Chapter 246: The Demon’s Lair

It’s almost 11 o’clock at night, and the downtown area is probably still busy with merrymakers. If Nell comes to such a place, I’m sure there will be a bit of commotion…. Something like, ‘G-Geh, it’s the knight leader!?’ It’s troubling that my partner is a famous person.

「Shishō, I’m ready~」

「I’m ready too.」

As Nell and I waited in the entrance hall of the mansion, Haru and Chinatsu came with quick steps. Both of them are fully armed as instructed, and they’ve braced themselves just like when fighting Hund. They are ready for any unforeseen situation.

「Sorry for rushing you. Well, I don’t think we’ll actually have to fight, but just stay on guard. Nell, you understand, right?」

「If you keep your words, then I’ll be patient. You are going to explain it while walking, right? Now, let’s go.」

「Yeah, sure. Now, Haru, Chinatsu, let’s go.」

「Yes.」

「I wonder what, I have a bad feeling about this…」

Chinatsu blurted out something ominous, but it didn’t go into my ears. If I said no, then no. Now, let’s leave the guide to Nell, who’s walking while stomping the ground, and explain the situation to the two.

「The information about the wedding leaked out. The Great Eight Demons also want to come into the ceremony. As a result, Nell is furious. They are here! …… To put it simply, something like that.」

「Deris-san, that’s too simple…. Still, it’s vexing that I can somehow understand the situation.」

「Err, are we going to meet someone from the Great Eight Demons now?」

「Yeah. I’m going to make them promise not to cause trouble in exchange for inviting them.」

「The truth is I don’t even want to invite them! But since Deris says so, then it can’t be helped!」

BAM!, the next step shattered the paved brick road. Ah, we have to pay for this….

「…… Did something happen between Nell-shishō and the Great Eight Demons?」

「Well, it might be too late saying it now, but we have a bit of connection with the Great Eight Demons. You see, the old members surprisingly like chit-chat. Nell was often teased about her love life. And now is the backlash of that time.」

「C-Chit-chat….」

「Still, I’ve never seen Nell-san lose her composure that much.」

「That’s just how troublesome they are. Both in terms of strength and personality. Well, I think they will understand if we talk things out…. Oh, we’re already at the entrance.」

The sound of Nell’s stomping sound stopped. Hey, I said, don’t break the road.

「This is, the slum?」

「It’s my first time here….」

「Yeah. It’s not a place for girls to come in the middle of the night, so be careful not to come here. There are a lot of men who are like beasts here after all.」

I feel like it’s too late saying it to Haru now. She gained total control of the Ash Rope’s mansion when she came here for the first time and she’s acquainted with Midnight fellows, so she’s being feared instead.

「「「G-Geh, it’s the knight leader!?」」」

And then, the one those beast-like fellows feared most is this Nell. The moment they pass by, they absolutely will try to not meet her gaze, and those who probably did something will run away at full speed. The idiots who approach her, mistakenly think that she’s prey for a moment, will prostate with a pale face the moment they realize the seriousness of the matter. The worst ones are those who wet their pants. Even so, they are lucky. Nell doesn’t have the time to mind about them, so she ignored all of them. Their lives are saved.

「If we hadn’t made Joseph our ally, it would be a problem if you come to the slum….」

「Did you say something?」

「No, nothing.」

It’s unusual for a night town to be this peaceful and yet overflowing with terror. The peace of this town is maintained with just Nell walking fully armed. Still, even this overwhelming force can’t be used to negotiate with those we are going to meet. They are probably just thinking about having fun. This is also a problem, huh….

「――They are in this bar.」

Nell was searching for any sign of the Great Eight Demons and stopped in front of a shabby shop. If it weren’t for the hustle-bustle coming from inside, you wouldn’t even know if they are doing business here.

「It reeked of alcohol, so I can’t smell them.」

「Maybe that’s their aim. Deris, be ready to fight.」

「I said, don’t pull out your sword for now. I’ll take the lead, okay? If you suddenly come in, the bar will fall into chaos.」

「…… Okay. I’ll leave the lead to you.」

「Haru and Chinatsu are last. When Nell comes in, follow her.」n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

「「Yes!」」

Okay, now there will be no explosion the moment we meet them. Even if Nell understands it, she’s likely to spontaneously go into battle, so I’m quite worried. Now, let’s go. I opened the swing door with both hands and stepped inside while acting as a customer. I also didn’t forget to look inside the store.

「………」

I pulled back my leg and slowly close the swing door. Hmm….

「Hey, Deris, why didn’t you come in!?」

「Give me a little time. The situation is more serious than I thought.」

「Jeez! If you won’t go in, then I will go in first!」

「O-Oi!」

Nell entered the bar after shaking off my restraint. Damn, I was late!

「You two, follow me. Stay close to me!」

「「Y-Yes!」」

They responded while looking more nervous than before, but well, they have experienced a fight with Hund. For now, I’ll give priority to Nell who has gone ahead of me. As I hurriedly entered the bar, Nell was standing still right there. Her sword is―― alright, she hasn’t pulled it out yet.

「Nell, are you okay?」

「Y-Yes. But I guess this is a bit unexpected. I didn’t expect the top three of the Great Eight Demons are making merry here….」

Yeah, the top three of the Great Eight Demons are all together in the bar. Just like the store, the tables and chairs are almost rotted away, and they are drinking there.

「I want to see Old Vakala’s cool side~」

「That’s right! Drink it in one go!」

「*Gulp gulp*… Puhaa! Bring me a big barrel!」

「「「Woohoooo!」」」

How should I put it…. They are having a drinking party. The bartenders and those who liven up the mood are their subordinates disguising themselves as humans. They are probably high-rank vampires and high-rank undead. Still, Maria looks like a little girl and feels somewhat out of place, but we don’t have the composure to bring that up.

It would have been better if it’s the fourth rank Rimudo, who’s easy to talk with compared to the other Great Eight Demons. However, the ones actually here are three who are particularly quirky among the Great Eight Demons. In addition, they have consumed a considerable amount of alcohol. I don’t think they are actually drunk, but they are drunk by the mood of the place. Are they in a state where we can negotiate with them? What if they make a mess on a whim? I have been pondering about it since a while ago.

「Nell, we can still turn back now. Let’s do it another day.」

「What are you talking about, Deris? It’s convenient that they are drunk. We can do them in easier than when they are sober.」

Hey, is my wife drunk?