Pastel suspiciously gazed at the airship of the distant demon race mercenary group.
“A mercenary group with semi-knight level personnel just sitting around waiting at the dock?”
Moreover, the racial composition happened to match that of the demon race attempting assassination and terrorism.
“Totally suspicious!”
“Right? There’s no need to look further. We need to take them down right away.”
Leonard replied, sitting with his legs crossed in a slouched manner.
“Take them down?”
Pastel gulped nervously.
Her throat felt slightly dry.
“How amazing can semi-knight level mercenaries even be?”
“What?”
Leonard looked at her as if she had asked a strange question.
“If a commoner is at semi-knight level, that means he can achieve a title below a baron through great contributions, right?”
“A baron?”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
The social hierarchy pyramid whizzed through her mind.
Baron, viscount, earl, marquis…
Wait.
A baron?
Imagining the hierarchical pyramid suddenly made it seem less significant. After all, I’m a marquis.
Oh right!
There was a commoner beneath a baron.
In fact, most people are commoners.
So, a semi-knight must possess the ability to transcend commoner status purely based on fighting skills.
A talent that even the social hierarchy can’t stand against.
I shall call it a super ultra fighter.
Huh.
A super ultra fighter?
They could easily match up against me, the super ultra powerful.
Wait, thinking about it, the character count is the same too?!
Ahhhh.
The character count is the same…!
Am I really going to fight a mercenary leader like that?
Eek.
Pastel trembled with pale hands.
“The ability to become a noble, you say!”
“Is there no way to avoid fighting?”
Leonard looked at her with confusion.
“A lifetime title, you know? A commoner without heirs or a family can’t just become a noble. They’re just a commoner who got lucky.”
“Oh?”
Pastel looked up with wide eyes.
“So, can you win against them?”
You? A semi-knight?
“What?”
Leonard frowned. Tilting his head at an odd angle, he crinkled his brow and clenched his fists. His naturally strong build and frame gave him a powerful grip.
“Do you think I can’t win? A few years from now, I can beat a lucky commoner like that with my bare fists.”
His fist swung at the air.
A few years from now?
Heh.
He can’t win, huh.
Pastel wasn’t particularly disappointed.
She hadn’t expected much in the first place.
Instead, she hugged her demon sword tightly.
Demon Lord, Demon Lord!
I guess I only have you, Demon Lord.
As for my classmates, well, I can’t fully depend on them. It feels like I need to take care of them instead?
Oh, what a dilemma.
While taking care of others is very enjoyable as a friend, I feel a bit hesitant when it comes to a professional relationship.
Since I’m quite the ambitious one, even knowing this is a friendship, there are times when I wish they’d be competent in work too!
Just like now!
I wish reliable Leonard could fight instead of me, but the poor guy can’t.
Eh eh.
“Hey! What’s that facial expression?!”
Leonard blushed as if his pride had been hurt.
“Nothing! It’s okay, Leonard! You’re doing a great job leading the kids! Everyone has their own strengths! If anyone bothers you, just call me! I’ll help you as a friend!”
Pastel swung her small fist at the air, clearly smaller than Leonard’s. The air popped, creating a small sound.
“Wh-what?!”
Leonard’s face scrunched up. His fist tightened and wobbled slightly.
Then, as if feeling humiliated, he spat out his frustrations.
Don’t misunderstand that you’re going to win forever. Just because you’re somewhat good at fighting doesn’t mean you’re something to boast about.
Woof woof, tweet tweet.
Wowee.
What a rough reaction!
Did I say something wrong?
Pastel felt sorry and flailed her hands.
“Leonard! Leonard! Being weaker than me can’t be helped! I’m a super-genius!”
She pointed to herself.
Super-genius.
“So don’t beat yourself up too much!”
With a wink, she struck a fighting pose.
“Fighting! You can do it, Leonard!”
“Are you mocking me?!”
Leonard grabbed his hair in frustration.
Whoa.
Trying to comfort him seemed to make things worse.
Is this inferiority complex?
Such a common occurrence for a popular person.
In times like this…
Ignoring one another is best.
Pastel gave a thumbs-up meaning “cheer up” and turned her gaze back to the demon airship.
Ignoring Leonard’s chattering, she recalled what he had informed her.
A semi-knight level mercenary. And not a noble raised in a greenhouse, but a demon who has climbed from the bottom as a commoner.
Ugh.
Sounds pretty scary…
I should just confirm their suspicious acts and leave the fighting and capturing to the Knight Order!
Hehe.
Pastel examined herself.
With her pink hair, pink eyes, and white attire—
She was clearly Pastel Lovecraft.
If I take the lead, the suspicion will definitely increase, and the likelihood of a battle breaking out would rise too!
“Leonard, you lead! I’ll watch from behind!”
“You weren’t listening to me, were you?!”
“Yep!”
Pastel cheerily pointed at the airship.
“Go, Leonard! Pretend to approach to check their suspicions! Show off your acting skills!”
Leonard seemed to get even more excited but soon calmed down. In fact, he proposed another method.
“Is there really a need to check their suspicions at all? The fact that a commoner at semi-knight level lives the life of a mercenary already demonstrates a bad intention.”
“Is that so?”
Is this what noble judgment is like?
Pastel pondered it but shook her head.
“Still, let’s check their suspicions first! They might really be good demons!”
Leonard clicked his tongue but didn’t say anything else. Instead, he offered another approach.
“From what I’ve gathered, those demons have only been on that airship and just recently had a group meal at a nearby restaurant.”
“Recently?”
“They’ve been stuck on the airship, so they must have felt stuffy. Or maybe there’s a tournament event soon, and they are gearing up for a terrorist operation.”
Leonard looked back and forth between the soldiers waiting behind him and the faraway demon airship.
“If we’re only confirming suspicions, there’s no need to approach the airship and heighten their wariness. Why not let the security force inspect the restaurant they flocked to instead? The security team should only investigate the restaurant, not them. Find an excuse like tax evasion or something.”
“Ah! That’s a good idea!”
Pastel’s pink eyes sparkled.
“Make it so they happen to encounter public authority and gauge their tension by their expressions? Since the target of the investigation isn’t them and it’s a restaurant, the chances of a battle breaking out would be lower!”
Leonard smiled broadly.
“With a top scholar and research head like you, Craft, it’s no surprise your mind is sharp.”
“Of course!”
Pastel raised her arms in triumph.
“Alright! Let’s get started, Leonard!”
Off we go, off we go!
Leonard hesitated.
“What? Do I have to do this too?”
Pastel nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Yep.”
You suggested it, didn’t you?
“No way!”
#
Hearing the news of the demons’ visit to the restaurant, Pastel boarded her knife.
“Even if it always looks like I’m playing…”
She delicately placed her feet on the small knife and gathered her concentration, lifting her body into the air.
“I’m always working hard.”
Having said that, she flew low, moving behind the docked airship. The shadow of the airship covered the pink girl. It was a blind spot behind the airship that wasn’t easily noticed by the people strolling around the dock.
She carefully navigated through the shadows of the ships, being mindful of where people were as the demon airship came closer.
Although she hadn’t told Leonard, she was secretly thinking of scouting the airship, now that the demons had left for their meal.
While she was supposed to be seeing if the public authority would confront them at the restaurant, it felt a bit half-hearted. This was evidently a situation linked to assassination and terrorism.
Grimacing slightly, Pastel rubbed her arms.
They’ve all left anyway.
No fighting with those scary demons.
The goosebumps on her arms faded away.
“Demon Lord, I’m going in.”
The Demon Lord calmly responded.
『Since you’ve snuck into an airship before, you’ll do even better this time. Relax your tension fitfully.』
“Oh right.”
Pastel’s face lit up.
Come to think of it, I was an experienced newcomer!
Little thieves can grow up to be big thieves, having ventured into others’ airships uncontrollably before, so now I can do even better!
She twirled her knife and rose up.
Upon reaching an appropriate height, Pastel cautiously peeked over the rail of the airship deck.
No one was around.
Confidence surged within her.
Pastel charged in like an arrow. She sprinted across the deck and raced silently down the interior corridors.
Evidence, evidence.
Suspicions, suspicions.
She moved from room to room, searching.
While it seemed that every demon hadn’t left, there were two guards present, but that was fine. They seemed annoyed at being left out of the meal, as they sat on dining chairs drinking and chatting.
Hiding against the corridor wall to eavesdrop, she overheard them mention that there were only the two of them, allowing her to sneak past and delve deeper inside.
Pastel searched the captain’s cabin and steering room, examining what seemed to be the operations room.
But she found no evidence until she spotted a pile of ash in the fireplace of the operations room.
Huh.
That ash looked quite suspicious.
Upon closer inspection, she discovered a crumpled piece of paper in the corner. It appeared the documents had been burned completely.
Ahhh.
“Demon Lord, everything’s burnt! If this is a terrorist nest, isn’t this evidence destruction?!”
『It seems they might have destroyed evidence before their operation. Even without evidence, we have enough suspicion to detain and investigate.』
“Let’s look a little more.”
Pastel strolled around further. Along the way, she passed the restaurant where the two demons drinking had completely passed out, allowing her to relax once more.
However, the lack of discovery continued, so she ultimately found something unusual at the end of a long, straight corridor—a locked storage room.
Pastel gazed at the steel door. Most doors had been wooden so far, yet this one was crafted from steel.
Whoa.
That looks very tempting to enter.
『If there’s anything, it’s probably in there.』
“Right?”
Hehe.
Pastel fiddled with the steel door.
It’s sturdy.
Whatever they’re hiding, it feels ridiculously important.
But, but…
Pastel pulled something out from her pocket.
It was the shiny keyring she had stolen from the captain’s cabin.
Ta-da~!
The keyring!
It can unlock anything!
As she tried several keys, the steel door swung open. The sound of the creaking door echoed in the quiet corridor.
Yay yay.
“I’m coming in~!”
Let’s find out if these bad guys are truly bad or not~!
『Hmm?』
Suddenly, the demon paused. The subtle voice made Pastel freeze in place as well.
Demon Lord?
『Wait a moment. I hear faint footsteps. The natural order is responsive and the world resonates with an approaching presence.』
While waiting with her back turned, Pastel noticed the mercenary leader striding down the corridor.
Having thrown down the bottle he had been drinking from, the mercenary leader pulled out his one-handed sword and pistol, glaring menacingly.
“The taste of the drink was rotten, and as I returned, the dreaded Craft has come to greet me. Heh, I’ve just gained another head to sacrifice at the Demon King’s tomb.”
Ahhh.
Pastel’s jaw dropped.
She’d been spotted!
She’d been spotted!
Frantically, she searched for somewhere to escape. It was a straight corridor without any proper escape route.
Whoa!
An obvious trap of a straight corridor!
Who would look at this place and not think it was suspicious?!
Pastel panicked, and as the mercenary leader approached, she turned around.
Entering through the open steel door, she shut it behind her. The heavy door creaked as it slammed shut. With trembling hands, she hurriedly locked it.
Ahhh.
Pastel took a few steps back with a pale face.
“That guy! That person! He’s a semi-knight, right?! Is that right?!”
『That’s—』
As if to cut off the Demon Lord, an unforeseen event occurred.
Several sword strikes broke through the steel door. The ordinary one-handed sword pierced through the door and sliced it effortlessly into pieces.
The steel door was kicked down and crashed to the ground.
The mercenary leader glared at the girl.
『So you are indeed a semi-knight.』
Whoa!
Please don’t sentence me to execution in such a calm tone…!
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