“Long time no see. I almost forgot about you, dear Mr. Hualifu.”
“Long time no see, Princess.”
After helping Hilvi finish all the work for Sylvie’s Trading Company, Eveleel dragged her slightly weary body back to her own room.
By the bright light from the activated “Fluorescent Stone,” she discovered an uninvited guest who had been waiting in the corner of the room for some time.
Still dressed in a cloak that covered his whole body and revealed only half his face in a lecherous fashion, even though his true form was quite handsome, his human disguise was simply unflattering.
“Do you have any Interesting News to tell me? Or is it more work again?”
“The trip to the ‘Empire’ has already been arranged. The date is set for one month from now, so please be prepared.”
“Tsk.” Just when her relationship with Hilvi had finally improved a lot lately, they arranged for her to go on a diplomatic trip at this time. Of course she was unhappy.
“You haven’t paid the reward for the last job yet, and now there’s already new work?”
“That is indeed rude of us. This humble one will share with you all the recent Interesting News I have gathered.”
Eveleel had no interest at all in the “Interesting News” he mentioned; her mind was now full of the progress she’d made with Hilvi these past days.
Thanks to her tireless efforts, physical contact and such had already been tacitly approved by Hilvi. Maybe stealing her first kiss wouldn’t even require an “accident.”
Of course, if Hilvi could take the initiative to kiss her, that would be even better.
Yet all these pleasant fantasies were shattered by the demon’s next words.
“Today the Grand Prince once again brought up his marriage proposal with Miss Hilvi. His Majesty the King approved it. The Grand Prince might soon come to Moravia to meet the Marquis of Weirley and propose.”
“What did you say?”
The girl’s lovely face instantly twisted, but in the blink of an eye, she regained her usual faint smile.
“Mr. Hualifu, do you have anything to explain about this?”
“My deepest apologies, Princess. A seventh-tier Grand Magus with pink hair suddenly appeared on the previously stalemated Southern Front. The Vichy Kingdom’s army has suffered heavy casualties and needs a huge sum to maintain the front line.”
He was telling the truth, but not all of it. With True Ancestor Mary present, even if many nobles of the Grand Prince’s faction supported it, the King could still suppress this proposal if he wished.
So that’s how it is. Her attempts to secure a way out for herself and Hilvi had made them unhappy. After all, the Record Crystal had sent back news of her and Su Yao signing a “Demon Contract.”
This was a warning.
Although that Blonde Loli was someone the Demon Lord’s faction was interested in, they weren’t allies yet…
How boring. That so-called “Demon Lord,” if her desire to control things is this strong, her subordinates must be quite exhausted.
“This was our oversight. As compensation, we’ll do our utmost to make up for it. Of course, Princess, you may also make an extra request of us.”
“Let me confirm: even if that useless brother is removed from the stage, it won’t affect your next plans, right?”
Maybe this sudden “marriage proposal” wasn’t such a bad thing. But now Hilvi might have to suffer for a while.
“Please rest assured, Princess. The core of our plan has never revolved around ‘any particular person.’ It’s the same for you. This incident was truly just a mistake.”
In translation, what this guy means is that Humans have always been dispensable to them—even she, as their partner, is no exception.
This incident was just a warning, but the other promises between them still held.
Yes, that was probably it.
How troublesome, these people—no, they’ve always been this way. The one who changed was her.
Because she met Hilvi, she became a little timid, and thus began to consider a so-called “way out.”
“That’s good, then. Also, the territory where Moravia is located will gradually ‘become independent’ in the future. How about it? That should be good news for you, right?”
“Indeed. Most of the kingdom’s main forces have been redeployed to the Empire’s borders and the Southern Front. They probably won’t have the energy to worry about this place, so please do as you see fit, Princess.”
That’s right. These people never cared about “territory” or “power,” but about “strife” and the “death” it brings.
So-called “Humanity’s Enemy” referred precisely to existences like them.
“I understand. Mr. Hualifu, any other Interesting News?”
“Yes. The Saint Nation recently sent a diplomatic letter, saying they would soon dispatch a mission to negotiate the inspection and recognition of a second ‘Holy City.’ At that time, that dungeon and its surrounding lands might be designated as the Goddess’s direct domain.”
“This should be your headache, shouldn’t it? Why are you telling me?”
Although it wasn’t good news for her, such matters didn’t really matter to “Humans.”
“The high-levels of Vichy Kingdom have been discussing this for a long time. They don’t dare offend the Saint Nation, but they’re also unwilling to give up any territory. Of course, I’m telling you this because I hope you can put in a good word with Miss Su Yao—at least, try to make sure she doesn’t accept the Saint Nation’s invitation.”
The temples of the Holy Nation spread throughout every human country. For the common people, it’s one of the few places they could receive “free medical care.”
If the Vichy Kingdom dared to refuse the Holy Nation’s requests, the priests might leave the temples en masse. Then, in times of war, already fragile order would collapse.
Although, for them, the Vichy Kingdom’s war machine could afford to be shut down, but now was not the time.
“I’ll pass along the message truthfully, but my workload seems to have increased. Including this task’s reward, I need you to do three things for me.”
“Princess, please tell me.”
“First, send a Greater Demon to protect Hilvi. Second, I need someone of mine by the Grand Prince’s side. Third, when this farce is over, I need someone to help me ‘clean up.'”
“Understood. I will report to the Master.”
All three matters revolved around Hilvi. Today, Eveleel was still hopelessly entangled in her love for the girl.
If all went well, both the Grand Prince and Willey—those two eyesores—would “disappear” from this land.
Then she could naturally take her relationship with Hilvi a step further. Perhaps not just her first kiss, but even the girl’s first night might be hers?
Of course, if it was just the tired old script of “hero saving beauty,” it would be too boring.
As expected, the Blonde Loli and Princess Chlorel should be dragged in to make things interesting.
She herself had already been “forced” to become their companion; wouldn’t it be a shame not to let them help her out a little?
After all, since the Grand Prince was the leader of the war faction, Chlorel and the others would surely be happy to contribute to her plan…
Once all the messages had been delivered, the Greater Demon left the room without a word.
Moonlight spilled down as Eveleel left the room.
Soon, she might have to be separated from Hilvi for a while. For now, she needed to make up for lost time as much as she could……