Adelaide looked around, looking for her colleagues. Lisianthus, who had never left her side even for a moment, was nowhere to be seen. But not long after, she saw Lisianthus and Caladium coming out of the shop.
“What took you so long?”
“I was distracted because I was looking around for a while.”
“I killed a fly because it was buzzing.”
They answered without hesitation so Adelaide accepted it.
“Now, let’s go back. I’ve gotten everything I needed to know.”
“Already?”
Caladium’s eyes widened in surprise. He didn’t want to leave yet, but when their gazes met, he quickly made an excuse.
“Why’s that? We’ve only seen one store. Information becomes certain when there are at least a few samples…”
“There is nothing bigger and more famous than that store.They’ve been doing business for generations, so they’re credible.”
“How can you trust humans? You only spoke with one person.”
Adelaide narrowed her eyes at Caladium’s insistence and stared at him. He held up his chin, pretending to be proud, but he couldn’t hide his trembling pupils.
Adelaide swallowed the laughter that was about to burst out. It was obvious why Caladium was making a fuss, and why Lisianthus strangely did not object to it.
‘They’re probably fascinated because it’s their first time here. It’s strange for me to come here after a long time, but they must be pretty amazed.’
It was easy to understand when she recalled the feeling of going to and from this place a few dozen years ago.
‘I don’t want to stay for a long time, but… It’ll be fine.’
She glanced at Caladium. Although he looked like a scumbag, he was a devil, so as long as she was with him, nothing would be dangerous.
“Then, should we stay a little longer?”
Caladium’s face noticeably brightened.
“Y-Yes. I don’t really like it, but it can’t be helped.”
“If that’s what Master Adele wishes.”
It was funny, both of them had very excited expressions.
Adelaide smiled and moved along. She doesn’t have a lot of good memories regarding the place, but somehow, she had a feeling that today would be okay.
She naturally guided both of them. She brought them to a square that had a large fountain and showed them weapons that human blacksmiths made.
Caladium admired the human area repeatedly, saying that it wasn’t too bad for a place where humans lived. Lisianthus was busy looking around the place without saying a word.
Adelaide, who had successfully guided them, opened her mouth as she looked at Caladium who had a happy expression. She could see him running around from afar, like a fish out of water.
“Is this your first time here, Lisian?”
“… I have been here once in the past.”
“Really?”
Her eyes widened. It was an unexpected answer.
Most demons lived in the place where they were born for the rest of their lives. Only some demons with the desire to succeed come to Belial, dreaming of getting a job in the Demon King’s castle. Or if they were extremely powerful, the Demon King would directly invite them.
Lisianthus wasn’t that strong, and he didn’t seem to have the desire for something greater, so why did he come to Mediar? Especially someone like him who preferred to be locked in the dungeon? Come to think of it, she had never heard of his past.
“When?”
Lisianthus did not answer. As the puzzled Adelaide turned her head, she saw his face looking down at her with a faint smile on his lips.
“I’m happy.”
There was little laughter in his low voice.
“It seems like you are finally interested in me.”
The expression on his face showed that he was very satisfied, the corners of his eyes and lips slowly rose. Adelaide protested with a bewildered face.
“I have always been interested!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
She answered in a louder voice. As she thought about it, she had spent less time talking to Lisianthus as she had been taking care of Caladium these days.
She couldn’t help it, Caladium played pranks on her even after repeatedly scolding him. Besides…
“Adela! B-Buy this!”
At that moment, Caladium shouted from not far away. He had a meat skewer in his mouth that was yet to be paid.
How could you not look after such an ignorant b*st*rd?
“Caladi! You have to pay before you eat!”
“She’ll pay for it.”
Caladium said brazenly and pretended not to hear the voice coming towards him. The street vendor held out his palm to Adelaide.
“Didn’t you say you have a lot of money? Pay for it yourself!”
“How dare you ask me to pay for you!” The dissatisfied Adelaide replied.
“Yes, but it’s not here. It will take a long time to get it.”
He responded as he chewed meat. Adelaide realized why Penelope scolded her whenever she talked while eating.
‘Is this karma?’
She reflected on her past actions and quietly paid. She was the only one with human currency.
As she got the change and was on her way back, a bright voice came from behind her.
“Hey, Adela! This too!”
“Ignore him, Master Adele.”
“If you keep coming whenever he wants, it will become a habit.” Lisianthus said invitingly with his pretty face. Adelaide accepted.
“Adelaide, Adela!”
As he watched her back disappear, Caladium shouted. But she didn’t respond.
“So that’s how it’s going to be.” He muttered softly, raising his voice even more.
“Master! Don’t leave me behind! Master Adela!”
As the pitiful voice resounded in the square, people’s eyes gathered on him one by one.
“What, who keeps slaves these days?”
“To make an adventurer a slave… Who is his owner?”
The roaring voice grew louder. Caladium was now acclimatized to walking without seeing anything, so he walked steadily through the crowds towards Adelaide.
However, because he was so large, he kept bumping into items laid out by the stalls. In particular, he hit a street stall selling women’s hats and even dropped them. He didn’t even bother picking them up.
“Master! Master Adela, the archer with black hair!”
Caladium did not forget to add a description so that his owner could be identified.
‘That b*st*rd is crazy!
When human eyes focused on her, Adela’s face turned pale. She hurriedly looked for a place to escape, but Caladium was faster.
“Where are you going, Master?”
He approached her in an instant and laughed softly. His silver-gray eyes were full of playfulness.
‘Wait, silver-gray eyes?’
Adelaide was silent for a moment, realizing that something was wrong. A terrified voice escaped from between her dry lips.
“You. Why…!”
“Why am I so handsome?”
Caladium smiled shamelessly. He was handsome. But the bigger problem was that the robe that covered his head came off.
The horn on one side was exposed to the whole world. It even had a ribbon-laced hat hanging from it.
“I-It’s a demon!”
As soon as one of the adventurers saw it, they shouted loudly. It didn’t take long before they caught everyone’s attention.
“Huu…”
Lisianthus frowned and sighed. He threw an annoyed glare at Caladium and spoke in a polite voice.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
He carried Adelaide at once.
A gust of wind hit her face so Adelaide squeezed her eyes shut. Over the sound of the wind, the frantic voices of humans could be heard.
As she opened one eye, she saw the face of Lisianthus, who was carrying her and running quickly. On the other side, she saw Caladium running alongside them with a puzzled expression.
‘Look at this punk. You just wait…’
Adelaide vowed as she wrapped her arms tightly around Lisianthus’ neck.
***
Gang, gang, gang-!
The sound of hard objects hitting each other rang in succession. It was the sound of a pickaxe.
To be more precise, it was the sound of the Great Devil of the Red Flame digging for ore with a pickaxe.
“D*mn, what the hell is this!”
After smashing the rock for a while, he stopped.
“Hey, hat rack! Keep moving!”
Behind him, Adelaide, who was lying on a long bench and drinking, gave a command coupled with an insult.
Caladium’s cheeks were dyed red from being called a hat rack. He couldn’t stand the shame when he remembered pretending to be cool with a ribbon-laced hat hanging from his horn.
“You promised not to call me that!”
“I promised not to say it only if you did your job well.”
“If you’re going to make me do something, give me a proper mission…!”
“Why should it be mining? It’s embarrassing.”
Caladium grunted and picked up the pickaxe again.
The work wasn’t difficult. It can even be done without a pickaxe. However, it was very embarrassing for him as other demons saw him diligently removing the useless ores that no one wanted.
“What is he doing? Kki kki.”
The low level demons, who peeped from afar, laughed at Caladium. Caladium, who could not help but notice this no matter how far they were, twisted his head and gave them a terrifying look. The startled low level demons quickly ran away, but Caladium already lost face.
“Kwek?”
Even a passing ladybug tilted its head as if it saw something bizarre. It couldn’t possibly imagine that the person doing this was a devil.
Caladium endured the disgrace and mined Serpium ore. The demons who knew him before would be surprised to see his improved patience.
“Master Adele. I have baked dessert.”
“Wow, it looks delicious! But I can’t hold it.”
“Then I can feed you. Here you go.”
However, Caladium couldn’t stand it.
“I’m not gonna do this! I won’t, f*ck it!”
Caladium threw the pickaxe away. It didn’t matter anymore if he was called a hat rack.
Adelaide looked at Caladium, chewing the apple pie Lisianthus had fed her. She swallowed elegantly and then opened her mouth.
“Caladi, you’ve already done as much as I did? Awesome!”
“Huh? Well… I guess I am fast.”
“You’re so strong! So cool!”
Adelaide put her hands together and clenched his hand. Pink eyes resembling summer roses twinkled, gazing at him.
“You’re not even sweating? How can you have so much stamina? You won’t get tired even if you do it for a long time!”
It was a compliment with a clear purpose. There was no way he would fall for it.
“Hmph! Of course. Watch carefully!”
However, Caladium went back and started mining again. Not using the pickaxe, he revealed his long claws and dug out the ore with his bare hands. He was originally simple, but in front of her, for some reason, he became even more simple-minded.
“Master Adele. Say ahh.”
“Ahh.”
Lisianthus shoved an apple pie into her mouth again. Adelaide told Lisianthus to have some too, and handed him the drink she was holding. Unlike Caladium, who was mining hard, he was quite relaxed.
After about 30 minutes, Caladium realized that he fell for her beauty again and got mad. However, by that time, he had already obtained a sufficient amount of Serpium.
“Well, now…”
After ignoring Caladium’s complaints, Adelaide, who was half lying on the bed, stood up. Lisianthus extended his hand and helped her stand up.
“Let’s go and sell it.”
Clink
The ice in her glass melted.
Adelaide looked around, looking for her colleagues. Lisianthus, who had never left her side even for a moment, was nowhere to be seen. But not long after, she saw Lisianthus and Caladium coming out of the shop.
“What took you so long?”
“I was distracted because I was looking around for a while.”
“I killed a fly because it was buzzing.”
They answered without hesitation so Adelaide accepted it.
“Now, let’s go back. I’ve gotten everything I needed to know.”
“Already?”
Caladium’s eyes widened in surprise. He didn’t want to leave yet, but when their gazes met, he quickly made an excuse.
“Why’s that? We’ve only seen one store. Information becomes certain when there are at least a few samples…”
“There is nothing bigger and more famous than that store.They’ve been doing business for generations, so they’re credible.”
“How can you trust humans? You only spoke with one person.”
Adelaide narrowed her eyes at Caladium’s insistence and stared at him. He held up his chin, pretending to be proud, but he couldn’t hide his trembling pupils.
Adelaide swallowed the laughter that was about to burst out. It was obvious why Caladium was making a fuss, and why Lisianthus strangely did not object to it.
‘They’re probably fascinated because it’s their first time here. It’s strange for me to come here after a long time, but they must be pretty amazed.’
It was easy to understand when she recalled the feeling of going to and from this place a few dozen years ago.
‘I don’t want to stay for a long time, but… It’ll be fine.’
She glanced at Caladium. Although he looked like a scumbag, he was a devil, so as long as she was with him, nothing would be dangerous.
“Then, should we stay a little longer?”
Caladium’s face noticeably brightened.
“Y-Yes. I don’t really like it, but it can’t be helped.”
“If that’s what Master Adele wishes.”
It was funny, both of them had very excited expressions.
Adelaide smiled and moved along. She doesn’t have a lot of good memories regarding the place, but somehow, she had a feeling that today would be okay.
She naturally guided both of them. She brought them to a square that had a large fountain and showed them weapons that human blacksmiths made.
Caladium admired the human area repeatedly, saying that it wasn’t too bad for a place where humans lived. Lisianthus was busy looking around the place without saying a word.
Adelaide, who had successfully guided them, opened her mouth as she looked at Caladium who had a happy expression. She could see him running around from afar, like a fish out of water.
“Is this your first time here, Lisian?”
“… I have been here once in the past.”
“Really?”
Her eyes widened. It was an unexpected answer.
Most demons lived in the place where they were born for the rest of their lives. Only some demons with the desire to succeed come to Belial, dreaming of getting a job in the Demon King’s castle. Or if they were extremely powerful, the Demon King would directly invite them.
Lisianthus wasn’t that strong, and he didn’t seem to have the desire for something greater, so why did he come to Mediar? Especially someone like him who preferred to be locked in the dungeon? Come to think of it, she had never heard of his past.
“When?”
Lisianthus did not answer. As the puzzled Adelaide turned her head, she saw his face looking down at her with a faint smile on his lips.
“I’m happy.”
There was little laughter in his low voice.
“It seems like you are finally interested in me.”
The expression on his face showed that he was very satisfied, the corners of his eyes and lips slowly rose. Adelaide protested with a bewildered face.
“I have always been interested!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
She answered in a louder voice. As she thought about it, she had spent less time talking to Lisianthus as she had been taking care of Caladium these days.
She couldn’t help it, Caladium played pranks on her even after repeatedly scolding him. Besides…
“Adela! B-Buy this!”
At that moment, Caladium shouted from not far away. He had a meat skewer in his mouth that was yet to be paid.
How could you not look after such an ignorant b*st*rd?
“Caladi! You have to pay before you eat!”
“She’ll pay for it.”
Caladium said brazenly and pretended not to hear the voice coming towards him. The street vendor held out his palm to Adelaide.
“Didn’t you say you have a lot of money? Pay for it yourself!”
“How dare you ask me to pay for you!” The dissatisfied Adelaide replied.
“Yes, but it’s not here. It will take a long time to get it.”
He responded as he chewed meat. Adelaide realized why Penelope scolded her whenever she talked while eating.
‘Is this karma?’
She reflected on her past actions and quietly paid. She was the only one with human currency.
As she got the change and was on her way back, a bright voice came from behind her.
“Hey, Adela! This too!”
“Ignore him, Master Adele.”
“If you keep coming whenever he wants, it will become a habit.” Lisianthus said invitingly with his pretty face. Adelaide accepted.
“Adelaide, Adela!”
As he watched her back disappear, Caladium shouted. But she didn’t respond.
“So that’s how it’s going to be.” He muttered softly, raising his voice even more.
“Master! Don’t leave me behind! Master Adela!”
As the pitiful voice resounded in the square, people’s eyes gathered on him one by one.
“What, who keeps slaves these days?”
“To make an adventurer a slave… Who is his owner?”
The roaring voice grew louder. Caladium was now acclimatized to walking without seeing anything, so he walked steadily through the crowds towards Adelaide.
However, because he was so large, he kept bumping into items laid out by the stalls. In particular, he hit a street stall selling women’s hats and even dropped them. He didn’t even bother picking them up.
“Master! Master Adela, the archer with black hair!”
Caladium did not forget to add a description so that his owner could be identified.
‘That b*st*rd is crazy!
When human eyes focused on her, Adela’s face turned pale. She hurriedly looked for a place to escape, but Caladium was faster.
“Where are you going, Master?”
He approached her in an instant and laughed softly. His silver-gray eyes were full of playfulness.
‘Wait, silver-gray eyes?’
Adelaide was silent for a moment, realizing that something was wrong. A terrified voice escaped from between her dry lips.
“You. Why…!”
“Why am I so handsome?”
Caladium smiled shamelessly. He was handsome. But the bigger problem was that the robe that covered his head came off.
The horn on one side was exposed to the whole world. It even had a ribbon-laced hat hanging from it.
“I-It’s a demon!”
As soon as one of the adventurers saw it, they shouted loudly. It didn’t take long before they caught everyone’s attention.
“Huu…”
Lisianthus frowned and sighed. He threw an annoyed glare at Caladium and spoke in a polite voice.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
He carried Adelaide at once.
A gust of wind hit her face so Adelaide squeezed her eyes shut. Over the sound of the wind, the frantic voices of humans could be heard.
As she opened one eye, she saw the face of Lisianthus, who was carrying her and running quickly. On the other side, she saw Caladium running alongside them with a puzzled expression.
‘Look at this punk. You just wait…’
Adelaide vowed as she wrapped her arms tightly around Lisianthus’ neck.
***
Gang, gang, gang-!
The sound of hard objects hitting each other rang in succession. It was the sound of a pickaxe.
To be more precise, it was the sound of the Great Devil of the Red Flame digging for ore with a pickaxe.
“D*mn, what the hell is this!”
After smashing the rock for a while, he stopped.
“Hey, hat rack! Keep moving!”
Behind him, Adelaide, who was lying on a long bench and drinking, gave a command coupled with an insult.
Caladium’s cheeks were dyed red from being called a hat rack. He couldn’t stand the shame when he remembered pretending to be cool with a ribbon-laced hat hanging from his horn.
“You promised not to call me that!”
“I promised not to say it only if you did your job well.”
“If you’re going to make me do something, give me a proper mission…!”
“Why should it be mining? It’s embarrassing.”
Caladium grunted and picked up the pickaxe again.
The work wasn’t difficult. It can even be done without a pickaxe. However, it was very embarrassing for him as other demons saw him diligently removing the useless ores that no one wanted.
“What is he doing? Kki kki.”
The low level demons, who peeped from afar, laughed at Caladium. Caladium, who could not help but notice this no matter how far they were, twisted his head and gave them a terrifying look. The startled low level demons quickly ran away, but Caladium already lost face.
“Kwek?”
Even a passing ladybug tilted its head as if it saw something bizarre. It couldn’t possibly imagine that the person doing this was a devil.
Caladium endured the disgrace and mined Serpium ore. The demons who knew him before would be surprised to see his improved patience.
“Master Adele. I have baked dessert.”
“Wow, it looks delicious! But I can’t hold it.”
“Then I can feed you. Here you go.”
However, Caladium couldn’t stand it.
“I’m not gonna do this! I won’t, f*ck it!”
Caladium threw the pickaxe away. It didn’t matter anymore if he was called a hat rack.
Adelaide looked at Caladium, chewing the apple pie Lisianthus had fed her. She swallowed elegantly and then opened her mouth.
“Caladi, you’ve already done as much as I did? Awesome!”
“Huh? Well… I guess I am fast.”
“You’re so strong! So cool!”
Adelaide put her hands together and clenched his hand. Pink eyes resembling summer roses twinkled, gazing at him.
“You’re not even sweating? How can you have so much stamina? You won’t get tired even if you do it for a long time!”
It was a compliment with a clear purpose. There was no way he would fall for it.
“Hmph! Of course. Watch carefully!”
However, Caladium went back and started mining again. Not using the pickaxe, he revealed his long claws and dug out the ore with his bare hands. He was originally simple, but in front of her, for some reason, he became even more simple-minded.
“Master Adele. Say ahh.”
“Ahh.”
Lisianthus shoved an apple pie into her mouth again. Adelaide told Lisianthus to have some too, and handed him the drink she was holding. Unlike Caladium, who was mining hard, he was quite relaxed.
After about 30 minutes, Caladium realized that he fell for her beauty again and got mad. However, by that time, he had already obtained a sufficient amount of Serpium.
“Well, now…”
After ignoring Caladium’s complaints, Adelaide, who was half lying on the bed, stood up. Lisianthus extended his hand and helped her stand up.
“Let’s go and sell it.”
Clink
The ice in her glass melted.
