Volume 2 Chapter 10 – Evil Young Lady

Evil Young Lady¹

—A Popular Clothing Boutique “Fashion Check”

The shopkeeper directed his keen eyes at the two who entered his store, checking them out from top to bottom in an instant.

Black hair and unfamiliar clothes—definitely someone from another country.

Even so, this city was exceptionally tolerant of foreigners. It could be said that this was natural since this city was built on trade and had a generally bright atmosphere as well.

But what caused the shopkeeper to furrow his brow was the child behind the man.

The child was dressed only a little better than a beggar. The difference between the child and the man before him was difficult to ignore.

(A slave…?)

Even if he was a foreigner, having a slave was bad.

Normally, they would be left to stand by outside the city or left in the care of someone; it was a tacit understanding to make sure owning one wasn’t obvious.

This guest’s attire was high class, but perhaps he was unaware of those unspoken rules?

“Welcome, what would you be looking for today?”

Plastering a radiant business smile on his face, he spoke to the man.

He needed to get a sense of him during their conversation and point out this matter. The shopkeeper didn’t want any repercussions coming to his store.

“Sorry, but can you please get some clothes ready that will suit this kid.”

“For this sla, no…guest here…?”

“Yeah? That’s right.”

Prepare clothes for a slave?

Perhaps the man was the type to enjoy that sort of thing. To buy nice clothes and then forcefully rip… No, there was probably no need to put that much thought into the clothes.

Business was business, so as long as the man was willing to pay, he didn’t need to pry into this matter. He just had to make sure that the child wasn’t a slave.

“I’m no good at choosing clothes for others, so I’ll leave it to a pro.”

Saying so, the man took out a leather pouch from his pocket.

At a glance, it looked fairly heavy. The shopkeeper reflexively gulped.

Perhaps this client might even drop a whole gold coin here? Such an indecent thought passed through his mind.

“This one… is the biggest. Let’s go with this.”

He was taken aback at what the man casually took out.

It seemed as if the interior of the shop got brighter as he took it out—a “large” gold coin.

“Wha-… S, Sir… choose with that…?”

“Yeah….? Is it not enough?”

“Perish the thought! Right away, right away, we will prepare everything!”

He called all of the store employees to escort the “noble young lady” who was looking curiously around the store. Just in case, he sent orders for the employees who were on holiday to be called in while simultaneously having drinks prepared.

This may be the hardest that his brain had ever worked in his life.

“And, I’d like to smoke, so I’d like an ashtray.”

“Use my hand! Please use my hand to put your ashes in!”

“That’s creepy-! Nothing like that, just a normal ashtray and a chair to sit in.”

“Use my back! Please use my back to sit on!”

“That’s creepy-! What the hell is going on with this store!?”

While the two were going through an infinite loop, Aku was escorted by the store employees to be surrounded by an enormous amount of clothes.

■□■□

The interior of the store was filled with a liveliness it had never seen before.

Even those who had the day off had been called in and five employees were rushing here and there.

They attended to Aku, bringing various clothes, accessories, and hats, causing a great commotion

This was only natural after all, as the demon lord had brought out a “large gold coin.”

With the exception of the “Lambda Holy Coins” left behind by the Cherub, this was the most valuable currency. Large gold coins likely wouldn’t be seen unless the transaction involved the type of large firms that could represent a country.

Because the shopkeeper decided to splurge and told the employees that those who brought clothes Aku liked would receive a special bonus of one silver coin, the eyes of the employees shone with a fiery light.

Being unaware of what was going on, the demon lord looked out of the window and relaxed while overlooking the scenery of the lively Main Street.

It seemed that he didn’t dislike the liveliness.

He had the appearance that said he was seriously taking in the fact that he had actually come to another world. After a little while, the curtain behind him was opened, and Aku appeared.

“U, Um… D, Does this suit me…?”

“Y, Yeah…”

Seeing Aku attired in a white dress, the demon lord quietly caught his breath.

The demon lord, who was strangely tactless about some things, had entered a random store without even being sure of Aku’s gender.

And what appeared before him was… a little princess.

“What do you think, sir? …If you would prefer, we can bring out other clothing.”

“T,ttthat’s fine… We’ll take everything that suits her.”

The rattled demon lord dropped the ashes from his cigarette on the floor, but the shopkeeper was even more shaken.

“‘E,eeeverything’, is that right…? Sir…”

Aku looked like she was about to say something, but the shopkeeper was even faster.

“Everyone! Hurry! The best clothing for the young lady!”

“Yes!” they said in unison.

Like this, countless clothes, undergarments, shoes, etc. were purchased one after another. It was because no matter what he saw, the demon lord said that it “looked good.”

It was true, after all, that whatever Aku wore suited her.

Not just cute clothing, but even boyish clothing suited her extremely well, so it could be said that she had an advantageous face.

The purchased items were carried to the inn one after another, and even the innkeeper’s eyes were wide with surprise.

Well, this was the “big spender” staying in the best room, after all. Nodding to himself that it stood to reason, he made a victory pose at the arrival of such a good customer.

Like this, there were instantly rumors that the demon lord and Aku were “foreign royalty” or “millionaires from the north,” and their vicinity became more and more boisterous.

If the demon lord had heard of it, he would likely laugh out loud and Aku would likely faint.

■□■□

After finishing their shopping, the two made an appearance at the restaurant connected to Inn Gugure.

The demon lord was wearing not his usual suit, but a black tuxedo over a white shirt.

With a handkerchief in his pocket, he looked quite stylish. Aku was bedecked in the white dress she had first tried on — a lovely young lady who would make heads to turn.

The guests inside sent glances toward the two infrequently enough not to be rude, and the pair became topics of conversation.

“Those are unusual clothes. I wonder if that’s the fashion in the north?”

“I’ve seen similar clothing in the army of the City-State.”

“I wonder if those two are parent and child?”

“No, I don’t think so. They don’t have that feeling.”

“The rumors are that they’re royalty from some small country.”

“I heard that they were some ridiculously rich people. Probably here for a preliminary inspection for some business?”

“Looks like he dotes on her quite a bit…”

While they were saying whatever they liked, the two reached their table and opened the menu.

The demon lord gave his order to the waiter and told him to bring their best wine first. His attitude was one without restraint.

That attitude deepened the misunderstanding of those who saw him, but he himself had no idea — he was certainly living by his own rules.

“He ordered the best wine as the first thing.”

“Rather than a merchant, he might be a mine owner.”

With a sidelong glance at the source of those voices, the demon lord deliberately lit a cigarette.

This world also had something similar to cigars, but they were an accepted commodity to be bartered where a single one was worth quite a lot.

The cigarette he held was a white color that they had never seen before, and that alone drew people’s eyes.

While they were all surreptitiously observing, he took a sip of the wine brought over and let the words “doesn’t suit me” escape him. What on earth did he normally drink?

Furthermore, he changed his order to the cheapest ale, and once he put that to his lips, a visible grin appeared on his face.

“Yup, this is it for a white collar. The first drink has to be this.”

Concerning the unfamiliar term white collar, the guests decided on their own that it must be the name of some region.

After all, in the north, there were nearly 10 rival countries and even a city state in the north-east.

From the perspective of the Kingdom of Holy Light, the other countries were still barbaric — in the midst of turbulent times.

■□■□

(Nothing good comes of posturing, I guess…)

The demon lord cleansed his palate with the ale, cut apart the meat that was served, and tossed it into his mouth. The meat was pretty good. Very different from what they had in the afternoon.

Honestly, he’d rather eat and drink the Great Empire items from the GAME, but he had to avoid the consumption of SP as much as possible.

“Really, this is like a dream…”

“…yeah?”

Looking before me, Aku hadn’t touched the food on the table.

Wearing a white dress and a crown-like tiara on her head, she looked like a princess from somewhere.

“Thank you very much. For someone like me… doing so much…”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

“But I do worry…”

Confronted by Aku’s intense gaze, the demon lord unthinkingly stopped his hands.

He was involuntarily pressured by the red and blue lights of those differing eyes. Feeling something mysterious just by gazing at them, he averted his gaze.

“Why are you being so good to me?”

“… I don’t think I’ve been particularly good.”

In reality, he didn’t feel like he had treated her well.

Speaking of the things he did — He killed a monster that attacked him, committed a little arson, spanked the holy maiden and stole her money — that was all.

Looking back, he was pretty terrible.

Re-thinking his previous behavior, it was almost enough to make him spew out his ale. Though it could be considered legitimate self defense, he supposed it was only natural that he was called a demon.

“I don’t know how I can return this favor.”

“You don’t have to return it. Besides, I don’t remember bestowing any favors on you in the first place.”

While saying so, he tossed one piece of meat after another into his mouth.

Lukewarm meat and lukewarm beer were things he hated most in the world.

Lukewarm beer was the worst. From his beloved alcohol turning into its most unappetizing state, he could almost feel the transiency of life.

“Mr. Demon Lord, please ask of me anything. As long as it’s something I’m capable of, I will do anything.”

“Hm? Did you just say you’d do anything?”

At the same time as he said those words, a loud voice echoed from the entrance of the restaurant.

Actually, the door was kicked open.

“—I found you! Demon Lord!”

Standing there with a red face, was the holy maiden who had received a spanking a few days ago.

Her breathing was somewhat heavy, and she seemed agitated.

Therefore, the demon lord had only one thing to say to her.

“You again? I don’t remember ordering a stalker though—”

This was the opening to the second great holy maiden battle—

Translator Note: There. All you people that kept wanting to post spoilers from the manga should be happy now. Aku is a girl. Not a trap.

1. This is a play on Aku’s name, since Aku means evil in Japanese.