A little girl, dressed in goth loli fashion, and an effeminate man in a butler’s suit.

Those were the two currently standing at the gates of Ebonbury.

Ebonbury, a city in the Holy Astal Kingdom. Unlike much of the kingdom, Hero influence here was relatively weak—instead, it was protected by the natives of this world, more specifically those who called themselves adventurers.

Strength-wise, adventurers could never compete with Heroes and their cheats, but Heroes tended to have certain preconceptions about certain races, in addition to a complete lack of common sense. To add, adventurers often cultivated battle experience over many years along with a sense of innovation, neither of which a new Hero would have.

And let’s face it—it was rare for a Hero to last for more than ten years. After all, it was in their job description to be sent to the front lines, and unlike adventurers, they could not simply beat a retreat if the situation looked slightly unfavourable—they needed certain proof that they would die, or they would not be allowed to retreat.

Certain proof like, say, the appearance of a dragon or such.

In any case, back to the duo.

They had emerged from an expensive-looking carriage. In addition, goth loli fashion was something brought to this world by Heroes, and certainly not cheap.

So why, then, had they come from the west, where, in a short distance, lay the nation founded by the demon king?

(His existence had become publicly accepted, along with his nation, when the Saint sent to subjugate him had not returned.)

The guard at the gate, with such questions running through his head, found the situation rather suspicious already when he saw the carriage with the butler as its driver, so he called it to a halt. The emergence of a little girl in expensive dress did not particularly alleviate his concerns.

“State your identity,” he said, duty-bound to keep villains outside of the borders of the city he loved.

The little girl, in turn, turned to the butler.

“Before you stands the honourable young lady of the ducal house of Ehrenburg, of the Senger Principality,” the butler said, giving an elegant bow as he introduced the girl—nay, the young lady, apparently a future duchess.

“Ah—M-my apologies, Your Grace!” the guard said, shooting into a formal, more proper pose. “If I may inquire, why are you…?”

“With the recent threat of the demon king,” the butler said, lying without so much as batting an eye, “Milord Ehrenburg decided to send his daughter abroad for her own safety. We were hoping to hire a group of adventurers for guards as we made our way to the Citadel of Stars…”

“Ah, I s—understood. By all means, please pass. If you would allow me, I recommend the adventurer party Angel’s Wings—they are reputable both for their strength, collectively on par with a 6th-grade monster, and their character.”

“We will keep your recommendation in mind.”

The butler escorted the young lady back into the carriage and then climbed into the driver’s seat, guiding the horses through the gates.

Of course, there was no such country as the Senger Principality, nor was there a ducal house of Ehrenburg.

That was an alibi. No one in this world could so much as hope to remember every single country that surrounded the wasteland of Eskaria—nay, the nation of Eskaria, so most didn’t even bother to try. Presumably, the guard had assumed the principality was one of those countries.

In truth, both the little girl and the butler were vampires—and they were far from alone.

It would have been easy enough to sneak past the guard unnoticed. In the first place, they were far stronger than any adventurer party, so hiring adventurers was nothing more than a farce.

A necessary farce.

After all, they could probably not so readily sneak into Folis, and they could not exactly pop up from nowhere, either.

The adventurers’ guild.

Unlike one’s expectations might command, it was a… relatively clean building. There was certainly no reasonless, constant fighting.

The floors were clean, and the atmosphere was amicable at best, professional at worst. The building combined a dining area with an area for requests—that part, at least, was true to the stories of earth.

Of course, even in a prim and proper building, people would look up when what appeared to be a noble and her butler entered.

The girl looked a little… perhaps ‘out of it’ would be an ample way to put it? In any case, the butler walked up to the counter marked requests.

“How may I help you?” the girl behind the counter asked, glancing out of the corner of her eye to the blue-eyed young lady, who had accompanied her butler.

“We require an escort to the Citadel of Stars.”

Short and to-the-point, yet his tone conveyed an impalpable sense of elegance. Most likely, the butler was the third son or such of a different noble house.

“Certainly,” the counter girl said, “do you have your own form of transport? And are there any preferences as to the strength, size or composition of the party or parties taking your request?”

“We have a carriage and horses. The gate guard recommended the party Angel’s Wings to us—are they available?”

“A nominated request, is it? I am afraid that will raise the fee…”

“That is fine. The young lady’s safety is the utmost priority, after all.”

The butler looked at the young lady with an almost fatherly affection in his eyes. Perhaps he had been in service of the young lady’s house since before she was born, and was thus present throughout all the stages of her life…

With his slender fingers, the butler produced a coin purse from a pocket and reached inside.

You may leave the payment here as a deposit,” the counter girl said, a merry smile on her face—perhaps because the butler was admirable, or perhaps because the guild was getting business—“and I will notify the gentlemen of Angel’s Wings the moment they arrive…”

“There’s no need for that, Mary.”

Certainly, the girl’s nameplate did say she was called Mary, but even so, no one who knew proper manners would just address someone by name without introductions—thus, this voice belonged not to the butler or the young lady.

“Ah, Evan…! There’s a nominated request for you.”

Indeed, the voice addressing Mary had belonged to a young man called Evan, dressed in light armour and with a sword at his waist. And from his neck dangled a pendant in the shape of an angelic wing.

“I would like to request one thing first,” Evan said, now in a private room with the rest of the party and the two nobles.

“Go ahead?” asked the butler.

“May I request permission to speak casually? Of course, I will speak formally if you desire, but we are not very used to it…”

“Ah, such a thing. Worry not. The young lady is well-tempered.”

She was anything but well-tempered, but for the sake of the mission her master had entrusted to her, the vampire girl would spare no expense. Even if that meant the human rabble were to address her casually.

“Thank you,” said Evan, and then he cleared his throat. “So, an escort to Folis, was it? I need you to understand that I can’t just say yes or no without more information…”

“Of course,” the butler said, smiling gently. “Ask whatever you need.”

“Then, first off… Are the two of you travelling alone?”

“Yes.”

A lie. Several more vampires lurked in the shadows about them, ready to move at the young lady’s command.

“Mary said you have a carriage. Is it necessary to protect that, as well?”

“If possible. But if the situation calls for it, it is not entirely unacceptable to discard it.”

Another lie. It may look expensive, but to Eskaria’s coffers, it may as well have been crafted from rotten wood and crumbling stone.

“And then, are the two of you capable of… a minimal amount of self-defence? I noticed the young lady carries a sword…”

Evan’s gaze momentarily flit to the sheath at the young lady’s waist.

“We can handle ourselves against one or two ruffians.”

Not technically a lie. They certainly could handle one or two average opponents. It just so happened that they could also flatten an entire city, if they wished.

“And then finally, about the matter of payment…”

“We will pay the market rate for a nominated request—no, add twenty-five per cent to that.”

“I see… Please, give us a moment.”

Together with his party members, Evan disappeared behind a door. A few minutes later, they reemerged.

“We have decided to accept your request,” Evan said, bowing. “We look forward to working with you.”

“Then, allow us to formally introduce ourselves. I am Evan, the party’s leader. My class is Runeblader.”

Blond hair, clear blue eyes, a refreshing smile. In a word, handsome. Average build. Light armour and a two-handed sword.

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“I’m Henry. Generally speaking, I serve as the scout. As for my class, I’m a Jester.”

Brown hair, brown eyes. A lithe build, suitable for a scout. What appeared to be no more than leather armour, and a bow on his back.

“I’m Scott. My class is Battlemage, but I’m not as good with my head as my brother, so I usually leave the decisions up to him.”

Blond hair, green eyes. Another one with a lithe build, but this one lacked the height Henry had. Again no more than leather armour, and on his waist hung a staff that could probably double as a decent mace.

“I’m James. As Scott just implied, I’m usually the brains of the operation. Just like him, I’m a Battlemage.”

More blond hair and more green eyes—he looked distinctly similar, including the skinny arms and the shortness. Perhaps they were not just brothers, but twins. He, too, carried a staff that could probably smash someone’s head in if you swung it hard enough.

“Me to bring up the rear? Well, alright. I’m Kenneth. An Emissary—I usually serve as the healer and the support.”

Average build. Blond hair, blue eyes. In a sense, he looked similar to Evan, but a pair of glasses rested on his nose, and he carried an air of wisdom around him. He was dressed in a priest’s vestments, with neither armour nor weaponry.

Much more interesting than their individual appearances and equipment were their classes.

Every single class they mentioned was an ‘advanced class’—that is, a class that could only be attained by mastering a previous class and fulfilling certain conditions. It was not hard to understand why they were said to be able to slay a 6th-grade monster.

Well, the target they were guarding was a 7th-grade monster, though.

“My name is Raoul,” the butler said, giving an elegant bow, “in service of the young lady.”

Perhaps the first words he had spoken in the entire conversation that were completely truthful, if one took a broad definition of ‘young’.

Tall. Slender, almost feminine. Gentle features. Blue eyes, white hair, a refined air about him. He appeared to be wearing lipstick.

“And this,” he said, gesturing to the girl, “is the first daughter of the ducal house of Ehrenburg. Due to certain circumstances, I cannot simply say her first name, I hope you will understand…”

A little girl, still in her prepubescent phase. Beautiful, black hair that flowed down well to her waist. Big, innocent blue eyes. But more than anything—

An almost inhuman cuteness. Not a trace of muscle or bone structure could be found anywhere on her unblemished face, and her passive, gentle smile suggested an amicable, if perhaps a little reticent personality.

Surely, she could charm any young man with just a few words. At the same time, she could also appeal to her helplessness to cause, say, a seasoned warrior’s protective instincts to kick in.

Yet at the same time, that cuteness also showed clearly why she needed guards—frankly, it was amazing the pair had managed to get this far without being attacked.

“We would like to depart immediately,” the butler said, “but would that be possible?”

Evan was initially a little taken aback—but, fair enough, this was a city of adventurers, many of whom were more than a little rowdy. “Sure,” he said, “but we’ll need to make a few preparations first. Could we meet outside the gates?”

“Very well, then. We will await your arrival.”

Although the Angel’s Wings rushed this way and that to make their preparations, it was not like the noble duo had much to do—thus, they ended up deciding to take a leisurely stroll around before heading back to the stable they had entrusted with their carriage.

Or, well, a leisurely stroll was the plan, anyway.

But instead—

“Hey there, little lady! You up for a fun time? What, your butler can join in too, if he wants!”

They were accosted by an absurd cliché on legs.

The young lady made a very admirable attempt to simply ignore the man and move on, and her ‘butler’ followed in suit… But the guy was persistent.

“C’mon, c’mon, don’t be like that… I don’t wanna beat you into this, but you’re forcing my hand, y’know?”

It would be hard for him to seem more like a ruffian if he tried.

Although it took several more minutes of harassing, finally, the young lady ‘cracked’.

She turned around, an irritated sneer on her face.

“Art thou alone?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Hm? Finally feel like hearing me out, do you? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’ve walked right into a back alley, here. And no, I’m not alone. I’ve got a whoooole buncha buddies all over the place, so if ya don’t wanna get beat up, just shake your hips for Keith of the Black Ravens~”

… Was that supposed to be intimidating? It was just stupid.

Stupid, and utterly…

Utterly…

“Vulgar…”

“Heh? What was that?”

“Thou art vulgar! Too vulgar f’r words! Dost thou speak t’ thy moth’r with that mouth?!”

The first time the girl had opened her mouth since coming to this city, and it was to berate a third-rate thug.

There seemed to be an odd, red glint behind her blue eyes—

“In the f’rst place, what is thy goal?! Art thou courting me? Threat’ning me? Make thy intentions clear, thee blabb’ring imb’cile!”

Every word of her tirade stung deeper, and soon, Keith or whatever his name was snapped, too.

“I was obviously threatening you, you two-faced bitch! Where do you get off, mouthing off to your elders like that?! Just do as I say and let us have some fun with you already!”

Apparently finally taking these words as a cue, a number of equally ruffian-looking adventurers appeared from either side of the alley. All in all, there were perhaps ten men.

“I see, I see,” the young lady—no, Charlotte Wright, servant of the demon king, said. “Then, thou shalt p’rish here… Nay, nay, I c’nnot go killing… V’ry well. Thou shalt wish thou wert dead.”

“Please, Lady Charlotte,” said Raoul, “remember not to use your magic…”

“Dost thou take me f’r a fool?”

With a fed-up click of her tongue, Charlotte unsheathed her sword.

“Oh? So we’re gonna go at it? Even though we have you surrounded? Well, have it your way, little lady.”

What’s-his-face drew his sword, too, and the other men joined in, as well.

“Here I-”

Charlotte lowered her waist, entering a fighting stance.

“-Come!”

Before what’s-his-face could even process what was going on, Charlotte was behind him, the sharp edge of her sword at his neck. She kicked off his side to perform a spin, and—

He fainted due to a blunt impact at his neck. In other words, the blunt side of Charlotte’s sabre.

“Wh- She got Keith?!”

“Get her!”

“She can’t take us all on!”

But she could.

Apparently determined to take revenge or something for what’s-his-name, the thugs charged at Charlotte one after another.

Of course, they all got beaten down.

Although Charlotte’s attacks could by no means compare to the rest of the Demon Generals, her speed was her strong point, so each and every one of the men was out cold before they even realised what was going on.

And yet, instead of walking away—

“Wake! Wake, ye fools!”

Charlotte kicked them awake without a hint of hesitation.

“Do you truly think I would let ye off with that?!”

[https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/7b5c0bd3-88fc-4efe-9e16-a3e11657ffe9/ddyldmf-f6c172a6-bc52-44a2-b000-6a4e47561231.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvN2I1YzBiZDMtODhmYy00ZWZlLTllMTYtYTNlMTE2NTdmZmU5XC9kZHlsZG1mLWY2YzE3MmE2LWJjNTItNDRhMi1iMDAwLTZhNGU0NzU2MTIzMS5wbmcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.olG8kSZd6RAtLAdZ25KVS6Xpoohl39jgM35ZUaGqPYY]

The vampire’s cruel games were only just beginning. Even without using her sword’s abilities, her vampiric powers or her magic, there were plenty of ways to enjoy foolish men whose groins were more active than their brains.

Indeed, they would come to wish they had never met her at all…

Kenneth, who had happened to witness the whole thing, could only think one thing.

Ah. We’re being hired for show.

Although he was missing several key facts, in the end, his conclusion was more-or-less correct.