CH 150

This was the venue for the special carnival cosplay couples event.

“Yo Mother-con, you’re looking pretty austere today. Your lady friend is looking very cute and sexy as well.”

“Oh Straw Hat, you almost look like a Hero straight from a children’s bedtime story wearing something like that. Your companion looks wonderful though.”

As usual it was a light, fun atmosphere between the Demon Lord and Hero. Their two companions also greeted each other with a bright smile.

“So, what’s got you so worried?”

The Demon Lord answered Gray’s question with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

“Actually, this woman is throwing a fuss, wanting to get that Whale Beast Muffler they’re handing out up there. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like they’re sold anywhere.”

“That muffler looks cute, so I wanted it. Also, that hat up there would look really good on you Marionetta.”

Berunal pointed up at the stage where a cute, round hat was on display next to the muffler. Seeing it, Marionetta started to want it a little.

Thereupon Katie came down off the stage, dragging a Cassius-form Ah-nyan behind her.

“Why do you look so troubled Marionetta nya?”

“Ah, Katie, we were actually talking about getting that muffler and hat, but………”

“Then just get on stage and do a performance nya.”

“You say that, but I have no idea what we would do.”

The other three all crossed their arms alongside Marionetta’s words. So Ah-nyan stepped in with his own idea.

“Since the two of you are cosplaying as the Hero and the Demon Lord, you should act out a battle between each other. Simple, right?”

“That’s it nya. And since your two groups will be working together, you can get the hat and muffler in one act nya.”

The Hero-cosplaying Demon Lord was the first one to respond.

“If we’re going with that, then we should paint a story where the Hero, me, loses.”

But the Demon Lord-cosplaying Hero had the opposite mentality.

“No no, wouldn’t you normally have the Demon Lord, me, lose here?”

It turned into an argument over who would get to be the loser. Meanwhile the succubus and valkyrie were left unsure about what to do next to them. So, “Then just do this nya,” Katie came out with her own ending.

Honestly, the Demon Lord-cosplaying Hero and Hero-cosplaying Demon Lord had some mixed feelings about the scenario she described. But well, when considering who their audience was, they relented.

“Then go over there and apply for the event nya. Do it for the prizes nya.”

“Hero! We’re settling this now!” The Demon Lord-cosplaying Hero covered in abyssal black armor shouted.

“Demon Lord! This place shall be your tomb. Prepare yourself!” the Hero-cosplaying Demon Lord decorated in bright white armor yelled back.

The two men were confronting each other up on stage. Standing behind them were the valkyrie in chalk white mini-skirt armor and the succubus in black corset armor, both staring at the men’s backs anxiously.

The cosplaying Hero and cosplaying Demon Lord slowly circled around each other. The tension on stage was matched only by the tension held by the audience. And then, “Now!” the succubus suddenly screamed.

“Gua!” the cosplaying succubus’s trident dug into the Demon Lord’s back.

“Uwa!” the cosplaying valkyrie’s slender spear pierced through the Hero’s armor as well.

“W-why my succubus. My era was soon to come……….”

“Y-you betrayed me valkyrie……..i-is this, truly God’s will…………?”

As the men fell, the succubus and valkyrie turned towards the audience with a bright smile on their faces and shouted to watching audience.

“The nuisances have been vanquished! Now, let us move towards our promised utopia!”

“Yes, our goal is the fabled Lily Garden!”

“Sakkyun, I love you!”

“And I love you, Warukyun!”

The two girls then took each others hands and disappeared off the side of the stage.

The audience was left stunned with the sudden development of the story. And then exploded into laughter.

As for the Hero and Demon Lord, they rose up and left the stage after giving the audience an insincere smile, feeling a mixture of different feelings at the crowd’s eventual reaction.

When the Demon Lord and Hero arrived at the foot of the stage where the prizes for participating are handed out, they found Berunal and Marionetta in good spirits, already wearing their Whale Beast muffler and hat while boasting to each other about the good job they’d done. Seeing them like blew away any grievances the two men had and made both the Hero and Demon Lord think about how cute the two of them were.

“Alright Berunal, I’m heading over to Dandy’s Shangri La. Try not to get yourself too drunk this time.”

“Yes, Master. I’m happy with the muffler,” Berunal replied holding her muffler with great delight.

“Marionetta, what should we do for dinner today?”

“Let’s splurge a little today and order a full course meal from the Steamed Kitchen. By the way Gray, do you think this suits me?” Marionetta replied, ecstatic with the hat that was even more beautifully crafted than she had first thought.

Thus the group of four split as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Leaving only Berunal who was in an exceptionally good mood alone.

“Hey, you’re Reeve’s friend, the Rosen Princess right nya?”

Katie called out to Berunal since the beautiful valkyrie was just standing there, smiling on her own.

“Yes, Big Sister Reeve is always playing with me.”

Berunal gave Katie such a simple, homely smile while dressed in such a sexy dress. Katie was getting a little interested in this girl, “Let’s get some fruit wine together nya,” so she took Berunal’s hand and dragged her over to Trans Happy.

Katie and Ah-nyan sat Berunal down in one of the booths at Trans Happy. Berunal started off having a nice conversation with Katie and Ah-nyan over a cup of tea, but things got a lot more boisterous when they all switched over to some sparkling fruit wine.

Just like that you had two overly excited, giggling airheads. It didn’t take long for Katie and Ah-nyan to start their little two-man comedy act. The fact that their act centered around making fun of the Demon Lord gave Berunal a little something extra to laugh at.

“Hey Katie, isn’t the Demon Lord an idiot?”

“Why do you say that Ah-nyan?”

“Because the Demon Lord, doesn’t he earn his ril through pillaging?”

“That’s what I heard nya. He’s a real nuisance to our farmers nya.”

“That’s why he’s an idiot.”

“What do you mean?”

“He has all those demons serving him, but he has them stealing chump change from paupers when he could have them dive into labyrinths instead.”

“Hoh, Ah-nyan’s a genius nya.”

“You’d have demon warriors, demon thieves, demon magicians, and even a demon Hero!”

“And then they’d get so much treasure nya!”

“That’s right, and then he could make a mountain of ril selling it all.”

“And then the Demon Hero could finally……”

“Finally……..”

“………could finally defeat the Demon Lord nya!”

Nyannyan

………………

Huh?

Having been laughing so hard this entire time, Berunal suddenly stopped, putting on a serious face as she pondered something. Well, even if you were to call it serious, it was more of a cute/serious hybrid than anything.

Berunal stopped Katie and Ah-nyan from telling their next joke in order to ask them a question.

“This labyrinth treasure, where would I sell it?”

“The Adventurer’s Guild would buy all of it nya.”

Somehow, Berunal was overcome with a feeling like she had just heard something good. And it was there that Ellis’s group appeared.

“Katie and Ah-nyan, you look like you’re having fun. And, you’re talking to Miss Berunal, hello.”

Ellis and Claire greeted Berunal with a smile. The dragons had returned to their miniature sizes already with Ra-chin riding on Ellis’s back and Pi-tan planted on top of Claire’s head.

Berunal greeted the two girls with her own radiant smile.

“Hello. Just now, Katie was telling me something really interesting. I learned a lot.”

Berunal really was smiling brightly. Ellis and Claire quickly confirmed what exactly it was that Katie had been teaching her, but to their surprise, it wasn’t anything damning, and instead made them both perform a small guts pose.

Before arriving here, Ellis and the other three had been worriedly discussing the best way to get the demons to stop their looting. However to think that Katie and Ah-nyan, two people whose heads were filled with nothing but flowers, would come up with the idea to, “have the demons clear labyrinths,” and then feed that idea to the equally empty headed Berunal. This called for a relentless sales pitch.

So Ellis and Claire took seats around Berunal and spent the rest of their time whispering into her ear about how, “There’s so much treasure in the labyrinths, and they sell so well.” This continued on getting even more help from Reeve when she came over after finishing her patrols, and supplemented by Frau who had closed up her food stand.

By the time the Demon Lord came back to pick Berunal up, the girls had completely brainwashed her.

“Hey, I’m here, so let’s go back Berunal.”

Margherita had tortured him today as well, so the Demon Lord was feeling quite refreshed when he called Berunal’s name.

“I had a lot of fun with everyone today. Please play with me again next time too.”

Berunal quickly bowed her head, giving everyone an adorable farewell before running over to the Demon Lord. The Demon Lord offered his own small bow to Ellis and the others in thanks before heading back with Berunal.

“……….there is absolutely no way she is in charge of the demon army.”

“But we received confirmation from multiple demons, so there’s no doubt.”

Ellis countered Reeve’s natural response. But even if the evidence said otherwise, everyone still found it hard discounting Reeve’s opinion.

Meanwhile at the Demon Lord’s castle.

“Hey, Master.”

“What is it Berunal?”

“I, came up with a wonderful idea.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“To earn some ril, let’s have our demons stop looting villages and start clearing labyrinths instead.”

“I don’t care, but will the demons be fine with that?”

“They’ll do what I tell them to. I can just give them the excuse that they’re searching for your claws in the labyrinths while they’re at it.”

“Alright, then aside from the ril you find in the labyrinth, what about the magic tools.”

“We’ll sell them in town.”

“But won’t that make the humans stronger?”

“As long as well sell them to Warren there shouldn’t be a problem. Master has no intentions of attacking them anyway right?”

“Then I’ll leave it to you Berunal.”

“Understood. I’m so happy Master. Embrace me.”

“Today’s no good. I’ve been completely drained.”

“Okay. Then let’s have some of this together instead.”

Berunal held out some of the high-quality wine Reeve and Ferdinand had given her.

“Well fine. If it’s just a little, then it can’t be helped.”

And so the Demon Lord and Berunal enjoyed a spot of alcohol. But just like always Berunal’s drunk appearance stimulated the Demon Lord, and with the alcohol breathing second life into him as well, the Demon Lord found he was unable to control himself. Naturally the two of them tore off each other’s clothes. A habit they are unable to break and is proving to be very expensive.

Later on the Demon Lord would move to actively adopt Berunal’s policy.

It should also be noted that the two of them had forgotten to return the costumes they rented, and after tearing each other’s off and ripping them apart, the Demon Lord’s Hero cosplay and Berunal’s miniskirt armor went from being a rental to a purchase.