(EP-135.2) Exam Time #3

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135 – Imps And Exam Time #3

Phishung, phishung, phishung.

“Ggyak-!”

“Hik-!”

“Geek-!”

Three magic bullets accurately flew towards the Imps. Upon contact, they were immediately knocked down on the ground, wriggling in pain.

“Something, something hit…! My butt hurts…!”

It was something I’d noticed while being with Marmar, but it seemed that Imps were not very good in terms of combat.

Why did Solomon bother creating such insignificant beings?

Was he simply bored?

“If you don’t want to end up in pain again, behave yourselves.”

I gathered the tails of the fallen Imps and tied them with a nearby fence rope.

Perhaps it was because they were hurt by my magic, but the Imps didn’t resist and simply wriggled.

“Re, release me at once…! If you don’t stop this act of hate towards Imps, you shall face the wrath of Demon King Angmar…!”

“I, I have a phobia of ropes…. Please release me….”

“Garuerue….”

It felt like everything was a lie until just now.

They talked really big to those who showed kindness like Marmar, but stammered in front of those who firmly stood their ground.

Were these little devils?

It was both unbelievable and infuriating that these b?tches ruined the Fairy Paradise that Marmar worked so hard to cultivate.

Now angry, I asked with a ferocious voice.

“You, what’s with this Red Propaganda Unit bullsh?t? If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll pluck your tails off.”

“Hieek…! No, not the tail…!”

“Then tell me the truth.”

“Keuuu….”

Tartar cautiously looked at me.

I tightly grabbed her star-shaped tail. As I did, Tartar let out a shriek and started sobbing uncontrollably.

“T-t-the star-shaped tail is a once-in-a-lifetime tail…! You can’t pull it out…! I’ll tell the truth…!”

Soon, the other Imps also burst into tears.

I wondered if this was all fake crying to try and fool me, but it didn’t seem like that. It did really feel like they were crying for fear that their tails might get ripped off.

This was how valuable their tails were to them.

Thinking about how Marmar pulled out her own tail for me, I couldn’t help but be especially grateful. It was such a big deal, yet she still did it without hesitation.

I asked the crying Imps.

“W-We are imps who escaped from a prison facility… We wandered around and eventually ended up in Arc. We survived by rummaging through trash bins, and that’s when we met Marmar….”

“Then what about those things with the Demon King, about you being a team leader of some unit, are those all lies?”

“Y, yes…. We wanted to live a comfortable life using Marmar….”

Scaring them really made them honest.

* * *

Marmar regained consciousness an hour later.

Marmar, who was lying on a makeshift bed with a blanket, abruptly sat up and let out a strange scream, ‘Gek.’

“Marmar, do you feel better?”

“What? I was just eating a mountain of ice cream, and now it’s all gone? Where did it all go?”

Marmar couldn’t distinguish between dreams and reality just yet. So I carefully explained to her what had just happened.

“That’s what happened. Hey, you three, apologize to Marmar.”

As I gave them a warning look, Tartar slowly approached Marmar. She looked very hesitant until I clenched my fist.

Seeing this, Tartar flinched in fear of a smack and quickly lowered her head.

“Ma, Marmar…! As you have just heard, I’m really sorry…! In fact, it was a lie…!”

“Forgive me…!”

However, still partially under the influence of the hallucination, Marmar only looked at the Imps with a somewhat sorrowful expression.

Thinking about the havoc and deception that these Imps had done, perhaps she was angry and resentful? But looking at her now, Marmar seemed to be feeling a mix of sadness and anger which was slightly different from what I had anticipated.

“Then, was hearing the Demon King’s voice also a lie?”

“T-That’s right… It was a lie that the Demon King resurrected and spoke to us….”

“…….”

Marmar’s expression grew incredibly dark. It seemed that for her, the betrayal of hope was more heartbreaking than the destruction of her garden.

Then as if feeling Marmar’s sadness, Tartar quickly added to bring in some light.

“B-But it wasn’t entirely a lie…! Gargar, Gargar is a Great Imp who really saw the Demon King, I swear on my tail…!”

Tartar pointed to Gargar, who was digging with her hands like a dog in the corner of the garden. I only thought she was just a crazy Imp, but did she actually see the Demon King?

“Muhuhu, Gargar had been baptized by the Demon King himself…! Gargar is a vanguard of the great Demon King’s army…!”

This surprised Marmar.

“What, baptized?”

“That’s right…! A baptism that is bestowed only upon Imps who have passed a difficult trial…! Gargar is an Imp who proudly passed the test and was baptized…!”

Tartar boasted as if it were her own accomplishment. But as I clenched my fist, her tail quickly drooped as she glanced at me cautiously.

She sure was stupid.

… Was this how Elga felt when she looked at me?

However, Marmar’s mood seemed to instantly brighten at the mention of the baptism, as she clapped her hands together. I had no choice but to ask about it.

“What is this baptism?”

“It’s a ceremonial ritual that elevates Imps to a higher level…! It’s typically conducted by the Demon King’s officials, or sometimes, the Demon King himself…!”

“Oh.”

Was it possible for me to do that?

I imagined myself evolving Marmar.

“How do you do it?”

“That’s-, well, only an Imp who experienced it knows.”

So our eyes turned towards Gargar, who was continuously digging up the flower bed soil like a raccoon.

“Hihi…!!!”

‘… I don’t think she even knows anything by this point.’