Cecilia, dressed in her pajamas, was walking through the interior of the dungeon.
‘Not the Boss Room’
Upon seeing the shoddy sign, it was confirmed that Ferna was indeed here.
When the door opened, a kneeling demon with a hunched back came into view.
“Wha-, a noble visitor to such a humble place…”
“It really is a humble place.”
The dungeon was nothing more than a slightly larger cave. Fortunately, judging by the growth of magic stones scattered around, the resources seemed abundant.
“Uh, I’m working hard on improving it.”
Ferna’s face fell, but Cecilia casually ignored her and said,
“Explain in detail.”
Ferna continued with a long explanation. Though she wasn’t very articulate and only half of what she said was comprehensible, Cecilia understood the most important points.
The content was utterly absurd.
“So, you’re telling me that you misunderstood an immediate invasion order as being scheduled for an hour later?”
Ferna tilted her head like a chicken before replying,
“Why are you repeating yourself?”
Cecilia clutched her throbbing head.
‘My mistake.’
Should she be relieved that demons aren’t as crazy as they seem?
Or should she mourn the fact that Ferna is dumber than a chicken?
Cecilia couldn’t decide. Her lips trembled as she bit them hard.
“Thanks to you, I wasted my time since dawn.”
Oblivious Ferna scratched her head and smiled,
“Hahaha… This is nothing!”
Cecilia grinned while grabbing both strands of Ferna’s braided hair with one hand—deliberately designed as convenient handles.
“…Do you want to d*e?”
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
Cecilia seriously considered killing Ferna for three seconds before letting her go.
Thanks to customizing features, she had to hold back.
Especially that ‘spinning eyes’ effect; it’s not easy to implement.
“Then, help me.”
“I’ll work hard…!”
“But how can I trust you?”
Ferna bowed her head even lower and replied,
“Even among demons, I was teased for being ugly, but when I went to Valfrugis, everyone said I was pretty!”
‘That makes sense.’
Cecilia was genuinely into customizations.
Even if it’s a demon, wouldn’t it be better if it looked good?
“I’m truly… incredibly grateful. You, Cecilia-sama, are my lifelong benefactor! There’s no way I would betray such a benefactor!”
Ferna sniffled as she expressed her gratitude.
‘If only there were some way to improve her intelligence. Anyway…’
Regardless, the fact remained that the date of the demon invasion had been moved up.
The exact timing was unknown, but given that it’s the radicals, it wouldn’t take too long.
Perhaps as soon as two weeks, at most a month.
‘That’s problematic.’
It was still early days; the newbies hadn’t arrived yet.
And already, there was a double experience event?
The gap in growth between NPCs and players would only widen, leading to harsher newbie persecution.
And the biggest concern was:
‘What if the decision to summon newbies comes earlier due to the Great Invasion?’
Cecilia loved newbies.
However, it was also true that preparations for welcoming newbies were far from complete. Summoning them now wouldn’t be wise.
For various reasons, it would be best to prevent this invasion if possible.
To do that:
“…First, we need information.”
Cecilia spoke dryly.
“Kain Valtazalion.”
Ferna gasped audibly.
“Do you know him?”
Ferna nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Was he in Valfrugis this time?”
“Ah, no…”
‘Of course, the cause of this situation is the Demon King’s weak control.’
There was only one other plausible scenario:
If the leader of the radicals was Kain Valtazalion, a Demon Lord wielding power equivalent to the Demon King.
That possibility had just been ruled out.
“Still, why does someone with that much power remain merely a Demon Lord…?”
Unless he didn’t want to become the Demon King, which wasn’t the case based on their last conversation.
He had said ‘not yet.’
Meaning, he wasn’t entirely uninterested in the Demon King’s throne. So why was he holding back? He certainly had the strength.
In response to Cecilia’s muttering, Ferna reacted.
“If you have any questions, shall I buy information?”
“Can you afford it?”
“Yes!”
Ferna beamed proudly, as if she’d accomplished something significant.
“The Demon God sells a single question for 200,000 terra!”
‘That’s a total cheat code!’
Cecilia brightened at the prospect.
“Then let’s buy it.”
“We don’t have the money!”
“…”
“All the funds went into research. Hehe.”
Ferna then looked at Cecilia with innocent expectation.
‘Surely Highness Cecilia will fund it, right?’
That seemed to be the implication.
Unfortunately, Cecilia was also broke. Besides, there were no demon funds available.
But there was a solution.
Cecilia tapped her crossed legs and reached into her pajama pocket.
Known as the delinquent Cecilia.
“Loan it.”
“!”
*
Zwoooosh-.
A purple orb hovered in the center of Ferna’s dungeon.
Tense, Ferna gently touched the orb. Once dimensional travel permission was granted, the orb popped with a sound.
A demon clad in a red suit was prostrating himself.
“It is an honor to meet you, Lord Envy. I am Cocoon, a merchant from the Demon Realm.”
Cocoon, with his black eyes darting creepily, approached.
“Oh, I see you’ve moved residence. The smell of a new dungeon lingers.”
Cocoon sniffed around, taking in the surroundings. His gaze fell upon Cecilia, standing quietly with a dismissive look.
“Ooh-! Is this the guardian personally crafted by Lord Envy? Quite formidable!”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Finally, you’ve succeeded in acquiring the ‘Perfect Executioner’!”
Cocoon carefully poked Cecilia’s cheek with exaggerated gestures.
“Hmm, the texture feels real. But why is she wearing such a country-style pajama?”
Cecilia’s expression twitched slightly as her silver eyes filled with murderous intent.
“Eek!”
Cocoon stumbled backward, stammering.
“J-Just now, your eyes moved…”
“It’s a gimmick.”
Cold sweat dripped down Ferna’s forehead.
Cecilia thought, ‘Maybe this was a bad idea,’ as she prepared to draw her sword.
Cocoon sighed dramatically.
“Truly an excellent gimmick! Most humans would wet themselves! Would you kindly explain this grand research outcome to me?”
Ferna breathed a sigh of relief and began explaining.
Cecilia relaxed somewhat but couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.
After listening for a while, Cocoon chuckled darkly.
“Kukuku, capturing the Windsor Knights with the Windsor Knights… What a fitting idea for the Seven Deadly Sins.”
“Isn’t it?”
Ferna, forgetting that Cecilia was real, smiled brightly.
But then she remembered something.
“Anyway, since the research has yielded results, can you lend me some money?”
“A loan inquiry! Our Demon Merchant Guild offers cross-dimensional service with an annual interest rate of 40%!”
“Give me 200,000 terra!”
“That’s quite a sum! However, for reaching the Seven Deadly Sins DC, I’ll offer the shocking rate of 29%!”
‘Wow, a discount.’
Cecilia thought it wasn’t a bad deal.
No, it was an amazing deal. Definitely a must-seize opportunity.
But Ferna smiled and raised her hand to object.
“29% is too high! Make it 19%!”
“I apologize, but even for such a large amount, setting it at 19% is…”
“Then I won’t do it.”
“!”
Ferna turned her head sharply, looking upset.
Loans were lucrative for merchants. Moreover, with 200,000 terra, the interest alone would be substantial.
Desperately trying to persuade Ferna, Cocoon eventually relented.
“Fine, I’ll think about 15%.”
“Alright.”
Cocoon reluctantly nodded, seemingly disappointed.
‘Impressive.’
Cecilia couldn’t help but admire.
Even a grub knows how to roll.
“We’ll disburse the 200,000 terra promptly. Do you need anything else?”
“I want to ask the Demon God a question.”
“…!”
Cocoon took a step back.
“Ask the Demon God? Are you serious?”
“Ferna is always serious.”
Ferna stood tall. Cocoon rubbed his hands together.
‘Demon God Single Question Tool.’
Its true nature… wasn’t actually answered by the Demon God but by a guild employee.
Of course, if they knew the information, they wouldn’t intentionally hide it—
But for unknown information, they’d provide a vague answer and end it there.
Was it worth 200,000 terra?
Not really. Just bribing a merchant with 10,000 terra could get you similar intel.
‘No worries about this month’s targets.’
Cocoon’s mouth stretched impossibly wide, literally tearing open to his ears.
A black bead emerged from within his gaping mouth.
The bead was covered in saliva.
‘So gross.’
Cecilia felt nauseated but managed to suppress it.
“This is the artifact that allows you to ask a question to the supreme existence!”
“Wow!”
“You’ll get answers worth every bit of the 200,000 terra!”
Hooray!
Ferna raised her hands to the sky in excitement.
‘Having such a low-IQ subordinate is truly a blessing.’
Cocoon smirked sinisterly, bowed, and left.
As soon as he disappeared, Ferna presented the artifact to Cecilia.
“Cecilia-sama, I did it!”
“Hmm…”
Easily scammed Cecilia.
Even for her, this seemed a little suspicious.
First off, the demon merchant himself…
Didn’t exactly inspire much trust.
But the question wasn’t overly sensitive information. Any demon could answer it without needing the actual Demon God.
“The question is simple. If the current Demon King dies, who becomes the next one?”
Ferna’s jaw dropped. Cecilia coolly nodded.
Trembling, Ferna knelt before the artifact. Her knees were already sore from kneeling all day.
‘She sure kneels easily.’
Cecilia rested her chin thoughtfully, hoping Ferna would kneel only before her.
“If the Demon King dies, who becomes the next Demon King?”
As Ferna spoke, a single word appeared in the crystal orb.
-Baalzebub.
Understood!
And instantly, the orb shattered.
Ferna turned her head robotically.
“Who’s Baalzebub? One of the Four Horsemen?”
“He’s the leader of the radicals. Super scary!”
Cecilia blinked.
“Scary-er than me?”
Ferna thought for a moment before shaking her head.
“No…”
‘He’s under Kain. This kid hasn’t encountered anyone more intimidating.’
A quick calculation ensued.
Whether or not to k*ll the Demon King.
Quickly considering several scenarios, Cecilia decided to follow her instincts.
“I’d prefer Kain to become the Demon King.”
“Huh? E? Yes?”
A strong NPC female swordsman driven by vengeance against the Demon King!
A very attractive character.
And it wasn’t even a lie.
Cecilia genuinely held a grudge against Kain.
From the past, for breaking an event item given by a village child.
“Exactly this.”
Cecilia nodded approvingly.
k*ll the Demon King.
Then make the next Demon King Kain Valtazalion.
But not right now. The timing for the Demon King’s d*ath was predetermined.
“Once my vacation is over, I’ll k*ll the Demon King. Until then, align yourself with Kain.”
Vacations are precious.
“Huh?”
Long after Cecilia disappeared, Ferna tilted her head, confused, looking around.
She was broken.
