“In the end, it’s all uncertain factors. We had a good outcome this time, but there’s no guarantee that the next time will be as good. It’s hard to know the odds. That damn Demon King won’t reveal anything either.”

“That’s true.”

Bathesia acknowledged. It’s all random after all. Her lightning ability, unlike the absolute power that other Demon Kings possessed, wasn’t always available.

“Anyway, when we sum it up… Oh, what’s this?”

Bathesia shook a square piece of paper. Karos checked it and exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow. This is coming out too.”

“What is it?”

“Human money.”

“…This tiny piece of paper?”

Bathesia furrowed her brow as if saying, “Don’t lie.” In the demon world, currency was made of magic crystals, valuable on their own because of the contained magic. Therefore, she couldn’t accept that worthless piece of paper as currency. Karos spoke with a sigh.

“It’s not a lie. Humans use paper as currency.”

“Oh, come on. They buy and sell things with this flimsy paper? It seems easy to counterfeit.”

“They must have strict measures in place to prevent counterfeiting. It’s about trust. I can’t explain it in detail. By the way, is this a summoning method? You can’t just make money by waving it, right?”

Unlike Bathesia, he was well aware of how human currency worked. Was this counterfeit, or not? While he was pondering, Lillis mumbled.

“Apples…”

“Huh?”

“Uh, never mind.”

“You said ‘apples!'”

Lillis urgently raised her head, but Soccu twirled around and shouted. Although Lillis tried to cover her mouth, it was already too late. Bathesia asked, puzzled.

“What’s with the apples?”

“…Study a bit.”

“I conquered well without knowing that stuff, so what’s the use? After all, it’s human stuff. I’ll learn about it when I need to use it. It’s not like I have to know the intricacies of their lives.”

“How did the demons manage to consume half of the Middle Realm?”

Karos chuckled. Most Demon Kings had a similar mindset. They knew about human weapons and politics, but they weren’t interested in the details of human life. After all, once they conquered, everything would belong to them anyway, so they could learn about it later.

“It’s Middle Realm fruit. It is sweet and has a taste that doesn’t exist in the demon realm. I can’t really explain it properly. But it’s strange. Lillis, how do you know about it?”

“…I tried it when I was young. I remember it was delicious, so I looked it up. I apologize for the slip of tongue.”

“Hehe, was it delicious?”

“Yes, it was more delicious than anything I’ve ever eaten.”

Bathesia looked at the small piece of paper in her hand with curious eyes.

“Can we buy things with this?”

“We don’t know its current value, but… we should be able to buy things with it. However, we don’t even know if it’s in season right now.”

“It’s in season only until the end of this month.”

“…You know quite a bit.”

Lillis lowered her head shyly. A secretary to a Demon King shouldn’t show emotions, but it seemed she was genuinely fond of it.

“Then let’s buy some.”

“Is it alright?”

“It doesn’t matter. I was planning to visit the human village anyway.”

The nearby village was about a two-hour walk away, neither too close nor too far. Karos had scoped out the village’s size when they first arrived, but they couldn’t know the details.

“It’s our first target to infiltrate. We need to gather information.”

Humans were defenders, and demons were invaders. Even though he is a half, his roles remain unchanged. It wouldn’t be long before he launched an attack.

Karos took some bills from Bathesia.

“It’s a rural village, but they should have some apples at least. We’ll be back soon.”

“But there’s no need for the Demon King to go…”

“I prefer to see things with my own eyes. Besides, there’s hardly any magic around here, and I’m the only one who looks human. We’ve been working hard, right? I need a break.”

With a wave of his hand, Karos stepped outside. Lillis hesitated for a moment and then lowered her head.

“Thank you.”

**** ****

“Hmm.”

Karos roughly cleared the bushes and moved forward. The Demon King’s castle was located in a cave in the mountains. They had to walk quite a bit to reach the village after descending from the mountain. He brushed his face with a branch he had cut.

“But why are you two following me again?”

Behind him, Soccu had a slime perched on her head like a hat, while flapping her wings. Bathesia chuckled as she cut a branch.

“What can a powerless Demon King do when he goes out? Take an escort… It’s just an excuse. I want to see how humans live.”

She had only seen the Demon King leading an army or being devoured by the conquered demons. She had never engaged in infiltration before.

“Until now, it was just about killing and conquering. There was no one to talk to. But I swore loyalty to you. You’re different, aren’t you? So I have to adapt to you.”

“I understand that, but still, it’s not a good idea to bring a mage along, right?”

“Well, I have this.”

Bathesia lifted the necklace hanging around her neck. Karos stopped talking when he saw it.

“Anyway, unless you’re right in front of their eyes, they won’t be able to tell you’re a demon. There won’t be any heroes in this rural village, and it’s better to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances, right?”

“Fine, let’s assume that’s the case. But Soccu, why are you here?”

“I just want to follow the Demon King!”

“No, you can’t. You may not have reached adulthood and have no magic, but your horns and wings are still visible…”

“How about this? I can hide them.”

When Soccu exerted herself, her horns and wings slowly retracted into her body. She looked like an ordinary girl.

“…Can you really hide them like that?”

“I’ve never seen other succubi do it, but it’s possible for her. Everything that comes out of your ability is strange.”

“Sigh… Whatever.”

It was too troublesome to send them back. Karos sighed and continued walking.

“Just don’t cause any trouble.”

“I’ll do my best. But, you know…”

Bathesia smiled.

“If you look at history, there has never been a time when humans and demons met and everything ended peacefully, right?”

Hyung_Otaku

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!