Chapter 553: Intermission: The Lurker

Symphonia Kingdom, the Albert Duchy. In one of the rooms of this mansion where the otherworlder Kaito stays…… the room he usually used, there was a girl.

A dark grey, distinctive medium-length hair and black eyes. The girl, who was as small as a child in the maid uniform she's wearing could be described as strange to look at.

Her black eyes blankly stared into the empty air, seemingly unfocused, and her expression alone could be described as eerie.

However, the girl wasn't particularly doing anything suspicious, and was just quietly cleaning the room with actions that makes it seem like she's well-accustomed to doing this task.

The way she wiped the widows twice, carefully cleaning every little detail, leaving not even a speck of dust in them, gave her the atmosphere of a skilled maid, which was a terrible mismatch with her appearance.

After a round of cleaning, the girl brought in brand new sheets and went about making the bed. She finished making the bed beautifully, not missing even the slightest wrinkle in the sheets, and placed a fresh-smelling flower in a vase on the table before leaving the room.

The girl's name is Illness…… Despite her height of about 120cm and her young appearance, she was one of the oldest servants of the Albert Duchy and at the same time, one of the servants who got along well with Kaito.

She had volunteered to make Kaito's bed and clean his room since her first came to the mansion.

She is a servant who has been friendly with Kaito from the beginning and was the one who often converses with him, which was very valuable for Kaito when he first came to this mansion.

She isn't an assertive person and was often working behind the scenes, so she does not stand out in the mansion, but she is an excellent servant whom Lilia, the head of the mansion, trusts.

When Illness had finished cleaning Kaito's room, she went out into the garden to the shed where Bellfried and Lindwurm were.

[……Bellfried, Lindwurm, your breakfast is ready.]

[Gaoo!]

[Kyuii!]

She is an excellent person, and is often the person Kaito asked to take care of Bellfried and Lindwurm when he is away.

This time, she was taking care of the two beasts in place of Kaito, who was participating in the Six Kings Festival, and the two beasts were also quite fond of her.

[Well then, after you two finished eatiiing, I'll be back to collect your containers, okaaay?]

After telling them in a slightly lisping tone, Illness left the shed to go to her next task.

This was a normal scene, not particularly unusual in the Albert mansion. It was also the same case for Illness too, as she moved with the same movements as usual, and was about to return to the mansion…… but stopped when she heard the sound of conversation.

[……You think so? I don't know what My Lady likes about such a weak man……]

[No, it's not like everyone places importance regarding one's strength……]

[Really? But still…… I really don't think that man suits the wonderful My Lady……]

People who seemed to be in charge of this day's security were chatting with each other. After listening to their conversation for a while, Illness went back inside the mansion as if nothing had happened.

[Anyway, from what I see——– Gohook!?]

[W- What's the matter?]

[N- No, I'm sorry. It's just a little cough…… Gohook……]

[……You don't look good, you know? Do you have a cold or something?]

[T- That might…… be the case…… I feel a bit……]

In the quiet corridor, Illness slowly walked.

[……Kuhiii.]

Alone in that corridor, a giggle leaked out of her mouth.

[Kuhihihi…… This is no gooooood…… "Killing them" is no gooooood…… Patience…… Patience…… buuuut if it's just laying her up for a whiiiiile, it should be alriiiight…… Kuhihihi.]

Letting out a peculiar laugh, an uncanny smile appears on Illness' lips. Her unfocused black eyes looked like a bottomless darkness.

After a few moments, the smile disappears from Illness' lips and her expression returns to the uncanny one she had before.

Just as she was about to move on to her next destination, a voice came out of nowhere, stopping Illness in her tracks.

[……Stop and listen, you have instructions from Shalltear-sama.]

[Whaaaat~~ is it~~? "Astaroth"?]

The voice belongs to a subordinate of the Phantasmal King…… He is one of the ten leaders of the Phantasmal King Corps, a group of Count-level, high-ranking Demons which is also known as "the Ten Demons"…… Known as the "Imaginary Informant" and the person who bestows Demons their peerage, Astaroth.

(T/N: Astaroth's gender isn't clearly specified. I don't remember it being clearly specified either.)

[On the Sixth night of the Six Kings Festival…… In other words, tonight, "all leaders of the Phantasmal King Corps are to assemble in the Central Tower"…… End of message.]

[Assembleeeee? Whhhhhhyyyy?]

[I don't know, I wasn't told the reason why. Anyway…… I've told you about it, so make sure to come…… "Pandemonium".]

With those words, Astaroth seemed to have left and the corridor fell into silence again.

[……My name heeeeereee…… is Illness thouuuuughhh…… Oh weeeell.]

After muttering to herself, Illness…… No, Pandemonium started walking down the corridor again.

[……In the Central Tower of the Six King Festival's venuuuuue…… "Kaito-sama" is also there…… I guess I'll bring him somethiiiiiiing…… Kuhii, kuhihihihihi.]

Her uncanny, yet innocent giggles echoed in the corridor…… The Incarnation of Abominable Diseases that even pierces through the True Blessing of High-ranking Gods…… Thinking about the night, the "Doomsday-Invoking Plague", Pandemonium let out a simple happy smile on her lips.

Actually, only her setting had been established since Sieg's Intermission.

~ ~ Extra : The Legend of Kaito's Golden Age ~ ~

> 1 flag a day for him is normal, 5 flags a day is normal too

> Maximum Affection Points at first meeting is a frequent occurrence

> For Kaito, collecting flags isn't a way for him to make a certain noble lady faint

> It's not uncommon for the other party's Affection Points to Limit Break at first meeting

> Just by playing Othello against him, his opponents cried and apologized to him, and even the Phantasmal King had given up in despair before his abilities

> He's raising too much flags, and even if the other part isn't nearby, he's still raising their flags

> Those flags would also be firmly collected soon

> Build a flag → Collect it → Raise another flag

> Even on days when he didn't see anyone, he would still raise 2 flags without his knowledge

> If he wasn't aware of the flags he raised even after he raised 3 of them, the Underworld King would appear at night to bring him another flag

> Just brushing his teeth in the morning raises a flag

> It's not uncommon for him to collect 3, or even 5 flags at the same time.

> He's raising a flag even to those who tried to stop him from raising flags

> Just by raising his fist up high in a guts pose, he already raised the Affection of about 5 people to Maximum

> From the other side of the national border, he was also collecting flags from another country

> Even if he had never met the person before, he'll raise a flag

> Even if it's a character whose setting was the only thing written about them and hasn't appeared in the first place, he will still raise a flag

> There's a really famous rumor going around that the reason the gender ratio of the world is skewed towards women is all because of Kaito

> There's a fan service out there that he had apparently materialized the flag he had raised and rode them to travel around the Demon Realm

T/N: 99/281