Black Iron Magician

Today is a fine day. Yeah, without a single cloud in the sky, it’s a perfect day for a fight. Today is the day that the representatives of the Hero Alliance and the Demon King’s army will fight. This is also a farewell to my long life in the wild. I’m very moved right now!

「Supi~….」

However, even though it’s 10 o’clock in the morning, the good-for-nothing maid wouldn’t wake up at all. I don’t know how she can sleep so soundly in this tentless camp. I don’t want to learn from her, but I’m impressed.

「Still, I haven’t eaten breakfast yet. However!」

Yeah, now I have a reassuring ally! After I summoned Lily to report to me, she gave me something. That was this bag! At first glance, it looks like an ordinary bag, but it has a storage function, and inside it is a week’s worth of food. All of them are ready-made and do not require cooking. I heard that it was from Touko, saying that I might need it.

「To think that Touko has become able to pay attention this much. The training of the Great Eight Demons Lily is awesome…!」

While paying my respects toward the sleeping good-for-nothing maid, I began my slightly late breakfast. Yeah, it’s delicious.

「Fwah? Fuwaaaaah…. Goshujin-sama, good morning.」

She’s finally awake, huh. Lily gets up and stretches her arms.

「Yeah, good morning. I’m eating first.」

「Fuhehe, what a blissful life that I can see Goshujin-sama’s face as soon as I wake up. The food also has been prepared by Touko-chan. I hope this life will last forever.」

「Well, today is the designated day of the challenge. My duty will be finished after I watch over it, so just enjoy the last day of this life to your heart’s content.」

「W-What!? Already!?」

Rather than ‘already’, it is ‘finally’. When I get home, I’ll have a big event in my life waiting for me, but anyway, I want to return to a life with a roof over my head. I want a life where I can take a bath.

When I was thinking about that, I suddenly remembered something. Well, it’s not directly related to today’s duel, but since Lily is here, let’s ask her about it.

「By the way, is the judge from the Great Eight Demons going to come to the battle between the Hero Alliance and Hund’s army today? You are more or less Hund’s enemy, so you are not the judge, right?」

「Fueh? The judge~…?」

「Just show some motivation already.」

「Well, with the lottery at the last meeting, I’m sure Mama is in charge of it.」

Lily’s mother, Maria, is the judge, huh? She’s also acting in a different way than Lily. She is, but her true colors are always showing. How should I put it, she doesn’t act perfectly like Lily, but she acts depending on her mood. I don’t think it will happen, but in the worst case scenario, she might interfere in the middle of the battle for some stupid reason like because it looks fun. I’ve set this up this far, so I can’t let her interfere with the fight against the Great Eight Demons.

「Lily, I want to say hello to Maria before the battle begins. Can you guide me to her?」

「Ehh, to Mama’s place!? I’ve decided to go into demon king mode in front of Mama and the other Great Eight Demons, so that’s a bit tough~. I’m so tired! I also have accumulated stress!」

Hou, I’m exhausted both physically and mentally, but you have the nerve to say that, huh? I’ve been tolerating you because you’ve been doing your best, but I’m going to change my mind.

「You should take a look at your lazy life the past few days…! I won’t accept any opinion from the good-for-nothing maid who left the night watch to me and slept until this hour! Just lead the way!」

「Noooooo! If I meet Mama, she will pester me! 『Hey, Lily-chan, when are you going to get married? Mama is very tolerant, so it’s fine even if you become a mistress. You are already old enough, you know~? So, when?』―― something like that! Absolutely no!」

「You got the energy to imitate Maria very well, aren’t you!? You don’t have to come, at least tell me where she is!」

「I don’t want that, too! Please meet her after you accepted me! Please support me!」

「That’s not something a maid would say! Just tell me already where Maria is!」

Lily completely refused to tell me where Maria is. When I thought about using my last resort, she came.

「Hey, did you call me~?」

「「………」」

Maria is standing upside down on the branch of a tree that I have been using as my home position for reconnaissance. Hanging with her knees? No, she’s standing upside down from her soles. It’s amazing that even her skirt is going against gravity.

「Ara, if it isn’t Mama. What are you doing here? A walk?」

「――!?」

When Maria appeared, Lily immediately transformed into the Great Eight Demons Lily. It was in an instant that I reflexively did a double take. You can do it if you try, huh….

「Ehehe~. I felt something fun was happening here, so I came. Um, are you Black now? Or Deris?」

「… Deris is fine.」

When I answered so, Maria fell from her upside-down position, rotating, and landed on the ground. W-Well, it was abrupt, but concerning the result, this is fine. I didn’t expect that the person I was looking for would come to me instead.

「It’s been a while since I’ve met you as Deris! I’ve heard it from Lily-chan and Alezel at the last meeting~. You are going to marry Nell soon, right? Congratulations~」

「………」

I quietly turn my head to Lily and glared at her. I told you to keep it secret, didn’t I?

「Haa, I tried to stop her, you know? Alezel accidentally spoke it. Also, Mama, don’t say something misleading.」

「Ehehe, sorry~」

Maria stuck out her little tongue and giggled. Think about your age, is what I want to say, but I guess that doesn’t matter to vampires. Good grief, it’s going to be troublesome. I’ve to prepare myself for the ceremony…. Ah, that’s right.

「Maria, you came as a judge to watch Hund fight, right? Since you are here, how about you join us and watch together?」

「Eh, are you sure!? Ah, but, is it okay for the judge, who’s in charge of fairness and justice, to do that? Hmm, it seems safe, but it’s maybe out… saut? I’m going to ask Old Vakala――」

「I have plenty fried garlic, you know?」

「Saut is almost the same as safe, yep!」

(TLn: safe-out = saut.)

Thank you Touko, nice choice. With this, I and Lily, who has become a capable woman, can stop Maria in case something were to happen.

「By the way, what were you doing with Lily-chan, Deris? What were you doing?」

「Hey, why did you say it again with a different nuance?」

Don’t say something like that with such conviction.

「There’s my disciple in that Hero Alliance. I came to see the battle as a master. The image I sent last time was like an extra.」

「Ah~, come to think of it, I might have heard the rumor about it. Fufu~, I know Deris’s preference~. Your disciple is boing-boing, right!?」

「Wrong, she’s flat.」

「You are being vulgar, you know? Just what do you think a girl’s body is?」

「「Ah, sorry….」」

Lily has a point, but I don’t want to hear it from her.