The golden morning sun, shining through the gaps in the trees, gradually brought color back to the dense forest.

  The smell of damp morning dew and the chirping of small birds. It was such a peaceful morning scene that it was hard to believe Lily had been carrying out a blood-soaked execution play here just moments ago.

  Leaving behind the corpse of the magical beast whose memories had been extracted, we relied on the information Lily obtained and made our way north toward the "highway."

  "—Master, dead ahead. In a clearing, there are presences of multiple two-legged creatures (humans)."

  Suddenly, Lily, who was walking slightly ahead, stopped and wrinkled her beautiful face in disgust.

  I also stopped walking and, using the astonishing vision of an Archdemon, peered through the morning mist several hundred meters away.

  That was the boundary of the forest, and the entrance to an old highway paved with stone.

  In a slightly open space beside the highway, there were five humans.

  A large warrior in metal armor, a robed woman holding a staff, a lightly equipped man in leather armor who looked like a scout... they looked exactly like an "adventurer party" straight out of a fantasy world.

  It seemed they had camped there last night, and now they had already put out their fire and were packing their bags, preparing to set off for the town.

  I directed my passive skill, [Status Inspection], at them.

  At the edge of my vision, their rough level brackets floated up as translucent numbers.

  [Lv. 24], [Lv. 28], [Lv. 26]...

  I see. Considering the pack of giant magical beasts from earlier were around level 10, they're quite skilled for this frontier... probably mid-to-high-tier adventurers, I guess.

  Setting aside the fact that my own level was 150, they were the perfect samples to measure the "standard of strength" in this world.

  "Master, shall I dispose of them before they depart?"

  A cold voice came from beside me. Looking down, Lily was directing a cold gaze at the humans, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey.

  "I will slurp the town's information directly from their brains, and turn their useless bodies into fertilizer for the roadside."

  "Wait, Lily. Withdraw your mana."

  I stopped the dangerous vampire, who was leaking crimson mana from her fingertips, with an extremely dignified, low voice.

  "The information we can get from a magical beast's memories is merely 'visuals'. The value of currency in this world, the rules of human society, the current political climate... such living 'common sense' can only be accurately grasped by conversing with them amicably and having them speak of it themselves. You cannot learn anything from a corpse."

  "Amicably... converse, you say?"

  Lily frowned in dissatisfaction. It seemed she couldn't stand the thought of me, a noble Demon Lord, exchanging words with lower lifeforms on equal terms.

  "Exactly. It seems they are right in the middle of returning to town. We will join their circle and extract information along the way. However, if we remain in our current forms, they will be too paralyzed by fear to hold a proper conversation."

  I pointed at my own giant twin horns and bat wings, and then at Lily's blood-red dress.

  Without a doubt, the moment they laid eyes on us, it would cause a massive panic of "An executive of the Demon Lord's Army has appeared!" and a battle would begin with no questions asked.

  I manipulated the inventory at the edge of my vision and pulled two small accessories from a distortion in space.

  It was the appearance-disguising item I used in the game: the [Ring of Mirage].

  "From here on, we shall 'mimic' a human noble and his servant."

  When I slipped the ring onto my finger, a pale light enveloped my entire body.

  The horns on my head and the wings on my back melted into the air like an illusion and vanished, and my pale skin turned a healthy human color. My pitch-black gothic coat transformed into a well-tailored, luxurious nobleman's cloak.

  No matter how you looked at me, I was a "tall, black-haired, slightly mysterious young noble."

  I offered the other ring to Lily.

  "Now, you put this on too. Hide your eye color and your fangs."

  "..."

  Lily looked at the offered ring and twisted her face as if she found it truly humiliating.

  "To think my Master's noble figure must be obscured beneath the skin of such a fragile human... And for me to stoop to wearing the same appearance as those lower lifeforms..."

  "Endure it, Lily."

  I placed a hand on her shoulder and stared straight back into her crimson eyes.

  "This is an important stepping stone to dive deep inside human society and dominate them from their very foundations. Forcing them to yield with power is easy, but there is 'value' in this mimicry that cannot be obtained through force alone."

  I really just meant, "I want to enter the town without acting suspicious," but to pass through her character’s filter, I purposely rephrased it to sound like an "evil scheme for domination."

  Then, sure enough, the color of dissatisfaction smoothly vanished from Lily's eyes, replaced by the light of fanatical enthusiasm.

  "I see...! You will personally wear the skin of the weak, lull those foolish humans into a false sense of security, walk alongside them, and slip right into their inner circle. And then, by the time they realize it, you will have seized everything and devoured their nation from the inside out...! Ahh, what a terrifying, flawless form of plunder...!"

  Lily accepted the ring with trembling hands and respectfully placed it on her own finger.

  Light enveloped her, and her blood-red eyes turned a calm obsidian color, while her distinctive fangs were hidden. The decorations on her dress became a bit more subdued, changing her appearance to that of a refined "peerlessly beautiful maid."

  "Thank you for waiting, my Master... No, should I perhaps call you 'Young Master'?"

  "Yeah, please do. Our setting is 'a noble who went on an incognito journey from a distant territory, but got separated from his guards and lost his way, along with his maid'."

  We nodded to each other, deliberately stepping on dry leaves with a crunch, crunch to make noise, and slowly made our way toward the backs of the adventurers who were just finishing their preparations to depart.

  "—Oh. What a coincidence, meeting people this early in the morning."

  When I called out, the five adventurers spun around as if they'd been struck, and in unison, their hands went to the hilts of their weapons.

  The large warrior drew his greatsword, the robed woman readied her staff, and the scout gripped his dagger in a reverse grip. Instinctual fear and vigilance were plastered across their faces at having their backs taken without a single footstep (even though I purposely stepped heavily for that very last step).

  "Don't move! Who are you?!"

  The warrior who seemed to be the leader glared at us with bloodshot eyes. The scout, dripping with cold sweat, looked at us as if seeing something unbelievable.

  "No way... They didn't trigger my [Presence Detection] at all..."

  Well, obviously. My stealth skill is max level, after all.

  Doing a slight mental fist-pump, I floated a deliberately arrogant yet refined smile. Acting subservient and timid here would only make them more suspicious. In a fantasy world, a "noble" should act imperiously toward commoners.

  "I apologize if I startled you. Would you mind putting your weapons away? As you can see, we have no intention of fighting."

  I lightly spread my hands to show them.

  "...A noble? Dressed like that, deep in a frontier forest like this..."

  The warrior's gaze shifted, sizing up my well-tailored coat and Lily's maid attire as she stood behind me.

  "Indeed. I was traveling from a distant territory for a mix of inspection and study, but... unfortunately, we encountered a pack of monsters. We were separated from our guards, and my maid and I ended up lost."

  I smoothly rattled off the backstory I had prepared.

  "Separated from your guards?! There's no way a noble brat and his maid could survive completely unscathed deep in a forest like this just the two of you! Is this a bandit trap or something?!"

  The scout raised his voice, pointing the tip of his dagger at me.

  It was at that moment.

  —Cr-crack.

  It felt as though the surrounding air had literally frozen solid.

  "...You lowly pig. Do you comprehend who you are pointing your blade at?"

  A cold voice rang out from behind me. It was Lily.

  In accordance with maid etiquette, she kept both hands neatly clasped in front of her without changing her expression in the slightest. However, deep within her obsidian eyes swirled the fanatical murderous intent of [Vampire], ready to slice off this man's limbs right this second.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  "H-Hii...?!"

  The scout scrambled backward and dropped his dagger, as if an invisible giant hand were strangling him. The other adventurers also turned pale and trembled under the sheer pressure.

  Idiot, Lily! Hold back, hold back!

  I hurriedly raised my right hand to restrain Lily.

  "Stand down, Lily. They are merely being cautious."

  "...My deepest apologies, Young Master. However, disrespect toward my Master must be repaid with death..."

  "I said it's fine. Allow me to save face here."

  "...As you wish."

  As Lily smoothly withdrew her bloodlust, the adventurers all started heaving for breath, looking like they were about to collapse right there. Good, this should make them misunderstand and think, "This maid is no ordinary person (= she's a master-class bodyguard for a real noble)."

  I reached into my coat pocket (feigning it, while actually accessing my inventory), pulled out a small cloth pouch, and tossed it lightly to the warrior leader.

  "W-What is this...?"

  "An advance payment."

  When the warrior opened the pouch with trembling hands, several red and blue gemstones the size of thumbs tumbled out with a clatter.

  In the game, these were lowest-tier cash items on the level of [Slime Cores], but how would they hold up to this world's standard of value?

  "Wha...?! T-These are all real magic gems...?! This has to be worth dozens of gold coins, no, at least a hundred!"

  The warrior's eyes widened so much they looked like they'd pop out, and the robed woman gasped. It seemed I'd hit the jackpot.

  "You are heading to the nearest town, correct? I want you to guide us and escort us there. If you deliver us safely, I will spring for the exact same amount."

  When I gave a magnanimous nod, the hostility completely vanished from the adventurers' faces. Instead, a gleam took root in their eyes - the look of seeing a greedy merchant, or perhaps a savior.

  "R-Really?! Are you sure you're okay with us?!"

  "Yes. In exchange, during the journey... I'd like you to tell me various 'small talk' about the situation around here and rumors in the town. This long trip has left me quite bored."

  The warrior exchanged glances with his comrades, then hurriedly sheathed his greatsword on his back and bowed deeply to me.

  "We gladly accept, Sir Noble! We are the Iron Fangs. We may not look it, but we're a B-Rank party. We swear to escort you safely to the town of Karuka!"

  Yes...! First hurdle cleared!

  I threw a mental fist-pump.

  Behind me, I could sense Lily swooning as she once again made her own wildly convenient interpretation: "As expected, my Master is terrifying. To tame those pigs with pebbles no better than trash, and have them act as his guides of their own volition." I decided to ignore her for now.

  "My, my, but still, Young Master... no, Sir Dan. Camping out deep in a forest like that takes some real guts. It's a good thing you were lucky enough not to run into any monsters."

  Walking along the old stone-paved highway, the warrior - Gard, leader of the Iron Fangs - spoke to me with an amiable smile.

  Thanks to handing over a large amount of jewels as an advance payment, their vigilance had completely melted away, creating an atmosphere of totally buttering up the ‘generous, naive young noble.’

  "Yes. After we were separated from our guards, my maid Lily stood watch through the night."

  When I glanced back, Lily - her obsidian eyes disguised - elegantly held up a parasol, pulled from her inventory, and bowed with flawless maid etiquette.

  No matter how you looked at her, she appeared to be nothing more than a frail, beautiful girl, but Gard and the adventurers hadn't forgotten the abnormal bloodlust she had emitted earlier. They wore strained smiles and walked while keeping a subtle distance from her.

  There is absolutely no threat in physical combat, but... how to blend into human society without ruining Lily's mood. That is undoubtedly my biggest challenge from here on out.

  Even with overwhelming magical power, if I destroyed societal rules and human relationships through sheer force, a comfortable slow life (or building a nation) would remain a pipe dream. I switched my thinking from "combat" to "politics and negotiation" and probed Gard for information.

  "By the way, Gard. We lost our luggage when we were attacked by monsters, and we've become unfamiliar with the geography around here. What kind of place is this Karuka we're heading to?"

  "Karuka? It's the provincial capital ruled by Count Bardia, who governs this entire frontier. It's a commercial town thriving on the trade of magical beast materials gathered from the forest and ores. For us adventurers, it's a real money-maker."

  "I see, a commercial town. Will outsiders like us be able to enter without any issues?"

  At my question, Gard's face clouded over slightly.

  "About that... Recently, an abnormally high-level magic explosion was observed deep in the forest, so the town guard is on high alert. Entering requires strict identity verification and a toll of three silver coins per person. ...Sir Dan, do you happen to have any letters proving your identity?"

  ...A magic explosion? You mean the beginner spell I test-fired? I'm already strangling my own neck!

  While breaking out in a cold sweat internally, I answered without breaking my expression.

  "Unfortunately, I lost everything along with my guards. ...Can it be resolved with money?"

  "Well, you can usually manage most gate guards with a bribe under the table. Besides, we Iron Fangs are B-Rank veterans in that town's guild. If we put in a good word as your guarantors, they shouldn't be too suspicious."

  "B-Rank, is it? That is reassuring. As expected, you all must be quite skilled around these parts."

  When I praised them, Gard scratched his head in embarrassment.

  "No, no, there's always someone better. But well, if it's the monsters in the shallow levels of the Deep Green Forest where you were yesterday, the five of us can hunt them with ease. However, if we were to run into a pack of [Black Wolves] that appear deep in the forest, even we would have to be prepared for total annihilation. Those are A-Rank class monsters with a recommended subjugation level over 40."

  "...Oh, is that so."

  I flashed an amiable smile while glancing back at Lily.

  Under her parasol, Lily was stifling a small yawn, looking bored.

  ...Those mutts that Lily tore to pieces in the blink of an eye last night and pinned to the wall alive for interrogation. Those are A-Rank class monsters in this world?

  A despairing difference in military power.

  If we were to get serious, whether it was this world's armies or monsters, we could literally reduce them all to ashes in a single breath.

  But what I sought wasn't some blood-soaked path of conquest.

  I wanted to avoid pointless conflict and drama, build a solid position (a territory), and peacefully observe the world with my subordinates (from an absolute safe zone).

  "Hmph... How foolish."

  Suddenly, Lily muttered in a faint voice.

  It was at a volume the adventurers couldn't hear, but it reached my ears clearly.

  "To call such small fry 'monsters', and to demand pieces of metal like silver just to pass through a gate... Young Master, there is truly no need to play along with the rules of such a lowly settlement. I shall go ahead and swap out the head of the town's ruler. Then, that gate will become a triumphal arch just for you."

  "...Lily. Do not interfere with my plans."

  I whispered back, keeping my lip movements to an absolute minimum so the adventurers walking ahead wouldn't notice.

  "A throne taken by force always harbors the sparks of rebellion. True domination is to use their own rules to legally usurp the very foundations of their economy and power. ...Besides, I do not like seeing you dirtied with blood."

  "—!"

  The last sentence was just meant to be a plea of "Please don't go on a rampage." However.

  Lily stopped dead in her tracks, and her face instantly flushed red like a boiled octopus. She pressed both hands to her cheeks and let out a feverish sigh.

  "Ahh...! Young Master...! You worry about me getting dirty, and deliberately choose the muddy path for the sake of rock-solid domination...! That deep affection and cold-blooded strategic brilliance... This Lily will serve by your side for the rest of her life...!"

  Alright, I managed to smooth it over. ...Probably.

  Rather than physical threats, keeping a tight grip on the reins of this dangerous subordinate was a much more pressing matter of life and death for me.

  How much time had passed since we started walking?

  "Gard. The path seems quite rugged, is there truly a town ahead?"

  I called out to Gard, the warrior walking in front, as I looked around at the surrounding trees. At first, we were supposed to be walking on the old, stone-paved highway, but before I knew it, they had said "it's a shortcut" and veered off the highway, leading us back into the depths of a dense, dark forest.

  The branches and leaves covering overhead had grown thick, to the point where even the morning light that had been shining through could no longer reach us.

  "Yes, of course, Sir Dan. The official highway has been dangerous lately with many bandits and stray monsters. This is a safe and surefire back route that only us local adventurers know about."

  Gard looked back and answered with a good-natured smile.

  "I see. If you say so, I shall believe you."

  I gave a magnanimous nod. However, my passive skill as an Archdemon, [Spatial Awareness], was telling me a cruel truth.

  We were currently being led in the complete opposite direction of the human town - toward the bottom of a deep, secluded valley where even the presence of monsters faded away.

  ...Good grief. It seems the jewels I handed over as advance payment only served to ignite their greed instead.

  Even though they were pebbles essentially equal to trash that were cluttering up my inventory in the game, by this world's standards, they were items that could fetch dozens of gold coins. To ill-mannered adventurers, a "naive, lost noble" who casually pulled out such things probably looked like nothing more than a walking treasure chest.

  An absolute-zero chill faintly leaked from Lily, who was walking behind me.

  "...Young Master."

  Lily nestled close as if to hide behind my back, and whispered in a captivating, terribly dangerous voice into my ear.

  "These lowly pigs have been pretending to match our pace for a while now, all while adopting a formation to surround us. Furthermore, ahead of us is a sheer cliff. ...It is a complete dead end."

  "I am aware. ...However, do not lay a hand on them until the very last moment. There is still a one-in-a-million chance that they simply took a wrong turn."

  When I replied in a minuscule voice using only the movement of my lips, Lily let out a small sigh, saying, "I am simply astounded by the Young Master's bottomless mercy."

  Eventually, Gard and the others' footsteps came to a dead stop. Just as Lily had sensed, it was a dim, narrow, bowl-shaped clearing surrounded on three sides by giant rock walls. No matter how you looked at it, there was no path leading to a town.

  "What's wrong, Gard? It seems the path is a dead end."

  When I purposely asked in a quiet voice, the five adventurers walking ahead slowly turned around to face us.

  On their faces, there wasn't a trace of the good-natured, subservient smiles they had worn just moments ago. What remained was a sticky, vulgar sneer, like predators who had cornered their prey.

  Chak. The scout drew his dagger, and the robed woman ignited the heat of an attack spell at the tip of her staff.

  "...Sorry about this, naive Sir Noble. The guiding ends here."

  Gard slowly drew the greatsword from his back and pointed its tip right at my nose.

  "We were fine with just going to the town as is, but seeing as you so generously tossed around magic gems like nothing, we ended up changing our minds."

  "...In other words, you intend to attack me here and strip me of my belongings?"

  When I asked without showing the slightest sign of panic, Gard snorted with laughter.

  "It helps that you're quick on the uptake. A noble was eaten by monsters and died deep in the forest. ...It's a common, tragic accident. The folks at the Guild won't bother coming all the way out to a frontier forest like this to confirm a corpse."

  The five adventurers slowly closed the distance, completely surrounding Lily and me.

  "Now, leave that bag of jewels you've got there. Yeah, and that fine coat you're wearing, too. ...And as for that gorgeous maid behind you, we'll give her plenty of affection in the town's back alleys before selling her off for a good price."

  A vulgar laugh echoed through the dim valley floor.

  ...Haa.

  From the bottom of my heart, I let out a deep, deep sigh of disappointment.

  There wasn't a single millimeter of fear toward the killing intent they emitted or the blades pointed at me. For a Level 150 Archdemon, their attacks were less of a physical threat than a gentle breeze.

  What made me want to hold my head in my hands wasn't a matter of "strength." It was the sense of futility that my peaceful slow life plan - the one where I painstakingly built amicable human relations and used them as a pipeline to politically infiltrate the town - had been so easily shattered just hours after it began, all because of their own petty greed.

  I turned a gaze mixed with resignation toward the girl standing next to me.

  "...You heard them, Lily."

  "Yes, Young Master."

  Lily, disguising her obsidian eyes, softly took one step forward. The corners of her beautiful lips curled up like a crescent moon.

  It was a smile filled with the joy of facing prey, and the fanatical delight of being able to execute her absolute [Law], a smile so terrifying, yet so beautiful.

  "Rebellion against the Master. And a declaration of plunder. ...The charges have been finalized. Young Master, the verdict, if you please."

  In a desperate situation surrounded by five blades. Only one person - a bloodthirsty vampire - elegantly adopted a curtsy, requesting permission for an execution.