Chapter 24
When Lisbeth stepped into the meeting room, only five people met her gaze. Aside from Kristia, the Demon Lord herself, the other four were all dressed in maid uniforms identical to her own.
These details, however, were secondary. When her eyes fell upon the two maids standing furthest to the right, Lisbeth could no longer suppress the astonishment swelling within her.
For the two individuals standing at the far right of the meeting room were none other than Airenst, whom Lisbeth had encountered in the secret passage last night, and Angelina, her rival from two centuries later, whom she had seen in the small garden. Upon seeing them, Lisbeth blurted out the nicknames she had given Airenst and Angelina without a second thought.
“Thump!”
“Ow! That hurt!”
However, upon hearing Lisbeth’s impulsive words, Hilda, the Head Maid, immediately struck her head with a sharp knock. She then furiously admonished her, “What in the world are you spouting? Apologize at once!”
“Ah, ahaha, I-I’m so-sorry…”
Though Lisbeth had been startled by the sight that greeted her upon entering the meeting room, the knock from Hilda brought her back to her senses. She took a deep breath before continuing, “I apologize for my rude outburst just now. I truly am sorry.”
“Hmph, fine. Since you’ve apologized, I won’t dwell on what you said. Now, quickly introduce yourself.”
It seemed Kristia didn’t understand Lisbeth’s sudden fit of madness, but seeing that she had accepted the reprieve offered by Hilda, the Demon Lord waved her hand, intending to move past the topic. However, while Kristia’s intentions were good, Airenst seemed unwilling to let Lisbeth off the hook.
“No, no, Demon Lord. I’m actually quite curious about the term she used. So, that ‘pervert’ you mentioned just now, it wouldn’t happen to be me, would it?”
“Eh? No, not at all…”
Upon hearing Airenst’s words, Lisbeth instinctively lowered her head. Though appearing docile on the surface, inwardly, she was seething with irritation.
‘Damn it! I didn’t even mention your name, so what do you mean by walking right into it? Or do you know yourself that you’re a pervert?’
While Lisbeth longed to unleash these thoughts, she naturally wouldn’t act so impulsively. Instead, a smile graced her face as she softly said, “Um, that was just something I blurted out last night because I didn’t sleep well, so please don’t mind it. Ah, let me introduce myself first. I am Lisbeth, and from now on I will be…”
“You don’t need to introduce yourself, you know. We all know your name and your true identity. And honestly, it’s quite thrilling to see the human hero become so adorable now.”
Before Lisbeth could finish her sentence, Airenst had already interrupted her. She moved closer to Lisbeth, leaning her face beside hers, and gently sniffed before adding, “Mmm, you smell lovely~ Looks like you’ve just had a bath?”
“Please compose yourself. While I may have misspoken just now, I ask that you know your limits.”
Lisbeth had originally intended to remain silent to avoid any further blunders. However, Airenst’s outrageous actions finally irked him, prompting him to point at her and add, “And since you already know my true identity, you should be aware that I am male, right?”
“Male? I wouldn’t know that~”
“Pfft~”
“Eh, eh!?”
As Airenst’s words faded, she suddenly grabbed Lisbeth’s chest. Leaning close to his ear, she spoke in a highly provocative tone, “To me, I don’t care if you’re a man or a woman inside. As long as your body is that of an adorable girl, there’s nothing to complain about~”
‘A pervert! A complete and utter pervert!’
In that moment, Lisbeth realized the nickname he had coined was shockingly accurate. Though Airenst, with her beautiful silver hair, exuded an aura of nobility and mystery, hearing her words instantly plummeted her favorability in Lisbeth’s estimation.
“Airenst, that’s enough! While Lisbeth is indeed the human hero, he is also currently the Demon Lord’s servant. Do not take such liberties!”
Though Hilda didn’t directly intervene to stop Airenst’s actions, her sharp rebuke echoed throughout the entire meeting room, causing Airenst to instinctively cover her ears. “Alright, alright, I was wrong. It was just a joke with the newcomer, do you really have to be so serious?”
“I wouldn’t call that a joke, so please don’t make actions that can be easily misunderstood next time.”
‘No, no, I definitely wouldn’t call that a joke.’
Watching the hand that continued to knead his body, Lisbeth’s mouth twitched. He then gently asked, “Whatever the case, could you please let go first?”
“Hmm? Oh, my apologies. The sensation was just too good, so I unconsciously kneaded a little longer. But this sensation feels somewhat familiar, just like the child I rendezvoused with yesterday.”
‘Eh, eh, eh!? Did she already figure out that I was the one she met in the secret passage yesterday!?’
Upon hearing Airenst’s words, Lisbeth’s heart momentarily stopped. Yet he knew he couldn’t reveal any weakness here, so he simply smiled and said, “Heh heh, Miss Airenst, you do love to joke. As a personal maid, you wouldn’t casually rendezvous with anyone, would you?”
“Hmm? Not at all~ The number of maids I’ve rendezvoused with is more than I can count on both hands and feet~ But then again, you were in the dungeon yesterday, so you couldn’t have been the one, could you~”
“Ah, yes. That’s right, I was in the dungeon all day yesterday.”
‘Damn it, did she figure it out or not?’
Though Lisbeth tried his best to speak in a calm voice, Airenst’s deeply meaningful smile still made him feel uneasy. However, the next moment, Airenst simply chuckled and turned to Kristia, saying, “Demon Lord, this person named Lisbeth is truly interesting. It seems I’ll get along with him quite well~”
“Good, if you think so, then it’s settled. So Lisbeth, please introduce yourself again. Afterwards, everyone present will introduce themselves to you.”
“Ah, yes.”
Thus, after a brief crisis, Lisbeth finally endured the immediate situation. Yet Airenst’s enigmatic smile lingered, refusing to fade from Lisbeth’s mind.
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