Black Iron Magician

Chapter 416 Greedy Set

I and Zex left the shop, leaving Anita behind. He may look like full-body armor, but he is a Great Demon King inside. I can’t have tea with Zex in town, so I suggested that we go to Nell’s mansion to share information.

「Deris-dono, you can’t! You mustn’t let another man so easily enter the love nest of the two of you! Well, I have no gender, though! FUHAHAHAHAHA!」

「Don’t say something misleading out loud! Okay, I got it. First, stop that laughter!」

It was rejected. Furthermore, this Great Demon King stands out without regard to my opinion. At first glance, Zex looks like nothing more than a human-shaped armor, but it would be bad if he attracts more attention. Mainly, it would be bad for my honor.

Still, what should I do? If Nell’s mansion is a no, the choices would be narrowed down considerably. In the past, I would have invited him to my house in the mountain, but now that house has been moved to the garden of Nell’s mansion. I need a place where it would be fine even if Zex stands out and gets exposed that he’s the Great Eight Demons―― Okay, that’s the only place!

「That’s why we came here.」

「Eh….」

We went to the 『Chinatsu’s Troubles Consultation Office』 at the headquarters of the Magic Knight Order. Yep, it’s safe and secure here. It’s under Nell’s jurisdiction, and Chinatsu, the owner of the room, already knows Zex. I get a blatantly unpleasant look from Chinatsu, but well, you know, forgive me.

「Hou, so this is Chinatsu-dono’s workplace! It’s dust-free and clean, and the desks are neatly organized! As for the window, let’s see…. My finger isn’t dirty at all! I’m sure a human mother-in-law won’t be able to complain!」

「Deris-san?」

「I’m really sorry.」

Goddess Chinatsu is a little angry with Zex’s inhuman yet human-like behavior. In order to politely appease the wrath of the Goddess, I explained to her what had happened up to this point.

「――Well, I encountered him in the shop just now. He refused to go to the mansion, and I thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to have tea with him in the town, so I brought him here.」

「Sigh, it was another abrupt encounter, huh…. Well, I’m on a break right now, so I guess it’s fine.」

「Fuha! I’m grateful for Chinatsu-dono’s kindness!」

「………」

「I’m really sorry.」

I could only apologize with Zex’s loud voice as the bgm.

「By the way, Chinatsu, are you working for the knights today? Nell seems to be holed up in the basement of the mansion, though.」

「No, I was instructed by Nell-shishō to take a break from the knight’s work until Crocus is released. I was in the underground with her until a while ago.」

「Eh…」

「By the way, with Touko as well.」

「Eeh…」

Uwaah, being in the same space as Nell, who’s sharpening her mind and bloodlust, will make ordinary people lose their minds in an instant…. How should I react to that? For the time being, I’ll give her my sympathy.

「W-Were you training with Nell?」

「She was just silently holding her sword. It was a simple training where I and Touko sparred next to her. It was… supposed to be a simple training, but….」

Chinatsu gradually lost her vigor. I can guess how tiring it was from her state, and now I’m also worried about Touko who’s not in this place.

「It was simple, but the situation in that place was terrible, right? As her husband, I can assure you that Nell is dangerous right now.」

「T-That’s right…. As I said before, she was just standing while holding her sword, but the bloodlust was too much that I couldn’t even look at her face, and the flame that didn’t even exist was terrible! Yes, I don’t even understand what I’m talking about, but the flame was really dangerous even though it didn’t exist…!」

「Okay, I get the gist of it. But first, you need to so calm down. Chinatsu, you’re normal.」

To sort out Chinatsu’s story, Nell, who was in a battle posture, unleashed flames with her full power from within her body, and she absorbed them with her skill before it goes out of her body. She kept unleashing the flames and absorbing them instantly so as not to damage the surroundings. It’s a training method that’s not only focus on attacking and defending, but it also requires delicate control and willpower. And by having her disciple next to her, failure is not an option.

…… How pitiful. I remember when Nell used to make me keep her company when she was training magic. It’s stable now, but I don’t remember how many times it exploded at that time. How pitiful… the past me, that is.

「I didn’t see Touko, who usually takes care of Lily when she’s sleeping, in the house, so she was with you, huh. You were sparring, right? Haru and Gobuo were sparring just a while ago. How was it?」

「As you can see, I’m exhausted. I couldn’t be careless since we were doing it in front of Nell-shishō…. I was trying my best to concentrate while my mental strength was being shaved off. My Danger Detection skill was always ringing that I didn’t even know when the danger would come….」

Yep, she was in constant danger of explosion after all. Haru was sparring while being shackled physically, while Chinatsu and Touko were shackled mentally. Now, should I tell Chinatsu about this fact? No, she has no right to refuse even if she knows about it, and I think not knowing about it is better for her mental health.

「…… Deris-san, are you hiding something?」

「No, nothing. I’m just rooting for you two from the bottom of my heart.」

「Chinatsu-dono, should I lend you a lie detector? I happen to have that function!」

「What’s with that useless function!?」

After evading Zex’s unnecessary help, I borrowed a chair and took a break. I wonder why am I so tired in this short time?

「Whew…. Zex, what’s the situation inside the barrier?」

「There’s no particular change. Both Alezel-dono and Zeta are hiding in the town near the border. The vampires she caught are quite stubborn, and there’s no useful information at all.」

「Eh, Alezel-san and Zeta-san are in Crocus?」

「And it seems that she’s already engaged with Maria’s daughters. Moreover, she captured the second and sixth daughters after she won.」

「A-Alezel-san is amazing, isn’t she!? Then, the only remaining strong enemies are Lily-san’s four sisters and Maria-san, right!?」

「Well, it’s going well so far, but it’s terrible to expect from Alezel more than this. I’m sure Maria has her eye on Alezel. Besides, she has bad compatibility with Maria’s eldest daughter. Well, she just needs to be patient until we get there.」

「I-I see….」

Besides, the problem is not how to deal with Maria’s daughters, but how to deal with Maria. Well, she’s far stronger than the total strength of the seven sisters, so it’s natural…. Good grief, she’s someone who does stupid things seriously, so I can’t read what she’s going to do.

「Yes, Alezel-dono intends to do that. By the way, I’m preparing to send my latest main body from my country.」

「Hou? The latest, huh. Moreover, it’s your main body. So, when will it arrive?」

「In three days. Deris-dono’s order would be finished on the same day, and I estimate that Alezel-dono’s patience will also run out around that time. Ooh, this is fate! FUHAHAHAHAHA!」

「Hey, you are completely aiming for that day, right!?」

Thus, the fateful day was decided.