“Natalie, you!”
Lisbeth gasped, her eyes wide, as she stared at Natalie, who now perfectly resembled her. “Do you realize how foolish this is?” she urgently continued. “Even with advanced disguise magic, you could still easily expose yourself!”
“No, this is enough.”
Natalie shook her head. “I won’t be staying here long anyway. Once my task is complete, I’ll naturally depart. So, Lisbeth, I’ll need you to remain here for the next few days.”
“Wait, wait, wait! You seriously expect me to stay in this place for days?”
Lisbeth’s voice rose in a panic. “Forget about food, what about using the restroom?!”
Natalie let out a soft chuckle at Lisbeth’s agitated words.
She gently patted Lisbeth’s head. “Don’t worry, Lisbeth, I’ve thought of everything. According to my information, no one will be using this warehouse for at least a few days.”
“I’ll temporarily untie your ropes, but I will place several layers of seals on the warehouse door.”
“As for food, rest assured, I’ll personally bring you meals at mealtimes each day.”
“However, for restroom needs, you’ll have to manage here yourself. After all, this warehouse is quite large; finding a corner shouldn’t be a problem~”
“Hey, hey! What do you mean ‘manage here myself’?”
Lisbeth glared, her eyes wide with indignation. “Do you have any idea how important such matters are to a young lady?!”
Lisbeth’s furious gaze was fixed on Natalie, but despite her protests, Natalie maintained a faint smile.
“Yes, I know it’s an imposition, but I’m only doing this because you’re still a young lady,” Natalie said. “Under normal circumstances, you would have already been knocked unconscious and left to lie there for days and nights.”
“Ha… you’re truly merciful then…”
Truth be told, Natalie’s approach was remarkably lenient.
Typically, anyone attempting to impersonate another would first eliminate the original. Yet, Natalie had never contemplated murder, which, in Lisbeth’s estimation, made her quite benevolent.
Misinterpreting Lisbeth’s sarcasm, Natalie extended a finger and poked Lisbeth’s cheek. “Honestly, this is the best treatment I could offer, and you’re still so upset. Nevertheless, I’ve said all I need to say. Please stay put for the next few days.”
Lisbeth remained silent.
Lisbeth’s continued silence was taken by Natalie as acquiescence. Natalie chuckled softly. “Good, what a well-behaved child. I’ll be going now. Stay here and behave.”
“Hmph, I understand.”
“But don’t you dare do anything strange under my identity. Once you’ve accomplished whatever it is you need to do, get out of the Demon Lord’s Castle at once!”
“Yes, yes~”
With that, Natalie untied Lisbeth’s ropes and, a smile playing on her lips, exited the warehouse.
It seemed Natalie was utterly convinced Lisbeth would offer no further resistance. Yet, as she departed, she failed to notice the faint, knowing smile that graced Lisbeth’s face.
****
Barely a moment after Natalie had left the warehouse, Lisbeth’s lips curled into a cold smirk.
She gently extended a finger, and in an instant, a bluish-green light materialized upon it. With a subtle smile, she addressed the luminous glow. “‘Little Sword-Sword,’ can you hear me? You’ve already possessed Natalie, haven’t you?”
[Yes, I can hear you~ But you truly are something, aren’t you?]
[To think you managed to secretly transfer me, in my imprinted form, onto her body while she was using magic to examine you.]
Lisbeth’s maneuver was so cunning that even Clotilde herself hadn’t foreseen it.
While Natalie had been using advanced disguise magic to scan Lisbeth, Lisbeth had simultaneously deployed counter-detection magic. This allowed her to seamlessly transfer Clotilde, who had been imprinted on her arm, directly onto Natalie’s person.
Although Clotilde was no longer on her arm, preventing internal communication, Lisbeth could still converse with her through transmission magic, just as before.
In essence, Clotilde had become her personal eavesdropping device, strategically placed beside Natalie.
A triumphant smile spread across Lisbeth’s face upon hearing Clotilde’s words. “Naturally,” she continued, “even with our bodies swapped, such a minor trick is still simple for me.”
“More importantly, you must serve as my ears for the next few days. I intend to discover exactly what she’s planning.”
[Yes, yes, I understand.]
[However, if you wished, you could have easily used your class abilities to forcefully knock Natalie unconscious right here. Why choose such an indirect approach?]
“That’s because I don’t want to reveal my identity, and I also want to figure out what Natalie is truly up to.”
As Lisbeth finished speaking, her previously smiling face transformed into a serious expression. “It’s just a premonition,” she explained slowly, “but Natalie might not be the only one to have infiltrated the Demon Lord’s Castle this time.”
“Her actions are clearly not impulsive; they’re part of a pre-planned scheme. I’m very curious about her true intentions, and I also want to know if anyone else is secretly operating within the Demon Lord’s Castle besides her.”
[Ah, I see. It’s impressive how deeply you can think in such a short time.]
Clotilde offered a compliment after hearing Lisbeth’s explanation. However, a moment later, she asked, a hint of confusion in her tone, “Even though I mostly understand everything now, you’re not actually planning to relieve yourself in that warehouse for the next few days, are you?”
“Of course not! If news got out that I handled such matters in a warehouse, how could I ever face anyone again?”
“If I truly need to use the restroom, I’ll simply sneak out of this warehouse. Natalie’s seals are easily undone once I’ve used my class abilities.”
[Oh, so that’s how it is. What a shame, I thought I’d have one more thing to tease you about for the rest of your life.]
“Little Sword-Sword, how could you say such a thing?!”
While Lisbeth was still bickering with Clotilde, Natalie, disguised as Lisbeth, had already returned to her post.
Clotilde, functioning as an eavesdropping device, transmitted every sound she heard directly to Lisbeth.
****
Meanwhile—
“Ah, Lisbeth, you’re finally back.”
“Honestly, you said you’d only cover for an hour, but you were gone for ages.”
After ensuring Lisbeth was secured, Natalie swiftly returned to the celebration banquet hall.
While she wasn’t entirely sure what Lisbeth’s previous duties entailed, she knew that by returning to the banquet location, she would inevitably encounter Lisbeth’s colleagues.
Just as she anticipated, upon spotting her, Staros immediately stepped forward and complained with clear dissatisfaction.
Listening to her words, Natalie understood that Staros’s “covering for her” likely referred to the time spent waiting for her at the Demon Lord’s Castle.
Natalie offered a smile, then gently tugged at her skirt. “My apologies,” she said. “I only intended to take care of a small matter, but it took longer than expected.”
“Hey, hey, Lisbeth, did you take the wrong medicine?”
Staros frowned. “Just talk, why are you pulling at your skirt? It looks disgusting.”
“Eh!?”
Staros’s words left Natalie stunned.
Despite having fought alongside Lisbeth on the battlefield, Natalie was, after all, of noble birth among humans. She had received a thoroughly proper aristocratic education in her youth, so her every gesture should have been flawless.
“U-um, did I do something wrong?”
“Hey, hey, Lisbeth, what’s genuinely wrong with you?”
Staros eyed her suspiciously. “You’re being so polite with me. Did you really eat something strange?”
Though Staros’s gaze, as if she were looking at something repulsive, irked Natalie, she quickly grasped the situation.
She instantly adjusted her tone. “Oh, I was just teasing you a little. Given our relationship, there’s certainly no need for me to be so formal.”
“Hmph, good that you know. But there’s no ‘relationship’ between us to speak of.”
Staros waved a dismissive hand. “More importantly, it’s time to go. Hilda has already called for us to return.”
“Understood. But speaking of our familiarity, perhaps we should use nicknames?”
“Ugh, how utterly disgusting are you today?”
Staros recoiled slightly. “Just call me Staros. I don’t need a nickname.”
“Is that so? Well then, Staros, let’s hurry along.”
Though Natalie didn’t understand why Staros kept giving her such disgusted looks, she had effortlessly gleaned the person’s name.
Smiling, Natalie walked alongside Staros. It was at this very moment that Natalie’s infiltration of the Demon Lord’s Castle truly began.