Thumping Espionage
Pastel focused on secretly peeking into the conference room.
Ellie was fidgeting with a train miniature, hesitating before casually speaking to the demon lord.
“Hello, Great Demon Lord.”
Gasp.
Isn’t “hello” too awkward as an opening line?
Moreover, after initiating the greeting, she seemed to realize the awkwardness, fixating her gaze back on the train miniature.
The demon glanced at Ellie.
『Yeah.』
And then returned to his thoughts.
Ellie glanced at the demon lord’s voice, but the lack of communication left her flustered.
Whoa.
What is this awkward relationship?
Pastel flapped her arms slightly, feeling a frustrating itch to move. She suddenly wanted to start a “friend-friend” project, like she did when she made Melissa and Alcia friends.
But the age difference was considerable when calling the demon lord and Ellie friends.
A “Let’s get along~!” project might work!
She turned to Melissa, pulling her eyes away from the keyhole. She saw Melissa’s puzzled blue eyes.
“Melissa, Melissa. The relationship between the demon lord and Ellie seems as awkward as your past relationship with Alcia. I think we might need expert assistance.”
“Is that so? What did you see?”
Melissa seemed a bit curious.
Pastel wriggled aside as if to say, “You should see too.” She pointed at the keyhole.
“I’ll pass on that. Showing interest in scandalous affairs is not a good attitude.”
A resolute refusal without any hesitation.
However, it seemed that her curiosity about the conference room door was not entirely gone.
Pastel gazed at Melissa with a curious look.
Something, something.
Suddenly, she wanted to corrupt this model student.
As Pastel, who used to be 100% pure, she should avoid unnecessary rumors, but now that she’s become a powerful figure, it seems justified. Shouldn’t model students like Melissa also go through a bit of corruption to make sense of it?
Moreover, moreover.
Currently, Pastel is half demon lord!
If it’s about the demon realm, then corrupting model students is a given duty!
If during the demon realm schedule, Melissa could do bad things without hesitation, it would be a significant achievement for Pastel!
Pastel wore a serious expression.
“Melissa, I respect your opinion, but this is a very important matter that you need to know.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
Melissa appeared flustered.
Pastel’s expression turned 100% truthful.
“How can you talk about kindness while turning a blind eye to the disharmony around you? Wounds arise from ignorance, and conflict comes from indifference.”
Thus, spying on friends is legitimate!
“That…”
Melissa looked bewildered.
Her moral beliefs, taken for granted, seemed to waver as her friend (who is academically better than her important) denied them.
Pastel’s heart raced.
Gasp.
To shake up a model student with just one sentence is a genius skill.
Could it be that I’m destined to be a demon?
Perhaps I need to change how I address the demon lord?!
Melissa hesitated.
“But my mother told me not to do that. Someone who needs to operate an army shouldn’t be swayed by petty scandals.”
Ugh.
Count Camelot’s home education is too thorough.
Little demon Pastel faced her first obstacle in her demonic life.
But for Borabora, such an obstacle is nothing!
“Maybe, Melissa, you misunderstood your mother’s teachings? Remember in the first semester? You believed her words and pushed me away, yet when you returned home for the break, you were told you treated your classmates too harshly.”
“That is…”
The ethical scale, closer with friends than distant with her mom, seemed to tip slightly.
Gasp, am I a super ultra genius?
No, isn’t Melissa just too weak?
If she had befriended a bad friend, she would’ve been in big trouble by now! It’s a good thing she became friends with good Pastel!
Melissa hesitated again.
“But still…”
Pastel hurriedly pointed. She donned an intelligent expression, confident to 100%.
Beginning a smart statement.
“The examples of military and civilians differ. How can we separate virtue from vice without distinguishing between the army and the people? What makes it different from the tyrant of historians and the current rulers of legends?”
Gasp.
It feels like I’m making a genuinely intelligent statement!
But the issue is that even I don’t understand what I’m saying…!
Melissa fell into deep thought.
“That’s true. I can’t trust that a narrow-minded view can discern merit from demerit without understanding enlightenment. Your words seem somewhat right.”
Oh?
If she suddenly responds like she understood everything, Pastel would look foolish.
Melissa hesitated, then adjusted her wizard robes, subtly sitting in front of the keyhole.
“I don’t know about the servant, but since Ellie is my friend, I have a slight obligation to have a vague idea about her circumstances.”
That was a long qualifier, but it meant she felt interested in peeking.
“Yes, yes! It’s right! A friend should know what their friend is facing!”
Wow, wow.
They were trying hard to rationalize verbally, but Melissa’s expression revealed a curious desire to know what was happening inside.
The blonde girl nervously trembled her hands, glancing carefully inside.
To rationalize a bad desire after just a little nudge.
She felt a thrilling sense of betrayal.
Whew.
Pastel smiled broadly and wrapped her arms around herself. Her body intertwined.
Something, something.
Incredible sense of achievement!
Perhaps the demon lord instructs this every day, to tidy up the bedding with such feelings? Just a whisper and the opponent’s tune changes instantly?
Gasp.
The whispers of a demon.
I can never give in!
I must not clean the bedding in the future!
Melissa, having crossed a line for once, seemed to have reduced her reluctance and began to change her posture, scanning the interior overall.
However, unlike her previously dismissive attitude, the way she was looking and kneeling was remarkably skilled, as if she’d learned reconnaissance or espionage methods as a successor of the southern Commander.
With an innocent face, seemingly capable of doing everything.
Eek, so scary.
Melissa looked increasingly flustered.
“There’s nothing happening…?”
Oh?
Her pink eyes widened.
“Oh dear? Is that so?”
It seemed it wasn’t necessary for Melissa to cross a boundary.
No way! Why did I do that!
But since there’s no quality guarantee in reality, it’s probably not my fault!
Melissa stared blankly around.
It seemed that the delivered product didn’t match the description at all.
Pastel wore a surprised expression.
“It was too awkward for us to have a conversation. It seems we needed external help. After that, it seems the conversation got cut off.”
Just stating the facts.
“Oh, is that so? We did talk too much among ourselves.”
“Yes, yes.”
Pastel nodded and her eyes sparkled at the presence of movement inside the conference room.
“Oh my! Wait, wait. Ellie seems to be trying to speak to the demon lord again. Hurry, look!”
With both hands urging, Melissa peered through the keyhole.
This time there seemed to be something to spy on, as Melissa appeared slightly excited.
“It’s true. Ellie is paying attention to the servant. As you said, Pastel, she looks quite burdened.”
“I see! Keep giving live updates!”
“Okay.”
Pastel tuned in to the interior.
After a wait, Ellie began to speak hesitantly.
—Today, the weather is nice.
Ugh, bringing up the weather topic is a desperate measure.
These two are really awkward.
“Oh! The servant raised their head. They are looking out the window. The weather is nice today.”
Melissa, with slightly flushed cheeks, worked hard as the live commentator. Defying her mother’s admonitions seemed exhilarating in real-time.
Pastel eagerly awaited the demon lord’s next words.
The demon lord replied.
『I see.』
The conversation was immediately cut off.
“And, read the book again.”
Ellie, whose conversation stopped, quietly handled the train miniature again. The sound of turning pages echoed.
The popular Pastel felt suffocated by the frustration.
No, no.
If you converse like that…!
Pastel shook her arms.
Melissa adjusted her kneeling position, alternating glances between the demon lord and Ellie.
“As you said, it really is too awkward. But considering the dark past, I’m not sure if they need help in that relationship—”
“Demon lord!”
Pastel flung the door open.
The conference room was filled with a table densely packed with a map of the demon realm and layered train miniatures.
The demon lord sitting in the chair and Ellie standing looked on. The pink girl who burst in with excitement caught their eyes, followed by Melissa, who stood out for a different reason.
Melissa, who had been obviously peeking through the keyhole, froze in place.
With all eyes on her, the girl’s lips trembled.
“This is… this is uh.”
Her face turned bright red.
Melissa’s expression shifted to a slight pout as her eyelashes fluttered. Her gaze spun around, seemingly searching for a trustworthy ally, and landed on Pastel.
Reliable Pastel shouted with all her strength.
“Demon lord! How can you converse like that? If the other side speaks, you should respond with a question to keep the conversation going!”
Anyone could think she had been locked in a prison without talking to anyone for about ten years!
She pointed at Melissa.
“Melissa, who was so frustrated to be spying through the keyhole, said it’s such an awkward conversation too!”
Melissa looked dazed.
“Huh? What? Really?”
Pastel took on a serious expression.
“Yes, yes! You’re the live commentator! This relationship needs an emergency measure from the popular Pastel!”
That’s right, that’s right!
The demon lord abruptly slapped the book shut.
『I wondered what you were doing not opening the door.』
He stood up and walked calmly toward them.
『Little Craft.』
The tone shifted subtly.
『Please refrain from doing bad things.』
The pink crown was lightly tapped.
“Ouch!”
Pastel covered her crown, pouting.
Waaah!
How unfair!
Bad things, seriously!
I didn’t do anything like that!
The bad deeds were all Melissa’s…!
I swear it…!
