Velzard stared at Guy in silence, her eyes half-lidded as she observed him from the side. Outwardly calm, inwardly her thoughts churned.
Doesn't Guy have souls to spare?
He could easily give Loki ten thousand and push him into Demon Lord evolution.
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
So why hasn't he?
What exactly is going through his mind…?
Before she could speak, Guy turned his head, his attention shifting away from Loki and toward another presence in the room.
"Dino," Guy said flatly.
Dino flinched.
"When Loki was wrecking my castle," Guy continued, his voice dangerously even, "what did you do to try and stop him?"
The question hit like a hammer.
Rain snapped her head toward Dino immediately.
"Yes, Guy-sama!" she added sharply. "Dino is the only one who did nothing!"
Cold sweat instantly poured down Dino's face.
…Huh?
Now that it was pointed out, the realization struck him with horrifying clarity.
Wait. She's right.
He replayed the scene in his head. Rain, Misery and Velzard-sama all did something…
…and him.
He just stood there.
Doing absolutely nothing.
Dino swallowed.
But it would've been such a chore…
All I wanted to do was chill and sleep.
Why should I have to deal with Primordial Demons of all things?
His knees felt weak as Guy's gaze bore into him.
Just then
"Well then," Loki said casually, completely breaking the tension, "where is my room going to be?"
Silence.
Rain, Misery, and Guy all turned to look at him at once.
Misery blinked. "…Loki."
Her expression darkened.
"You're not planning on staying here, are you?"
Loki looked genuinely confused.
"If I don't stay here," he said simply, "where else should I stay?"
He shrugged.
"I don't know anyone here. And I'm not about to live like some loner in the woods or something."
Rain's face immediately flushed red.
"No, no, no, no!" she shouted, waving her arms frantically. She spun toward Guy with a desperate, pleading look. "Guy-sama! Loki cannot be allowed to stay here!"
She pointed straight at Loki.
"He destroyed my beautiful painting of Velzard-sama and then ambushed us like a coward!"
Loki twitched.
"…Again," he said flatly, "I did not ambush you."
Before Rain could fire back, Dino still sweating bullets saw an opening.
Loki had just saved him from Guy's questioning. So he would try to save him in return.
He cleared his throat.
"I—I don't have a problem with Loki staying here."
Instantly—
"DON'T SPEAK, FREELOADER!"
Rain and Misery shouted in perfect unison.
Rain glared daggers at him.
"And weren't we just talking about how you stood there and did nothing while Loki threatened to destroy the castle?!"
More sweat poured down Dino's forehead.
Why… why did I open my mouth…
Loki and Velzard both turned to look at him.
Their expressions were identical.
You are an idiot.
Loki sighed internally.
So this is the Demon Lord Dino…
Velzard, meanwhile, looked almost offended.
At least try to be subtle if you want to laze around.
Dino noticed their stares and panicked internally.
Don't look at me like that!
I was just trying to help!
Before the argument could escalate further, Velzard finally spoke.
"I don't have a problem with Loki staying."
Rain froze.
"…Velzard-sama?" she said in shock.
She clenched her fists.
"He destroyed your painting before you could even see it! That's unforgivable!"
Velzard chuckled softly, completely unconcerned.
"It's not such a big deal, Rain. You can always paint me another one."
Rain felt her soul leave her body.
Velzard's gaze shifted to Loki, interest clearly gleaming in her eyes.
"Loki is… interesting. I'd like to observe him up close."
Rain stiffened.
Defeat swelled in her chest.
Live with him?
This guy?
Her younger brother, someone tens of times stronger than her, who showed her no respect, and who had beaten her to a pulp just moments ago.
The thought made her teeth grind.
Her last hopes now rested on only two people.
Misery.
And Guy.
Rain slowly turned her head and looked at Misery.
Her eyes sparkled.
They shimmered.
They pleaded.
Pure, unfiltered puppy-dog eyes.
Misery felt it instantly.
Her shoulders slumped as she let out a tired sigh. "Don't look at me like that," she muttered. "I'll go with whatever decision Guy-sama makes."
Rain snapped her head around.
All hope now rested on one person.
"Guy-sama…!" she said, voice trembling with expectation.
Guy crossed his arms and spoke flatly.
"I don't remember saying this matter would be voted on in the first place."
Rain's heart sank.
"Loki is going to stay in this castle whether he wants to or not," Guy continued. "He's far too dangerous to be left to his own volition. He needs to stay close to me where I can observe him."
Loki raised an eyebrow.
"…Did you just admit that you're going to spy on me?"
Guy looked at him calmly. "I never mentioned any spying."
Loki squinted. "That sounds exactly like spying."
Rain dropped to her knees.
"A crushing defeat…!" she wailed, tears streaming down her face as dramatic music might as well have started playing in her head. She slammed her hands against the floor before springing back up and pointing accusingly at everyone present.
"I knew it!" she cried. "None of you love me! You all just want me to suffer!"
Misery rubbed her temples. "Stop overreacting, Rain. It was only one loss."
Rain spun on her. "Only one loss? I lost to my little brother! How is this not affecting you, Misery?!"
Misery's expression didn't change. "Because crying over spilled milk serves no purpose. We lost. That's it. Complaining won't change the result."
Loki listened quietly.
For the first time since entering the castle, he felt… uncomfortable.
…Yeah. I might've gone a little far.
He glanced at Rain, still sulking, and Misery, who was pretending not to care. They were his sisters by origin.
And he had beaten them down without hesitation.
That wasn't how he wanted things to be. He genuinely wanted a good relationship with his sisters.
Loki cleared his throat.
"Uh… Misery. Rain."
Both of them froze.
"Huh?" they said in unison.
Loki scratched the back of his head, eyes drifting away awkwardly. "I'm… sorry."
Silence fell over the ruined hall.
"…What?" Rain blinked.
Loki spoke louder this time. "I said I'm sorry, okay? It was my fault I destroyed the castle. And your painting too, Rain."
Rain's mouth fell open.
"Instead of beating you two up," Loki continued, "I should've tried to find a better resolution."
Dino nearly fell off his seat.
Did… did a Primordial Demon just apologize?!
Misery stared at Loki, genuinely taken aback. "Ah… I… forgive you, I guess."
Rain stared at him for a long moment.
Then she smiled.
"Well," she said, placing a hand on her hip, "I guess I don't have a choice. But my forgiveness doesn't come that easily."
Loki felt an ominous chill crawl up his spine.
"…What do I have to do?" he asked cautiously.
Rain tapped her chin theatrically. "Let's see…"
Her eyes lit up.
"I know! You can do my chores for a year!"
Misery burst out laughing. "Rain, that's just you trying to escape your chores."
She waved it off. "He's never going to agree."
"Alright," Loki said.
The laughter stopped.
"…Huh?" Rain and Misery said together.
"I'll do your chores for a year," Loki repeated. "After that, you forgive me, right?"
Rain's jaw dropped. "S-Seriously?"
"What?" Loki shrugged. "Do I look like a liar?"
Misery crossed her arms. "Fine. Then start by cleaning all the rubble and debris in the living room."
Loki looked around at the destroyed hall.
"Oh. That's all?" He smiled. "Easy."
Rain clenched her fists internally, grinning.
There's no way… there's no way I actually escaped chores for a whole year!
But then
Loki's right arm shifted.
Metallic structures formed seamlessly from his flesh, rearranging themselves into a massive cannon-like construct.
Everyone froze.
Velzard narrowed her eyes. What is he planning…?
Loki aimed downward.
BOOM.
A blast tore through the floor, vaporizing the rubble instantly and the ground beneath it.
When the dust settled, the debris was gone.
So was the floor.
A massive hole yawned where the living room used to be.
Loki smiled brightly. "See? Rubble gone."
Rain stared in utter disbelief.
"…There's no way," she whispered.
I had so much hope…
Misery's eye twitched.
Her teeth ground together.
"LOKI!!!"
In a blur, she appeared in front of him and punched him so hard he was launched straight through the wall and sent flying outside the castle.
"NO MORE CHORES FOR YOU!!!" she shouted.
Loki tumbled through the air, spinning end over end
And smiled.
Sometimes, he thought, you just have to let your big sister slug you to give her a sense of superiority.
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