Once the introductions were over, we settled into the seats Nia-san had prepared and chatted over tea. Having just visited Gluttony-san and Astaroth-san in quick succession, I was already feeling quite full.
While the black tea she served was perfectly ordinary... the snacks accompanying it were anything but. There was a vast array of marshmallow-like sweets and bite-sized appetizers, but for some reason, every last one of them was served on a skewer.
Just how deep does this person's obsession with skewering run...?
"Well, I suppose this much is tolerable," Pandora-san remarked with an exasperated look. Since nothing appeared grotesque, she didn't feel the need to scold Nia-san.
I didn't have a problem with it either. In fact, being on skewers actually made the food rather easy to eat.
"I really did want to prepare a more diverse spread, but..." Nia-san began.
"E-Err, so, you really have a passion for this, don't you?" I asked.
"Indeed. While skewering may appear simple at first glance, it is a sophisticated art form that requires a delicate distribution of balance—front, back, left, and right. The angle is also of paramount importance—"
"Stop right there, Moloch," Pandora-san interrupted. "I know you'll drone on forever if I let you, so cut it out."
"How unfortunate... I truly wanted Kaito-sama to understand the wonders of the skewer as well."
If possible, I’d prefer to go my entire life without learning those "wonders." Still, the fact that she stopped when warned made her seem much easier to deal with than Eden-san. Though, I felt like comparing anyone to her was probably a mistake.
"S-Speaking of which—and I'm sorry if I'm wrong—is your race something like a devil or a demon?"
"Your discernment is truly remarkable," Nia-san replied.
Actually, it wasn't so much discernment as the fact that she looked exactly like a devil.
"I serve as the coordinator for the Demon race, and I am also known as a Demon Lord."
"Among Humankind, there are those who mistakenly believe that Incubi and Succubi are also part of the Demon race," Pandora-san added. "However, they belong to a separate species called the Lust Demon race, and they have their own leader."
That made sense. I did have a vague image of Incubi and Succubi being demonic. Come to think of it, I remembered a letter mentioning that Chris-san's mother was a Succubus.
As I was reflecting on that, Pandora-san continued her explanation.
"By the way, as I mentioned before, the head of the Lust Demon race is Lilim. We plan to visit her after we finish here."
"Pandora-sama... You intend to go to Lilim's place next?" Nia-san asked, her brow furrowing. "But Kaito-sama is a man. Surely it isn't wise to let him associate with that vulgar woman?"
"I had my doubts as well, but Shaltier-sama assured me it would be fine."
"I see... If Shaltier-sama says so, then I shall not object."
Now that I thought about it, Pandora-san had also seemed hesitant about letting me meet Lilim-san when she first explained the schedule. Given that Lilim-san was a Succubus and the head of the Lust Demons, I could guess why. I imagined she used powers like Charm, but Shiro-san's Blessing should protect me from those kinds of status ailments.
"Ah, that reminds me, Miyama-sama... Per Shaltier-sama’s instructions, someone else will act as your intermediary for Lilim instead of me."
"Eh? Really?"
"Yes. Since one of Lilim's relatives is an acquaintance of yours, it was decided that it would be more appropriate for you to be introduced through them."
"An acquaintance of mine?"
I paused to think. A relative of someone I knew... Wouldn't that be the person I had just thought of a moment ago? I couldn't think of anyone else it could be, so the odds seemed high.
"Is it... perhaps Chris-san?"
"Yes, precisely. Lilim is the mother of the current Empress of the Arclesia Empire, Chris Dia von Alcreasia."
My guess was correct. It turned out the mother Chris-san had mentioned in her letter was actually Lilim, one of the Ten Demons.
The world really was a small place. Still, if I was going to have Chris-san introduce me, I felt it would be better to do it another day rather than rushing straight there. Pandora-san would likely go along with whatever I wanted, and the ever-kind Chris-san would probably make time even on short notice, but I would feel far too guilty imposing on her like that.
"I see. In that case, trying to visit today on such a hectic schedule would be exhausting. I'll plan to visit her another day instead."
I proposed the delay under the pretext of my own fatigue. In truth, meeting three people as intense as the ones I’d seen today really had taken a lot out of me.
Hearing my decision, Nia-san’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
"Kaito-sama! If you find yourself with extra time, would you like to see my collection? I have a curated selection of fine artworks on hand!"
"Stop it, Moloch," Pandora-san snapped. "Your so-called 'fine artworks' are just living creatures you've skewered, aren't they?"
"I have specimens skewered at such perfect angles that they've remained alive for nearly a thousand years, still faintly twitching, you know?"
"Don't you dare show those to Miyama-sama! Absolutely not!"
"O-Oh... But they are my masterpieces..."
I never thought I would find Pandora-san this reliable. Strangely enough, she was starting to look like the voice of reason... even though she was actually a pretty dangerous person herself.
Moloch (Real Name: Satania Darklord)
A Demon Lord who reigns at the pinnacle of the Demon race and stands as one of the Ten Demons. Ever since her total defeat at the hands of Alice, she became one of those subordinates whose loyalty had glitched into total, fanatic devotion.
Back then, her race was known as the Demon King, a special individual variant. However, based on her personal creed that Alice is the only true King, she forcibly renamed her entire race to Demon Lord.
(Incidentally, she gets extremely angry if anyone refers to her by her former race name.)
She believes that skewering is the ultimate form of art and will skewer almost anything given the chance. Beyond that, she enjoys collecting cursed artifacts, making her hobbies quite literally devilish. Aside from her eccentric interests, she is earnest and relatively well-mannered. She is also a notable representative of the dark-skinned character archetype.