The Slime Throne had completely turned into a puddle of water.
Celia had lost her Summer Haven and collapsed back onto the lounge chair.
Though she still held the Happy Water in her hand, this fleeting bit of joy was no match for the heatwaves surging from all directions.
The Church doors were wide open, yet there wasn’t a hint of a breeze.
Iris huddled in the shadows of a corner.
After the baptism of lunch, the Former Demon Lord Candidate seemed to have accepted the fact that she was at the bottom of the food chain.
“Lady Celia!”
Lynn ran in from outside in a hurry.
“A lot of people have arrived at the village entrance! It looks like a passing Merchant Caravan. They said they want to rest and reorganize in the village.”
“Oh.”
Celia remained expressionless. It was just a Merchant Caravan — what did it have to do with her?
Right now, she just wanted to turn into a salted fish without any dreams until the sun went down.
“But they seem to be coming toward the Church,” Lynn said with a troubled expression.
“They mentioned hearing that there are miraculous potions here and want to purchase some.”
Business had arrived?
Normally, Celia might have perked up a bit. But now, it was simply too hot. Even moving a little caused her to sweat.
“Where is Elent?”
“Master Elent is in the Backyard chopping wood.”
This made things difficult. She was too lazy to move, and Lynn didn’t look like someone who could handle a Merchant Caravan.
Celia sighed, her gaze landing on Iris in the corner.
“Hey, you over there.”
“Go watch the door.” Celia pointed at Iris, then at the entrance.
“If someone comes, just deal with them. The goods are all on the counter, and the price list is posted on the wall.”
“Me?”
Iris pointed at herself.
She was going to let her, a dignified Demon Lord Candidate, receive greedy human merchants?
And she had to greet them with a smile?
‘If this gets back to the Demon Realm, my prestige will be shattered!’
But then, Iris thought of the punishment she might face if she disobeyed the Witch’s orders.
When one is under another’s roof, one must bow their head.
Iris walked to the Church entrance.
Several merchants dressed in silk robes had already arrived at the Church doors, with a few Adventurers standing beside them. Then, the group saw Iris approaching.
The Young Girl was wearing a visual-impact-heavy maid outfit.
Her long legs were visible beneath a short skirt, with lace garters pressing into her skin.
The cat-ear headband on her head trembled slightly with her breathing.
But the focal point was her expression.
There was no hint of service-oriented humility in her heterochromatic eyes; instead, they were filled with disdain and loathing.
Iris mobilized the residual mana within her body, attempting to release a trace of the pressure belonging to a High Demon.
As long as she scared this group away, she could prove that she wasn’t someone to be trifled with!
“Get lost,” Iris spoke coldly.
“This is not a place where ants like you should come. If you don’t want to die, disappear immediately!”
The merchants stopped in their tracks and looked at one another.
Lynn, hiding behind the counter, covered her eyes.
It was over. Everything was ruined. That kind of attitude would definitely cause a conflict, wouldn’t it?
However, the anger Lynn expected did not appear.
The fat merchant in the lead was stunned for a moment, and then a flush appeared on his face.
“Oh ho!”
The fat merchant let out an exclamation of unknown meaning.
“Is this the ‘special service’ I heard rumors about? A cold, poison-tongued maid? That look she gives us, like we’re trash, is absolutely amazing!”
“Huh?” Iris was stunned.
‘What are these humans saying? Aren’t they afraid?’
“I didn’t expect this Church’s receptionist to have so much character!”
“Hey, little miss, can you insult me one more time?”
“Ha? Are you sick?” Iris instinctively took a step back, the disdain in her eyes deepening. “Get away from me, you’re disgusting.”
“So good!”
An escort looked satisfied, then pulled out one gold coin and slapped it on the table.
“Give me ten bottles of that whatever-it’s-called Happy Water! Keep the change. Give the rest to this maid as a tip!”
“I want some too! Give me a crate!”
“I can be insulted just by buying things? What a bargain!”
The scene instantly spiraled out of control.
The members of the Merchant Caravan, who had originally just wanted to take a look, were now like they had been activated by some strange switch, scrambling to surge into the Church.
Iris was squeezed in the middle of the crowd, completely bewildered.
The more she tried to use vicious language to drive these people away, the more excited they became, and the faster they reached for their money.
“You damned bugs!”
“Thank you for the compliment!”
“You lowly creatures!”
“One more time!”
……
Celia, who had arrived at the Church entrance after timing it, watched the scene before her as her sleepiness vanished instantly.
What kind of development was this?
Celia looked at Iris, who was surrounded by the crowd, looking humiliated yet forced to continue doing business.
Then Celia saw the blissful expressions on the faces of the merchants and the escorts.
Oh ho, she didn’t expect that even in the Other World, there would be masochists.
“Lynn.”
Celia waved her over.
“Go tell Iris to keep it up. Don’t smile — she absolutely must not smile. The fiercer the better, and her eyes need to be even more ruthless.”
“Is that really okay?” Lynn asked hesitantly.
“Just do as I say.”
……
They remained busy until the sun went down before the Merchant Caravan reluctantly departed.
More than half of the Church’s stock had been cleared out, but the money box was packed full.
Iris slumped on the threshold, feeling as if her soul had been drained.
Her throat was hoarse from a full afternoon of hurling insults, and her legs were trembling slightly from standing for too long.
Humans were truly terrifying creatures.
They were clearly being insulted, so why did they feel happy instead?
Iris couldn’t figure it out.
“Miss Priestess, the wood is finished.”
Elent walked out from the Backyard. He was stunned for a moment when he saw the mess on the ground and Iris slumped at the door.
“Were there a lot of guests today?”
“It’s all thanks to this girl. I didn’t expect her to have this kind of talent.” Celia was counting the day’s spoils, her mood excellent.
A single day’s revenue was more than what a certain Red-and-White Priestess would make in a year.
Elent walked to the door, glanced at the hollow-eyed Iris, and then looked at the maid outfit she was wearing.
“Indeed.”
Elent nodded seriously.
“It seems the defensive power of these clothes is quite good. She received so many people, yet they didn’t get dirty.”
“Furthermore,” Elent turned to Celia and said, “Miss Priestess was right. Although she isn’t good at manual labor, as long as she stands there as a decoration, she really is quite good at attracting people.”
“…”
Iris slowly raised her head and looked at the man who was evaluating her with such a serious expression.
To survive, and to cooperate with the Witch’s scheme, she had endured an entire afternoon of mental torture until her voice went hoarse.
Yet, in this man’s eyes, she didn’t even qualify as a tool — she was just a decoration used to solicit customers?
“By the way, Miss Priestess, and Miss Lynn.”
Elent ignored Iris and pulled a paper bundle from his chest.
“These are wild fruits I found in the Backyard. I just tasted one, and it’s very sweet.”
Celia took a fruit and bit into it, juice bursting everywhere.
“Mm, not bad. What do you two want to eat tonight? We made quite a bit today, so we can have a good meal.”
“I’ll make whatever Miss Priestess wants to eat.”
“I’ll follow Lady Celia’s lead.”
Iris sat on the steps, hugging her knees as she watched the three receding figures.
When had she ever suffered such humiliation in the Demon Realm?
This grudge… she would remember it!
Thanks for translating.