CH 77

When we infiltrate into Duke Orba’s house, or rather his workplace, the governmental office-like huge building, we decide to split into two groups.

Specifically speaking, I go with Rishe-chan, while Leila-chan go with Nico-chan.

Dividing the duties, while I and Rishe-chan head to find Duke Orba, Leila-chan and Nico-chan act as diversion group. Nico-chan is their target, but since she’s together, she should be without a doubt safe, I think. And it should also be fairly easy for us to find Duke Orba.

Also, aside from acting as diversion, Leila-chan’s group is also in charge of rescuing Niko-chan’s dad. Nico-chan should be perfectly familiar with her dad’s face, and Leila-chan also ought to have more or less seen his face when he entrusted Nico-chan to me. Besides, since she can grasp the building structure using her miasma, she should be able to find him swiftly. Well, positively speaking.

Furthermore, we, who are heading to Duke Orba’s location, also similarly act as their diversion.

Not to mention that merely soldier level people won’t be able to keep up with Leila-chan’s speed. However, if by chance they meet that murderer Reis-guy who’s seemingly working for Duke Orba, that may pose slightly troublesome for Leila-chan who’s taking along Nico-chan.

Status-wise, Leila-chan is overwhelmingly stronger, but should Reis aim at Nico-chan to create an opening, even Leila-chan would be…. huh? Somehow I can’t find that to be worrying at all. I feel like she would still easily overpower him either way.

Or rather, Leila-chan and Reis, aren’t their names kinda similar?

Well, anyway, currently we’re infiltrating the building which I tentatively named “Pseudo governmental office”.

“Hey, there are intruders! Moreover it seems to be a woman who’s taking along a blonde-haired child, let’s go!”

“Oh, got it! Geez…. First that goblin king, why does something like this also have to happen?!”

Hiding behind a huge pillar, I see some soldiers hurriedly running through the hallway. Seems like Leila-chan’s side is doing well.

“…Kitsune, infiltrating in itself is fine and all… but do you know where Duke Orba is?”

“I wonder… but since big-wigs tend to like to be at high places, let’s head for the top.”

“… your train of thought is kinda haphazard, isn’t it, Kitsune?”

What’s she talking about at this late of the game?

Being stared at with astounded eyes by Rishe-chan is kinda painful, but I still head to the opposite direction from where the soldiers are running to. Since Leila-chan’s goal is underground, those soldiers should be heading there too. If so, I should be able to find stairs heading upward if I head to the opposite direction, I think.

Well, there’s also the chance that the stairs heading upward is located besides the one heading underground, though. But heading straight to where the soldiers are most likely gathered at is a no go, isn’t it?

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

Nodding to each other, I and Rishe-chan start to run through the hallway.

◇ ◇ ◇

On the other side, with Nico riding on her shoulder, Leila was heading toward underground. Using the miasma to detect the surroundings, after confirming that there was no presence of anyone around, she was easily walking through the hallway.

Putting her little hands on Leila’s silky white-haired head, perhaps uneasy about someone finding them out, Nico couldn’t stop looking around.

On the other hand, Leila who was easily walking while humming was seemingly in very good mood.

As for the reason, she was initially discontent about the diving group plan, but when Kitsune asked her again while caressing her head, she obediently decided to accept his request.

Perhaps that was a fad lately or something, but that was an easy (choro) one. She was a choroine.

Also, Leila didn’t dislike Nico. Or rather, she liked her quite a lot. Perhaps having her motherhood to look after children awakened, or perhaps she herself liked children, she unconditionally gave her shoulder ride happily.

“Say Nico, do you like your father?”

“…Yes.”

“I see♪ How does it feel to have a father? I don’t remember the time when I still had a father so I don’t really know~.”

From a while ago, Leila had been chatting with Nico who was on her shoulder like that. Be that as it may, they could afford to do that only because there was no soldier around, and using miasma, Leila had killed every soldier that was coming after them.

The thing she was interested in was the existence called parent. She had been infected by the “Red Night” since she was seven years old and had lost all of her memories when she was still human. Moreover, once she turned into “Red Night”, she killed and devoured her parents and friends alike in her craving.

Her parents’ faces included, all of her memories until she was seven years old didn’t even remain in the corner of memories any longer.

Therefore, she didn’t know what kind of existence a father was. When she came to, she was standing in an unknown land with blood all over her body, and all she remembered was her name and the fact that she was a demon. Her life began from there. And her memory also started from there.

“… papa is, kind.”

“Kind? …Hmm, I see.”

Hearing Nico’s words, Leila showed a face that she couldn’t understand at all.

She didn’t know why, but Nico didn’t lie to Leila. No, she still didn’t tell her what she didn’t want to, but she didn’t tell unnecessary lies during their casual conversation.

Similarly, she might also unexpectedly be quite fond of Leila.

“….Lila.”

“Huh? Ufufufu♪ It’s Leila ♪”

“…Leila?”

“Ufufufufufu♪ What’s up~?”

For the first time, Nico called Leila’s name. Nico, who never called either Kitsune’s or Trisha’s name, called someone’s name for the first time. Perhaps because she was still four years old, she was slightly lisping in doing so.

Perhaps slightly happy because of that, Leila replied as such in good mood.

“Can I… meet… papa?”

“Of course♪ You’re meeting meet him very soon~!”

“…yes.”

Perhaps slightly relieved after hearing her immediate answer, Nico slightly softened her expression.

“Ouch ouch, that hurts, Nico… Don’t pull my hair….”

“…I’m sorry.”

Perhaps looking forward to meeting her father, or she was simply unable to hold her nervousness, Nico’s hands that were holding onto Leila’s head ended up pulling her white hair. Leila had a slightly bitter look, but once Nico apologized, she immediately smiled and began walking again.

These two might unexpectedly be a good pair.

◇ ◇ ◇

At that time, Duke Orba was busy.

Other than about Goblin King’s raid, he was also concerned about the possibility that Nico, whom he still couldn’t capture, would be killed when those demonic beasts breached into the town. As a feudal lord himself, he was without a doubt not a stupid person. If he was asked whether the adventurers and knights of the town would be able to repel those hundreds of demonic beasts, his answer would be no.

That’s why, unlike the the knights who were fighting the demonic beasts, the soldiers were dispatched to sweep the whole town. They’d found out the lodging where Kitsune and co. stayed at, so he thought that it was only a matter of time before they were captured.

However, there were unexpectedly intruders coming.

“What the hell, damn it! There are intruders, you say?… what the hell are they thinking…?!”

Duke Orba was very infuriated. He had never been this infuriated before. He was still waiting for the report about the intruders, but he could already more or less guess who they were.

It was without a doubt the boy who was together with his target.

Just when he dispatched his soldiers through the town, this happened. Currently there were only few soldiers left in the governmental office. Spreading his whole soldiers ended up backfiring him there. Therefore Duke Orba was flustered. Having someone whose prowess surpassed that of Reis intruding, he couldn’t stay calm.

“Argh … Damn it, hey Reis…! Go and kill the intruders right this instant, but don’t kill the brat.”

“Kuhaha … ‘kay, I’ve been waiting for that very order.”

The only option left was to kill the intruders. Luckily, he had the wicked murderer Reis on his side. If he somehow managed to kill them, the situation would be overturned at once. Once he got his hand on Nico, he could similarly send Reis to deal with the goblin king, and after that everything would simply follow suit.

“Take that brat to me at once.”

“Mkay ‘kay, I’ll do my best~”

Having said that, Reis left the room. The ones left were Duke Orba and the secretary woman.

Witnessing Duke Orba who didn’t hide his rage, the secretary woman didn’t utter a single word. She simply quietly stood there. Tingling tension filled the air.

However, people who was drowned in rage tended to vent it to anything around them, and so Duke Orba glared at the secretary woman who was standing nearby.

“You… what a useless bitch, you are! Be useful for once and go find the intruders even if just one!!”

“…understood….”

When Duke Orba shouted so while smashing the documents on the table and scattered them away, the secretary woman nodded her head once and left the room. Seeing her off, inside the room where there was none else around, his breath was rough and his shoulders were shaking.

“God fvcking damn it…it was just a little more, but… why the hell such a troublesome guy has to appear?!”

Unable to contain his rage, Duke Orba shouted so while scratching his head.

◇ ◇ ◇

Leila and Nico were proceeding smoothly on their way through the governmental office, they were only a bit away from the room where Nico’s father was imprisoned.

There had been no soldier that spotted them, the total of soldier secretly killed by Leila using her miasma unbeknownst to Nico was five. She didn’t want Nico to dismount off her shoulder.

“Leila.”

“What’s up?”

“How is baby made?”

“Huh? Baby? Hmm… now that you mention it, how is it I wonder?… umm….”

After having trivial conversations for a while, Nico also began asking questions to Leila.

How baby was made, that was a classic question of young children, however Leila couldn’t answer it. It was neither because she found it difficult to answer nor it was difficult to explain, she simply didn’t know the answer herself.

As told earlier, she turned into a demon when she was seven years old, and after that she had been living succumbing to her craving. Not only she hadn’t received proper sexual education, she also had no such experience.

Given how much she lusted after Kitsune, she was still an immature girl who knew nothing more that kissing and licking his body.

She knew neither how to make a child nor the purpose of genitals, or rather she didn’t even understand human body structure and the difference between men’s and women’s bodies.

As someone who hadn’t grown ever since she turned into demon when she was seven years old, there was no way she would be able to provide a proper answer to Nico’s question.

“…you don’t know?”

“Yes… I also don’t know, let’s ask Kitsune later together♪”

“…Yes.”

While having such a conversation, Leila arrived in front of a certain door. After scanning the surrounding using her miasma, there was someone who was seemingly to be Nico’s father on the other side of the door.

It was locked, but for Leila such a thing was of no significant. Holding the doorknob, she wrenched it open with all of her might. Along with a shrill sound of metal being scrapped off, the door opened.

“—…!”

Inside, there was a shirtless man tied to a chain. There were countless beatings, lashings and torture marks on his whole body.

However, he seemed to be conscious, and it was easy to tell that he was exerting his all to endure the pain. And then, when he moved his neck, his gazes landed upon Leila and Nico. In that very moment, the man’s eyes were opened wide. Perhaps dumbfounded, his mouth was similarly agape.

“… Ni, Nico …!? Why, are you here…?!”

“Aha♪ Nico, is that your father?”

“….Yes, he’s my papa.”

“I see♪ but let’s hold the emotional reunion for later— How about we kill those people there and leave this place first?”

They had finally found Nico’s father, and then Leila turned her back to the door. She dismounted Nico off and urged her to head to where her father was. Having her back pushed, Nico immediately rushed toward her father.

Witnessing that, Leila closed the door with face full of smile.

“—parent and child reunion, what a touching scene, kuhahaha!!”

The one appeared before Leila was the S rank criminal sent to kill Kitsune, Reis. Resting his naked sword on his shoulder, he floated an evil smile.

“Ufufufu, I intended to kill you quietly, but you survived it. You seem to have got some skill there. However, your meat seems to be very disgusting, though.”

Facing that, Leila happily laughed, her red eyes glittered. Ever since the fight against the apostle, this was her first noteworthy opponent so she was very happy. She wasn’t turned on. For the current her, after knowing Kitsune’s taste, all other meat could satisfy her no more.

However, it could serve to more or less slightly lessen her craving. She loved the sensation of biting off flesh as well as crunching the bones. The flavor differed to each other, but as long as it was human, moreover a powerful one, it should also be equally quite the delicacy, or so she thought.

“I just happen to be slightly hungry, you see. Even though it seems disgusting, it can still be used to fill my stomach, isn’t it? Ufufufufu”

—“Red Night” eerily laughed.