“It’s been a while for both of you.”

Ede nodded vigorously at my greeting, while Noah scowled with a sullen expression.

“Didn’t you say you were only meeting your human subordinate?”

“Well since we know each other, it should be fine, right?”

I shrugged my shoulders, and Yenoki didn't press further.

Seeing Yenoki move away as if telling us to talk among ourselves, I lowered my voice.

“Did you do a good job with the task I gave you?”

“Of course! I wasn’t caught at all until you arrived.”

“I honestly thought he was just a civilian who happened to be good with a sword.”

Judging by Noah’s grumbling, scowling face, he wasn’t just saying that.

“I’ll hear the detailed report later. For now, I’ll tell you why I came to find you.”

“I heard you have a job for us, but if that’s the case, couldn’t you have just sent a raven?”

“I have something to ask of you, but I also have a favor to ask of our Demon friends.”

“We didn't say we'd do it yet?”

“You will.”

When I answered confidently, Noah rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought.

I was still thinking about the details, but there was no need to tell him just yet.

“I’ll quickly tell you the information you need to know. You need to enter the Demon territory in the eastern part of the White Continent. Naturally, the Demons living there will be extremely wary of human entry. If only a human were to enter, that is.”

“So you need a Demon to accompany you to avoid suspicion. But why us? It wouldn't make a difference if you asked the werewolf over there.”

Yenoki, who must have heard his name, bared his teeth from afar.

It looked more like a sneer than a threat.

“If the pirates of Charnirasho show up in droves, wouldn't they be even more anxious than if just a bunch of humans came?”

Ede said what I was about to say.

Although everyone was collectively called Demons, that was just a term humans used.

No other race would be happy to have their territory invaded.

Especially not by the Demons of Charnirasho, who had a bad reputation.

“That’s why a neutral group is needed. It just so happens that you are made up of various races, and some of you are even from the eastern White Continent.”

At least one person was.

The Goral Tribe, to which Hillia belonged, was from the eastern White Continent.

It might just be one person, but having at least one person from that region made a huge difference.

“The current plan is to enter disguised as merchants. The client has agreed to prepare the necessary goods. You just have to follow along as if you are a guard.”

“Okay. That’s not a difficult task. But I don’t plan on doing it for nothing. Our situation isn't great either.”

I turned my head to look at Ede.

“How is the current situation?”

“We had a lot of injured people during the escape. Some people’s condition got worse while we were traveling on the ship.”

“Hey.”

Noah, flustered, tried to stop Ede, but she didn’t stop talking.

“We did first aid, but we need better medicine or a healer. Also, while some people left to go to their own lands, most are afraid to leave without protection. They need protection as well.”

“Is that true?”

“It is. The Tribe Head has been generous enough to give us some support, but it's not enough.”

Noah emphasized the word ‘generous’ while looking at Yenoki, who was sitting far away.

Frankly, I didn't think that greedy guy would be generous with his support.

“Medicine, a doctor, and protection. I understand. I can get those for you right away. As long as the client isn’t being petty, that is.”

“Is that it?”

His voice was filled with discontent.

I laughed lightly and shook my head.

“Isn’t this enough help? Alright, fine. It’s a free country, so go ahead and babble on.”

“You intentionally made us fight that Cesare guy, didn’t you?”

“I thought you were going to ask me for a favor, not interrogate me.”

“That ship you prepared already had his supplies loaded on it. And the moment we took it, he reacted way too quickly. There’s no other way to see it than that you had a hand in it behind the scenes.”

He was right.

I had sent a message to Cesare through Til that the Demons had stolen the ship, and as expected, Cesare got furious and chased after Noah.

That was the gist of what I heard from Til about what happened in the Northern Federation.

“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

“It means that the help you gave us back then wasn’t purely out of goodwill. I’m not going to blame you for it. But considering that, I want you to help us a little more this time.”

“Have you ever been told you’re shameless?”

“Yeah. A lot.”

“Both of you, please calm down…”

Ede quickly stepped in to mediate.

He must have thought I was getting angry.

I wasn’t particularly angry, but it was true that there was no need to provoke him further.

“Alright. Let’s say that’s the case. But I will also give you an invoice depending on the details of the job.”

“I have no complaints. Our request is simple. We want to consistently receive work from you in the future.”

“?”

Noah’s face was very serious.

He didn't seem to be joking.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

Ede blurted out, as if speaking for me.

At the blunt remark, Noah cleared his throat a few times.

“It might have been a coincidence at first, but you’ve already used us a lot, haven’t you? We also need a lot of help in the future to achieve our goals.”

“So you’re saying you want to crawl under my wing?”

“If you want to put it that way, you can. At the very least, we need a stable place to get help from until we can uncover the people who were doing human trafficking.”

Hmm…

I touched my chin and thought about the proposal Noah had just made.

Originally, Noah’s party, who had captured Cesare, would have escaped the pursuit of the Eight Council and gone to the Empire to meet with Blaiher.

The story was about them helping Blaiher, who was being chased by the Dukes who had discovered his betrayal, and growing into a large force.

However, Blaiher had already become Emperor, and Cesare was still alive, so Noah and the Demons had no one to help them.

So, they needed to find a new guardian.

It wasn't a bad proposal for me either.

I could keep the person who would kill me under my supervision.

“No, aren’t you deciding too much on your own? What if the other members don’t like it.”

“Alright. If you finish this job well, we will make a formal contract.”

“Huh?”

Ede looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“Is there a reason why we can’t?”

“No, it’s not that, but is it really okay? Do you not need to hear what others think?”

“Everyone can handle subcontracting on their own. And if we do it in the name of the Headquarters, there will be nothing to get caught for.”

Ede blinked and tilted his head with an ambiguous expression.

He parted his lips a few times but ended up not saying anything.

“Well, I think you both need some time to organize your thoughts. Let’s meet here again in four hours.”

Noah left without saying another word.

The protagonist becomes the villain's subcontractor.

Things were unfolding in a strange way.

“Mr. Wilhelm.”

“Yes.”

Wilhelm, who was hidden in the shadows, quietly came out.

“Whoa, when did you get there?”

“From the beginning.”

Wilhelm scratched his head as he answered Ede's question.

Wilhelm was definitely more skilled at this than Ede.

“Find out what they’re discussing. Don’t get caught.”

“Understood.”

“It’s been a while, but that’s it for our greeting. Good luck.”

Ede waved his hand, and Wilhelm nodded vigorously.

“Mr. Ede, contact the raven and call for a doctor and some medicine. A doctor who has no qualms about treating demons.”

“Yes, sir! Will you be resting, Count? Shall I report to you later on what happened in the Federation?”

“I’m going to talk with Mr. Yenoki. Come and let me know when you’re done.”

I sent Ede off and approached the werewolf who was yawning sluggishly.

“Are you done?”

“Yes. I called a human doctor since your guests need a doctor and medicine. Is that okay?”

“As long as they’re not from Vestol.”

“They’re from Leitche.”

“Then it doesn’t matter. I’ll keep a close eye on them, though. Anything else you want to talk about?”

He seemed uninterested, but he was subtly watching me.

Since he asked, there was no need to beat around the bush.

“I plan on taking our guests and going to work for a bit.”

“Do what you want.”

Surprisingly, he readily gave permission.

I thought he would say he had to report to Avantnik first.

“The Tribe Head won’t be interested in this kind of thing. He’s busy with other matters.”

“Did something happen?”

“There are some guys who are dissatisfied with the peace treaty we made with the Vestol bunch. He’s busy dealing with those loudmouths who are causing a fuss.”

“What do you think?”

I asked out of pure curiosity.

I was curious about how he viewed the treaty I had made.

“I don’t like it. But I know it's a necessary thing.”

Yenoki wrinkled his nose and answered grumpily.

“Judging by your tone, you really don’t like it.”

“There aren’t any werewolves or gnolls who would be happy about making peace with the Vestol guys who burned down our forest. The only reason we're putting up with those Vestol guys is because they're part of the Eight Council.”

“Is being a member of the Eight Council a reason to put up with it? I didn't think the Demons would think that way.”

“Ordinary ones don’t. But I’ve met your leader.”

At the word “leader,” I looked straight at Yenoki.

He paid me no mind and looked into the distance as if lost in thought.

“He was an amazing human. He came alone and asked us to release the humans we brought. At first, both the Tribe Head and I laughed, but later, we released the humans.”

“Why?”

“I can’t say. It has to do with the Tribe Head’s will. Anyway, your leader is trustworthy. I don’t know where he’s wandering around now, though.”

I unexpectedly heard a story about Anat.

Did he meet with and recruit Avantnik in person as well? How?

“Your subordinate is making a fuss.”

Just as I was about to ask more, Yenoki chuckled.

I turned around, and Ede was waving his hand frantically.

“Can you tell me more about the leader later?”

“Sure.”

Yenoki answered indifferently.

For now, that was enough.

***

“So you’re saying we’re going to get support in exchange for helping that guy from now on.”

“That’s right.”

“Do you think we can trust him?”

“Probably.”

Hillia and Karl asked Noah their questions, and Noah gave short answers.

In fact, he didn’t trust that narrow-eyed guy one hundred percent either.

Most of all, he had narrow eyes.

And the way he was always smiling made him completely untrustworthy.

However, for some reason, he knew that I was very interested in him.

It was a strange sense of excitement that I felt when I talked to him.

“If you say so, then fine.”

Hillia pouted and answered, and the other Demons nodded.

“Thank you.”

“It’s true that it’s hard for us to solve everything by ourselves. But going to the eastern continent is a little strange, to put it mildly.”

Karl trailed off.

At the mention of the eastern continent, a few other Demons also shook their heads as if in disgust.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“The ones who live there are, well some of them are pretty wicked.”

Karl glanced at Hillia and corrected himself.

Hillia, feeling the subtle gaze, flared up.

“Hey! We’re not that wicked! Except for the swamp guys!”

“What’s wrong with the swamp guys?”

When Noah asked, they looked at each other and didn't open their mouths.

After a long time of pushing the conversation back and forth, Hillia finally spoke up.

“There’s a rumor that a witch lives in the swamp.”

“So?”

“The rumor is that she eats both humans and demons.”

Noah’s expression quickly soured.

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