After my conversation with Funf-san, Alice finally hopped off my back, and we used her teleportation magic to move on to our next destination. We arrived in a town I had never seen before.
It was quite large—not on the same scale as Yugfressia, but it seemed at least as big as the city surrounding Kuro-san's castle.
"I don’t recognize this place. Where are we?"
"This is one of the towns located on Kuro-san’s land. Her territory is vast, so she has several settlements like this. While each town has its own representative, Zwei-san is the one who oversees and coordinates all of them."
"Ah, so that’s why Zwei-san is here."
"She has bases all over the place, but this is her primary office."
As Alice gave me the brief rundown, we reached an exceptionally large building near the town center. Alice exchanged a few words with the individuals guarding the entrance, and we were immediately shown inside.
We eventually reached what appeared to be Zwei-san’s office. Upon entering, I saw Zwei-san silently organizing a mountain of documents piled high on a large table.
The room was furnished with a large sofa and a polished table, suggesting it functioned as both a private office and a reception room for guests.
As soon as Zwei-san noticed us, she stopped her work, stood up swiftly, and gave a graceful bow.
"Miyama-sama, Shaltier-sama, welcome. I feel terrible that I haven't been able to prepare a proper reception for you..."
"Hello, Zwei-san. Sorry for dropping in so suddenly."
"Don’t worry about the hospitality," Alice said, though she followed up immediately with, "Just bring us some cookies for now."
"At once."
"Hey, Alice..."
I looked at Alice in exasperation. Despite claiming she didn't care about formalities, she was perfectly happy to demand snacks. Zwei-san ignored my protest and ushered us to sit side-by-side on the large sofa.
After placing a plate of expensive-looking cookies on the table, Zwei-san used the equipment set up in the room to quickly brew us some tea. This was my third cup of black tea today. I was starting to feel like my stomach would slosh with every movement.
"So, what business brings you here today?"
"Oh, it's nothing major," Alice replied. "I've decided to review parts of the Peerage-class system, so I’ve come to officially certify you as a Duke-class High-ranking Demon."
"...A review of the system? I see. I assume that entails lowering the criteria for the Duke-class and moving Ein up to a rank one tier higher? And then, perhaps, appointing a set number of individuals from each faction to the Duke-class to maintain balance?"
"As expected, your intuition is sharp. Precisely."
"And Ein actually agreed to this?"
"The name of the new rank is 'Maid-class'."
"You have my deepest sympathies."
Whether she understood the struggle from Alice’s words or the look on her face, Zwei-san wore an indescribable expression.
"By the way, Zwei-san?" Alice asked.
"Yes?"
"I’m sorry for the sudden visit. It must have been quite hectic, right? Man, I really should have sent out a notice earlier."
"...Um, Shaltier-sama? In my experience, when you wear that kind of expression... how should I put it... I have nothing but a bad feeling about this."
As Alice flashed a mischievous grin, Zwei-san’s expression turned slightly panicked. Since Zwei-san wasn't leaking any magic power, I couldn't read her emotions through Sympathy Magic, but it was clear she was sensing an ill omen.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just thought it was interesting that despite us dropping in unannounced while you were supposedly in the middle of work... your appearance is awfully well-groomed."
"Shaltier-sama... I understand perfectly what you are trying to imply. Please, I beg of you... have mercy..."
"Oh? And this scent... you’re even wearing a brand-new perfume. When you heard Kaito-san was coming, you must have rushed to get ready in the short time before we arrived. And yet, when we walked in, you acted like you’d been working normally all along so we wouldn't notice. How endearing."
"I-It’s not like that! Just because Miyama-sama was coming doesn't mean I hurriedly fixed myself up... T-That’s not it at all! Wearing the new perfume today was just a coincidence!"
Zwei-san seemed to be the type who couldn't lie to save her life, much like Lilia-san. Her eyes were darting everywhere, and her usual cool demeanor had completely vanished, replaced by total panic. It was painfully obvious.
"Also, the document you were holding when we walked in? It was upside down."
"........................I put an incredible amount of effort into getting ready. I even picked out the best cookies in the manor and was waiting for you."
"Yes, yes. It's much better to be honest."
Zwei-san hid her beet-red face behind both hands and slumped forward, completely surrendering to Alice’s teasing. Contrary to my initial impression of her, Zwei-san was actually quite a cute person.
I also felt like I finally understood why Alice had described her as a "teasable character."
Serious-senpai: "Since she’s basically so serious and diligent, she’s the perfect target for Alice to mess with..."