198. Plea
198. Plea
- 1 -
"Lady Libertas. The guests who came seeking the Lady have been waiting for some time now."
The guests who awaited me at the mansion were of a stature that could have climbed the walls of the Marquis's palace.
I met five in total, and two were memorable enough to linger in my mind.
"It is an honor to meet you. Lady Libertas."
The first was a Court Countess from the Demon King's palace.
She introduced herself as the deputy head of the Colonial Affairs Department in the administrative office of the Demon King's palace—a demon with splendid horns growing from the back of her head.
"The honor is mine."
While we exchanged formal greetings, I examined her mana.
As befitted a high-ranking noble of the Demon Realm, her mana was perfectly controlled, yet within it lingered a tension ready to spring into motion at any moment.
"Count Ophillius said you were a gentle person, Lady. And indeed, it was true."
It wasn't just a polite remark. It wasn't even mere courtesy.
It was evidence of the weight those rumors about a Dungeon Lord's 'savagery' carried.
It was also a subtle test of my reaction, while simultaneously hinting that they shared information among themselves.
I offered a deliberately wry smile.
"Gentle... you say. Though it sounds very much as if you assumed I would have been aggressive."
"Ah... I, I apologize. Forgive my rudeness."
The woman laughed awkwardly, realizing her slip of the tongue.
"When I heard you were victorious against three Dungeon Lords, I simply imagined someone highly skilled in combat. I meant nothing else by it."
"I'm sure you didn't. I understand."
When I nodded and offered a calm smile, she wore a relieved expression and drank her tea.
She drank rather deeply, taking nearly half the cup at once.
A cold sweat trickled down beside her ear.
Even after lowering her teacup, her gaze couldn't quite meet mine.
Only then did I relax the thread of tension an appropriate amount.
I could see none of the political shrewdness Ophillius had displayed in her.
"Since you are with the Colonial Affairs Department, it seems you manage matters concerning territories on the surface."
"Yes, that's correct. If Lady Libertas has already established a Demon Territory, it would fall under my purview to assist you."
"Interesting. In what aspect, exactly?"
"To give just one example, there would be some material support. It wouldn't be free, however..."
As the topic returned to her own field of work, she regained a measure of confidence—the type who proves herself through administrative ability rather than political skill.
A type prone to growing anxious about eventual political isolation, backing the wrong faction, and falling from grace.
'So she wanted to test what kind of reaction I'd show.'
I felt the shadow of Ophillius, or perhaps other nobles, looming behind her, and I deepened my smile.
In any case, it was a good idea to make this woman an ally, given the work she handled. But there was no reason to let them see that.
Winning her over would be a matter for after this meeting, at least.
"I heard that the Lady met with Her Highness the Second Demon Queen."
"That meeting was a surprise to me as well. I was so shocked."
After we conversed for a while, the topic she had truly wanted to ask me about finally came up.
Her eyes sparkled with interest upon hearing my answer.
"Unexpected... yes. But couldn't such events also become new opportunities?"
The Court Countess made to drink her tea again, only to realize her cup was empty, and she adopted a troubled expression.
Normally, one finishes one's tea in step with the other party. She had missed that basic etiquette point due to tension.
I signaled that I didn't mind by calling Maria to refill her cup, and she spoke her next words with gratitude.
"The interest shown by Her Highness the Demon Queen is not to be taken lightly. For she does not typically show interest in others."
"It seems the Court Countess knows Their Highnesses well."
"I have merely observed them for a long time."
I put on a troubled smile.
I had no intention of passing more information to this politically unseasoned woman, and emphasizing my close proximity to the Demon Queen would do me no good.
As for the meaning of the interest she was displaying, it would be wiser not to pry too deeply right now.
Also.
'Not a word about the bouquet either.'
In her speech, there was no mention of the bouquet the Demon Queen had sent me.
By this point, I had already discerned that the meaning contained in that bouquet went beyond mere interest from the Demon Queen.
But if she had wanted to publicize the fact that she was collaborating with me, word of it would have already spread everywhere by now.
At the very least, there would be no one within the Demon King's palace who didn't know.
So the fact that it hadn't gotten out meant something.
'It's not just a simple political move, at least.'
On the surface, it looked like a considerable favor.
Feeling a weight settle in a corner of my heart at that realization, I replied to the Court Countess's words.
"Though I haven't known her long, Her Highness seemed to have no interest in political affairs."
"That's... true. But that is because Her Highness hasn't yet found what she desires. For everyone has their own wishes."
In the end, it was a statement that no one is truly indifferent to power. The Court Countess paused her words for a moment and studied my reaction.
But I merely gazed back at her calmly, with an expressionless sort of gentleness.
In the end, a trace of disappointment flickered across the Court Countess's face as she failed to glean anything.
Kaak-
With a small cry, Mary alighted upon the windowsill.
I saw the Court Countess's eyes briefly turn that way before returning.
I smiled.
The sight of Mary—who had been about to sit on my shoulder but stayed demurely at the window to observe—was endearing, but this wasn't the time to show it.
- For everyone has their own wishes.
Mary murmured, mimicking the Court Countess's voice perfectly.
For a moment, the Court Countess's face stiffened minutely before relaxing. It was common, after all, for crows to mimic speech.
But the look in Mary's eyes as she watched her clearly showed intelligence.
"Her Highness... may have been waiting for someone like you, Lady. Or perhaps, conversely, the Lady may be able to do something for Her Highness."
"You make me feel quite burdened, saying such things."
"There's no need for that. Could this not be a new possibility for you, Lady? With Her Highness the Demon Queen's trust..."
She truly seemed to wish for me to grow closer to the Demon Queen.
But drawing conclusions here would be a hasty judgment.
Just because one is unskilled at hiding oneself does not mean one can't be familiar with intrigue.
There are those who display greater ability when they have a fixed objective.
So this reaction from me was appropriate.
"Thank you for your advice, Court Countess. I will give thought to what you've said."
Upon hearing my words, the Court Countess glanced at the watch on her wrist, twitched an eyebrow, and then smiled.
"I lost track of time while conversing with you, Lady. It has already grown so late."
"Today's conversation was a pleasure."
"The pleasure was mine as well. I do hope you will give serious thought to what I've mentioned. My Lady."
"I shall."
The Court Countess departed just like that, but the information she had imparted added yet another layer to my concerns.
Not about the issue of backing the Demon Queen, but about how I should interpret the favor she was showing me.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
"It is a pleasure to meet you! Lady Libertas."
"Come in."
For there were still guests remaining.
- 2 -
Past the representative of one of the three most famous trading companies in the Demon Realm, past a count of the Demon Realm who had money but practically no authority, past a baron serving under the Wrath Duke.
- I meet you for the first time. Lady Libertas.
"Come in. It is a pleasure to meet you."
When the second memorable visitor arrived and offered his greeting, I treated him with a gentle smile.
For his presence was one very familiar to me.
He was also an entity I had encountered on the streets before.
- ...Should I cause any offense, I pray you will understand with a generous heart. It is not rudeness, merely ignorance.
A Skeleton Knight clad in old but meticulously maintained armor. Specifically, a senior knight variant known as a 'Banneret.'
The reason this ordinary summoned creature could attend this place was that the one who brought him was my own summoned creature, Artemis.
Encountering a being I had many of within my own dungeon out here in the outside world made me unexpectedly glad to see him.
The metal plates encasing his joints bore minute cracks, and the ornamentation on one of his shoulders seemed to have been missing for a long time.
Yet all those traces had been carefully restored.
I could feel the utmost effort put into maintaining parts that would have been replaced had there been the means to repair them.
"Do not worry. I will understand and consider it. Let us sit and talk. It hurts my neck to look up at you."
- I have been rude.
As the Skeleton Knight settled into the neatly arranged chair, his bones produced a faint friction sound.
The sound wasn't unpleasant, thanks to the spirit felt in his refined movements.
Even at a glance, it was an extraordinary bearing.
It naturally piqued my curiosity.
"I am curious who your master is."
- My master is a necromancer residing in the south of the continent. Please forgive the discourtesy of not being able to specify the location, Lady.
"I understand."
At that answer, I began to like him and his master all the more.
If they were in the south of the continent, they could be a Dungeon Lord affiliated with Eligos's or Agares's Demon Territory, or, with a lower probability, someone who had succeeded in living in seclusion.
Either way, not rashly revealing their location to me now was a wise move.
Association with the wise is always a pleasure.
But at the same time.
Timidity must not be mistaken for wisdom.
- What do you...?
"You said your master was in the south."
I had already gleaned a hint from what he had said.
Before coming to the Demon Realm, I had ordered Shue to investigate the large-scale movements of demonic beasts recently detected in the southern part of the continent.
And the sudden migration of these demonic beasts, many of which normally lived hidden deep within the forests, meant that someone was encroaching upon their territory.
And the most common cause of that was when human nobles sent armies into the forest to search for something.
For example.
"A dungeon from which a ripe harvest is expected, perhaps."
- ...!
Toward the Skeleton whose eye sockets blazed intensely, I directed a gentle smile.
"You're startled. Child."
Since he was not my summoned creature, emotions were not directly transmitted to me. But it was not difficult to sense his feelings.
Both because of the talent I now recognized within myself, and because I also possessed soul magic.
- How did you know that...
"It is a simple deduction. If your situation were good, there would have been no reason to come seeking me out in the first place, would there? To send only a single summoned creature when your master is in circumstances where they cannot leave their post personally."
If the dungeon had been at leisure, the Dungeon Lord would have come to the Demon Realm themself.
Even if they lacked leisure, if they could afford to hold out, there would have been no reason to send a single summoned creature to the Demon Realm—an elite-grade skeleton knight whose body was not entirely whole for his grade.
It was an act of grasping at straws while drowning. The behavior of someone going under.
In other words, it was possible to deduce that the master of this Skeleton Knight was currently facing a crisis.
Even if not a direct crisis, it was certainly a situation pressing enough to cause urgency.
"In this situation. What must you do?"
I asked in a low voice.
- ...I entreat you. Please, I beg you to help us, Lady.
At the genuine 'wisdom' that finally emerged, I smiled.