Halaima's streets transformed.
The ghost town that was almost empty a month ago now overflowed with people.
Every building, old, new, or half-collapsed, had a family or two trying to make it their home.
But that wasn't enough. Oh, not even close.
At the foot of the walls, on the squares, or right on the streets, nomads were in the middle of setting up their yurts. After the cavalry charge, they wouldn't take their chances out in the open.
Plus, the first snow was already upon them.
Even this free folk preferred to camp inside well-protected fortifications during the winter.
So the city was buzzing.
It was chaotic, yet wherever Konrad went, people stopped to bow to him.
Or to the Demon Lord? It was hard to tell.
Did they even recognize him in this form?!
"I heard Aset's duke gave them a warm welcome," Maou grunted. Or would have, but his voice was too thin. "When did that overgrown rat become this bold? He was always terrified of me."
His mention of that near-disaster had Konrad shudder.
"I doubt he connected the dots or knew who these nomads follow," he pointed out. "And he only wanted his angelic little daughter back. I can't even blame him, but, um—"
Overgrown rat? He had to suppress a chuckle.
Well, Lord Schwertburg sure was huge, but it seemed like he had his own fears, too.
Midori-kun snorted.
"Angelic. Right. Still laughable how nobles tremble from basic magic," he said. "But they see an overwhelming force and think it's their prime chance to make a name for themselves."
"Yeah, well, force is something they understand."
And intrigue. Don't forget that, either.
"The duke did have a real chance there, though," he admitted. "He must have spies everywhere, knowing I have disarmed those people. So, he might have seemed desperate, but—"
"Well, he knows who's boss now," Maou scoffed. "And so do all these people."
Which must have been the silver lining amidst all the chaos.
One he could live without.
"Good. It's one boulder off my chest," the Demon Lord sighed anyway. "Had my doubts leaving these men behind, but they'll be in good hands. Consider hiring some assassins, though."
Konrad blinked, stopping dead in his tracks.
"W-what?!"
He said all those nice things, then—
"Assassins, child," Midori-kun repeated while looking no more than twelve. "You'll need 'em."
No context whatsoever. Was he trying to outdo the angels in cryptic talk?!
"I, uh, don't plan on a murder," Konrad mumbled, making the Demon Lord laugh again.
"That's all good, but those nobles do. They'll want your head after that show, and will keep trying even knowing they stand no chance. So every killer you hire is one less for them."
Uh. Okay. Now that made a chilling amount of sense.
But Maou was not done yet.
"They'd take care of your spy problem, too," he pointed out. "If you find trustworthy assassins, that is. Nobody's better at their game—as long as you don't have them stab you in the back."
Yeah, um, he had no comeback to that.
Sure, he needed to take care of these things, and he could also see those nobles plotting against him. But this was another issue he wasn't ready to tackle yet.
"Hurry up, will you?"
Lily's yell startled him. They lagged far behind the rest of the group.
The orphanage was still a hundred paces away, but like the rest of Halaima, it transformed, too.
It didn't grow as much as he expected, though, which was a good sign.
But Eyna must have thought of the captives they took earlier, sending a message to their camps. They arrived with a royal escort, working on their workers' barracks right next door.
Again, he couldn't thank that girl enough—but Lily glared at him whenever he thought of her.
"Wait, is there a way to confirm this?" Konrad finally remembered why they were here in the first place. "I mean, that Zoltan has his soul tethered to Lucifer, too. And that he'd, um—"
"Survive?" Gabrielle helped him out with the word. "I can at least test the first part."
She didn't seem as concerned as he was.
And he had a hunch it wasn't because of a definite, positive answer.
"Hey, can you, like, test me as well?" Yuki-san chirped, skipping closer to his second wife. "You know, in case that angel doctor did something weird to me, too. Like, um—"
"Overwriting your memories with mine?" the little ginger asked with a smirk.
Right. In case he hadn't got enough problems, he also had Yuki to take care of.
"Could you restore her original ones?" Konrad asked without much hope.
And as expected, Lily shook her head, ginger locks flying everywhere.
"I could retell her life if I knew her, but Lu's the only one with that kind of power." Well, of course. "Guess if I told her about myself, she might be able to tell the fake memories apart?"
It was worth a shot, but he had other selfish reasons to ask her.
"Will I ever figure out what he made me forget?" he sighed, catching up with the rest.
Lily seized his arm, brushing against him with a mischievous grin.
"Oh?" she teased. "What d'you like to know? I happened to keep a close eye on you, so—"
"Two more kids?" a voice interrupted.
It was familiar, but Konrad needed more than a second to figure out who it was.
He saw a clean Zoltan Sudberg with his animal ears in plain sight.
None of that trademark vinegar stench anymore.
Talk about transformations.
"Is this how you greet your old Master, bastard?!" the schoolboy-sized Midori-kun snapped.
Hold on. Did Zoltan think he was yet another orphan?! And who was the other?
"Inu-suki?!" Yuki-san beamed, calling him a dog person.
Yeah. Okay. Konrad had to look no further.
"W-what?" the illusionist mumbled, gaze shifting between those two as he stumbled back.
Too bad, Gabrielle left him no escape.
She was already in his face, planting a cold palm on his forehead before he could move.
And rather than producing a thread of light like the Demon Lord earlier—
The angel must have channeled holy energy or something into the stunned beastman.
Holy, since a halo materialized above his head, floating an inch above his perking ears.
Which became his final straw.
"Get off me," Zoltan yelped, retreating into the orphanage like a beaten dog.
Midori-kun crossed his arms with a satisfied grin.
"Told you. He's Lucifer's puppet through and through."
Which might have answered one question but created so many more.
"Well, who's gonna tell him?" Konrad asked one of them, scratching his head. They were still outside the building. "It'd be better if only one of us went to let him calm down first."
They no doubt freaked the poor guy out.
"I'll fill him in," Gabby volunteered.
Of all people. She had to be the least suitable person in the entire town.
But Konrad was too tired to protest.
"Fine," he sighed. "The rest of us, um—let's do some sightseeing until then."
He had grown too out of touch with his own city anyway.
One glance at Eyna, and the purple-eyed beauty must have guessed what he thought.
No telepathy necessary.
"Let me show you the orphanage, Master," she said with a smile. "It's not as you remember it."