As A Result of Trying To Live An Erotic Slow-Life, I Have Become The Underground Ruler of This Upside-Down Otherworld - Chapter 44: How to Obtain a Treasure

Chapter 44: How to Obtain a Treasure

It was a moment when jealousy, like the nose of a prideful tengu, was shattered.

To put it bluntly, the emotion the snakes harbored toward Serika was pure envy.

They resented her for touching the gem that is Arius before them, for being blessed with divine favor.

A sinful sister, lacking any remarkable power, yet somehow chosen.

We’re far superior.

Even though they shared the same demonic blood, the snakes—masters of magic, forged in the shadows—believed themselves the truly exceptional ones.

They were convinced they were the ones worthy of divine favor.

“You understand, right? There’s five of us, and only one of her. If we lose, it won’t just be our lord’s disappointment we face.”

The snake leader, Sonya, is met with four nodding heads around her.

Officially, the snakes are positioned as Serika’s subordinates.

Since ingredient sourcing is Serika’s primary duty, the chance for combat training was a reasonable justification—they could accept that.

But why were they the ones beneath her? That dissatisfaction simmered.

Above all, it was Serika herself.

To be crude, in the trial Nelba arranged to test Arius, Serika was the woman who received a different kind of pleasure—one unlike what the snakes experienced.

Both in status and as women, their pride was at stake.

The emotions burning in the snakes’ hearts were too fierce to let them accept their current position quietly.

So, the snakes issued a challenge.

Hand over your place. It doesn’t suit you.

It was simple.

Just as Arius proved he stood above them, they demanded Serika prove she deserved to stand above them. They challenged her to a duel.

Serika accepted with startling ease.

No hesitation, no bravado—just a slight narrowing of her eyes, if anything.

Now, Serika and the snakes stand in the arena of their contest.

The location is a forest far from the capital.

The ambient magical energy isn’t particularly dense, but it’s sufficient for spellcasting.

The only concern, perhaps, is minimizing damage to the forest—an environmental courtesy.

“…Tch.”

It’s not just immature—it’s downright pathetic. They proposed a one-on-one fight, yet…

—Huh? Not all five at once?

That genuinely shocked expression Serika gave them still stings.

Back when their magical reserves were low, maybe it’d be understandable. But now, brimming with power from Arius’s essence—so much that a moment’s lapse could make it spill over—they were underestimated like this.

—I don’t wanna mess up my work, y’know. One go’s fine, right?

With that, she’d sauntered into the forest ahead of them.

Suspicion flared alongside irritation. Was she setting a trap, preparing something by entering first?

Many against one—numbers are power. The snakes weren’t some disorganized rabble; they were a honed team.

So, naturally, they entered the forest with heightened alertness, braced for anything.

“There’s… nothing?!”

And then they questioned their sanity.

Thirty minutes had passed since they entered, and there wasn’t a single sign of a trap.

No magical signatures of any kind, no physical snares—nothing.

“Stay calm. She could be trying to wear us down mentally. Right, falling for some booby trap would make us a laughingstock!”

Even so, the thought lingered.

The way she accepted their challenge, the casual stride as she entered the forest.

That effortless confidence—it felt like she didn’t even see them as a threat.

“Damn it!!”

Sonya rakes a hand through her glossy black hair, but the idea won’t leave her mind. She’s trapped in a cycle of frustration, unable to break free.

She’s focused, but distractions cloud her thoughts.

And so…

“Captain—Gah…!”

“One down.”

“—Damn you!”

From the shadows, Serika emerges.

She cuts through their distractions, taking one snake down in an instant, forcing them to focus for real.

“Ghh! Fire magic, synchronize! Fire!!”

At Sonya’s command, flames erupt from the snakes’ hands.

The combined blaze of four is a veritable inferno, a roaring fireball of searing heat hurtling toward Serika.

“Again…?”

But it’s snuffed out by the glossy azure flash of Serika’s twin swords.

What kind of trickery is this?

They know Serika carries demonic blood. Even if she can’t shape magic, she could theoretically nullify spells with raw magical energy.

“Captain!”

“Tch! Lock onto Serika’s wavelength! Prepare the Trace Enchantment!”

“Got it! We’ll buy time!”

One snake draws a dagger from her waist and charges at Serika with a battle cry.

Environmental concerns are out the window now.

That fireball was no different—Serika didn’t just dodge the high-speed flames; she sliced through them.

It was as if she was chiding them: That’s not what you’re aiming for, is it?

They’ve unleashed spell after spell.

Yet they can’t even graze Serika’s shadow.

Sonya’s crimson eyes don’t catch so much as a glimpse of the red blur darting through the forest’s gaps.

“Guh…!”

Sonya sharpens her focus, trying to weave a tracking effect into their next spell, but in that moment, the charging snake is cut down.

Fast.

Serika is fast.

Her movements are swift, her decisions instant, her thoughts lightning.

Sonya realizes Serika’s greatest weapon is her sheer speed in every sense.

“But you miscalculated! The Trace is complete! Take this!!”

Three snakes, including Sonya, now unleash a barrage of wind blades—swift, invisible, layered together and aimed at Serika.

“Haha! You can’t dodge this!!”

It’s a critical hit.

In that moment, Sonya offers heartfelt thanks to Arius, her lord.

The old them could never have woven such magic.

Arius made it possible—his essence restored their magical reserves.

Would defeating Serika sadden him?

If so, Sonya vows to offer her utmost devotion as atonement, proving her worth to him.

“—Heh.”

The wind blades, slicing through branches, track Serika as she shifts direction.

Only then does Serika realize she can’t evade them.

And because she realizes it…

“H-Huh?”

She charges into the wind blades.

“No way…”

“You shouldn’t hurt the forest, y’know? I’ve been trying to teach you that this whole time.”

She disperses the blades, and in the same breath, knocks out two more subordinates.

“A monster…?”

“Nope! I’m Arius-sama’s possession.”

Serika stands before Sonya, unscathed, with an air of effortless grace.

“Explain.”

“Sure.”

Sonya and Serika face each other.

“How did you nullify our magic?”

“Hmm, probably thanks to these?”

Serika shows off her twin swords.

“Swords… made of rare stones?”

“Mia-san gave them to me!”

Serika smiles, a touch of pride in her expression.

Magic stones convert magical energy into specific effects, while rare stones amplify their output.

Serika can’t shape magic, but she can channel raw magical energy to nullify spells of equal or lesser power—a trick any demon-kin could theoretically pull off.

“I see… amplified cancellation, huh? Not impossible.”

“Oh, but, like… it just reduces strain. I could’ve done it without these, y’know?”

Sonya’s temple twitches at Serika’s words.

Four snakes’ worth of magical power—canceled? Unthinkable.

Not even someone bearing the Ailshtad name could manage that.

“Got it. Then I’ll put these away, ‘kay?”

“You…!”

“I’m sorry,” Serika says softly, carefully leaning her sheathed rare-stone sword against a nearby tree.

No tension, no bravado—just pure, effortless confidence.

It’s as if she’s deliberately stoking Sonya’s pride, pushing every button with maddening ease.

“Hmm, but what to do? I kinda need a weapon, don’t I?”

She glances around, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

“This’ll do.”

“—”

The moment Serika snaps two tree branches into her hands, Sonya’s rationality shatters with an audible crack.

“That’s dangerous, y’know.”

Serika effortlessly dodges a sudden slash from Sonya’s crescent blade.

Forgetting this is meant to be combat training, Sonya grips the hilt tightly, swinging with unrestrained fury.

“You brat!!”

She can’t hold back anymore.

This was never just a test of strength.

It was a duel born from Sonya’s belief that she is the one worthy of Arius, their divine lord.

“You…! You!!”

Sonya knows nothing of Serika’s past.

Serika knows nothing of Sonya’s.

Without Arius as their tether, these two would never have crossed paths.

But even so…

“I’m the one—I’m the one who—”

“—Don’t get the wrong idea, okay?”

Serika’s makeshift branch strikes Sonya’s wrist with precision.

“Guh…!”

“I’m actually pretty pissed off, y’know?”

Sonya freezes for a split second.

Serika presses the attack, relentless.

“You haven’t offered anything to Arius-sama. No resolve, no nothing.”

“Gah!? Ngh…!”

Arm, leg, shoulder.

She avoids vital points—for what purpose?

“I don’t need you guys, honestly. But Mia-san says you’re useful for Arius-sama’s sake, so I’m tolerating you, got it?”

“—Hii!”

Serika’s anger, cold and piercing, slices through Sonya’s heart.

The struck spots burn, searing with pain, yet her words chill to the bone.

“So, don’t make me think you’re useless, alright? ‘Cause when I do—”

—I might just want to kill you.

A glimpse of golden eyes peeks from beneath Serika’s bangs.

Cold, sharp, devoid of emotion—like a golden spear.

“A-Ah…”

“Right, if you’re useless, I’ll just make you useful. I’ll work hard at it.”

Sonya’s crescent blade, knocked skyward, clatters to the ground.

At the same moment, Sonya drops to her knees, head bowed in defeat.

“Swear it. Let’s start there. Declare Arius-sama your one true god and offer your faith. Pledge loyalty to me. Serve everything tied to Arius-sama.”

Completely, utterly devoted.

Serika made that vow long ago, as did Towa and Mia, no doubt.

“I don’t need your love or respect. Just obey properly. Otherwise… it’s a problem. Yeah, a problem.”

Her golden eyes say it clearly: Fail, and I’ll kill you here.

The wooden branch pointed at Sonya feels like a razor-sharp blade, capable of severing her neck in an instant.

But…

“Don’t underestimate us.”

“Hm?”

Yes, she—they—had their pride too.

“Even without threats, we’ve already given everything to our lord. We can’t not give everything to the god who lifted us from the edge of darkness.”

They knew the pleasures of womanhood. But he taught them the happiness of it.

More than that, he restored their magic—something once as natural as breathing, now returned.

How great a salvation that was.

“If my lord told me to die, I’d offer my heart with a smile. If he told me to lick a stranger’s boots, I’d do it without hesitation.”

Jealousy? Sure, it was there.

But with their pride broken like this, all that remains is the faith and loyalty Serika demands.

“…We snakes swear to follow you. Please, use us for our lord’s sake.”

In the end, it was all about wanting to serve Arius.

They knew their competence, their value. That’s why being under someone incompetent terrified them.

But someone who could wield them fully, without hesitation? That was enough.

“Oh… Hah, Mia-san’s kinda sneaky, huh.”

“Hm…?”

Serika suddenly realizes why Mia was smirking when she sent her out here.

“You guys… you’re a lot like me.”

It wasn’t about testing their strength or usefulness.

It wasn’t even about securing their loyalty.

“Hm. Uh, sorry, okay? I got it all wrong.”

This was a chance to clear the air, to correct misunderstandings.

“No… we’re the ones who should apologize. We’ve witnessed proof that you’re the foremost devotee.”

“Ugh, c’mon… Talk normal, please! Not ‘foremost’ or whatever—well, Arius-sama is a god, so maybe that’s fine? But Towa-san and Mia-san are here too, so… ugh!”

Sonya cracks a wry smile as Serika clutches her head in frustration.

Looks like there’s something to learn from her already.

“Serika-sama is… pretty cute.”

“Wha!?”

“It’s one way to serve our lord, isn’t it? I’ll take notes.”

“N-N-N-No, that’s not it!?”

As the tense atmosphere dissipates, a sense of camaraderie—solidarity—takes its place.

In the end, Sonya thinks this encounter was for the best.

They were horribly rude, but confirming Serika’s worth as a leader for the snakes? That’s an unparalleled stroke of luck.

“What else do we need to serve our lord? Please, teach us.”

“Ugh, enough! Y-You guys need to get way stronger first, okay! Perfect timing—let’s hunt some monsters! Hurry up and wake the others!”

“Yes, ma’am! Understood!”

Hone yourselves. Grow stronger.

You are your lord’s blade, his shield, his possession.