Not killing Elia is not because I value life.
She is a murderer who obstructs Kalian’s path, threatens those around him, and commits cruel acts—an embodiment of malice.
Anyone would agree that Elia deserves to die.
However, there are two reasons why I haven’t killed her.
First, she is useful.
A low sense of ethics means fewer obstacles when carrying out certain actions.
No matter what I order her to do, she will execute it well.
Her mastery of puppetry offers limitless possibilities for use, and the Belmore family, to which she belongs, is one of the prestigious noble houses.
This makes her an even more valuable asset.
One might wonder:
Would Elia really act according to my will?
Even though I have overwhelmed her with force and even held her weaknesses against her,
I have not established a friendly relationship with her.
This leads to the second reason.
I know a sure way to make her my ally.
I understand what she values more than her love for Kalian, what she desires so much that she would sacrifice her own life to obtain it.
That is why I have kept Elia alive until now.
“Why am I here? Just visiting for fun.”
Since there was no need to reveal my true intentions, I answered her question casually.
“Visiting for fun? Do you really expect me to believe that?”
“Is it so strange for a friend to drop by?”
“You are not my friend.”
Elia frowned but quickly composed herself when she saw Kalian, Evelyn, and Victoria entering through the window.
Her expression, once filled with hatred and resentment toward me, quickly transformed into a false, polite smile.
“Oh my, what brings you all here?”
“Ah… Hello.”
As Elia greeted them with a smile, Kalian averted his gaze, looking embarrassed.
I was the one who broke the glass, but no matter how you looked at it, we had trespassed into someone’s house.
His conscience seemed to be pricking him.
“I apologize. I would have preferred to enter through the front door, but things just… turned out this way.”
“Oh no, no, it’s my fault for not opening the door in time. If anything, I’m glad we could meet like this.
If you had left without seeing me, I would have regretted it deeply.”
“Thank you for forgiving me, Elia.”
Kalian and Elia exchanged warm words.
Had it been someone else breaking in like this, they would have been torn to pieces by now.
“You seemed to be in the middle of a meal. Did we interrupt you?”
Evelyn, who had also entered through the window, crossed her arms and looked at the ruined dining table.
Elia waved her hand dismissively.
“Interrupt? Not at all. I was nearly finished anyway.”
“It was a rare moment with your family, and we ruined it. I apologize on behalf of everyone.”
“Ah.”
Only then did Elia turn her attention to her ‘family.’
The people who had been standing still since our intrusion.
Controlled by invisible threads, they finally came to life, their eyes shining as if they were real.
“Ahem, are these the friends you made at school?”
“…Yes.”
“Breaking in through the window is quite rude. However, we were also discourteous for not properly welcoming our guests, so we are in no position to criticize.”
The middle-aged man conversed with Elia.
To me, it was nothing more than Elia’s one-woman act, but to Kalian and Evelyn, it must have looked like a normal father-daughter exchange.
The only concern was the Demon King.
“What is that woman doing with those dolls?”
As expected, Victoria whispered in my ear, her curiosity piqued.
“They are Elia’s family.”
“Her dolls… are her family?”
“Think of it as a play where the dolls pretend to be real people.”
“Complicated. But I’ll accept it for now.”
Fortunately, Victoria did not press the matter further.
Elia’s father spoke.
“First, it would be best if we all had a meal. In the meantime, could you tell us about life at Arcana?”
Thus, the meal at the Belmore estate began.
The shattered dishes on the floor and the mess on the table were quickly cleared away, and new food was promptly set.
Elia’s ‘family’ spoke to us as if they were truly alive.
They asked about life at Arcana, how we met Elia, and what we thought of her—topics that any real family might bring up in conversation.
Of course, the servants bringing out the dishes and the family members themselves were nothing more than puppets controlled by a single person.
Yet, Kalian and Evelyn failed to notice anything strange until the end.
Victoria, on the other hand, seemed far more interested in tasting the new dishes than in worrying about whether they were puppets or not.
“Is it really that good? Your house serves meals like this all the time. I mean, it’s just noble cuisine.”
“I usually only eat food with high mana density—plants, flowers, medicinal herbs, that kind of thing.”
“Oh, I see. Then it makes sense that you’d go crazy over this. Eat as much as you want.”
“Mm.”
I never knew that the Demon King only consumed magic herbs and elixirs.
After finishing our conversation, she once again focused on her meal.
Seeing this, Elia quietly asked me,
“Why did you bring that beggar?”
“She’s not a beggar. Her name is Victoria.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. Why did you bring her? I can understand Kalian, but why are the others here?”
“The more, the merrier.”
“It’s not ‘merry’ for me. You just ruined my weekend.”
I didn’t need to bring anyone else to achieve my goal.
I had everything I needed to resolve Elia’s situation on my own.
However, the reason I brought Kalian, Evelyn, and Victoria was because of Alcatraz.
Evelyn and Victoria had strong ties to Alcatraz, and I couldn’t predict what might happen to them when I wasn’t watching.
As for Kalian, he currently had no direct connection, but who knew what kind of trouble he might get into?
So, I decided to keep them all under my watch.
Convincing them to come was easy.
Kalian and Evelyn were already friendly toward me, and when I told Victoria that it was a chance to spend the weekend with Kalian, she agreed immediately.
The day passed quickly.
After breakfast, we toured the mansion and its surrounding lands under Elia’s guidance.
There were no major incidents—Victoria set fire to the hunting grounds and destroyed the magic training area, but those were just minor issues.
After dinner, we watched the stars, and then we decided to spend the night at the mansion.
- “Are you seriously planning to stay here for the night?”
- “Why not?”
- “No, you can’t.”
- “Got it. Now, show us a room with a good view of the night sky.”
Elia clearly wanted us gone as soon as possible, but I had a goal to accomplish, so I made myself comfortable.
As the night deepened, we each went to our respective rooms.
- “You are esteemed guests, so, of course, I must provide each of you with the finest rooms.”
Elia said this with a bright smile, but it was obvious why she wanted us separated.
“Wade, are you asleep?”
As I lay in bed with my eyes closed, I heard Elia’s voice near my bedside.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Elia was standing over me with a blank expression.
Moonlight illuminated the room, revealing powerful-looking puppets surrounding me, ready to strike at any moment.
“What’s this about?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking?”
“You’re planning to kill me here? You should know better than anyone that it won’t work. Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?”
I spoke lazily, still lying down.
Elia, sitting at my bedside, glanced at her puppets.
“It’s different from last time. Before, you only fought against two of my collection pieces. But today, I’ve gathered all of my masterpieces.”
“You’re quite confident, huh?”
“Of course.”
“Why are you going this far? Are you that anxious because I know your weakness? If that’s the case, you don’t have to worry.”
“That’s part of it. But today, you made a mistake that you should never have committed.”
I sat up and met Elia’s gaze.
“I’ll apologize for Victoria burning down the hunting grounds.”
“It’s not because of that.”
“Then for the explosion, the ruined ingredients, the shattered windows, the destroyed annex, and the garden plants turning into monsters… I’ll apologize for all of that too.”
“…That’s not the reason either.”
“No, at this point, you have plenty of reasons to want to kill someone. Maybe you’re actually a good person?”
Even though it was Victoria who caused all the damage, I was the one who brought her here, so I wouldn’t have much to say even if I got assassinated in my sleep.
Elia shook her head.
“This place is a sanctuary. A very old one. It’s a place where I can be at peace with my family.”
“Family, huh…”
“And you barged in here with your dirty feet, disturbing my precious time. That’s why I’m going to kill you.”
“I see. Well, before I die… Not that I will, but let me ask you something.”
I tilted my head and asked,
“You called them your family just now… Are you talking about those dolls I saw earlier?”
“…What?”
“I’m asking if those soulless corpses you controlled all day to create the illusion of a happy family—are those your family?”
“…What?”
“You said you felt at peace with your family, but I don’t understand what you mean. They’re just empty husks, aren’t they?”
“Watch your words.”
“Aren’t you the one who should be careful? If they were truly so precious to you, shouldn’t you let them go already? How long do you plan to keep clinging to dead bodies…”
Crack—
A sword shot towards me, embedding itself into the wall.
If I had reacted a second later, my head would have been skewered.
Elia rose from her seat.
“Can I ask you something as well?”
“What is it?”
“Why did you come here? This time, answer me seriously. Whether it’s me who dies or you… this might be the last conversation we have.”
“I don’t think this will be our last conversation. But sure, I’ll answer.”
I casually pushed aside my blanket and got out of bed.
After glancing around at the puppets surrounding me, I looked back at her.
“I came here to put an end to this tiresome puppet show.”