LIVE EVIL (IV)

“Here. I made this. Eat up.”

“Thank you…”

I set down two plates of food on the table, one for Ariesa and one for me.

After the fire was put out and everything calmed down, I managed to salvage enough of the kitchen to prepare some simple meals by myself. Of course, I forced Ariesa to stay far away from the kitchen and just wait for me until I was done.

“Of all things, I wasn’t expecting you to suck at cooking, though. From the way you carried yourself, I thought you were the type who could do everything perfectly.”

“Mm… well, sorry. I live alone, so it’s usually not economical to cook for myself. That’s all. If I put in a little effort, I’d be a perfectly chef too.”

“Yeah, I doubt that. I find it more likely that you might kill yourself in the kitchen before you learn anything. You nearly blew up your own house after all. Promise me you’ll never do that again.”

“Mm. Okay, I promise. I’m sorry… wait, why am I apologizing? I don’t owe you anything, scumbag! This is all your fault for commanding me to cook for you!”

Hmm, well when she puts it like that, she’s not wrong.

I’m the one who commanded her to cook, so I basically shot myself in the foot.

Though, then again, it was her kitchen that blew up, so it was really her foot that I shot.

But on the other hand, her things all belong to me and her house is now my house, so really I still just shot my own foot in the end!

“Yeah, well, whatever. It doesn’t matter. Just eat already. Before it’s cold. That’s a command.”

“Tsk. Fine, dammit.”

She scoops a bit of the food I made into her mouth and immediately gets hit with a look of surprise.

“Mm. It’s good…?”

“Thanks. I wasn’t sure if it would turn out well, since I’m not used to the ingredients, but this isn’t half bad. I think I can do better next time.”

“That’s… pretty impressive. You’re a good cook, Mamoru?”

“I’d say I’m decent at best. I just cook a lot. I did almost all the cooking at home, and I wanted to make something good that would cheer up my family after a long day at work, so I picked up on a few things along the way. That’s all.”

“I see. That was very admirable of you.”

“Nah, not really. I was just trying to do the right thing.”

“…”

Ariesa suddenly goes silent and just stews in her own thoughts for a bit as she eats away.

I don’t know what’s on her mind, but hopefully she’s taking mental notes on how to cook better.

Regardless, though, I don’t think I’ll be making her cook for me again anytime soon.

“Hey. What kind of food do you like, Ariesa?”

“Hm? Why do you ask?”

“Well, I don’t really know what food is popular in this world or what your tastes are. So I’d like to know what your favorite foods are for our next meal.”

“You want to make my favorites…?”

“Yeah. I’m not gonna make you anything you hate. Oh, and I need to know allergies too. Wait, shit, I should’ve asked that before making this. My bad.”

It should be fine though, right? These are all things I got from her pantry. It’s not like Ariesa would keep ingredients she’s allergic to in her own house.

“Well, anyways, the point is, it’d be helpful if you can tell me what you like and dislike. And if I make something that’s not to your taste, just tell me so I can correct it. I wanna make sure our meals are something you can look forward to too, okay?”

“… I don’t get it.”

Ariesa suddenly pouts with a disquieted expression.

“Huh? What don’t you get?”

“Why are you trying to be so considerate to my tastes? Aren’t I just your slave?”

“Ah.”

Shit. She’s right.

Without thinking, I just slipped back into my old ways and defaulted to trying to please the people around me however I could.

Not good. There’s still a part of me who can’t help but obsess over the needs and wants of others.

I have to be more careful and diligent. I have to remember that I’m evil now.

“A-ahem. You misunderstand, Ariesa. When I said I’d make your favorites, I meant I would acquire another slave to cook for us. Of course, there’s no way I, the Master, would bother cooking when I have slaves to do it for me. Today was just an exception since you’re my only slave at the moment and letting you cook is a safety hazard.”

“Uh huh. But you’re still gonna make sure I get my favorites.”

“W-well… I don’t see why not. It’s not like I’ll be cooking so it doesn’t bother me. Since I’m foisting the work on someone else anyways, I can demand them to make anything I want. And that may as well include whatever you like. In fact, keeping you well-fed and satisfied will only benefit me as your Master in the long run, so it’s an easy investment. Hahaha, my economic prowess frightens even myself!”

Ariesa does not seem amused by my maniacal laughter.

However, she doesn’t seem annoyed at me again either.

She just sits there pensively examining me, before letting out a deep, regretful sigh.

“Damn… you really are still Mamoru.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Of course, I’m still Mamoru. Since when have I ever been anything but?

“I… was starting to think that you were a different person now. To me, that was the only explanation on why you were acting so differently from yesterday. I was even worried that you had been possessed by the Demon King or something like that. But, it turns out, that’s not the case. You really are still you.”

Possessed by the Demon King, huh.

In a sense, that’s not wrong. The me right now is someone covered in the Evil that the Demon King represents. It would be accurate to say that she has control over me. I can see why she would suspect such a thing.

And yet… how come she’s now so confident that’s not the case.

“What make you think that I’m not possessed? Maybe I am. Maybe it’s the Demon King you’re talking to, right now.”

“No, it’s not. You’re definitely the same man I met yesterday. I can tell… that your kind heart is still there.”

For some reason, the way she says that pisses me off.

What kindness? I don’t have such a thing. I’m just an evil scumbag now; there isn’t a kind or virtuous bone in my body.

“So what anyways? What does it matter if I’m Mamoru or the Demon King? It doesn’t change my actions.”

“Maybe not. Whatever the truth is, it won’t change what you’ve done. But… it may change what I have to do…”

With that, Ariesa lifts her head and faces me directly. In her eyes, I can see her noble and fiery spirit, unclouded by any doubt or fear. They show me the depth of the resolve behind her words.

“Mamoru… I want to make a deal with you.”

“Huh? A deal?”

That’s a surprise. I never took her for the negotiating type.

“Yes. I want you to promise me that you won’t turn anyone else except me into your slave. Please leave the rest of the world alone and refrain from doing any evil acts against them.”

“Ho? So you’re trying to protect everyone else, huh? That’s just like. But why should I do that? What are you offering in exchange?”

My ability is something that can allow me to obtain anything I want. So asking me not to use it anyone else is akin to saying me to give up on owning the entire world. What on earth could she offer that’s equal to the world itself?

“I only have one thing that I can offer you: Myself. In exchange for keeping your hands off everyone else… I’ll be your slave.”

“Huh? Wha— are you stupid? You’re already my slave.”

What’s she on about? Did she lose her memory in the fire just now and forget what her situation is?

“I know. But I’m saying that I’ll willingly be your slave from now on. You can do whatever you want with me and I won’t resist or disobey. You won’t even need the slave crest to command me. I’ll give you my absolute loyalty and devotion from now on.”

“What…? Are you serious?”

What’s with her sudden change in attitude? She was so resistant and resentful earlier, and now she’s willingly okay with it?

“I am. I want you to use me however you want. Give me all of your commands and all of your desires, and I’ll give everything I have to you as well. My body. My heart. My life. They are all yours. Use them however you want.”

Her eyes burn with conviction and spirit as she says that. There is no fear at all in her voice. She is truly, fully committed to this.

Her resolve is so strong… that it scares me a little.

“What are you thinking? What makes you think I would possibly agree to such a deal? How did you even come up with such an idea!?”

I growl furiously in annoyance, slamming the table with my fist.

“I know it’s not a logically sound deal. But when I thought about what I could do to stop you, this was the only thing that came to mind. Because… it’s what I asked you to do yesterday.”

“Huh?”

“Yesterday, I did something terrible to you. I asked you to give up your life for the sake of the world. You agreed to it, and I took your words at face value. But now, looking back, I see that I wasn’t being considerate enough of your feelings. I realize now that the burden of what I asked you to do may have played a part in pushing you towards this state. In which case, I share some responsibility in this. Which is why…”

“… you want to do the same? You want to give up your life to protect the world?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t ask someone to do something that I wouldn’t do myself. This is the only thing I can offer to protect the world. So I beg of you, please direct all of your feelings and desires towards just me. Let me be a sacrifice to save the world. And once you’ve done everything you wanted with me and you’re finally satisfied… please turn yourself in. Let them kill you and die as a martyr after having done what you wanted. That way, you can both be happy and do the right thing…”

What the hell?

What the hell? What the hell?

What the hell is wrong with her!?

How can she talk so easily about sacrificing herself? Why does she think that this is a good thing? Why is she acting like this will solve everything?

And even after everything I’ve done, why is trying to help me get a good ending?

“… no deal.”

“Huh? No…”

“I said no deal! It’s not worth it. No matter how you look at it, one willing slave isn’t equal to the ability to turn anyone into a slave. I’d be stupid if I took that dumbass deal. So don’t ever even mention again, I don’t want to hear it!”

I spit out those lines hastily, as if trying to get this topic over with as soon as possible.

“I see… that’s too bad…”

Ariesa seems to accept my answer and lowers her head in defeat.

Seriously. Did she really think I would agree to such a stupid thing?

How could I just let her do that to herself… it’s ridiculous.

I will never allow it.