One two, one two.
“Hey, the formation is falling apart! Wake up!”
“Put strength into your legs and run!”
The demons were running through the training ground in perfect formation, not a single one of them out of place.
Those guys have been running, this is their 43rd lap.
From observing for a week, my guess is they’ll pick up their swords after completing 50 laps.
As for me, instead of following them,
“Byaa… (I feel like I’m going to die.)”
I lay gasping for breath in a corner of the training ground.
It’s not because I trained with them.
It’s just…
“Hand.”
“Handstand.”
“Foot.”
“Fetch.”
I was doing this cursed Martin’s bidding.
‘Am I a dog? No, even if I were a dog, what kind of fetch is this you crazy guy!’
Inside, I was cursing him like mad, but in reality, I couldn’t refuse.
On the first day I received the quest, Martin ordered me to ‘fetch.’
No matter how much I had given up my dignity as a human, this felt a bit too much,
so I refused. But then…
Main Quest: <Hope We Get Along!>”
Gain the Favor of All Demons in the 1st Legion (1/35) – NEW!
The goodwill is instantly lost.
‘Yeah, the system is dead.’
I picked up the twig he threw at me. I had to live.
After that, Martin kept asking me to do this. It was as if he was surprised that I was following him for the first time.
Really…
‘I’m pissed.’
If I can move my hands and feet properly, I’m going to hit Martin. I’m definitely going to.
But I gained something thanks to it.
Main Quest: <Hope We Get Along!>
Gain the Favor of All Demons in the 1st Legion (7/35) – NEW!
After that, I unknowingly gained the favor of five people.
‘I don’t know why.’
I reasonably suspect that it’s not because I’m struggling to cater to Martin’s tastes.
Anyway…
Time Limit: 70 hours.
Only 3 days left until the quest deadline.
Just 1/5 completed in the last 7 days.
‘What should I do?’
The biggest difficulty for a nerd who never had a single friend in her life… this quest is the hardest right now…
Even though I wanted to mimic the popular poses, I couldn’t do it with my baby-like body. Sniff, tears are flowing.
“Lady Shekina, it’s mealtime!”
Arthur approached with a bright smile.
This guy, who ran 50 laps in this vast training ground without even a drop of sweat.
‘Tough one.’
I reluctantly gulped down the baby formula Arthur offered.
“Commander, today is the day of the tournament. Please stop bothering lady Shekina and go soon.”
“I didn’t bother her. Shekina found it fun.”
Who?
When?
I was sucking on the milk bottle, and my mouth hung open in disbelief.
Hey, Arthur. No, I didn’t find it fun at all. Please stop teasing me.
Despite gazing at Arthur with an earnest expression…
“Is that so? Hmmm… Then do it again after the tournament ends. If you don’t participate this time either, the Demon King will be furious. Shekina, it’s okay, right? Please bear with it a little even if you’re disappointed.”
It’s not okay, you bastard.
The fire inside was about to explode.
I need to finish this darn task quickly, but how?
I bit my lower lip while drinking the baby formula.
“Oh, Commander, are you going to the tournament?”
“Be careful!”
“Don’t hit anyone again!”
“Don’t break anything!”
Martin, completely unaware of my inner turmoil, left behind the demon greetings.
“Should we take a break too?”
“Sure, lady Shekina, rest until your meal is done.”
“Yes!”
The demons who answered energetically either sat down or lay on the ground.
“Who’s the one who always lags behind?”
“Yeah, if it were me, I wouldn’t have the courage to lift my head.”
“Hey! It’s because you tripped over your own feet!”
“Yeah, isn’t that’s just an excuse?”
“Hey, you jerk, come here!”
The familiar bickering as always.
Sigh, these guys are so carefree. Some of us are thinking we might die in three days.
“Oh, lady Shekina, have you finished already?”
Arthur said as he took the powdered milk from me.
“Bya! Bya! Mya! (Give me another pail, I’m still not enough!)”
“No. Didn’t you have three this morning.”
“Myaah! (Give it to me!)”
“No, you can’t.”
Is it because he’s the father of two kids? Arthur, who now understands my words to some extent, didn’t comply with my request right away.
At this rate, my belly won’t be filled at all!
‘Ithink one more bottle would be just perfect.’
So, I clasped my hands together.
“Mya…”
Then, I opened my eyes wide and pushed my lips forward.
“Myaah…”
I made what I thought was the most pitiful expression. Even though he’s a demon, he should have a little pity, I thought.
“Ahem!”
As I expected, my plan worked. Arthur, who had been coughing for a moment, reluctantly took out another bottle of formula from his bag.
“W-well, I’ll give you one more.”
“Myaah! (I knew you’d do that!)”
As I received a new bottle, I giggled happily and opened my mouth wide.
That’s when it happened.
“Wow…”
One of the nearby demons who had been loitering around suddenly leaned closer to me.
“Shekina, the more I look, the cuter you become.”
What the heck?
I’m cute even without you looking closely.
I replied with a twitch in my ear.
“What do you mean by calling humanoids cute.”
“No, really. Take a closer look. Doesn’t it have a strange charm? Those chubby cheeks…”
“Hmm, maybe?”
“It kind of seems that way, doesn’t it?”
Are these guys imagining someone as a zoo monkey right now? While I was sucking on the baby formula, I growled at them.
But it seems like they didn’t notice my annoyance.
“Hey, this expression is even cuter.”
“True. Those eyes full of life, I just got a chill.”
“Lady Shekina, can I poke your cheek just once?”
You think you can do that?
I turned my head suddenly, or at least I tried to.
Ring!
Main Quest: <Hope We Get Along!>
Gain the Favor of All Demons in the 1st Legion (11/35) – NEW!
“……..?”
Suddenly, my favor increased by four people.
‘Could it be that they find me cute?’
I was certain of it next.
“Hey? Why are you guys having all the fun? What’s going on?”
“Oh, they find Shekina cute. They want to get permission to poke her cheek.”
“Why are you all doing this fun thing without me? I want to do it too!”
Main Quest: <Hope We Get Along!>
Gain the Favor of All Demons in the 1st Legion (13/35) – NEW!
Here it is.
“Byaah!”
Alright, here are my cheeks. Poke them mercilessly.
“Me too! Me too!”
“I want to do it once!”
The sensation of being poked on the cheek repeatedly wasn’t pleasant, but I could endure it.
“Wow, what’s going on? Are babies naturally this cute?”
“Shekina, couldn’t you smile one more time?”
“Here, look here!”
Because I came up with a way to instantly gain the favor of these demon guys!
Indeed, cuteness rules the world.
‘I should show them my ultimate move.’
A skill I’ve mastered since my past life.
The technique I used to survive somehow and imitate an innocent baby!
“Myaaha! (Ultimate Cuteness Strike!)”
“Euhaha! So cute!”
“Myaha! (Ultimate Cuteness Strike!)”
“Oh, what’s this? I’m falling!”
Ring, ring, ring.
The notifications kept ringing without pause.
Gaining the favor of demons was easier than studying for an exam.
***
“Phew.”
Finished with the conclave, Lyat sighed as he shoved his dripping one-eyed glasses into his pocket.
– The Pope opened his eyes.
The words of Calvin Murwara, a Legionnaire of the 4th Corps in an intelligence gathering role.
A report of his miraculous return to life after being sick and half-corpse for half a year.
It was credible, coming from Calvin Murwara, the man who had never been wrong about anything, the man who lurked in the shadows and listened to everything. No, it had to be true.
‘Damn it.’
Lyat let out a long sigh.
Ever since the Demon King had sealed his power, the Demon Realm had continued to crumble. Not surprising, since it was a world that could only be sustained by the Demon King’s power in the first place.
The demons were losing control of the demon realm due to the monsters, who had lost their senses after being freed from the Demon King’s rule, running wild and unidentifiable. They were on the verge of losing the demon realm to the monsters.
While there was a relatively safe zone, it was unclear how long they could hold out.
That’s why they needed to break the seal as soon as possible…
‘Pope! Just die already, why bother coming back!’
Ugh!
Several decades ago, demons had ventured into the human realm recklessly and had been severely scolded by the Pope. They had made efforts to assimilate into the human realm, spending years dealing with the monsters that had crossed over from the demon and human realms.
In a fortunate twist of fate, he was knighted the margrave for his efforts to defeat the hordes of demons that appeared in the capital and save the prince.
So, they had not worried too much about wandering in the human realm since then, but,
– How can we trust those unreliable?
– Well, we still have our doubts.
– When leaving the Northern Territories, you must obtain the approval of the temple.
The Pope opposed them.
Although they had concealed their demon powers thoroughly, what had he seen to feel this way?
While the Pope had been down for half a year, it had been a time of demons. But if he regained his senses…
‘Our plans for the future will become more uncertain.’
They needed to find the sealed power as soon as possible.
‘I hope that Homunculus grows up quickly.’
Homunculus, the one that can bind artifacts to gain power. Was the name Shekina?
“Hmm.”
Lyat changed his course from heading to the main headquarters and began walking towards the training grounds.
He assumed that the Knights and the 1st Division Commander, Martin, would be at the training grounds, of course.
As he soon arrived at the training grounds, he rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand and briefly denied reality.
“Lady Shekina, over here!”
“Smile for us here too!”
“We’re waiting here!”
What… are these guys talking about?
