Iris was to report what she saw directly to Machey, the leader of the Shadows.
This meant that even the leaders of the Shadows were placing great importance on Peach’s movements.
As soon as Iris met with the leader, she spoke about the signs of Peach’s pregnancy.
“Hmm. I see…..”
From Iris’s perspective, the leader’s expression seemed to remain unchanged.
Iris considered it natural for the leader, as the one at the pinnacle of the clan, not to display his emotions to others.
However, it seemed Iris was the only one thinking that, as the other executives chuckled softly.
“Machey. You’re too old to be making such envious faces.”
When one of the female executives said that, the laughter grew louder.
“Sh-shut up! Don’t say such things in front of Iris!”
Machey said that in a fluster, but Iris, who had been watching the executives’ exchange, was stunned.
For someone in the shadows, showing their expression to an opponent could be a fatal mistake. But seeing such an unexpected side of the executives, she couldn’t help but show her own surprise.
Watching Iris’s expression, Machey cleared his throat once and continued.
“So? What will the Amamiya people do from now on?”
“They said the plan will proceed as before. However, they mentioned that another woman will take over for Peach.”
“Another woman? Is there still someone with enough talent to replace her?”
Machey, who had met Peach directly, had witnessed her abilities.
He knew that behind that calm expression, tremendous strength was hidden.
Of course, he didn’t know exactly how much power she possessed, but even so, he didn’t think a substitute could be found so easily.
If there truly was a replacement, it would mean that the succubi of Amamiya had gathered considerable practitioners among them.
While they were currently in an alliance-like relationship, the future was uncertain, so they needed to remain cautious.
This was only natural for someone in a position of leadership.
As Machey was contemplating this, Iris nodded.
“Apparently, regarding combat, it will be Millie, who was by Peach’s side.”
Millie, of course, was Mitsuki.
It was impossible to mention Mitsuki’s name openly, so she was using an alias.
Upon hearing Iris’s report, some of the executives’ expressions changed greatly.
Machey was one of them.
“Wh-what!?”
Iris found their strong reaction strange.
It wasn’t just Iris; the other executives who weren’t surprised wore similar expressions.
Iris realized that the surprise from those considered among the top three executives indicated some kind of restricted information.
She couldn’t even begin to imagine what that information was.
Machey, showing an unprecedented level of agitation for a leader of the Shadows, took a deep breath and looked at Iris.
“So, it was Millie, not Peach, who said she would take over?”
Sensing from Machey’s serious gaze that this was a very important question, Iris nodded slightly as she recalled the conversation.
“Yes. Without a doubt. …Ah, come to think of it…”
“What is it? Even small details are fine. Tell me if anything comes to mind.”
“No. When Millie said she would handle it, she mentioned she would only do what was within Peach’s capabilities.”
At Iris’s words, Machey’s expression became one of relief.
The other executives who knew of Mitsuki’s true identity wore similar expressions.
While Machey and the others certainly didn’t believe Mitsuki would unleash her full power and cause widespread destruction, there was always a possibility of the unexpected.
As long as it remained within the realm of common sense, it was for the best.
However, since Machey and the others also didn’t know the full extent of Peach’s power, it was unavoidable that they couldn’t be completely at ease.
“U-um?”
Iris, who didn’t know about Mitsuki, tilted her head at their reactions. Machey, seeing this, shook his head.
“My apologies. Regarding Millie, it is highly classified information. We cannot disclose it, even to executives.”
Iris understood that even among executives, the information they could access varied depending on their specific positions.
And she also knew that the information restricted even among executives was quite limited.
Iris gulped, realizing that the Millie she was interacting with was such an important person that even the leaders of the Shadows had to handle her with extreme caution.
Iris, who held a considerable position as a Shadow of the Sumit Kingdom, had never accessed such sensitive information before.
“You may continue to interact with her as you have before.”
As Iris was about to ask what she should do, Machey spoke first.
Even if she knew the other party was an important person, for Iris, who had worked as a Shadow, interacting with them as usual was something she had ample experience with.
Nothing had changed from before. Iris told herself.
“Understood. That is all I have to report. Is there anything else you wish to convey?”
“No. If the plan proceeds as scheduled, there are no particular issues.”
“Understood.”
With that, Iris bowed her head to Machey and left the premises.
***
While Iris was reporting to her organization’s leader.
Peach was being asked a question by one of her fellow succubi.
“Peach, are you going to report this to Kousuke?”
The succubi who were in the Sumit Kingdom for this matter were those Peach had grown up with since she was little.
Perhaps because they grew up with Peach, the combat abilities of those in the same generation were one step ahead of other generations.
Therefore, when there were no outsiders around, they would speak to her familiarly.
Peach’s expression turned serious at the succubus’s question.
“What should I do? It’s still too uncertain to confirm~”
As Peach said this, she flicked a glance at Mitsuki.
Mitsuki, sensing that Peach was seeking her opinion, also put on a serious face and nodded.
“Yes. At this rate, it’s still too early to relax until it stabilizes, so it’s better not to report and get their hopes up unnecessarily.”
“I agree~”
Peach nodded in agreement with Mitsuki’s words.
The succubus who had asked the question then posed another question to the two of them.
“What if Kousuke were to ask us about it?”
To that question, Mitsuki and Peach exchanged glances and laughed.
“Don’t worry. That probably won’t happen.”
“He’s incredibly dense when it comes to these things~”
“Right. He’ll probably only notice after this matter is resolved. Probably.”
This assistance was intended to be a short, decisive battle, so it shouldn’t last for a very long time.
Conversely, if a conclusion couldn’t be reached within a short period, they would consider replacing the personnel.
At the very least, the current personnel were expected to act for about a month.
“Besides, with Colette’s situation, he’ll be even less likely to notice, won’t he?”
“You’re right~”
In fact, Colette was also approaching her due date.
Therefore, Kousuke’s attention would be focused on Colette concerning the child.
Neither of them believed he would suspect that Peach was in this condition.
“Also, if he does ask, you can answer honestly. There’s no need to force yourself to hide it.”
“Rather, if he questions it and you insist on hiding it, it’s better to tell him immediately~ Kousuke has a tendency to exhibit divine power in strange places.”
“Indeed.”
Mitsuki agreed with Peach’s words, and the succubus’s expression became one of relief.
Her expression showed that she had been worried about having to lie to Kousuke.
The other succubi who were listening nearby had similar expressions, suggesting they had been thinking the same thing.
In the end, it was decided to maintain an ambiguous approach, keeping quiet as much as possible about Peach’s current condition, and waiting to see how things unfolded.
I considered omitting this part, but in the end, I decided to include it.
I wanted to include Iris, and I also wanted to write about the other succubi (who have no names lol).
Incidentally, this is the first time Peach’s colleagues have been introduced.
