266 It would have been fine if you hadn’t come

"Um… why was I brought here, anyway?"

Fermina speaks with a voice so uncertain it barely holds together.

Yeah.

You didn’t need to be here.

In fact, I didn’t say a word this entire time.

We weren’t necessary, were we?

Yeah, yeah.

Two unnecessary people—let’s just be air.

Fermina falls silent, sensing my lack of reply, as if accepting defeat.

She was air during the meeting, and now, even after it ended, she continues to erase her presence.

This girl has real talent for stealth.

She was abandoned by her fiancé, then I took her in and rebuilt her. But her growth wasn’t in pure combat skills. It was in skills useful for espionage—stealth, observation, things like that.

Not quite to the extent of vanishing from sight like some maid, but she could still reduce her presence to a near-invisible level.

So faint, one might forget she was there if not actively aware.

She certainly couldn’t fool the attendees of this meeting, but hidden behind the impact of the Demon King, her presence remained undetected by key figures.

Fufu… the child I’ve trained surpasses even that ninja, don’t you think?

That ninja—Kusama—left with Oni-kun.

They were fairly close. Probably rekindling old ties.

The Demon King’s return seemed imminent, so the vampire child was dispatched to meet the representatives of the Divine Word Church.

Leaving her here any longer might have shortened the lifespans of the church members.

The moment the Vampire Child left, the relief was visible on their faces.

Now, with the Vampire Child no longer glaring at us, the members of the Divine Word Church are all looking at me.

Fermi-na-chan?

I elegantly ignore their stares using my masterful air of indifference.

Hmm.

Older gentlemen glancing at me sideways.

It's hard to describe, but it's uncomfortable.

This meeting has been an unanticipated success.

After all, the Demon Lord handled everything from start to finish.

I only had to sit and idle.

Never thought the Demon Lord would be useful in a situation like this.

I assumed he was just a lazy bum—feels like I’ve been fooled.

Thanks to him, I’ve had an easy time.

Yet, what exactly is this situation?

To be honest, I’m uncomfortable. I want to go home. But I can’t just leave the Demon Lord behind.

I can't get back to the demon territory from here without my transfer.

So I have to wait. But this waiting is painful.

Demon Lord, Oni-kun, Vampire Child—hurry back.

"Um..."

He's here!

See?

I knew someone would talk to me the moment we were left alone!

Otherwise, I'd have left long ago.

The one who approached me was a relatively young man among the elders.

Around his thirties?

I know his name and rank—he introduced himself during the first meeting.

One of the generals commanding the army.

"What is that puppet?"

The general asks, pointing at the puppet spider standing behind me.

Ah, this.

The puppet spider summoned by the Demon Lord—its name, Puppet Taratekt, indicates it is a creature of the Taratekt lineage.

Appears as a mannequin-like shell. The core is a spider roughly the size of a fist, located in the chest.

This creature's true form is a spider that weaves threads throughout the mannequin's interior, manipulating it via操控 threads.

The mannequin itself is treated as an external shell.

Similar to a hermit crab's shell.

This mannequin spider is, in fact, among the strongest of the Demon Lord's subordinates—second only to Queen Taratekt.

Average stats around ten thousand.

Exceeds even Arc Taratekt.

Before my divinity, I faced the Demon Lord and was beaten senseless by ten of these simultaneously.

Though, in the past, it did not resemble its current humanoid form.

When I was defeated, it appeared like a mannequin from a department store.

But since that form lacked aesthetic appeal, I performed a demonic transformation—resulting in its present appearance.

Coated the exposed spherical joints so they were not immediately apparent.

Facial features meticulously crafted, down to the finest details—modified to allow blinking.

An ambitious project: vocal cords recreated, enabling speech.

One doll spider per household.

Capable of household chores, combat, anything required.

In truth, slightly overdone.

Status attributes unchanged, but appearance now nearly indistinguishable from a human. Joint movement smoother than before, allowing for fine manipulation.

As a result, tasks previously impossible—cooking, sewing—became feasible.

Remarkable.

Higher skill level than an average woman.

A type of monster known as a Puppet Talatekt. My name is Ael. Under the command of Lady Ariel, I shall be your temporary burden for a time. Until then, this body is yours to use as you please. Please treat me well.

Such a flawless response!

Even without my presence, the ability to initiate self-introduction independently.

Remarkable.

Wait—

Was I truly unnecessary from the start?

A courier?

The interest of the Divine Word Cult shifted toward the doll spider Ael. Until the demons return, I remained utterly still alongside Lady Fermyna.

This, too, is inexplicable.