[Side: Special Task Force]
A few hours earlier
In a corner of the Demon King’s castle annex—home to the Demon Army’s General Staff and offices of senior officials—stood the headquarters of the “Demon Metropolis Police Department.”
Next to a busy office with around thirty desks, a large conference room was situated. Inside it, fourteen heavily armed demons stood silently, their tension palpable.
Into the still room came a booming voice:
“We have received formal approval from Lord Ganken, Chief of the Delmond Police and a high-ranking official of the Demon Nation!”
The speaker was Deus, a towering automaton knight nearly two meters tall with a body of steel. He was the captain of one of the Demon Metropolis Police’s specialized units—the Special Task Force.
Deus strode toward the table at the center of the room. Spread across it was a detailed map of the metropolis and a collection of wanted posters depicting several demons.
“From this moment, the Special Task Force will begin an operation to eradicate illegal drugs. Our target is the headquarters of a wholesale organization suspected to be a front for a massive criminal syndicate.”
“This is the location where we confirmed multiple appearances of dealers selling the new water drug, correct?”
“Exactly. We will secure physical evidence here and take down the organization’s leadership as shown in these posters!”
The responding voices of the assembled demons were deep and resolute, their eyes gleaming with fierce determination.
This operation wasn’t just about enforcing the law.
Two months earlier, the devastating effects of the new water drug had come to light, even as the Demon Nation struggled during wartime. The hatred against those exploiting the populace for profit while the nation fought for survival was intense.
“Captain, will there be any restrictions on our actions?”
“Until we confirm the presence of the new water drug, no one is to be killed.”
“And after confirmation?”
“All restrictions are lifted. Eliminate everyone inside the building except the leadership.”
“Understood! Let’s do this!”
The room erupted with roars of agreement.
Their targets were highly likely to be part of a criminal organization, even though concrete evidence was still lacking. To ensure the operation’s legality, Deus had personally sought authorization from his superior, Ganken, one of the Demon Nation’s executives.
“Now, let’s move out! Special Task Force, deploy!”
The officers raised their fists high in unison and shouted their war cry.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city…
“This is bad, boss! The Demon Metropolis Police are sure we have the new water drug in our headquarters! It’s only a matter of time before they find it!”
“…!!!”
The “boss” and his subordinates looked at me in desperation. It seemed they were relying entirely on me to handle this situation.
Hmm… What to do?
The Demon Metropolis Police was a security organization established by one of the Demon Nation’s executives. They were committed to destroying criminal groups like this one that harmed the nation.
If they discovered a human like me among them, it would undoubtedly lead to accusations of me being a spy sent by the human kingdom to weaken the Demon Nation from within by distributing illegal drugs. Worse, it could mean immediate execution.
“Shall we flee on our own, Lord Kiwi ?”
Shes, standing beside me, whispered quietly.
It was true—if I abandoned the others and fled with just my closest allies, my reputation and position would remain intact. Even if the captured leaders testified that “Kiwi Alaya was here,” there would be no physical evidence to prove it.
But that would mean losing the organization I had worked so hard to acquire. Worse, if one of the leaders were captured and interrogated, they could reveal the location of my research facility.
This was a zero-or-one decision.
Sacrifice everything for safety, or take a risk to preserve it all.
For me, the choice was obvious.
“How many are there in the Demon Police force?”
The demon who brought the report looked puzzled, as if wondering who I was, but the boss scowled at him, prompting a hesitant reply.
“There are fifteen of them in total… including Dark Knight Deus. They’re likely the Demon Special Task Force, or ‘Matoki.’”
“Matoki?”
I tilted my head in curiosity, and Tigger, standing beside me, quietly explained:
“It’s short for the Demon Metropolis Police Special Task Force. They’re an elite tactical unit specializing in high-stakes operations, and our natural enemy as an anti-social group. Most of their members are former army captains, and their individual strength rivals the Eight Great Prison Gatekeepers.”
“Interesting.”
“Even so, I doubt they’d be a match for you, Lord Kiwi . But Dark Knight Deus is on another level entirely. As the personal sword of Executive Ganken, he’s a dangerous opponent.”
“I see. Thank you for the information.”
Facing Ganken’s personal sword in this situation wasn’t ideal, but there was no turning back now.
“Bring me a mask and a robe.”
I took the boss’s mask and draped a black robe over my lab coat. A simple disguise, but it would at least conceal my identity. Shes and Zombie Thief were similarly disguised.
“Now then, gentlemen. Sitting here waiting for them to find the drugs won’t do us any good. Let’s reveal ourselves before they do.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“A forced breakthrough. We’ll abandon this headquarters.”
The Demon Special Task Force was focused on searching for physical evidence. Their preparations for combat wouldn’t yet be complete. Taking advantage of this window, we would escape with the leaders.
Losing this headquarters would be painful, but as long as the leaders survived, we could rebuild.
“Let’s move. Time is of the essence.”
With Shes leading the way, we headed toward the building’s front entrance.
