One day, when I came back to my office.

Welcome back to work, Mr. Mambo.

　With a young voice - a maid greeted me.

　It was a familiar voice and a familiar face in any way.
　Or rather, it was a secretary. It was Kash.

　She was dressed in a black dress with a white apron. On her head was a lacy catsuit.
　It is a maid style. This also has a sense of déjà vu.

　.........Ah, yes. Is this the same design as the ones worn by the [Dream Demons] of the fifth layer? There's no holes that can be made for the bat wings growing out of the waist, but that's the only difference. Also the size.
　It fits Kash perfectly, so it seems they prepared it for this.

''.........Reme, sir?''

　Looking at Kash's anxious face, I snap out of my thoughts.
　It seems that Kash, who has been making an effort to call me Sanboo while on duty, has made me anxious enough to unintentionally go back to calling you Leme.

'Oh, I was a little surprised. It looks great on you.

Thank you very much.

　After all, Kash is better when he's smiling. It's this kind of smile that makes the viewer feel better.

'But what's up with that?'

　I have an idea, but I ask.

'Mr. Sitley gave it to me.

　[Demon of Love] Sitley. A woman who loves pretty things.
　Her true identity is a sub-beast of a winged leopard. She can even recreate the characteristics of another species with her outstandingly accurate body changes, and she's an expert who can be counted as one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
　She is my contractor and friend.

''I see, Citry-san.''

　Kash is a cute and good boy and is well received by the staff of the Demon King's Castle.
　Often when you ask for a message, Kash will come back with his arms full of sweets.
　He is very much loved.
　I'm like, "I know........" about that.

　What a gift of a maid's outfit.
　Besides, Kash is still a good boy, so he's likely to refrain from getting things for free.

''Yah-ho-ho.''

　The one who greeted me with a fluttering wave of her hand was Mr. Citry.
　I didn't notice her because I was distracted by Kash, who was dressed as a maid, but she was lying on the sofa for the reception area.
　She's using the sofa's elbow rest as a pillow, and she's looking at me in an upside-down position.

　........she's relaxing.
　Is it home?　I'm so riddled with it.
　But it's just as well that she doesn't look disheveled.

　Her pink hair, tied into a twin-tail, hangs down to the side of the sofa without falling off just barely, and her bangs flutter and follow gravity to the top of her head as she looks at me.
　There were no wrinkles in her maid's clothes, one of the wings hung powerlessly, the other was turned to her ventral side, and she was pecking and fiddling with it herself.

　She was standing on one leg, making her skirt suspiciously long, exposing her lush skin.
　Her tail, which had a tip that looked like a heart reversed, was tangled in the leg on the side where it was stood.
　It was perfect, like a cute pose for a 'distracted figure' theme.

'Good evening. Did we have an appointment?

　Feeling inwardly nervous, I call out to him with an air of equanimity.

'Appointment!'

　Ms. Sitley's reply is brief.
　I chuckle and sit down in front of her.

'Thank you for the clothes. Kash seems to be pleased with them too.

"I said, 'Reme, you'll be happy,' and he put it on right away. He's so cute.

　.........I see, is that why Kash is wearing what he was given without hesitation?

''I wish I could repay you in some way...''

'Already too serious. Citry just wanted the cute little Kash to wear cute clothes. It's like she's already thanking me.

"...if you say so, Mr. Citry.

Yoo-hoo. I'll do it.

　With that, she sat back down on the couch.
　Good, I'm honestly sorry for the position I was in earlier.

　Kash prepares a cup of tea for me and pours another for Sitri-san.
　She's cute in her secretary's outfit, but in a situation like this, she looks more atmospheric in her maid's outfit.......maybe.

　But it also seems to give off an age-unfriendly feeling...I don't know. I don't know.
　But he doesn't seem to be displeased with Kash, so it's not a bad thing....................I guess.

'Wow. Thanks, Kash. Do you have anything sweet for me?

I have cookies. Mrs. Carmilla gave me these.

Oh, Miracci Select is a sure bet. I want to eat it.

I'll bring you a drink.

Wow. You're so cute, Kashu, you're an angel~

Oh, that's... thank you very much.

　Kash is embarrassed.
　But is it right to say that demons are angels?

'So, Reme-kun. Ah, it's Reme-kun for now, right?

Yeah.

　Recently, I've also made some adventurer friends, albeit temporarily, so I've been careful about what Citry-san calls me.
　When other people's eyes were on me, he would call me Chief Strategist-kun out of concern for me.

'I just wanted to come by and talk to you.

What is this?

But first, what were you doing earlier?

Yeah, I'll be training with my men.

Well, now that you mention it, you finally have a direct subordinate. I heard you have three and some adventurers.

The five adventurers will be considered collaborators for raiding only.

Reme, you're really funny, aren't you? You always do things in an unconventional way. So, how did the training go?

'I think it's starting to take shape. It will take some adjustment, though, depending on what combination of adventurers you reach. --of course, I believe that you all can annihilate them before then.

　A little late, I might add, but he doesn't seem to be offended by Mr. Sitley.

'Haha, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine. I don't mind.

　At that moment, Kash brought me a plate of cookies.

'Thanks, Kash. Come eat with me?

Yeah, but...

It's okay. It's definitely better to eat with Kashu. Isn't that nice, Leme?

'Sure. We'll talk for a bit, but Kash can eat like it's a break.

Okay.

　Kash sat down next to me with a bump.
　He sits down and then, sooty, he moves a little closer to me. He thinks he's being careful.

　I'm not sure if he's nervous or not, but his dog ears are twitching.
　Sitri-san was looking at such a Kash with a smile on her face.

''Kah, he's so cute ... too cute.

　Kash grabbed a cookie in his little hands and crunched it up. Seeing her cheeks loosen up at the taste of the cookie, Sitley said dangerously, "I want to take it home with me....

'No.'

Yes. Hey, Kashu. I'll pay you twice as much as Reme-kun and you want to be Sitri's secretary?

　Mr. Sitley held up two fingers, emphasizing the double.
　But Kash looked apologetic.

''I'd prefer to be Sanbo's secretary, so...''

　I'm unintentionally jealous.
　Double the salary should be very attractive to Kash, who is working to help the family to make ends meet.

　Maybe she just understands that Citry-san is joking, but I'm very flattered that she finds value in my secretary, even in words.

'You are a cute little life form...where did you find such a girl, Reme-kun?　Heaven?

The market.

Heaven's pretty close, isn't it?

Haha.....

　Kash, who is constantly being praised, continues to have his cheeks dyed a light red from earlier.
　While soothing Kash, it's time to return to the subject.

''So, do you want to talk to me or something?''

'Oh, yeah. I almost forgot.

　Then she turns serious.

'Reme-kun, you gave me some advice before, didn't you?'

Defense?

　At one point, he was the chief of staff, and we had talked about what we could do to help defend each layer.
　While some of them actively take in ideas, others stick to their own way.
　For me, it was just a suggestion, so I would leave the final decision to each layer.

I had a lot of trouble deciding. Citry I'll do it.

Yeah, right.

　My suggestions are meant to win.
　But we all have our own principles and obsessions.

　For example, my advice to Sitry-san was largely against her 'love of pretty things' part.
　However, I thought it was a valid strategy with that in it, so I told her.

　Initially, she showed some difficulty........

''Well, are you sure?　If I may suggest it, it's probably not the best way for Mr. Sitley to do it.

'Yeah. But, you know, when I saw everyone's... especially Mila's defense, I realized...

Did you notice?

'Yeah, even in one dungeon, it's usually like a tier by tier battle, right?　But this time it's different.

　Thinking for a moment, I understand what she's saying.

''...Oh, sure. Normally it's layers vs. adventurers, but in raid battles, it's a form of dungeon vs. adventurer composition that's more emphasized.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, what's the difference?

　Kash, who has eaten half of the first few cookies, tilts her head back.
　While wiping the cookie crumbs around her mouth with a handkerchief, I explain.

''Normally, as long as we don't lose [the brave], all of our friends will come back in the next layer, right?

Yes, yes....

　Kash nodded over his head, perhaps embarrassed that the dregs were on him.

''But in a raid fight, only one person can be revived for every two layers of attack. The outcome of the battle in one layer affects the battle in the next layer. When you lose one person, unless you use your resurrection power, you remain down,　

That's right. That's why it's more like a team of dungeons, rather than a battle for each layer.　

Yeah, I see.

　Kash shakes his head.

'So?　We're all serious about this, aren't we?　Mila, you've prepared a lot of things and even bent them to your usual ways.

Yeah.

　He bent his principle of not sucking blood directly from the enemy and never showed his characterization of teasing the attacking adventurers to leave.
　Still, that fight was brilliant.

''Citry has to work hard, too. I want to do my best........ Because he's the Four Heavenly Kings, and besides... he's a fellow member of the Demon King's Castle.

Mr. Citry....

　She's also the Fourth Heavenly King. She may seem free and easygoing in everyday life, but she has something hot inside her heart.
　Of course, she wouldn't be cutting corners on a regular basis.

　But he does what he wants. He's allowed to do that, and there's nothing wrong with that.
　But this time, Citry thought, that might not be enough.

'The worst thing I can do is not help Lou,'

　Citrie-san, who loved cute things, wanted to be cute herself.
　That's why she chose 【Muermen】, in other words, her current form.

　But originally, 【Memons】have limited job opportunities. Citry-san chose a demon, but he couldn't find a dungeon that would hire him. The only one he could find was the Demon King's Castle.
　Sitely-san seems to feel a strong debt of gratitude to Lucy-san, the Demon King.

　She is so determined to win, even if she has to bend her own insistence.

I understand. If there's anything I can do, I'll consult with you as much as I can.

　I said, and she smiled as she broke out.
　He had a charming smile that didn't seem to be aimed, but rather spilled over unintentionally.

'Thanks, Leme. We were halfway through before, so I need to hear the rest of the story. Assuming Citry is going to be the thing, then the assembly after that--

　We spent enough time talking about it to empty our cookie plates.
　The fifth tier has also been transformed to raid warfare specifications.
　This advice is only regarding Citry-san's personal movements.
　How will the adventurers go out into the Dream Demon's realm?