Celebration Center—
“Hey, Cecil, this had better actually be important.”
“Of course it is.”
As Cecil walked ahead, his tail would thump against the ground every few steps.
“Thump.”
Afterward, a mark depicting a chibi Saintess would appear on the ground.
“I really don't get what you're hiding at a time like this.”
Aliviel watched Cecil repeatedly thumping the ground in front of her. As she stepped beside his mark, she conjured a succubus mark of her own next to it.
“What do you think all those people over there are doing?”
“Hasn't it always been this crowded here?”
“The entire demon race is here, what do you think?”
Cecil turned to look at the succubus, a helpless expression on his face.
“Miss Succubus, did you perhaps not resist secretly drinking that potent poison on the way here, causing your brain to get muddled?”
As he spoke, Cecil looked at Aliviel with a pitiful expression. The sickening concern on his face truly infuriated the succubus.
Seeing Cecil's infuriating demeanor, Aliviel couldn't help but miss the high-EQ demon who had just been spouting sweet nothings. Thinking of the highly emotionally intelligent Cecil from moments ago, could potent poison temporarily boost this demon's intelligence?
Though she yearned to confirm it now, the immediate priority was to make this demon understand her words. She couldn't let him look at her with that disgusting expression anymore.
Aliviel stepped forward, grabbed Cecil's head with both hands, and forcefully twisted it towards the crowd.
“CRACK—”
“Hey, hey! I think you're the one trying to murder a Demon King's executive!”
Cecil felt a loud crack from his neck. If his body hadn't been surprisingly flexible and stiff, he might have been the only one on the death list for this celebration.
“Not dead? What a shame.”
“Hey, you—”
As Cecil was about to speak again, Aliviel pointed to the scene in front of him. This gesture indeed made the demon's open mouth close.
A large number of demons were gathered before them, seemingly awaiting some kind of performance. In the center of the crowd, a sizable stage had already been erected with the help of magic.
“This must be the event Mrs. Nashi is hosting.”
Though the lady had sought him out, he had declined, stating he had to assist the Demon King with some matters tonight. He didn't expect it to be starting so early.
Seeing the event about to begin, Cecil looked up at the moon.
“It's still early, why don't we stay and watch?”
He mentioned it to Aliviel behind him, then started walking into the crowd.
“Hey! Don't just leave me behind!”
“Did I agree to that?!”
Seeing Cecil merely wave from a distance, as if her presence or absence didn't matter, Aliviel had no choice but to quickly follow him.
“Since you're like this, I'll definitely follow!”
Veins throbbed on Aliviel's forehead, and the surrounding magic began to spiral out of control. Anyone could see that the succubus was in an extremely foul mood.
And when the two finally reached the front of the crowd—
“Niya?”
Why was Niya on the stage? In the middle of the stage, Niya stood with her hands clasped in front of her, constantly rubbing them. Her cheeks were flushed, and from Cecil's perspective, the little one seemed to be trembling slightly.
Cecil felt a bit puzzled seeing Niya on stage. The little one had been helping out here these past few days, so now… was she going to perform something?
“Why is little Niya here?”
No, it wasn't strange for little Niya to be here, after all, he had just helped her. But given her shy personality, why would she be on stage?
Aliviel looked at the demon beside her, who was responsible for matters within the Demon King's Castle, with a puzzled gaze.
Cecil also felt the gaze from beside him, but how could he, as a gentleman, pry into someone else's privacy?
“Ahem, that should be little Niya's privacy. I don't know.”
Cecil spread his hands towards Aliviel, indicating he had no idea. What did this succubus take him for? Did a gentleman of the demon race like him look like a pervert who would peek into a little girl's private matters?
From Aliviel's expression, it seemed the succubus indeed thought so.
“Hey, hey, wipe that expression off your face. If you really want to know, why don't you just stay and watch?”
Things with Miss Saintess were almost set up, and he could bring the little one along too.
As he thought this, a strong dragging sound came from beside them, accompanied by the voice of a familiar person.
“Wait, wait, why am I involved in this?!”
“Of course, Furni, you filled out this information yourself.”
...
Though he wanted to comment on the dragon's currently plump figure, her current posture, clinging to the ground, was truly embarrassing.
Furni, on the ground, also saw Cecil and Aliviel looking at her with disdain. She immediately put on a pitiful expression, as if begging for help.
However, with her true form being a giant dragon, and with several people aware of it, Furni's act only earned Cecil and Aliviel expressions of extreme disgust.
Karl continued to drag the dragon, who was clinging tightly to the ground, onto the stage.
“Karl! It was you! It must have been you!”
Thinking of Karl secretly filling out some forms behind her back, Furni now realized the old man had been digging a pit for her.
At the same time, within Cecil's line of sight, an armored figure quietly walked onto the stage from behind it. Seeing the yellow hair, Cecil nudged Aliviel beside him.
“Succubus, look at that blonde. Isn't that the guy the dragon threw over here?”
Remembering Ivelia's account of Furni throwing the Hero over here, Cecil decided to ask the succubus Scout who monitored Camillaya.
“Yes, Cecil.”
Just as Aliviel opened her mouth, a gruff voice from behind answered Cecil's question.
“This guy is actually quite decent.”
Baroque appeared behind the two. Looking at Ichikawa as he walked onto the stage, Baroque nodded. Baroque was quite pleased with this Hero, who had traveled with him all this way. What's more, when he'd just seen him, he'd given him a courage-boosting potion, so this competition should be no problem now.
“Baroque, weren't you with Samuel?”
Cecil felt the immense force pressing on his shoulder.
“Haha, doesn't everyone feel a bit hot right now?”
Cecil's splendid formal attire was already soaked with sweat.
“I'll settle this with you in a few days.”
“Samuel also curiously signed up for this event.”
After speaking, Baroque “gently” patted Cecil's shoulder a few times. It was just that Cecil's height suddenly decreased drastically, for some unknown reason.
“Baroque, what exactly is this event?”
Aliviel saw several people on stage beginning to sit at tables, and she had never seen an event like this before.
“Hmm… according to Mrs. Nashi, it's probably a competition to see who can eat the most.”
Baroque stroked his chin, then summarized the situation.
“Let me explain this instead.”
Rate on N.U.
