Chapter 104 The Woman Who Educates and the Daughter Who Receives Guidance
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”U-Um…?” Iristina asked.
I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday, and my head isn’t working right. But there are a few facts I’ve grasped.
That tall maid is dangerous. I must absolutely never defy her.
I suspect… she isn’t human. Not even a beastman like the ones in the Empire, or any creature of that sort.
And since arriving here, the only people I’ve seen besides the Overlord of the Magic Labyrinth¹, the fairy, and the girl with pale green hair were maids.
This woman is clearly not a maid. She is likely… someone close to the Overlord in terms of status.
The tall maid opened the cell door and brought in a table and a single chair. Then, an ordinary maid had the woman sit in that chair.
It seems there isn’t a chair for me. I felt a slight surge of resentment at that fact.
”Nice to meet you. What is your name?” the woman asked.
”…It is Iristina,” I replied.
She surely knew my name already. But the tall maid was so terrifying that I answered honestly.
If it were Aris, would she maintain her defiant attitude even now?
”I see. Iris-chan, then. You couldn’t eat anything yesterday, could you? It must have been painful,” the woman said.
As she spoke, the maids began arranging dishes on the table.
Looking toward the passage, I saw a wagon, and it seemed the wonderful aroma had been wafting from there. Dishes I had never seen before were spread across the table.
What is that… those white grains, and on another plate, meat that smells incredibly savory.
I can tell just by looking. That meat is high-quality. Even the sauce poured over it is unique…
Ah. For a moment I wondered what would happen, but to be served such delicious-looking food…!
Is she a savior after all? I felt as if I had encountered a goddess in the demon realm.
”Th-Thank you very much,” I said.
Regardless, I can’t defy anyone here. I thanked the woman honestly.
”For… what, I wonder?” the woman asked.
”For… bestowing such a meal upon me,” I replied.
I rarely use polite speech with anyone other than my father or grandfather. But I felt no resistance to speaking politely to this person.
How should I put it… I sense a certain grace. The refinement unique to the high-born. She has beautiful fingers, and I don’t think I’m entirely wrong.
The woman opened her mouth, wearing a smile that literally reminded me of a goddess.
”What are you talking about? This is my meal, not yours, Iris-chan,” she said.
”………Eh?” I let out a pathetic sound that made me doubt my own ears.
The maid proceeded to pour a sweet-smelling drink into a cup on the table.
I don’t understand. This person went out of her way to ask if it was “painful not having eaten since yesterday” before starting the meal preparations.
In the first place, I don’t see the point of eating in a dungeon like this. Anyone would think it was prepared for me.
”U-Um…” I started.
”Yes?” the woman replied.
Standing beside her, the tall maid directed a piercing gaze toward me. I couldn’t help but shrink back under it.
No, the maid’s eyes were closed, but I felt as if I were being glared at from behind those shut eyelids.
”No… it’s nothing…” I muttered.
”I see. Well then, I’ll teach you right away what kind of place this is. I’ll be eating while we talk, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t find it rude,” the woman said.
In other words, she felt that dealing with me while eating was more than sufficient.
”Ah… but. I wonder if your head can even absorb what I’m teaching if you’ve been hungry for so long?” she asked.
I found hope in her words. Maybe she will let me eat something.
To be honest, if I were to die now… the most likely cause of death would be starvation.
”I suppose it can’t be helped,” the woman said.
Yes… finally, I can eat something.
She stabbed a piece of meat with her fork, then with a swish, she flicked it and dropped a morsel toward me.
Because of the sauce, it made a splash sound as the single piece of meat fell to the floor.
”Eh…” I uttered.
”Eat it without using your hands,” the woman said.
She continued to offer the same gentle smile.
Her appearance, her actions, and her words. The gap between them was so intense that I couldn’t keep up with the understanding of my current situation.
”What’s wrong? You’re hungry, aren’t you? If you don’t want the meat… shall I have it taken away?” she asked.
”………!”
I am the daughter of a great Merchant Guild that produces council members. If I were to expose such a miserable sight, it would disgrace the dignity of the Kelna Merchant Guild².
There is no way I can accept her demand. This kind of treatment toward me is utterly unforgivable…!
And yet.
”Ugh… hng…”
Before I knew it, I was crawling on the floor like a dog, putting the bestowed meat into my mouth.
It’s delicious. Incredibly delicious. What is this sauce? The sweet and salty flavor perfectly matches the meat. I could eat any amount of this.
”Good girl. I was wondering whether to drop it in the gutter over there… but I do like obedient puppies,” the woman said.
”………!”
A chill ran down my spine. This woman… she was actually debating whether to drop the meat into the toilet drain.
If that had happened, I would have been forced to thrust my face into that gutter to eat. Into the very gutter I had once used to relieve myself.
The spirit of rebellion within me vanished completely. I must absolutely never defy her. I must not even show a face or attitude of dissatisfaction.
This woman… she has mastered the art of treating her face and her heart as entirely separate things. Her expressions cannot be relied upon. She likely received such training since childhood.
”Now, shall we continue our talk?” she asked.
Moving her knife and fork with a clink, the woman ate the delicious-looking… no, the delicious meat and those white grains.
Those white grains are definitely delicious too. I wonder if they were also cultivated in the Demon Forest³.
”This is the Demon Forest, deep in its interior. You saw a bit of the outside of the mansion, but this land was developed and is ruled by the Overlord of the Magic Labyrinth,” she explained.
”The Overlord…” I whispered.
It was a name I heard yesterday as well. When I murmured it, the woman turned her gaze to the tall maid.
The maid nodded and walked over to my side. Then, she gave my cheek a light slap.
”……!?”
I’ve never been hit by anyone before. The suddenness of it made me want to cry.
”That’s ‘Lord Overlord,’ isn’t it? What are you to us? An equal business partner? Or an influential investor? You’re not, are you? You were disrespectful to the Lord Overlord, and while you should have normally atoned for your sin with the lives of the town people, you were shown mercy and brought here. I… dislike children who misunderstand their own position,” the woman said.
”……! I-I’m sorry…!” I cried out.
It’s no use. I really can’t defy this woman. There is something… an overwhelming pressure that allows no argument.
Every time I make a mistake, she digs deep into the reason and comes to teach me, step by step, what the correct attitude should be…
Starting with the meat, in this short time, she has made me realize who is above and who is below. Furthermore, she has made me understand the absolute, insurmountable gap between us.
My rebellion against the woman was gone, but I still felt a sense of resistance toward… the Lord Overlord. This woman does not let even such slight emotions slip past.
”The Lord Overlord is the one who built this land. From this dungeon to even that toilet over there, everything can be created exactly as he wishes if it passes through his hands,” she said.
”Eh…”
”Even the maids. Everyone was brought into being by the Lord Overlord. He is the Dominator of this forest. But he is very kind… so he bestowed the blessings of the Demon Forest upon the humans outside, even if only in part,” she continued.
She must mean the fruits. Even now, thinking back, that melon had a magnificent taste.
”But I never thought you would actually consider snatching those blessings away entirely. I wonder… did you perhaps think you could steal from him? Did you look down on him?” she asked.
With the same goddess-like smile, she threw a question that felt like it was gouging out my heart.
This is bad. I can’t see the woman’s true intentions at all. Is she asking with a light heart, or with a deep-seated rage? I don’t know anything.
”What’s wrong? You can hear my words, can’t you?” she urged.
”Y-Yes…”
I was pressured further for an answer. I could only respond to her question with a trembling voice.
”I… I looked down on… him… I th-thought… we could make it… o-ours…”
”Oh my. In the first place, how did you intend to reach the depths of the Demon Forest? Even if you could come here, how did you intend to transport them to the town? The Lord Overlord said it, didn’t he? That the crops were grown in the depths of the Demon Forest,” she said.
I heard it. Indeed, the Lord Overlord had answered that way from the very beginning. It hadn’t been a lie.
”Unless one has the power of the Lord Overlord, managing a farm in the depths should be impossible. For my reference, could you tell me how you planned to come here, cultivate crops, and transport them to the town?” she asked.
Another incredibly difficult question was hurled at me. But I had to answer quickly. Without a doubt, this woman is measuring how many seconds it takes for me to respond.
”I… honestly, that… I didn’t th-think… they were actually being grown… in the d-depths of the Demon Forest…” I managed.
”My! In other words, you… you thought the Lord Overlord was lying!?”
The woman shouted in a voice that echoed through the dungeon, her tone exaggeratedly surprised.
And the content of those words was the very answer I had first thought of but tried to hide.
”Does that mean, Iris-chan… that without even checking the facts, you decided everything the Lord Overlord said was a lie, and then tried to steal what he built? Is that what it is?” she asked.
”………Y-Yes… I am… sorry…”
”It’s very good that you can apologize,” she said.
The woman smiled and clapped her hands. Through this short exchange, my heart had been gouged out immensely.
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Summary:
Iristina is held in a cell and subjected to a terrifying ‘education’ by a noblewoman named Lillia. Lillia treats her meal with luxury while forcing the starving Iristina to eat a scrap of meat off the floor like a dog. Through psychological pressure and a physical slap from a maid, Iristina’s spirit of rebellion is broken. She is forced to admit that she and her guild looked down on the Overlord and intended to steal his work. Lillia mocks Iristina’s lack of foresight regarding the impossibility of managing the Demon Forest without the Overlord’s power.
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Character Insight:
Iristina undergoes a complete collapse of her ego as a high-status merchant’s daughter. Her hunger and the overwhelming aura of Lillia strip away her pride, forcing her into animalistic submission. Lillia displays a terrifying level of emotional control, using her ‘goddess-like smile’ as a weapon of psychological warfare to make her cruelty feel even more absolute. This chapter emphasizes the massive power gap and the ‘education’ required to make Iristina realize her place in the Overlord’s domain.
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Behind the Scene:
The author uses a ‘food as power’ trope here, common in dark fantasy, where the disparity in dining conditions reflects social hierarchy. Lillia’s character design as a refined yet sadistic ‘educator’ serves as a foil to the Overlord’s more direct power.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Iristina – A young, short very cute girl, twin to Aristina. She has silver hair styled in a two-side-up fashion and has somewhat drooping, jito-me-like eyes. Bust Size: B. She is dressed in expensive clothing with a pretty ribbon on her head.
• Ami – A palm-sized fairy-like being from a world separate from both Earth and the isekai realm. She has light blue hair tied in a ponytail, mischievous blue eyes, and tiny wings that flutter behind her. Her outfit consists of a provocative high-cut leotard and a short jacket that looks like a miniskirt from the back, leaving her legs bare. Despite her playful appearance, she is actively searching for a contractor who can protect her from dangerous pursuers in exchange for the powers she offers.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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