Iris was sent ahead to the village of Esleben, while the White Lily Corps was dispatched to the Royal Capital of Klinshberbach.
I rode two horses towards Runelius Fine, with one horse carrying a secret weapon I commissioned from the blacksmith. This secret weapon was a custom order made for Alma Rosenberg. I was sure she would be delighted.
I have two requests for Alma Rosenberg. The first is the whereabouts of the Demon Lord. Is the Demon Lord still in Lauenstein? Or did they cross the Nebel Bridge and return to Nordland? I need to confirm their location.
The second request concerns the Demon Lord’s privacy. I want to know their true face, their abilities, and whether they are married or have children. I did meet the Demon Lord in my past life, but they hid their face with a mask, and we fought before I could gauge their abilities.
What kind of mask was it… I remember wearing a mask, but I can’t recall “what kind” if asked. Even if I remembered, my memories would likely be altered anyway.
As for their abilities… that was a mistake. Fighting to a mutual destruction with Godspeed, which I was not used to. If only I had a little more time… If only I had a little more leeway in how many times I could use Godspeed…
The last point is whether the Demon Lord is married and has children. If they have children, it would be problematic. Even if I defeat the Demon Lord, I don’t want the war to drag on due to a succession dispute and revenge against humans. However, the war would likely cease, at least temporarily.
Then there’s how cooperative Alma will be, but I may have to resort to torture. Rufina can read memories, but it’s unclear how effective it is on demons.
Above all, I have no intention of letting Rufina read my memories. Knowing her, she’d read memories that aren’t even necessary. The memories between Alma and me in Klinshberbach will go with me to the grave!
If she doesn’t cooperate, then it’s torture. I wanted to borrow some torture devices from Orietta, but a rack wouldn’t fit in my magic pouch. And Chōyaki-ki would kill her if used.
I would kidnap Alma in the city of Runelius and torture her for information on the way to Klinshberbach. Sending the White Lily Corps ahead to Klinshberbach was precisely to create this time.
If there’s one major problem, it’s escaping from the city of Runelius. I’m confident about attacking Alma. I have both momentary and wide-area Mind’s Eye, so I should be able to sneak into Alma’s bedroom without being detected by monsters.
After that, I’ll gag her to avoid making noise, tie her up so she can’t resist, and then, without tearing off her clothes or acting on my desires, I’ll carry her away to escape.
I think she’ll be easy to carry if she doesn’t resist, but what if she resists… If it’s consensual, force isn’t necessarily bad.
No, it would be a problem if there was a commotion in the middle of enemy territory. If I were chased by a Thunder Dragon, it wouldn’t just be my stiff shoulders that would feel better. If I could just get the information and kill her, it would be fine, but I don’t think I can do that.
Alma is a demon. We might be able to reach an understanding, but she’s still a demon woman. And if she doesn’t resist at all, my mental state won’t allow me to strike her down with my sword. Besides, if I’m going to strike, I’d prefer to use my partner.
I’ll handle the escape flexibly depending on Alma Rosenberg. However, in the worst-case scenario, I will kill her. I don’t want to kill her if possible, but I can’t let a woman who knows my secrets live.
But still… I don’t have a sword that can cut down a beauty. Shin-chan has a weak mental state. I haven’t forgotten that time in bed. …This is troubling.
Repeating the same thoughts, I dismounted my horse just a short distance from the city of Runelius Fine.
I arrived before evening. I had been so lost in thought as I rode that I arrived while it was still light out. If I went into Runelius now, I’d be given a grand welcome, so I moved away from the horses and decided to start a barbecue near the city walls.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t use fire. If the aroma of nicely grilled meat wafted out, unwanted guests might come to share the feast. I chewed on the dried meat repeatedly, savoring the flavor, and washed it down with water.
To use my wide-area Mind’s Eye, I would have to climb the castle walls. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to see thoroughly into the city. However, I could see up to the top of the walls with my wide-area Mind’s Eye, so I pretended to be working while looking for any weak points in the guards or patrols.
I walked around the city walls, getting as close as I could with my wide-area Mind’s Eye, and found the northern side to be slightly less guarded. I then moved back to a distance where I wouldn’t be seen from the walls and waited for nightfall.
According to Iris, Alma Rosenberg isn’t at the Lord’s manor. I heard she’s staying at a merchant’s house a bit away, but I’m sure she’s conducting some suspicious experiments there.
I haven’t asked if Alma is the demon who pressed a branding iron into Lady Selina, but I don’t think Alma would do something like that. She hasn’t done it to me, and I don’t believe she’s that ferocious.
If I can get information about that rotten demon from Alma, I’ll cut them down without question. Even if I can’t do it now, I’ll eventually take their head.
By then, Lady Selina’s limbs will have healed. I hope her mental anguish will also be relieved. There’s little I can do.
Until late into the night, I thought about many things. If I didn’t, I felt like I might rush in right now. The key person to end the war is there. I’m within reach. But, don’t rush yourself.
Wait until everyone is sound asleep. Even monsters sleep at night. Some monsters might be nocturnal, but Orcs and Goblins sleep at night. Don’t rush yourself. What if you go in and Alma is armed? I don’t want to see that.
Pajamas or a negligee. See-through would be ideal. If I barge in and tie her up, bind her in a way that emphasizes the swell of her chest, and if she tries to say anything, I’ll shove my giant partner down her throat…
I should stop thinking about this. It’s heading in a completely wrong direction. I held my breath and waited for the right moment, quietly and deeply.
“Alright! Let’s go!”
I stood up, a flame like burning charcoal igniting within me. My partner was already rising like a raging inferno… Why?!
Since I was bored… I had time, so I couldn’t help but indulge in some mental fantasies. As I decided to stop thinking, I imagined Alma in a see-through negligee.
It’s because I was bored! In my imagination, Alma was cute. The rope digging into her see-through negligee…
And it’s not just the negligee! I imagined her as a nurse, in a school uniform, and as an office lady too. I made sure to cover the essential bases. I was bored… I chanted the Heart Sutra for about ten minutes and managed to suppress my partner.
“Now, this time, let’s go!”
I motivated myself. You don’t need to get hard; you’re going to be busy from now on. Using Godspeed, I quietly headed towards the castle walls.
Along the way, I thought about my future plans, chanted the Heart Sutra, and silently reached the castle walls. Using Mind’s Eye, I scanned the top of the walls but found no one. “Excuse me,” I said and leaped up, landing with a stylish flourish.
I was impressed by my own jump distance. Not too far, not too short, just thirty centimeters from the cup. A birdie chance.
Looking down at Runelius Fine from the castle walls, torches were lit in various places, and monsters were present. Spreading my wide-area Mind’s Eye throughout the city, I located my target.
Cup a hole-in-one! I jumped down from the castle walls and ran along the base. With my wide-area Mind’s Eye, the locations of monsters were easily discernible. I reached the back of the merchant’s house without anyone noticing.
The back door wasn’t locked and opened easily. I originally planned to tape up the window, break open the lock with a screwdriver, and open it with minimal damage… I wanted to enjoy the thrill of being a thief for once.
I quickly entered and used my wide-area Mind’s Eye. My wide-area Mind’s Eye can’t see through closed doors. However, the doors inside the manor were also properly closed, so I couldn’t see into the rooms.
There were no shadows of people or demons in the hallway, and the silent manor felt like a ruin. I thought there might be an Undead Knight near Alma, but there were none outside or inside.
That’s convenient. I walked down the hallway with my chest puffed out. If no one is here, I’ll be bold. I kept my wide-area Mind’s Eye active, though.
In this large estate, I had only one objective. I’d choose a sunny room. A spacious bedroom with a bath and toilet would be even better. I chose a room on the second floor, facing north.
Considering I’m entering a woman’s room, is a “knock” necessary? I’m about to raid her while she’s asleep, so I want to give her a different kind of knock deep inside. I drew the Orietta Knife from my back and entered the room.
She’s not here… There’s a door at the back of the room, is that the bedroom? I slowly opened the door without making a sound, and there was a toilet…
There’s another door on the opposite wall, is this the bedroom? I quietly opened the door a little and used my wide-area Mind’s Eye. Even in the dim light, I could see a king-sized bed…
Her face… I can’t see it because she’s lying face down. What should I do…
How is she breathing? More importantly, what if it’s the wrong person? If “sorry” were enough, there would be no need for mercenaries. I have to turn her over onto her back to check her face…
What if she cries out because it’s the wrong person? I don’t want to see my face on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper with the headline “Perverted Hero Caught in Night Crawl.”
Don’t lose heart! After coming this far, it’s unacceptable to go back empty-handed. Lecherous behavior is also unacceptable. If I confirm it’s the wrong person after seeing her face, I can just search somewhere else while she’s asleep!
I quietly stood by the bed and, holding the Orietta Knife to her neck, turned her over onto her back.
