Chapter 18

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I had returned to just before the city gates, leaving the monster's corpse behind, but it seemed there was some commotion at the checkpoint.

"Why can't we enter!?"

"Well, you see... there's a rule that slaves without their masters cannot enter the city...? It would be possible for the blue-haired child alone..."

"Our master is in that city! And there's no way we can find him alone!!"

"Well, that's... that's true..."

The commotion was between a red-haired girl and two others, a blue-haired and a brown-haired girl, who seemed to be with her.

The combination seemed familiar, but I called out to the checkpoint guard to get inside.

"Um, is it okay for me to enter...?"

"Oh! Yes, please do."

I had chatted a bit with the guard when I left the city, so he let me pass without asking any questions.

"Nest!?"

I was called by the red-haired girl who was causing the commotion.

"Uh, yeah, I am called Nest, but who are you...?"

I was about to ask who she was, but the girl who was trying to pass by was someone I knew.

"Wait, what...? Aura?"

"That's right!!"

Thinking it might be her, I looked at the other two and they were Lily and Toru.

"Hey, why are you here?"

I had left a message to not worry, but...

"...I was worried... about you..."

"Huh, what?"

I didn't quite hear what Aura said.

"It's nothing, you idiot Nest!!"

I was yelled at for some reason, but with everyone looking at us, I decided to head to the inn first.

"Hey, old man. I'm the master of these girls, so it's okay for them to enter, right?"

While saying this, I showed the certificate I had received from the slave merchant. The guard, after checking the certificate, allowed us to pass.

We then headed to the inn and heard the story from Aura and the others.

It seems they had come here on a merchant's cart but were stopped at the checkpoint, and that's when I arrived.

"Really, I was worried when you were suddenly taken away? Lily and Toru were..."

"Then, you weren't worried, Aura!!"

"Well, but Aura-nee-san was also, really flustered, Mmm!"

Lily was about to say something but was quickly silenced by Aura.

"Lily? You don't need to say that?"

"O-Okay..."

Lily was taken to a corner of the room.

"By the way, why were you called to the city, Nest...?"

While Aura and Lily were doing something, Toru asked me.

"Well, it seems the king's daughter and wife are sick, and they asked if I could cure them."

"So, did you cure them...?"

"N-No, I thought it might cause problems later if I did it then, you see?"

"Wait, so you're not going to cure them...?"

Toru, who had been looking at me with admiration, now seemed shocked.

"N-No, I will go and cure them! I just thought it would be troublesome if my face was recognized, so I planned to sneak in tonight."

"Y-You're amazing, Master...!"

Toru seemed deeply moved by my words, but then Aura and the others came back. It seemed they had heard my conversation.

"But, how do you plan to sneak in? The castle has a lot of guards..."

"W-Well, I thought I could use Heal and just push through, but maybe that won't work?"

"Probably not. I don't know about this castle, but my castle had a lot of guards."

"R-Really? Maybe I should just give up on going to treat them..."

"Eh...?"

Toru looked at me with a "You can't be serious..." expression, but if I go and get caught, it would be a disaster.

"At least if I can get inside the castle, there might still be a chance..."

"What about using sleeping pills to quietly deal with the gatekeepers?"

"But even if the sleeping pills are fine, how do I get the gatekeepers to take them without arousing suspicion?"

While Aura and I were discussing how to deal with the gatekeepers, Toru timidly spoke up.

"M-Master, I can do makeup, so what if you tried cross-dressing...?"

I was surprised by Toru's unusual suggestion, but wasn't that a bit much?

"Um, Toru? Isn't that a bit much...? 'That's it!!' Huh?"

"Aura, you should use your charm! I'll lend you my clothes, so use them to sneak into the castle!"

"N-No, wait, if I cross-dress, won't it be obvious that I'm a guy!?"

However, my resistance was in vain, and I ended up trying cross-dressing once.

And a few minutes later, there I was, wearing cat ears, cat-shaped gloves, and boots, looking like a complete cat-eared girl from the outside...

The cat ears were strangely bought by Lily.

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Now, in my hands, I have a report from the city's surrounding guard.

'Monsters were found dismembered and brutally killed near the capital... There are no signs of any parts being taken, suggesting a terribly cruel monster has appeared near the capital. The guards and knights are advised to be on high alert. Additionally, there are reports of a creature resembling a demon, with long, disheveled hair and a mysterious blade-like weapon (possibly a sharp scythe), seen in the area. This individual is provisionally named the "Slaughter Witch" (Witch of the Slaughter).'

While I am preoccupied with my wife and daughter, as the king, I receive work daily.

"The Slaughter Witch... What a good name..."

I decided to give a small reward to the guard who wrote the report.