“Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”
“…Maybe.”
Returning to the room, Arsep lay on the sofa, finally seeming to regain some sense.
Instead, she was staring blankly at the ceiling, perhaps feeling the weight of reality hit her.
Considering that she had tried to rush at Keren just moments ago, this was a relief.
I also took a moment to catch my breath and removed my skull mask temporarily.
The windows were securely covered, and there didn’t seem to be any magic around, so I could relax here, at least for now.
Since this was the city lord’s mansion, the room was spacious and luxurious, though it did feel a bit overwhelming.
“So, what was that all about? If Flua hadn’t been there, things could’ve gotten messy.”
“…I don’t know myself. I just…saw that kid clinging to you, and anger surged up.”
“Was it really that upsetting?”
“At least, it felt like that at the time. I don’t quite know why.”
Arsep fiddled with her hair, twisting it around her fingers, avoiding eye contact.
She seemed embarrassed.
The important thing, though, was that she had come to her senses, and we had managed to conceal our identities and remain in this city far more smoothly than expected.
“When I think back on it, it’s strange. Every little thing that kid did got on my nerves.”
“Don’t worry too much. She looked quite young, honestly. It might have just been a show of gratitude, nothing more.”
Keren, at first glance, looked to be about the same age as Arsep, perhaps a year or two older.
Of course, as with Arsep, demons often didn’t age in sync with their appearance, so that had to be considered.
From what she said, Keren gave off an overly cheerful vibe—or maybe she just had her head in the clouds.
In that regard, she didn’t seem particularly old.
“Do you like women like that?”
“What kind of woman?”
As I stretched a bit to loosen up, Arsep fidgeted with her fingers and asked.
“What kind of woman indeed… I’m talking about the daughter of a high-ranking demon here.”
“Even if you ask so suddenly…”
“I didn’t have any particular thoughts on the matter.”
She simply seemed like someone who wore her heart on her sleeve.
Judging by Berard’s expression behind her, she was probably the type to unknowingly worry her parents.
It certainly seemed that way.
Her attire was rather revealing, so she had an open, outgoing personality.
If she were my daughter, I might have been concerned, but since she wasn’t, I had no other thoughts.
“Could you lend me your hand for a moment?”
“I don’t know what for, but… here.”
I extended my hand to Arsep.
“…Your hand is bigger than it looks.”
“I don’t think it’s particularly big.”
“At least to me, it is. I can’t even cover it with both of mine…”
“Well, I am taller and broader.”
“I see. That must be why your fingers are thick too.”
She touched my hand here and there, a slight blush on her face before letting go.
I didn’t know what Arsep meant, but I assumed that saying my hand was big was a compliment.
One of my friends had short fingers and gave up on piano lessons, and another, who played basketball, often dropped the ball because he couldn’t hold it with one hand.
‘Well, sometimes I wish my hands were a bit smaller when I’m working on detailed tasks.’
“So, what do we do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Our next plans. Can I assume nothing has changed?”
“Yes, just think of it as getting a pricey, nice inn for free. Tomorrow, we’ll visit that shop, and then we’ll leave the city.”
It was the shop Arsep had been planning to visit.
Though I didn’t know what business she had there, I still recalled how disappointed she was to learn it was closed.
“So, are we staying here the rest of today? It’s still a while until sunset.”
“Since the shop I planned to go to is closed, I have nowhere else to be. Do you?”
“I think a bit more sightseeing around the city could be nice. Flua, what about you?”
Arsep didn’t mind, and I thought more sightseeing wouldn’t be bad.
Now, we just needed Flua’s opinion.
In response to my question, Flua, seeming to ponder for a moment, picked up the skull mask from the table and put it on me.
“…You want to go too?”
She nodded in response.
Well, when we first arrived here, she had found everything fascinating and had enjoyed looking around.
Since we plan to leave tomorrow after visiting the shop Arsep mentioned, and I don’t particularly want to stay in this city any longer, it would be best to do any sightseeing today.
I got up to prepare to head back out.
***
“The master is about to go out for a bit.”
Arsep had already risen and instructed the maid in the hallway to prepare a carriage.
A moment ago, she seemed to feel a mix of frustration and humiliation about calling me “master,” but in moments like this, she could adjust her tone and speech perfectly.
This wasn’t the first time she had done this—it made me wonder if the Great Demon Lord had a hidden hobby of playing such roles with others.
“You seem quite used to it.”
“…I know what you’re thinking. But let me correct you. I’m simply imitating the maid who used to serve me. …Don’t get any strange ideas.”
“Understood, Great Demon Lord.”
“I really am just imitating…!”
And so, we took the carriage back into the city.
Having a carriage was indeed convenient for moving around.
There was a familiar yet refreshing feeling in traveling by a carriage with seats that folded down.
“There aren’t many people around.”
“Considering the commotion earlier, it’s only natural. Still, everyone seems busy, especially clearing away broken glass.”
There were noticeably fewer people in the city than when we first arrived, likely because they had evacuated in a hurry.
And perhaps because I might have overused my strength, many of the city’s windows were shattered, and people were occupied with cleaning up.
“Now that you mention it, even the mansion had a few broken windows. I didn’t expect that just throwing one brick would shatter all the windows in the city…”
Even though I put some force into that throw, it seemed unlikely that a mere brick could break all the glass in the city.
It was just a small construction brick that you’d commonly see on the street.
Someone who saw it might think I’d strapped a nuclear warhead to it.
“You managed to wipe out 200 wyverns with a single brick, yet you’re worried about a few broken windows?”
“It wasn’t just a few; they said pretty much all the glass was shattered.”
“It seems you’ve missed the main point.”
After a while, we got off the carriage and headed toward an area with shops selling magical artifacts.
Though the shop Arsep wanted to visit was closed, we figured we could take a stroll and see if another magical artifact shop might carry what she was looking for.
In true demonic city fashion, there were plenty of magical artifact shops.
Though I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about magical items, I noticed some interesting ones—like weapons where fire would erupt from the blade or shields that could reflect enemy attacks.
They were visually obvious, so as someone who didn’t know much about magic, it was natural for my attention to go to these first.
“Are you interested in those kinds of weapons?”
“As a gatekeeper, it would be odd to fight barehanded, right? The only weapon I have is an old spear left behind by an adventurer.”
It’s only natural for any man to be drawn to a sword with a flaming blade.
Not to mention, there’s no need to carry it at the waist; it follows you around in a sheath, secured by special magic on your back.
Very few men could resist that.
“If you wish, you can use the weapons in the castle’s armory. They are of much higher quality. Though, isn’t bare-handed combat still more effective for you?”
“I am a tool-using primate, after all. With just a stone, I can only take down a small bird.”
“A… small bird?”
Arsep looked like she wanted to argue but soon realized it was pointless and gave up.
I might try wielding a sword myself when we get back to the castle.
To be honest, even carrying that spear is a hassle, so I usually just leave it by the castle gate.
If a sword stays secured on my back, it would be comfortable, and besides, it’s a sword that breathes fire.
Maybe I’ll buy a book on swordsmanship here and try practicing a bit myself.
“Um… could you please let go of my hand?”
“That voice…”
Suddenly, I heard Keren’s voice from somewhere.
This place was relatively quiet, but it was still a market, so it was hard to make out just one voice.
“Did you hear something?”
“…Nothing at all.”
“It came from a bit farther away. Let’s check it out for a moment.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I just want to see what’s going on.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
Neither Arsep nor Flua seemed to hear it, which suggested it was quite a distance away.
“Don’t wander around alone; it’s dangerous here. Stick with us, missy.”
“Yeah, and there’s a much more exciting place to go than this boring market. Let’s go have some fun.”
“I said I’m fine!”
“But we’re not fine with it.”
From the sound of it, Keren was in a troublesome situation.
Then again, Keren is the daughter of Berard, the high-ranking demon who rules this city.
I doubted anyone would be foolish enough to mess with her…
Still, it might be good to check the situation, just in case.
It sounded like it was coming from that alley.
“Wait here, you two. I’ll just go have a quick look.”
I entered the alley to see what was going on.
And then…
“Gyaaah!!!”
Keren was already there, having single-handedly twisted the wrists of three thugs.
The thugs were on the ground, screaming with their wrists bent back.
“Ah, my savior! You’ve come to rescue me…!”
“So, who exactly needs saving here?”