Welcome to the Impregnable Demon King Castle

152 – The Maids and the Master of the Fifth Stratum.

One time, when I returned to my office.

「Welcome back, Chief of Staff.」

A young voice greeted me… A maid had welcomed me back.

It’s a voice I’ve heard many times before, and a familiar face.

In fact, it was my secretary. Cashew.

She wore an ensemble of a black dress with a white apron over it. Complete with lace decoration on her head.

She was in a maid style today. This, too, gave me a feeling of deja vu.

…Ah, that’s right. It’s the same design as the maid outfits the Dream Demons wear in the fifth stratum. Her dress doesn’t have an opening at the back for the bat wings, but that’s pretty much the only difference. That and the size.

It fit her perfectly, looks like it was made just for her.

「…Lem…?」

Seeing her anxious face, I round up my thoughts.

I seemed to have made Cashew, who tried her best to call me Chief of Staff out of professionalism, worried enough to unconsciously go back to calling me Lem.

「Sorry, I was just a little surprised, that’s all. It suits you really well.」

「…Ehehe, thank you very much.」

Cashew really looks her best with a smile on her face. Anyone who sees that smiling face will cheer right up.

「But why are you wearing that?」

I have my guesses, but I asked anyway.

「Sitri gave it to me.」

The Demon of Love Sitri. A woman who loves cute things.

Her true identity is that of a Demi-Beast leopard with wings. With her shape-shifting ability that can reproduce the special characteristics of a different race with outstanding accuracy, she is a powerful person who can be counted among the Big Four.

She is a Contract and a friend.

「I see, it was from Sitri.」

Cashew is an innocent and good girl, so she has a good reputation even among the Demon King Castle personnel.

When I ask her to relay messages for me, she often comes back with her arms full of sweets.

She is treated very dearly.

And I can completely understand why.

But a maid outfit as a gift?

Also, Cashew is a really good kid, so she would be hesitant in receiving a gift for free.

「Hey hey hey.」

Greets Sitri, waving her hand.

Distracted by Cashew’s maid appearance, I failed to notice Sitri lying on the guest sofa.

Using the sofa’s armrest as a pillow, she looks at me upside down.

…She sure is relaxed…

Lazing around as if this were her own home.

But she managed to not look sloppy doing it.

Her pink twintails droop over the side of the sofa, just barely touching the floor, and her bangs flow to the sides of her head due to gravity as she looks at me.

Her maid outfit didn’t have a single wrinkle, one of her wings was just lazily hanging off the sofa while the other one was wrapped around her torso so that she can fiddle with it.

She raised one leg, causing her skirt to be alluringly short, exposing her youthful skin.

Her tail, which has a tip like a reverse heart shape, is coiled around the raised leg.

She has perfectly achieved a cute pose that has a theme of completely relaxed.

「Hey there. Did we have an appointment scheduled?」

Inside, I was startled, but I talked with calm composure.

「None at all!」

Sitri’s reply was brief.

With a wry smile, I sat opposite her.

「Thanks for the clothes. Cashew seems happy.」

「All I said was「Lem will love it!」and she immediately put it on. Cute, right?」

…I see. So that’s the reason Cashew accepted it without reservation and wore it.

「If there’s anything I can do for you as thanks…」

「Geez, you’re too serious. I just wanted to see little Cashew in cute clothes, that’s all. That’s all the thanks I need.」

「…If you say so.」

「Relax, relax. Just relax.」

Saying that, she sits up properly.

And I’m glad she did, because the posture she had before was honestly a little too suggestive.

Cashew pours out some tea for me and refills Sitri’s cup.

Her usual secretary look is cute, but the maid look at a time like this really sets the atmosphere…sorta.

But in terms of her age, something just doesn’t feel right… What should I do? I don’t know.

Although Cashew doesn’t seem to dislike it, so I guess it’s fine…right?

「Yay~. Thanks, Cashew. Got anything sweet?」

「We have cookies. Mil… Carmilla gave it to us.」

「Ooh, picked by Milly herself. I’m sure they’ll be good. I’d like some of that.」

「I’ll bring some over.」

「Yay~. You’re my cute little angel, Cashew.」

「Ange… I-I’m not… Th-thank you very much.」

Cashew was shy.

Although, should a Monster be calling someone an angel?

「So by the way, Lem. Oh, is it alright if I call you that while we’re working?」

「It’s alright.」

Having made temporary allies with a group of Adventurers recently, Sitri has been careful with the way she calls me.

If there are other people within earshot, she calls me Chief.

「I wanted to have a little chat with you, so I stopped by.」

「What is it?」

「Before that, what were you doing before this?」

「Oh, just training my subordinates.」

「That’s right, you finally have your own subordinates. I heard it was three people and some Adventurers.」

「The group of five Adventurers is being treated as temporary collaborators for this Raid Battle.」

「Fufufu, you’re never boring. Always going against the grain. So, did the training go well?」

「I think they’re coming together. Depending on who’s left in the Adventurer group when they reach the tenth stratum, I’ll have to make some small adjustments… I mean IF they reach it. Of course, I have full confidence that everyone will wipe them out before they even get to me.」

I was a little late in adding that last bit, but it looks like Sitri wasn’t offended by it.

「Ahaha, it’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.」

At that moment, Cashew came in carrying a plate lined with cookies.

「Thanks, Cashew. Wanna eat with us?」

「Huh? But…」

「It’s fi~ne. They’re bound to taste better if I eat them together with cute little Cashew. Ain’t that right, Lem?」

「Of course. We’ll be talking a little, but you can think of it as a break and eat with us.」

「O-OK.」

Cashew sat slightly next to me.

And then she slowly scooted near me. It looked like she was trying to do it discreetly.

Perhaps she was nervous because her dog ears were twitching.

Sitri stared at Cashew, clearly enjoying this little show.

「So-so cwute… She’s just too cute」

Cashew took a cookie with her tiny hands and started munching on them. Seeing her cheeks relax as she tastes the cookie, Sitri says something dangerous.

「I just want to take her home with me…」

「No way.」

「Wha~? Hey, Cashew. I’ll pay you double what Lem is if you become my secretary.」

Sitri put up two fingers, emphasizing the double.

However, Cashew looked apologetic.

「Just being with the Chief of Staff is enough…」

I was involuntarily moved to tears.

I thought that Cashew would be drawn to doubling her pay as that would considerably help out her family.

Perhaps she understood that Sitri was only joking, but her words imply that she finds worth in being my secretary and I am incredibly honored by it.

「She’s the ultimate cute life form… Lem, where did you find her? Heaven?」

「In the marketplace.」

「Who knew heaven was so nearby.」

「Ahaha…」

As the praises keep coming, Cashew’s cheeks have been getting pinker and pinker since a while ago.

After we calmed Cashew down, we got back on topic.

「So, you said you needed to talk to me?」

「Ah, that’s right. I almost forgot.」

After saying that, her expression turned serious.

「Lem, you gave me some advice before, right?」

「About the defense?」

I pretty much am the Chief of Staff, so we had talked about what I could do to help each stratum’s defense.

There are places that actively incorporate the idea, and there are those that stick to their own way.

In the end, I am just offering a proposal, the final decision is ultimately up to each stratum.

「I really thought hard about it. I’ll…I’ll do it.」

「I see.」

My proposal is focused on winning.

But people have their own hang-ups or principles.

For example, the advice that I gave Sitri went against her love of cute things.

However, I told her that it might be an effective measure to include.

She showed disapproval at first but…

「Are you sure? It’s my proposal, but it isn’t the way you prefer doing things, right?」

「It is. But y’see, I saw everyone’s defense…especially Milly’s, and I realized something.」

「What was it?」

「Usually, even though it’s the same Dungeon, every stratum’s battle feels like their own thing, right? But this time it’s…different.」

After a bit of thinking, I understood what she was trying to say.

「…Ah yes, certainly. Normally it’s the stratum VS Adventurers, but the Raid Battle emphasizes the Dungeon VS Adventurers composition.」

「Right, right.」

「…Uhm, what’s the difference?」

Asked Cashew tilting her head slightly, after eating half of the first few cookies.

While wiping away the cookie crumbs around her mouth, I explain it to her.

「Normally, as long as the Hero isn’t defeated, the Adventurers get to move on to the next stratum and with everyone revived, right?」

「Ye-yeah…」

Perhaps embarrassed to have crumbs on her face, she nodded while looking down.

「But in a Raid Battle, they can only revive one member after Clearing two floors. The result of one stratum’s battle will affect the next stratum’s battle. If they are down one member, they will start the next one with fewer people, provided they don’t use their revival rights.」　

「Exactly. So y’see, it feels more the Dungeon is fighting as a team rather than each stratum having their own battles.」　

「I see.」

Cashew said as she nodded repeatedly.

「So, everyone’s been doing their best, y’know? Milly did all kinds of preparations and slightly changed her usual methods.」

「That she did.」

She twisted her rule of never sucking blood directly from the enemy and didn’t exhibit her usual Adventurer torturing character.

And yet, it was a brilliant fight.

「So I gotta do my best too. I want to do my best… I’m part of the Big Four, and also…an ally of the Demon King Castle.」

「Sitri…」

She’s another member of the Big Four. Usually, she seems to do as she pleases, but within her hides a burning passion.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that she normally does a shoddy job.

She just does as she likes. She is allowed to do so, so there’s no problem.

However, Sitri probably thinks that that isn’t going to cut it this time.

「Not being useful to Lu is the last thing I’d want to do.」

Sitri, who adores cute things, wanted to be cute herself.

So her chosen race was Dream Demon, in other words, the form she has right now.

However, work for a Dream Demon was limited from the start. Sitri chose to be a Dream Demon, but she couldn’t find a Dungeon that would hire her. The only work she found, was in the Demon King Castle.

Sitri feels like she owes much to the Demon King Luci.

She’s obsessed with winning enough to bend the rules of her own obsessions.

「I understand. If I am able, I will give as much advice as I can.」

When I said that, she smiled broadly.

It was a smile that felt natural and not seemingly there to butter you up.

「Thanks, Lem. Just now was only part of the plan, so I’ll tell you the rest of it. I’ll turn into that and then put together-」

We talked long enough to finish the plate of cookies.

Even the fifth stratum’s appearance will be changed to Raid Battle specifications.

My advice is only concerning Sitri’s individual movements.

How will the Adventurers handle the Realm of Dream Demons?