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Curly Kale said in a dignified voice. Her voice was filled with a mysterious power that made Zell’s entire body freeze. Bash caught her with his palm as she was about to fall off his shoulders.
“Excuse me, I’m really sorry, Sir Bash, I ended up screaming.”
“No, that’s okay. Zell was rude too.”
“We-Well, yeah, even though I was in a hurry, I’m sorry too… I apologize…” Zell apologized. She was one of the few fairies in the world who could apologize properly.
“So, Sir Bash…”
Now then, from Curly Kale’s point of view, they were in trouble. If Bash came to this country, they would welcome him as an honored guest, no doubt about it. And that was exactly what he had done. If an orc as desirable as he was was in the country, people would be hungry, and some might not be able to contain themselves before him, so even if he was an honored guest, he would be greeted privately. That was fine. The problem was not there. Anyway…
“What business brings you to our country?”
He was a man who should never have come. A person who should be living a comfortable life as a hero in the land of the orcs. And more importantly, he was a person who was much talked about in the Succubus Nation. Why would such a person come all the way to this country?
More specifically, who sent him and what did they want?
The story he told was that he slipped and fell into the river and got lost, but those who had fought with him knew that this hero named Bash was not that stupid. There was no doubt that he was visiting the Succubus Nation for some purpose. Since it was an undercover job, he had Zell enter the Succubus Nation before him and intentionally let her get caught so that he could have a good excuse to infiltrate the country himself. It was more natural and logical. Even though it was a crude and unclear strategy, it was too clever for an orc to have thought of, though a fairy might come up with it at the last minute.
“I’m just here to pick up Zell. There is no other reason. I’ll leave immediately.”
“I see…”
If Curly Kale were still young, she might have believed those words. But she was a queen who had fought in many battles. She was the leader of the succubi, trying to hold on to her nation, which was sinking in the aftermath of the war.
“So where are you going?”
“To the demon nation.”
Those words sent a chill down her spine. She heard Carrot, the former Succubus General, talking about resurrecting Gediguz. Gediguz, the demon king. Curly Kale remembered him as an extraordinary man. If he were to be resurrected, the war would be reignited. But the succubi did not have the strength to fight a war.
“And what is… your reason for this?”
“Aah, well, I’m… looking for something.”
Bash was silent for a moment, but finally said that. Curly Kale knew immediately that he was hiding something.
“Is it something we don’t have in our country?”
“I’d have to look for it, but probably not.”
So it exists, thought Curly Kale. At the same time, she thought it was a roundabout way of getting around. There was nothing he couldn’t get in the Succubus Country if he asked for it. Curly Kale was a very rational succubus, but if Bash was willing to give her a chance, she would probably even offer her the national treasure of her country. After all, a night with the hero was far more valuable than a national treasure… No! No! Get a grip on yourself, Curly Kale! You’re the succubus queen! This is no time for such girlish fantasies! We’re on the verge of a crisis that could wipe out the succubi!
Curly Kale shook her head to clear her mind of the fantasies. A man with thick strength coming and rubbing up against her, telling her she could do whatever she wanted to him during the night… that was a fantasy even a little girl didn’t have these days. But it was the nature of a succubus to think of a possibility, just in case.
“Do you think the thing you’re looking for is in the demon land?”
“Yes, that’s what Nazar said.”
“Nazar, you mean the Prince of the Coming Heaven?”
“Yes.”
There it was, Curly Kale realized. Speaking of Nazar, it was he who had sent a letter to the Succubi earlier. It said that he had heard that the Succubi were running out of food and that he would send more. To be honest, she didn’t think it was true, because it sounded too good to be true. Did he know how many times Carrot had traveled to other countries and complained about food shortages over the years? She hadn’t forgotten how her clothes were stained with dirt when she temporarily returned home.
Did the humans send him?
Curly Kale’s eyes narrowed. A little more of the other side of the story was revealed. Maybe Bash was an auditor, checking to see if the Succubi really were in a food shortage situation, and if the food they were going to bring in was going to be handled properly.
That had to be it. Humans had been sending in their countrymen as food. In fact, right after the war, the succubi ate many of their compatriots and killed quite a few of them. There was probably some disagreement among the humans as to whether or not they should send their people to this place again. In fact, many were against it. That’s why they sent an investigator to see if it was safe.
If you think about why Bash was chosen, it was easy to see that he was the right person for the job. If the food was eaten in the Succubus Nation, they would probably try to hide the fact that they were sending an auditor. So it had to be done in secret. However, if they were told that they were sending a human, they would realize that that person was the auditor.
That’s where Bash came in. Earlier, the wedding of the third princess had taken place in the Beastmen Kingdom, and Bash had to attend. Orcs, like succubi, were not to the liking of the Four Races Alliance. It would not be surprising if he was suspected of Carrot’s rampage and ordered to infiltrate the succubus nation to prove that he had not betrayed them.
He could infiltrate by pretending to have nothing to do with the humans, and since he had the respect of the succubi, a visit to the feeding grounds would be easy. If Bash himself was devoured, the humans would not feel it as a loss. That seemed to be a clever idea of theirs.
“I’d like to know if you’re interested in the ‘eateries’ of the Succubus Nation.”
“Eateries? Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.”
I knew it! With that somewhat hard-to-express answer, Curly Kale was convinced that she wasn’t so far off the mark. If that’s the case, it would be a bad idea to refuse him so abruptly. Sir Bash will be in trouble… I wouldn’t want to cause him any trouble, but… Curly Kale shook her head and took a deep breath, thinking inwardly. No, I have nothing to hide! We have been trying to cope since the first slaves died. Besides, if Sir Bash is the auditor, I don’t have to worry about him lying. We’ll just show him things as they are. Curly Kale looked up and stared at Bash with determined eyes. Then she spoke confidently.
“If you don’t mind, would you like to take a tour of the ‘Eaterie’ before you leave?”
“I’m sorry, but no, I have to leave immediately.”
“Don’t say that. It’s pouring rain outside the barrier… it will be difficult to reach the Demon Country. Please protect yourself from the rain for a while, and visit our nation while you are there. It’s a country that’s still green, but it has things worth seeing…”
“Mmm…”
Bash seemed a little worried, but Zell whispered something in his ear, and they started talking quietly, but eventually he nodded.
“All right. I’ll do it.”
So Bash decided to stay in the Succubus Nation.
“The Succubus Queen was really scary. She looked at you with those big eyes.”
“Orcs are an inferior race to succubi. I don’t think they usually want to let us in the country.”
“That’s true, isn’t it? When I met the queen during the war, she despised me. She called me a dirty servant and told me to stay away from her.”
“How nostalgic. I should be grateful to be treated like the Orc hero.”