I met an unexpected guy again.
　No, the reunion itself was part of the plan, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon and more importantly, in a place like this.

It's fatal that the demon race is attending a party held in the royal castle. The only people who can attend this party are those who are well known in this country.
　If they wanted to, the Serpent Demon Tribe could kill all the royalty and nobles in the heart of the Alvan Kingdom at any time.
　It's a situation that is gripping the heart of this country.

Accompanied by the serpent's servant, I walked on the floor where the rooms rented out to noble guests were gathered.
　All eyes are drawn to the room.

I'm a holy knight, and I've been given the title of 【Chosen Servant】, and I'm the center of attention.
　Since I'm such a person visiting a woman's room late at night, and that's a beautiful widow, rumors will be circulating tomorrow.
　Still, there's no way I can ignore it.
　The servant knocks, the owner of the room answers, and the door is opened.

'Thank you for inviting me. Countess Grunfeldt.''

Since then, I looked up the woman the snake demon race had mimicked.
　Countess Grunfeldt.
　Count Grunfeldt, whose predecessor was competent, but his incompetent heir ate up his fortune.
　A picture-perfect fallen aristocrat.

She was the one who married there six months ago.
　After marrying her, the Count of Grunfeldt died a month later, and after that she ran the Grunfeldt estate, and in just a few months, the estate's management improved at once.
　Because of her beauty and skill, she is popular and appreciated in and out of the territory.
　........I never dreamed that such a Countess Grunfeldt was a demon race.
　It was unexpected that the demon race could adapt to human society to such an extent.

I've been looking forward to the arrival of the holy knight. Now, come over here.

A beautiful woman with a bewitching brown body smiles.
　A dizzying s*xiness.
She's sprinkling pheromones just like the tart after 【Beastification】. The concentration is not comparable to the tart. It's probably because unlike the tart, he's consciously releasing it.

It's the synergy between his fleshy body and the gestures that invite a man to join him, and it's an undeniable attraction.
　It's pretty bad, even for me, who is consciously trying to endure it because of my training as an assassin and my drug tolerance and my knowledge of pheromones.
　If a normal person ate this stuff, they would be boned up in one shot and would try to devour the limb.

''We have some good tea.
No, no. I'm not thirsty, sir.
Don't be alarmed. There's no poison in it, Sister. I just want to make you feel welcome.
It's a funny joke.

It makes me laugh.
　You're telling me not to be wary of a woman who suddenly spews pheromones, continues to make gestures that invite men to come over and try to charm us?

Oh, did you know that?　But you don't have to be such a stranger. After all, we're the only ones here. It is a very good idea to show us a man who is as rugged and lean as a warrior and as sharp as a knife. That's much more like you, and it's intriguing.

Countess Grunfeldt snaps her fingers and the servants turn into a giant white serpent.
　So it's a demon with mimetic abilities.
　If there are no humans here, then I can talk to you as an assassin for killing demons. I'll take you up on your offer.

Then I shall take you up on that. If you call someone here, you'll be able to rip the skin off the Countess Grunfeldt.
'You're a head-turner and you wouldn't do that,'

You know me well.
　Thus, the servant was a demon.
　If that's the case, it's impossible that none of the demons other than this servant could have been transformed.
　If I wanted to, I could create a tragedy here and there.
　I don't want that to happen.
　This demon tribe is smart.
　There are other points where you can guess how smart they are.
　Even though they had the power as a demon race, they were able to rebuild the Grunfeld territory in a short period of time. And the same is true of the fact that when he met the helmeted polyps demon race, he didn't talk to them right then and there, but thought it would be easier to talk to them if he showed them his position, so he dragged the conversation to this place.
　As a negotiating partner, it's tricky, but at the same time, it's helpful to talk quickly.

''To think that a demon tribe has become a nobleman to the point of being invited to the royal castle. "I didn't think it would be such a desperate fight. They can see through our movements, and at the end of the day, the lives of important people are in their hands. And besides.... how many people have you stripped to the bone? I suppose I could control this country if I wanted to.

I could stand the pheromones, but I'm sure there are more that don't.
　I don't even want to think about how many snake puppets there are in the heart of the country.
　In addition, the snake must have other cards to subdue people besides the color scent.

''There aren't that many of them. You wanted to do the same, though. I was a little hurt. I can't believe there's a man out there who isn't dominated by me.

The snake's fingers caress and singe my breastplate.

'Unfortunately, I've known far more attractive women than you,'
'That's, well, hmmm, which one is it?　A silver doll?　Or is it the golden baby fox?　You two are so adorable together. I love the pure love between boys. I can't help but want to ruin it.
'If you're going to negotiate, don't.

I direct my killing intent.
　With such a concentration that an ordinary person would be able to make you faint with that alone. Since the killing intent can be completely hidden, naturally, the opposite is also possible.
　The snake's smile is slightly drawn.
　It seems that this one's seriousness has been conveyed.

''I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. So much for the pranks, let's negotiate with you.''

Now it's time to get down to business.
　The snake retracts the finger it had been crawling on and moves away.

'You don't want the Demon King back. Isn't that right?

If this snake is serious, there's no way he's going to reveal himself to me.
　If I can control this country to some extent at will, I'll have him give orders to get away from the brave men and me, and in the meantime, I'll target the big city.

Just repeat that a few times.
　........And moreover, this woman knows that brave people exist in this country and that I am here who can defeat the demon race besides the brave people.
　More than that, it's bad enough that I've understood the nature of humans and the country.

If you go after a country that has a poor relationship with this country, this country can safely create as many fruits of life as it wants, after a long time of dispatching the brave men and me.
　Not doing so means that they don't want the Demon King to return.

''It's nice to hear you talk so quickly. Actually, I don't want the Demon King-sama to come back.''
And why is that?
If the Demon King comes back, the demons will die. I don't want to die.
Very straightforward. But tell me more details. Then why do the other demons want to resurrect the Demon King? Isn't it strange?　Are the rest of the demons suicidal?

The serpent yawned in annoyance.

The only way for the Demon King to revive is to offer at least three fruits of life. When he resurrects, he will absorb all the demons in his body. However, the base of the Demon King is the demon race that produced the most Fruits of Life. If you don't want to disappear, you'll just have to create more Fruits of Life than anyone else.

........So the demon race is nothing but nourishment for the demon king?
　They carry food and in the end, they even offer themselves.

Why don't you try to produce the seeds of life before others?
''Even if I were to become the base of the Demon King, is it really me?　I'm nauseated to be poured into the souls of other demons, the fruits of life tens of thousands of humans. I want to be who I am, I can't allow anyone else to get inside me. That's why I'm dragging the rest of the demon race down.
''It makes sense, but then wouldn't it be faster to convince the other demons?　The other demons might have the same idea.
''It's impossible. Those idiots only care about becoming the Demon King. Demons are inherently power-seeking, and they are just animals that follow their instincts.
And you're not?
Yes, I don't need any more help than this. The management of the estate is going well, and I can manipulate a few high ranking people to my heart's content. The management of the estate is going well, and I can manipulate people who are a little bit more important than me, and I have the luxury of being able to do as I please. I have great admiration, or rather respect and fascination, for human culture. I want to continue to live my life and enjoy the culture and entertainment created by humans. That's my wish. That's why the other demons are in the way.

One of the essential skills of an assassin is mind-reading.
　This woman is hardly a liar.

"Then the stakes are very high.
'Yeah, that's why I revealed to you that I'm a demon. The brave one is too blue in the ass to negotiate. Now it's your turn, hmmm, lots of it, since we've released the information, shouldn't you have something useful to offer as well?

Yes, that's true.
　So far, we're gaining one way or the other.

Yeah. Well, I'm going to give you a little piece of information. If you don't work with me, the Demon King will surely return and you'll die. That's what the goddess told me about the future," he said. The Witch King will return, the hero will kill him, and then the world will be destroyed by the crazy hero. .... my goal is to change that future.
Oh, it's true about the Chosen One.
Yes, I'm working under the direction of the goddess. With the will of that goddess, I'm changing the future that's supposed to come. If I don't interfere, 100% of the demon king will be resurrected and killed by a brave man. You don't want that to happen.

Half of it's a lie, but half of it's true.

'Oh, yes. That's something I can't help you with. That's interesting. You didn't tell me your name yet. You can call me Meena. Normally, the only people who can call me Meena are my little slaves, but you're special.

He asked me to shake my hand and I obliged.
　I've made a good collaborator.
　They can help me with both politics in the royal castle and information about the demon race.

And the assassin's eyes can see through the snake's lies.
　This snake is not lying in the grand scheme of things.
　But there were a few lies mixed in.

A true liar mixes a few lies with the truth.

But the matter of tens of thousands of humans is a lie. Probably, no matter how many human souls there are, it's not a very large number.

And while it is true that they are happy even as they are now and that such days should continue, it is a lie that they are not seeking power. He craves power through his demonic instincts.

Other than that, it's all true.
　There is one conclusion to be drawn from this.
　Meena's goal is to kill all the other demon clans and create a situation where no other demon clans can mix in with himself before he becomes the Demon King.

For that purpose, she's using me and this country to do it.
　He's really cunning.
　That's why they're more trustworthy and easier to use than those that don't have any ambitions.
　And if Meena thinks she's the only demon left, or if she can kill the rest of the demons with her own, she'll have no more use for me and try to eliminate me.
　........I also know Meena's true intentions, so as soon as she is no longer of use to me, I will assassinate her.
　In other words, this is a game of using each other as close as we can get, and in the end, we are determined to betray each other.

On the other hand, you can trust me until then.

'We've made a good bargain. And to commemorate that, how about we just make love?　I can't help but ache in the presence of a good man.
I told you. I have a sweetheart.
'I'm afraid you're not very stable. It's a pity. I could have given you a body that a little human couldn't handle.
'I'm sorry. And one thing I'd like to point out is that nothing is all about physical pleasure. We make love for something more than that. It's something you can't get with you.
'Oh my gosh, sister, I'm so embarrassed that you said that with a straight face. It's amazing how young you are.

We're going to leave the room.
　I will use and be used.
　Let's make this work.

Well, the problem is, we'll see when I get home.
　I'm sure Dia will be angry and sulk that she went to meet an erotic beauty, and Tart will stare at her with sad eyes, though she won't complain.
　It's a little annoying, but it's a sign that they love you.
　It's a bit awkward, but it's proof that they love you.
　For now, let's go to the girls.
　From there, it's up to you to figure out what happens next.