Each Their Own Role
In the small, weak nation of Piast Kingdom, which bordered the eastern frontier of the Bismarck Empire, the city of Lutenium stood as one of the closest settlements to imperial territory. It was among the first places outside the empire to receive news from Bismarck. On the second floor of a modest house in that very city, a young couple had just moved in and begun their new life together.
The landlord living on the first floor took one look at the pair and declared them a match made in heaven, congratulating their marriage as if it were her own achievement. And so, the first morning for this newlywed couple began…
“Ah, g-good morning, Dane.”
“Uh… good morning….”
It was nothing but pure awkwardness.
Following Nahen’s advice, Dane and Eri had disguised themselves as a newly married couple and slipped into Lutenium. Just as Nahen had predicted, once they crossed the border, all rumors about the adventurer named Eli who had supplied the artifacts had completely vanished. That was good, but…
“S-shall we eat!?”
“Y-yeah….”
How on earth were they supposed to deal with this awkwardness? They were using separate rooms and had simply met in the morning, yet pretending to be husband and wife felt incredibly uncomfortable. Even yesterday, when they had greeted the landlord on the first floor, acting like a loving couple had been far from easy.
“J-just wait a moment. I’ll take care of it!”
“Eri, do you even know how to cook…?”
“……Yes.”
“What can you make?”
“Eggs….”
“Eggs?”
“…I know how to fry eggs.”
In the end, it was Dane, not Eri, who ended up handling the knife in the kitchen. Dane had always enjoyed cooking alone since childhood and had quite a few dishes under his belt. Eri sat at the dining table, resting her chin on both hands, and simply watched him work.
He had cooked for her like this many times before. Back when she, Dane, and Luke had boldly set out as adventurers, they rarely had money to eat at restaurants. Instead, they would buy relatively cheap ingredients, and Dane would prepare meals for them.
‘It brings back memories.’
Recalling those old days, Eri smiled softly. Dane caught a glimpse of that expression when she turned her head slightly, and he quickly looked away, focusing intently on the food.
Soon after, a proper breakfast was laid out on the table. Eri gazed at the delicious side dishes and let out an honest exclamation of admiration.
“Whoa, Dane~! Your skills haven’t gone rusty at all, huh?”
“Unlike someone, I don’t lack talent in the kitchen.”
“What was that?”
“It’s getting cold. Let’s eat.”
The moment Dane and Eri picked up their spoons, a knock sounded at the front door. The two exchanged startled glances. Dane rose cautiously from his seat and approached the entrance. With his hand resting on the hilt of the dagger hidden at his waist, he opened the door—and found himself slightly flustered.
“…Ma’am?”
“Oh dear, sorry to bother you so early in the morning. These are from the little garden plot I tend downstairs. They’re quite tasty, so please try some.”
It was the landlord from the first floor. She held out a small basket filled with tomatoes. Dane quickly composed himself, smiled, and accepted the basket.
“Thank you. We’ll enjoy them.”
“Oh, if they’re good, just let me know. I’ll bring more. It smells like you’re in the middle of breakfast.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Your wife must be quite the cook.”
“…….”
Dane didn’t reply. He simply offered a slight nod, keeping a polite smile on his face.
“Enjoy your meal~.”
The landlord laughed cheerfully as she descended the stairs. Dane closed the door and returned inside. Eri tilted her head slightly and asked,
“Was that the landlady?”
“Yeah. She gave us these.”
When Dane set the basket of tomatoes on the kitchen counter, Eri let out an impressed “Ooh.”
“Those tomatoes look delicious.”
“We can have them later. Finish your meal first.”
“Okay.”
Eri finished her satisfying breakfast with a content smile. Then she stood up and headed straight for the tomatoes the landlady had brought.
“You’re going to eat them right now?”
“We’ll be heading out soon anyway. Let’s eat them before we go.”
“…You should stay home.”
“Huh?”
Dane spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“We’re pretending to be a married… ahem, a married couple right now. Don’t most wives stay home and handle the housework? That’s how it was with our family back then.”
“Oh, right. That’s true for us too.”
In this era, the concept of dual-income households barely existed, so it was only natural. The head of the household typically went out to earn money, while the spouse managed the home.
“So I’ll go alone. You… just study or something while I’m gone.”
“No, I should be the one doing the housework.”
“…You?”
“What’s with that tone, Dane?”
When Eri flashed a rather menacing smile, Dane averted his gaze and muttered,
“…Nothing.”
“That answer is way too suspicious! I know how to clean and do everything, you know?”
“Really?”
“Then who do you think cleaned my room back at the Demon King’s castle!?”
Watching Eri raise her voice, Dane swallowed his retort and thought to himself.
‘Wasn’t it Secily who did it…?’
He remembered the exhausted look on Secily’s face every time she emerged from cleaning Eri’s room. Imagining the disastrous state the house might be in when he returned, Dane wore a complicated expression.
“For now, I’ve secured an adventurer identity, so I’ll be the one gathering information about the empire. You….”
Dane looked at Eri. He recalled the landlady, who had already shown signs of being quite talkative during their brief conversation earlier, and continued,
“Get friendly with the neighborhood ladies and keep chatting with them.”
“…Huh?”
“You never know what useful information might slip out.”
“Ah, I see.”
With their roles now clearly assigned, Dane and Eri finished their preparations. As Dane was about to leave, Eri followed him all the way to the front door.
“…You don’t have to do this.”
“Don’t all couples do this? My mom and dad always did.”
“Right… then….”
When Dane opened the front door, Eri stepped out a little further and waved goodbye. Dane stared at her blankly for a moment. Eri tilted her head and asked,
“Dane?”
“Ah, I’ll be back….”
Just as he was about to offer a simple farewell, Dane’s gaze shifted to the side. Suddenly, he stepped forward and pulled Eri into a tight embrace with both arms.
“!?…D-Dane!?”
Startled, Eri was quickly calmed by Dane’s quiet explanation.
“Just a moment. The landlady is watching this way.”
“…Ah.”
So it was all an act. As a newlywed couple, they needed to show a harmonious appearance. It seemed to work quite well—the landlady quickly looked away and went about her business.
“…She’s gone.”
“U-um….”
Perhaps because of the sudden hug, Eri’s face had turned as red as an apple. Seeing her expression, Dane felt a ticklish sensation in his chest, but he apologized first.
“Sorry for grabbing you so suddenly.”
“N-no, it couldn’t be helped….”
“Thank you for understanding. I’ll be going now.”
“…Yeah. Have a safe trip.”
Eri saw Dane off, then closed the door and went back inside. Once outside, Dane recalled the sensation of holding her and cleared his throat awkwardly before heading toward the adventurers’ guild.
By the time Eri and Dane had successfully settled into their undercover lives in Piast Kingdom, Nahen was walking through the streets, glancing around cautiously. The place he strolled through was none other than Germanium, the capital of the Bismarck Empire.
With the civil war underway, the capital had grown incredibly noisy, yet the streets themselves were so quiet that not even a single rat could be seen.
‘It’s quiet.’
Upon hearing news of the civil war’s outbreak, citizens had locked their doors, closed their windows, drawn their curtains, and refused to step outside. It was only natural. No one wanted to get caught up in war and die. Suggestions to evacuate were absurd—who could flee when a civil war had broken out in their own country? Besides, leaving the capital was impossible. Princess Charlotte’s forces had already declared martial law and strictly controlled all movement in and out of the city.
Yet in the midst of all that, Nahen walked the streets openly. He wasn’t here simply to observe the civil war. There was something in Germanium that he needed to obtain.
In Evil Queen Maker, if one defeated the human forces in war and emerged victorious, a treaty allowed the winner to claim valuable rewards from their capital. That was why waging war against the human realm could sometimes be quite profitable, depending on the circumstances.
Among those rewards, the best item could be obtained by winning a war against the Bismarck Empire—the human nation with the strongest military. In other words, that item was located right here in Germanium.
Since it was a reward granted upon victory in war, it was most likely…
‘…Inside the imperial palace, I suppose.’
With the civil war raging, security would undoubtedly be tighter than ever. Sneaking in there would be no easy task. If only he could have learned the palace’s layout in advance, he might have found the item quickly. But with his brainwashing magic currently unavailable, that option was off the table…
‘I’ll have to infiltrate the hard way.’
Nahen turned from the main road into an alley. After waiting briefly at the end of the narrow passage, he spotted a patrol soldier from the princess’s forces passing by. In an instant, he dragged the man into the shadows.
A short while later, Nahen emerged from the alley—now transformed into an imperial soldier. The plate armor felt somewhat awkward on his body, but changing one’s appearance wasn’t something superiors paid much attention to. Moreover, it was the perfect identity for entering the palace now under Princess Charlotte’s control.
‘…I probably won’t run into her, right?’
As Nahen plotted to slip into the imperial palace and steal only the item he needed, there was one person he desperately hoped to avoid. He walked slowly toward the palace that the lioness had claimed as her own.
Having conquered the 66th floor, Seere was currently in the middle of a meeting. Not with Gremory, but with her longtime ally, Sitri. She had summoned Sitri to discuss transferring the 57th and 60th floors among the territories she had received from Gremory.
Once the discussion concluded smoothly, Seere and Sitri rose from their seats. But just before Sitri could leave, she asked,
“Lady Seere.”
“Yes?”
“That guy… where did Nahen go?”
“Teacher is currently away for a while. Why do you ask?”
“No, it’s just… he’s usually around, so I noticed he wasn’t here. Must be something going on.”
Sitri tried to brush it off. She was a little curious about Nahen’s whereabouts, but since Seere had already given a vague answer, she had no intention of pressing further.
However, Seere narrowed her eyes at Sitri and said,
“Lady Sitri.”
“…Yes?”
With a firm step, Seere approached Sitri. Although Sitri was still slightly taller, Seere’s presence did not yield in the slightest. If anything, she overwhelmed her. With her eyes still narrowed, Seere stared at Sitri and whispered quietly,
“Please don’t pay too much attention to Teacher. He is my Teacher alone.”
A chill ran down Sitri’s spine. She had vaguely sensed how Seere viewed Nahen, but this was practically a direct declaration. ‘Nahen’ belongs to me, so don’t covet him.
“If you show too much interest… I don’t know what might happen.”
With those words, Seere’s expression softened. The sharp glare from moments ago vanished without a trace. Instead, she gave Sitri a bright, youthful smile.
“Then, I’ll be counting on your troop support for the next floor conquest. Please return safely, Lady Sitri.”