Chapter 41: The Queen's Fear and Humanity's Peculiar Tastes
Ren looked at Lucifer and Cerberus, who were slumped in their chairs like two lifeless ragdolls, and smiled, shaking his head. Who would have thought that two big shots of Hell, the CEO and the Guardian Hound, would get so completely incapacitated simply from eating too many steamed buns?
The Dimensional Restaurant was quiet now, the warm yellow lights casting soft shadows over the wooden tables. Empty bamboo steamer baskets were stacked high like leaning towers of Pisa on the table in front of the two demons. The air still held the lingering, savory aroma of fluffy dough and juicy meat fillings, a testament to the culinary war that had just taken place.
Cerberus, still sprawled ungracefully across her chair with her limbs hanging loose, mumbled with the last remaining braised chicken foot sticking out of her mouth.
"Master... Master... Master..." Her voice was a contented, sleepy drone. "I always feel like every time it's the most delicious meal Master has made... but then every time, the next one is equally delicious! It's an infinite loop of tastiness!"
Ren chuckled softly, standing up to begin clearing the table. The clinking of porcelain plates seemed loud in the comfortable silence. "I'll take that as a compliment. But maybe next time, try to breathe between bites, Cerberus."
After efficiently clearing the debris of their feast and wiping down the table, Ren returned to his seat. He paused for a moment, picking up a light novel he had left on the counter, before turning towards the staircase that led to the second-floor living quarters.
Lucifer, who had been massaging her stomach with a look of tragic dignity, opened one crimson eye. Her silver hair fanned out over the back of the chair, shimmering under the lights.
"Are you going to sleep already?" she asked softly, her voice lacking its usual commanding edge due to the food coma.
Ren paused with one foot on the first step. He shook his head. "Sleep? No, I'm not sleepy right now. It's still early. I think I'm going to head upstairs and watch a movie."
"Movie... movie?!"
The word seemed to act as a resurrection spell. Cerberus immediately scrambled up from her chair, the lethargy vanishing instantly. She snatched the nearly colorless, flavor-depleted chicken bone from her mouth, tossed it accurately into the trash can across the room with a three-pointer arc, and then dashed to Ren's side. Her movements were so fluid and seamless it was as if she hadn't been paralyzed by gluttony just seconds prior.
"What movie? Could it be... Wait... I want to go too! Is it like the one from last night?" Cerberus asked, her ears twitching with excitement.
Ren looked down at the energetic hound-girl and then glanced back at the Queen of Hell, who was slowly sitting up, feigning disinterest.
He tilted his head, a playful glint in his eyes. "Alright, you can come. I was planning on watching a horror movie tonight. But... Lucifer, since you're the Queen of Hell, the ruler of the damned and all that, you shouldn't be scared, right? Cerberus said she wasn't afraid, so surely Lucifer-sama would be fine too?"
Lucifer stiffened. She smoothed down her suit jacket, regaining her composure. She scoffed, flipping her hair back with a haughty elegance.
"Horror movies? You think I, Lucifer, the CEO of Hell, would be afraid of such trivial human fabrications?" She stood up, crossing her arms and walking towards them with a confident stride. "What a joke. It will be a good chance for me to critique the inaccuracies and see what those rebellious souls who haven't reported to Hell look like! I shall point out every flaw in their pitiful attempt to induce fear."
Ren glanced at Lucifer, noting the slight tremor in her hand that she quickly hid, but said nothing. He just smiled silently and walked upstairs.
Lucifer followed, her chin held high, wearing an expression of disdain for the very concept of human horror.
She! Lucifer! The Queen of Hell! She was definitely not going to chicken out today! She would show Ren the iron will of a Demon Lord!
Three hours later...
The room was dark, illuminated only by the cold, flickering light of the television screen. The credits had long since finished rolling, leaving the DVD menu looping its eerie, dissonant background music—a slow, grinding metallic sound interspersed with static.
"Uh... Lucifer... Aren't you the Queen of Hell?"
Ren sat on the edge of his bed, holding a bowl of sliced red dragon fruit. He looked toward the head of the bed, where a large, shivering lump lay buried beneath a thick duvet. The lump was trembling rhythmically.
Ren felt a bit speechless. The movie, a classic piece of Japanese horror involving a cursed videotape and a well, had been intense, but the reaction from the supreme ruler of the underworld was... unexpected.
"Do such grotesque things really exist?!" Lucifer's muffled shout came from deep within the safety of the blankets. Her voice was high-pitched and laced with genuine terror. "Why did she crawl out like that?! That's a violation of spatial laws!"
Ren sighed and looked at his other companion. He poked Cerberus, who was sitting on the floor, staring blankly at the black screen. The dog-girl was frozen stiff, her eyes wide and unblinking, her mouth slightly open. She didn't react to the poke. She had been catatonic since the ghost first twitched on screen.
Getting no reaction from the hound, Ren turned his attention back to the shivering pile on his bed. He leaned in close, whispering softly right next to where he assumed Lucifer's ear was under the blanket.
"Lucifer... she's right next to you..."
"Ah!!!"
Lucifer shrieked, throwing the blanket off and jumping up in fright. Her usually composed and arrogant face was pale, her red eyes wide with panic. She scrambled backward, pressing her back against the headboard, looking frantically around the room.
It proved that no matter how strong you are, no matter how many legions of demons you command, there is always something that can scare you out of your wits. Especially when it involves damp girls with hair covering their faces crawling out of electronics.
Lucifer scanned the room, her chest heaving. She found no ghost, no well, only the familiar furniture of Ren's room. Then, her eyes locked onto Ren.
She saw the faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He was calmly eating a piece of dragon fruit.
How could Lucifer not know what had just happened?
"Ren!" she yelled, grabbing a pillow and hugging it defensively against her chest. "You did that on purpose!"
Ren sighed, feigning innocence. "I told you not to watch it. I gave you an out downstairs. Now you've got psychological trauma, haven't you? Don't worry. These are all fake. There aren't that many grotesque things in the human world."
Lucifer sat on the bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. She glanced at the computer screen where the DVD menu ghost face was still clearly visible, staring hollowly into the room. She immediately averted her gaze, squeezing her eyes shut for a second.
"This... this is a bit different from what we have in Hell..." she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Different how?" Ren asked, handing her a piece of fruit which she accepted with shaking hands.
"Hell is just... ordinary skeletons. Or demons with spikes. Or bureaucracy," Lucifer muttered, munching on the fruit nervously. "It's organized. It makes sense. That thing... that distorted walking... the eye..."
Her voice grew softer and softer until she finally whispered, "Are they really all fake...? You're not lying to comfort me?"
Ren clearly felt that Lucifer was genuinely traumatized. The cultural difference between Western demons (physical, muscular, fire) and Japanese ghosts (psychological, damp, curse-based) was apparently too much for her.
Ren shifted closer and gently placed his hand on Lucifer's head. Her silver hair was soft under his fingers. "Of course they're fake. Special effects, makeup, and clever editing. And even if they were real, think about it, Lucifer. How could a ghost made from a lingering human obsession possibly be your opponent?"
He stroked her hair rhythmically. "You are the CEO of Hell. You have magic that can alter reality. A ghost is just a bit of leftover spiritual energy. You could snap your fingers and erase her."
Lucifer thought about it, the logic slowly penetrating her fear-addled brain. She nodded slowly against his hand. This was like how no matter how strong a woman is, she'll instinctively forget she's a martial arts master when faced with a cockroach. Once the initial shock fades and she remembers her power, she'll be fine.
Ren's hand continued to stroke her head, the warmth grounding her. Lucifer leaned into the touch instinctively, enjoying the comfort, before her brain caught up with her actions.
She quickly realized something was off. The Queen of Hell was being treated like a frightened child!
She looked up at Ren, a flush returning to her pale cheeks, and shouted, "Why are you touching my head again! I am not a pet!"
Ren smiled, not removing his hand. "It feels really good, doesn't it? The texture of your hair is quite nice. And besides... aren't I your Master?"
"You—!"
Lucifer was startled. She wanted to retort, to assert her dominance, but she had no good comeback. Technically, due to their contract, he was her Master. And... she didn't actually hate the head pat. It was strangely soothing.
She just huffed, puffing out her cheeks, and moved slightly to the side to escape his hand, though not very far. She lowered her head, staring at her lap, wondering what exactly she was thinking. Why did her heart rate speed up when he teased her like that? It must be the residual fear. Yes, definitely the fear.
At this moment, a twitch from the floor broke the mood. Cerberus's ears wiggled.
Cerberus had been scared stiff by Sadako climbing out of the TV halfway through the movie. Her brain had simply engaged an emergency shutdown. After slowly rebooting and regaining consciousness, Cerberus looked around, blinking rapidly.
Everything felt a bit strange. The room was quiet. But the scent... the scent was very familiar. It was the scent of Ren.
Cerberus immediately realized where she was. She quickly looked behind her and indeed saw Ren sitting on the bed, having just finished teasing Lucifer.
"Master! Master! Master!"
The three-headed soul in one body scrambled across the floor on all fours.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Cerberus? Back with us?" Ren asked with a grin.
Cerberus scooted over and hugged Ren's leg tightly, burying her face against his knee. "Master, Master, Master! That woman named Sadako is too scary! She's completely different from those dark bones in Hell! She moves weird! She doesn't speak! She just... crawls!"
Ren reached down and stroked Cerberus's ears, scratching that sweet spot behind them. "About that... Horror movies are meant to scare people. The scarier they are, the more successful they are. It's an art form. So it's normal for them to be a bit grotesque."
He paused, lifting Cerberus's chin so she looked at him. "But tell me, Cerberus. If you actually met Sadako in a dark alley, could you beat her?"
Cerberus blinked, her canine instincts kicking in over her fear. She thought for a moment, visualizing the slow-moving ghost versus her own demonic speed and claws.
"I... I could easily take her out..." she admitted, realizing the power disparity. "I could bite her head off before she climbed halfway out of the well!"
Ren nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Doesn't that prove Cerberus is stronger than Sadako? Since she's weaker than you, why would she dare come looking for you? She picks on weak humans, not Hell's guard dogs. And Sadako is considered a pretty powerful ghost in these kinds of movies. Doesn't thinking like that make you less afraid?"
Cerberus nodded vigorously, her tail starting to wag slightly again. She looked up at Ren, her eyes burning with renewed determination and loyalty.
"Master, Master, Master! If a real Sadako comes, I will definitely protect Master! I'll chew her up!"
Ren smiled warmly. "Good girl. But honestly, just Sadako? She's not that scary compared to the living. There are many strange people online in this world whose comments might even scare Sadako back into her well."
Lucifer, who had been listening while recovering her dignity, became interested. She tilted her head, her silver hair sliding over her shoulder. "What kind of comments? What could humans possibly say that would scare a powerful vengeful spirit that humans can't physically touch?"
Ren chuckled, reaching for another piece of dragon fruit. He found the depravity of internet culture amusingly contrasting with Lucifer's innocence.
With a hint of playfulness, he said, "For example, there's a popular saying among certain 'cultured' netizens. They say: 'As long as you're brave, Sadako goes on maternity leave.'"
The room went silent for a second.
"Sadako... would probably be terrified if she saw that level of thirst," Ren added casually.
Lucifer was stunned. She blinked, processing the words.
Brave... Maternity leave...
It took her a moment to connect the dots. Bravery implies doing something dangerous. Maternity leave implies pregnancy. Pregnancy implies...
She looked at Ren, her face turning completely red, transforming from the pale ghost-victim to a ripe tomato in seconds.
"What a perverted comment!" she shouted, scandalized. "Is this the extent of human interest in non-humans?! I thought it was a joke when I saw similar things on my phone before! You humans actually want to... to do that with a ghost?!"
Ren waved his hand dismissively, enjoying her reaction. "Well, that specific phrase might be a joke, a meme if you will. But there are indeed people like that. There's a market for everything."
He paused, looking her up and down with a thoughtful expression. "Hey? Now that I think about it, Lucifer is a demon, and the Queen of Hell. Logically, you would also be categorized in that 'non-human' group. I wonder if people have similar 'brave ideas' about you..."
Lucifer froze. She glanced at Ren, catching the teasing glint in his eyes.
"Ren!" she shouted, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at him. "Are you also one of those people?! Are you having 'brave ideas'?!"
Lucifer suddenly felt that Ren was hinting at her, but she had no evidence! However, she felt that Ren, who could watch such horror movies expressionlessly while calmly eating red dragon fruit, was definitely not simple! A man who doesn't fear ghosts might just be 'brave' enough to target a Demon Queen!
She felt she was in danger!
Wait, Cerberus was also in danger! But looking at the dog-girl happily hugging Ren's leg, it seemed a bit late to ask for help now!
Damn it! This human is the real monster!
Ren and Cerberus both tilted their heads, looking at Lucifer with confusion. Who knew what the Queen of Hell was thinking, her face turning red and then pale, but she was quite cute~
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