Chapter 53
"It's too horrible a crime!"
Pastel trembled all over and passionately explained to the knight who came to hear the circumstances.
"To even contract a killing with the cult to kill me who was living virtuously! If there were a million sins on earth, this would be among the top sins!"
"I-is that so?"
The knight was dumbfounded. Understandably so. There was no evidence at all of a contract killing. There was only the claim of the self-proclaimed victim, Marquis Craft.
Pastel explained even more passionately.
"Fregie Trading Company and the head of Sinclair Trading Company are no different from wicked devil worshippers!"
『Not devil but evil god.』
"Wicked evil god worshippers!"
As if hiding her mistake, she hit the desk bang.
She looked at the knight with intense eyes.
"After I was carried off by a bird in an accidental incident, cult members came to the nest as if they had been waiting! Then they kidnapped confused me onto an airship!"
Pastel pressed her cheeks with both hands and made a terrified expression.
"Huaa~!"
So scary.
"The kidnapping wasn't the end! Actually kidnapping me onto the airship was a plan to kill me without leaving traces!"
Tremble tremble tremble.
"Look look! Like this like this!"
She made a gesture of putting an imaginary sword blade to her neck.
The cold, chilling sensation of metal.
"Hiyak~!"
Pastel's face turned pale. It wasn't that it really happened, she just earnestly acted out an expression with roughly that feeling.
Then she became serious.
"But at that moment when anyone would be terrified, brave me maintained composure without feeling an ounce of fear! Rather, I scolded the wicked cult members!"
She pointed at the air.
"To try to kill virtuous me! There must certainly be an evil mastermind! Put your hand on your conscience and reveal it immediately!"
Pastel put her hand on her conscience.
"Then one of the cult members agonized and revealed the truth. That Fregie Trading Company and the head of Sinclair Trading Company contracted the killing!"
Dun dun.
The wicked truth is revealed.
"Huaa~!"
Pastel was extremely surprised.
Uwa uwa.
The knight who had been listening blankly came to his senses.
"Where is that cult member perhaps?"
It was an act of seeking an objective witness in a situation where only the self-proclaimed victim's testimony continued.
Pastel looked regretful.
"When the airship crashed, he... But the conscience that cult member showed still remains vividly in my heart. Knight, please definitely repay the testimony of the conscientious cult member."
A calm voice rang out.
The knight hesitated slightly perplexed.
Pastel's expression gradually disappeared and she stared at the knight with a cold face.
The knight flinched then nodded.
"I understand."
Pastel's face brightened again.
"As expected of a knight! Since it's related to the cult, punish them without leaving even a speck of dust!"
Pasha pasha!
She swung her fists in the air.
The knight looked with a bizarre gaze then slowly nodded.
#
Days continued of thoroughly investigating Fregie Trading Company while surrounding the sky whale and searching for cult remnants.
Things were cleanly handled such as Fregie Trading Company's ledgers being disclosed and new charges unrelated to the original ones being discovered.
After watching the process for a while, Pastel turned her attention away for now and handled private matters. Since it was a matter of legally processing the trading company, it would take time anyway.
The first thing she did was nom nomming the rank of existence gathered in the magic stone knives.
『Absolutely not. Hand it over immediately.』
The demon firmly held out his hand.
"No!"
Pastel shook her head vigorously and hugged the knives tightly. The demon had kept asking for them, but she protected the knives by carrying them even while sleeping and bathing.
『Young Craft, why on earth are you trying to eat that dangerous thing? You'll be able to become strong as time passes anyway. There's no need to meddle in unnecessary areas that twist your essence and shake your mind.』
"Mercury friend said he needs Venus friend!"
The solar system needs more family!
The demon pressed his forehead.
『Just what are you talking about. Not explaining, sigh. Don't get buried in your inner world. I said to pursue order and harmony in your inner world, but I didn't mean to obsess over it paranoically. In fact, nature is disordered. An imperfect state is natural.』
"I don't know! I'll do as I please!"
Pastel just shook her head vigorously.
As the argument continued, the demon raised both hands.
『Then do as you please. You can't extract rank of existence without my help anyway, so you'll just keep accumulating it until the magic stone knives become unusable.』
The demon brought a butter knife as if to demonstrate.
『Now, look.』
He grabbed both ends of the butter knife and bent it. The thin butter knife folded completely.
『When rank of existence completely fills the fuel tank, the knife will be completely destroyed from the inside unable to withstand the energy.』
The demon held up the bent butter knife in front of Pastel's eyes. It was in a state where it couldn't even spread butter despite being a butter knife.
『This is knife friend's future.』
Uwaa.
Knife friend's future!
"How could this be...!"
Pastel trembled while tightly hugging the magic stone knives.
Tremble tremble tremble.
『If you're going to keep being stubborn, hurry and say farewell to knife friend.』
The demon waved at the knives as if saying goodbye in Pastel's place.
『Goodbye, knife friend.』
Uwaa.
Pastel's mouth fell open.
"Knife friend!"
Pastel collapsed limply. She hugged the knives tighter and wailed.
"I'm sorry! I couldn't protect you! I'm not worthy of being your friend!"
Wail.
Waaail.
The demon bent down and spoke in a kind voice.
『If you hand them over to me, I can save knife friend from tragedy. If you want to save your friend, hurry and hand them over.』
The demon's whisper.
Huaa.
"I'll give you anything! Take my soul or heart as you please!"
Is this how the weak feel dealing with demons?
『I don't need such things. Just hand knife friend over to me.』
The demon wiggled his fingers.
"How could this be, how could this be...!"
Pastel trembled then firmly shouted:
"I won't abandon my friend! Much less will I ever sell them to a demon!"
She hugged the knives tightly.
"Knife friend! I'll protect you!"
The demon pressed his forehead. His cheeks twitched as if bad emotions were rising, then he rubbed his face.
『Hah.』
Red eyes that seemed filled with self-loathing looked down weakly.
『If I matched your level, shouldn't you yield at least once as courtesy?』
Pastel preciously hugged the knives and looked up primly.
"I matched demon's level too!"
Saying farewell to inanimate objects.
How embarrassing.
Pastel would absolutely never do such a thing.
『Don't lie.』
The demon said firmly.
"How could this be...!"
Pastel's mouth fell open.
Where is my dignity?!
Since when was I considered someone who even says farewell to inanimate objects?!
"I'm sorry, knife friend! While protecting you I became such an embarrassing friend!"
The demon shook his head.
『No need to apologize. You were originally an embarrassing friend.』
It was a calm voice as if stating facts.
"How could this be...!"
This was quite shocking so Pastel became dazed.
Me, originally an embarrassing friend?
I can't refute...!
Uwaa.
The demon seemed somewhat relieved.
『I'll go do laundry, so try doing some earnest self-reflection. I hope you'll be in a different, repentant state than usual.』
The demon left after saying words full of wishful thinking.
Pastel hung her head.
Demon is completely firm.
At this rate, forget consuming rank of existence, I'll just end up going "Demon demon! Uweeng!"
She clenched her fists.
"Demon is right! I can't keep being an embarrassing friend forever!"
Pastel who made up her mind... did not become an obedient child according to the demon's wishful thinking, but learned how to extract rank of existence from the knives herself.
"If it's a contingency prepared by the previous Demon King for his successor, there must be a way for the successor to consume it alone! I can do it myself without relying on demon!"
She tried all sorts of things with the knives.
She reached out her hand and went yap yap.
When she exerted the power to control magic stones, the magic stones inside the magic stone knives reacted and the knives floated.
The powers she currently had were the power to consume magic stones and the power to control magic stones.
Magic stone consumption strengthens the body the more magic stones are consumed, so it's not helpful now. The suspicious one is of course the power to control magic stones.
Could it be extracting rank of existence by somehow manipulating the magic stone knives?
"Yap! Yap!"
Though the sounds from her mouth were light, Pastel was very serious.
After trying several times to rotate and move the floating knives, she focused her mind more and did delicate manipulation.
"Since I'm controlling the internal magic stones anyway..."
If I somehow do the insides.
She touched the internal circuits of the magic stone knives bit by bit. Perhaps because she kept carefully touching not to break them, there was no reaction for a while but at some point something reacted.
Black liquid oozed out from the knife blade then floated up. It was rank of existence mixed with demon energy for easy consumption.
The corners of Pastel's mouth instantly rose.
Demon's help?
No no no.
I don't need it.
She was about to put the black jelly in her mouth right away but paused.
Pastel pondered with a strange expression then subtly hid the black jelly behind her back. The jelly floated stably while hidden.
After waiting a moment, the demon who finished laundry returned. Red eyes looked down at the girl.
『Did you reflect well?』
Pastel made a sorrowful expression.
"Hueeng~!"
At the acted crying sound, the demon looked suspiciously then held out his hand.
『If you reflected, hand over the knives.』
"Hueeng~!"
Pastel cried more sorrowfully then held up the knives. She handed knife friend to the demon with trembling hands.
Finding the obedient attitude strange, the demon didn't take them and narrowed his brows. Then he carefully reached out and grabbed the knives.
Still finding the obedient attitude suspicious, the demon pondered with doubt.
『Hmm, I see. Are you planning to secretly eat it after I extract it like last time? You've already been caught, young Craft.』
Pastel pressed her cheeks with both hands and was shocked as if her inner thoughts were completely discovered.
"Shock~!"
『...What is this?』
The demon was very uncomfortable. Then thinking it was over since the knives were in his hands, he shook off his emotions.
『Even if you pretend to fall again, I won't be fooled this time so know that.』
Pastel was even more shocked.
"Double shock~!"
『...Hmm.』
The demon was extremely uncomfortable. He looked at the girl sourly.
『Don't tease adults.』
It was a voice subtly threatening.
Huk.
If you say that.
If you say that...!
Pastel whose mind suddenly spun from the wickedness got excited and turned her body.
"Demon! Demon! Look at this!"
She grabbed and held up the black jelly.
"Delicious jelly~!"
Ta-da~!
The demon's eyes went wide.
『What...?』
"And and!"
Pastel shouted excitedly in complete excitement.
"Pastel playing above demon's head~!"
She put the jelly in her mouth.
Nom-!
Munch munch.
Gulp.
Pastel triumphantly showed her empty mouth.
Then she went nyah.
Nyah~!
"I ate it all~!"
The demon inhaled sharply in shock. He staggered then slowly raised his hand and grabbed the back of his neck.
『How, how did I end up in this situation...』
It was a powerless voice.