“Johann, did you sleep well?”
“Karina?”
Wasn’t this my room? Why is Karina here?
I looked at Karina, who was sitting above me. When she caught my gaze, she broke into a bright smile and said.
“Johann is such a sleepyhead. It’s already midnight.”
“Looks like I slept longer than I thought.”
I thought I would get up around dinner time. I turned my head and looked out the window.
Pitch-black darkness. The only thing visible was the moon faintly shining beyond the window. Just as she said, it seemed like I had slept almost half a day.
…Why is Karina here though?
“Karina, what are you doing here?”
“I was watching Johann sleep. I originally thought I’d just look for a bit, but then… hehe.”
What’s with that cryptic laugh? Does that mean she was watching me while I slept? Staring at Karina’s finger poking my cheek, I asked her.
“Did you enjoy it for whatever reason?”
“Did you know? Johann looks cute when he’s sleeping.”
“I don’t think I have the kind of appearance that deserves to be called cute.”
“But you are cute. I was a bit surprised when it grew bigger down there though…”
Down there?
Ah.
“…I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s actually reassuring.”
“What?”
“…Haha, just kidding.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant, but something about it made me feel like I shouldn’t ask. I had a bad feeling that if I did, I’d be the only one suffering for it. I got up and put on my shoes.
“I’m going to wash up for a bit.”
“Are you not going to sleep any longer?”
“I already had enough sleep. And… I’m a bit worried about Cidri.”
I didn’t think anything would have happened while I was away, but I felt compelled to check on her. No matter how half-sealed she was within the sanctuary, I couldn’t let my guard down.
“I’ll just be in the bathroom for a moment. You…”
“I’ll wait here.”
I should hurry back. I grabbed some clothes to change into and headed to the bathroom.
————————-
“Johann…”
“Well, you don’t need to be on the lookout either.”
I patted Millia on the back of her head as she snuggled up to me, burying her face in my tummy. Millia nuzzled like a puppy, then raised her head.
“I kept a close watch just like you said.”
“What’s Rue doing?”
“She’s resting now, so she’s sleeping.”
“Is that so?”
Is she actually able to sleep? After gaining a body, she could perform bodily functions just like a human, so I guess it’s not strange for her to sleep. I brushed aside thoughts about Rue and opened the door to where Cidri was.
With a creak of the hinges, beyond the door,
“…Looks like she’s sleeping soundly.”
Demons don’t seem all that different from humans when they sleep.
We gazed at Cidri, who was sleeping peacefully unaware of the world. The blanket had fallen to the floor. It seemed she had a bit of a bad sleeping habit.
“…Looking at her, I can’t tell what makes her different from a human aside from skin color…”
“Agreed.”
“She sleeps really comfortably…”
Well, I confirmed she wasn’t trying to escape, so should I just go out?
No, wait. Let’s confirm one more thing.
“Karina, keep an eye on this place for a moment. Millia, come here for a second…”
I took Millia back to the corridor and quietly spoke to her. Millia nodded vigorously in response.
“Leave it to me…”
“Thank you.”
“It’s a request from Johann, how could I not comply?”
We returned to the room and approached Karina. Upon my quiet nod, Karina quickly caught on to my intent and smiled slyly.
“She seems to be sleeping well, so let’s head back for now.”
“Since we’re probably hungry, how about telling the maid to prepare a meal?”
“That sounds good.”
We spoke just loud enough for Cidri to barely hear us and took care of one thing before leaving the room.
Then, we quietly pressed against the corridor wall with Millia between us, listening in.
After a while, I heard a faint rustling noise from beyond the wall. Is she awake? Seems like she was pretending to be asleep after all.
Soon after, we heard Cidri scream, and we opened the door. Inside, I saw Cidri foaming at the mouth and passed out, and Millia grinning at me.
Isn’t it a bit too cowardly for a demon?
I lifted Millia’s head and wiped the connection of her neck with my sleeve, then placed her head back on my neck.
“We went out, and when she cautiously woke up and met my gaze, she fainted at once!”
It’s kind of funny to see a demon fainting at the sight of a severed head. I gently slapped Cidri’s cheek as she lay on the floor, waiting for her to wake up.
Maybe after about three slaps, Cidri came to her senses and looked at me with her mouth agape.
“Wha, wha, what’s happening…”
“You’re a demon, shouldn’t you have a bit more bravery?”
“No matter how much of a demon I am, I get startled too!”
Is she really a demon?
For a moment, I wondered if I had caught an innocent civilian instead of Cidri, considering how clumsy she was in so many ways.
“Okay. What were you doing after we left? Don’t think about lying.”
“I was searching the room a bit…”
“What?”
“There were some interesting items…”
“Millia, bring Rue here…”
“Liar!”
“I was looking for an escape route…”
“I warned you that staying still would be the best option. This means I have to impose a penalty.”
Looks like the scream woke her up. I signaled Rue, who suddenly popped up beside me, to step back and sat on the bed.
“Now that you’re awake, I have a question. Where did Agares often appear?”
“Clock Tower in the center of the capital. There’s a secret hideout of the Agares cult in the Clock Tower!”
Clock Tower, huh.
“Where would Agares likely be?”
“I don’t know that either~”
She replied in a tired, droopy voice, looking mentally drained.
“So, the Clock Tower. I don’t know if we’ve searched it.”
“Normal methods won’t work.”
“You surely know a way to get in, right?”
“…They might have changed it by now?”
“Are they on watch at the cult?”
“Of course.”
“Then that’s settled. Karina, Millia, has everything I mentioned been prepared?”
“Probably? Viola seems to have finished up.”
“Elisa and Shuri should be ready to go.”
“Got it.”
“And I?”
“You’re coming along too.”
The morning schedule was decided.
We’d raid the secret space of the Clock Tower.
———————
“Is this the Clock Tower?”
“It’s chillier than I thought…”
Karina suddenly exclaimed and hugged my arm. It was hard to tell if it was chilly or just an excuse. I tried to ignore the soft sensation wrapping my arm as I stared at the back door of the Clock Tower.
“Cidri, you said we need a special method to get through this door to move to the Agares cult’s hideout, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s get right on it.”
“Can you untie this so I can use my hands? I need them free to open the door~”
“If you try to escape, this will be your grave.”
“Okay! Okay! Stop scaring me!”
As I undid the vines, Cidri rubbed her arm where they had been restrained and walked up to the door.
“Then, shall I start~?”
“Hurry it up.”
I wanted us to get inside quickly when no one was around.
I fiddled with the mithril shovel blade, commanding her.
“Hmm, hmmm, !@()&!(#!!!@*&!#!”
Cidri yelled a string of unintelligible words at the door. How long had it been since she said that? The door didn’t open.
“Ah… I think it’s already changed.”
“Is there no other method?”
“Well, it’s not that there’s absolutely no method, but… it’s kinda risky.”
What is it?
I urged Cidri to hurry up and say it. She hesitated for a moment, then placed her hand on the door and said.
“We’ll do a forced entry. Then we can get inside.”
“Hm. It does sound risky… Cidri, explain the layout of the hideout to me.”
“Uh, so…”
Cidri explained the hideout structure to me one by one. Although it was a bit lengthy, I managed to draw an adequate blueprint in my head.
The underground 3rd floor structure is fairly complicated. There seem to be quite a few guards too.
“What material is the hideout made of?”
“Uh… it’s pretty ordinary? They didn’t use anything special to build it.”
“Then that’s sufficient.”
“What?”
“Let’s open the door already.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“Got it… please don’t get angry?”
Cidri hesitated a bit longer, then reached for the door and started muttering incomprehensible phrases.
A few minutes passed, and Cidri lifted her right leg and kicked the door.
The door went bang and flew open, revealing nothing but a pitch-black space.
“…What was that incantation in front of the door?”
“I was gathering power! This thing is sturdy!”
Is that so?
“Alright, everyone let’s go in.”
At my words, everyone nodded with determined expressions.
We stepped into the dark space beyond the door.
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