What Really Matters Isn't Money (10)

It was hard to imagine that anyone had overheard the conversation between the Demon King and Esteller during the Battle of Salmaria. Kagami had checked to make sure no one was nearby, and if anyone else had been listening in under those circumstances, Esteller would have taken action right away.

But Kagami could think of one person. They were worth hearing out rather than dismissing out of hand, though their word alone wouldn’t be enough to establish whether it was true. And if that person had planted David here, they were the most likely suspect.

"Wait, Master. How does that mean Alice is being watched?"

At that, Rex tilted his head and asked.

"Menou said ‘they,’ right? It’d make sense if they were only keeping an eye on Kururu and me, but why report on the rest of us, too? And saying ‘no sign of suspicious behavior’ makes it sound like they expected us to do something suspicious."

When Kagami put it that way, Rex seemed to understand. "I see," he murmured, his expression turning grave.

"There’s no reason to keep an eye on Kagami-san, who has nothing to hide. The same goes for Takako-san and Tina. But… Menou-san and Alice-chan are different."

It was clear that someone was acting on a suspicion. And of all of them, Kururu felt that most strongly. Even though David had always been by Kururu’s side, Kururu hadn’t felt strangely watched lately.

David’s gaze had been fixed on someone other than Kururu. Considering that David had reported to the kingdom on people other than Kururu and Rex, it was obvious that Alice was the one being watched.

"But I… I don’t think David-san was secretly keeping tabs on me and reporting my actions to the kingdom. I still think David-san is just… keeping an eye on Kururu-san’s actions."

At that, Alice murmured, looking as though something had occurred to her.

"Why do you think that?"

Seeing Alice’s expression, Kagami asked, sensing that she had a specific reason for saying it.

"David-san saw my… horn. But David-san didn’t once say I was a demon. It was as if David-san already knew I was a demon and was keeping quiet about it."

Everyone looked taken aback by Alice’s words. Menou alone trembled as she grabbed Alice by the shoulders—

"We really must flee this place at once!"

Menou cried, but Takako quickly pulled her away from Alice again and calmed her down.

"Damn it! Let go of me, Takako-dono!"

"I understand why you’re panicking, Menou-chan, but calm down. Like I said earlier, if only you two disappear now, we’ll look even more suspicious, won’t we?"

Takako said this, then asked Kagami, "Right?" Kagami murmured, "Well, true," and nodded thoughtfully. Until then, Kagami had thought David was too dangerous to leave unchecked, but hearing that David had seen Alice’s horn made Kagami reconsider.

"Menou… You heard David say, ‘There’s been no sign of suspicious behavior,’ right? Isn’t it strange for David to say that if David knows Alice is a demon?"

"David may have only been acting calm at the time, and it might have been then that David first became certain she was a demon. I’m sure the next report will say that Alice-sama is a demon."

It was certainly possible that David had been acting, but when Kagami saw Alice’s anxious expression, Kagami couldn’t bring himself to believe it. Alice seemed to be silently pleading with Kagami, her face saying, “I don’t think David would do that.”

"There’s also a chance David is covering for Alice. If that’s the case, David might have trouble protecting her if the two of you disappeared, wouldn’t David?"

"I see no reason David-dono would protect Alice-sama. I don’t know what David is investigating about us, but David came here from the kingdom on official business. David didn’t come here to protect her."

Menou immediately dismissed Kagami’s hypothetical. And Menou had a point: David had no reason to protect Alice. Given Kururu’s words about how efficiently David handled the work, the likelihood seemed low.

Kagami glanced at Alice and tilted his head as if to ask, “What do you want to do?” Alice noticed Kagami’s gaze and seemed to hesitate for a moment before giving Kagami a determined nod. Seeing that, Kagami said, "All right," and steeled himself—

"If they’re watching us, then we’ll watch them right back. If David’s next report says Alice is a demon, we can reconsider. For now, let’s trust David."

Then Kagami declared, "Let’s wait for David to get back, then go grab something to eat!" as if the serious mood from moments before had never existed.

If Alice wanted to believe David was all right, Kagami would support her with everything he had. That would surely be another step toward a future where demons and humans could coexist. That was why Kagami acted as he did.

Menou looked troubled for a moment, but when Menou saw Alice’s happy expression at Kagami’s declaration, Menou murmured, "Understood," then sighed as if there were no other choice.

Takako volunteered to keep an eye on David. She was agile, and aside from Kagami, her physical abilities were also impressive, so they decided to leave it to her.

Kagami couldn’t help feeling there was some other motive behind Takako’s offer. But even if there was, it wouldn’t bother Kagami, so Kagami let it go.

Then, from the casino’s opening the next day through the following week, David never once told the kingdom’s intelligence agents that Alice was a demon. Every time, David reported only, “There’s been no sign of suspicious behavior.”