Chapter 12

12 – The Vampire Queen Said That the Demon King Army Chief of Staff Needs Someone Who Can Understand Him

Milla was wearing a disguise. 

She had a hat that hid her bat-like feelers, a mask that hid her fangs, and contacts that changed her eyes to blue. 

“Good morning. I thought I’d run into you here.” 

Oh right, she saw me here during that incident yesterday. 

She was probably wearing a disguise out of consideration towards me so people wouldn’t spread any weird rumors from seeing the Black Sorcerer Lem walking around with a vampire. I guess she wasn’t wearing it yesterday since she just happened to see me. 

Or was it so that Blitz and Cashew wouldn’t figure out my new job? 

Anyway, the point is that she met me in disguise. 

I’d see her in the workplace, so I wondered why she decided to meet me here. 

But it’s strange… 

That pretty smile on her face looks somewhat scary right now. 

Milla looked towards Cashew for a second. 

“…Don’t tell me you’re the same as that pervert.” 

I instantly realized she was talking about Agares. 

“It’s not like that at all! I’m sure that should be obvious judging from how I treat Her M- I mean, Hermine!” 

I almost caught myself saying “Her Majesty” in front of the two so I tried to cover it up. 

After staring at me for a while, she suddenly let out a little giggle. 

“I’m just kidding. I believe you.” 

“Well, that’s good…” 

Thank god. 

“Besides, if you ever happen to start straying towards the wrong path, I’ll be right there to drag you back to the correct one.” 

Milla spoke while placing her hand on her chest. 

While I was still feeling startled, the look on Cashew’s face seemed to be drowned in despair… 

She was feeling devastated as she compared her chest with Milla’s. 

Cashew’s smile is what saves me, yet that smile of hers was muddled away right now. 

Milla leaned over to Cashew. 

“Good morning, little greengrocer.” 

“I-I’m not little, I’ll be growing big soon enough… but good morning.” 

I was proud of Cashew being able to greet her back. 

…What was Milla planning on, though? 

“Wow, you sure are pretty. You an acquaintance of Lem’s?” 

“Yes. Lem has helped me out in the past.” 

She must be talking about me joining the Demon King Army. 

“Ah, yeah he is that kind of guy.” 

“Yes.” 

Blitz was keeping his promise not to talk about yesterday, and Milla didn’t mention anything about seeing the incident. 

But the both of them nodded in understanding towards each other. 

“I’m here today to talk with… Cashew, was it?” 

“Huh?” 

I responded in surprise. 

“Please excuse me, but you need money, correct?” 

…Wait, hold on a second, Milla. 

“Uh, um… I want to be able to help out Mom a little…” 

Cashew nervously responded. She probably had customers question why she was there multiple times in the past, so she’s gotten used to giving that kind of answer. 

“That’s wonderful. By the way, how much do you usually make in a day here?” 

…Um, Milla? 

“The shopkeeper’s kindness is also wonderful. But Cashew, would you be interested in a job that would give you much more stable income?” 

I knew it…! 

I don’t know why, but Milla was trying to recruit Cashew into the Demon King Army. 

But that’s no good. She’s just too young… Even the Demon King’s at least 10 years old, and it’s only fine for her since she’s enjoying following in the footsteps of her father. 

Milla noticed my concern and winked at me. 

It was pretty, but I still worried about Cashew. 

“You won’t have to do anything dangerous. But Lem’s new job is really tough, it’d be nice if he had an assistant that could help him out.” 

What exactly does she mean…? 

We couldn’t possibly send her out as an active member of the dungeon, but I guess she could work behind the scene in setting the place up? 

Wait, since that wouldn’t be dangerous, that’s actually not a bad idea. 

Her income from selling fruit wasn’t stable, and she probably doesn’t get much at all, to begin with. 

To be honest I always felt sorry for her since she usually had a huge pile of fruit left unsold whenever I went to see her. 

“Miss, are you Lem’s new party member?” 

“Yes. So, Cashew, if you decide to come with me, I’ll reward you with this much.” 

“Huh?! T-That much?!” 

“It might be a bit busy for a while, but once things settle down, you’ll be able to have a long break.” 

“U-Um…” 

“And the best part of this all is that we’re specifically looking for assistants to Lem.” 

“T-To Lem?!” 

The despair had completely left Cashew’s face. It was now replaced with surprise and excitement. 

“What do you think? You can discuss it with the shopkeeper and your family. If you can schedule a time for me, I can even personally explain the details to your family.” 

Cashew seemed to be getting overwhelmed by all this new information. 

“Hey, miss. Since Lem doesn’t seem to be saying anything, I suppose that means he trusts you. But I don’t know you, and would a party on your level really have the funds to spare to pay Cashew?” 

Blitz was worried about Cashew. The offer did sound too good to be true, after all. 

“Your concern is perfectly understandable. Please excuse me if this sounds a bit rude, but whether or not I’ll further explain the details depends on Cashew’s decision.” 

“Hmm. So you’re saying you’ll only explain if she shows interest in the job. I guess I can’t complain about that. But what if she changes her mind afterward?” 

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“That shouldn’t matter. I simply wish to see that she has the will to work.” 

Milla’s words were clear and concise. 

I looked at Cashew. 

Cashew looked back at me. 

“L-Lem… would it be a problem for you if I were to be your assistant?” 

Her face was red with nervousness as she spoke. 

“Not at all. I’d love it if you joined us. In fact, I’m sure I’d be able to do a better job if you helped me out with my work.” 

I reflexively responded. 

Those were my true feelings, but I was still a little worried about making a little girl work in the Demon King Army, even if it was just behind the scenes. 

But even if Blitz was a good person, Cashew wouldn’t really ever make much of a profit here. 

If changing jobs would ultimately help out Cashew’s situation, then it should be thought of as a good thing. 

I felt as if I saw Milla’s eyes tear up for just a second. Maybe her instincts as a caretaker kicked in and made her worry a little bit too. 

Cashew slowly closed her eyes. She was probably processing all the information in her head. 

Eventually her eyes opened up again. 

“Shopkeeper.” 

“Yeah.” 

“I’m really grateful to you.” 

“Mhm.” 

“But… I want to help out Lem.” 

“Sure, sounds fine to me. You’d finally graduate from this chump change job, I’ve got no reason to stop you. Besides, there shouldn’t be any need to worry if it’s Lem we’re talking about here.” 

“…! T-Thank you!” 

Cashew nodded her head again and again with teary eyes. 

Blitz also rubbed his eyes while sniffling. 

What followed felt like it happened in an instance. 

Cashew brought us to her mother’s workplace, where Milla explained the situation. It would ultimately be a part-time job, and she wouldn’t be participating in the dungeon defending whatsoever. And even if by the off chance she did end up participating for whatever reason, it would be made sure that she wouldn’t be any danger. Since Cashew herself was insistent on getting the job, she got permission. 

Even after I told her that I had changed jobs to becoming a monster, Cashew didn’t show any disappointment. 

She was happy for me, saying “Becoming Chief of Staff is a huge promotion, huh?” 

After being asked to take care of her daughter by her mother, I responded with “I will.” 

It seemed that Cashew’s family didn’t have a father, and there was a total of five family members, including a big sister, a little sister, and a little brother. 

…It’s no wonder that her mother was having trouble. 

But her mother was hesitant about letting Cashew take the job even after hearing about the pay. She was still extremely worried about her daughter. 

She only let her take the job after seeing Cashew’s strong desire to work. 

I was relieved to see that she had a good relationship with her mother. 

Her mother asked us to leave her alone with Cashew for a little while, so we waited outside the workplace. 

The workplace was a second hand clothes shop. 

“…Milla, how much did you hear yesterday?” 

“Everything after the ‘Hello.’” 

That means she heard everything from the very start. 

That’s how she knew about my relationship with Blitz and Cashew. 

“So you knew that Cashew and I knew each other… Are you recruiting her for the Demon Castle because she’s a Demi-Human?” 

“Yes. I also felt that it’d help you out to have someone you know working with you. Besides, as Chief of Staff, you absolutely will need someone around to help you out. What’s unfortunate, and I mean truly unfortunate, is that I won’t be able to be around as your assistant forever.” 

Milla seemed to really emphasize how unfortunate it was. 

“Cashew’s still a child, you know?” 

“But you need someone who understands you. Even if you are well aware of your own power, the others probably won’t expect much from you. However, Cashew is one of the few people that truly understand the strength of both your heart and your magic.” 

“…It’s because no one’s ever praised me over the past 10 years.” 

Fenix was my best friend, but that didn’t mean we praised each other all the time. 

In the end, I had to believe in my own power. 

I guess it was so I’d get used to others judging me. 

“Then from now on, Cashew and I will praise you. You’re an amazing person. I won’t let someone hide what makes them amazing and not get properly recognized for it. You’re an amazing Black Sorcerer.” 

“T-Thank you.” 

Stop that, you’re embarrassing me. 

“You’ve done well up until now. There, there… Something like that.” 

She pet my head. 

“…Okay, I might be going too far there. Sorry.” 

“It’s okay.” 

Our faces both grew red. 

It was actually not okay at all. 

I didn’t like that I actually enjoyed being treated like that. Getting happy over having my head pet, what am I, a little kid? 

“Ahem. Anyway, I’ve decided that you need an assistant who understands you. You’ll be able to form contracts with many monsters with that ring, but in the end, they’re all under the direct command of the Floor Bosses. So in order to gain more comrades, you’ll have to get permission from the Floor Bosses. I don’t mind if you use my pigs… I mean, subordinates, but don’t talk to them while I’m not around. Even if they do say anything to you, just know that anything they say will be a lie, so don’t believe them. You believe me more than my pigs… I mean, subordinates, right?” 

Milla looked up at me with teary eyes. 

…I guess she usually calls her subordinates pigs. 

That’s the Vampire Queen Carmilla, all right. 

She was probably getting into character. 

But you’re not working right now, so please stay as the sweet Milla that I know. 

“It’s not like I’d instantly believe whatever anyone would say about you. I’d always hear out your end of the matter.” 

“W-Well that’s good. Thank you.” 

As we passed the time chatting, Cashew finally came out. 

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“Sorry for the wait!” 

She seemed to be in good spirits. 

“All right, shall we head off then? Lem, Cashew.” 

And so the three of us headed to our workplace. 

To the Demon King Castle.