After finishing my conversation with Emeralda and the others, I left the Demon Lord’s Castle.
Milphobia stayed behind in the office, as Emeralda wanted to discuss something with her.
I could have waited for her to finish, but… there were still a few things I wanted to do today.
…To think I would be attempting that experiment so soon.
“Well, well, isn’t this exciting?”
“Exciting, you say?”
An unexpected reply came to my muttering. It was from Shes, who stood immobile in front of the castle’s main gate. With her back straight and her now spotless Holy Sword thrust into the ground with both hands, she looked every bit like a proper knight.
“Shes, why are you here? Given your current level of holy energy, you shouldn’t have been able to enter the Demon Lord’s Castle. I thought I told you to wait at the clinic.”
“It is a knight’s duty to await their master.”
“Yes, and that’s why I told you to wait at the clinic…”
“A knight must always remain where they can protect their master.”
“I… see. Well then, good work on standing by.”
Judging it futile to argue further, I decided to drop the subject. Shes has her own way of carrying herself as the Holy Knight Shestin. No one has the right to force someone to stray from how they choose to live. It’s best to accept it as it is.
“By the way, Shes, about that outfit…”
“Yes, Master Kiwi. Milphobia-sama picked it out for me at a shop specializing in succubus clothing.”
Shes spread her hands slightly, showing me her attire.
She wore a plain white three-quarter sleeve shirt paired with a classic black suspender dress, which suited her perfectly. If not for the massive Holy Sword she carried, she might easily pass for a beautiful town girl.
“Thank you for covering the costs, Master Kiwi.”
“Think nothing of it. If you’ve found something you like, then that’s all that matters.”
“Yes, I’m quite fond of it.”
Her steps seemed lighter somehow.
Owning clothes of her own must mean a lot to her. When she had been borrowing Milphobia’s before, she had been disheartened, mumbling things like, “The size… I never thought it could be this loose around here…” while holding her chest.
Perhaps her aversion to the bikini armor also played a role. The moment she changed into her new clothes, she promptly slashed the bikini armor to bits with her Holy Sword.
“Master Kiwi?”
The Araya Clinic was a short distance from the Demon Lord’s Castle—just two turns off the main street. At one of these intersections, Shes tilted her head.
“This is not the way to the clinic…”
“Ah, I have a demonfolk I want to visit. You can return ahead of me if you’d like—”
“I’ll accompany you.”
“…Alright. Then let’s go.”
I led Shes along the route Milphobia had described earlier. Using the map she provided, we navigated towards the center of Demon City. It seemed my recommendation had worked out, as “they” had been granted a room there. I had heard they were pleased about it, which was a relief.
“Does this visit have something to do with what you mentioned earlier about being ‘excited,’ Master Kiwi?”
“Indeed. I’m preparing for a small experiment.”
“An experiment?”
As we walked, I reached into the pocket of my lab coat and pulled something out to show Shes.
“Is that parchment?”
“Yes. I… borrowed this from the kingdom’s saintess during the Elden recapture.”
I unfolded the parchment. It was covered in dense writing about God’s miraculous deeds and teachings, aimed at inspiring faith among followers—a mythological narrative.
“This is called the True Covenant, a type of holy scripture. Reading and keeping this kind of text allows priests to perform holy arts more easily, even ones that would typically require advanced skills. It’s a convenient tool for clergy.”
“To think even holy arts now rely on tools… How surprising.”
“An external shortcut for skill acquisition—quintessentially modern. If it works for holy arts, there’s no reason it can’t for magic. That’s why I want to give it a try.”
“I see. So, Master Kiwi, you intend to create a convenient tool for magic, and the person we’re visiting has the skills needed for its creation?”
“Exactly.”
After navigating several turns in Demon City Delmond, we arrived at our destination: a stone building. It seemed fairly new, with good sunlight and a decent location—ideal for a healthy life.
Milphobia must have already informed them of my visit via messenger bat, as the two who lived there were waiting for me outside, waving enthusiastically.
“Master Kiwi! Long time no see!”
It was Inasa, a tengu demonfolk I had met in the Elden camp, along with his son Kochi. They had fought alongside us against the saintess.
“Ah, it’s been a while, Inasa-san.”
“Indeed, indeed!”
Inasa ran up to me and vigorously shook my hands in excitement. A little too vigorously—it hurt.
“I’ve been wanting to visit and properly thank you, but knowing you reside in the Demon Lord’s Castle or are busy at the clinic, I didn’t want to impose…”
“No thanks are necessary. You helped me too, remember?”
“Not at all! I only followed your instructions. That’s why…”
Inasa spoke earnestly, his eyes brimming with emotion.
“To hear that I can be of service to you fills me with purpose, Master Kiwi!”
“You might be exaggerating a bit… but I’m grateful you’ve accepted the job.”
I returned Inasa’s firm handshake.
“Inasa-san, I’d like you to write the ‘scriptures’—the narrative portion of the Demon Kingdom’s holy text. With your experience as a novelist in Elden, I believe you’re the perfect fit.”
