Chapter 21
Three days later—
Three days had passed since Meyfield’s last visit to the Demon Lord’s Castle to meet Lisbeth.
With the celebratory banquet fast approaching, the maids throughout the Demon Lord’s Castle were engulfed in a flurry of activity each day.
Lisbeth and Staros, as personal maids, found themselves relentlessly dispatched by Hilda, so overwhelmed that they barely had a moment to even drink water.
“Lisbeth, go check the decorations in the hallway. Staros, you’ll inspect the banquet hall. Should you encounter any issues, report back to me immediately.”
“Ah… yes, yes… I’ll go now…”
“Understood.”
Though Lisbeth yearned to voice a complaint about being so thoroughly commanded, the sight of Hilda herself equally swamped with work left both Lisbeth and Staros with no grounds to grumble.
“Ha… when will this ever end? Not only do we have to move mountains of things daily, but the entire Demon Lord’s Castle is undergoing a massive renovation, even down to replacing the hallway carpets. Does every banquet necessitate such a complete overhaul?”
“No, no, perhaps this occasion is simply exceptional…”
As they walked to their assigned tasks, Lisbeth shook her head in exasperation, then sighed, observing the ceaselessly bustling maids in the corridor.
Hearing her, Staros, who walked beside her, shook her head in turn. “This banquet will host most of the demon race’s high-ranking officials. Not only the five other Six-Heaven Demon Lords, who are of equal standing with the Demon Lord, but also Demon Grand Marshal Meyfield will be attending.
“It’s even possible that the Three Great Demon Lords will make an appearance. So, you see, your surrender holds immense significance for the demon race.”
“Ugh… I should have just stuck to assassinating the Demon Lord back then. Why did I bother leading an army into battle?”
Indeed, Lisbeth’s emergence had undeniably shattered the established dynamics between the two races.
Her capture, hailed as the strongest Hero in history, was an event of immense significance for the entire demon race.
Under normal circumstances, capturing a Hero might only earn praise from the Three Great Demon Lords, but capturing Lisbeth? That called for a celebration across the entire realm.
“So, in essence, it’s all your fault! If you hadn’t needlessly surrendered, I wouldn’t be doing all this exhausting work!”
“Hey, hey, you’re a demon, aren’t you? My capture benefits your entire race, doesn’t it?”
“Hmph, I don’t care about the demon race. For me, it’s enough that my life remains undisturbed.”
Observing Staros, who cared only for herself, Lisbeth chuckled, then stretched languidly. “Alright, alright, I don’t actually dislike that way of thinking. But whatever the case, let’s just focus on the task at hand for now.”
“Hmph, don’t try to change the subject; I haven’t finished speaking. Since I’m this busy because of you, shouldn’t you offer some form of compensation?”
“Compensation? If it involves fondling breasts, that’s out of the question, but other things are certainly negotiable.”
“Eh? You actually agreed? I thought you’d surely scold me.”
Lisbeth’s unexpected nod left Staros momentarily unsure how to react.
Gazing at Staros’s predictable response, Lisbeth suddenly smiled and whispered, “After the banquet preparations are complete, I can treat you to drinks at the tavern. However, for the next three days, I’ll need you to cover my shifts during these specific times.”
“Cover your shifts?”
Upon hearing Lisbeth’s words, Staros took a piece of paper Lisbeth had already prepared, detailing the specific times she needed her to cover.
Seeing this, Staros immediately asked with a puzzled expression, “Lisbeth, what are you doing during these times? You seem so secretive.”
“Nothing much, just a few errands. In any case, if you’re willing to help me, how about I treat you to drinks for three days?”
“Eh!? Three days? Let me warn you, I can hold my liquor really well. Don’t blame me if I drink you dry.”
“It’s fine. Drink as much as you want then, just don’t drink yourself to death.”
“Alright, it’s a deal.”
Ultimately, though Staros didn’t know why Lisbeth needed to leave during those specific hours, she readily accepted the offer of free drinks.
Furthermore, Lisbeth only required her to cover for less than an hour each day, making an hour of work for a day’s worth of drinks a rather lucrative trade for Staros.
Seeing Staros nod, Lisbeth smiled. “Excellent. I’ll take my leave then. I’ll rely on you to check the hallway first.”
“Eh? Is it starting already?”
****
Having handed her duties to Staros, Lisbeth immediately hurried towards the Demon Lord’s Castle’s receiving area.
Her reason for having Staros cover her shifts during those particular times was to thoroughly investigate the individual who had previously approached them using disguise magic and stolen the shopping list.
As Lisbeth rushed, Clotilde, who resided on Lisbeth’s arm, asked her, “Alex, are you going to investigate the person who used disguise magic right now? But if they’re actually there, what’s your plan?”
“Of course, I’ll just knock that person out, then find out who their accomplices are and round them all up. However, the disguise magic they used last time was quite advanced. If we hadn’t specifically learned how to discern such magic, I doubt we would have been able to identify them.”
“Indeed, disguise magic was considered advanced even in our era. But beyond that, was it truly wise to so casually have Staros cover for you? What if she tells Hilda or Christy? You’ll just be suspected again.”
As Clotilde finished speaking, Lisbeth showed no trace of panic; instead, she merely smiled faintly, as if she had already anticipated this.
“Don’t worry, little sword. I believe Staros won’t tell them. And even if she does, there’s no major issue with Christy knowing about this. If they intervene directly, it will actually save me the trouble.”
“If that’s the case, why didn’t you just tell them directly?”
“That’s because I have a feeling this matter isn’t so simple. Before Christy and the others officially get involved, I want to try and figure out exactly what’s going on.”
Though Clotilde wasn’t entirely sure what Lisbeth meant, she spoke with an approving tone. “Alright, I understand. If you say so, you must have your reasons.”
“Yes, exactly. We’re almost at the Demon Lord’s Castle’s receiving area.”
Typically, to facilitate the movement of goods for the Demon Lord’s Castle staff, delivery personnel would bring their shipments to the gate of the lower district.
With the entire Demon Lord’s Castle currently in a state of bustling activity, delivery people were sometimes even asked to help carry goods inside.
While guards at the Demon Lord’s Castle gate would thoroughly inspect all delivery personnel, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone with a certain level of skill to infiltrate the castle.
The individual Lisbeth had encountered previously, who wielded disguise magic, would certainly find it easy to slip in.
It was precisely to prevent such an occurrence that Lisbeth had deliberately staked out the lower district’s gate during delivery times, also hoping to spot anyone else attempting to enter with disguise magic.
Thus, Lisbeth concealed herself in a corner of the lower district, silently observing the arriving delivery people.
“Well? Alex, have you seen that person yet?”
“Not yet. But speaking of which, how much did Hilda even buy? There are far too many deliveries!”
Honestly, Lisbeth had initially expected only a few batches of deliveries, yet over a dozen carriages full of goods had arrived just today.
Seeing this, Clotilde voiced a slight concern. “Alex, what if that person from last time snuck into the city hidden within one of the delivery carriages? I recall you never learned x-ray magic, did you?”
“I’m well aware of that, which is precisely why I had Staros cover for me for an hour. Have you forgotten? While I can’t see through things, I have learned short-range perception magic. Once I get into the warehouse and use it, I’ll know if they’re inside.”
“Oh, I see. And if they really are inside, it’ll be easier for you to knock them out. But Alex, don’t forget to set up a barrier first. If they prove difficult, you can always switch classes to resolve the fight directly.”
“I know. Alright, so far, none of the delivery people seem suspicious. Next, we’ll wait for the goods to be delivered to the warehouse and assess the situation there.”
Having said this, Lisbeth prepared to head towards the warehouse.
But the instant she was about to move, a calm voice drifted from behind her.
“We meet again~”
“Eh!? *Oof!*”
At the sound, Lisbeth instinctively spun around.
The next second, she saw the demoness who had used disguise magic last time, somehow appearing behind her without a sound.
Before she could even utter a word, Lisbeth felt a sudden, heavy blow to her neck…