Tilea's Worries

Casey-chan and the others shouted, "Source Sphere!" and surrounded me.

They probably plan to attack together. I can guess what they'll do. It reminds me of the time I fought those three Magical Demons who used group tactics. But this will be just child's play compared to those thugs.

Alright, time to use my tongue for the punishment.

Earlier, I overdid it with Sandra-kun's spanking. He's still crouched, rubbing his sore bottom, no longer talking tough and instead looking scared.

Hmm, as annoying as these brats are, I do feel a bit sorry for them. I should refrain from physical punishment. Scaring kids isn't my thing, especially not girls like Casey-chan. I don't want to give her a trauma. But discipline is necessary.

They won't reflect if I just scold them verbally. And if I hit them, they'll cry.

So, what should I do?

After thinking it over, I decided to use my tongue. I'll give Casey-chan a good lick. It'll be like saying, "If you're naughty, I'll lick you," a soft punishment.

It's a bit weird, but I'm a beautiful girl, so it's fine. If I were a guy, this would definitely be a problem.

First, I'll discipline Casey-chan. If I tame their leader, the other brats should fall in line.

Alright, let's begin.

I stick out my tongue.

"Alright, naughty kids need punishment."

"Don't underestimate us. Do you really think you can handle us with just your tongue?"

"Don't let your guard down. This demon might try to stab our temples with that tongue."

What!? Where did she get that idea? Who's the assassin here?

Casey-chan's absurd statement made me laugh.

No way, that's impossible.

If I had that kind of strength, I'd throw pillars and ride them around. You'd need ridiculous power for that.

Clearly, Casey-chan is scared of me. After all, Sandra-kun is still crying.

Casey-chan, I won't hurt you. I'll just give you a little lick.

With a smile to avoid scaring her, I walk towards Casey-chan.

"Big sister's going to use her tongue!"

"Tim!?"

I was so focused, I didn't notice.

An audience had gathered!?

Looking around, I see that Timu and the Demon Army executives have assembled.

They seem excited about witnessing my supposed "demonic technique." They're all cheering and making a fuss.

Everyone was watching intently with shining eyes, and Edim was busy serving tea to them.

It's completely a live show.

"Nielsen, big sister is going to use her tongue to attack. Hmm, I can't even imagine it. How terrifying will it be?"

"Camilla-sama is right. My blood is boiling. If possible, I'd love to experience it myself."

These perverts are saying the weirdest things.

Who would lick an old guy like you, you bum!

Everyone else is similar. The soldiers were eagerly waiting to see my tongue attack, some even saying they wanted to experience it themselves.

What kind of adult video setup is this? No way I'm doing that!

It's not a show.

This is getting embarrassing with all these people watching, especially in front of my little sister. I've cooled off now.

"Um, guys, I've changed my mind. No tongue attack."

"Hmph, it was just a bluff, after all. It's impossible anyway. Using only your tongue to fight us is too absurd."

Andy and the others replied, clearly unimpressed.

Alright then, if I can't use my tongue, I'll just punish them normally. I wanted to avoid physical punishment because of what happened with Sandra-kun, but these brats won't quit. They're still full of hostility.

Yes, this needs to be done.

"Alright, I'll punish you the normal way."

I swung my arm like a whip, indicating a spanking.

Casey-chan and the others flinched. They kept glaring at me without breaking eye contact.

Are they really that cautious? Well, seeing Sandra-kun's condition, I guess that's natural.

"Is she going to use that technique on them too... her whip-like arm..."

Timu was stunned, shocked.

Oh, right.

The spanking was what I used to discipline Timu. It must've been a trauma for him. This isn't something I should do in front of Timu.

While thinking of a new way to punish them, Casey-chan interrupted.

"Heh, demon. You underestimated us. We're ready. Ha!"

Casey-chan generated a huge magic sphere.

It's about two meters in diameter, right?

It's ridiculously bigger compared to the magic spheres they made before.

"Oh!? That's impressive."

"Haha, demon. You underestimated us. This is the accumulated magic power of our clan, passed down through generations. Feel the wrath of our power!"

Andy explained with a smug look.

Even if it's not actually centuries of magic power, this size is a bit creepy. Despite knowing they're just delusional, it makes me wary.

And Casey-chan's expression while generating that sphere is terrifying.

The killing intent is immense. This isn't just a joke, right?

Edim said they're just kids, but maybe they've awakened under pressure?

I mean, Casey-chan looks like a villain from Jojo, with menacing sound effects in the background.

It's scary.

Casey-chan's sharp eyes make her even more intimidating.

Just in case, I should ask Edim again. What if Casey-chan suddenly becomes super-powerful?

I looked around to call Edim, but she wasn't there.

"Does anyone know where Edim is?"

"Edim went to the kitchen to get more tea. It's disgraceful not having enough for everyone."

Ortissio explained, shaking his head.

Damn it, Ortissio, doing unnecessary things.

It's bad without Edim.

Look at this huge magic sphere. It's two meters in diameter!

This is bad.

But the Demon Army members are all calm, not bothered by the huge magic sphere at all. Timu, Dryas-kun, the pervert, and all the soldiers were chatting casually.

Their lack of crisis awareness is alarming.

What if this giant magic sphere blows up the room? Even if they're just kids, you never know with magic. It's unpredictable.

"Mm, this magic sphere condensed with so much power, it's impressive for a human. It might actually pose a threat to us demons. Perhaps you should be cautious, Tilea-sama?"

Oh, finally, someone saying something sensible. Wasn't it Chaka from the captured demons who switched sides?

Chaka's right. We should be cautious. The size of this sphere is dangerous.

"Chaka, don't underestimate big sister. Magic spheres don't affect her. Size doesn't matter."

Hey, Timu, what are you saying? That's nonsense!

Big sister's shocked. Magic does affect me. Big ones can kill me.

This is bad. What does Timu think of me? His delusions are out of control.

Soon, he'll probably say, "Big sister can shoot lasers from her eyes." The others seemed to agree with Timu, even Chaka, who was initially cautious, was nodding.

No way, this is too much.

We need a serious talk.

"So, your magic sphere won't work on me."

Even Casey-chan believed it!

She fell for their nonsense.

Middle schoolers sure are easy to trick.

Well, this works. If they're fooled, good. I don't want to get hit by magic spheres, even from kids. I'll go along with Timu's lie.

"Right, magic spheres won't work on me. So, just give up and surrender."

"Then I'll use fighting spirit to finish you!"

Casey-chan and the others didn't give up.

They stopped generating the magic sphere and started turning their magic into fighting spirit. While I was relieved to see the huge sphere disappear, these brats were still rebelling.

"Hey, if you surrender now, I'll let you go without punishment."

"Never. We won't surrender. Don't lump us with those weak beastmen."

"Yeah. We won't lower our heads like those crybaby beastmen."

Crybaby beastmen!?

Their words made me angry. The beastmen were terrified. I thought they understood after I lowered the taxes and told them they wouldn't be hostages.

"Why are you scared?"

I gently asked the beastmen.

"S-Sorry, we won't resist anymore."

"Yes. These guys are the ones who stole and resisted you, demon-sama."

Torao-kun pointed at Andy and agreed with the beastmen.

"Shut up! Want another beating?"

Andy yelled at the beastmen. They trembled in fear.

I see. So that's what happened.

These guys stole, and when the beastmen tried to stop them, they got violent. That's why the beastmen are scared.

These brats not only stole but also bullied the weak beastmen. Beating up weak girls... even if they're brats, they're still boys!

No mercy for them.

I'm angry now. I'm going to beat them up!

"You brats, don't think you'll get away with this. You can't just do whatever you want because you're small. There are rules in society."

"Hmph, we don't follow rules. That's why we're the Unrestrained Ones."

"...I'm speechless. You need to learn some pain. Come at me."

"Attack!"

Andy and the others charged from three directions.

Their fists were covered in fighting spirit.

They probably used this to bully the beastmen. It looks powerful but is just a show. Weak kids bullying classmates.

I'm going to crush your stupid techniques.

I'll show you a new move I planned for the next Demon Live. This will break your little noses. It's super punishment time.

"Stance of the Heaven and Earth Demon!"

I raised my right hand up and my left hand down.

■　◇　■　◇

// Episode 70: "This Is Education, Not Battle (Part 3)" //

The demon boasted about taking on our Black Slaughter Squad with just her tongue.

Casey thought,

Even if she’s huge, being underestimated to this extent is unacceptable.

She decided to use the final forbidden technique, the "Source Sphere."

This is a treasured technique passed down through her clan. Over the centuries, they had been accumulating magic power, a little at a time, for emergencies.

She condensed that magic into a single sphere, a privilege only the head of the clan possesses.

The condition for using it is the imminent crisis of the clan, a threat so great it could swallow the entire clan.

Tilea, the demon...

She is an opponent worthy of using this forbidden technique.

The tattoo engraved on her body reacted, and the maximum amount of magic power gathered in her hands.

Alright, this power is immeasurable. It could even take down the strongest in the kingdom, Remilia, in one hit.

"Heh, demon, you’ve underestimated us too much. We’re ready now. Haaaa!"

It was complete.

The magic sphere, "Source Sphere," condensed from generations of accumulated magic.

Now, to unleash it—but wait!

She felt eyes on her.

She turned slowly.

What!?

She was surrounded by the demon’s allies.

Looking around, she saw the room was filled with the demon army’s top brass, including Ortissio.

Damn it!

She had been too focused on the ritual and hadn’t noticed. Even if she could defeat the demon, escaping from here was impossible.

Especially that silver-haired woman!

Her legs trembled, and her teeth chattered. She was just as eerie as the demon. The others exuded an aura of immense strength, capable of killing with a single blow.

Escape was impossible. Then at least, she would take the demon with her in death!

Just as she was about to release the Source Sphere with this grim resolve, she heard unbelievable words.

The silver-haired woman, a companion of the demon, claimed that the demon was immune to magic spheres.

Andy and the others scoffed at it being a bluff, but they wouldn’t lie at this point. They had no need for petty deceptions. They had enough power.

Damn, what a monster. If magic spheres were meaningless, using the Source Sphere was pointless.

She had to change strategies. Instead of releasing the Source Sphere, she converted its magic into fighting spirit.

If magic spheres were ineffective, they would settle this with close combat.

She signaled Andy and Bivia for a three-in-one attack.

The Source Sphere’s magic was converted into fighting spirit. It retained its power, but instead of a magic sphere, it was now hand-to-hand combat. They had to engage the demon in close quarters.

She shared her thoughts with Andy and Bivia.

"Andy, Bivia, you understand?"

"Of course. We’ll show her our three-in-one attack."

They synchronized their minds, allowing for true coordinated attacks.

"Attack!"

Andy, Bivia, and Casey attacked simultaneously.

With their minds linked, there was no need for eye contact. They could execute perfect coordinated attacks. They focused their fighting spirit on the demon.

The demon remained unfazed by their clan’s strongest fighting spirit.

She glared at them,

"Stance of the Heaven and Earth Demon!"

She raised her right hand up and lowered her left hand.

What kind of stance is that...?

They had learned all kinds of martial arts, but they had never seen such a stance. It seemed like she was just spreading her hands up and down.

But the pressure was immense!

Praying Mantis Fist, Dragon Tiger Fist, Swan Fist... All seemed like child’s play.

This stance felt like the origin of all combat. It made them feel like no attack could break through.

Don’t lose heart!

They unleashed their clan’s strongest technique. At least, they needed to land one strong hit on the demon. With three attacking, even if two were blocked, one should land.

They had converted centuries of accumulated magic into fighting spirit.

If they could just land one hit!

For any normal target, it would obliterate them. It should inflict considerable damage on the demon, but...

"Impossible!"

The demon deflected their unavoidable three-in-one attack in an instant. With attacks coming from multiple directions, one could focus on one direction and counter from another.

But the demon countered all attacks in a single breath. It was extraordinary. She executed three major techniques simultaneously.

Heaven and Earth Demon... What a magnificent technique.

Andy’s fighting spirit sword was shattered by the demon’s hand chop.

Bivia’s fighting spirit punch was repelled by the demon’s palm strike.

And Casey’s fighting spirit projectile was erased by the demon’s overwhelming magic bullet. It wasn’t just any magic bullet.

What is this?

The magic flame took the shape of a bird. It looked like a phoenix, no, a demon bird. Casey’s body was engulfed by the demon bird.

In her fading consciousness, the last thing she saw was... their utter defeat.