The Punishment of A Demon General

By the time I woke up, I felt great! Sex really works wonders, huh?

Nah, it's just my healing speed is ridiculously high. I don't know how long I've been resting, but it can't have been more than two days or so.

I look around the bare-bones room for clothes, but end up not finding anything. Well, it wouldn't really mask me being a demon anyway, and I have wings so I can just fly away if some human tries to... Wait, no, I learned my lesson from last time.

I wrap my body in a blanket, looking like some sort of yeti as I head out of the room, I peer around cautiously as I search the premises.

I expected it to be an inn, but it looks like some sort of... plain town home. The hall is bordered by a couple doors, ending in stairs heading downwards. I couldn't get lost in here even if I tried!

+You would find a way, I'm sure.+

(Shush, you.)

I peek into one door, and looks like a bathroom! Looks about as plain as my room, really, so this place must not be very well off. Probably middle-class or something?

Sneaking my way through the corridor slowly, approaching another room. What a surprise it is, this door, because it's locked! I half entertain the thought of just breaking the handle off, but I elect to check the final room first.

Behind door number four is a similar room to my own, the bump in the bed sheets rising and falling weakly with shallow breaths. Peering over, I recognize that it's actually Fluffy! She's alive!

Well, maybe, she looks really worse for wear in this condition. I lean forward and gently place my forehead against hers, making sure not to accidentally poke her with my horns, I definitely didn't see this in any stories and wanted to try it.

She seems pretty warm, though! A lot warmer than I would expect, really. I recognize that this seems to be one of those human fevers that my slaves occasionally would get. Sometimes they would really die from them!

I guess Fluffy might not make it to being my slave after all at this rate, which is kind of disappointing. I furrow my brow and watch her nearly still body as she gasps, sounding like breathing is difficult for her.

I've seen my slaves take care of people like this before, so I wonder if I could try and do something about it too... I mean, it's not like I've got anything better to do, right? I might be able to rescue my soon-to-be-slave!

... I'm completely lost on how to do it, though, honestly. I've never done something like that before, so it's pretty much moot that I even want to.

Maybe I can press the heroine to tell me with her recent obedience? She obviously doesn't seem to be doing a great job with her though, if she's in this condition.

I rack my brains for a while before dragging myself out of the room, continuing to wrap myself up in my big blanket burrito, heading downstairs with careful steps. The steps creak faintly with each footfall, revealing me to the heroine awaiting below, who was laying down on the couch.

I guess I must have interrupted her trying to sleep seeing as she looks so tired. Honestly, this is probably the most vulnerable looking I've ever seen her, half asleep as she rubs the sleep out of her eyes, trying to figure me out.

Oh, right. I'm a big blanket monster right now, it'd probably be weird to wake up to, right? I let the hood of my blancloak fall down to my neck, I'd rather not catch her off guard right now considering she might just slap me into the floor like a bug.

"Eh... you're already up? You should be resting." Her sleepy tone tickles my ears, kind of cute how soft it is, not nearly as annoying as her normal self.

"I recovered plenty quickly, I'm in tip top shape again." I dismiss her words, having some complicated thoughts at how this conversation makes us sound familiar with each other.

She looks around a bit before locking her eyes on a clock, then turning back to me. "It's only been like sixteen hours and you're already better?" Her gaze turns a bit more suspicious as she watches me.

What? Do you think the big bad demon is gonna attack the sleepy heroine? I've already given up fighting you, don't keep lumping me in with that crowd of hopeless fools. I grumble in annoyance at the look she's giving me, but choose to let it slide for now.

"Sixteen hours is faster than I would have expected, but I suppose that's what I get when I slather myself in a jar of healing cream with my natural healing speed." I shrug my shoulders coolly, at least if I look better in front of the heroine I can maintain what little shreds of dignity I have left.

"Speaking of healing, you all don't seem to be taking care of Fluffy very well, I thought you humans were supposed to be all about camaraderie?" I take on a dismissive tone, looking down at her over the railing.

"Haaa... Give me a break, please. I went 30 hours without sleep taking care of you both and only laid down to take a nap an hour ago. There's nothing much more I can do, anyway," she says.

So that's why she looks so tired, just 30 hours without sleep and she gets that exhausted? Pitiful, weak humans. Since it's for Fluffy, I'll lend a bit of a helping hand out of the... Well, I was gonna say goodness of my heart, but I just want my property to be taken care of, and that's a natural desire.

"Fine, what were you trying to do, then? I can probably do it better than someone like you." My words draw a baffled look from her, her mouth pursing a couple times as she thinks. I know, I didn't need some cheaty goddess' magic to get where I was, unlike you.

"There's nothing more that can be done for now. Julia and Killa went out to head to a larger town to pick up some medicine, and perhaps a healer. All we can do is wait for them," she pauses briefly before continuing, "Though if we'd have known you would recover so quickly, we probably would have just brought her to that town instead. Carrying one injured person would be fine, two would be difficult."

I do my best to ignore her doubting of my abilities, but decide to press for answers since she seems willing. "Where are we, then?"

"We're in the town you escaped in, obviously, it was the closest one. There just aren't the resources needed to treat her here. As it turns out, picking towns that are not known to have any holy mages residing in it to transport a demon ended up being a poor choice." Her tone sounds self-derisive as she lowers her head, rubbing her forehead as she collects herself.

"Hey, I didn't escape! Fluffy just got kidnapped so I decided to wander around on my own a bit!" I puff out my chest, huffing in frustration.

"... Kidnapped? What are you even talking about? Lisle never got kidnapped, she just made the mistake of not knowing that you're an idiot who can get lost looking at the back of her hand." I glare at her with her words, my hands squeezing the banister I'm leaning on while I look down at her.

"She's the one who disappeared after I looked around a bit! If anyone got lost, it's her!" I shout indignantly, causing her to grimace with the volume of my voice. She rolls her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose, sighing in frustration.

"To think I felt bad for you... The next time we let you out, you're doing so with a leash so you don't just wander off while we aren't looking." Her words sound strong, but her voice sounds defeated and exhausted, reflecting in her expression as she looks at me with a tired smile.

"Anyway, go back to your room and wait like a good girl, I'm tired." She dismisses me while I attempt to think of what to say to her. I stand there in shock as she flops back down onto the couch like I was never here.

I slowly wander back upstairs after what she said, not because I want to follow her orders or anything, I'm just baffled that she could just dismiss me like that and go right to bed. Does she not know what I could do to her in her sleep? I could go and snap her pretty little neck right now, if I wanted to...

... Though, that's probably what she wants me to think, think that she's vulnerable. Waiting for me to make a slip up, I'm sure. This rotten heroine... While you try to trap me, I'll do what you should be doing instead, taking care of Fluffy!

+This is part of what's great about demons, though.+

(Mm?)

+They're so up their own asses with paranoia that even simple actions like 'sleeping' could be seen as some sort of tactic of deceit.+

(Ah, yeah... Paranoia runs strong in us from... Well, not the moment we're made, but you can't really survive in the demon lands without an unhealthy level of paranoia. If it seems like someone is out to get you, they probably are, after all.)

+Are you sure you aren't just paranoid and overthinking things?+

(Uh...)

+See, I gotcha there.+

(Yeah, well... You humans get so paranoid you legally tie your partners to you, and worship it as some sort of incredible thing!)

+... You mean marriage?+

(Yeah, that. It's easier to just call someone your wife or husband and call it a day, why go through a whole legal and contractual process?)

+That... There are some humans who think marriage is overrated, but a lot of people see it as a method of placing absolute trust in eachother, an event to try and cement the love they share between themselves. It's a 'feel good' process more important for it's accomplishments rather than the legal process itself.+

(That's a whole lot of words for 'we just wanted to party and get drunk.')

+Yeah, pretty much.+

Author's Note:

Sorry for the slightly short chapter, and there might be delays in chapters in the coming days.

Turns out my being sick has returned and may have been a symptom of something more serious.

Time will tell, but for now I'm not feeling spectacular and I'm still really busy, so there might be some days where I don't upload.

I hope not, though, it's nice to have something to look forward to each day. I'm just worried the quality will decline if I try to push through it when I'm exhausted.

As always, thank you very much for reading, I appreciate every one of you. :)