Momonga still had business with Clementine.
She had never intended to let the woman escape.
There were several reasons.
First and foremost, she still needed to drag the true purpose out of her—why Clementine had tried to abduct Enfrea. The assassin had already carelessly revealed she wanted to use the item called "The Sage's Crown" to force him to summon an army of undead. But the deeper motive remained unknown.
No villain with even a shred of intelligence would be stupid enough to summon hordes of undead simply to plunge the world into terror.
There had to be a hidden objective behind it.
And Clementine's words earlier haunted her:
"Become our tool."
That suggested the woman wasn't a lone actor.
A group was behind her.
An organization.
And Momonga needed answers.
Preferably extracted by magic.
And more importantly—
Clementine had destroyed the Bareare Pharmacy, placing the cost squarely on Momonga's shoulders.
Momonga had no money whatsoever.
If she captured Clementine alive, she could hand her over to an appropriate authority, let the kingdom pay compensation, possibly even collect a reward.
Yes—alive capture was absolutely necessary.
Clementine ran desperately through the desolate back alleys.
Momonga drifted behind her, silently tailing her with [Fly], watching the woman flail and scramble like a hunted animal.
In her hands she spun her new little toys:
Stilettos.
Not Yggdrasil data-crystal reproductions—
real, native-world weapons.
Crude, inferior to anything she once wielded.
But fascinating in their own way.
Each could store a single low-tier spell, activated by twisting the blade during a stab.
Garbage by her standards…
Yet something in her collector's heart found them charming.
Ahead, Clementine ducked into a deserted alley.
Momonga whispered [Perfect Unknowable], erasing her presence, and descended behind her.
Clementine leaned against a wall, pale, panting, trembling, muttering to herself:
"Wh-what the hell… what the hell is that monster… This isn't funny…"
She looked over her shoulder with terrified, rapid flicks of her gaze—utterly blind to Momonga's presence behind her.
Pathetic.
Childish.
Like a novice Yggdrasil player who had never learned detection-resistance.
Momonga felt a strange, faint affection for her.
Perhaps the pity of a superior being for a pitiful creature.
"I… I have to get out of this city… fast…"
Even now, she believed she could escape Momonga.
Her mind had entirely forgotten about the Scripture chasing her.
All she could think of was distance—putting space between herself and the "monster" behind her.
But Clementine had stepped on the hem of the Demon Queen's robe.
Whether by accident or design, it did not matter.
She would pay for it.
Momonga tightened her grip around the stiletto.
(Peter, Lukrut, Ninya… Nfirea… she tried to kill the first people who treated me as comrades in this world.)
(There must be consequences.)
She dismissed [Perfect Unknowable].
Her form flowed into existence behind Clementine—darkness peeling away to reveal the beautiful silhouette of a woman.
Without hesitation, she stabbed the stiletto directly into Clementine's back.
"—ghh!"
The blade burst through Clementine's abdomen, blood blossoming around the metal.
The sensation of sinking a weapon into soft, pale female flesh made Momonga grimace faintly.
Even as a demoness, even as a skeletal monster beneath this form, a part of Suzuki Satoru still twitched inside her.
Like a person who had never cooked suddenly chopping the head off a fish—
a flicker of human discomfort.
Momonga twisted the stiletto—
activating the spell she had preloaded.
"Y-you—!"
Clementine tried to speak.
But sound never formed.
Her voice vanished.
Her limbs trembled violently as paralysis consumed her.
She collapsed to her knees like a puppet with cut strings.
"Ah. Good. The stiletto test was a success."
Momonga murmured almost casually as she withdrew the blood-drenched blade.
Not wanting to kill her, she splashed a Minor Healing Potion over the gaping wound.
It closed immediately, leaving smooth skin.
"…"
She grabbed Clementine's chin, lifting her face.
Tears dripped down the assassin's cheeks.
She desperately tried to turn away.
All dignity gone.
All ferocity erased.
Not a shred of the strong warrior remained.
"I'm not going to kill you," Momonga said softly.
Her tone was gentle—too gentle.
Soothing, tender, motherly.
It horrified Clementine.
"But… you've killed so many people in moments like this, haven't you?"
Momonga flicked one of the adventurer plates hanging from Clementine's armor.
A copper-ranked tag snapped loose and fell to the ground, clinking faintly.
"And you tried to kill the Swords of Darkness… and Enfrea."
Clementine's mind broke further.
She had no idea what this monster intended.
The unknown was true terror.
The scent of ammonia spread beneath her.
"Well then… you should feel a little fear too, don't you think?"
Momonga smiled gently—
—
and wrapped her arms around Clementine.
A warm embrace.
Motherly.
Loving.
Intimate.
The contrast shattered Clementine's mind.
The softness.
The warmth.
The faint scent of Momonga's hair—sweet, entrancing, intoxicating.
She trembled violently.
Perhaps in her entire life, no one had ever held her like this.
"What… what are you… what are you going to do to me…"
Her silent, paralyzed body shook.
"You're going to help me test a skill I haven't used yet," Momonga whispered.
"After that, I'll ask questions."
Clementine thrashed weakly, shaking her head.
She would confess anything.
She would tell everything.
She begged silently for mercy.
But Momonga's embrace didn't loosen.
She simply whispered:
"Despair Aura: Level I."
A cloud of black, smoke-like darkness erupted from Momonga's body.
Despair Aura.
A racial ability with five tiers:
• I — Fear
• II — Panic
• III — Confusion
• IV — Madness
• V — Instant Death
In Yggdrasil it only caused status effects.
No real terror.
But here—
in this world—
Momonga wanted to see what it truly did.
Clementine was the perfect test subject.
Not innocent.
Not morally protected.
Disposable.
Someone she could use without guilt.
A squealing lab rat.
And the results were… dramatic.
Clementine writhed silently, body trembling uncontrollably.
Her breath escaped in thin rasping gasps.
Sweat drenched her like rainfall.
Her pupils expanded and contracted wildly.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Every bodily aperture leaked fluid.
Momonga rubbed her back gently—
as though comforting her.
But her fingers quietly traced the dozens of adventurer plates.
She could feel the fury of the dead through them.
"Are you frightened?" she asked softly.
No response.
Clementine's mind was submerged in a pit of terror so deep she couldn't hear.
Her dim eyes were hollow.
"Hmm… looks like she can still go further."
Most people would have doubted their ears hearing such a statement.
But Momonga did not hesitate.
Curiosity burned brighter than mercy.
"Despair Aura: Level II."
"Oh… my."
Clementine convulsed violently.
Only the paralysis kept her from screaming.
Her eyes rolled, her mouth frothed, her consciousness teetered on the brink.
A lifetime of trauma—
multiplied.
Terror she had never imagined—
inflicted all at once.
Her mind shattered like brittle glass.
And then—
"Despair Aura: Level—"
Clementine collapsed, eyes rolled back, foam bubbling from her lips.
Unconscious.
She looked like a corpse killed by a vengeful spirit.
Momonga held her limp body, thinking aloud:
"Hm. She faints at Level II? Perhaps my racial abilities have improved… or perhaps the sheer level difference amplifies the effect…"
She studied Clementine's face with clinical detachment.
One experiment complete.
More to come.
Next:
Dominate.
Charm Person.
Control Amnesia.
Mental spells.
Memory spells.
Manipulations of the mind—
Once Clementine woke, she would break her mind, extract all information, erase her memories, then drop her off in a prison.
Perfect plan.
Momonga reached out to wake her—
"…What are you doing?"
A man's voice cut through the alley.
Two armored guards rushed toward her, lanterns in hand.
Momonga cursed internally.
(Terrible timing.)
They illuminated her face—
"Ah—
you're… Lady Momon?"
They stared—wide-eyed, flushed, overwhelmed by her beauty.
She recognized them eventually—
soldiers from the E-Rantel checkpoint.
Momonga smiled politely.
"Good evening."
They nearly melted.
After stumbling through introductions, they delivered their warning:
"Lady Momon… please be careful. There have been serial killings in E-Rantel recently. Victims stabbed brutally with small bladed weapons…"
Their eyes slid to the limp Clementine in her arms.
"And that woman is…?"
"Ah. Most likely the serial killer."
"Oh… I see…"
Momonga immediately regretted her honesty.
If she surrendered Clementine, she would lose her test subject.
Lose the information.
Lose everything.
But refusing would draw suspicion.
"…I have only done what I must," she said with a gentle sigh.
With no choice left—
she surrendered Clementine to the guards.
They saluted vigorously, entranced by her beauty.
Momonga watched them leave.
She would send a Shadow Demon to guard the Bareare family.
If the organization behind Clementine tried again, it would be handled.
For now—
Her plans would have to change.