Chapter 71
“Wow, it’s a dark jellyfish!”
Theticia, who was pressed flat against the carriage window peering outside, let out an exclamation of awe. Outside the airborne carriage drawn by four Nightmares, a swarm of dark jellyfish flew in a structured formation, mimicking the migratory patterns of seasonal birds.
“I must draw this quickly.”
Theticia hastily opened her notebook and gripped her pen. The moment she concentrated her mind, a brilliant white light flickered upon the instrument. Even without applying any pressure, the nib danced smoothly across the paper.
Though the finished detailed sketch lacked the precision she had hoped for, the effort she put into practicing her mana emission had certainly paid off.
‘The dark jellyfish I verified in the Compendium had a thick epidermis. This dark jellyfish, however, is as light and fluttering as silk. It has far more tentacles, too…’
At the sudden, fleeting memory of those sticky tentacles rushing through her mind, a violent shudder wracked Theticia’s body.
Asmod, instantly perceptive of her reaction, caught her by the waist and pulled her toward him. The plush layers of her dress settled completely against his solid thighs.
“Do you wish to be stung by a dark jellyfish? Surely you do not intend to write a medical journal detailing your recovery.”
Asmod reprimanded her, his gaze sweeping down at the girl held captive in his embrace with one eyebrow raised high. He had wondered if she might be terrified after having her mana forcibly taken, but after acting rather timid for a few days, she had regained all her vitality the very moment she stepped outside.
“I will absolutely not touch them. For now, you did give me these gloves, after all.”
Theticia offered an awkward smile, raising her hands clad in silk gloves. These gloves, imbued with the function to neutralize harmful magic, were an item prepared specifically for the Processional Visit to his Domain.
‘Though they do feel exactly like a muzzle put on a dog to stop it from picking up and eating trash during a walk… it is still better for nothing to happen than to witness those tentacles ever again.’
It was Theticia’s firm resolve during this outing that she would not carelessly follow anyone or touch any Demonic Beasts.
“Sure you won’t.”
At his untrustworthy scoff, Theticia meekly lowered her hands. The cuffs of the gloves had already been tied securely by Asmod with threads of mana.
The carriage was bound for Asmod’s Domain. It seemed the regular Processional Visit had been delayed for quite some time, all due to the complications surrounding Theticia’s safety.
“Still, it is nice to be out. My body feels much better now, too.”
Originally, only Asmod and Glacia were scheduled to visit, but with Glacia currently under house arrest, Rumpel and Theticia had joined him instead.
Due to the nature of the Lord’s castle, which prohibited the creation of a Dimensional Gate inside, the journey required the use of a carriage. For Theticia, who had done nothing but linger around the Imperial Capital, this was a magnificent turn of events.
Her legs, resting properly upon Asmod’s lap, swung back and forth in a rhythmic cadence, buoyed by the excitement of her first outing in a long while. Theticia, who had been scribbling various annotations over the sketch drawn by the magical pen, suddenly lifted her head.
“You mentioned that there are White Ash Butterflies in your Domain, Lord Asmod. That butterfly you said resembles me.”
“Indeed. However, I am uncertain whether you will be able to see them.”
“Pardon? Is there a problem? I truly wished to see them.”
“The Processional Visit to the Domain was delayed because of you. They may have already migrated to another habitat in search of food.”
“…What does the Processional Visit have to do with their habitat?”
He had intended to lightly press the blame upon her, yet Theticia showed far more interest in the butterfly itself. Asmod smiled faintly at her unwavering attitude.
“The further one moves toward the outskirts where the light of the Blue Moon does not reach, the more severe the mana famine becomes. The mana scattered by the Blue Moon does not reach as far as the Domain, after all.”
Asmod gestured with his chin toward the sky in the direction of the Imperial Capital. Far in the distance, the light of the Blue Moon had already receded a great deal.
“If I, as the Lord, do not distribute mana, the lower demons and Demonic Beasts will have no remote hope of survival.”
“Distributing mana…”
Theticia recalled the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. On that occasion as well, Asmod had distributed mana to the assembled onlookers.
Having received her mana, Asmod would then share it with the demons, and those demons would sustain their lives using the mana they received.
When she framed it that way, a picture closely resembling an ecosystem formed in her mind.
“Wait! Then if you do not distribute mana, do the demons all starve to death, Lord Asmod?”
Seeing her eyes brimming with curiosity, Asmod lightly tapped Theticia’s stomach as he held her. It was a gesture telling her to calm down.
“There are various ways to acquire mana. There is the literal consumption of Demonic Beasts, or the absorption of mana from the atmosphere. Do you remember the matter of my presence at the villa on the Surface?”
“Ah, of course.”
How could she ever forget that shocking first encounter? Theticia nodded hastily.
“At present, the mana flowing through the atmosphere of the Demon Realm is scarcer than that of the Contaminated Forest. I, too, regularly frequented the villa on the Surface in order to obtain even a fraction more mana.”
“…So that is why you were in the Contaminated Forest.”
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