MI187: Administration : Truth (Patreon)

"This isn't what I had in mind..."

"Oh, hush. It's not like we're asking you to lead or govern anyone. This is just a measure to prevent unnecessary disputes."

After discussing the matter amongst themselves, Kishirika and the Black Knight, now referred to as Kishirisu, decided to have Paul be the one to claim ownership of the throne. This would effectively make him the ruler of the Demon Continent, but, as he had no desire to rule over others, his power and authority would be split between the two Demon Empresses.

As one of the gems representing their parent crystals came to life, Paul found his vision abruptly obscured by what could best be described as a pale blue holographic display. The left side displayed a three-dimensional map of the castle, most of which was currently darkened. As for the right, it was presumably some kind of menu, but the symbols were significantly more archaic than the Demon Language he was familiar with.

Seeing the display appear, Kishirisu explained, "That's the Administrative Console. Once the other five crystals have been activated, we'll summon Fayde to have her transfer ownership of the castle to you. She'll need to draw your blood, so don't be surprised when she asks for your finger."

Adding to her counterpart's words, Kishirika teased, "You'll be her Master from that moment onward. Make sure to order her around and bully her as much as possible. She has a sadistic side to her, but she's a pervert and a masochist at heart."

Manifesting out of thin air, Fayde appeared unamused as she narrowed her eyes and growled, "You slanderous imp..."

Though she was unsurprised by Fayde's arrival, Kishirika snickered before asking, "What are you doing here? It'll probably be another hour before all the crystals are activated."

Crossing her arms, Fayde adopted an ostensibly defiant posture as she replied, "Activating the crystals is just a formality at this point. Since that female Spirit was able to defeat the Six Guardians, her Master is entitled to claim ownership of the castle."

Directing her peculiar red and blue eyes to Paul, Fayde asked, "What will you do? If you'd prefer, I can recognize you as this castle's Master right this instant..."

Instead of responding to Fayde's proposal, Paul looked to Kishirika and Kishirisu for their counsel. In response, the two Demonesses exchanged glances with one another before looking back at him, Kishirika being the one to suggest, "Just do whatever you want."

Having received similar advice countless times, a wry smile briefly developed across Paul's face before he looked to Fayde with a more serious expression and said, "Might as well..."

Since Kishrisu had mentioned Fayde asking for his hand, Paul extended his left hand towards the Draconic beauty. As he did, Fayde performed a rather unique curtsy, stooping her body low and gracefully spreading her wings before rising to her full height, approaching the base of the throne, and taking a knee. Then, after taking Paul's hand into her own, she gently caressed it with her fierce-looking talons before drawing his ring finger to her mouth and closing her moist, lapis lazuli lips around it.

Though he felt a sudden and literal biting pain, Paul didn't flinch as Fayde held his gaze and sucked his blood. He had the impression she was trying to seduce him, but after gaining twin Empresses as wives, he wasn't really in the mood to sink his teeth into another woman.

Sensing that Paul was only marginally aroused, Fayde turned her eyes up at him before releasing his finger with a glimmer of reluctance. She wasn't genuinely disappointed, but that didn't prevent her from staring at the bite mark around his finger and muttering, "So this is the taste of a Hero...a girl could get addicted..."

Extending her inordinately long, slightly pointed tongue, Fayde attempted to trace Paul's finger when Kishirika and Kishirisu abruptly grabbed her by the horns, the latter growling, "That's quite enough out of you!"

Clicking her tongue, Fayde disappeared into a collapsing ball of sparkling blue and black smoke before reappearing a few meters away and saying, "The process is complete. Congratulations, Master. You are now the ruler of Kishirika Castle. I suggest renaming it as soon as possible..."

"You...!" x2

As he was not unaccustomed to positions of authority, Paul raised his hand in a silencing gesture, interrupting Kishirika and Kishirisu before they could lay into Fayde. The latter smiled in amusement at this, at least until Paul said, "Your recommendation has been noted. Now, please excuse us. My wives and I have important matters to discuss."

Though she was a little annoyed by Paul's prompt dismissal, Fayde bowed low and replied, "As you will, Master..." before disappearing just as quickly as she had arrived.

Seeing Fayde disappear, a broad smile developed across Kishirika's face while Kishirisu nodded her head in approval. The two were nearly identical in terms of appearance, but their character and disposition were the exact opposite. At least on the 'surface.'

As if they were mirroring each others' movements, Kishirika and Kishirisu looked toward Paul, the former asking, "What 'important matters' did you want to discuss?" in an overtly alluring tone.

Disregarding Kishirika's temptation, Paul asked, "How do I transfer power and authority? I can't even...huh...?"

Though he hadn't noticed at first, the text of the Administrative Console had updated the moment Paul was granted ownership of the castle. He would still benefit from the duo's assistance, but the text on display was now a modern variation of the Human Language.

Joining Paul atop 'his' throne, Kishirika pointed to a menu icon that said Permissions and Constraints, advising, "Tap this with your finger or focus your intent as if you were attempting to use Magic. It will bring up a list of everyone present within the castle, their status, and their location. If you then tap on their name or icon, you can do things like designating official ranks and titles, managing which teleporters they're allowed to use, and where they're able to travel within the castle."

Sitting on the opposite side of Paul, Kishirisu appended, "You can also create new ranks and define who has power over whom. Each of the 72 families comprising the Demon Aristocracy has sworn their allegiance to the throne. Various factions have formed over the years, but the final say in any matter falls to whoever occupies this seat..."

Raising his brows, Paul asked, "Seventy-two? From what I've read, there should only be around thirty-eight families of Demon Nobles. Did the rest die off...?"

Reacting in nearly the same manner, Kishirika and Kishirisu frowned as the latter answered, "They didn't simply 'die off.' They fell victim to the machinations of humanity, the Milis Church, and the bastard controlling them..."

Realizing he had said something pretty insensitive, Paul responded with a curt, "Sorry..." before tapping on the icon pointed out by Kishirika. He was surprised to learn that the 'hologram' had a texture akin to a stone pulled from a river, but he barely had enough time to process that fact as the left and right displays promptly split open to create a third, much larger panel between them.

Breaking Paul from his stupor, Kishirika pointed to a list of names that had appeared on the right side of the central panel, remarking, "Check it out. There are two Kishirika Kishirisus. I'm curious which of us is higher on the list. Hurry up and click one of them."

Though he wasn't sure it was a good idea, Paul clicked on the name listed just under his own. As he did, a profile page showed up, complete with a picture, statistics such as date of birth, height, weight, and, most notably, biographical information that included a list of feats, allocated territories, and other essential details.

While it was impossible to know which Kishirika was being displayed in the profile picture, things became more apparent when the map on the left display zoomed in to show a blinking icon on Paul's right, the place where Kishirisu was seated.

Adopting a shark-toothed smile nearly identical to Kishirika's, Kishirisu confidently proclaimed, "I knew I was the original. Laplace would never have discarded or mistreated me. His memories and personality might have been distorted due to Hitogami's actions, but he always did his best to keep me safe."

"..."

Feeling more than a little annoyed, Kishirika crossed her arms in defiance. However, instead of saying anything, she sat with a serious expression on her face and waited for Paul to click her name.

Understanding what Kishirika wanted, Paul clicked on her name to find a near-identical profile image and statistics. It wasn't until he looked at the biographical information that things changed rather drastically. Instead of a history of feats and accomplishments, there were a series of journal-like entries, each signed and date stamped by Laplace.

Borrowing a phrase from Paul's lexicon, Kishirika groaned, "Fuck my life..." as she reached up to massage her forehead. She had suspected that she might be the experiment, but that didn't make things easier. It didn't help that Kishirisu was smiling so broadly that even her wisdom teeth were on display...

In an attempt to ease tensions, Paul adopted a firm expression and tone as he declared, "It doesn't matter which of you is the original. You are two parts of the same entity. Until we can learn the specifics surrounding your separation, we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

Though she 'really' wanted to lord her status as the original over Kishirika, Kishirisu ultimately agreed to Paul's suggestion. Laplace had neglected to inform her about Kishirika's creation, so she was willing to remain patient until they could uncover the truth. There was a good chance that Kishirika was a literal part of her, so she would be bullying herself by talking down to her.

With the two violet-haired Demonesses leaning into him to get a better view, Paul began reading the memoirs left behind by Laplace. What they found left all three of them speechless, as, while it could be construed as proof that Kishirika was the result of his experimentation, the person who was experimented on was Kishirisu herself. There were also a number of apologies addressed to both girls, but the most notable apology came at the very end...

"I pray that neither of you ever discovers the truth of what I have done. However, to protect the lineage of the Demon God, sacrifices must be made. If the being impersonating the Human God is ever able to break free from his prison, the first thing he will attempt is to recover the Divine Gems that grant authority over the Six Worlds. If he is successful, he will truly become the 'One and Only God.' That cannot be allowed to happen, no matter the cost."

Though they had finished reading long before Paul, Kishirika and Kishirisu remained silent until he raised his eyes from the display. Once he had, the duo exchanged glances before Kishirisu muttered, "It always comes back to that bastard..."

Nodding her head, Kishirika appended, "So long as he remains the only God, that will never change..."

Directing their gazes to Paul, Kishirika and Kishirisu left him feeling a little nervous as their eyes bored into him. He almost suspected that they were about to suggest turning him into a God. Instead, Kishirisu proposed, "We need to pour through Laplace's notes and find as much information as we can about these 'Divine Gems.' If they are the key to Hitogami becoming the One True God, we might be able to use them against him."

Piggybacking her counterpart's words, Kishirika added, "If not, we should find a way to destroy them. That bastard cannot be allowed to succeed..."

As they would rather see the world destroyed than become Hitogami's playground, Kishirika and Kishirisu 'glared' at Paul as if they were willing him to agree. Fortunately, he had already made up his mind on the matter long before meeting them, so, without any hesitation whatsoever, he said, "Let's fuck that bitch up..."

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