Volume 8 Chapter 15 Creeping Enemy Shadows
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Wait… you didn’t explain the mission to them at all?”
”Uh… maybe I did? Or maybe I didn’t…?”
They slipped out of the old city plaza like they were fleeing a crime scene, only slowing once they were well past the reach of the ex-guards’ watchful eyes—and that was when Suzette’s terrifying gaze skewered him like a thrown blade.
”That sloppiness is a terrible habit of yours,” she said, voice cold and exact. “You always treat everything vaguely and halfheartedly. Anything involving money must be handled with precision.”
”Y-yeah… I totally regret it, suuure…”
”…Could you at least *sound* like you regret it?”
She walked half a step behind him on his right as always. When Klock risked a glance back, she gave him a flat, half-lidded look of pure exasperation. Or maybe—maybe—there was something faintly soft around the edges. He was probably imagining it.
”So,” she went on, “what will you do? I assume you don’t intend to send them scattering in all directions. Can that many even be used for scouting?”
”Not really,” he muttered. “If the Demon Lord’s Army shows up, it’d be from the east or south, but… we don’t even know if they’re coming. It’s just that if we leave everything unwatched and they do come, we’re screwed. But if nothing happens, then… yeah. Nothing happens.”
The key piece here was the Hero.
If the Demon Lord’s Army attacked while Cianie was away, nobody had any clue how well Barreith could actually hold. Judging from how Humans had fared so far, it was safer not to expect much.
So if war broke out, Cianie would be essential.
But Cianie rode out on campaign every morning at sunrise. If they needed her, they’d have to know about the enemy before the enemy got too close. Armies didn’t usually attack out of nowhere; the ideal would be spotting them early, buying enough of an interval to summon Cianie back in time to hit them before they struck.
”Rushelora has already fallen,” Suzette said calmly. “It’s only a matter of time before they come here as well. Perhaps you should consider what those men suggested—making them private soldiers.”
”That’s way too much.”
”I don’t think so. If they can detect an approaching army, they can report while Lady Cianie is still present and she can respond. But if they find the enemy while she’s gone, the enemy might just attack at once. In that case… we’d have to fight.”
”That’s still… thirty-eight guys isn’t gonna cut it.”
”They would fight so we can run,” she replied softly. “If we get surrounded, I don’t know if just Ms. Meina and I could cut a path through.”
…He had to admit, she had a point.
Barreith sat on the eastern edge of the continent—a frontline fortress. If Cianie stayed stationed here, she could crush any force that approached, but this time she was riding out to fight abroad. That left a gap.
If their scouts failed to spot the enemy in time and the little band couldn’t cover for it, they’d have no way to respond. That was a problem.
”…Yeah, but the whole money problem’s still unsolved.”
”Well, we’ll just have to figure something out,” she said as if announcing tomorrow’s weather. “Lady Cianie’s wealth is well beyond the scale of an individual. From what I know, it likely rivals not just nobles or royalty, but entire city-states. But Lady Cianie is your lover. You cannot simply take endlessly from your future wife. You should secure funds on your own and show you have capability as a man.”
”…Wait. What?”
Klock blinked at her, because his other girlfriend-slash-maid had just casually said something outrageous.
Suzette sniffed faintly, nose tilting up in a deliberately haughty little gesture—and that was when—
”—THE ONLY WAY TO CHANGE THESE FOOLS IS TO DESTROY THIS CITY!!”
—someone bellowed from ahead.
”…Uh. What’s that about?”
They were cutting along one of the larger side roads, the ones that peeled off toward the old quarter, on their way back to the inn.
A stocky man stood there in the middle of the street, wrapped in cassock-like priestly robes that strained over his belly. He reeked of money even from here, and his voice carried like a cracked bell as he shouted at passersby.
”Trying to rally the citizens?” Suzette murmured.
”Bit extreme for a campaign speech,” Klock muttered back.
The guy definitely looked like a priest. He was yelling loud enough to shred his throat, but the only thing he was getting was frowns. The volume forced people to notice, sure—but every local who passed just hurried on like he was a puddle of something best not stepped in.
No one was taking him seriously.
Still, he pushed his voice harder, as if sheer effort could drag the crowd’s attention by force.
”This city’s officials are rotten to the core!” the man cried. “They’ve lined their own pockets with excessive taxes and done nothing as our town collapsed! We must never forgive Barreith for causing this disaster! Crush them—and choose a new mayor from among us, the true citizens!”
He raised his arms as he declared it, face red with fury.
No one slowed down.
Not a soul looked convinced.
”Is he with that so-called provisional government?” Suzette mused. “Though I doubt anyone would join him after hearing this.”
”…Yeah. He’s using way too dangerous language,” Klock said. “Supporting something like that could get you arrested.”
It was the kind of thing people always said in angry whispers, but the way he phrased it was clumsy as hell.
No wonder everyone avoided him. It was like he was wearing a sign that said *Hi, I’m trouble.*
To people from the Federation [t/n: alliance of human nations], who’d lived their whole lives in calm peace, words like *destroy* and *crush* aimed at officials probably felt like acid.
”I suppose people like him are what you’d call extremists,” Suzette said lightly. “But it’s hard to imagine anyone supporting him when he speaks that way.”
Yeah. He just sounded like an amateur spouting nonsense, trying to elbow into politics.
The crowd clearly saw it the same way. Some weren’t just ignoring him—they were glaring with open contempt.
If someone threw a rock, he might shut up.
But instead he just kept pushing his voice louder, forcing the air with sheer noise so no one dared interrupt him. People grimaced and kept walking. No one tried to stop him.
”Let’s go,” Suzette said, stepping closer. “Once we get back to the inn, we should talk through our next—Sir Klock?”
”Suzette. You’re not… getting any kind of kin-feel off that guy, are you?”
She frowned at his sudden tone.
Her gaze flicked toward the man, then quickly back, and she shook her head.
”He’s Human. Did you think he was a spy? Demonkin don’t act in such obvious ways.”
Suzette was a Demonkin, and her kind had horns that worked like receivers—one of their racial skills let them sense others of their kind.
If she said he wasn’t one, then he definitely wasn’t Demonkin. He *could* be some other type of demon, though.
”Maybe he’s got someone hiding behind him,” Klock muttered. “Right… I forgot. With you here, I should’ve considered there might be spies in this city.”
”Well… you’re not wrong. But why think that now?”
”Because it’s weird,” Klock said simply.
Weird. That was the only word for it.
But *why* it was weird was hard to explain.
”Geniuses aside, there usually isn’t much difference in how people think,” he said slowly. “If I can figure something out, you can too. And that guy should be able to as well. It’s rare for someone to see something no one else sees. He has to know that yelling like that won’t win support.”
”…I see. So you’re saying?”
”That he’s deliberately making himself sound dangerous.”
Klock slipped a hand lightly around Suzette’s waist as they passed the man and stopped once they were well out of earshot.
”Politics is business. And business is about assets. Goods, land, knowledge, power, money—those all count as assets.”
”…Okay,” Suzette said, side-eyeing him. “Where are you going with this?”
”He’s trying to collect human assets,” Klock said quietly. “Specifically the kind of people who find that talk appealing. The… troublesome, anti-social type.”
Suzette’s brows pulled tight as she fixed her gaze on Klock.
He kept his eyes half-turned toward the ranting priest, people drifting between them like a sluggish current.
”There are basically two ways to sell something,” Klock murmured. “You either try to hit as many people as possible… or you aim sharp at just a few. That cassock guy’s doing the second.”
”A pitch aimed at… anti-social types?”
”Exactly. Because it’s politics. People think politics is supposed to be about talking to everyone, trying to win the most support. That’s the normal assumption.
Anyone with common sense just sees him as some loud idiot. But—there’ve gotta be a few who see something… charismatic in him. A kind of charm that only lights up for people with anti-social thoughts. He’s aiming straight for that sliver of the crowd. He’s not trying to win office in any normal way.”
”And if you’re right… what’s the point?”
”He’s gathering outlaws who don’t fit into society. Even if he collects them, there’s only so much they can actually do. Maybe form a gang and go raiding. Or do sabotage work.”
”…No way.”
Suzette’s eyes widened, and for once she actually looked surprised.
So she’d caught what he was really getting at.
They were standing just shy of the old city quarter, outside the Siena Ward—far from where most Federation [t/n: alliance of human nations] factions had their main offices.
There were already rumors that bandits were hiding in those crumbling streets.
The city was overflowing with refugees, the locals were struggling, and the newcomers were being targeted hard.
Put all of that together, and the cassock man stank of suspicion. He was absolutely worth digging into.
”Suzette, sorry, but can you keep an eye on him for me? I’ll go get Meina.”
”Understood.”
”He might seriously just be some dumb blowhard, though.”
”If he is, that’s fine. But if he’s not, and there’s even a chance the Demon Lord’s Army is behind him, we can’t ignore it.
The worst-case is that he’s gathering members of band of thieves—and that Demon Lord’s Army spies are pulling the strings. That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”
It was nice not having to explain every step—she always caught on quick.
Klock gave her a thumbs-up, then jogged off down the side street, leaving her behind without a shred of worry.
If anything, she could handle herself way better than he could.
* * *
”Wait—spies?!”
”Yeah. Maybe.”
Back at the inn, Cianie was nowhere to be seen, and Meina was holding down the fort alone.
Being alone with a girl was normally a situation he might… take advantage of, but even he could read the room today. He settled for a quick cheeky squeeze of her butt and nothing more.
Dragging her out of the inn, he explained—well, sort of.
Actually he just said he’d found a spy.
The sudden twist made her cat ears twitch straight up as her eyes went wide, but correcting that misunderstanding could wait for Suzette later.
If there really was a spy lurking around, then yeah, the bandit act was just a cover.
Forming them into a gang was probably about having them ready to riot if anything happened.
Or maybe to open the gates from inside during an attack.
If that was the plan… then this city was marked for invasion.
”Kyah!”
Klock skidded to a stop.
He and Meina had been running, keeping to the quieter side lanes to dodge the dense crowds on the main roads.
He hadn’t even checked left or right before cutting across—and slammed right into someone.
”Ah—sorry!”
”…No, it’s fine.”
His heart gave a sharp *thud*.
The voice was so clear it pulled him around by instinct.
It was a girl.
He froze for a second, staring down at the face that tilted up to meet his gaze.
Whoa. Okay. She’s ridiculously cute.
She looked about Meina’s age, dressed in a black overall skirt and smiling like sunlight.
Klock liked girls with curves—big chests, big hips. Flat little girls weren’t his thing.
And yet, for once, he felt himself being pulled in. It was weird. Unsettling.
That almost never happened just from looks.
Then his eyes dropped—and yep, she was definitely flat.
”Hehe♡ You’re staring. Is there something about my face?”
”…Nope. Nothing. Bye.”
”…Huh?”
She seemed like the kind of girl you could tease for fun if you had time.
He didn’t.
His personal maid was waiting by the old city gate.
”W-wait, hey!”
”Huh? What?”
”Weren’t you… I mean, didn’t your heart skip just now? Can you even see me?”
”…The hell are you talking about?”
Out of nowhere, she was saying crazy things.
Well, maybe not *out of nowhere*—with looks like that, she probably knew exactly how pretty she was, and assumed everyone fell for her instantly.
But he was way past the age where “cute” alone could make his heart race.
That confident act just made her smell like trouble.
She flashed wide, clear violet eyes at him like it was supposed to stun him.
Klock just made a deliberately bored face, spun on his heel, and walked away.
”Wait! Where are you going?! We’re still talk—”
”What is this, a sales pitch? If you’re selling yourself, I’m fully stocked. Busy here. Go try someone else.”
”—Wha—?!”
Her face went blank, like he’d drop-kicked her soul.
Klock jogged off. Maybe that was a bit much, but whatever. This city was stuffed with people; the odds of ever seeing her again were basically zero.
And right now, his maid came first.
* * *
”Black.”
It was hours later when they finally regrouped.
Suzette hadn’t been at the plaza, and finding her had taken forever.
Klock was sweaty from all the running; Meina looked cool as ever, her body just built different.
They’d been circling over the sun-bright cobblestones when Suzette reappeared, slipping back toward them with quiet steps—and a faint thread of tension in her face.
She had news.
”That cassock man left for the old city quarter near sunset. I followed him… and saw someone I knew. So I came back.”
”Someone you knew?”
”Yes. A former colleague.”
Klock exhaled sharply.
She meant from her spy days, not her maid days.
If it’d been bandits, that would’ve been convenient—they could’ve just hit their base.
But spies? He’d really hoped there weren’t any of those here.
It meant the Demon Lord’s Army’s agents were already inside Barreith.
That was bad. Really bad.
”They didn’t notice you, right?”
”No. If there had been any other Demonkin present, approaching would’ve let them sense me. I stayed far back.
But since it was someone familiar, I could confirm their identity from a distance.”
”Whoa—Ms. Suzette, good job!”
Of course she nailed the tailing job.
He’d figured her horns could sense Demonkin, but hadn’t realized they could be sensed *back*—luckily she’d already accounted for that.
”I wasn’t planning to deal with bandits,” he muttered. “Guess we talk with Cianie tonight. If we know where their hideout is, we can hit them first.”
”Yes. Under these conditions, I believe we can handle it smoothly. Lady Cianie will be pleased.”
”Nah… she overturns bad odds like they’re nothing. I doubt she’d—”
Klock stopped mid-thought as Suzette’s lips curved into a soft smile.
”No. I mean Lady Cianie will be pleased to hear that *Sir Klock* has accomplished something.”
”Ugh, don’t say corny stuff like that. It was just a lucky guess.”
His tone came out sharp, like he wanted to swat the words right out of the air.
If it had been Boit teasing him, he would’ve flipped both middle fingers without thinking.
Instead, Klock just waved his hand as if shooing away smoke, his face twisted in mock annoyance.
Maybe they mistook it for embarrassment, because both Meina and Suzette let the corners of their lips curl up at the same time.
”How modest of you,” Suzette said softly. “Your deduction earlier was quite impressive. I can say with certainty that I would never have reached that conclusion myself. Even if it was just a guess—”
”…Hm?”
”…No. It’s nothing. I simply felt as though… someone was watching us.”
”…What?”
Klock and Meina’s heads snapped around on instinct, scanning the street.
But the crowd was thick, nothing but moving bodies.
Even if someone *had* been watching, it was probably just by chance—or maybe they’d just been staring at Suzette, which was understandable.
With no sign of anything, the three of them turned back toward their inn, their footsteps carrying them through the thinning light.
Tomorrow might end in battle.
And this time, it would be against other humans.
The thought made a faint ripple in Klock’s chest, but the two girls clinging to his arms didn’t seem the slightest bit unsettled.
It was almost too reassuring.
Almost annoying, really.
So he gave Meina’s butt a firm squeeze. She flushed a little, tail flicking like a nervous cat, while Suzette coolly reached over and pinched his hand without a word.
…Spies, huh.
The more he thought about it, the more of a pain it sounded like.
Creeping around under people’s feet, stirring up trouble. Seriously, get lost.
But a darker thought slid across the back of his mind.
Not about the Demon Lord’s Army spies themselves, or the thieves they were moving like chess pieces—but about what it meant that their reach had even gotten this far into the city.
Spies had slipped inside. They were already working.
Which meant only one thing.
This city wasn’t just being watched.
Barreith might already be marked for conquest.
Notes:
• Suzette – The older maid from Viscount Fennec. The head maid at the Viscount Fennec’s villa. She is confident, clear-spoken, and professional.
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Rushelora – A port where demons are allowed to stay at embassies under special circumstances. It is a location where humans and demons have trade relations.
• Meina – She is a golden-haired catgirl employee of the beastman (Larana the cat woman) Inn, appeared performing fellatio, desperate and tear-streaked, with an inexperienced yet earnest approach to her work.
• Boit – A merchant involved in human trafficking, with a villainous face and a loud, obnoxious voice. He is pragmatic and willing to help Klock escape the country in exchange for something. His relationship with Klock is business-like, though both are aware of each other’s illicit activities.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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