Chapter 148 Uncovering Truths: Deception [2]

"Eh?" The boy watched the whole scene transpire with his eyes wide open.

"Hehehe, Serves you right you, bastards!" The boy abruptly said and burst out laughing menacingly.

"...."

—Thud

I jumped down the wall and used telekinesis to pick up the gold pouch that was now beside one of the guys' corpses.

—Cling—Cling

And began playing catch with that gold pouch while smirking at the boy.

But the boy ignored my attention since his focus was still fixed on the corpses.

"Hehehehehe, this idiot died before me!" The boy continued to chuckle while talking to himself.

"What potion were you referring to exactly when you spoke earlier?" I inquired, dismissing his demonic chuckle, which is unlike any regular human child's laugh.

!?

"O-Oh? Are you planning to kill me as well? I simply stole your money out of desperation!" He turned away from the corpses and looked toward me, speaking in a neutral, unafraid tone.

If it had been someone else in his position, they would have already begged me to spare their lives.

More importantly, he realized that he had stolen the gold purse from me despite the fact that I was wearing a cloak at the time.

"How intriguing!" With a grin, I remarked.

"Here, you can have it!" I said as I tossed the gold purse in front of the boy.

—cling

!?

"...Why would you just hand it over to me? My mother always said that there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world," As he took up the gold pouch, the boy remarked.

"I'm just interested in what potion you wanted to buy," I replied with a smile.

"So you mean to say that, you want to follow me and see what potion this little demon bastard wanted to buy with money?" The boy stated with a blank expression on his face.

!?

I was taken aback when I heard his statement because it was exactly what I was thinking.

And indeed, the boy in front of me is a...demon, as are the three men I just killed.

When I went to that Tavern, I was surprised to see demons conversing and drinking with humans and other races while disguised as them.

I'm not sure if the bartenders in that tavern were aware that they were serving drinks to demons...or if they were aware but didn't care?

"No, the bartenders had no idea there'd be demons drinking in their tavern," the boy stated.

"...So you can read people's thoughts, huh?" When I heard him respond to my thoughts, I inquired.

"Yes," the demon boy said as he rose from the ground, clutching the gold pouch.

He went on to say, "And, in response to your earlier query, I intended to use this money to purchase a disguise potion because I only have a few hours before my disguise fades.

And when that happens, the adventurers will either kill me or worse they will capture and torture me for interrogation," The boy remarked.

"...."

"Where do you get your disguise potions from?" I inquired, interested.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," The boy paused for a time, but when he felt my stare on him, he continued.

"...It's not because I don't want to tell you about it, but I can't." After saying that, he held out his tongue to reveal a tattoo on it.

"...."

"Hmm, so they performed a spell to prevent anyone from leaking that information, eh?" I mumbled.

"Yes, we can only share it among demons, and if a new demon comes to them to buy the potion, they will only provide it to them after casting this same spell on them," the boy clarified.

"Oh, so sharing that information among demons is acceptable?" I asked, a big grin on my face.

"Y-Yes, but why are you grinning so scarily? Don't tell me you're also a demon. N-No, it can't be because I don't detect any demonic energy from you," The boy made a remark with an uneasy expression.

"No, I am not a demon! But I am accompanied by one," I responded, as Irethiel emerged in her crow form before turning to her original form.

!?

The boy stumbled backward in shock as he watched Irethiel slowly transform into her original form.

"N-NO WAY! W-Who the hell are you?" The boy asked in a terrified voice.

"Do you mean her? My companion's name is Irethiel," I answered with a smile.

"Companion or more like a slave? How can a demon be a slave of a human?" The boy exclaimed as if he had read my thoughts again.

"Your ability to read what others are thinking is rather bothersome, I must say; nevertheless I regard her more as a comrade than a slave, isn't that correct Irethiel?" I said with a smile and turned toward Irethiel.

"...."

Irethiel merely stared at me blankly for a moment before responding.

"...Yeah, we are more like friends," Irethiel replied in an unconvincing tone.

"Wow seriously?" exclaimed the boy, astonished.

'From his reaction, I can tell he can't read Irethiel's thoughts,' I reasoned.

"Y-Yeah, I can't read powerful people's thoughts with my current strength," the boy spoke up after reading my thoughts again.

"Yeah, if he could read my mind, he would have heard me cursing you and had a completely different reaction than this," Irethiel remarked telepathically, with a smile on her face.

"...."

I ignored Irethiel's remark and made an annoyed face when I realized what that boy's word meant.

'Does this brat mean I'm weak, and that's why he can read my thoughts?'

"Tell her all you know about those potions and how you all got here before I kill you," I asked him, smiling.

—Gulp

"S-Sure, I'll tell her everything I know!" The boy responded quickly.

...

...

A Few Moments Later

"Did you get all the necessary information needed from him?" I inquired of Irethiel.

"...Yeah, I did, so what are your intentions for him now that you don't need him?" Irethiel asked, her voice inquisitive.

"Hmm, I'd like to see what else that kid is capable of, as I'm really interested in his mind reading skill," I responded as I glanced at the boy standing in the distance.

"I-I am only 7 years old and will become stronger as I grow older. And if you make me one of your companions, I-I can be of great assistance to you," The boy was sweating as he exclaimed hurriedly.

"...."

I couldn't help but chuckle when I heard the boy, while Irethiel was left speechless.

'You're digging your own grave, boy,' Irethiel murmured, shaking her head.

"Alright, Irethiel, tell me more about these potions and where these demons came from," I asked, ignoring the boy.

???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.????????????

"...The disguise potion is sold in the alleyways across the tavern, but according to him, only demons can get access to visit there and they have pretty strong restrictions," Irethiel said, pausing for a while.

"Why do demons need money in the first place?" I asked intrigued.

"They require money in order to survive among humans and other races. Also, they appear to have a limited supply of disguise potions, so they decided to sell them for money," Irethiel responded.

"Like other races, they adopted trading methods similar to humans, huh? And the demons who cannot provide them with money will be thrown away and later killed by the adventurers or heroes when their disguise fades, is that it?" In a curious tone, I inquired.

"...Yeah," Irethiel said, nodding.

"That's to be expected from demons I guess; Anyway, I'm curious how these aggressive demons are so forbearing to live among other races without killing them or committing other crimes?" I remarked.

"He indicated that they were told by some sorcerer to live in peace among humans until he released the seal of the demon lord," Irethiel added.

'Who the heck is this sorcerer again? How come I haven't read anything about him?' I pondered.

"...So they are laying in wait for that exact moment when the demon lord seal is freed to bring chaos?

In truth, they serve simply as a diversion so that the demon lord can retreat and find a safe place to regain his strength while the heroes and adventurers are occupied battling the mob demons.

I must say, that sorcerer bastard is quite cunning; no wonder no one has ever seen his face," I commented.

"...."

"S-So we are just the sacrificial pawns?" As he overheard us, the boy exclaimed.

"It appears so," I replied, before asking, "Do you know anything about that sorcerer?"

The boy shook his head, as if to say he had no idea.

"...He mentioned, just a few demons in charge of potion delivery appear to have communication with him, as the potions are also supplied to them by that sorcerer," Irethiel replied.

"Is that so?" I mumbled and smiled.

"...."

"...Don't tell me you're planning on raiding that potion place?" Irethiel inquired when she noticed my expression.

"Aren't you intrigued about how those potions work? And don't you think it'll be quite useful to you, given that none of the high-ranking adventurers were able to detect their disguise till now?" I asked, smiling.

"...How do you intend to enter that alley?" Irethiel inquired instantly since she was likewise fascinated by the potions.

"Don't worry, I've got a plan!" With a grin, I said.

***

"They are, indeed, comrades! I never imagined a demon and a human could be friends."

The boy's eyes sparkled as he observed Ares' intention to break into the potion place without regard for the consequences just so he can obtain disguise potions for his companion Irethiel so she might travel unrestrained.