5
The next day.
With the arrival of the demon-territory residents, Hideout City’s getting lively.
The buildings aren’t finished yet, and most of the residents are living out of tents.
Food’s still being distributed, and they’re short on most of the little things that make life easier, but still…
“Whooooa! What’s that?! It’s a giant spider monster! Kill it!”
“You damn brats, don’t you dare touch my beloved vehicle. I’ll smack you! Also, he’s not a spider monster. That’s Mr. Destroyer.”
Next to the recently completed generator station, Alice chases off the demon kids swarming the Destroyer.
Yep, Mr. Destroyer is popular with kids no matter the location.
“And what sort of demon are you? Your horn and tail are cute!”
“Hey, can you use a breath weapon? I can breathe acid!”
“Eek, stop! Don’t pull my tail! I’m not a demon; I’m a Chimera…”
And over there, Rose, who looks more like a demon than your average demon, is being mobbed by a group of girls.
Smiles adorn the expressions of the adults as they watch those scenes unfold.
“You know, this is technically the base for an evil organization, but everyone’s so cheerful…”
“M-my apologies… The demon territory was a very harsh environment, so I think everyone’s just glad to be somewhere safe…”
Apparently, the lands of the demon territory are a postapocalyptic hellscape where monsters wander around right outside your door.
Although we’re close to the Cursed Forest, we do have a wall protecting the city, and there’s plenty of food and water.
“Man, Mr. Destroyer and Rose sure are popular. It’s too bad Tiger Man isn’t here. I bet the kids would love him…”
Then again, maybe it’s a good thing he’s not here.
He definitely wouldn’t cross that line, but still, I wonder where he went.
“Mr. Tiger Man… He’s the one who seems very strong and has really fluffy fur, yes…?”
Viper, for all her seriousness, is still a girl and seems to have an interest in animal mutants.
“Tiger Man is a real asset in the winter. He’s super warm when you hug him. If we have a chance to ask for reinforcements, I’ll see if we can get Panda Man from China or Koala Man from Australia to come over here. Those two are also super fluffy and are a real hit with the kids.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I would really like to meet them!”
Our peaceful little conversation is interrupted by a decidedly nonpeaceful android as she finishes chasing off the children.
“Tch, both human and demon brats have no manners. Yo, Six, I’m going to the castle. You’re coming with me.”
I won’t comment on the fact that she looks like a kid herself.
I prepare to leave Hideout City next to Alice when Viper calls out to us.
“…Um, Mr. Six.”
When I look over, Viper straightens up and has a serious expression on her face.
“Thank you so very much. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.”
She then bows deeply to me.
“…If you’re that interested in Panda Man, I can have them send over some merchandise.”
“No, that’s not what I’m talking about! I mean, about the fact that you’re so accepting of everyone. I really didn’t know how this would turn out, but you’ve put my fears to rest!”
With that, Viper jogs off to deter the children trying once again to climb atop the Destroyer.
…Oh, so that’s what she meant.
I mean, we gain laborers, and the food that we give them is sent to us from Kisaragi HQ, so it’s not a bad deal for us.
Also, there are a lot of beautiful women among the demons.
I only got a glimpse while handing out food, but there were definitely some succubi in there, too.
…Anyway.
“Well, since she’s thanked us ahead of time, I’m putting the negotiations in your hands.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll get the best terms possible.”
With the ever-dependable Alice by my side, we make our way to Tillis.
“There you are, Six. I knew you were easily swayed by a pretty face, but I didn’t think you would fold this readily.”
We’re greeted rather rudely by Snow as we’re shown to Tillis’s chambers.
“Yeah, you’re right. When the Demon Lord’s Army attacked the castle, I remember being swayed by your charms when you came crying to me, telling me you’d do anything if I’d save Rose and Grimm.”
“Grrr…! I do appreciate what you did back then, and I’m still very grateful from time to time! …Anyway!”
Snow blushes before leaning in and whispering.
“What the hell were you thinking? One or two of them is fine, but are you really planning to accept all the former members of the Demon Lord’s Army? The people of this kingdom certainly appreciate what you did for them, but even we can’t do anything about the anger over your actions this time. I mean, until just recently, our nation’s mantra was The only good demon is a dead one. I’m sure some of our people will try to attack the city before long.”
…Ah, I see. She’s trying to warn us in her own way.
However…
“Remember who you’re talking to. Monsters, troublemakers, assassins, and whoever else can all come at us if they want to. We’ll crush ’em. We’re the Kisaragi Corporation: an evil organization filled with capable Combat Agents, and fighting’s what we do best.”
“Well said, Six. Death to our enemies!”
“Why are you always so aggressive?! If settlers are what you need, we can do something about that on our end. So forget about letting in the demons. You’re going to ruin relations with neighboring kingdoms, too.”
From an average person’s perspective, she’s right.
And I can understand it’s a bad idea for us to make enemies when we don’t know a lot about this world yet. However…
“Sorry. With the exception of those who’ve committed crimes on our retribution list, Kisaragi’s policy is to accept anyone who comes to us, no matter their history, and no matter how evil.”
“Yeah, that’s right, Six. If the neighboring kingdoms complain, we’ll use that as an excuse to invade!”
As Snow backs away from Alice, the most bloodthirsty member of Kisaragi despite being an android, a voice calls to us from inside the room.
“Snow, that’s enough. Please come inside. Let us discuss the matter in detail.”
Opening the door at those words, we find the Final Boss…er, Tillis sitting confidently in the middle of the sofa.
Today, she bears no trace of her usual smile. Her anger is clear as day.
Snow, who entered the room with us, slides over to stand by her side.
“Hey, Alice, Tillis has a totally different aura today. It’s hard to think of her as the same person who checked to make sure no one was around, struck a weird pose, and yelled, ‘Dick Festival.’”
“Now, hold on there, Six. Don’t haphazardly reopen that wound.”
“Your Highness, please stay strong! This is their attempt to put us on the back foot!”
Snow supports Tillis as she turns red and looks at the floor, her shoulders trembling.
As my Evil Point count increases for some reason, Snow glares at us in lieu of the temporarily incapacitated Tillis.
“Six, you scumbag! Everyone has moments when they want to do something foolish! Even if Her Highness handles the affairs of state, she’s still a young woman; she certainly can’t help it if she has an interest in a man’s private parts!”
“Snow, you’ve done more than enough. Please see yourself out. And not another word, thank you.”
Tillis’s voice nearly cracks as she says this, and her shoulders tremble like crazy.
A few moments after Snow is driven out of the room, Tillis looks up with a serious expression like nothing happened.
“Six, we’re going to have a serious talk, so stop teasing Tillis,” says Alice.
“Fine. I mean, I don’t get why she’s pretending to be so professional after all that, but I’ll behave.”
“Sir Six, if you could please leave the room as well!”
Having been chased out of the room for whatever reason, Snow decides to pick a fight with me.
“Hmm, so they tossed you out as well? What did you do this time? Something stupid, I’m sure.”
Snow’s voice sounds almost hopeful, but…
“I didn’t say anything weird. I did mention it was too late to pretend to be all serious, but I promised I’d behave.”
“I also don’t understand why I got kicked out. I was only trying to defend Her Highness’s honor… But as I said earlier, Princess Tillis is a young woman of a certain age, so perhaps she’s entered a rebellious phase.”
If that’s the case, I guess there’s no helping it. That is a difficult age to deal with.
With the wall to my back, I take a seat on the floor and wait for Alice to finish negotiations.
“Still, you people really love to make your lives more difficult, don’t you? Why take in the demons instead of just leaving them? What’s in it for you?”
“We can’t really help it. That’s just how we are. I mean, the reason Kisaragi exists is because we take in everyone regardless of their past. We can’t just change that because we’re on a different planet.”
Leaning against the wall next to me, Snow lets out a deep sigh.
She’s usually argumentative, which annoys me, but for some reason, she’s rather contained today.
“Do you really understand the situation? I’m a knight of this kingdom. If the negotiations between Her Highness and Alice don’t go well, we could very well end up fighting each other.”
Snow looks sad all of a sudden.
“…? Yeah, I guess. But it’s not like your kingdom’s even that strong. I mean, Grimm’s probably your most dangerous citizen, and she’ll be on our side next month. Plus, Rose is already a Kisaragi Recruit, so…I don’t really see how we’d lose that one.”
……
“Diiiiiie!”
“Whoa! What the hell?!”
I dodge the sudden attack from Snow, rolling away, and stand up.
“What’s the big idea, Lady Sneak Attack?! Are you trying to kill me ahead of time just in case we end up going to war?! How deplorable! Just how many negative traits do you need to pile on before you’re satisfied, you cheater?!”
At my justified criticism, Snow raises her brow in anger.
“You imbecile! You’re the last person who can call anyone a cheater! If we go to war, I’ll kill you first!”
“Oh yeaaaaah? There’s no way you’d be able to kill me. I’m too strong! I’d just take you out the moment you tried! If we meet on the battlefield, you better push those needlessly huge tits together and say you’re ‘sooo sowwy.’ I’ll be sure to accept your surrender then!”
Hearing that, Snow brandishes her blade and dashes to close the gap between us.
She’s serious. She’s got murder in her eyes.
“Thinking back on it, we’ve had an odd relationship. I picked you up at first thinking you’d be useful, but you ended up being a spy. I drove you out, but somehow, you came back, and when it seemed like you’d help me, I ended up losing my rank and my fortune…”
“I’m not the reason you lost your status, you gold digger! But y’know, I don’t mind apologizing a little right now! I might even give you a little bit of spending money!”
Despite my offer of spending money, Snow doesn’t so much as twitch her brow. She doesn’t drop her battle stance in the slightest.
I don’t know why she’s so pissed off, but she’s not the sort of opponent I can hold back against.
“Dammit, guess I have no choice… You know, I really liked some parts of you… Like your boobs, and your body, and your boobs, and your face. You know what I’m capable of. If you wanna call this off, now’s your last chance!”
“The worst part is that you’re actually trying to convince me with that. I understand your skill. I know I’ll probably lose. But even so, I fought my way up to the rank of knight captain! I may die, but at the very least, I’m taking one of your arms with me!”
You know, she was the first person I met on this planet.
I suppose there was never really a way for us—an agent of an evil organization and a knight who has nothing to offer but her body—to truly get along in the end.
Perhaps we were fated to do this from day one…
As I reflect and make my peace with what’s about to happen, the door to Tillis’s room opens.
“What are you two doing? Can’t you stay quiet when we’re having a serious discussion?”
At Alice’s exasperated remark, Snow declares without hesitation:
“Sorry, Alice, but this is a fight that my knight’s honor deman—”
“You want me to foreclose on your loans?!”
“Alice, stay out of this. I knew I’d have to settle things with her even—”
“You want me to cut off your allowance?!”
Snow and I kneel in the presence of the absolute power standing before us.
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