Chapter 24: We're Going Shopping!

“So, what exactly brings you here today, Maor-sama?”

I pointed my chopsticks—still skewering a rolled omelet—at the Demon Lord, then casually tossed the bite into my mouth.

“Mm.”

“For the record, I do have an important duty as Lady Sonia’s personal caretaker. If Maor-sama keeps summoning me on a whim, I’ll be in quite a bind, you see. Could you please keep that in mind?”

While chewing on my breakfast—a simple set of rice, miso soup, and tamagoyaki—I shot the Demon Lord a skeptical look from across the table at his usual lodging, the Shirasagi Inn.

Thanks to his sudden summons this morning, I’d missed breakfast at the royal palace.
So now, here I was—sharing a meal with the Demon Lord instead.

By the way, the princess’s “condition” wasn’t good again today, so the official word was that she’d be resting in her room all morning.
No visitors allowed.

To prevent any incidents, I’d left everything in the hands of Berial—the “black cat” (or whatever he actually is)—so it should be fine.
If it’s him, I’m sure he’ll handle everything smoothly.

Still, I had a bad feeling I’d soon be dragged into another round of Kamina’s so-called “health improvement program,” which was really just her brutal training regimen. The thought alone made me tense.

“Ah, could you pass me the soy sauce?”

“Y-yes.”

I drizzled a bit of soy sauce over the half-cooked omelet and took a bite with rice and miso soup. Delicious.
Breakfast here was surprisingly good.

But seriously—this world even has soy sauce and miso?
At this point, I’m convinced anything goes. I wouldn’t even be shocked if someone invented a spirit-powered calculator or a steam-driven robot next.

“My, my. Your attitude worsens by the day, doesn’t it?”

Using a knife and fork with effortless grace, the Demon Lord continued eating.
Watching him scoop rice from a bowl with those utensils was surreal—but somehow, he made it look refined.

He really did carry himself like a noble. As I watched him, I couldn’t help but think, Yeah, he definitely looks the part.

Anyway, the reason I was here eating breakfast with the Demon Lord could be summed up simply:
Early this morning, the magical device he’d given me started vibrating—like a cell phone on silent. A sleek, black rod, faintly trembling.

And so, one week after we’d last met, the Demon Lord had finally issued his summons.

With no choice, I came straight to the Shirasagi Inn first thing in the morning.

Sure, I might grumble under my breath, but anything involving the Demon Lord takes top priority.
No matter what else I’m doing, I know better than to keep him waiting—mostly for the sake of my future peace and safety.

The only problem was that my father had scheduled me to attend a major religious event this afternoon—one I absolutely couldn’t miss.
If I wanted time to prepare, I’d need to leave by noon.

…But if things dragged on, I’d just claim “poor health.” I’m counting on you, Berial.

That’s why I needed to finish this quickly.
Figure out what the Demon Lord wanted, deal with it efficiently, and head home.
That was my mission for today.

“So then—what exactly do you need me to do?”

Given all that, I hope you’ll forgive me if my tone toward the Demon Lord wasn’t particularly polite.
Even I have my bad days.

And no, before anyone asks, it’s not because it’s that time of the month.
Though… that one time I gave him a “special service,” things went horribly wrong. The memory still made me stare blankly into space.

“Well, I shall overlook your insolent attitude this once—since you came promptly when I summoned you.”

“Ah. Much obliged.”

Somehow, I’d been forgiven. I looked back at him.

“Now then, Ains. Do you have any idea why I called you here today?”

“Uh, let’s see…”

Of course not. But I already had a bad feeling.

“Heh heh heh. I suppose you don’t. Then, out of the kindness of my heart, I’ll tell you.”

The Demon Lord paused dramatically, clearly savoring the moment.

“Yes, please do.”

“Very well. Today, I wish to visit the marketplace here in the royal capital of Torte.”

“The… marketplace, my lord?”

Huh.
So, he wanted to inspect the local economy of our kingdom, Sugarcre?

Using his keen intellect to analyze the state of the human realm—yes, that must be it.
I had to admit, the Demon Lord was forward-thinking.

Feeling oddly proud, I straightened my back and placed a hand over my chest, silently declaring, Ask me anything.

“And,” he continued, “it would be boring to go alone, so I called you to accompany me.”

“…Huh?”

Wait. Hold on. That wasn’t what I was expecting.

“U-um… when you say we’re visiting the market, what exactly do you mean by that?”

“What else? A marketplace is a place to buy things, isn’t it? Even I know that much.”

“Y-yes, that’s true, but…”

“That’s why I said you’re coming shopping with me. You really are a slow woman, aren’t you? But don’t worry—I already knew that about you. You may thank my generous heart.”

With a smug grin that practically said behold my greatness, Maor looked thoroughly pleased with himself.

…Huhhh!?

So basically, I’m his personal tour guide now!?

“Wha—”

I felt irritation bubble up inside, but I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.
Clear mind, still heart. Clear mind, still heart…

Phew. Time is precious.
Considering my schedule, I needed to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Still, if it was just a shopping trip, it probably wouldn’t take too long.

I straightened up, plastered on a smile, and switched gears.
This was one of my specialties, after all.

“Alright then, let’s get going, Maor-sama. As they say, strike while the iron’s hot.”

“Indeed.”

I quickly finished my breakfast set and, without waiting for Maor to finish his, dragged him toward the marketplace.

The Torte Central Market was the largest and busiest in the capital. From fresh produce to household goods to alcohol—if you wanted it, you could find it here.

Better yet, this area wasn’t frequented by any nobles I knew, making it perfect for shopping in peace. I often came here myself to buy good-quality ingredients.

The palace meals tended to be conservative—no adventurous recipes or local snacks—so if I wanted to try something new, I had to come out here and hunt for it myself.

As a result, I actually knew the market quite well.
In that sense, maybe I really would make a decent guide.

“Oh! Miss Ains! Lookin’ lovely as ever! Just baked some cream buns—care to buy a few?”

“Ah, um—”

The cheerful voice came from a bakery I often stopped by for snacks. It was a convenient little shop that also served cakes in its eat-in corner.

“Sorry! I’m just passing through on some errands today, so I’ll come by next time!”

For now, I held back.
After all, I didn’t have time to dawdle today.

“What, Ains, you’re not buying any? In that case—shopkeeper, I’ll take one.”

“Huh?”

Before I could react, Maor leaned forward, paid with practiced ease, and accepted the bread.

“Thanks as always!” the shopkeeper called cheerfully.

Ugh, and here I was trying to be disciplined!

I shot Maor a silent glare.
Noticing my look, he glanced between me and the cream bun in his hand, then gave a small, satisfied nod.

“Consider this your tip.”

Tearing the bun neatly in half, he held out the smaller piece to me.

“Grrr…”

After a brief moment of hesitation, I snatched the half-bun from the smug idiot’s hand and stuffed it into my mouth with all the righteous fury I could muster.

…Ugh, it’s so good.
The custard filling was as rich and delicious as ever.

“Where is the princess!? Where is Lady Sonia!?”

Inside the royal palace, one of the maids was in a panic.
It seemed she had discovered that Sonia was missing from her room.

“…If you’re looking for Lady Sonia, well—there she is, peacefully sleeping in bed.”

“! Wh-who are you!?”

A boy in a tailcoat stepped into view—none other than the great demon, Berial.
Wearing a pleasant smile, he turned his gaze toward the maid.

The moment their eyes met, a faint jolt ran through her body. She twitched once, and the light faded from her eyes.

“…Yes. Lady Sonia is… resting.”

The maid who had been shouting moments ago fell silent, her expression blank and serene, completely accepting Berial’s words.

“That’s right. Now, please return to your duties.”

“As you command.”

With that, the maid turned and walked away.

“Hm. That should take care of most of the palace staff. No—there’s still one left, isn’t there…?”

Just as Berial muttered to himself, the maid Kamina appeared.

“Ah—again, the princess has slipped out of her room. Well, she’s probably just taking a nap somewhere, but I really wish she wouldn’t make us worry so much. Honestly.”

Muttering under her breath, Kamina began tidying the room with her usual brisk efficiency.
Then she froze mid-motion, her gaze fixed on a shadowed corner of Sonia’s room.

“Come out. I know you’re there.”

“…Heh heh heh. For a human, your intuition is impressively sharp,” Berial said, emerging from the air itself, his form coalescing like mist.

“And who are you?” Kamina demanded sharply.

“Heh heh heh. Kamina-sama. We’ve met before, but this is the first time we’ve had a proper conversation, isn’t it?”

“Damn, I missed!”

The instant Berial began speaking, Kamina closed the four-meter gap between them in a blur.
With a swift motion, she drew her long sword and thrust toward him.
Berial narrowly dodged, but the wall behind him—struck by the force of her swing—exploded in a shower of splinters.

“Hahaha! A mere human dares defy me? How amusing. Let’s have a little fun, shall we?”

“…It’s unwise to waste words, boy. No—demon!”

Berial’s arm morphed into a blade, its sheen harder than steel. He swung it with ruthless precision at Kamina, but she parried each strike flawlessly, her long sword enveloped in a brilliant fighting aura.

“You’re quite skilled. How about this, then?”

His eyes gleamed ominously—he was invoking the same Puppet Marionette magic he had used on the maid earlier.

“Haaaaaaah!”

Kamina met his gaze without flinching, channeling her inner energy to its peak.

“Seeeeiiiii!”

She drew her sword in a single horizontal arc at Berial’s midsection—an iaijutsu strike fueled by full-body momentum.
Berial hastily cast Shield magic to defend, but the impact shattered his guard, forcing him backward.

“Heh heh heh. Impressive. To resist my Puppet Marionette magic is no small feat.”

“Resign. You have no chance of victory,” Kamina declared, resetting her stance.

She could tell he was holding back.
Despite fighting with all her strength, the demon before her wasn’t serious.
That realization sent a cold shiver down her spine.

“Well, my master forbids me from fighting you any further, so I shall take my leave. Thank you for the delightful exchange, Kamina-san. Until we meet again.”

“W-Wait!”

Before Kamina could react, Berial vanished into thin air, his voice echoing faintly.

“My name is Berial. Until next time…”

“Wait! …He got away.”

Kamina exhaled sharply, releasing her fighting aura. Cold sweat ran down her back.
This time, the enemy had withdrawn—but she couldn’t be sure he would do the same next time.

All she could do now was train harder.

With renewed focus, Kamina began repairing the wall she had destroyed during the skirmish.