The day her father first asked Saori why she did not want to involve herself with castle matters anymore, she did not have anything to say. She was too busy thinking about what she wanted to do that night, and what kind of position she would put Nobuko in. She did not hear what her father said quite clearly. It was only ter in the week, when she heard rumors from her messengers about plotting amongst the ministers that she understood the gravity of the situation.

  He had worked hard to convince them to let her do what she wanted. They eventually agreed, but it had left a bad taste in their mouths. They were already disappointed in a daimyo who refused to remarry and have a son. For him to then let his daughter remain a solitary recluse instead of marrying her off for political advantages, was inexcusable. One of these days, their pns would come together and they would depose him without any resistance. Even now, at the hunt, there was no telling when one of them might shoot an arrow in his back, or poison the meat he would be served. Both of them could be expined away as accidents.

  Once it all hit her, she couldn't decide what to do. There was no way she would be able to function on the frontline, where she would be forced into the public view every day. Her ever-present sex drive would not allow her to remain untouched for more than a few hours. On the other hand, she could not let her father get into trouble because of her. So, she asked Nobuko if she would help her with her sexual desires. If she could eventually get rid of them, little by little, she would be able to go out and help her father with whatever he wanted. For that, she also started learning sewing.

  But ultimately, the decision she made in the moment was to remain who she was. To not go out immediately. To stay in her room and drown herself in a world of pleasure.

  Saori kept her eyes and ears peeled in the direction Nobuko had been thrown, hoping that she would reappear. It might have started with her father, but the princess had grown to enjoy her times with her attendant. Of course, she wanted to stop being like that every day of her life, but that did not mean she did not have fun fucking her. That did not mean she hadn't slowly fallen in love with that girl. Every curve of her body, every sound that came out of her mouth, every tiny movement she made when she was about to cum - it was all imprinted in Saori's mind like the back of her hand.

  Even now, she found herself torn between going to her father and staying here. If she went, she could tell him what happened, they could fight the demon and perhaps even capture it. It would be better for the entire world. But if she did leave, the demon would shift his focus back to Nobuko. Even if she lived, her failure and actions would get her executed. And even now, she chose the girl.

  She hadn't achieved anything in her life she could be proud of. Nothing that could make her father believe she hadn't been a mistake. It ate at her on the inside, every single day. But Nobuko made her feel alive. Every moment with her made her think that it would be alright to go on and try harder. Despite being nothing more than an attendant, she was trying hard too. Why couldn't Saori? Why shouldn't Saori? She clutched the sword harder, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  After gaining all that confidence, it all crumbled.

  The demon kept looking at her, and she felt her death coming from miles away.

  But she was not going to abandon Nobuko. She loved her father. A lot. He had always been there for her. But even if she died, he would be alright. He would somehow find a way out of the trouble he was in, and make something out of it. Nobuko relied on Saori. Even if the princess wanted to act like they were equals, it didn't mean that they were. The attendant was merely an attendant. She was the one responsible for her, not the other way around. She gulped and moved back, testing the waters.

  If fighting here meant death, then she would rather die with Nobuko. It was the least she could do.

  "There is a thrrin line between courrage and foolishness, human." The demon growled, "Come. I'm waiting."

  Saori gritted her teeth. The cold breeze touching every corner of her body and making her shiver even further. She raised her sword, acutely aware of everything that was happening around her, and started to run. Her mind pictured Nobuko, and remembered the moves she had made. A quick dodge, and then a ssh. He would come in with an attack. A punch of some sort. All she needed to do was figure out where it would nd, and react accordingly. It was doable. She wouldn't go without at least nding a single hit on him.

  Just one.

  One hit was all she wanted. One ssh, to prove herself, to herself. She wouldn't have died in vain, uselessly, if she at least did that with her ck of training.

  Then, before she could even get into his range, before he could even try to counter her moves, before the fight could even begin, she felt something unnatural under her feet. It was the robe. The long robe she had still been wearing. Flying right under feet, it threw her off bance. She tried to bring herself under control, but there was no undoing it anymore. Face first, she fell to the ground, and the sword dropped from her hand.

  The first second, she felt shock and fear. Her nose burned and blood flowed out. The next second, shame. She did not raise her head. She did not pick the sword up. She stayed as she was, and the tears increased. Faced with an actual threat, it didn't matter what her ideals and goals were. She was weak. She had done nothing to get stronger. Nothing to improve herself beyond who she was. It was pathetic. Before she knew, a whimper escaped her mouth. It turned into a sniffle, and that into a scream. Saori pounded the ground with her hand as tears covered her entire face.

  "I...I...I can't--"

  A cough stopped her. Her feet rolled up and Saori locked herself in a fetal position, unable to stop crying. How much weaker could a human possibly be? All the love and power in the world couldn't save her. Everyone looked up to her as some paragon of beauty and grace, and here she was. Her naked body covered in dirt and bruises from the fall, her nose broken, crying in front of a nameless demon. Her cries for pity did not stop. Even as her hate for herself grew, she refused to move.

  Footsteps came closer, each one louder than the st. The demon crouched down beside her and held her head up by her hair. Through her blurry eyes, she tried to make him out. His face, expressionless. She tried her best to shout at him, tell him she was going to kill him, but she couldn't lie anymore. All she managed to do was push her hand forward and sp his hand once. It felt like hitting a rock. How far ahead had Nobuko been, to be able to at least wound him?

  "Drro not cry, human. It is your job to be weak, is it not? Wrre are inherently stronger. Drro not cry. Laugh. You have fulfilled your destiny as a puny little nothing meant to be consumed by us." The demon ughed, "Gyahahaha. Is it nrrot fortunate?!"

  She coughed once more and her saliva fell on his hand. The demon clicked his tongue and wiped it off, snarling. He wiped it all on her face and banged it on the ground. Her head started spinning. A ringing spread through her entire brain; a concentrated pain that took away all capability of thought or consideration. Her entire face, red with bruises and blood. She wondered about how beautiful that moment with Nobuko would have been if they had actually finished. If he had not interrupted them, ever. She imagined it in her mind and smiled. Even convinced of her inevitable death, she could only think of one thing.

  She loved Nobuko so much. More than herself. As wrong as it sounded, even more than her father.

  Her hands aimlessly reached out around the ground, grabbing nothing until she felt the sword. She moved down to the hilt and picked it up. With the little bit of strength she had, she raised it up and aimed it at where the demon's hand was. She couldn't see what he was doing, so maybe he had noticed already, but it was worth a try. One st attempt wouldn't change much either way, but it would be something. She pulled the sword back, ready to stab it in.

  "Oy, you." An unknown female voice, just as loud and rough as the male demon, filled the clearing, "Come here. Who is that?"

  Her head fell the ground. The demon let go of her hair and started walking backwards. Saori looked straight ahead. She couldn't make out details, but she saw another demon. Longer, thinner horns, but with flowing hair that went down to her lower back. The princess couldn't make the rest out, but it was definitely a female demon of some sort. And based on how she had referred to him, she was someone at a higher position. Maybe one of the main leaders under the demon god?

  Saori chuckled. As if. She wouldn't be that important, so as to receive the notice of someone that important.

  "Rrit is a human girl. She wanted to fight against me, but look at herrr now. Crrrying and whimpering. Gyahahaha!"

  "Hmm." The female demon looked at her and sighed, "Too bad for her. But don't kill her just yet, ok? We can always use the girls. Bring her to the hideout; we'll use her for reproduction."

  The demon snarled, "Half-bloods?! Impurrres!?"

  "Do not raise your voice, got it? Do as I say. When you have nothing but crumbs to work with, you don't try to have a king's meal. We'll create Impures if necessary to survive. Kill them all ter."

  "Hrrmph." He looked back at Saori and shook his head, "Fine. I'll get her done before bringing her back."

  The female demon turned, "Someone got excited really quickly. Just come back quickly. We can't waste too much time pying around with flies."

  "Yrres, Karina."

  The female snapped her fingers and vanished, just as suddenly as she had appeared. The male turned and looked at Saori once more. This time, a very noticeable smile adorned his face. He slowly walked over to her, and held her hand, picking her up and making her sit down. She struggled to maintain her posture as a fire spread through her spine, making it impossible not to wiggle due to the pain. The sword was still in her hand. It did not seem like he had noticed it. He was far too busy thinking of something else. Saori could guess what.

  She had understood the words of the female demon, Karina. She knew what the male demon's pns were. Through his loincloth, she could already see his penis getting harder. Saori couldn't do anything, though. Her arm felt far too weak to be able to raise the sword again. She just stared ahead as he removed the loincloth and revealed himself. The same color as the rest of his skin, but long and girthy. She was disgusted by its sight. She had never been averse to having sex with a man, but it always felt so much purer with Nobuko. And this, this wasn't even a man.

  A monster. A demon.

  He started stroking himself, and she felt her stomach churning. The rotten smell coming off him now was unbearable. It almost gave her muscles strength again just in an effort to get away from it. She tried to move the sword, and found it a little easier than before. The demon continued, salivating. She looked at Nobuko's direction once more, but saw nothing. Was she truly gone? What had happened to her once she had vanished from sight?

  What would she think is Saori allowed this demon to do whatever he wanted?

  The princess was hers. Only hers. Saori had decided that herself.

  Once he was fully erect, the demon walked forward, and grabbed her by the hair again. As he started to push his cock forward, images of her times with Nobuko filled her head again. Moments of joy, of pleasure. Things she looked back upon fondly. Things that gave her more ideas for what to do with her lover next. A sudden strength filled her. Saori screamed and swung the sword, bringing it all the way over to the tip of his penis and slicing through it. A sptter of blood spread all over the ground and her body. The demon howled in pain, stepping back and grabbing his cut cock, falling to the ground.

  Saori spat some of the blood out, but still couldn't stand up. All of the adrenaline she had received just now vanished. She couldn't push herself any further. This was all she had been capable of.

  "Yrrou...bitch!"

  The demon pushed his penis aside and stood up once more, angrily stomping towards her and grabbing her hair. This time, he raised her in the air until her feet were off the ground and she only being held by him. She looked him in the eye, but did not feel fear anymore. Just disappointment at being killed by someone as pathetic as him. She wasn't very strong, but even with all his strength, she couldn't respect him anymore. He was just a mindless monster. Did he know anything about love? Or was that pure lust the only thing his mind was capable of remembering? She gathered up some more of his blood and spat it on his face again.

  "Graaahhhhh." He screamed, spreading his mucus and saliva all over her. Saori ughed, wondering if this was all he could do. Karina had told him not to kill her. He couldn't even do what he wanted. She was the superior one here, by a mile.

  But it did not seem like he intended on listening to Karina's orders. He threw Saori to the ground, and she felt her entire body break. The rough ground scratched her skin as she y limp. The demon came closer, saliva dripping down his mouth out of anger; his entire face wrinkled. He stood over her and roared, and all she did was watch. This is how it ended, then. He raised his foot, ready to bring it down on her.

  Saori closed her eyes, hoping that she didn't meet her lover in heaven anytime soon.

  …

  A rude sptter of blood on her face made her change her mind.

  As she opened her eyes, she saw the demon's leg flying away. To her right, Nobuko stood in a stopped stance with the sword in her hand. She was wearing nothing anymore. Her body, covered in blood, glistening in the sun. The demon howled and fell down. The attendant took a breath and looked back, running to Saori and picking her up.

  Nobuko put her head on her p; her eyes welling up, "Are you alright, Saori?"

  Saori nodded and ughed, putting a hand on the side of her stomach, where it hurt the most. Took her long enough to say it, but maybe she was saving it for a dramatic, special occasion like this. How theatric of her.

  Behind them, the demon sat up again. Nobuko looked back and picked up the sword, ready to fight once more. But he ignored her. He ignored both of them and crawled to the leg which had just been cut off. The attendant pushed Saori back and asked her to be careful, bringing her sword up in a defensive stance. Once he reached the leg, the demon picked it up, and ate it.

  "Regeneration." Nobuko said, "He is trying to grow it back. We need to kill before he continues to do it. Kawashiri-sama, please take of yourself."

  "Nobu...still?"

  Nobuko sighed and a small ugh escaped her mouth, "If we get out of this, Kawashiri-sama. If I defeat this monster and bring you back to your father, I'll do it. I'll never call you princess again. I'll never give you that honor again. If that's what you wish, then you'll get it. Just let me finish my duty, Saori."

  "Hmm." Saori smiled, and crawled back to give her space, "I guess you have no choice except winning, then. I won't allow it. It's an order, yeah? The st one."

  The demon's leg grew once more, and he stood up. Along with the leg, the tip of his cock appeared again too. Just that flesh had caused him to heal all of his injuries. And right when Saori thought that was the worst of it, his sides started expanding, mutating into rger blobs of flesh until another set of arms jutted out of him. Now, with four arms, he howled once more, preparing to fight Nobuko. She changed the hold of her sword and stepped forward, calming down.

  "As you wish, Kawashiri-sama."