With the future of the Elf Tribe and the Vampire clan decided, Peach approached with a slightly nervous expression.
“Um. I have something to discuss, would that be alright~?”
“Discuss? About what?”
“Could we, the Succubus clan, be allowed to live on one of the floors in the Tower?”
Kousuke tilted his head at Peach’s sudden proposal.
“That’s… why?”
“Yes~. Actually, until a certain time, our clan used to handle the behind-the-scenes work for a certain kingdom.”
Peach’s high physical abilities were a testament to her continuous training within her clan. Kousuke felt a bad premonition from this preamble.
“Ah… Don’t tell me you failed a mission and are now being chased by that kingdom?”
“…Huh? You knew?”
Kousuke gave a wry smile at Peach’s response. He couldn’t possibly say, “It’s a classic trope.”
“No. Well, yes… I just thought it sounded like a common story.”
“Is that so~. We’re currently living in a hidden village, like a sanctuary, but it’s not always safe there, so we’re always ready to move.”
Due to past experiences, they knew they could be easily found by people from the kingdom. They were always prepared to flee. However, they couldn’t easily escape the country. They were currently in a difficult situation.
“I see. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to escape to the Tower and settle down there permanently?”
“Yes, that’s right~.”
Kousuke clasped his arms and thought. This wasn’t a bad proposition for the Tower either. Considering the future, having people who could handle such jobs as subordinates would be a great advantage. Although he needed to confirm thoroughly, the combat prowess of Peach’s clan alone was appealing. The only disadvantage would probably be the possibility of incurring the kingdom’s displeasure. However, since the likelihood of them realizing they had fled to the Tower immediately was low, it wouldn’t be a significant disadvantage. Provided, of course, that nothing leaked from Peach’s clan members.
“…From our side, accepting you is fine, but is it okay to just bring up this matter so suddenly?”
“Well~. I think it’s probably okay, but we might need to have a discussion or two.”
“Well, that’s probably true.”
“So~, I’d like to go to our village with someone, if possible?”
Since Peach couldn’t use teleportation magic, they couldn’t simply teleport to the village together.
“Ah, in that case, I’ll go with you.”
Mitsuki, who had been listening, volunteered.
“Can you teleport?”
“If there’s someone who knows the destination, it’s not a problem. Peach is here this time.”
When Kousuke first met them, none of the three knew the city well, so they couldn’t use teleportation. This time, with Peach knowing the village, it was apparently not an issue. Furthermore, it would be even better if they had an item related to the destination, which could be used as a catalyst. As expected, Peach, being from there, had such an item. Well, it was just a small trinket made in their village, but it was enough for this occasion.
With that, after sending off Mitsuki and Peach, they waited for their return.
***
Three days had passed since Mitsuki and Peach headed towards the Succubus’s hidden village. Even with Peach present, it wasn’t possible to reach the hidden village immediately, so it took some time. However, considering its relative position to the Tower, it was surprisingly fast. Unfortunately, in this world, it’s not possible to read the memories of someone who knows the destination and teleport to that location. Therefore, Mitsuki took a method of repeating teleportations using the catalyst item, gradually approaching the hidden village. They arrived at the intended hidden village after three days using this method. After that, Mitsuki instantly returned to the Tower via teleportation and brought Kousuke and Kouhi to the village.
When Kousuke arrived at the village, Peach had apparently already made arrangements, and he was scheduled to speak with Giselle, the village chief. Incidentally, Succubi, though not to the extent of Elves, have longer lifespans than Humans and age differently. The chief standing before Kousuke now was a handsome man who exuded a sense of nihilism. To Kousuke, he looked like he was in his late twenties, but as the chief, he was likely quite old. Giselle greeted them with a smile. Peach was also standing beside Giselle.
“Indeed, indeed. I heard from Peach. I understand you are willing to accept the villagers into the Tower?”
“Yes. Well, if you are amenable to it…”
“In that case, there is no problem whatsoever. We would be most grateful.”
“…Are you sure? It hasn’t been that long since Peach arrived at the village?”
It didn’t seem like they had had extensive discussions with the villagers.
“Well, to be perfectly honest, our village is reaching its limit. We are close to being discovered by our enemies.”
Taken aback by the candid response, Kousuke couldn’t help but glance at Giselle’s face. However, Kousuke, lacking experience, couldn’t read his thoughts from his expression.
“…You speak very frankly.”
To Kousuke’s query, Giselle looked at him with a perplexed expression.
“Oh. Didn’t Peach tell you?”
“? Tell me… what?”
“To be direct, we have been fleeing until now, but we are reaching our limit. You could say we are cornered.”
“…So, accepting you into the Tower is a godsend for you as well, then?”
“Precisely.”
Kousuke felt as though things were progressing too conveniently, but he couldn’t discern any underlying motives. Therefore, he decided to seek a helping hand.
“Mitsuki, what do you think?”
“Hmm… Even if we go to the Tower, I believe you’ll still be continuing your clandestine work. How about that?”
“There will be no problem. Rather, our clan has little else to offer.”
“Could it be that you’re connected to others and are probing us…?”
Considering his encounter with Peach, the initial spark was fortune-telling. It was possible they performed fortune-telling to infiltrate the Tower.
“Well, I understand what you’re implying, but proving that we are not doing so would be difficult.”
It was almost akin to a devil’s proof.
“I see.”
“Um… Is it perhaps… not enough if it’s me?”
Peach, due to her blood contract, could not lie about Kousuke’s dangers. She proposed using that contract as a basis for proof.
“That only reacts to things Peach herself knows. If such schemes were being carried out without Peach’s knowledge, it would be meaningless.”
Mitsuki’s words caused Peach to droop her shoulders in disappointment. However, Giselle appeared intrigued by their conversation.
“Whatever do you mean?”
In response to Giselle’s question, Mitsuki explained about the blood contract, and Giselle nodded and made a suggestion.
“Then, how about using that blood contract on us?”
“If we could do that, there would be no problem, but blood contracts aren’t that convenient. We can’t use them that frequently.”
“…Is that so.”
Giselle drooped his shoulders at Mitsuki’s words. However, Kousuke, who had been listening to their conversation, made a decision.
“No, if you put it that way, then I will accept you into the Tower.”
Giselle looked surprised at Kousuke’s sudden decision.
“…Is that alright? Frankly, I understand that we probably appear dubious to you.”
“It’s fine. However, there is one thing I want you to do.”
“What is it?”
“If you go outside the assigned floor of your new residence, each individual must enter into a contract.”
The contract in this case is not a blood contract. Simply put, even within a normal contract, actions can be restricted. For instance, if someone who leaves the floor commits an act of betrayal against the Tower, the entire clan could be confined to their floor. Even if it wasn’t that extreme, binding them with a contract seemed like a good idea. Giselle nodded upon hearing Kousuke’s idea.
“I see. We who deal in secrets value contracts. If Lord Kousuke is amenable, we have no objections.”
Although finer details would need to be worked out, the general direction had been decided. Given the magnitude of the event, it felt as though the decision was made too easily, but for now, the discussion had reached a temporary conclusion. As a result, Peach’s clan (the Defreya Clan) became new companions within the Tower.
There are many points I could have delved into regarding betrayal, but I’ll conclude it here for now. By the way, the Defreya Clan highly values contracts.
Although I proceeded with the assumption of acceptance from the beginning, Kousuke considered it natural to probe during the actual conversation, given the Tower’s safety management.
August 24, 2014 – Typo correction
June 11, 2014 – Typo correction
