The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary

"We can't refuse that proposal. How should we decide on a representative?"

Loren asked, but he was planning to name Gula as the representative if he was told that it could be anyone.

First of all, Gula was the most powerful in their party. She could use an Evil God's power as well as the more normal magic used by magicians, and she was also rather good at hand-to-hand combat. There was no reason to pick anyone else.

Loren was also interested in how Judie would react if they chose Lapis, but given that she was a Demon King, it was quite possible that she would show no mercy to her own daughter and would pick some unthinkable opponent. He just couldn't make a wrong choice here.

Moreover, if he really thought about it, the Demon King who was smiling in front of him as if she was watching something interesting was the one who cut off her own daughter's four limbs. She didn't seem to be the type that would be more considerate to her daughter.

"You can pick whoever you like, but you have to announce it first."

Judie said this without losing her smile, and Loren immediately frowned. In that case, Judie would be able to change her representative according to his choice. She didn't actually say that out right, but Loren believed that was what she meant when she asked him to announce his representative first.

Loren only had three options at his disposal, but Judie had countless options to match each of his. She just needed to pick one after hearing Loren's announcement.

"Why don't you announce your representative first?"

To prevent Judie from selecting a representative that corresponded to theirs, the only way was to have the Demon King declare her representative first.

The truth was, Judie had the upper hand here, and if she were to refuse, it would be the end of it. Or so Loren thought, but Judie readily and casually declared:

"Alright. It's a black knight. A knight in full black plate armor."

"…What a bad personality you have…."

If he was wearing full-body plate armor, it would be too early to assume that he was not a magician. Considering how Lapis was a priest, it seemed like it was common for demons to be able to use magic. And since there were people who could use magic while wearing plate armor, it wasn't anything surprising.

The most troublesome thing was the full-body plate armor part. The most annoying thing about full body armor was that you couldn't tell who was in it from the outside. In the worst case, even if it was Judie herself inside the armor, it would be impossible to tell unless she removed it and let them look. It would be no different from waiting for Loren to make a declaration before deciding a representative. Moreover, full-body armor took a lot of time to put on. If Judie used the long preparation time as an excuse, she would be able to change her representative according to his choice, even if she had to call someone from a short distance over.

"What do you think?"

Judie asked. She didn't even try to hide that she was testing him. Loren let out a small breath, pushed his hair back, and responded in a resigned tone:

"Who do you want to come out from our side?"

"Oh, so that's how you go."

Judie looked surprised. Lapis looked between Judie and Loren and wondered what was happening.

What Loren thought was that, there was some hidden intention behind Judie's words and actions. In other words, Judie must have had a certain representative that she expected Loren to choose, and if he picked anyone else, she would crush them without mercy.

If that was the case, Loren believed it was better to just follow her expectation from the beginning, and so he asked that question. Judie was surprised because she didn't expect him to do that.

"Being upfront is a virtue. Demons don't think so though."

"I'm a human."

"Lapis-chan, your luck with men is good, isn't it? You've really picked a good boy to keep by your side."

"Mother… Please stop talking like that in front of the person himself…"

Lapis blushed and looked down, while Judie was smiling. With that smile still on her face, she turned towards Loren:

"I'd like to see you on the show, Loren."

Even though Loren was specifically nominated by Judie, he was not surprised - somehow he had already expected this. It was only natural that she would want to evaluate the person by her daughter's side, a mere human no less.

"Do you have a weapon for me to borrow? I've already returned mine to you."

Even though he had a jacket for armor, he only had spare daggers for weapons, nothing that could be used for a proper fight. Judie couldn't make him fight barehanded against an opponent wearing full body plate armor.

Judie nodded.

"I can lend you anything you want from our armory. Not the ones infused with magic though."

"The same condition applies for your side, I assume?"

If she gave him an ordinary weapon and allowed the black knight to use a magic-infused weapon, his already-disadvantageous situation could only be described as hopeless.

"Obviously. So, what do we do now?"

'So this is the final confirmation', Loren thought. He had no choice but to answer:

"I'll go. There's no choice."

If he picked Gula or Lapis, they would be met with an opponent impossible for them to handle.

If it was Judie's intention for Loren to come out, he believed that she would have prepared someone he could deal with in some way. He had to bet on that.

"Loren…"

Lapis looked apologetic, and he patted her head. Judie said, with a smile still on her face:

"Don't worry, I'll guarantee his safety. Not only will he not be killed, I'll also make sure to give him back in full health."

If she could take away Lapis's limbs and eyes, she could also restore someone's dismembered body parts. But her words didn't make Loren feel more at ease at all, not even by a little.

"That's not what people usually say to reassure someone else."

"Normally, if a human is discovered to have infiltrated the demon realm, he will be dealt with on the spot, won't he? If you're told that your life is guaranteed, isn't it enough to feel reassured?"

So the demons knew that humans did enter their territory to gather intel, but weren't willing to take any proactive measures against it. But from what Judie said, once those humans got caught, it would be a different story.

"Isn't it a given that we'll deal with them if we come across them?"

If she said that it didn't happen because they were with Lapis, it was probably the truth. Loren had no words to reply.

Considering Loren's silence as an indication that he had understood the situation, Judie got up and walked past Loren and Lapis toward the door of the room.

"Now, follow me. I'll take you to the armory first."

If the Demon King would lead the way herself, one couldn't help but follow, so Loren followed after Judie and Lapis. The way to the armory was long enough to make him realize how large Lapis' home was.

Loren had been trying to remember the route, but had given up halfway. He didn't know if it was on purpose, or it was truly necessary, but the route that Judie was taking them on had so many turns, three forks and crossroads that he quickly became confused when trying to remember the directions.

"How big is this place?"

Thinking that he would certainly get lost if he strayed from his guide, Loren asked. Judie answered him:

"Extremely huge. It's the castle of the Demon King of the West, after all."

"If this is how a Demon King's castle is, then the Great Demon King's castle must be even bigger."

"Ah, it's probably several times bigger than this one."

Judie put her index finger on her chin, thought for a while, then said. Loren couldn't imagine something that big at all. The demons who could construct such a huge building were amazing, but the Great Demon King was also very admirable for being able to live in such a huge place.

"Sounds like a place where you'll get lost on the way to the bedroom, or won't be able to make it to the toilet in time."

"I've never thought about it like that."

As they were conducting such small talks, they arrived into the armory.

It surely looked like a normal armory with equipment neatly lined up. Loren could tell that they were all good weapons, but he couldn't tell which of them were normal ones that didn't have magic infusion like Judie had said.

['They all look like normal weapons. I can't sense any magic power from them.']

Lapis was silent, probably because Judie was watching. Instead, Shayna the King of Death synced with his sight and confirmed that the weapons weren't magical or anything strange. Loren thanked her in his mind and looked around for a while before deciding on a greatsword, thinking that it was best to go with something he was used to wielding.

"Is that alright? Don't you need any kind of armor?"

"I have my own."

All of the greatswords here had almost the same design, so it wouldn't matter which he selected. He picked up one and tested its weight. It was lighter than the one he used during his mercenary days or the white blade he had returned to Judie, but it couldn't be helped. Resigned, he looked closer at the blade and noticed that it had a proper, sharp edge. He looked at Judie:

"Aren't these used for training and such?"

"Can fighting with a dull blade be considered training?"

Judie asked seriously, and Loren was at a loss for a reply. It was true that people's mindsets during training and actual combat differed, even when they held the same weapon. The blade might be sharp, but it didn't mean its wielder would swing it with no hesitation during training.

In addition, it was no exaggeration to say that what they were going to do was not a training but a real battle in a sense. It would be useless to ask for a dull weapon, or one wrapped in thick cloth.

"This will do."

"Really? I'll take you to the arena next, then."

"Is it another long walk?"

"It's… Well, yes, it is. But it can't be helped, right? Think of it as a health benefit."

Loren wondered if it was alright to wander around the castle with a naked sword that didn't even have a sheath, but Judie didn't seem to care at all. She walked forward, ready to be the guide again.

Even though Lapis was by his side, if Loren lost Judie, he would get lost. The greatsword didn't even have a string for him to hang on his back. Thus, he had no choice but to carry it on his shoulder. He urged Lapis to go ahead while he himself followed after the two women.