■ ~2 Years Later~ □
Kingdom Year 312.
The Oz Kingdom, which had long been in conflict with the Demon Tribe Alliance of Doom Land, was forced to make a humiliating surrender declaration after just two uses of the original magic by the dark horse of the Demon King’s Army, “The Demon King’s Hound,” Partarth.
After signing a total of 11 unequal treaties, the Oz Kingdom was reduced to a mere colony of the Demon Tribe Alliance, and from then on, Oz began to be referred to as Colony Oz in the international community.
A new order led by Governor Ozma and her Ozma Governor’s Office.
In other words, a multicultural society where humans and demons coexist on the same land began. [[#]] The entertainment district of the capital, Oz.
Two men walked out of a large tavern with satisfied expressions.
“Kuhahaha! I heard the girls here were good, and it turns out it’s true!”
“Haha, I gathered all the pretty ones just for you, sir.”
“You always have a keen eye, and that’s why I like you. How did you know I prefer blondes?”
“It’s been over a year since I started serving you, sir. I can read your preferences by now.”
The man with a pair of red horns on his head and a massive build was Beig, a demon businessman.
After Oz became a colony, Beig, who smelled money faster than anyone else, moved to Oz and bought up goods that didn’t sell in Doom Land, then resold them at high prices back home, making a huge profit.
Originally, he was just a kind of peddler, but now he had expanded his business with the money he earned, running a trading company of considerable size.
Having received a very satisfying reception after a long time, he took out a thick wallet from his pocket to give some spending money to the middle-aged salesman beside him.
“Let’s see, I’ll show you how much I value you with this amount.”
“Thank you, sir!”
The middle-aged salesman, bowing so deeply that his balding head was visible, looked up at Beig with expectant eyes.
Feeling a bit sorry for him, Beig took out a 10-gold check from his wallet.
“This is for all your hard work so far.”
He added another check on top.
“This is to thank you for gathering all the pretty blondes today.”
Finally, he pulled out two more checks.
“And this is a bonus for how much I value you.”
A total of 40 gold.
An amount that an average worker would struggle to earn even after a year of hard work, Beig gave it away as a tip without a second thought.
Truly overwhelming wealth!
“Thank you! Thank you, sir! I’ll work even harder from now on!”
“Yes, yes. Seeing you reminds me of my younger days, so I treat you well. Use that to buy some good food for the kids, okay? And get yourself some new clothes.”
As he said this, Beig brushed off the dust on the middle-aged salesman’s shoulder.
“You know that if a salesman wears old clothes, clients will subtly look down on you.”
And with that warm consideration!
Beig was truly an ideal businessman, except for the fact that he was a demon.
“Sir! I’ll take you to an amazing place for the second round! Let’s go!”
“Hahaha! Then I’ll trust your judgment!”
Just as the two, who had become drinking buddies regardless of their race, were about to disappear into the night entertainment district.
“Wait!”
A delicate voice suddenly came from above, and Beig looked up at the streetlight.
“Huh? What’s that?”
It was a dark night with only a crescent moon.
But even in the dim light, the figure stood out with a noble presence.
A black feathered hat.
Golden hair flowing beneath it.
A butterfly-shaped mask covering a small face, shimmering as if sprinkled with pearl powder.
The appearance of this mysterious figure dressed entirely in black made the two men tense.
“Come to think of it, I’ve heard of it. A phantom thief who only appears on pitch-black nights.”
“I’ve heard of it too. Someone who recently appeared, robbing wealthy nobles and corrupt merchants to distribute food to the poor…”
Beig and the middle-aged salesman exclaimed simultaneously, as if rehearsed.
“”Beautiful Girl Mask!””
“It’s Papillon Noir!”
The mysterious figure posing on the streetlight pouted but quickly returned to her original phantom thief persona, listing Beig’s crimes.
“Demon businessman Beig! You primarily deal in cash rather than credit, cut workers’ wages under various pretexts, and evade taxes by maintaining double books, among other acts of active embezzlement!”
Beig protested with an aggrieved expression.
“Everyone does that, why just me!”
“I’m not done yet, so be quiet!”
As the Beautiful Girl Mask flicked her finger, a large block of ice appeared out of thin air and hit Beig’s head.
Thud!
Beig, suddenly hit with an ice knuckle, crouched down in pain, while the Beautiful Girl Mask continued her lecture with her hands on her hips.
“Not to mention, you have about 20,000 gold in cash hidden at home. If you’ve earned that much by exploiting humans, you should at least return some of it to society!”
“No, I mean, who are you…!”
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew.
In the blink of an eye, the Beautiful Girl Mask on the streetlight disappeared.
Beig, frantically looking around the streetlight, was startled by a presence behind him.
The Beautiful Girl Mask, now holding a long épée, pressed the blade against Beig’s neck and said.
“I stand with the marginalized.”
‘I couldn’t see her move!’
Beig shuddered internally.
After all, Beig was a demon.
A pure-blooded demon with no mixed bloodline.
Naturally, he possessed physical and regenerative abilities beyond the imagination of ordinary humans.
But to evade Beig’s gaze and instantly take his back.
Presumably, an incredibly skilled individual.
Having lived as a peddler for a long time, Beig, who had developed a sharp mind in such matters, immediately prostrated himself on the ground.
“Ouch! Please spare me! I have rabbit-like children and a fox-like wife at home!”
“You’re unmarried.”
“…It would have been nice if I had someone, but I live alone, so no one would mourn me if I died.”
Realizing that he couldn’t avoid bleeding money, Beig sighed deeply and asked.
“What do you want from me?”
Finally feeling that she was getting through, the Beautiful Girl Mask smiled and said.
“Whatever you’ve done in your company, I have no intention of pursuing that. All I want is half of your hidden funds.”
“Ha, half? Isn’t that too much?”
10,000 gold.
An amount that could buy a decent mansion in the capital, known for its expensive real estate, and still have change left.
“Which do you think is faster? Me writing down everything I just said and reporting it to the police, or you handing over 10,000 gold willingly. Want to bet?”
“N-no! I’ll give it to you! Of course, I should give it if it’s for a good cause!”
Then, the Beautiful Girl Mask poked Beig’s back with the blade of her épée and said.
“Then you lead the way. If you try anything funny, I’ll cut you down.”
“B-Beig, sir!”
The middle-aged salesman, who had just regained his senses, urgently called his name, but the Beautiful Girl Mask showed her intentions without words.
A simple gesture of placing a straight index finger lightly on her lips.
The middle-aged salesman instinctively closed his mouth. [[#]][The Beautiful Girl Mask appears again! Who is the black-clad vigilante in the capital, Oz?!]
Reading the front-page article in the morning newspaper, I let out a hollow laugh.
“How did she get the nickname Beautiful Girl Mask?”
Then, Ozma, who was eating breakfast beside me, said.
“Her original name is Papillon Noir, but the first witness described her strangely, so that nickname stuck.”
Barnett, who was busily carrying food from the kitchen, added.
“Ah, I saw that article too. It’s because of the witness interview: ‘A masked beautiful girl suddenly fell from the sky, holorololo, and defeated the bad guys in an instant, holorololo!'”
Dorothea, biting into her toast and sipping her morning coffee, giggled.
“Nicknames tend to stick to the easier ones. Beautiful Girl Mask, it rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?”
Certainly, Papillon Noir is a tongue-twister, while Beautiful Girl Mask is catchy.
“Caldlasth, would you like another cup of tea?”
“Ah, thank you, Camilla.”
I handed my empty cup to Camilla, who was serving breakfast.
With an elegant motion, Camilla poured tea into my cup.
After finishing half of my bagel, I decided to start preparing for work.
It was almost time for the Oz Governor’s Office, where I worked as a financial officer, to open.
