Chap 87: What is 《Devil’s Triumph Nightmare》?

Around the time Crow was working with 【Crimson Rose】.
Originally, they were supposed to be 【Devil’s Triumph Nightmare】, led by Crow, but with him absent, the girls were…
“Nii-nii, you’re coming back, right? You’re not going to stay with 【Crimson Rose】 forever, right? If Nii-nii is gone, Yumaruma will…”
“Mm, Yumaruma. No need to worry. Master will definitely return. If he hasn’t returned by tomorrow, then we’ll just raid 【Crimson Rose】…”
Alicia was comforting the anxious Yumaruma, stroking her head…
“Lulu-san said the selection meeting for the members going to the Elf Country is at 3 PM, right, Almaria-chan?”
“Yep, yep—oh, huh? Where did Garga-san and Horus-san go? I think they were here a second ago… laphia, do you know where they are?”
“Garga-san and Horus-san went to the training grounds. They said they get restless if they don’t move their bodies…”
“Ah, I get that. Alright! Maybe I’ll go join them!”
“I’d like to go as well, but… I’ll watch over Yumaruma-chan and Alicia-chan. Besides, the older girls… seem to have other business to attend to, don’t they?”
“Totally. Well, at times like these, it’s best to leave it to the big sister-types, anyway~”
Almaria and laphia looked up toward the rooms.
In any case, with Crow’s absence, a vaguely restless atmosphere lingered in the air.
◆◆
Around the same time.
Haaaah…
Lulucila had shut herself in her room, letting out a deep sigh.
Lulucila was sighing all alone in her room.
She wasn’t worried about choosing the members to head for the Elf Country.
It was something else… something that weighed heavily upon her.
Just then…
knock, knock
…the sound of a knock echoed.
“Yoohoo~, Lulucila-chan. We came to hang out~”
“Lulucila-sama. We’ve brought some tea and sweets.”
Hearing the two familiar voices, Lulucila blinked.
“Lofia, Fel…”
Though hesitant, she opened the door and let the two into her room.
Teacups were lined up on the table, and the gentle, fragrant aroma of tea and the sweet scent of pastries began to fill the room.
But that peaceful moment… was shattered by a single, sudden statement.
“Hmm. You don’t exactly have the face of someone who’s taken the lead with a kiss, Lulucila-chan.”
“!?”
Lulucila’s expression froze at Lofia’s surprise attack.
“I mean, back at the resort, you reported that you kissed him with a cool face, but~ in reality, you looked pretty smug, you know?”
“Yes. It was painfully obvious you were trying to hold back a smirk.”
“~~!”
With Fel’s deadpan observation added to the mix, Lulucila wanted to cover her face.
“But the Lulucila-chan right now… looks like you’re carrying something else, besides Crow-chan being taken away by 【Crimson Rose】.”
Lofia continued.
Her voice held a certain sharpness…
“Did Crow-chan say something to you back at the resort? For example… something crucial concerning the future of 【Devil’s Triumph Nightmare】… perhaps?”
“…”
A tightness seized her chest.
Because… she was right.
“The next time I come back, I want to be strong enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you. That’s why… I’m leaving the guild.”
He had said it to her, clearly, face-to-face.
Next time, he might say the same thing in front of all the members.
Or, he might just disappear quietly without telling anyone.
…There’s no more time.
She wanted to stop Crow, somehow, all by herself.
And yet, the fact that Crow was serious about leaving the guild… was about to be figured out by the two in front of her.
As second-in-command, I can give orders and manage situations.
But I’m not the one holding the members’ hearts together… I’m not the one holding the reins.
That’s something I could never do.
In the end, only Crow can lead 【Devil’s Triumph Nightmare】.
Because everyone adores him to the point of worship, and directs their heavy emotions at him.
Including me, of course…
But the person in question was trying to leave the guild.
If this fact were to become known to the other members… honestly, she didn’t know what would happen, or what they would do.
And I wouldn’t be able to stop it…
I don’t even know if I would stop it.
That’s why she couldn’t tell anyone about this.
“…I see. Well then, let’s put a pin in that for now, shall we?”
“…Eh?”
“…Are you sure, Lofia-sama?”
Fel, her eyes slightly wide, looked at Lofia.
“Yep. I was thinking we can wait until Lulucila-chan has calmed down a bit. But, your big sis has one more question for you. Or rather, it’s something I’ve been wondering about for a long time.”
“Wh-What is it?”
Lulucila swallowed hard.
“First, as a premise, your big sis… I mean, I love this 【Devil’s Triumph Nightmare】 guild.”
Lofia flashed a wide grin.
But her expression immediately turned serious.
Lulucila gulped at the sudden change.
“But, you and Crow-chan were originally members of 【Crimson Rose】, weren’t you?”
“Yes, well…”
All the members knew that.
When explaining why they were acquainted with Ceris and the others, they had told everyone they once belonged to 【Crimson Rose】.
But… the story ended there.
They had ended it.
By treating it as something “in the past,” no one had tried to dig any deeper.
Lulucila looked back on the past.
—Back then.
When I was in the depths of despair, it was Crow who reached out his hand to me.
At that time, he was already a member of 【Crimson Rose】.
After being taken in, Lulucila also became a member of 【Crimson Rose】.
“It might be weird to say ‘under normal circumstances,’ but… you should have had no other choice but to do your best as members of 【Crimson Rose】, right? And their leader, Ceris-chan, is a responsible girl; she would never do or say anything like banishing or abandoning someone.”
“…”
“That makes it all the more… curious why you and Crow-chan left 【Crimson Rose】 of your own free will.”
“…”
Lulucila remained silent.
Or rather, she was once again looking back into the past…
“No, that’s not it. Let me rephrase.”
Lofia shook her head slightly and posed the question again.
“What’s the reason… 【Devil’s Triumph Nightmare】 was born?”
“Please tell us, Lulucila-sama. We believe that now is the time we need to understand from the very beginning. Why was 【Devil’s Triumph Nightmare】 created?”
The two stared at Lulucila with serious eyes.
Lulucila took a breath.
“Alright. I’ll talk. In exchange… I want you to keep this between us for now.”
After confirming that Lofia and Fel had nodded… Lulucila opened her mouth once more.