Chapter 526: The Troublemaker Is Right Beside Me
"Mr. Eiji! It's Mr. Eiji!"
"Ohh, thank goodness! We're saved!"
The moment Eiji appeared, the adventurers erupted in excitement.
Ever since he effortlessly defeated two manticores a few days ago, his reputation in Axel had become unmatched. Seeing him now, the adventurers immediately felt reassured.
"Hmm... do they know each other?"
Kazuma Satou watched as the Headless Knight dropped to his knees, stroking his chin in contemplation.
"Who cares if they know each other? Let's get out of here!"
Aqua tugged at his sleeve, her face beaming with joy. "Since someone's here to take the heat, there's no need for us to play heroes. Wouldn't it be nice to take it easy?"
"I second that motion!"
Kazuma nodded in agreement, and the two quietly slipped to the back of the group, settling into spectator mode.
"Nothing happened at all!"
Darkness patted her tightly bound chest. The Death Proclamation had been nullified, leaving her completely unaffected. She slumped her shoulders in disappointment.
Megumin silently stroked her staff, her eyes gleaming as she stared intently at the Headless Knight not far away.
Darkness grew nervous upon seeing her expression.
"Don't you dare act recklessly, Megumin! If you piss off a Demon King Army executive, you'll be in serious trouble. Leave that kind of thing to me! And besides, if you steal that man's prey again, you'll definitely get another spanking!"
"Darkness, do you have some weird misconception about me? Do I really seem like the type to cast Explosion magic at the drop of a hat?"
"You don't just seem like it—you are that type!"
In the center of the scene.
The adventurers ushered Eiji to the front, placing him face-to-face with the Demon King Army executive.
"Are you really that afraid of me, Beldia?"
Eiji let out a light scoff, his expression cool and composed.
Oh, Beldia, don't think I don't know you've been slacking off on your business trip!
What should you do when your boss catches you slacking off during a business trip? Asking for a friend—this is urgent!
Beldia was panicking inside!
He had arrived in Axel several days ago but had been holed up in an abandoned castle on the outskirts, never once venturing into town.
Honestly, it was weird for a Headless Knight like him to be assigned an investigation mission in the first place. Who would willingly cooperate with a creepy monster from the demon race?
Not to brag, but as a Demon King Army executive, his notoriety was sky-high. This kind of task was clearly better suited for someone like Lady Serena and her team.
But thanks to the recent uproar he'd caused among the women in the city, he'd been forcibly sent out on this assignment.
And now, of all times, his boss had to show up while he was slacking off!
Beldia dropped to his knees instantly.
I'm done for—the boss caught me red-handed!
He had no idea what punishment awaited him. He just hoped he wouldn't be permanently stationed outside the city—otherwise, he'd lose his chance to keep peeping at the curvaceous demon beauties during their baths!
Seriously, what's a Demon King doing in a beginner's town anyway?
"Wait a minute... If His Majesty came here as the Demon King, wouldn't he have been swarmed by enemies by now? But instead, he's trusted by these ordinary adventurers... Could it be that he's here in human form for fun?"
Beldia suddenly noticed the way the ordinary adventurers were looking at him.
That was trust in a powerful adventurer, with not a trace of hostility or fear toward the Demon King in his eyes.
I get it now!
His Majesty must have returned to his human identity and didn't want to see me kill anyone, which is why he showed up. He definitely doesn't want his Demon King identity exposed now!
"If you have no will to fight, then get lost while you still can!"
The Demon King bellowed.
Exactly!
Beldia understood!
"Hmph, I'll let it go this time for your sake, but next time I won't be so forgiving!"
Beldia snorted coldly, his face filled with unwillingness.
As long as he left quickly, his reaction this time would be perfect—at least he might avoid punishment!
Beautiful ladies of the Demon King's Castle, it won't be long before I, Beldia, return to you!
But just then.
"Beldia, it's you! You actually dared to come here—are you trying to rebel?!"
"..."
"..."
As both Eiji and Beldia fell into stunned silence.
Airi suddenly appeared, shielding Eiji with a fiercely loyal expression, deliberately raising her voice so everyone could hear her words.
"What does that mean?"
"Rebel? Are they in a lord-subject relationship?"
"Why does this feel like it's getting messy?"
Hiahiahiahia!
Airi kept a straight face, but inside she was laughing maniacally.
Who would've thought Beldia would suddenly show up? This was truly a heaven-sent opportunity—did they really think I'd let it slip by?
As long as I expose their lord-subject relationship, the Demon King's identity will definitely be revealed!
The future will be in the hands of our Yasaka clan!
"What are you trying to do?" Eiji whispered.
"I'm just fiercely protective of my lord, that's all!"
Airi whispered back, flashing him a smug look.
"Then let me show you some concern too!"
Eiji glared at her sharply.
Then, as if by accident, he reached out and touched the back of her neck.
"Huh? Airi, what's wrong with you?!"
"Ugh...!"
Airi suddenly felt her vision go dark.
A tingling numbness spread from the back of her neck, making her whole body go limp. She collapsed weakly into Eiji's arms, completely immobilized.
What just happened?
While she was still dazed, Eiji suddenly cried out in grief.
"What did you do, Beldia?!"
"Eh? M-me? Ahahaha! That's right, this time it's just a lesson for her!"
Beldia froze for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.
"If there's a next time, don't blame me for not holding back!"
Before he even finished speaking, he hastily mounted his headless horse and vanished in a flash of crimson light.
"He... ran away?"
"A Demon King Army executive was actually scared off?!"
"Thank goodness, we're safe!"
The adventurers cheered, all of them reveling in the joy of having narrowly escaped death.
"Aqua, what move did that Headless Knight just use?"
Kazuma's eyes sparkled. "He took down that long-legged monk who defeated the griffin in an instant. If I could learn that skill, wouldn't I be invincible?"
"He didn't use any skill," Aqua answered seriously.
"If I believed you, I'd lose."
Kazuma pulled out his adventurer card.
But perhaps because he hadn't seen it clearly, the skill didn't appear in the learnable skills list. Death Proclamation did show up, but it required over 20 points—far beyond what he could afford.
The prerequisite for adventurers to learn a skill is that they must clearly observe the process of performing that skill. Only then will it appear in their learnable skills list; otherwise, it won't be displayed at all.
"Speaking of which, why did that priest just now talk about rebellion?"
Sato Kazuma wasn't skilled in combat. His talents were utterly mediocre, with his initial skill points even being zero. Even Miss Luna had suggested he change professions to become a merchant.
But he had one advantage - he was good at thinking and full of clever ideas.
"Moreover, that popular guy seemed to know Beldia... Something feels fishy about this!"