Volume 9 Chapter 16 Toxy's Seen City Below The Castle
Toxy was lost in thought, "Gathering info, huh... what should I do?" when Philia caught up to her.
"Toxy-chan, look―――!"
"Ahh! Philia! Don't scare me like that!"
"Hahaha, sorry about that! You should treat your master with a more generous heart!!"
Toxy was troubled in the tavern area of the inn, when Philia suddenly grabbed her from behind with her armored body. It was quite a shock.
So, Toxy looked at Philia with a dissatisfied expression and said, "So, what's the plan?"
"Hmm? You seemed to be thinking deeply and couldn't move, so I thought I'd take you along, Toxy-chan!"
"Ugh, that's unnecessary. I'm already a capable person, so I can handle things on my own."
"No way, Toxy-chan is weak like that! You're really bad at taking initiative! And you're aware of it yourself!"
"Ugh..."
Philia's words were piercing, and Toxy felt like covering her ears and saying "go away."
But if she did that, she wouldn't be able to gather any information.
So, reluctantly, Toxy decided to rely on Philia.
"Fine... so, do you have a lead?"
"Actually, I found thi."
Philia said, pulling out a flyer from her armor. It read:
'Demon King Army Recruiting Medical Personnel.'
As Philia and Toxy headed towards the Demon King Army, they were approached by Sur, a handsome brown-skinned man, who said,
"Oh, Toxy-sama, Philia-sama, are you 2 working together?"
"Ah, Sur. Yeah, that's right. Philia's forcing me to come along."
"That's the master's kindness, isn't it?"
"Hahaha, it's great to see you 2 getting along. And, are you heading towards the Demon King Army?"
"Yeah. Philia found this flyer and all..."
When Toxy showed the flyer to Sur, he nodded and said, "I see."
"So, that's perfect. I was planning to head to the Demon King's army anyway, so would you like to come with me?"
"That sounds good? Yeah, sure. Let's all go together."
Toxy welcomes Sur's offer. Toxy can't really move on their own, so the more people, the more they can rely on others, and the more at ease they feel.
So, Toxy, along with Philia and Sur, decided to take the Demon King's army medical exam together.
But, of course, they wouldn't just barge into the enemy's headquarters right away. Well, they thought, let's just give it a try, and Toxy took the exam―――
"And now, we'll announce the top scorer! Toxy!"
"...Huh?"
Toxy, who had passed the exam in just a few days, had somehow become the top scorer.
Toxy, sweating coldly, went up to the stage, was told her new rank in the Demon King's army, and signed numerous documents while her consciousness was hazy.
Apparently, there's a system in the medical exam where one's attendants can also pass, and Philia and Sur, as Toxy's attendants, had shown sufficient ability and received their certificates of completion.
"No way, Toxy-chan is amazing! You easily passed that tough exam!"
"That's right, Philia-sama. I've heard about it before, but that treatment was incredible."
Philia praises Toxy, and Sur nods deeply in agreement.
"I mean, on the battlefield, you reattached a comrade's severed limbs, revived them from cardiac arrest, and then took down the enemy. No way, Toxy-sama is amazing."
"...What's going on, is this a dream?"
Toxy was just moving on autopilot, so she doesn't have any sense of accomplishment. She thought she'd definitely fail, so even now, she's wondering if it's all just a dream.
Just then, she heard hurried footsteps coming from outside. When they looked, a Demon with an arrogant attitude burst into the room where Toxy and the others were signing documents.
"Hey! Is there a Toxy or something, a top scorer, in here?"
Ah, there was something wrong after all, and Toxy exhales.
The feeling of being wrapped in 'mystery' is reassuring. Even she thought it was ridiculous that the government would take care of someone like her.
"Yes, it's me."
So, Toxy stood up without any tension. "You're the one!" the high-ranking demon officer glared at Toxy.
"I've heard that you've left an incredible record, and your abilities are top-notch, even among your peers... But I find it hard to believe that you can pass this military doctor's exam with just that!"
"Yes, what's the problem?"
The high-ranking officer spoke to Toxy, who was already prepared to be rejected.
"You're of unknown status! Your background is almost entirely unclear, and many people doubt whether you're trustworthy! Where did you come from, and what do you plan to do?"
Toxy thought, "I guess it's not surprising that I'm not good enough, considering the reasons."
Indeed, during the application process, no one asked about such things, but the Demon King's army had thoroughly investigated the qualified candidates.
It's tough to judge someone's fake or real background, Toxy thought, as the daughter of a high-ranking priest who was close to politics.
In reality, Toxy's background was pitch black in this Demon King's city. Before they dug deeper into her past, she decided to retreat. Fortunately, she had common sense.
As she thought that, Sur stepped forward and said,
"I'll vouch for her status."
"Huh? You're her... companion...? Wait, what?!"
The high-ranking officer's eyes widened as he looked at Sur's face, as if he had realized something. What? Toxy watched the scene unfold.
"You, I mean, you're one of the general's children who...?"
"Yes. My father and siblings are all taken care of by the Demon King's army."
What's going on? Toxy's eyes darted back and forth as the situation took a strange turn. The high-ranking demon officer, who had been glaring at Toxy, bowed his head to Sur, his back straight as a rod.
"Ah, I apologize for the rudeness I didn't know you were related to the general's family..."
"No, I didn't need to say it, but I was wrong to stay silent. If possible, can I ask you to keep this a secret from my family?"
"Ha, yes! Your family would be thrilled to know, but if you want to keep it a secret, I'll do as you say."
"Thank you."
With another bow, the esteemed person left the scene. Toxy was impressed, saying, "Sur, you were amazing..."
Then, after a moment, Toxy realized something.
"Huh? So, in the end, I really did pass, didn't I?"
Listening to Toxy's story, I was amazed.
"That's incredible. I didn't think you'd already infiltrated."
"I didn't think so either... I was sure I'd fail! But Sur pulled off a major comeback!"
"I'm honored to have been able to help, even if only a little."
"No, Sur's existence was super important. You did what you had to do as a guide."
"I'm humbled."
Sur remained elegant, humbly deflecting the praise. Philia teased Sur, saying, "Sur-chan, I thought you were just a surprise factor, but you really did it!"
At that point, I asked a simple question.
"But, don't demons come back to life even if they die? Do they need a military doctor?"
When I asked, Sur opened their mouth to explain.
"That's not the case. When a Demon King army soldier dies, they're revived at the tower. So, it's better for the Demon King army to avoid dying in battle as much as possible, since it takes time to revive."
"Ah, I see. If they revive outside the tower, it's dangerous for the tower. But it's also tough to die in battle at a distant location, so the military doctor has to work hard, right?"
"That was tough, seriously..."
Everyone laughed at Toxy's complaint. I was convinced and impressed.
"I see... everyone's doing their best."
"By the way, Philia is having fun exploring the outer gardens of the Demon King's castle."
"That's rude! I'm on a reconnaissance mission, Toxy-chan!"
"Haha, got scolded by my disciple!"
"Mudi's just having fun too, right?"
Mudi bursts into laughter, and Philia starts talking to him. I'm starting to realize that our masters are unreliable.
"Is that everyone? Rollo is with us, part of the Bazaar group."
I confirm, and Renril asks Rollo.
"Rollo, is that true?"
"Yeah. Remember when you abandoned me a little while ago? I got kidnapped and—."
"How much did they sell you for?"
"It was a pretty high price, but the buyer was a weirdo, so it was a hassle—."
Everyone looks at them with a weird gaze. We're aware that we're not normal, but the demon siblings' moral compass is giving off an eerie atmosphere.
"Hey, is there anyone else? Or does anyone have information about the Circus?"
I try to cut through the demon siblings' atmosphere, but the silence continues. I guess that means there's no one.
The only acquaintance we have is Klainatzirks, but even I don't know much about those three people. We should focus on gathering information for a while.
"Got it. So, to summarize, it looks like we've got:
- Toxy, Philia, and Sur with the Demon King's army.
- Me, Ice, Clay, and Rollo with the Bazaar.
- Sandra, Mudi, and Renril in the Slums.
- And no one with the Circus, it seems."
Everyone nods in agreement with my summary.
I gather my thoughts and start talking to everyone.
"Alright. So, let's summarize the overall information and discuss what we're going to do from now on."
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