17. Pying SafeSome days ter, in the morning

  Agamennone was working at the counter of the adventurer's guild. He was sleepy, letting out sporadical yawns and with his sight pointed towards the counter, his eyes still fearing the light. He was sitting with his head on the counter, watching said counter.

  'I hate mornings... And i hate morning people!'

  The door opened, a blonde demon entering the building. He was Brando, and he was approaching the counter.

  "Good morning Agamennone, have you slept well?"

  "You idiot! Do you think i've slept well?"

  The demon lord's outburst was rather tame, more due to his ck of energy than to him becoming more patience. Brando smiled awkwardly, blushing slightly.

  "Oh dear me, i didn't really saw your sorry state as i said that. My apologies."

  Agamennone waved his hand, dismissing said apology.

  "Someone's grumpy today, huh? Why don't you tell your friend what happened that disturbed your sleep?"

  "You're not my friend..."

  Brando smiled.

  'You rude bastard.'

  "Ok, then why don't you tell me what deprived you of your sleep?"

  Agamennone reflected for a moment.

  "... Why not..."

  ---

  Agamennone was having a picnic on a luscious yard, eating a baked ham, cheese and mayonnaise sandwich. Near him Vionte was eating another sandwich with the same filling.

  "Wasn't i right as always? Doing a picnic during warm, sunny days like these is very rexing. Don't you agree, my dear puppet ruler?"

  Agamennone stared at her with a disapproving look.

  "I wanted to eat at home, where technology exists, not in a pce full of misquitoes, wasps, bees and midges! No one's even here, only us!"

  The half-succubus ughed heartily.

  "Don't exaggerate things as you always do... I've seen no such pests. And... Doesn't the fact that we are alone make things more... Pleasurable? You should really stop to compin just to compin."

  The couple ate their sandwich. Then the girl stood up, picking up a ball that was nearby them.

  "Now that we've eaten, how about some sport?"

  The demon lord rolled his eyes.

  "Do we?"

  "Please."

  Vionte made a sweet puppy look. Agamennone was annoyed.

  "Fine!"

  ---

  Brando was puzzled.

  "That doesn't seem a nightmare to me..."

  The demon lord became upset again, still subdued by his own sleepiness.

  "Shut up and listen you idiot! Not every horror story has the vilin smiling at the audience with a sign that spells: 'Warning! I'm indeed the vilin of this story. No people have been actually harmed while filming. Probably...'"

  "That sounds more-"

  "I've said shut up, or i'll stop narrating!"

  Brando nodded, then he zipped his own mouth shut with his hand.

  "So..."

  The young man stood up and, together with the dy, reached a nearby ft spot.

  "Let's make some simple passes."

  The young woman tossed the ball upwards, before passing the ball to Agamennone in a volyball style. Agamennone then responded and so on. While the man's passes were rather unpredictable due to his ck of skills, the girl's ones started out simple, but subtly became more and more complicated to catch.

  "So... I was thinking... You made a rather good job as a demon lord, and as a puppet ruler. As, good things indeed must end..."

  Agamennone was puzzled.

  "What are you saying?"

  "Oh, my sweet fluffball..."

  "Fluffball?"

  Agamennone became even more confused. Vionte, however, didn't acknowledge his confusion, still talking in a sweet yet ominous tone.

  "Yes, my naive little jellyfish... What i'm saying is... That you've done an excellent job to pave the road to my ascension as the rightful ruler of this kingdom."

  "... What?"

  The woman sighed, the she caught the ball for herself.

  "What i mean is... Your job's done, and now is my turn to take over."

  She enchanted the ball, then she threw it at an insane speed. Agamennone didn't have the reflexes to dodge such throw, and was hit in the face. The man fell backwards, hitting the ground with his back and his head. The demon lord was dizzy from the impact, his consciousness faltering. In that state he saw the girl approaching him with a devious smile on her face.

  "Before we part ways... Permanently... I'd like to give you a... Parting gift that shows all my appreciation for your work..."

  The girl sat on the man's hips, smiling in an ominous way before letting out a mad ugh.

  "Hahahahahaha... Farewell, my dear little logarithm..."

  Vionte got closer, her face near his, going in for a kiss.

  "And then i woke up and failed to get any more sleep..."

  Brando smiled.

  "So you woke up from a wet dream... Probably you weren't man enough to continue living that dream."

  Agamennone made the pinched fingers handsign.

  "I mean... De gustibus non disputandum est... But... If you like to be sexually assaulted before being killed... Good for you..."

  Brando ughed heartily.

  "Fantasies should always be spicier than real life. Otherwise they wouldn't be fantasies in the first pce."

  'Idiot, i'd rather be the one on top.'

  "I agree... I more often than not i fantasized about being the supreme leader of the world and abuse my power a bit... A lot, actually..."

  "That's the spirit! Let your fantasies go wild!"

  Agamennone finally raised his head.

  "So, what do you need?"

  His tone was still rather unpleasant.

  "Seeing you always there made me think. You should aim for something more than just being a clerk. Ever thought about a little adventure?"

  Brando put an arm on Agamennone's shoulder, hugging him with it, while the other was pointed at the door with the palm open.

  "No."

  The demon scratched his chin.

  "I don't know what kind of adventures are you thinking about, but-"

  "The ones where you get mauled, dismembered, sexually abused, or, if you're lucky, killed off fast."

  Agamennone's confrontational attitude gave the blonde adventurer a good challenge for his patience. As he talked again, he put more emphasis in his words

  "As i was saying, There are not only such kind of adventures... There are also more pcid ones. For starters, you can always get some company... Even if that's might be difficult for you..."

  'Since you're prick.'

  "... And even if you fail to get any company, you can always apply for a calm commission, like herb gathering. Those commissions are mostly equivalent to strolls in the forests. What do you think?"

  Agamennone raised his eyebrow.

  "Forests are full of beasts, i'll pass."

  The other adventurer rolled his eyes.

  "If they become dangerous you can always bst them off..."

  Agamennone crossed his arms

  "Even if they surround you?"

  "Indeed."

  "i'll still pass."

  Brando's smile faltered for a moment.

  "I understand. However... Should you change idea... You can ask the guildmaster for some low-risks commissions."

  With then, he started to leave, only to stop midway.

  "About that dream... I know that succubi are renown for... Altering people's dream while they... Get id with your body... While today such tradition is mostly declining... It still hasn't disappeared."

  The demon lord was perplexed.

  "Those two don't seem the type honestly..."

  The blonde demon ughed.

  "You're probably right, but you know... Some people are like badly reheated food... Warm on the outside but stone cold on the inside..."

  Saying that, the demon left the pce.

  'That guy, literally zero ambitions and a coward to the core.'

  Agamennone stood up, searching for the remote control.

  'His was a weird analogy... I like food warm on the outside and cold on the inside..."

  He found the remote control in a desk of the counter. He lit the TV on with it, before putting it on the counter without any grace whatsoever. Then he picked up his phone, calling his only contact.

  "Hi! What do you need?"

  "I... Wanted to ask something..."

  "Sure."

  As they were talking, Brando entered again in the guild, going towards the notice board where the commissions are dispyed.

  "Do succubi really abuse sleeping people while also altering their dreams?"

  The voice did not reply immediately, but when it did, it revealed some annoyance.

  "... I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I may ask mom if you want to know if such thing was something that was done in the past, even if i doubt it... However, i'd like to know where have you heard such information."

  "Brando told me."

  "Ah."

  After a couple of seconds of silence, the conversation resumed.

  "And do you believe him?"

  "Well, not really."

  The voice became confused.

  "Then why have you called me?"

  "Just to be sure... I wanted to know if you have some weird fetishes like Brando does. You know, he told me he likes when people abuse him while barely conscious."

  Vionte was puzzled.

  "I... Don't even want to know why such information was shared... Well, maybe a bit... But i can assure you of two things: first, i don't like to make love with someone who can't love me back, and second, Brando doesn't want to be the barely conscious one in such scenario... But i don't want to talk about that. And as a bonus third point..."

  The tone of the girl changed from serious to pyful.

  "... Why do you think i would have not lied to you?"

  The demon lord could not answer such question. The girl on let out a ugh which was mixture between an evil ugh and a hearty one.

  "As i thought... Still... I'd like to know what kind of dream you've had, if you want to share it... Goodbye."

  The call ended. Agamennone, who was watching the TV while talking at the phone, heard a knocking sound nearby. He turned around, only to find Brando on the other side of the counter.

  "So, have you fact-checked my cim?"

  His tone was pyful, almost teasing.

  "Nope. What do you need?"

  Agamennone's tone was a slightly annoyed one.

  "I... Forgot to ask you for a commission. I was so absorbed by our previous discussion that i forgot the reason i came here in the first pce... Silly me..."

  "And what commission have you chosen?"

  "This one! It's below my level, but after an intense commission i like to restart small."

  The blonde guy put the ad on the counter. It was a commission about overseeing a little board game festival. The demon lords raised his eyebrow.

  "Isn't it a job for guards?"

  The demon nodded.

  "Technically yes, but employing guards, who are specialized personnel, to oversee a board game festival is a waste of resources. The guards' job is to protect both the people and our society from concrete threats. They can't waste time with potential threats or low-level ones when even civilians know how to defens themselves. Am i clear?"

  "Yeah... It makes sense. So... You want this job?"

  "Indeed."

  The receptionist put out some documents and all the necessary materials to let Brando accept said quest. After all the bereaucratic passages were done, Brando left for good. Outside of the guild, Brando called, with his phone, a contact called "Bro".

  "Brando!"

  "Bro, i need you to give Agamennone a push into accepting that commission that we know about."

  The guildmaster showed enthusiasm in his response.

  "Understood, i'll go right away!"

  "Not right away you dolt!" Wait some time, otherwise people may think we're plotting something."

  Gennaro became less enthusiastic.

  "Ok, i'll wait some time."

  "Good."

  Brando ended the call, walking away from the guild.

  The next day, Agamennone was again working at the adventurer's guild. He was watching the TV, as always, and was watching a comedic show. He was actually enjoying it, ughing at the many sketches, especially the current one, a sketch where two teams of old people were pying soccer using a bucket instead of a ball, with the comment of a guy dressed as the grim reaper.

  "Pffffffffffffff...."

  After ughing for some time, he was cking oxygen and needed some air. He bent on the counter as he slowly recovered his breath. Meanwhile the guildmaster was descending the stairs, minding his own business.

  'I miss Domenica...'

  As he reached the ground floor, he saw the demon lord watching the TV. He approached the young man with a stern expression on his face.

  "Are we scking off?"

  The brown-haired man turned towards the demon.

  "There's nothing to do at the moment."

  "You know, when there's nothing to do, you can always create a task yourself instead of scking off."

  Agamennone's only answer was circling his index finger near his temple.

  "We are childish, aren't we? Instead of accepting a suggestion from your boss you insult him..."

  His tone became harsher.

  "You are disappointing me, young man. And i had absolutely no expectation for you."

  The young man looked at the demon. He had no interest in what the other man was saying.

  "So..."

  "So, young man, you have two options. You either get fired on the spot or you are going to do a job for me. But since i know that firing you won't displease you at all, seeing how little you seem to enjoy this job, i've opted for the second choice. I'm going to give a commission to you."

  The guildmaster put the ad for a commission in front of the annoyed adventurer. It was the ingredient collecting commission.

  "This commission is a simple one. Get the ingredients people are asking for. This is something even a couch potato like yourself can do. But don't worry, i'm going to ask some of our best adventurers to accompany you. Still... The commission will start tomorrow. You have no say in that."

  The demon lord scoffed.

  "And what will happen if i don't come?"

  Gennaro became furious.

  "You'll come... Or else..."

  Agamennone was left morbidly curious.

  "Or else?"

  "Or else i'll stop giving you the sweet treatment you're getting. I'll make sure you have to work shifts that will make every single day of your life a living hell."

  The demon lord snapped. He pointed his finger at the demon.

  "I'm sure you can't do that! Try it and i'll let you hear any more compints from my wyer."

  "No wyer would ever defend a zy shit like you. Do as i say or i'll crush you!"

  Saying that, the demon left, leaving Agamennone alone.

  'Child!"

  "I hope you die horribly!'

  The young man returned watching the TV. Meanwhile he also took out the phone from his pocket. He dithered for a while before calling Vionte.

  "Hi."

  "Do you know a wyer or two perhaps?"

  Vionte, who was trying to cook some pancakes with various degree of success, raised an eyebrow.

  "Why would you need a wyer all of a sudden?"

  "Because the guildmaster has threatened to make my shifts so that my days are as difficult as possible."

  The girl's tone suddenly became teasing.

  "You say? What have you done now... have you compined to him about a the floor tiles or something?"

  She giggled, then she flipped a pancake in the frying pan. It was slightly burnt.

  "SHUT UP YOU PERVERT!"

  The demon lord smmed a hand on the counter. The girl was shocked.

  "... S-sorry... W-what happened then?"

  "I hate when people assume it's always my fault for everything wrong that happens to me! Still... I admit i'm not a model employee, but he wanted to coerce me into doing a stupid commission in a stupid forest with another stupid adventurer! I don't have 'cannon fodder' written on my forehead!"

  The dy recomposed herself.

  "So, he wanted to make you do a commission... And you refused. So he's now threatening you, right?"

  "Yes."

  Agamennone replied with a ft tone.

  "I'll try asking Timotea about it. So wait a bit. I'll let you know as soon as possible."

  "Ok bye."

  "Wait!"

  "What now?"

  Agamennone's tone was an annoyed one.

  "I forgot to tell you something. I didn't think it was important before, but now i think it's the right time to tell you."

  "... What..."

  "The guildmaster is Brando's brother."

  The demon lord didn't reply. Vionte, now putting the pancake at the top on a pile of other pancakes, was irritated by such ck of any reaction.

  "I assume you don't care then..."

  "It's just... Maybe your reactions are exaggerated about this Brando guy. He doesn't seem that bad. He's... just annoying, not the monster you paint him."

  The half-demoness sighed, putting some more batter in the pan.

  "Still... If tomorrow the guildmaster puts you with Brando, be wary."

  "Ok ok ok... But i think i won't show up tomorrow."

  The demon lord was dismissive. he also instinctively waved his hand

  "You can try... But they know where you live."

  The man scoffed.

  "True... I'll still force his hand though."

  "Ok... You do you. Bye then."

  The girl used an understanding tone.

  "Bye"

  The call ended. Agamennone returded watching the TV, now showing a game of pool.

  Meanwhile

  "Our pn is going smoothly, bro. I've forced our target to accept the commission, tommorrow will be the day. I'll contact that lizard soon too."

  The guildmaster was smoking a cigar in his office, his feet on his desk. He was ecstatic

  "Forced? Define forced."

  His brother, busy doing some shopping, was not impressed.

  "I've put him in his pce. I told him he was being useless and i made him accept the quest as punishment, otherwise i'd give him impossible shifts. I'm a genius. And he was trembling with fear too!"

  Brando didn't reply immediately.

  "You forced him..."

  "Yeah."

  "You're an idiot, bro."

  The demon's tone was deadpan.

  "I know... An idiot?!"

  Gennaro was surprised.

  "You showed a good amount of hostility towards him, now he's angry, and will probably vent to someone, like my girl Vionte. Now she knows this part of the pn. This mean that if you put that guy and me together then it's obvious that you helped me with a scheme."

  The guildmaster giggled anxiously

  "I... Forgot about that. Now what are we going to do?"

  "Now we have to lose control on the accident. I can't go overseeing my part of the pn. You need someone else to accompany him..."

  Brando thought for a moment, his hand touching his chin.

  "I know! Send Timotea, the sexy catgirl. She's Vionte's friend and will... Help us stabilize our current pn..."

  "Ok bro. Think like i've already done it."

  Gennaro ended the call.

  'Now... I have to contact the guy... I hope he can be contacted... The problem then is contacting the catgirl... I hope i can find her home's number on the telephone directory...'

  I puffed out some smoke, then he called the anthropomorphic lizard.

  "Hello?"

  "Hi Tiberio. I'm the guildmaster. I wanted to tell you that the famous commission i told you was blocked by beraucratic problems has been freed. I'll meet you here tomorrow afternoon."

  "Ok."

  "Bye."

  Gennaro closed the call.

  'And that's done...'

  The guildmaster then searched his office, searching the phone book uselessly for a while, until he remembered something.

  'Drat! I used it as a wedge to make one of the table at the canteen even...'

  The demon rushed outside his office. He went in the canteen, where he clumsily removed the phone book from under an empty table. He then returned into his office. After smming the book on his desk, the demon searched Timotea's complete name on his computer, and then for Timotea's number on the book.

  'I can't find her number... Don't tell me she's living in someone else's home... Now how can i find her... Fuck!'

  Gennaro picked up his phone and started to make calls.

  "Hello"

  "Hello, is Timotea here"

  "I don't know any Timotea. Goodbye."

  The call ended. The guildmaster snorted in frustration.

  'There are at least five of them with her surname in this city... '

  The next afternoon.

  A knocking sound reverberated in the home as Agamennone was in the kitchen pying a round of chess with Vionte, with him losing badly.

  "Vionte, go open the door."

  The demon lord's tone was dismissive.

  "That's my home though, and someone's getting way too comfortable in pying the host so... Agamennone, go open the door."

  Her tone shifted from teasing to firm. The young man sighed, then he complied to her request. He opened the front door. In front of him, on the other side of the door, there was Timotea, with a stern look in her face.

  "You. I have no idea what you did to the guildmaster, but yesterday he called me and he ordered me accompany you in a quest and to make sure you complied. And he was completely agitated!"

  "He's unreasonable. He says i'm zy and threatens me to make my work life a living hell."

  Agamennone let out his frustration to her. Meanwhile the half-succubus was slowly approaching them.

  "And he said me i'd get my pay deducted if i didn't accept to bring you with me. So... Nothing personal... But you have to follow me."

  The cat girl grabbed the man's arm.

  "Let me go!"

  "Timotea, calm down. What's with this impetus..."

  Vionte used a calming tone.

  "Hi Vionte. It's... The guildmaster told me to have him complete the quest before evening, so i don't have the time to win his favour."

  Agamennone grunted.

  "He's going to pay. I'll call the guards on him!"

  Then he turned his head towards his housemate.

  "Didn't you tell me you'd have asked Timotea about that?"

  The indigo-haired girl blushed.

  "True... But i wanted to wait how today's events would have unfolded before..."

  The demon lord gred at her, before turning again towards the cat-girl.

  "Do you know if he can threaten me?"

  "He can leash out some disciplinary actions but... Making someone's work life a living hell is illegal and would probably make him suffer some disciplinary actions. Or even getting him arrested. But you need harder proves than a verbal threat and a sporadical hard shift. Especially since the guards are reluctant to investigate the guild, given the power and the connections the tter have. Not to mention that finding someone higher in grade than our guildmaster that is willing to punish his abuse of power is not easy."

  The young man blew out some air. Timotea turned towards her friend.

  "We have to go. Bye."

  "Wait!"

  The young woman was rather concerned.

  "If you two see something off, flee. I can't shake off myself that Brando not only is behind all this, but that he's scheming something despicable... Or maybe i'm really too paranoid..."

  The catgirl instinctively tightened her grip on the man's arm.

  "OUCH! You're crushing my arm."

  "You can't be serious! You can never be too paranoid with Brando!"

  Her look was full of anger. She then looked at Agamennone with an annoyed expression.

  "I'm sure it's you that's underestimating everything and making my friend doubt herself. Sometime you need to keep your mouth shut!"

  The young man snapped

  "You too!"

  The two looked at each other with increasing anger. Vionte cleared her throat.

  "You two should calm down. You have a commission to take."

  "True... We'll leave now. Goodbye."

  The catgirl's tone was apologetic. The half-demoness replied with a smile.

  "Good bye you two."

  The girls waved at each other. The demon lord, however, was in a bad mood and only hinted at a waving movement with his free hand. After the couple left, The indigo-haired dy closed the door.

  'I'm sure there's something wrong waiting to happen...'

  She then returned at the kitchen's table, observing her game. She moved one of her rooks.

  'Checkmate.'

  And then she left the room, climbing the stair and going in her room.

  After some time, the duo reached a wood. There Timotea opened her backpack and gave a sack to Agamennone, who picked it with a confused expression.

  "The commission was mainly about collect some herbs. However, since we are here, we are going to collect more stuff."

  The demon lord was irritated.

  "No, no, no, don't even try to make me do more work than the strictly necessary."

  "Well, it's your fault if you're here now and i'm here with you. And since this commission doesn't pay that much, i want to maximize my profits by collecting other ingredients and selling them."

  Agamennone frowned as the girl expined her pn with a hint of contempt in her voice.

  "You're going to help yourself. I will not."

  The young man tried to leave, only for the woman to grab his arm.

  "If you help i'll give you the 50% of the income. Otherwise i'll give you a punch in the stomach."

  "The 200%"

  The man replied with contempt.

  "40%"

  "I accept the previous offer."

  Timotea left his arm.

  "Well then. So... You'll carry the stuff we are going to collect while i'm the one responsible to keep us safe."

  The catgirl used a firm tone, a tone Agamennone didn't like, as he was ready to compin.

  "I don't want to..."

  Only to stop himself halfway, smirking.

  "No, maybe you are the one with the worst role... And if danger approach, i can always flee while you get mauled."

  The catgirl gazed at him

  "You're not funny. Now let's start searching."

  The couple started to move through the forest.

  Later.

  "How are things going?"

  The guildmaster was talking on the phone. He was nearby the site where the dangerous boulders were ying and the anthropomorphic lizard was waiting instructions while pying with his phone.

  "They aren't going, bro... I'm not seeing our boy anywhere near the pce. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to use Timotea as a guide. They aren't coming near the site, Tiberio is losing his patience and the sun is setting. We risk doing absolutely nothing of what we pnned."

  "Don't worry about that. Managing to do nothing is not a bad outcome actually."

  Brando was doing some crosswords while ying on the sofa of his house.

  "I don't understand."

  Gennaro was left confused.

  "Hear me out. There's no reason for me to get rid of that guy if i ruin my life in the process. That's why i'm saying that managing to do nothing is not a bad outcome. Things go as they are supposed to go, there's no tragedy, no culprits, no victims, and we can retreat safely to pn our next move."

  Brando was in a good mood. He wrote a correct solution in the crossword as he still talked on the phone.

  "So... Why did we attempted all this then?"

  "Because my objective is still to get rid of that Agasomething! Nothing happening is more of a pn B."

  "Oh... I understand now."

  "Also, waiting can also be a useful tool. Vionte has a strong negative bias towards myself, so she would have probably told the guy things like:'Brando is evil' or 'Brando is not to be trusted' and so on..."

  As he said that, the adventurer imitated Vionte's voice.

  "... Which means that failing to act as Vionte thinks i'd act would probably make the guy think that she's paranoid at best. That can drive a wedge between their trust and can make him lower his guard towards me, which is something that can be useful."

  "Ok..."

  The guildmaster was still a bit confused.

  "... I remembered something now... What's the point in killing the guy if you want to get id with the girl?"

  "It's simple. The guy dies, my beloved girl will be sad and vulnerable and i'll sweep in, giving her comfort when she needs it."

  "But... That's genius bro. Not really romantic, but effective if you want to get id..."

  Gennaro was ecstatic.

  "I know, i know... Now, don't waste any more time and keep an eye on that idiot and on our target."

  Brando inserted another word in the crossword and then he closed the call. The guildmaster put his phone back in his pocket before returning where the boulders were. The sun was red from the atmospheric scattering. Tiberio slowly raised his head from his phone.

  "How much i still have to wait? I'm getting bored."

  The guildmaster looked away, slightly embarassed.

  "Uhm... You still have to wait a bit, it's a matter of minutes, really... I need the final ok from the authorities..."

  "If you say so..."

  Tiberio was puzzled, but then he returned watching his phone. The guildmaster observed the scenery, hoping to see his target approaching the zone under the boulder. He found absolutely no people approaching such zone. He then observed the sky. A surprised expression appeared in his face.

  "So... This sunset is really... Beautiful..."

  The anthropomorphic lizard raised his head to observe the sky.

  "You're right, guildmaster."

  Tiberio slowly approached the demon, who turned towards him.

  "The scenery is great here..."

  He then turned again towards the scenery.

  "I'm sure Domenica wouldn like this pce..."

  "Domenica?"

  "Yeah. She's a girl i'm trying to pursue, however she doesn't like me. However if i manage to get her here to watch the sunset with me she may change idea."

  The guildmaster smirked.

  "I think is a good idea. She may resist at first, but if you really open your heart at her, she will stop being stubborn and will comply with your request."

  Tiberio pyfully spped the guildmaster's back, who looked surprised.

  "Don't desist, you will win her over."

  "... You have the right mindset bro."

  Gennaro smiled. A little tear left his eye behind his sungsses. Then he closed his hands in a fist.

  "You're right, i'll win her over."

  He made a sign to the anthropomorphic lizard to follow him, then he walked away, following a cable until he reached the detonator, which was pced in a higher pce in the opposite direction of the cliff. After he reached the pce, he faked to control his phone.

  "The authorization has arrived. It's time to make that boulder fall. The explosives aren't that powerful but they are nonetheless loud. I'll now count down from five to zero. At my zero, we'll detonate the explosives, ok?"

  The guildmaster was enthusiast about the incoming explosion.

  "Ok boss."

  "Ok, five, four, three, two, one, zero!"

  Tiberio activated the detonator. The explosives charges went off and the boulder pushed forward, rolling on the cliff and nding inside a delimited zone. The couple observed the scene, rather disappointed.

  "I hoped for a fshier event."

  "Me too honestly, me too."

  Meanwhile

  "What was that?!"

  Agamennone heard the explosion nearby and was shocked enough that he dropped the sack he was carrying.

  "I've no idea. If we are lucky though, they may have finally managed to get rid of that boulder..."

  Timotea, that was carrying a small bag on her back, replied in a disinterested manner.

  "What boulder?"

  The demon lord struggled to take the sack back.

  "Just a boulder that was at risk of falling down on a road. At least such road has been closed beforehand..."

  "Ah..."

  "The sun's setting, we need to return home. Try not to slow us down too much."

  Agamennone rolled his eyes.

  "Why don't you take the sack then? My shoulders hurt."

  "Because i have to be free to better defend ourselves."

  The catgirl's tone was slightly annoyed. She then signaled the young man to follow her as she was ready to leave the forest.

  That evening.

  Timotea and Agamennone were approaching a general store. The tter was concerned.

  "You're sure the owner won't be angry, right?"

  While the former was not.

  "Don't worry, i'm not the first that makes such thing."

  "You may be the st though."

  The catgirl gnced at him in annoyance. Then they entered it and went toward the counter, where a woman was working at.

  "Hello dear customers, how can i help you?"

  Timotea approached the woman, while Agamennone remained behind.

  "Hello, Ms. Shopkeeper. We've completed your commission. However..."

  The woman smiled.

  "You collected more stuff, right? Let me see them. You're not the first adventurer that has tried to gain a bonus."

  The girl turned towards the demon lord.

  "See?"

  He didn't reply.

  "So... What have you collected?"

  The catgirl smiled awkwardly.

  "One moment, please."

  Timotea went over the young man, who was visibly tired and that was struggling to stand up. She took the sack he was carrying and put it on the counter, where she let out the content of the bag delicately. She then did the same with her backpack. The woman was impressed.

  "Oh my... You've collected a lot of things... I need to make a list of them..."

  The woman did exactly that. Timotea observed the process, interested in not being cheated, while the demon lord entered his own world where he fantasized about a sledgehammer race. The whole listing process took some time and when it ended, the shop owner was satisfied.

  "Seeing all your merchandise, i'm ready to pay you 1 golden coin and 20 silver coins. The commission's payment is excluded, since the guild will pay you."

  "Thank you miss."

  Timotea had a big smile on her face. She picked her purse from her a teral pocket in her backpack and put the golden coin in it. Then she took some silver coins of two different sizes from the same purse and put them together with the other silver coins on the counter. After she put her purse back in her backpack, she took the silver coins and approached her companion, still entertaining himself through his own thoughts.

  'And Gavino De Gaviniis is now fourth after shooting his teammate with a rocket u-'

  She gently shook him.

  "Huh?"

  "That's your share..."

  The girl gave him the money.

  "... And don't say that i'm not fair."

  Agamennone didn't reply, only analyzing the girl with his eyesight. Timotea then waved at the shop owner.

  "Good evening."

  "Good evening to you too."

  The duo then left the pce, with the demon lord not saying goodbye to the shop owner.

  That night

  'The pn has failed. I now have to think something... I took that commission at the board game party. I'm sure Vionte will come, since she like to py, and she may take that twink with her... However there's a lot of people there, so i've got to either be ultra stealthy or i have to act by proxy...'

  Brando was in his own bed, with a mp on his bedside table still on. He yawned as he stared at the ceiling.

  'Even then... if someone vanishes or feels sick while participating in such an event it will be a news with a lot of rumors around it... Fuck... My stupid brother has foiled our own pn with a simple outburst and a complete ck of charisma...'

  Brando hit his bed with a punch.

  'Calm down Brando, there are other ways to reach your goal... And time is actually your ally... Even if... I want my girl so much... I want to be the one to make her a woman.'

  The demon sighed.

  'Still... The next thing to do is to study the map of this event and to search for any hidden spot or security weakness i could use to... accelerate the natural course of events... Hahahahahaha...'

  The blonde guy smirked, then he turned off the mp and went to sleep.