“This ring makes you invisible to enemies, right?”
“Yes, so make sure to always wear it.”
Although Lady Fiona tends to worry a lot, I’m weak, so there’s no reason for me to argue.
Still, I can’t help but wonder just how effective it really is.
“So, you can see me because you’re not an enemy, right?”
“Of course. The same would probably apply to the Four Heavenly Kings as well.”
If that’s the case, testing this might be a bit tricky.
Should I just try it in the field and see how it goes?
“By the way, how invisible does it make me? Like, completely invisible?”
“Hmm… It’s not that versatile. No matter how much you try to hide, I’ll always find you.”
“Please don’t say that so casually—I’m not planning to oppose you.”
Looks like this gear doesn’t work on someone as powerful as Lady Fiona, the Demon Lord.
I wonder how it fares against the heroes. Maybe I should pay Ido a visit.
Then again, I’d probably get caught by scent and torn apart, so let’s not.
“Think of it as more of an insurance policy. I didn’t give it to you so you could act recklessly. If you do, I’ll punish you.”
“Punish me, huh…”
“It’ll be just the two of us, cooped up together for a while.”
…Well, that’s basically my life already.
Not that I dislike it—it’s not inconvenient either.
“Alright, then. I’ll work hard to avoid being punished.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the Beastkin Dungeon. I’ll check on the staff and see how things are going.”
The number of visitors there keeps increasing.
Tokito and Okui are doing a good job, but since new employees just joined, it’s a good time to check on traps and monsters while I’m at it.
“Hmm… Very well. There don’t seem to be any dangerous intruders at the moment. But if a strong enemy shows up, run immediately.”
“Got it.”
There’s no one as dangerous as Ruf or Ido around.
In fact, at this time of day, most adventurers have already finished their explorations and are either shopping at the market or resting at the inn.
Judging it to be relatively safe, Lady Fiona gave me permission.
“Ripianem.”
“Yes!”
“Protect Rey.”
“Understood!”
Ripianem, who had been idling about, happily accepted Lady Fiona’s order.
With Ripianem as my escort, I can feel assured even if something happens.
This time, it seems like I’ll actually be safe.
With the strongest-class escort, Lady Fiona finally seemed at ease letting me go.
“She’s really overprotective, huh.”
“It’s only natural. You’re that important to her.”
That might be part of it, but my history of being a weakling who gets injured in one hit probably plays a bigger role.
Even as my level increases, my stats—other than magic—barely improve. Fighting head-on is just not my thing.
“As someone who supports Lady Fiona, we can’t afford for anything to happen to you. I’ll ensure your safety.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Though all the Four Heavenly Kings also support Lady Fiona, they’re all strong in their own right.
“So I’m useful! I’m contributing!”
“Of course you are. You couldn’t be more reliable.”
Ripianem immediately lit up with joy.
She must’ve been worrying about not having enough to do.
Honestly, if Ripianem has nothing to do, it means things are peaceful, and that’s how I’d like it to stay.
“Alright, there shouldn’t be many customers right now.”
“It’s mostly just the staff here right now~.”
“Got it, thanks.”
Only Pilkaya’s voice responded to me.
In that case, I’ll take the opportunity to hand over Lady Fiona’s surplus prizes and see how things are going.
“Oh, Rey. Thanks for your hard work.”
“You too. Here, restock these.”
When I handed Tokito some items, she immediately started giving instructions to her beastkin subordinates.
Seems like things are going well.
“Um, Rey…”
“What’s up, Okui?”
Just then, Okui hesitantly approached me.
Is it because I brought Ripianem along and made things unnecessarily intimidating again?
“The inventory numbers aren’t matching up…”
“Wait, it’s not just a counting mistake?”
Apparently, it was a serious concern.
If the inventory doesn’t match, it means items are disappearing unnoticed.
…Could it be a malfunction with one of my traps? No, I haven’t set any up recently.
“We double-checked today, just to be sure, so we thought it best to report it right away.”
“Huh? You should’ve told me sooner~.”
Pilkaya, who had apparently been listening in, chimed in with a disgruntled voice, making Okui flustered.
“S-sorry! We thought it might be related to Rey’s experience gain, so we wanted to check with him first…”
Ah… I do have a record, don’t I?
It’s only natural for Tokito to suspect that I used my skill to turn the items into experience points again.
But this time, I have nothing to do with it. Just to be sure, I check my menu, but there’s nothing unusual.
Honestly, I wish I had a skill like that. If Lady Fiona’s excess items could turn into my experience points, my level would skyrocket.
Knowing Lady Fiona, she’d mass-produce them, too.
“It’s not me this time.”
“I see…”
“And you didn’t see anything either, Pilkaya?”
“I just heard about it now~.”
Pilkaya, after all, isn’t watching this place 24/7.
So, it’s possible for things to be overlooked, but still, someone managed to sneak past Pilkaya’s watch and took some products.
Ideally, there would be no culprit, but so far, I have no idea what could have caused the products to disappear.
I guess I should search for the culprit.
“But, I’m being underestimated, huh? I told all the employees that I’m keeping an eye on things.”
“Uh… I’m sorry.”
“You’re fine. The problem is the person who made the products disappear.”
It’s rare for Pilkaya to be angry.
It’s understandable. If someone is stealing while knowing that Pilkaya is watching, then it’s a direct challenge to her.
“All the products here belong to Lady Fiona. It’s fine to sell them, but I won’t allow anyone to steal them. And it seems like they didn’t even care about my watch. They’re really underestimating me!”
“If someone can sneak past Pilkaya’s watch, then they probably have the skill to back up that confidence.”
“I’ve decided. I’ll focus on watching this place for a while. After that, I’ll deal with the culprit.”
“I’ll let Lady Fiona know, but I think Pilkaya can handle this on her own.”
If it’s not related to the Gasha, we usually just leave it to Pilkaya.
Honestly, it’s impressive how much Lady Fiona works to wipe out the heroes as a Demon Lord.
“Ugh… What a failure. All the trust I’ve built up is at risk now.”
“That probably won’t shake your reputation. But well… If Pilkaya’s watch isn’t enough, we need to deal with this quickly.”
For now, the situation is only about products being discarded or stolen.
But who knows? Lady Fiona or the Four Heavenly Kings might notice and launch a surprise attack.
Currently, I’m in danger. Someone like me, weak as I am, would die in an ambush regardless of who the enemy is.
“Got it… Pilkaya, don’t get discouraged. You’re doing a great job.”
“Thanks~. But if someone’s picking a fight, I’m happy to take it up.”
When I told Lady Fiona, she didn’t scold Pilkaya and even allowed it.
But Pilkaya herself didn’t seem satisfied and is probably still keeping an eye on Tokito’s shop.
“Speaking of which, an ambush, huh… That’s certainly dangerous. Especially for Rey.”
“Yeah, Rey’s the one.”
“Unfortunately, if it’s an ambush, Rey-sama wouldn’t be much help.”
“Don’t worry about it. Some things just aren’t a good fit. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”
The Four Heavenly Kings’ reactions are generally similar.
Yeah, I’m weak, and Ripianem really does have a way of being convincing.
“Should we sleep together for a while?”
“No, please… I’d rather not.”
I quickly rejected Lady Fiona’s suggestion.
This demon lord probably thinks of me as just a beloved pet or something…
I know Lady Fiona’s personality is a bit of a mess, but unfortunately, she is still beautiful.
So, there’s no way I could sleep with her. If I don’t get proper sleep, my magic won’t recover, you know?
…Well, if I use all my magic, I could automatically fall asleep, but still, it would be impossible for me to relax, so I’ll have to decline.
“Eh… I won’t attack you, though?”
“If that happens, I’d die instantly.”
We’re still having these bizarre exchanges, but this time, Pilkaya didn’t react as usual.
