Though hesitant, I decided to follow through with my line of thinking since Sue won’t talk anymore about the magic circle and secret messages, “I’m afraid to ask this, but how does the Demon King even know I’m running around in her kingdom? What do you all know about me that I haven’t mentioned yet?”
“Well first, how Her Highness knew you’re here, considering you practically exploded with ominous magic during that raid at Dondegarm, it was hard to ignore such a thing, you know?” Sue asked while raising a brow.
I knew something like that would draw attention, but not like this ...
“Even at such a long distance, from Dondegarm to Korangar, Her Highness sensed something was amiss in the former’s direction,” Sue continued, “That’s when she sent me to investigate the scene immediately. Once I started asking around, it didn’t take me long to find out you were the one she was looking for.
“As for what we know to look for while finding you, we know you are a relatively young, handsome human male with piercingly sharp eyes, holds a Champion’s Bracelet, possesses the [Devil Eyes] skill, and is able to use a variety of weapons and/or spells with powerful finesse while still possessing the Brawler class,” the Arch Imp listed all these traits off while counting them out on her fingers.
I had many questions for where she even knew such specific characteristics, but I was too bewildered to even know where to begin.
“Granted, for how specific these traits are, Her Highness knew that finding even half of them at first glance would be easier said than done, which is why she has a few pieces of evidence to prove you are the right person she’s looking for. As for what they are, that info’s also classified.”
Again, with the ‘classified’ thing. The more I hear that word, the more it’s annoying me.
Hearing Nyra’s comment, I remembered the purpose of this confrontation. It looked like we wouldn’t get anymore info on the Demon King’s search for me, so I moved on to the heart of the matter, “Okay, next question. Why did you alter our memories last night? Did you do this to anyone else in the group?”
“Since you were the last one awake, Jinma, I had to alter your memory so you wouldn’t find anything off about last night’s events,” Sue answered, “As for why I altered Nyra’s memories, she was about to interfere with one of my missions, so I had to take necessary measures so she wouldn’t suspect anything.”
“And your mission was …” I said.
“Anything related to that mission is classified.”
Of course, it is.
“I really do feel bad about altering Nyra’s memories. That’s why I implanted information to how she could set herself free from the curse in her mind,” Sue continued while holding up her gloved hands, “I was able to do that without getting afflicted by her curse thanks to my curse-resistant gloves, and before you ask how I knew the way to break Nyra’s curse, there are records of Sorcerers who’ve managed to override cursed armory in the past through this method.”
“They couldn’t do the same for Nyra here when she was possessing other people to go on murderous rampages?” I asked with a raised brow.
Sue shook her head, “It requires bare, physical contact with the targeted weapon to make it work, without wearing any curse-resistant gear like my gloves, and as you know, just touching the tanto like that will only turn out for the worst. Even some of the more highly-skilled Sorcerers and their curse-resistant skills were hesitant to approach the weapon.
“You, however, are holding her right now and are looking fine and peachy. That makes you the only one qualified to tackle Nyra’s curse head on and get her body back, and the only way to do that is to advance your class to Sorcerer and learn the [Curse Enchantment] skill,” Sue said before shrugging, “Then again, considering what you’ve done up to now as a ‘Brawler,’ I’m sure you’ll find a way to work around that.”
Why do I feel she knows about my capability to carry multiple classes?
“And those ‘records’ you mentioned, where did you find them?” I asked, making sure the source material is trustworthy.
“That’s classified,” Sue answered bluntly.
I furrowed my brow, “You’re not even going to give us peace of mind on whether this info you implanted in Nyra’s head is legitimate?”
Sue looked down to the floor, disheartened, “I only gave you what I thought would be the best solution to what I assume has been a chronic problem for Nyra. I can’t give too much away on where I got that info from, but that as well as my humble apologies is all I can do to make up for the wrong I committed toward you.”
To both Nyra’s and my own surprises, Sue then hopped out of the bed and sat on her knees while on the floor before prostrating in front of me, “I swear that I have not altered any memories of your other party members. I am truly, very sorry for what I did to you and Nyra. I don’t expect you to forgive me right away, but I hope you can still accept my apologies and that info as a start to reconciliation between us. The Demon King also takes partial responsibility and wishes to extend her apologies for allowing such measures toward you.”
“The ‘Demon King,’ the ruler of this country, wants to apologize to me?” I asked with disbelief.
Sue then sat back up from her prostrating position into a seiza pose, “Yes, and she assigned me to do this in her stead as she’s very busy with other royal matters. Should you not be satisfied with our offerings to apologize, then I have been asked to fulfill any requests you may have in her stead. If there is anything you may want that Her Highness can provide, within reason, then I will do everything in my power to meet those demands in her place.”
“... Anything at all, ‘within reason’?” I repeated.
“Yes, anything, and that includes using my body to do as you please, even going all the way,” Sue clarified while hefting her large melons in her hands to emphasize her point.
I raised a brow, “Didn’t you just say last night that you wanted to save your first times for your potential partner?”
Sue nodded, “Yes, and that still holds true, but after what I had done to you both last night, my pride as a maiden has no value. If a male after that has the gall to refuse my advances because I’m not a virgin, that’s their problem, not mine.”
Taking my [Intuition] skill into account, everything she’s said so far has been the truth, and that just gave me more questions than answers. I rested my hand on my head that pounded in pain from this confusion, What the hell? Why is this Demon King making this such a big deal? Why Sue? Is this Arch Imp really okay with this arrangement?
Nyra commented in line with my thoughts.
“... This might not be the best time and place for me to even bring it up, but I’d like to make a proposal to you, and this is me speaking for myself, not the Demon King,” Sue then said.
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“A proposal?” I asked with a raised brow.
“We are actually undergoing a top-secret investigation that involves the kingdom’s nobility,” she explained, “Specifically, the one engaged to the client of your current quest.”
“Rowling?”
Sue nodded, “We believe he and other participating parties are preparing for a coup against the Demon King. Traditionally, anyone could take the throne should they defeat the current Demon King on a one-on-one duel. Should they succeed, they have free reign for how to rule this kingdom. Challenging the current Demon King to such a duel, however, means they’re going against everything the ruler stands for, creating the highest of offenses for themselves; thus, declaring a duel against the Demon King means forfeiting their lives to fate.”
Wow, she is not pulling this out of her rear. This system of government could definitely go bad quickly depending on who takes the throne.
“What this group is planning goes against this tradition and the foundation this kingdom is built on in the worst way possible,” Sue continued, “And if this coup is a success, it doesn’t spell trouble for this kingdom, but for everyone in the continent of Padimon, demons, demis, and humans alike.”
“I think I know where this is going and I’d rather not get involved with any political propaganda,” I said with a hand up.
What made this scary is that this isn’t some scare tactic trying to convince me to join a side. Going by my [Intuition], Sue actually believed Padimon will fall should the current Demon King be overthrown.
Sue looked down, “If it weren’t for the previous Demon King, we’d all still be in a state of war, or worse, and his daughter wants to follow his footsteps after she inherited the throne. She wants her kin, her people, to be in good relations with the others in Padimon. She believes each side can gain unique benefits from each other if they really look, and we are slowly, but surely making good progress in that direction.
“I know not everything’s perfect and there’s much about this kingdom that’s in the dark, but I still love everything that it has inside,” Sue continued while looking down, resting a hand to her chest, “I know this place can be better for us demons and everyone else. I want this to be a place where my future family can feel safe and take pride in living, to be as accepted by everyone around us as we accept them. Her Highness’ vision shares my own, and she sees a glimpse of that becoming a reality from you, Jinma. You, who not just saved Dondegarm from his own kin raiding it, but even assembled a harem of girls from the Demon-Kin, plus one from the Dragon-Kin, who all love and cherish you like you do for them. It’s a kind of thing that I want to be a part of. I truly believe such a future is possible for others as well, if Her Highness continues to occupy that throne.”
Sue then looked back up to me with a wry smile, “I get that you’re not into politics and government. Really, I do. I don’t even expect you to accept my offer when you still suspect me of what I had done to you and Nyra. The Demon King’s power and my association with royalty will have no part in changing your mind, should you refuse. This is me, as Sue, asking you to help me keep this vision of peace in Padimon alive by saving the Demon King from this coup. If you help me, then I swear to you that I’ll convince Her Highness to reward you handsomely when it’s all over.”
I was at a loss. Sue was speaking from the heart, my [Intuition] can vouch for me on that much, considering it’s at max level. Still, I don’t know what happens when it takes on the [Deception] skill that’s also at max level. Was it a matter of who can see through the other person for what they’re worth first? It’s hard to say. I can’t even use my [Size Up] on Sue to confirm her true powers due to whatever’s blocking it.
This is probably one of the biggest decisions I’ll ever make in my lifetime, as big as my decision to be with Ume for the rest of my life, and I’ve never felt more terrified of making a choice than I did right now.
I took a moment to think, “Just to make sure, whether I accept or refuse your proposal, you still owe me a favor for what you did to me and Nyra, right?” I asked, holding up my sheathed tanto. Sue nodded, “Correct. This and that are different things that will be settled accordingly should you accept my proposal. For righting my wrong, I will answer to whatever request you may have, within reason.” “... Would that favor include you getting me an audience with the Demon King?” I asked. “You want to meet her?!” Sue exclaimed, eyes sparkling. “It’s the main reason me and my party are going to Korangar,” I explained to Sue, “Our original plan was to earn Noire’s favor from completing her quest and see if she could help us get in through her word of mouth. That was before we knew what we were getting into and that decree rained down yesterday. We’ll still be taking on her quest, but if your association with the Demon King is as good as hers …” “Say no more!” Sue exclaimed, jumping up to her feet in excitement before slapping her ginormous bust, “I, Sue, will get you into the castle and see Her Highness, guaranteed! Honestly, part of my mission was to direct you to her anyway, so this will make things so much easier!” I’m not sure if I should be happy or scared about that. “Since our goals are aligned, I won’t make that count as your request, so I can answer to anything else you want, so what will it be?” Sue asked, looking excited and eager to see through my demand. I scratched my head in thought, “I want to set some guidelines between us moving forward. Would that count?” “Nope! I would also greatly appreciate it if this is kept between us, at least until we get to Korangar.” I understood why she’d ask that, but I wasn’t thrilled about leaving my whole party in the dark, “My familiars can keep a secret without issue, but I want to fill my wife in on this. Since you know about her being a Dragon, I believe she has every right to know of your identity.” She crossed arms under her breasts and looked up in thought, “Hmm … I guess if she doesn’t threaten to kill me after knowing who I am, I can live with that much.” I nodded in understanding, “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll think about the request later, but I got one more question before we go over the guidelines. Let’s say I did accept this proposal, what exactly would you want me to do? I imagine that the Demon King can’t outright arrest Rowling out of suspicion only, right?” “Right you are. If the Demon King suddenly starts sentencing punishments to citizens without a valid reason, her credibility as a ruler will plummet. This is why we need evidence to prove he’s guilty, as well as others who work for him as accomplices. So far, we have him, the rest of the ‘Duke of Demons’ Disciples’ adventuring party, and Konjiro as the biggest contenders that could be conspiring against the Demon King,” Sue explained. I blinked in surprise, “Really? Palocaesy’s Guildmaster is in on this? That’s a shock.” … No, wait, taking yesterday into account, maybe it’s not as much of a surprise as I thought. Nyra’s question made my stomach drop,