Unannounced Inspection

A ragged scream tore through the basement. Unbearable agony dropped X to his knees — it was a miracle he hadn't lost consciousness.

Why the sudden attack?!

The pain was so intense it felt like his brain was on fire, leaving him reeling. But assessing the situation came first.

"What is the meaning of this?! Don't tell me this was your goal from the start—!"

"You're the one I'm curious about."

"...Excuse me?"

"Look, I'm not idle enough to keep playing along with your lies. This time, tell me the truth. Lie again and I really will burn you."

He checked his left arm. For all the pain, it was surprisingly intact. The spell just now, he realized, had been torture-grade lightning magic.

Then she's at least a 4th-Circle mage...!

Blue lightning writhed across the rabbit-masked figure's palm, crackling with a viciousness far too real for mere torture magic. Even through the faint glimpse of the eyes behind the mask, he could feel she meant every word.

It's not like I can't tell her...

What kept ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bothering him was that he still didn't know who she was. If this was someone who'd come after the Demonification Accelerator in the altered scenario, it would be an absolute catastrophe. Their goals would be the exact opposite of his own — he was here to destroy it.

There was only one way to find out.

"If you found out... what would you do?"

Common sense said she wouldn't tell him the truth, but people tended to get talkative when they thought they had the upper hand. The rabbit-masked figure considered for a moment, then answered.

"Depends on what comes out of your mouth. If it's truly dangerous, I'll burn every last drop."

"That's... the same conclusion I came to."

"So it really is that dangerous, then?"

That answer, at least, was something he could work with. X carefully selected every word before he spoke, stringing his sentences together so as not to provoke her.

"I'm of the same mind as you, Miss Rabbit Mask. I came here to dispose of this stuff."

"Then I can just handle it myself, right? No objections?"

"If you don't dispose of it the right way, we could all die!"

She might be able to tell truth from lies, so he mixed a little truth into every sentence. That should be enough to deceive her, at least somewhat.

"Explain."

It seemed to have worked — she demanded an explanation. X laid it out calmly.

"The mana in this potion is warped. Provoke it carelessly and it'll explode — like gunpowder."

"Then just dump it."

"You can't pour it on the ground or down a drain. All you'd do is create a second victim."

He'd heard that's how actual chemical waste was handled. It was a reasonable enough explanation that she seemed to accept it.

"So what's your plan?"

"I'll move it. Take it somewhere safe, away from here, and dispose of it properly."

"And how exactly are you going to move all of this? You got extra hands?"

She had a point. Each vial was small, but there were well over a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hundred of them. Even packed in a crate, they'd be a cumbersome load. But X had come prepared.

"What matters is the contents. I brought a container for that."

He pulled out the one-liter potion bottle he'd filled with Mandrake Potion. The bottle itself was sturdy enough that it hadn't cracked through all the chaos so far — perfect for transferring a potion like this. Of course, he'd have to answer the next question too.

"What's in it?"

"...This is a potion I whipped up to screw them over. If the bottles suddenly turn up empty, getting out of here gets a lot harder. Induces vomiting, diarrhea, the works..."

Those were the actual effects of Mandrake Potion, so it wasn't a lie. The rabbit-masked figure considered his answer, then asked another question.

"So what are these potions, then?"

Of all the questions, it had to be the one he'd been hoping to dodge. If she really could tell truth from lies, this question was genuinely dangerous.

Should I try to bluff my way through?

There was still no proof she could actually distinguish truth from falsehood. The half-truths he'd fed her so far seemed to have gone down just fine.

And if that was an act?

He had to consider the possibility that she was lying just as much as he was. In the worst case, he'd die and demons would overrun the world. The deliberation ran deep, but the decision came fast.

"This is a Demonification Accelerator. An absurd concoction that turns anyone who drinks it into a demon."

X decided to tell the truth. Judging by everything the rabbit-masked figure had done so far, it was hard to think of her as a villain. If the potions had been her goal, she would have killed him the moment she found him. But he hadn't been killed. On the contrary, she'd helped him in a moment of crisis.

Thinking it through calmly, her behavior all pointed to a single principle.

What am I doing.

What X's purpose was. What he intended to do. She was obsessed with that.

If this has all been an act, then I'm already fooled.

And with that assessment, he chose to tell the truth.

The rabbit-masked figure fell into a long silence after hearing him. The eyes visible behind the mask were deep and still. Time passed, and the silence broke.

"Haa..."

She sighed. The vicious lightning magic vanished from her hand as she muttered.

"Congratulations. If you'd lied, I was going to kill you right here. But you told the truth."

X felt a wave of relief. Amazingly, the rabbit-masked figure really had been distinguishing his truths from his lies.

There aren't many people who can do that...

This world had any number of methods for determining truth — magic, magical tools, artifacts. Some martial artists could read it from changes in a person's heart rate. It was a setting that made the skill quite demanding, which is why so few people could use it.

Just as the tension was easing and he was about to relax, she asked one more question.

"So how do you know about this?"

"I'm actually part of a secret society..."

"Didn't I just tell you I can tell truth from lies?"

"You did..."

"...Forget it. I can tell you're not planning anything malicious."

The rabbit-masked figure turned on her heel and headed for the basement exit. With a simple gesture, she erased every trace of their search as she spoke to X.

"You'd do well to remember today. This world has plenty of eyes — watching you is easy. And there's a limit to how long you can lie your way out of things."

"...Understood."

"Now go do what you came here to do."

Just as she was about to leave the basement—

Wait. A mage who can tell truth from lies, and who can cut off a golem's mana...

And a physique like that. As far as X knew, there was only one person who fit.

"...Circe?"

At that, the rabbit-masked figure stopped. She stood still for a moment, then snapped her fingers.

"Not completely dense, I see."

X felt something vanish from his back. He instinctively knew it had been some kind of magic.

"Wait, you—"

When he looked again, the rabbit-masked figure was gone. Questions piled up, but there was something he needed to check first.

The points didn't change?

If that rabbit-masked figure had been Circe, he should have taken a penalty the moment he told her about the Demonification Accelerator. But there had been no penalty, and the Author's points hadn't changed.

What the hell is this now...

It didn't make sense no matter how he thought about it, but it was a good thing either way. He decided to set it aside for now.

There's still work to do.

Time was short. He hurriedly set to work. He poured all the Demonification Accelerator into a nearby wide bowl, then transferred the Mandrake Potion he'd brought into the empty vials. Then he poured the Accelerator into the empty bottle and sealed it thoroughly. All that remained was to get the hell out.

As he left the basement, X saw what Circe had done.

She put everything back?

The disabled golems were standing dully in their original positions. The one that had been at the basement door was the same. The servant who'd been lying unconscious was gone as well.

Did Circe clean up after everything?

With her abilities, covering up the commotion would have been well within her power. Her personality was a pain in the ass, but at least she was a good character. That was a relief.

Most of it's taken care of.

Now only one objective remained.

Princess Beatrice... deceive the demon Andras.

One of my familiars got taken out?

Head Butler Eren confirmed that the shared vision from his familiar had been cut off. The last thing he'd seen was the surveillance target heading out of the mansion with a servant in tow.

He couldn't have noticed the familiar's presence. Then who did this...

Fortunately, the familiar watching the other target was still intact. That target was currently among the young noble ladies.

Did I allocate too many people to the hounds? There's a gap in the perimeter. At this rate...

"Head Butler, is something the matter?"

Someone interrupted Eren's thoughts as he brooded. If some worthless creature had pulled this, he would have incinerated them on the spot. But this was someone he couldn't treat that way.

"It's nothing, Your Highness."

Beside Eren sat the masked Princess Beatrice. She occupied the second-floor VIP box overlooking the hall, radiating irritation.

"Did you forget I'm wearing a mask right now? Flauros."

"Of course not, Lord Andras."

The demon Flauros answered crisply. At that, the demon Andras smiled faintly.

"Endure the frustration. After today, this world will be ours."

"I am aware. Our god will descend soon enough."

Unlike Andras, who kept smiling, Flauros couldn't manage even a hint of one. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Every one of Andras's actions was a transparent attempt to needle him.

"When that time comes, your contributions will be recognized and you'll be promoted to Third Grade. Aren't you looking forward to life in Lower Hell?"

"I look forward to it greatly."

"Of course, once you become Third Grade, I'll be promoted to Second. What can you do? Blame yourself for ranking below me. Isn't that right, 64th? Kuhuhu..."

"..."

Flauros's burning gaze locked onto Andras. Andras merely snorted and looked down at the first-floor hall.

"So what's got you wearing a face like you've been chewing ice?"

"...There appears to be an intruder."

"An intruder?"

Flauros explained the suspicious circumstances. A familiar assigned to surveillance had suddenly vanished. One of the surveillance targets was up to something suspicious. Andras let out a disbelieving chuckle.

"Weren't you dispatched here to watch over this mansion?"

"There was an issue with personnel allocation. The manpower suddenly assigned to the 'hounds'..."

"So you're saying the one who issued that order — me — was at fault. How amusing. Do go on."

"...No. It was my oversight."

"If this causes any problems, I will report it to the Great Demon. You'd best resolve it without incident."

Andras crushed him with authority, smiling the entire time. The sight was so infuriating that Flauros could only swallow hellfire in silence.

One day I shall make even you my slave, and you will suffer for all eternity.

Flauros swallowed his rage, plotting insubordination in his imagination. Then a servant approached.

"Head Butler, one of the servants requests an audience. He says he has urgent news."

"What news?"

"It's related to the 'basement,' so he insists he must report it in person..."

"What? The basement?"

The basement was the most critical facility, hiding the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠core of their entire plan.

So replacing the guards with golems was too complacent after all.

Unfortunately, they'd had no personnel to spare, so golems had been used instead. The place was packed with things humans must never see. Golems had been the only option.

If he insists on reporting in person... he may have seen what's in the basement. I should go deal with this immediately...

"Bring that servant here."

Andras said it with a smile. Flauros, catching her intent, couldn't hide his fury.

"My lord! Please retract that order! I will go and handle it myself—"

"Sitting here like this is getting dull. I want to hear what happened myself."

"Kh... Bring him here!"

The servant who'd delivered the message immediately turned back. Once they were alone, Flauros barely contained his rage as he seethed.

"This is unnecessary. The situation is entirely under control. There will be nothing to report to the Great Demon."

"I'll hear it myself and decide. Or what? Are you planning to defy me?"

"Andras...!"

"Kuhuhu... If you're going to get angry, you'd best be careful. One scream from me and you're finished."

As Flauros, toyed with by Andras's games, barely managed to swallow his fury, the servant with news from the basement approached.

"You summoned me."

Flauros checked the face of the sacrificial lamb he was about to vent his rage on — and was rather surprised.

"You're... wait."

It was unmistakably the same servant who'd been with the surveillance target. Flauros was, if anything, pleased by this development.

I can get this bastard to tell me about that piece of shit. Then I'll burn this one too to cool my temper.

Flauros composed his expression and issued an order as Eren.

"So what's the matter. If this is something trivial, you'd best prepare yourself."

But the servant didn't answer. For some reason, he was looking back and forth between Eren's face and Beatrice's mask. It was something no ordinary servant would dare, yet he did it with complete composure. The sight made Flauros's head spin with rage.

"What do you think you're doing. Report your news this instant—"

"Isn't the security a little too sloppy?"

The servant looked at Eren as he said it. At those words, both Eren — already seething — and Beatrice — who'd been looking down at the first floor — snapped their eyes wide and stared at him. The servant paid them no mind, sighing with a note of lament.

"I don't even know how I'm supposed to report this to the Great Demon. Our century-long plan is right around the corner, and the most critical operation is this slipshod..."

Under the two demons' stunned gazes, the servant casually, arrogantly sat down in front of Beatrice. Of the two demons who couldn't comprehend what was happening, Flauros acted first.

"What do you think you're doing. Do you even understand what you're doing right now."

"I know perfectly well. Andras. Flauros."

At the sound of his own name, Flauros's pupils trembled violently.

"W-what are you—"

"Shut up for a moment."

That was when Andras spoke for the first time. The genuine weight in those words made Flauros snap his mouth shut at once. Andras smiled, barely concealing what was going on inside. In that brief instant, she finished her assessment and spoke naturally.

"And who might you be? I don't recall inviting any guests to tonight's banquet."

Andras acted as if the countless nobles enjoying the banquet on the first floor didn't exist. The unidentified servant nodded as if that were only natural.

"Of course there aren't. This is an unannounced inspection."

"An 'unannounced inspection'...?"

"Never heard of it? It means I came to check whether you're doing your jobs properly. Today's an important day, after all."

Andras looked at Flauros as if to ask whether he'd known about this. Of course he hadn't, so he shook his head. Andras barely pulled her scattered thoughts together and asked again.

"Might I ask your name...?"

"Ah, of course you wouldn't know."

The servant displayed the Soul Trap Ring on his left index finger as he introduced himself.

The servant — X — said it with a smile.

"I look forward to working with you."

Of course, every last word of it was a lie.