Sandwiched between a woman of the Devil Race and a man in a butler’s suit, I was currently being shielded by the man they called the Director. My name was Mick, and I was consumed by an overwhelming anxiety about what the future held for me.
I wasn't about to give my real name. Expecting the worst, I decided to stick with Mick. Just as I was steeling my resolve, another intruder appeared.
"It's quite troublesome when people start radiating bloodlust in this neighborhood," a voice called out from above.
I looked up to see someone perched on the roof of a nearby building. The figure leaped down, landing gracefully beside the man called the Director. She was short—a maid?
The maid turned her gaze first toward the Devil woman. "The things forbidden in Village Five are just as prohibited in this city. Are you doing this knowingly? If so, I shall report this to the Village Head."
The Devil woman seemed visibly flustered by the maid’s words. Next, the maid turned toward the man in the butler’s suit.
"If you intend to go on a rampage here, I assume you are prepared to make an enemy of the Village Head. Am I correct?"
The man in the suit grew equally flustered. Finally, the maid looked at the man called the Director.
"Please, no more recklessness. I’m the one who will get scolded by the Village Head."
To my surprise, the man called the Director submissively bowed his head to her. I couldn't help but wonder who this maid was. In terms of raw power, she seemed far weaker than the Director, yet she was clearly the one dominating the scene.
She was a short, young-looking maid. I knew well enough that in the Demon Kingdom, appearances regarding age were often deceiving. She certainly wasn't some mere child. Come to think of it, I’d heard rumors of a "Young Maid" who truly ruled Shashato City. It seemed those rumors were true.
The Young Maid proceeded to interview everyone individually to confirm the situation. When it was our turn, the questions centered mostly on the book. I struggled for a moment with how to respond, but realizing this was a matter of life or death, I decided to be honest about how we had obtained it.
I explained that we were members of a caravan from outside the Demon Kingdom. While staying in Shashato City, we’d grown bored and heard rumors of strange golems. We headed north to investigate, stumbled upon the ruins, and recovered the book from a house there. Of course, I didn't mention that we were actually spies investigating the kingdom; we would have been arrested on the spot. Though we hadn't coordinated our stories, Dan followed my lead and told a similar tale, so it didn't seem like we were suspected.
"You aren't registered as adventurers, are you?" the maid asked. "In that case, removing items from a ruin is a criminal act."
Dammit! She was right!
In this world, ruins and abandoned houses were everywhere. They weren't a rare sight, given how much history had transpired in the past. At the same time, there were countless buildings that merely looked like ruins. Since only a lucky few could always live in pristine homes, people often got into trouble for assuming a place was abandoned and taking things without permission.
Because of this, it was a crime in almost every nation—not just the Demon Kingdom—to take items from inside a building or its grounds. However, that rule meant ruins would be left to rot forever, which created its own set of problems. Precious ancient items would be lost or left for common thieves. To solve this, an exception was made for adventurers.
If you were a registered adventurer, you could remove items under the pretext of an official investigation. Naturally, you had to report the site before starting and submit an inventory of everything found afterward. These procedures were so strict that even a licensed adventurer would be treated like a thief if they ignored them.
I knew all this, yet I’d completely forgotten. I’d been too focused on the fact that I was in a foreign country and too caught up in the hunt for those strange golems. Furthermore, both Dan and I were nobles and soldiers. In our homeland, the military was allowed to seize items from ruins as long as there was a reason. No one complained. Even a king would hold his tongue if a general claimed a seizure was necessary for victory. Unless it was clearly a noble’s private residence, no one cared if you picked through a ruin.
Because of that mindset, I’d failed to realize that we were committing a crime. It was a massive oversight. My mind raced—should we run?
The Devil woman and the butler were right there. So was the Director. And then there was the Young Maid. She might have been weaker than the Director, but I had a feeling she was still far stronger than us. Escaping was impossible.
I decided to give up. I resolved that I wouldn't let the rest of our comrades get dragged down with us—everyone except Dan, at least. I started with an apology.
"I am terribly sorry. It was a careless mistake." And I truly meant it.
"Careless, was it? That ruined city was discovered recently, and I believe there should have been a Priority Claim Tag posted. Did you not see it?"
A Priority Claim Tag? I didn't recall seeing anything like that.
"Lady Miyo," the Director interjected, "if they aren't registered adventurers, they likely wouldn't have understood the tag even if they had seen it."
So, the maid’s name was Miyo. I made a mental note of it.
"Wait just a moment," the man in the butler’s suit said, stepping into the conversation. "That location is under our management. Forget priority tags; they didn't even have the right to investigate in the first place."
"Is that place managed by you, Lord Gucci?" Miyo asked. "I checked with Lord Draim, and he claimed to know nothing about it."
"That is because it dates back to before Lord Draim took his post. If you had asked Bulga, Stifano, or even Prada, they could have told you."
"Ah, my apologies. Bulga and Stifano have been quite busy caring for Lord Kukulkan, so I couldn't get a word with them."
"And Prada?"
"I’ve always thought of her as a member of Village Five staff, so the idea of asking her never even crossed my mind."
"I see. Well, I have been quite busy myself lately. Let us call it even."
"That would be a great help," Miyo replied. "Actually, a preliminary investigation team has already set out and should be arriving soon. Is the site dangerous?"
"There is only one truly problematic spot. As long as they don't investigate that specific area, there is no danger." The man in the suit, Lord Gucci, then turned his gaze toward us—specifically, the book we held. "That book was located in that very spot... but no matter. If you return the book to me now, I shall overlook your trespassing."
I was stunned. No punishment? I handed it over instantly. I didn't care if Dan had any objections; I was giving it back. The Devil woman started complaining, but Miyo blocked her, so I ignored the noise.
"Thank you. This was the only thing you took, correct?"
"Y-yes, that's it."
"Just to be sure... did you read any of it?"
"I tried, but the script was unreadable."
"I see. Very well. Please do not approach that location again."
"Of course. We are truly sorry."
Dan and I were finally released. I could have wept with relief. I was incredibly grateful for this stroke of luck. I had survived. To be honest, it was a bit painful to part with the book after carrying it all that way, but my life was infinitely more valuable.
A wave of exhaustion washed over me. The sun was starting to rise; we’d been out there for quite some time. All I wanted was to get back to the inn and sleep. As for the report to the Captain? I’d just tell him we found nothing. No need to mention the rest. I wanted to forget the whole thing—though I was still going to play baseball. I’d have to thank the Director properly the next time I saw him.
It was past noon when Dan woke me up. I’d told him specifically not to disturb me, but the look on his face stopped my protest. He looked deathly serious.
Without a word, Dan led me outside and pointed toward the north. In the far distance, a plume of black smoke was rising into the sky.
"Is that a fire?" I asked.
"An explosion. Right where the ruins were."
I didn't need to ask why. I knew with absolute certainty that the explosion had been caused by the "sculpture" I’d left behind.
I wondered if the butler, Lord Gucci, would be angry. He had to be, right? I’d just blown up his ruins. My mind immediately pivoted to an exit strategy. Where could we go?
"I heard about these magical passages called Teleportation Gates," Dan said. "Some of our guys looked into them. Apparently, they can take you far away in an instant."
And so, Dan and I used a Teleportation Gate to make our escape. We ended up being caught by Miyo again in the Royal Capital, though. Curiously, Miyo herself was being hauled off by a woman who looked like a simple village girl at the time. I never did find out why.
Later on, Lord Gucci actually thanked me. Apparently, he’d been bound by a contract that prevented him from destroying certain items himself, but my explosion had managed to take out the vast majority of them.
"As long as you aren't angry, that's fine by me," I told him.
He asked if there was anything I wanted as a reward. I told him I didn't need anything, but he insisted.
"Well then," I said, "if you could do something about that Devil woman over there..."
She had been glaring at me ever since the blast, mourning the loss of the "precious ancient items" I'd accidentally demolished.