Chapter 3: I Really Want to Fit In with This Team

You have to eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time, the plan is divided into three stages.

The first stage is to smoothly blend into the team, which is the main goal for now.

A few minutes later, Ella came out of the room, gazing softly at the girl.

“Sorry for making you wait.”

“Ah, it’s fine. Um, the clothes suit you well.”

Do they really?

There’s even a button missing.

Now that everything was tidied up, Zero planned to look for the others, but just then, Ella gently held her back.

“I have nowhere to go. My hometown is long gone, and I have no living relatives. So, could I follow you all?”

Zero was taken aback.

“Follow us? But…”

“Please, I can do anything!”

Such strong determination!

Zero almost didn’t know how to refuse, but fortunately, she remembered a crucial point: “Our activities are very dangerous. It wouldn’t be safe for you to follow us.”

“It’s alright. I’ve learned some magic here over the years. I can protect myself. Please~”

Ella stepped forward, clutching Zero’s sleeve, her pleading voice soft and gentle.

As she leaned in, the white line at her collar became even more prominent.

Zero quietly averted her gaze.

“I need to discuss it with the others.”

So that means you’ve already agreed, right?

Watching the assassin girl turn and leave, Ella narrowed her eyes like a cat, letting out a quiet hum.

As expected, these youngsters are so easy to fool with a few soft words, welcoming a stranger with unknown origins just like that.

You stabbed me in the back in the forest, now it’s my turn to use you, you sly fox!

***

At this moment, Zero returned to the large room from before, searching for her teammates.

First, she found the swordswoman near the balcony.

The wind was strong, lifting her icy blue hair strand by strand into the air.

“If the Demon King escaped, this would be the most likely way out, but I haven’t found any traces. Zero, come take a look.”

“I don’t see anything either, Celes.”

The balcony was spotless, only bearing the traces of the morning breeze.

Before they arrived, there weren’t even any footprints.

Maybe the Demon King has a habit of cleaning every morning, but there’s no way he could tidy up after jumping out the window.

“It’s strange. There’s no sign of him anywhere. Could he have used a Bloodline Secret Art to transform into some kind of flying or crawling creature to escape? It’s possible. I know there are Demon Race members who can become bats, but we don’t have any intel about him doing that…”

Celes muttered to herself as she searched every nook and cranny, not even missing the small gap beneath the curtains.

She seemed very busy, Zero thought.

Better find the others to discuss this first.

***

Next, Zero found the blonde Saintess on the rooftop pavilion.

Her full name was Liraleah Light Yalbetrys or something, it was too long, so everyone just called her Miss Leah.

She wasn’t searching for the Demon King’s whereabouts, nor was she offering prayers for this evil place.

She simply sat quietly in a soft chair, eyes closed, basking in the sunlight.

“The morning sun is a blessing from the gods, warm and gentle, it cleanses people’s hearts. Zero, can you feel it?”

“It is pretty nice to sunbathe here.”

Zero replied casually, glancing at the still-eyed-closed Saintess, hesitating to say more.

Although she seemed completely unoccupied, Miss Leah didn’t mention Ella at all.

Better not disturb her.

***

So, Zero went elsewhere to find the last teammate.

Not in the living room, not in the main hall, not in the bathroom, not in the corridor, not in the dining room, not in the study…

“Are you looking for me?”

The Magician girl suddenly poked her head out from behind the bookshelf, nearly startling Zero.

“Miss Vina, there you are.”

“Just call me by name, no need for honorifics. I’m not some noble lady from the Church.”

Vina put her book back on the shelf and waved her small hand, signaling Zero to come over and sit.

“This Demon King must know a lot about humans, or at least be interested in them. Many of these books are from human towns. However, the professional books are still new and hardly touched, while the storybooks have been read much more.”

“I’ll stand. By the way, have you been here the whole time? I mean, aren’t you going to search for the Demon King?”

Zero suddenly realized that since they’d come up to the top floor, it seemed only Celes had been working.

Vina shook her twin tails, looking completely uninterested.

“He’s already run away, so what’s the point of doing boring things? I’d rather find something fun.”

“I see…”

“And you? How’s that big-chested girl you’re looking after?”

Big-breasts girl?

Oh, right, they are pretty big, even popped a button off her collar…

“Emmmm, Ella’s fine, but she has nowhere to go now and wants to come with us.”

Vina paused for a moment as she reached for a book.

“Come with us?”

“Yeah, and she said she can protect herself, not afraid of danger.”

Zero hesitated, then spoke slowly, “I just think, since she hasn’t interacted with people for so long, and she’s so pretty, if we just left her in the city, she’d definitely get into trouble… Oh, and she said she can do anything.”

“Oh~”

Vina pulled a storybook from the shelf, hiding the playful smile on her face.

“She really wants to fit in with the team, huh.”

“Yeah, Ella’s really earnest, but I’m worried the others might have concerns.”

Zero thought for a moment, then tested the waters, “What do you think?”

“I think it’s great, because it’s interesting.”

Interesting?

Maybe that’s just Vina’s way of saying yes, Zero thought.

***

Just then, the study door opened.

Celes stood in the doorway, with Miss Leah following behind.

“There’s no sign of the Demon King. We plan to catch a few Demon Servants on the lower floors and ask them for information.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary~”

Vina raised her hand.

“We already have someone here who knows the Demon King. She lived on the same floor, so she must know him better than anyone else.”

***

After waiting a while in the rest room, Ella finally saw the assassin girl return.

“We want to know something about the Demon King.”

Zero pressed her hands together.

“Please help us.”

Please help me?

You want to know about me?

Ella lowered her head, nervously fiddling with her hands.

“I can, but…”

She really could, since no one knew the Demon King better than her.

But if she slipped and said the wrong thing, it’d be a problem, after all, this kind of “interview” definitely wasn’t for saying good things.

Mm, head down, can’t even see her hands or toes.

Zero didn’t understand her concerns, only thinking she was afraid of retaliation from the Demon Race.

“Don’t worry, we’ll protect you. And as for joining the team, I’ll do my best to help you. Counting me, that’s already two votes in your favor.”

Got it, so I just need to show my value, right?

“Alright, I’m willing to tell you.”