Chapter 166: A Word of Thanks
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 166: A Word of Thanks
I didn't expect to run into Lilia here.
While she wasn't a party member in the game, Akito always kept her by his side once his conflict with the demons intensified, so I figured our paths would cross eventually.
Her purple hair still suits her perfectly. She’s adorable.
And I see she’s wearing the item I gave her.
Well, she doesn't really have a choice. Without the Ring of Deceit, she can't hide her horns.
In the original game, Akito obtains that item much later. Until then, Lilia is stuck indoors, suffering from extreme loneliness.
It was heartbreaking to see the scene where the poor thing would hide behind the curtains, watching the neighborhood children pass by with envious eyes.
That’s why I gave her the item as soon as we met.
I didn't want a child to spend her days in misery. Thanks to that, Akito’s group probably knows that I’m aware Lilia is a Zboni.
But seeing as they haven't brought it up yet, I wonder if they’re just reluctant to thank me, or if they’re tactfully feigning ignorance for Lilia’s sake.
I couldn't tell, but Lilia looked incredibly cute as she stared up at me.
“There’s something negative near this child. Can I get rid of it?”
“What is it?”
“I can’t see it, but I can feel its energy.”
At Yukina’s words, Lilia flinched. She waved her hands through the air and then pulled something into a protective embrace.
Ah, it’s Logard’s avatar.
Isn't that Ghost Fire trait a bit too broken? As far as I know, neither Akito nor the 12 Zodiacs can sense it—only Lilia is supposed to be able to see it. How did Yukina notice?
“No, no. That’s actually helpful to Lilia. There’s no need for that.”
“Oppa, do you know Lilia?”
“Yeah, I met her once before.”
Perhaps because Yukina had threatened to delete Logard, Lilia nodded cautiously while watching our reactions.
“You remember me and Yukina, right? I’m Seo Yeon-woo. There’s no way you’d forget a handsome face like mine.”
“…Yes, I know.”
“Are you here to see Akito? Want to go together?”
Lilia gave a tiny, hesitant nod. She was just too cute.
Is that bastard Akito really leaving such a cute kid behind to go on training and quests? No wonder she gets lonely.
“Alright, up we go.”
Just as I had done for Haruna, I scooped Lilia up with my other arm and sat her on my forearm.
One kid on each arm… if this were my past life, my arms would be shaking from the weight.
Lilia looked surprised for a moment, but as Haruna chirped a bright greeting, she quickly relaxed and leaned comfortably against me.
“Whoa, so pretty! Where did you buy that horn hat? I haven't seen it before.”
“I didn't… buy it here…”
“I want one too! Tell me where they sell them.”
While the Ring of Deceit hides the horns, they don't physically disappear, so Lilia wears a baseball cap with hollowed-out horns attached.
It makes her even cuter. A kid character in a baseball cap is practically a universal law.
Leaving Haruna and Lilia to chat, I turned my gaze toward Somi.
“Have you eaten yet, Somi-ssi?”
“Not yet. I was just looking around the festival with Haruna.”
“That’s perfect. We haven't eaten either. This girl’s brother is running a food stall, so let’s go eat there together.”
Somi always looks after Haruna, and she even takes care of Yukina when she doesn't have to, so I need to treat her well.
It’s hard to find someone as capable as her, anyway.
Somi followed along, chatting with Yukina, seemingly fascinated by her maid outfit.
Haruna and Lilia were so excited by the festival that they lagged behind to look at things, so we arrived at the food stall a bit late.
“We meet again.”
Does this guy have nothing better to do in the demon world?
Logard smirked at me.
Seeing him in a crisp white suit eating a hamburger felt a bit out of place.
And instead of playing around here, you should be looking after Lilia yourself instead of leaving it to an avatar.
Wait, if the avatar and the main body are in the same place, how does that work?
“Ah… Seo Yeon-woo?”
Shouldn't you look at a person when you call their name?
Akito, who was sitting with Logard, called my name while staring blankly at Lilia in my arms.
“I ran into her on the way. Here, go to Akito now.”
Lilia seemed happy to see Akito, but she also looked a bit reluctant to leave my arms.
I get it. I am pretty handsome, after all. My body is solid and my forearms are thick—it must have been comfortable, right?
“Thanks for looking after Lilia.”
“It wasn't much; she’s a good kid. I just brought her along because it’s boring coming alone. Anyway, we’re here to eat.”
“Would you care to join us?”
This guy really has no tact.
I wanted a cozy family gathering with Yukina, Haruna, and Somi-ssi.
“I want to eat together too.”
“Yeah! I want to eat with Lilia!”
Suddenly, Lilia, now in Akito’s arms, spoke up.
With Haruna chiming in as well, I had no excuse to refuse.
In the end, I sat at the same table as Logard and tried to order.
“Order over there.”
“…I’m still a customer, you could be a bit more polite…”
“I’d prefer it if you weren't a customer.”
The service at this restaurant is terrible.
They need a few one-star reviews to snap out of it.
The Samurai, lacking any sense of hospitality, glared at me before turning away.
Even though they picked out such cute uniforms… Akito, you bastard, your tastes are as consistent as ever.
I mean, yeah, tennis skirts are hard to beat.
Just watching the heroines serving in short orange tennis skirts, showing off their thighs, was a heartwarming sight.
I suppose that’s why there are so many male customers.
After asking everyone what they wanted, I went to the spot the Samurai pointed out, where Shiori greeted me.
“…Are you here to spy on us?”
“I’m here to eat, so can you treat me like a customer? Why are you turning even a festival into a competition? Is the food here any good?”
“Of course it is. I’m only acting like this toward you.”
Wow, she’s quite bold about her discrimination.
“You can spit in mine if you want, but make sure the others are fine. There are kids here.”
“Why would I give you a reward like that? You’re dreaming.”
“… …”
I’m not that kind of gentleman…
Maybe if I were the Comedy Duo, but I’m just a regular gentleman.
After somehow managing to get the food and returning, I found Logard leading a friendly conversation.
Come to think of it, the Zboni are supposed to launch a massive invasion after the festival ends.
This festival is just a slice-of-life academy event.
It’s that feeling of a typical dating sim festival, where all the demons and monsters are set aside for a moment.
It’s a breather after a barrage of combat and quests. After Akito enjoys the festival—or the sex party—the Zboni, who haven't caused much trouble until now, will begin their attack.
It’s an incident triggered by the radical Zboni faction, and Logard is here to inform Akito of their plans.
Politically speaking, Logard, a moderate, is just eliminating his political rivals and obstacles, but it also prevents those idiots from massacring innocent civilians and helps maintain peace between humans and Zboni.
Since he didn't say anything to me, it seems he’s only telling Akito.
I suppose that fits the story, but… well, it’s a bit annoying that he doesn't seem to trust me despite acting so friendly.
But man, this burger is delicious.
While chewing on the surprisingly high-quality burger and listening to Akito and Logard’s pointless chatter, Lilia hopped off her chair and approached me.
“Do you need something?”
“… …”
Lilia shook her head slightly and glanced around.
It was incredibly cute how such a little thing was being so cautious. I naturally leaned down to match her eye level.
After glancing at Akito and Logard for a moment, Lilia turned back to me, stared into my eyes with her large pupils, and then hugged me.
Eh…?
While I was flustered by the unexpected display of affection, I heard Lilia whisper in my ear.
“Thank you.”
“…If you want to play again, just let me know. Haruna is here too.”
“No, not just that. The ring… and everything.”
What a sweetheart.
She wanted to say thank you but hadn't found the right moment, so she’d been waiting for a chance.
When I stroked her head, she tilted it like a cat, rubbing her cheek against my hand.
It felt nice, but everyone was staring. Should we stop now?
Shiori and the Samurai were glaring at me like I was some kind of lolicon.
“Yeon-woo-ssi really is popular with children.”
“Oppa is cool, right? Hehe.”
Somi and Haruna, who didn't know Lilia’s true identity, spoke casually, while Akito watched with a shocked expression.
Is it really that surprising?
Lilia gave me one last tight squeeze, then let go with a satisfied look and returned to her seat.
The meal ended without much else happening, aside from Lilia’s thank-you.
Lilia seemed a bit sad to say goodbye, but when Haruna invited her to come over to our house next time, her face lit up and she nodded vigorously. It was adorable.
After that, I spent some time looking around the festival with Haruna, showed her the packed Black Dragon booth, and then returned to work.
“Good job, everyone. Only the closing shift stays; the rest of you can head home early. Let’s work hard again tomorrow.”
After frantically selling coffee until closing time, we split into groups and began packing up.
As I was tidying up the booth, I felt something in my pocket. I pulled it out to find a piece of paper folded into a heart.
Lilia, you little…? You didn't have to go this far.
Imagining Lilia carefully folding this with her tiny hands made me smile as I opened the note.
“… …”
The handwriting was an elegant, classical script that no child could have written.
The note, which detailed the date, time, and exactly what was going to happen, wasn't from Lilia—it was from Logard.
When did he even put this in? And why is an old man folding a note into a heart? It’s misleading!
Of all the shapes, why a heart?
He didn't leave a name, but there’s only one person who would provide this information.
Logard had chosen me alongside Akito.
Even if he hadn't told me, I had intended to intervene, but having an informant makes things much easier.
The Zboni attacking this time are an extreme faction even among the radicals, those who believe war with humans is inevitable. Their numbers are small.
Their goal is war.
They plan to seize the broadcasting station and make a grand announcement to create a situation where humans and Zboni have no choice but to fight.
Of course, this is also the result of the masterminds manipulating those stupid extremists.
Because their numbers are few, the attack is practically a suicide mission, but the number of people who die because of these lunatics is significant.
Seriously, extremists of any kind are never helpful to the world.
Since their forces aren't that great, I wouldn't even be worried if I left it to Akito, but there would definitely be thousands of casualties.
On top of that, hatred toward the Zboni would skyrocket, making the situation even worse.
Let’s try to save as many people as possible without derailing the story too much.
While I was deep in thought about saving the world, Yukina and Mary, who were on the closing shift, approached and grabbed my hands.
“We have to prep the ingredients for tomorrow. And—”
Mary, leading me toward the back storage room, smirked and whispered in my ear.
“You should give a reward to the maids who worked so hard, Master.”
“… …”
At Mary’s signal, Yukina’s face turned beet red. She couldn't meet my eyes and stammered a whisper.
“P-please p-punish me… M-master… Ugh…”
“… …”
There’s no way Yukina would do this of her own volition. Did Mary put her up to this?
I looked over, and Mary gave me a grin and a thumbs-up.
This sexy woman really knows what’s up.
I’ll worry about saving people later. For now, it’s time to give my cute maids their reward.