The entire camp was in upheaval.
Horsemen rode between the yurts, kicking up dust. They wouldn't slow down until reaching Maou Midori's pavilion. And even then, they jumped off the saddle at the very last moment.
What an absolute safety hazard that was.
Out of breath, they dropped to their knees, and none dared to look at their big, bad leader.
Odd, considering how devoted all his servants were. But, well, it must have been how things were in this world. They wasted precious moments after all the rushing until one finally spoke.
"My Lord—the bastard," he panted. "K-Kasserlane's attacking."
Demon Lord didn't even look up from his map.
"Specifics?" he grunted at hand-drawn ridges. "Numbers? Direction? Who leads them?"
He meant business. The scout gulped.
"Konrad von Halstadt, My Lord," a second rider claimed. Kon-chan? Here?! "With a hundred men of his Rogue Rejects, and that monster from the Halaima Pass."
Wait, weren't they buddies?!
And what's a Rogue Rejects? Was his naming that terrible in every world?
The report earned the scout a glance, but once he considered it—
"Nonsense."
And that was it.
Midori-kun was back to looking over his precious map.
"M-My Lord?" the men tried again. "Should we intercept?"
They definitely weren't buddies.
"That monstrous golem killed many of our men—"
What?! Golem? Things were getting interesting.
But Maou Midori sighed.
"We've tens of thousands. Think he'd attack head-on?" he asked. "Don't bother me with small fry or nonsense again, you've a proper chain of command. Halstadt's an illusionist, not an idiot."
And he was pretty great with the guitar, too, considering—
"Wait," the Demon Lord grunted right after dismissing them. "Was there a blonde woman with him? Or a dragon? Though I guess even you would notice something humongous like that."
The scouts paused.
They weren't kneeling anymore, but would still look anywhere but at the wrinkled old man.
Which she could understand.
The Midori-kun she knew was a bit stuck-up, too. But he was a young student, great on the keys. This old wizard? Or whatever he was? Cold and scary.
And while her psychologist told her to trust him, the Demon Lord didn't even remember her.
Or their practice. The concert. The Underground Club. Anything.
What a total disappointment it was.
"Other than the golem, there was a huge, redheaded man with him," the first scout reported after a while. "But we confirmed Duke Halstadt's identity with survivors of a failed assault."
"Duke?!" Yuki yelped, forgetting where she was for a moment there.
The riders glanced at her in surprise, but Midori-kun's grunt made them jump again.
"As I said, small fry," he waved them off again. "An illusion, or expendable men. It's a Diversion. Double the patrols, but don't go overboard. Send some archers to see what they're up to."
And with that, the audience was over.
She could only blink.
"You're such a grumpy old fart," Yuki noted, arms crossed. "Thought you wanted to meet him?"
"Meet?" the Demon Lord scoffed. "I want to take revenge on him. He and that blonde woman humiliated me during our duel. He will pay. But this clown with the golem? It ain't him."
"Huh? What are you even talking about?" she moaned, kicking at a pebble.
Kaede-chan wasn't blonde, and this was no way to talk about his friend.
Ugh, she already missed Konrad.
Was Midori-kun stingy about them giving him that extra guitar?
That he had to pretend he was playing while Konny boy was killing it on the stage?
And okay, they didn't exactly win, but their band battle was far from humiliating.
The manager said it was a huge success, too.
But everything afterwards? Now that was a huge mess.
"I take care of you because my guardian angel told me so," the grumpy old version of Midori-kun grunted. "But I don't have time to explain everything this world has to offer."
Yuki pouted.
"You don't seem that busy to me. All you did was play Karen with your men, too."
The Demon Lord stared at her with his brows furrowed.
"Listen here, child," he said, putting down his map at last. "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but we're in the middle of a war. Why did Lucifer even send you?"
It was her turn to scowl.
"Send me? You actually don't remember?!" Yuki snapped. "The dragon in the clouds? The band?"
Okay, he got old, but he didn't turn into a goldfish.
These things happened only a day ago. Or two?
Still. How could he forget?
"You're not making sense, Yuki of the Sorakumo clan," the Demon Lord announced. "I can only hope the angel will reveal his intentions with you soon. Until then, keep a low profile."
"Wow, rude," she noted, but what else could she do?
First, that giant dragon fighting with her old psychologist in the sky, then this nomadic camp.
This wasn't Earth. Not her turf.
But Konrad was here, too. And he was a freaking Duke?!
Meanwhile, Mirodi-kun was an old dude. Unfair.
Why couldn't she go with Kon-chan then?
Wait. What if she left?
It's not like the Demon Lord put guards around her or anything. He told her to stay put in his pavilion, brought her food, a bunch of skimpy or itchy clothes, but—
Another set of riders arrived, their galloping somehow even more urgent than before.
Their leader was an old fox, not like that green scout earlier.
He didn't even get off his saddle, yelling inside.
"Found them, My Lord," he announced, wasting no time on greetings or kneeling. "Lord Halstadt of Halaima, and about three hundred men sneaking in the woods around the camp."
Midori-kun put on his 'I told you so' face, tapping his fingers on the table.
"So he's already in two places at once? But this time, he's trying to hide. And? Who's with him?"
Only now did the rider jump off to enter, reading a parchment with a long list.
"The men wore tribal garbs and weapons, and ambushed one of our patrols, My Lord. That's when our telepaths recognized him, and two women by his side."
"Two?" The Demon Lord raised an eyebrow. "A blonde, and?"
The scout shook his head, handing over the parchment.
"A brunette in a blue dress, and a ginger girl," he said. "Some claim the former is Lord Schwertburg's only daughter, but a sickly noble in the woods? And, as for the other one—"
"Lady Liliana, Sorceress of Dragonfire," Midori-kun muttered, getting up at last.
"Wow, what an edgy name," Yuki couldn't help but grin. "I like it."
But the old man finally shifted gears.
"Pull back and isolate them. Do not engage. I'm going to face them myself."
Wrinkles or not, he got super energetic.
"Someone you know?" Yuki asked while the Demon Lord grabbed a gnarled staff.
He paused only for a moment.
"Someone I have already sealed away a hundred years ago," he said. "This time, I will banish her for good. And that other one might be an angel, too. Finally, a report worthy of my time."
"Another one?" she moaned. And wait. "A hundred years ago?"
How old was this dude?!
"So it's actually Konrad now?" she asked, following him out of the pavilion.
For his age, he jumped into the saddle like it was nobody's business.
"He might be," he grunted, yanking back the reins. "But he has come here to die."