The conversation with Risty-san proceeded very calmly. If anything, I felt that she was the easiest person to talk to among the Ten Demons I had met so far.
It's not that I'm saying that what I thought of her, having great insight, was a mistake though. It was just that I feel like she was so keenly aware of the subtleties of other people's emotions that I felt that she might be able to use something like Sympathy Magic.
And just as how the person herself said she was good at it, she was a good talker and listener, which naturally got the conversation going.
As we continued chatting for a while, Risty-san looked as if she suddenly remembered something.
[……Speaking of which, who are the other members of the Ten Demons that you have yet to greet.][Errr, the people named Phenix-san and Tiamat-san.]
[Of all people, it was those two huh. No, well, if you're greeting everyone based in the pecking order, it's inevitable that those two will be the final ones…… This is seriously troublesome.]
[……Are they really that bad?]
I had a slight hunch of what kind of person they were. Alice had mentioned about a sh*tty bird and a sh*tty snake, but I hadn't met any of the Ten Demons that fit that description so far, so there's a good chance that the sh*tty two would be about those two final members.
However, when I saw Risty-san's heartfelt pitying expression…… I felt unspeakable anxiety rising from within me, wondering if they really were that bad.
[The Ten Demons are basically a gathering of perverts with loose screws. Even the Deputy Leader, who had the most decent personality, has bandages wrapped around her body like a mummy. Chris-chan…… Don't get too involved with any other members of the Ten Demons aside from me, okay? They're completely nothing but harmful people who are only bad influences.]
[……Well, usually, due to their nature, even Emperors don't have the opportunity to meet any of the Ten Demons. The only person one would have the opportunity to meet would be Pandora-sama in events like the Hero Festival.]How should I say this…… That was a brutal way to say it. Looking at her face as she describes them as bad influences, it seems that she truly believes that.
Also, that Deputy Leader must be Pandemonium-san, right? I never had the chance to meet her, but bandages were wrapped all over her body? If she says it's "like a mummy", that means it's not a characteristic of her species…… Hmmm, this one had quite the personality as well.
[Anyhow, the Ten Demons are a bunch of good-for-nothing people….. but in regards to who the biggest problems among the Ten Demons were, Phenix and Tiamat's name would almost always be brought up. I mean, even if you take into account their abilities, just their other problems really bring them low on the pecking order. Honestly, I'd recommend not meeting them.]
[I- I see…… However, since I've greeted each of the Ten Demons to this point, I can't just leave the two of them out…… but is there anything I should be aware of before meeting them?]
[For the time being, I think you shouldn't meet both of them on the same day, else your mind might not be able to handle it. It's better if you meet them one at a time on two separate days. There's a high probability that Phenex would be dismissive of you in the beginning…… so if possible, it's better if you "kill her once at the beginning of your encounter". I'm sure she'll be somewhat obedient after killing her.]
……I'm getting advice for greeting a person, right? A greeting method where you kill someone when you first meet them if possible doesn't really exist in my common sense……
[There's a lot of things I'd like to throw a tsukkomi at…… but I don't think it's possible for me to kill someone in the first place.]
[I guess you're right…… Hmmm, I wonder if there's something you could do? Like, some kind of weapon or magic tool that inflicts "intense pain".]
[Intense pain? ……Can't say I don't have something that does that, but it really hurts like hell, so I don't think it's a good idea to use it to someone I should be thanking……]
The only thing that comes to mind when I hear the words "intense pain" is the piko piko hammer that Shiro-san gave me. It's a scolding item that penetrates all of the target's defense, forcing even those with no sense of pain to feel it, and inflicting only intense pain without dealing any physical injuries.
However, the power of the piko piko hammer is so great that even the world's pinnacle beings like Alice and Fate-san fainted in agony…… It was so dangerous of a weapon that even if I accepted it from Shiro-san, I haven't used it at all.
[No, use it.]
[……Eh?]
[Phenix will do her best to look down on anyone who can't kill her, so hit her with that right from the very start. If you don't, Pandora-sama will snap and forcibly end your greeting right there and then.]
[Seriously, what the heck is with this Phenix-san……]
My head is finding it hard to keep up with what's going on. With how serious Risty-san look like, it must have been really serious advice from her point of view. It looks like she really wants me to inflict fierce pain to Phenix-san as my first move.
[Then, there's Tiamat. She's basically insane, so don't listen to whatever she says. It will only lead to mental exhaustion, so basically, you just ignore everything she says. Don't try to communicate with her…… or better yet, meet her with earplugs on.]
[………………….]
……Even though there are only two of the Ten Demons left…… I'm kinda starting to feel anxious.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [……Are they really that bad?]
? ? ? : [Let's see. If you were to put it really simply…… Phenix = Physically Masochistic, Tiamat = Mentally Masochistic…… or something like that.]
Serious-senpai : [They're both masochists……]
