The overlord of the gods is interrogating the alien female spy.

　What does "last meal" mean?

　Theresa reflected on what she had done and said that day…

　She glanced at Ramallian, whose eyes held a hint of confusion, and a guess popped into her mind.

　It's likely that Kirin was disappointed by her running away with Ramallen, and now, the banshee princess beside him is far more useful than her... So, dealing with an ordinary Sarkaz like her is probably unnecessary.

　“Ms. Agnese… I, what will happen to me…”

　"How would I know? When His Majesty the Celestial Venerable dealt with the Tikkaz in the past, he used the useful ones as raw materials or ate them, and buried the useless ones to fertilize the land."

　"..."

　Theresa remembered the folk ballad that Agnese and Dori had sung a few days ago.

　Will she... be eaten? Or will she be killed in some other way?

　“Ms. Agnese…I…I want to ask you…”

　"Hmm? Little girl, begging me won't work. I have neither the ability nor the right to interfere with His Majesty the Heavenly Venerable's decision."

　"No... I know I made a mistake... I don't expect the master's forgiveness... I just want to ask you to tell the master... to let me... finish that garment... If that happens, I will have no regrets in this life."

　Theresa still remembered the piece of cloth and Agnese's request.

　She suddenly understood. With Qilin's abilities, he must have overheard Anese's conversation with her and knew about her wanting to make him clothes. That's why he only stopped her these past two nights when she made him uncomfortable; otherwise, he let her touch him as she pleased...

　Theresa wanted to complete this request... both for Anesse and the Kirin, and for herself.

　If she had to die, she wanted to die as a seamstress.

　"...Alright. I will speak with His Majesty the Heavenly Venerable, but whether it will be as you wish depends on His Majesty the Heavenly Venerable's decision."

　"Thank you."

　"There's no need for thanks. If you hadn't made a stupid mistake, things wouldn't have turned out this way."

　Agnese left.

　Theresa braced herself and took the food out of the basket.

　A single serving of broth and bread... seemed to prove that Agnese's words were true.

　Theresa shared half of the bread with the banshee and also the broth with her.

　“…Theresia. What she just said…”

　Lamarle looked at her compatriots who seemed to have accepted their fate and couldn't swallow the white bread made from fine flour.

　“It’s alright, Your Highness. I… will try my best to help you get out of here. But I want to ask you, if… if you can return to Kazdel, could you please help me find my sister and tell her… Theresia, her sister, is doing well, and that she doesn’t need to worry…”

　"No, Theresa! Don't say such nonsense!"

　Ramalyn dropped the bread, grabbed her shoulders, and stared intently into her eyes.

　"We'll all be alright, we can all get through this... Trust me. Trust me just one more time!"

　"..."

　Seeing the banshee become resolute once again, Theresa envied her courage and will, but now she herself had become so weak and powerless.

　"Hmm... I believe you... Your Highness."

　"Don't call me princess... just call me Ramalen... Theresia. Now we must trust each other and work together."

　"……Um."

　If only she could be as confident as him.

　Theresa thought to herself as she took a bite of the white bread she had been longing for.

　But why does this bread taste a little bitter?

　Chapter Forty: The Princess Who Lost All Dignity

　"Um……"

　As Chen Lingxu listened to Anese's report, he thoughtfully raised the tip of his tail.

　"Well done, Agnese."

　The little she-wolf's assistance seemed to be incredibly effective, leading the little slave to believe that she had committed a grave error and was about to be eliminated by her ruthless master.

　But in reality, Chen Lingxu simply forgot to include the female demon in the list of people who provided meals, so Anese, who delivered the food, did not make the decision on her own and only brought enough food for one person.

　"Let her be scared for now."

　Chen Lingxu told Agnese to go play somewhere else, while he continued to stand comfortably on the tower overlooking the city of Letania.

　He originally intended to kill the female demon directly, but when he saw the little slave crying and begging him to let her go, Chen Lingxu had a new idea.

　Since the little slave is so kind-hearted, let's take advantage of her a bit and train her a little more.

　"You don't want your banshee friend to be killed, do you? Then just listen to me."

　"Gu, I'll do anything, just please spare her, Master."

　If nothing unexpected happens, this is probably how the story will unfold from here.

　"Master, Master."

　When Qilin returned, the little slave who was sitting at the table in his room fiddling with sewing tools immediately stood up and greeted him.

　Chen Lingxu had repaired the clothes she was wearing before he left, and now they were on her, covering up all the marks on her body. Only her slightly red eyes proved that she had been secretly crying during this time.

　"Where is my newly captured female demon slave?"

　The Qilin held its head high, not even glancing at her, and instead directly asked about the banshee's whereabouts. It seemed he was now more concerned with that...

　A new slave.

　"...Ramallen... went to wash up."

　Theresa's body trembled slightly, and her two small hands, which were clasped tightly together in front of her, were also clenched together.

　"Hmph. Who allowed her to go? If she runs away, how will you atone for this sin, you slave?"

　Chen Lingxu walked slowly to her side, lowered his eyes slightly, and the little slave trembled and lowered his head.

　"I'm sorry... Master... But, but... she won't... she won't run away."

　"Oh? How do you know she won't abandon you and run away alone? Is it the despicable nature of you Sarkaz, or... your so-called friendship?"

　"..."

　Before Theresa could speak, the banshee responded.

　"Of course, this princess will not run away like a coward. You villain... stop bullying Theresa!"

　Chen Lingxu turned around, and the female demon, who had just taken a bath and was still covered in steam, stood at the door. She had recovered quickly and showed no signs of having just suffered a fatal blow.

　But Ramallen's momentum quickly began to decline, simply because the tyrant Qilin was once again making a fuss about the innocent and pitiful Theresa.

　"Crawl over here, slave."

　Qilin sat on the edge of the bed, issuing commands.

　"Yes, Master..."

　How could Theresa refuse, and how could Ramallen watch her agree?

　"No, don't kneel, Theresa..."

　"What? You won't let her kneel? Then you do it."

　Looking into Qilin's hateful gaze, how will Lamaren, this pure and noble female demon princess, choose? Will she protect her friend's body, or maintain her own dignity?

　"Don't worry, Lamaren. It's alright."

　Theresa comforted her new friend and fellow sufferer, saying that the fact that Qilin was still willing to command her now was probably because Ms. Anesse had successfully persuaded him.

　That way, it wouldn't matter what punishment she received. In fact, it would protect Ramalen... She had already suffered enough today. As Theresa left the bathroom, she heard the little princess crying helplessly at the door.

　Lamaren, she was probably scared too, but she still encouraged her with courage and confidence not to give up hope.

　How could Theresa let such a friend suffer any longer?

　Lamaren possessed a wealth of magic and knowledge, held a noble status, and was even more beautiful than her… Theresa believed that, given time, the Qilin, who still needed someone to guide him in this world, would value her more than she did… Therefore, Theresa would strive to elevate the banshee's standing in the Qilin's eyes before she died, and would also do her utmost to protect her.

　"No... Damn it... Theresia... You can't do this... Damn it..."

　Lamaren once again deeply felt her own powerlessness and the malice of this land.

　"I'll do it! You monster, don't torture Theresa!"

　This is exactly what happened when the young, hot-blooded demoness grabbed her new friend and sister who had already knelt down, pulled her up, gritted her teeth and stared at the Qilin, but was extremely unwilling to lift her skirt, maintaining the last bit of dignity and composure of a demoness princess, and knelt in front of the Qilin overlord in an elegant posture.

　"Don't just kneel, crawl over here. Since you're some kind of princess, you must have seen pets before."

　But Qilin suddenly lowered his head, his voice low and menacing.

　"Alien, crawl over here like a dog!"

　Like...a dog?

　Lamarle gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with resentment and anger, yet her back still bent lower and lower.

　But she still held her head high, her stunningly beautiful face still unwilling to lower, still held high, glaring angrily at the monster before her.

　"Not bad. This face is far superior to those of your ancient ancestors."

　Chen Lingxu braced himself on the bed with both hands and patted the beautiful face of the female demon princess.

　"I've long been fed up with your incessant chattering and cacophony. I hope that besides howling at midnight all these years, you've learned to do something else."

　Are you good at other things?

　Besides her beauty and talent for sorcery, Ramallen's greatest pride was her singing voice. Succubi's voices are always beautiful, even the first time a succubus who knows nothing about music sings is incredibly melodious.

　Can……

　A disgrace, an immense disgrace.

　Ramalyn's horned wings fluttered as she tried to cover her eyes, but the monster ordered her not to, or Theresa would have to change her clothes and perform a talent.

　"Damn it... ugh... I would never... uh..."

　"And you, Theresa. What are you standing there for? Since you want to present me with fine clothes, I will be merciful and give you a chance. Now, measure my figure."

　"Huh? It's... Master..."

　now?

　Theresa hesitated for a moment as she watched Ramalen, who had to straighten up as Qilin had stood up, before picking up the measuring ruler and coming to Qilin's side.

　"I'm sorry... Lamaren..."

　"It's okay, it's not your fault... it's all that bastard's fault..."

　Seeing Theresa's gaze, Ramallen tried to respond with her own, but the tears in Ramallen's eyes only made Theresa feel more guilty. This was originally her ordeal, but now, because of Ramallen's pity and protection, it had been transferred to the other woman.

　Even if it means sacrificing oneself

　You want to protect your own sisters, Hagira? You rascal...

　Chen Lingxu took in the sight of the two exchanging glances and comforting each other, which only made him feel very pleased.

　What could be happier than having former enemies by your side serving you?

　Since the banshees with bird heads back then have all transformed into stunning beauties, Chen Lingxu was also curious about what the even more bizarre Tikaz might look like.

　Could there be another expert among them?

　"Slave, come and serve me in bed."

　"Ha...you bastard...didn't you just...?"

　Rubbing her sore cheeks, Lamaren, who hadn't yet transitioned from being a milkman, heard the new order from the tyrannical Qilin.

　"Yes, Master..."

　After recording the dimensions of the Qilin on the paper brought by Anesse, Theresa put down her quill and got up to go to bed.

　“Theresa…”

　"It's alright, Ramalen. Let me do it this time, you... get some rest."

　Theresa comforted her, then resolutely walked into the shadow of the Qilin Overlord.