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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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“Bodyguard?”
It was a completely unexpected proposal.
When I asked back with a bewildered expression, the Demon Lord nodded and asked in return.
“Would that be difficult for you?”
“No, it’s not that, but…”
I hate to say this myself, but do you usually entrust such important tasks to someone who’s only been on your side for about two months?
If it were me, I’d never be able to entrust such work to them.
When I mentioned this point and directly asked if he wasn’t worried, the Demon Lord laughed heartily as if he’d heard an amusing story.
“If those who stand above don’t trust their subordinates, who in the world could work for the nation? Moreover, if that person has proven their abilities, there’s even less reason to reject them.”
Having experienced the vertical and irrational organizational culture of the Oz Kingdom, the Demon Lord’s values were truly radical.
No, could these really be words that would come from the mouth of someone living in the same era as those thick-skulled nobles of the kingdom?
Could this possibly be a reincarnated CEO who used to work in Silicon Valley?
When I looked at the Demon Lord’s face with suspicion-filled eyes, the Demon Lord rubbed his own cheek as if puzzled.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No, nothing at all.”
“How bland.”
Having said that, the Demon Lord stroked his beard that he’d grown like Guan Yu’s and said he’d entrust his daughter to my care.
Thus, I was naturally persuaded as easily as breathing and accepted the mission to escort Ozma.
After the fifth sex education session ended, I watched Camilla’s actions as she removed her stockings that had gotten semen on them from our thigh job and asked.
“Camilla, do you know exactly what this inter-tribal exchange meeting is about?”
“…The exchange meeting, you mean?”
Camilla, who always wore stockings so I rarely saw her bare legs, tilted her head while unusually showing her white legs.
“The exchange meeting is an annual regular gathering of demon tribes. Since the Demon Lord’s army has the characteristics of being an alliance of different races scattered throughout Doom Land, and they normally don’t interact with each other, it’s an event created so they can at least get to know each other’s faces. It’s a tradition that disappeared for a while during a period when conflicts between races intensified, but was revived when Lord Nero’s reign began.”
“Do they fight there too?”
“Yes. Since the basic physiology of demons is to respect the strong, they also hold martial arts tournaments for young demons. Usually one of the Four Heavenly Kings sponsors the tournament.”
The fighting that Ozma mentioned was probably referring to this martial arts tournament.
More than that, if it’s an annual event and she has a total record of 34 losses…
The conclusion is that Ozma is also much older than me.
Even considering that she’s a demon, everyone looks so young compared to their actual age, which is just bewildering.
How is it that everyone is older than me?
“…I really need to start applying sunscreen from today.”
If I age just a little more, even when dating demon women, people will think it’s a father and daughter out for a walk.
I wanted to avoid such a situation at all costs.
It was two days later that our party consisting of me, Camilla, and Ozma headed toward the location where the demon exchange meeting was being held.
Since we were gradually entering the full winter season, we hurried because it would be difficult to return if we delayed any longer.
Vanessa, the captain of the Demon Lord’s personal guard and Ozma’s former escort, was very regretful about sending Ozma off, but on the other hand, she was happy about not having to serve as a subordinate for a while.
…No, you should show such feelings when the person in question isn’t around.
Although our departure time was slightly delayed because Vanessa got scolded by Ozma, nothing else particular happened.
Actually, it wasn’t that far of a journey.
Dragon Mountain, the territory of the dragon tribe where this exchange meeting was being held, was only about four days away from the Demon Lord’s castle.
‘Dragon Mountain… huh, sounds like a place name where a bunch of scalpers would live.’
Usually when the Demon Lord’s daughter travels, you’d think an enormous escort force would have to follow, but surprisingly that wasn’t the case.
Ozma herself disliked special treatment, and moving around in such a large group would be much more conspicuous.
It was better to move without leaving traces with a small elite group like we were doing now.
“Camilla, I’ll be counting on you during this trip.”
“Yes. Please leave it to me, Ozma-sama.”
The two people who usually didn’t seem to get along well exchanged surprisingly normal conversation once they became part of the same party.
The atmosphere was still somewhat awkward, but I could act as a buffer between them to handle that part.
We departed early in the morning from the Demon Lord’s castle and rode non-stop toward the large volcano visible beyond the horizon.
Of course, since the horses’ stamina also had limits, we repeated rest breaks every hour, but excluding that, we moved diligently without even exchanging small talk.
…Honestly speaking, it was deadly boring.
While Camilla was naturally a person of few words, even Ozma, who usually conversed quite well, kept her mouth tightly shut as if uncomfortable, so I had no choice but to practice silent meditation as well.
After moving for about 5 hours like that, we stopped by a suitable riverside to prepare lunch.
“Then I’ll go fetch water.”
As we divided roles, Camilla naturally left her spot, and I asked while digging a pit to light a campfire for cooking rice.
“Um, Ozma-sama? What kind of relationship do you have with Camilla that you’re putting up such a wall?”
Then Ozma, who had been following me and putting branches into the pit, momentarily stopped her hand.
“Nothing particular… we have no relationship at all.”
Her face looked like there was quite a story behind it for claiming no relationship.
I thought about probing a little more, but since the person involved didn’t seem to want to talk about it, I decided to just leave it alone.
I thought it might unnecessarily stir up trouble.
Meanwhile, Camilla returned to the camp carrying leather water bottles full of sloshing water in both hands, having fetched water from the river.
“Here you are.”
“Thank you.”
Normally I would have left the cooking to Camilla, but this time we decided to take turns cooking among the three of us to create a travel atmosphere.
Actually, it was a rule I devised on the spot after seeing that the two people’s relationship was very bad, but surprisingly the reaction wasn’t bad.
I put well-washed rice in a camping pot to make pot rice, then diced the fresh vegetables I had procured from the Demon Lord’s castle kitchen.
I poured the roughly cut vegetables like potatoes, onions, and carrots into one pot, and added an appropriate amount of water and the yellow powder I always carried in my back pocket for emergencies.
Even without adding starch separately, since potatoes already contain starch, if you boil it for a long time it would change to just the right consistency for eating.
Before the dish was completed, I added finely chopped jerky as a hidden flavor.
Jerky that would be unbearably tough if eaten plain would come alive with its unique texture and aroma when added to curry like this.
Finally, I sprinkled an appropriate amount of the completed curry over freshly cooked rice and it was done.
“Here, try this.”
When I said that and offered the piping hot curry I had just made, Ozma looked down at the bowl I offered with eyes that seemed to see something very curious.
“What do you call this food?”
“It’s a dish called curry. Thanks to its simple preparation method, it’s food that humans often make when camping outdoors.”
After hearing my explanation, Ozma seemed interested in this unknown food she was seeing for the first time, and boldly scooped some up with her spoon.
“Mm.”
She first smelled the aroma with a cautious expression before eating the curry.
Then she visually enjoyed the overall appearance of the food before finally putting it in her mouth.
“…!”
Ozma’s two yellow eyes sparkled brightly.
Well, if she was eating curry for the first time in her life, she would naturally feel culture shock.
The unique curry taste mixed with dozens of spices would be something she’d never experienced in any other food.
It might be slightly spicy, but surprisingly Ozma showed no such signs at all and steadily ate the curry in her bowl.
Smiling contentedly at that sight, I looked toward Camilla this time.
“Nyeeee—”
She was cooling her tongue in water with a reddened face while her tail peeking out from under her skirt flapped around.
Unlike Ozma, curry seemed too spicy for her taste.
When I asked if she was okay, Camilla nodded with an expressionless face that had tears slightly welling up.
“…I’m fine. A maid of my caliber can’t be picky just because something is a little spicy.”
Having said that, Camilla forced down the curry I had served her, which was a bit more than her usual meal amount, and ultimately achieved a clean plate.
Slightly moved by that sight, I thanked Camilla and handed her chocolate I had saved to eat when my blood sugar dropped.
“Thank you.”
The curry must have been really spicy, because despite pretending otherwise, she was incredibly happy.
Having finished lunch like that, we decided to rest here for a while before moving again.
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