Chapter 3

It had been about three months since I turned eighteen. On a certain afternoon, I was, as usual, moistening my throat with my favorite drink at the bar counter attached to the guild.

"Sir, how about this? It's a first-class fruit wine made from the best white grapes of the season, produced in the Burgundy region."

The elf woman in a maid's uniform, who calls me "Sir" whenever she thinks no one is listening, whether there are customers or not. I've told her not to call me that, but she doesn't listen, so it's a hassle to correct her every time.

By the way, there are no customers right now. After opening at ten in the morning, nearby residents come for meals, but during this afternoon lull, the bar has no customers. However, as a guild, we are still waiting for customers and potential members. I'm not bored because if I drink, they'll come to me.

Anyway, there's one thing I need to sternly remind this maid elf about.

"Call me 'sir' over there, not 'Sir.' I won't respond if you don't call me that."

"Such... Then, should I call you 'sir' with a charming, wet gaze and a seductive air?"

"How far do you have to go to make me feel good... Is a wet gaze a compliment? Whatever. If you call me anything other than what I specify, I'll punish you."

"Ugh... Yes, please give this humble bitch a strict punishment..."

The maid's body, which looks at me with expectant eyes, is, to put it mildly, a fully ripe, luscious fruit. The short maid's uniform she wears is considered unorthodox in the capital, but she wears it only to attract my attention.

Her figure hasn't changed in the past five years, but her skin is white, making her look like a regular elf. If a dark elf walked around the capital, it would cause a commotion, so she has adapted to the order. When I met her again recently, she already looked like a regular elf.

"Remember this: men run when they're chased. If pushing doesn't work, try pulling, right?"

"Mmm..."

The maid looks dissatisfied. Despite calling me "Sir," she's a rather insolent maid.

However, it's not surprising. She's only in a maid's uniform, but she's not actually my maid.

The elf maid takes a deep breath. It's probably a ritual to switch her mindset.

"Still, I've waited for five years. Didn't Sir say he would return the amulet after five years? I'm showing my loyalty to Sir by waiting. What else do I need to do?"

Her tone changes dramatically. Yes, she is the demon king who has come to the capital incognito.

She has been staying in my guild house, which serves as my hideout, for a month now. She somehow obtained a maid's uniform and started working at the guild bar's counter, blending in quickly and now exuding the air of a veteran staff member.

The demon king, who once had purple hair and dark brown skin, now has white skin and flaxen hair, thanks to magic. Without the magic, she would revert to her original appearance.

"Don't worry about my country. I've left it to my younger brother. He's a good boy who listens to me."

"I'm not worried about that. Despite the existence of vicious monsters, the ruling side is surprisingly peaceful..."

"Some species have no choice but to attack humans to survive. However, through breeding—rather, education—they have learned to live by farming and hunting. You could praise me for that, you know?"

"Hmm, I didn't ask for that. Well, it's fine, I guess."

"As a hero, you should praise my efforts a bit more. Your reaction is too indifferent. I've worked hard and want to be recognized."

I have a condition where I get itchy when I act pure, so I can't honestly praise her for making monsters stop attacking humans.

"I'm not a hero. If you call me a hero in this guild house again, I'll really punish you. Aileen will do it."

"Mmm, that demon girl. To still be coming to Sir's place and even becoming a drinking buddy after five years... Truly, trying to take advantage of Sir while he's drunk is... envious... no, outrageous."

"Whatever, but if a customer comes, you should switch back to your normal tone."

The demon king, who says "Whatever," obediently follows my order, clears her throat, and switches back to maid mode.

Speaking of Aileen, she visited my guild house for a few days five years ago, then returned to her hometown. The mountainous region where the demon race lives is in the western part of the Albein Kingdom. She reported to her father, the leader of the demon race, about the defeat of the demon king. She shared half of the divine sake with her parents and relatives and brought the rest back.

Since then, Aileen has been working odd jobs to earn money, bought a house in the capital, and comes to this bar almost every day. Demons become adults in appearance at the age of ten and are allowed to drink, but she waited until she was sixteen to comply with the kingdom's laws. Now, she's a heavy drinker, but on her first day, she got drunk and there was a rather sexy conversation, which I'll leave out. It didn't go anywhere, and there hasn't been much progress since. Our relationship has become so long that it's hard to see her as a potential romantic interest.

While I was thinking about these trivial matters, it seems a customer has arrived. I exchanged a glance with the demon king and switched to the roles of a bar staff and a customer.

The doorbell jingled, and a person wearing a gray cloak with a hood over their face entered the shop. The sound of footsteps on the wooden floor—those are women's shoes.

She sat at the counter, four seats away from me at the back. I sipped my white grape wine, enjoying its taste. For now, that's enough.

The 'gray cloak' has already shown that they are a special customer for this bar. However, there is still a 'procedure' to be completed. Without completing it, I can't hear their request.

The woman in the cloak spoke to the demon king, who was in reception mode. I listened subtly.

"Could I have a 'Milk'? If not, please give me a 'special drink that can only be had here.'"

"Understood. Would you like it 'custom blended'?"

"Yes, please. 'Just for me.'"

She said all the passwords. At that moment, she is recognized as a 'client' in this guild.

To know the conditions, one must either 'be turned away by other guilds and be approached by a member of my guild' or 'contact a person connected to my network.' The client must reveal which of these methods they used.

However, even if recognized as a client, I remain an observer. I judge how to respond by listening to the conversation between the demon king and the client, pretending to be a customer.

I sipped my drink, careful not to look at the client.

"Can I talk now?"

"Yes, you are recognized as an important guest of the Silver Water Jug."

"Phew... I'm really worried, but I have no choice. I can't ask other guilds to do this."

As she spoke, she removed her hood—revealing blonde hair that made me react involuntarily.

A girl of exceptional beauty, unmatched in this capital, was there. She was probably around my age or a bit older. She seemed a bit strong-willed but had a certain grace, reminding me of someone.

(But... I feel like I've seen her somewhere before. Is this déjà vu...?)

"I'll be frank. I want to break the engagement between the First Princess Manalina and Duke Vinsbruck."

"Break the engagement... What position are you in to desire this?"

The First Princess Manalina is fifteen and will turn sixteen this year. When a princess reaches the legal age of sixteen, the king, her father, chooses a companion for her. This is an old tradition in the royal family, aimed at solidifying power by marrying into influential noble families.

Vinsbruck is the first noble in the Senate, which supports the monarchy. He is qualified to marry the princess in terms of status, but he is in his mid-forties, making the age gap with the princess quite large.

"I... I am the princess's maid. Princess Manalina does not want to get married. She is so distressed that she might even take her own life, even though it is the king's decision."

"That is..."

For a princess, marrying into a powerful family is a duty she is born with.

However, the demon king, who is not bound by such conventional reactions, responded differently.

"If it's a marriage she doesn't want, she should firmly reject it. Breaking the engagement would be the best solution."

"Can... Can you do it!? Can you cancel the marriage between... the princess and that disgusting middle-aged man!?"

The self-proclaimed maid, who suddenly pressed forward, had revealed a lot—either my network had reached the royal family, or I was impressed by my own network. I don't want much contact with the royal family or nobles, but not knowing their situation would make it hard to live in the capital, so I always gathered information.

Jean Vinsbruck is a handsome middle-aged man who has remained unmarried until now but has children with various noble women and their daughters. He is a ruthless man.

However, he is influential among the nobles and loyal to the king. His loyalty is likely aimed at marrying the princess and further consolidating his power.

I understand, but it's not interesting. I ordered "the usual" from the demon king and received a mug of chilled ale.

"...What about that man over there? He's been drinking all this time while we're having a serious conversation."

"Miss, don't worry about me. I'm just a drunk."

"Drinking during the day... It's pitiful. If you ruin your health, the important people in your life will worry."

"Ugh... It's none of your business. I don't have anyone like that. Drinking alone is great; it's very freeing."

Suddenly being spoken to with concern caught me off guard. I might be hungry for kindness, as I could almost feel like I'm being seen as "actually kind" by this. The demon king is a bit different from "kind."

"Phew... Well, it's your body, so you should do as you please. Let's get back to the topic. Can you break the engagement? Can this guild do it?"

"Yes, there is nothing impossible for our guild. I have a few questions before we accept the request."

"Please ask anything. If you accept the request, I'll tell you anything."

The self-proclaimed maid, who had a tense face at first, was probably nervous about whether the request would be accepted. Once it was accepted, her softer side, which is probably her true nature, came to the forefront.