“Ah, I see…”
“Indeed, with me around, you don’t really need a half-baked spy, do you?”
“However, as a clerk for that store we discussed, they might actually be suitable.”
The Four Generals’ judgment was more or less the same as mine.
While Pilkaya could handle espionage, this person also seemed like the right fit to operate the shop that we, as demons, had been struggling to manage.
“You’re a reincarnator, aren’t you?”
“Yes! Yes, that’s right! I’m a reincarnator! I don’t really have any sense of allegiance!”
In response to Lady Fiona’s question, the reincarnated girl answered firmly.
…The reincarnator I met before had tried to kill me for experience points.
So I ended up killing them in return. Is this girl different?
Or were those reincarnators the exception, and it’s normal for them not to care about race?
“Rei.”
“Yes.”
I was pulled from my thoughts by Lady Fiona’s voice.
She looked at me with a serious expression and spoke slowly.
“Even if you trust her, she will betray you. Just because we’re demons, we are fundamentally incompatible with other races.”
…Well, that’s true.
Kokumatsu was the same way, but that doesn’t mean we should go around killing everyone.
If this girl is willing to cooperate with us, we can accept that.
However, we can’t know when she might betray us. As long as we keep that in mind, it should be fine.
“You entered this dungeon because you intended to fight demons, didn’t you?”
“N-no! After I was taken in as a reincarnator by the beastfolk, I couldn’t keep up with their combat-loving ways… They dragged me here against my will for a strength test.”
I see… So her mind from her previous life hasn’t fully adapted to her beastfolk body yet.
But eventually, she will likely develop the mindset typical of beastfolk, just as I have grown accustomed to being a demon.
“Even so, you seem to have made your way through the dungeon quite smoothly.”
“W-well, that’s thanks to the goddess’s skill, even if it’s a bit flawed.”
Ah, so that’s the reason.
Like Kokumatsu, she was probably given skills more suited for investigation and reconnaissance than direct combat.
“My skill is called ‘Choice.’”
“Choice?”
She explained her skill to me, sensing my confusion.
“Yes, whenever I have to make a decision, options and their outcomes appear in my vision. That’s how I avoided defying the beastfolk and followed them here. It’s also how I chose the safest paths in the labyrinth.”
…If she’s willing to share something so crucial, is she really planning to side with us?
So even falling into that pit trap was the best option available to her?
“What about falling into the pit trap?”
“Going any further would have led to death in every scenario. Falling into the pit and begging for my life was the only way I could survive.”
“Ah, so that’s why you suddenly proposed working at the shop.”
“Yeah… It sounded ridiculous, but since I’m still alive, it seems my choice was correct.”
That’s a convenient skill…
She can see the correct and incorrect decisions ahead of time.
If someone like her joins us, does that mean the Demon Lord’s army will ultimately prevail in this world?
No, it’s probably just a means to get through immediate crises. We shouldn’t over-rely on her.
“Could your skill predict if our actions would lead to a good outcome?”
“Ah… Unfortunately, my ability only seems to apply to my own actions.”
So it’s not all-powerful.
It would’ve been helpful if it could determine the best dungeon layout or placement strategies.
Even if she were to create a dungeon herself, the skill likely wouldn’t work, as she lacks the Dungeon Master’s skill to implement her choices.
“So, Rei, what do you think?”
“…If she harbors no hostility toward us, I think it’s fine to entrust her with the shop. But keeping an eye on her at all times might be…”
It’s fine to entrust her with the shop, but it wouldn’t be amusing if she betrayed us.
Should we assign someone to monitor her? But if the observer gets defeated, that defeats the purpose.
While I was mulling it over, Pilkaya pointed at themselves.
“I can pretty much see everything around here.”
“That’s true…”
“If she even shows a hint of betrayal, I can burn her to ashes immediately.”
“Alright, that sounds reassuring. Pilkaya, can I count on you to keep watch?”
With Pilkaya, there’s no problem.
Even if she does act up, taking down one of the Four Generals won’t be easy.
And even if she somehow manages that, Pilkaya’s main body will quickly relay the information to us.
Yes, this feels secure.
“Impressive as always, Pilkaya. You’re a great help.”
“Well, I am pretty amazing. So, it’s settled! Behave yourself, or you’ll get roasted~.”
“Th-thank you very much!”
“We don’t need you to promise not to betray us. We’re demons; we operate under the assumption that other races will betray us.”
“N-not at all…”
She’s neither an ally nor a subordinate. Lady Fiona accepted this beastfolk reincarnator as someone who would eventually betray us.
“So, what’s your name? If we’re going to be coworkers, it’d be inconvenient not to know.”
“Oh, right! My name is Serika Tokito.”
“I’m Pilkaya.”
“Primilla .”
“I’m Izumi Reiko.”
We went through simple introductions, but Lady Fiona didn’t reveal her name.
“I am the Demon Lord.”
The emotion reflected there was not the usual Fiona-sama I knew.
Pilkaya had said that Fiona-sama had changed, but perhaps this side of her was the true Fiona-sama as the Demon Lord.
“Well then, let’s start by showing you the shop.”
Regardless of each person’s intentions, it’s clear that Tokito has now joined the Demon Lord’s army.
For now, I’ll guide her to the workplace for the time being.
◇
“We’ve arranged the goods, but maintaining a stable supply might be difficult.”
“So, that means there are some items we can’t restock?”
“Food and low-tier consumables will be relatively stable, though.”
The area I was shown to was near the entrance.
When I first infiltrated, I thought there was some unnatural wall there.
The muscle-brained ones didn’t seem to notice it, and even if I told them, they would probably just ignore it—it was obvious without using the “Choice” skill.
So, I only paid a little attention to it before moving forward, but to think there was a shop hidden inside.
A demon man, probably about my age and from the same hometown, explained things to me.
There’s a lot of food and items, but I wondered if anyone would really buy from a suspicious shop inside a dungeon.
…Choices. About how I should act in this shop.
- Work to generate sales → Be highly valued by the Demon Lord’s army.
- Work in a way that doesn’t generate sales → Continue as a shopkeeper disposing of useless goods, but with no change in reputation.
- Work negligently → Be kicked out of the Demon Lord’s army.
- Fully cooperate with intruders → Be burned to death.
I see. Surprisingly peaceful results, which gave me a sense of relief.
As long as I’m working here, I’ll be treated as a member of the Demon Lord’s army.
In fact, even if I’m negligent, I’ll just be kicked out without losing my life.
Since it’s the Demon Lord’s army, I thought I’d be forced to work like a slave, but with this, it seems like I can live somewhat normally.
…Well, the last one is obvious.
While working as a shopkeeper, if I collaborate with intruders or sell things that would aid them in conquering the dungeon, I’d be considered a traitor and probably get killed by that Demon Lord with fire or something…
Yeah. I’ll be careful.
For now, I’ll ask Izumi-san about what I can and can’t sell here.
◇
“Welcome…”
“Huh, you’re a coward.”
“Seriously. What are you doing here?”
Since Tokito asked me which items were okay to sell, I decided to sell items and equipment that weren’t too powerful.
If the items I sold made dungeon exploration easier, it would defeat the purpose.
So, I decided to only sell things that were unrelated to traps or monster handling and opened the shop.
Right away, I was doing shopkeeping for the beastfolk.
“N-no… I’m afraid of going any further, so I thought I’d sell things that might be useful to everyone here.”
“Huh… still weak as always.”
“Oh, there’s food. If recovery potions are sold here, we don’t need to prepare them.”
…The beastfolk shopped without any suspicion at all in this shady shop.
Was it just because I was familiar with them that they didn’t suspect anything?
If so, it seems I was quite lucky to have recruited a reincarnator from the beastfolk village.
The beastfolk, who had eagerly advanced into the dungeon, returned in a desperate state.
It seemed that the recovery potions they bought from the shop were the reason they managed to survive and make it back outside.
They’d probably use that shop again next time.
Since I couldn’t defeat them, the increase in dungeon magic was slightly lower than usual.
But if I tried to defeat everyone and ended up increasing traps and monsters too much, it would only attract more troublesome intruders.
“The balance is still difficult to maintain…”
