed really needs to start minding his own fucking business…”

  Almodea snorted at the Oni's statement. To calm her, Shion had to rub her head, scratching the back of her neck a little. The girl suddenly calmed down, becoming as docile as a kitten.

  “Now let's go, Shion. I want cuddles and Anime!”

  “As you wish!”

  The two went into the bedroom and closed the door.

  “Do you remember what episode we were at? Ten or eleven?”

  “I think it's ten. If I'm not mistaken, there was now the human girl who joins the protagonist's harem as the third member, after the Oni and the ogre.”

  “Oh, yes! Now I remember! Sorry, I've seen it so many times that—”

  “No need to apologize, Lady Almodea. I like this series too, after all!”

  Almodea smiled at Shion's statement, then sat down on the bed, leaning against the Oni. The warrior was the perfect pillow, both firm and soft. She was also great to touch when the plot got interesting.

  “I’m glad. I don’t want to bore you.”

  “I'm not bored with you! Now...where was that strange object you call a remote control?”

  “I don't know. It must have ended up under the bed when we woke up this morning. Between all the kisses and cuddles, I must have missed it... Let's look for it.”

  And so, a hunt for the remote control began– eventually it was under Almodea's pillow and they spent half an hour looking for it like two idiots.