My Wives Are Seven Beautiful Demonesses-Chapter 126 - No. Papa, no papa?

[Location: Dungeon—Vampire King’s Castle]

"...Your name... will be Eris."

The moment the word left my mouth, the air shifted.

Not metaphorically.

Literally.

A pulse—soft, golden, warm—expanded from the tiny angel girl as if reality itself acknowledged the naming. The glow didn’t explode this time. It bloomed. Like a dawn stretching across a battlefield.

The shadows around us recoiled instinctively,

but gently—

as if the holy light was now... politely knocking instead of trying to erase them.

Erebus tilted his head, eyes narrowing.

"...Recognition," he murmured. "The name has settled."

Astra nearly squealed. Nearly. Her whole body trembled with suppressed fangirling.

Paimon bowed deeply in a way that clearly said:

’The tiny holy creature now has a moniker. Order is restored.’

Draugr stomped once.

(Translation: Small holy thing now has label. Good.)

Bob vibrated happiness.

Vael melted like a wet sock.

And the girl—Eris—looked absolutely delighted.

She blinked her enormous golden eyes at me,

her wings fluttering into happy puffs of light.

"Ewis...?" she repeated softly, trying the name out with childlike earnestness.

My heart did a somersault.

Then burst into flames.

Then died.

Then respawned at level one.

"Eris," I corrected gently.

She brightened like a star.

"Ewis!"

"...Close enough."

She hugged me again, tightly this time—as if imprinting the name deep into her existence—and a soft chime rang through the dungeon like a celestial notification.

The system pinged in my head.

Tti-ring~

[Name Assignment Complete.]

[Eris — Ancient Angel Unit: Activated.]

[Soul-Link: Stable]

[Emotional Integrity: 97% (Calm, Affectionate, Curious)]

[Warning: Host is currently recognized as "Papa."]

"Yes, I KNOW," I whispered internally, rubbing my forehead.

Astra leaned in again.

"So her name is Eris~" she purred. "Cute. Fitting. Lovely. And absolutely deadly-sounding if she ever chooses violence. You did so well, my king~"

I glared. "I wasn’t going for ’deadly.’"

"You named a literal divine entity," she said. "Everything she does will be deadly."

Erebus nodded. "An accurate assessment."

Eris tugged lightly at my sleeve.

"Papa... Eris good?" she squeaked.

My brain melted.

"Yes," I croaked. "Eris good."

She giggled and puffed out another warm burst of holy glow—

foomp

Astra shrieked like someone hit her with a flashlight.

"BLINDING—!!"

Paimon shielded himself fast enough to create a gust.

Vael curled like he was evaporating.

Bob vibrated in the pitch of panic.

Erebus simply stepped behind me, using me as a divine radiation shield.

"Convenient," he murmured.

I sighed—loudly.

"Eris, sweetie, uh... maybe dial it back? The glow, I mean."

Eris blinked, tilted her head, then—

click

The glowing instantly softened.

Erebus inhaled sharply. "...She obeyed instantly."

Astra gasped. "Papa power~"

"STOP CALLING IT THAT."

Eris blinked.

"Papa... no papa?" she asked softly.

Immediately—

EVERYONE FROZE.

Oh no.

Oh no.

Her eyes wobbled.

Her bottom lip trembled.

"Papa no papa?" she repeated, quieter.

A crackle of holy light fizzled around her.

Bob vibrated a high-pitched WARNING frequency.

Draugr stomped a frantic stomp.

Vael scrambled behind Paimon, gargling something that says: "She’s gonna cry—SHE’S GONNA CRY—DON’T LET HER CRY—HOLY FLOOD LEVEL 99—"

Astra slapped a hand over my mouth.

"Don’t screw this up," she hissed.

Eris stared up at me, tiny fists clenched, wings drooping like sad feathers.

"...Papa doesn’t want to be Papa...?"

My soul nearly died again.

"WAIT, WAIT—WHAT—NO—WHO SAID THAT?! WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!" I choked out, trying to pry Astra’s hand off.

She removed her hand.

Eris sniffled.

A trembling spark of divine resonance flickered in the air.

Erebus whispered urgently, "My king. Fix it. Now."

"I—I didn’t say I wasn’t—!! I mean— I’m not— I am—"

Words.

Language.

Common sense.

All left the building.

Eris lowered her head, shoulders shaking.

The glow began rising—

Like a holy nuke warming up.

"Papa is papa, Eris.

Papa is FULL of papa.

Papa is the MOST papa that papa has ever papa’d."

The words exploded out of my mouth like a panicked toddler learning English for the first time.

Eris froze mid-sniffle.

Astra choked on air.

Paimon made a noise so confused it sounded like a dying kettle.

Draugr stomped a stomp that translated to: "WHAT???"

Bob vibrated in a frequency that scientifically meant:

"BRO ARE YOU HAVING A STROKE?"

Erebus stared at me with the expression of a man who just watched a deity trip over their robe.

But—

But it worked.

Eris blinked.

Her trembling glow paused.

Then her eyes sparkled, wide and shimmering, and the sadness evaporated like smoke.

"Papa... IS papa?" she whispered.

"Yes!" I nodded so violently my neck cracked. "Papa IS papa! Papa is VERY papa! Peak papa! Maximum papa! Papa at 100% capacity!"

Astra slapped my back. "Yes!! Commit to the papa!!"

"STOP SAYING PAPA," I hissed back, still smiling like a broken toaster.

Eris stared up at me like I had just rewritten the fundamental rules of the universe.

Then—

fwump

She launched herself at me again.

Warm.

Soft.

Holy.

Her wings wrapped around me like a tiny glowing blanket.

"Papa," she sighed, relieved.

And the dungeon stopped vibrating.

Erebus exhaled. "Crisis averted."

Paimon straightened. "Emotional stability restored."

Vael peeled himself off the floor like: "Holy death wave... gone..."

Bob vibrated a little celebratory buzz, like "good job not dying."

Eris pulled back slightly from my chest and held up two tiny fingers.

"Papa," she said.

She pointed at herself.

"Ewis."

She pointed at me again.

"Papa Ewis Papa."

I blinked. "...What?"

Astra translated instantly, because of course, she could understand toddler angel logic.

"Oh! She’s asking a philosophical question~" she said.

"No, she’s NOT," I argued.

"Yes, she is," Astra said.

Then she dramatically mimicked Eris:

"Papa is papa... but papa is also not papa... SO— what IS papa?"

I stared at Astra like she personally invented migraines.

"That’s not— NO ONE ASKED THAT!"

Eris tugged my sleeve again.

"Papa is papa?" she repeated insistently.

Okay.

She really was asking it.

I took a deep breath.

"Eris... listen carefully."

She leaned in.

Everyone leaned in.

Even Bob vibrated closer.

"Papa is... papa." I tapped my chest. "Papa is me."

She tilted her head.

"But papa no papa?"

"I NEVER SAID THAT."

She blinked. "...Papa no papa earlier."

"That was a misunderstanding."

"Papa papa now?"

"Yes."

"Papa forever?"

I froze.

Erebus subtly gestured behind her back:

SAY YES OR WE ALL DIE.

Astra mouthed:

Do it. She’ll explode if you don’t.

Paimon made a desperate prayer gesture.

Bob vibrated a threatening frequency.

Draugr stomped a "YOU WILL SAY YES" stomp.

I swallowed.

"...Yes. Papa forever."

Eris lit up like a miniature sun.

Immediately—

boooooomf

a massive wave of holy warmth burst outward.

Everyone collapsed.

Astra fell face-first into the floor.

Paimon staggered like a drunk goat.

Vael hissed like boiling water.

Even Erebus grunted, barely holding his form together.

But none of it touched me.

I stood there, untouched, holding a tiny angel whose happiness was literally radiating like a divine furnace.

Eris giggled and snuggled deeper against my chest.

"Papa forever..."

She said it with such contentment that my ribs nearly liquefied.

Astra staggered upright, mask crooked.

"My king... I have never... EVER... seen a holy nuke weaponize cuteness like this."

"ME NEITHER," I wheezed.

Erebus finally straightened himself.

"...My king," he said carefully. "Your... daughter... is extremely powerful."

"DAUGHTER?!" I yelped.

Eris looked up immediately, smiling. "Daughter Eris?"

My soul short-circuited.

Astra choked on her own spit.

Paimon gave a respectful bow to Eris.

Vael melted again.

Draugr did a stomp of acceptance.

Bob vibrated like a proud grandma.

I covered my face.

"WAIT—NO—STOP—SHE’S NOT— I MEAN— TECHNICALLY— SHE’S— I—"

Eris hugged me tighter.

"Papa~"

And just like that—

I lost the argument.

Forever.

...

"Alright, enough of that," I said with finality while adjusting Eris in a more comfortable position, trying not to wake her up.

"Come Back."

The entire shadow army dissolved into a tide of black smoke, streaming toward my feet and disappearing beneath my shadow.

I turned toward the mountain-sized pillar of light in the centre of the throne hall—the floor-transfer point for the next segment of this endless hellhole.

Then, without hesitation, I stepped inside.

I spoke up.

"Fifty-First floor."

[You need the entry permit.]

I summoned the scroll as per the instructions. As soon as it appeared, it dissolved into the light.

[The Fifty-First floor of the Vampire King’s Castle has been unlocked.]

[You are transferring to the Fifty-First floor.]

Buzz...

The world stretched, twisted, and then snapped—

...

Fifty-First floor, Fifty-Second, "Fifty-Third.... and eventually, the 89th floor. That was the result of grinding for nine days straight.

I exhaled slowly.

Nine days.

Nine entire days of climbing, fighting, grinding, running, healing, dodging, screaming, swearing, cutting, dying (emotionally), killing (physically), and feeding Eris warm milk from the system shop modified to be pink and angel-themed.

And through all of that—

Eris remained glued to me like a tiny celestial barnacle.

When she slept, she snored softly against my chest.

When she woke up, she demanded a good-morning hug or else the dungeon’s holy resonance threatened to destabilize the floor again.

When she wasn’t doing either, she watched everything with curious golden eyes, tilting her head like an oversized chick learning about the world one disaster at a time.

She was...

Perfect.

Terrifying.

Perfectly terrifying.

But in those nine days, I learned one more thing:

She wasn’t just pretending to be a toddler.

She wasn’t acting cute.

She wasn’t mentally a child.

This was a protective regression.

Her soul was too damaged to remain in her true form.

If she returned to her adult state without healing her essence first, her wings might burn away, her halo could crack, and her consciousness might fracture.

And worst of all—

If she broke too quickly, her holy power would spill out and wipe out everything in a five-mile radius.

That’s what the System told me during a private notification:

[Eris (Ancient Angel) – Status: Severely Soul-Damaged]

[Protective Form: Infant Stage – Activated]

[True Form Access: Restricted]

[Warning: Attempting Forced Awakening Will Result in Mass Divine Eruption]

Yeah.

So.

She is absolutely, definitely, no-joke not allowed to cry, panic, get scared, or even sneeze too hard.

Which was great.

Fantastic.

Wonderful.

"I am literally raising a miniature apocalypse machine," I muttered.

Eris, sitting on my shoulders and hugging my head like a crown, pat my hair affectionately.

"Papa sleepy?" she asked, peeking down at my face.

"No," I lied.

"You look sleepy," she insisted.

"Impossible. I’m a demon prince."

"Ewis sees Papa sleepy."

"I’m not sleepy."

She leaned forward until her forehead bonked mine.

"Papa lie."

Everyone else in the shadow army (currently manifesting, because the 89th floor was too damn big and empty) nodded in silent agreement.

Astra: "You DO look like death warmed over, my king~"

Paimon: "Fatigue level: catastrophic."

Vael: "Papa going to pass out."

Bob: vibrates in tired sympathy

Draugr: stomp stomp (Translation: You look like trash, sire.)

Erebus: "My king. Your eyelids have been drooping for three floors."

I glared at all of them.

"I’M FINE!"

Eris blinked.

Then she pulled my cheeks.

"You papa."

"I— yes, that is factually correct, but—"

"You papa tired."

"I—"

She puffed up her cheeks.

"Papa, nap."

"No."

"Papa."

"No."

"Papa~"

"Eris."

She leaned closer.

"Papa... no nap?"

Her tiny wings slumped.

Her eyes shined.

The glow trembled.

I panicked instantly.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT— OKAY OKAY YES YES NAP IT IS NAP TIME I LOVE SLEEP LET’S ALL SLEEP FOREVER IF YOU WANT—"

The holy light stabilized.

Astra clutched her chest and collapsed dramatically.

"I ALMOST GOT EVAPORATED BY A TODDLER’S DISAPPOINTMENT AGAIN—"

Erebus turned away, shoulders tensing in visible dread.

Paimon wiped sweat.

Bob emitted stress vibrations.

Draugr stomped relief.

Vael whimpered into the floor.

I carefully lifted Eris and held her.

"Okay. Papa will nap. Later. When it’s safe. Not now. Because this floor might have—"

A sound interrupted me.

A large sound.

A very, very large sound.

A roar.

Deep.

Ancient.

Echoing through the massive cavern floor like a mountain dragging across stone.

Everyone froze instantly.

Eris perked up like a cat hearing a toy.

"Papa! Big thing!"

"Yes, I heard."

"Big scary?"

"Most likely."

"Bigger than Bob?"

Bob vibrated indignantly.

I patted her head. "Yes. Bigger than Bob."

"Whoa..."

The ground shook again.

A blast of wind ripped past us as something huge moved in the darkness.

Erebus appeared next to me, spear drawn.

"Prepare for combat."

Astra slid in with twin daggers. "Ooooh~ finally some action to wash away emotional parenting stress."

Paimon unsheathed his broadsword.

Vael hid behind a rock.

Bob vibrated bravely.

Draugr raised his clawed hands.

And then—

Eris clapped her hands.

"I go!"

Everyone screamed in unison:

"NOOOOOOOOO—!"

Eris paused, startled.

She blinked.

"...Papa no go?"

I knelt down quickly.

"Eris. Sweetheart. You need to stay behind me during fights."

"Why?"

"Because you’re baby right now."

"I strong baby."

"Yes."

"I go smash."

"No smash."

"Smash little?"

"No smash at all."

"Small smash...?"

"Eris—"

She leaned in with BIG eyes.

"Papa papa?"

I broke.

"Fine— BUT ONLY IF YOU HOLD MY HAND AND DON’T USE HOLY NUKES—"

Instant happiness.

"YAAAY!!"

Everyone yelled again:

"NO HOLY NUKES!"

Eris saluted.

"Ewis promise!"

The ground shook harder.

Something moved again.

Something massive.

I shoved Eris behind me and took a stance.

Astra whispered:

"My king... this floor’s guardian... it’s waking up."

Paimon nodded as if saying: "The energy signature is enormous."

Erebus’ shadow sharpened into blades. "Prepare."

And then—

The darkness split open.

A colossal shape lumbered forward.

Towering. Hulking. Covered in bone armor.Eyes glowing like burning coals.A maw big enough to swallow a carriage whole.

A Behemoth-class Aberrant Vampiric creature.

Its roar rolled across the cavern like thunder exploding.

Eris gasped.

"Papa!! Big puppy!!"

"THAT IS NOT A PUPPY!"

"It looks like puppy!"

"It REALLY doesn’t—"

The creature lowered its head—charging up an attack.

Astra shouted:

"It’s about to fire— MOVE—"

The Behemoth roared—

A shockwave gathered in its chest.

Paimon yelled, "My king, it’s charging a—"

Eris held up her tiny hand.

"STOP!!"

Everything stopped.

The Behemoth froze.

Mid-attack.

Mid-breath.

Mid-roar.

Completely immobilized.

The entire cavern went silent.

Even the shadows stopped flickering.

Even I stopped breathing.

Astra mouthed:

...WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL??

Erebus whispered, stunned:

"She stopped... a Behemoth... with one command."

Eris puffed her chest proudly.

"Ewis strong!!"

I stared at her.

Then at the frozen monster.

Then back at her.

"Eris... sweetie... what did you... just do?"

She tilted her head.

"Ewis said stop."

"And it stopped?"

"Yes!"

"But HOW—"

She blinked innocently.

"Because... Papa said... no fight?"

I froze.

Everyone froze.

The dungeon shook slightly as if reacting to this revelation.

Eris hugged my leg.

"Ewis obey Papa. Big thing obey Ewis. So big thing obey Papa~"

Astra whispered,

"She just... chain-of-commanded a Behemoth... because she thinks you outrank reality."

Paimon muttered,

"That is... actually how angels work."

Erebus nodded grimly.

"She treats the world as subordinate to you. Therefore, the world listens."

Eris beamed.

"Papa strongest~"

I rubbed my face.

"I AM NOT—"

Eris gasped.

"Papa no strong?!"

Holy glow crackled.

"NO—WAIT—PAPA STRONG—PAPA VERY STRONG—SUPER STRONG—STRONGEST EVER—"

Glow stabilized.

Everyone sighed in relief.

The Behemoth remained frozen.

Eris tugged my hand gently.

"Papa. Can Ewis pet big puppy?"

"ABSOLUTELY—"

Before I could finish—

She ran directly toward the Behemoth.

"Eris no—!!"

Too late.

She leapt.

Landed on its snout.

And started patting it gently.

"There, puppy~"

Puppy made a rumbling sound like a dying earthquake.

Everyone stared.

Astra fell to her knees.

Paimon pinched the bridge of his nose.

Vael fainted.

Bob vibrated in disbelief.

Erebus whispered:

"She tamed the floor guardian... instantly... through affection."

Draugr stomped in awe.

I watched with the deadest expression imaginable.

Eris hugged its bone-plated nose and giggled.

"Puppy good."

The Behemoth leaned into her tiny hand like an actual domesticated animal.

Astra spoke in a shaky whisper,

"My king..."

"Yes?"

"You have a daughter who can pacify raid bosses by petting them."

I stood there in silence.

Eris rode the Behemoth like a pony.

"PAPA LOOK!!"

I nodded weakly.

"Yes... very good... excellent... Papa is proud..."

She beamed.

The dungeon chimed.

[Floor Guardian Tamed]

[...]

***

Stone me, I can take it!

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