Episode 2
I did not expect to get accepted so quickly, so I was surprised. I had questions, but I pushed them aside for now and headed straight to the Demon King’s castle.
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage rattled over the uneven dirt road. My body kept bouncing up and down.
The old butler of the castle, who introduced himself as Peter, was a human with brown hair and brown eyes.
Peter looked apologetic as I kept hitting my head on the ceiling.
“Uncomfortable, aren’t you? At least you don’t get motion sickness.”
“Hmm…”
Before getting on the carriage, Peter had asked if I got motion sickness. I had said no.
But with this much shaking, even someone who never gets sick might start feeling it.
I used to think, how bad could a road be? I was wrong.
“We’re almost there. Please bear with it a little longer.”
“Yes.”
Trying to calm my upset stomach, I looked out the window.
The carriage ran across wasteland. Then we entered a city. After a while, huge castle walls appeared.
I opened my eyes wide.
I had not imagined it would be this big.
The surprises did not stop.
After crossing a bridge over a moat and passing through two gates, we reached a wide open space. I could not tell if it was a garden or a field.
The carriage kept going for a long time before finally stopping in front of the castle.
After getting down, I stared at the massive Demon King’s castle and clicked my tongue.
Now I understood.
I had wondered if they were crazy for hiring a human like me when war could break out because of the kidnapped prince.
But this was not madness. It was confidence.
With a castle this big, it would take at least a month just to find the prince.
Even for me, escaping from this place with the prince would not be easy.
I looked again at Peter’s gentle face.
I had thought he looked harmless. But he was still the Demon King’s servant.
Target to watch, number one.
I added him to my mental list. If he interfered with my plan, I would remove him without hesitation.
“Miss Illy Smith.”
Hearing my new name from his mouth felt strange yet familiar.
“I’ll show you your room first. This way.”
“Yes.”
I followed Peter into the main hall.
We went up old but well maintained stairs on both sides and reached a wide courtyard between the buildings.
Then I was speechless.
The trees planted around the garden were shaped in such strange ways that I could not even describe them.
They looked like green soup dripping down.
If I stared long enough, they almost looked like animals. Like golems from ancient magic books.
Anyway, they were unnecessarily huge and very bold.
“This is the decoration of the Demon King’s castle…”
As I admired how the trees made the castle even more gloomy, Peter gave an awkward smile.
“The young Demon King likes them very much.”
So even if they wanted to change the gardener, they could not.
Maybe it was demon taste.
Young Demon King. That meant another person I had to be careful about.
“Who is the young Demon King?”
“The young Demon King is…”
Peter’s face darkened. After thinking for a moment, he said,
“…going through puberty.”
Oh. Puberty.
Do demons even have puberty?
I was too stunned to speak.
“He gets irritated easily, but if you calm him down, he’s fine.”
I added another note to my mental list.
Young Demon King. Puberty. Easily irritated.
“Then what about the Demon King?”
“Oh. You don’t need to worry about him. You won’t see him while you’re here. Unless you stay for a long time.”
Why? Was the Demon King not in the castle?
I had questions, but I could not ask. It would raise suspicion.
I simply nodded.
Then Peter asked something strange.
“Miss Illy, are you patient?”
“Yes.”
I am an assassin. To remove a target in the best way, you need patience.
But why ask that?
“That’s good. Then can you cook?”
“I’m good at preparing ingredients.”
Because I’m an assassin.
“What about laundry?”
“I can do it.”
Sometimes I handle things quietly, like a child sinking underwater. But sometimes there are fights.
When that happens, I have to wash bloodstains out of clothes.
“And cleaning?”
“Of course.”
Cleaning up is basic for an assassin.
But—
“Isn’t this a bit late to ask?”
Shouldn’t they have asked before hiring me?
Peter smiled calmly and avoided answering. Just like someone worthy of being target number one.
Soon we stopped in front of a room.
“This will be your room.”
For a servant’s room, it was luxurious.
“You’ll start cleaning the castle tomorrow. Work hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Salary is paid on the first of every month.”
“Yes.”
“Breakfast is at 6, lunch at 12, dinner at 7. But it’s flexible. After work, you can ask the head chef anytime.”
“Yes.”
“What would you like to do about dinner today?”
“I’ll go to the dining hall at 7.”
“I’ll send someone to guide you. Rest well.”
After Peter closed the door and left, I was finally alone.
I relaxed my stiff shoulders and opened my bag. There was not much to unpack.
I walked to the window.
In the demon world, the red moon is always in the sky, day and night.
I planned to stay here exactly three months.
Because three months later would be the last Day of Harmony of the year.
The Day of Harmony is when the blue moon of the human world covers the red moon of the demon world.
They say when the blue moon rises in the demon world, the two worlds connect.
Anyway, I could not get information about the Demon King or the prince.
But because of the long history of war, I was able to learn about the demon world from old books.
One sentence caught my attention.
Human magic comes from the blue moon. Demon power comes from the red moon.
I said to Leo while we were reading,
“Then on the Day of Harmony, maybe the Demon King can’t use his power?”
“If that were true, the number of mages wouldn’t have dropped like this.”
That made sense. But I still had a feeling.
When you live as an assassin, always sharpening your senses, your instincts grow strong.
It was still just a guess.
But now it was time to test it.
In a few days, it would be the third Day of Harmony of the year.
***
2. The Demon King’s Castle
Knock, knock.
“Miss Illy? It’s time to eat.”
I stood up and opened the door.
A woman with pink hair and orange eyes stood there.
Another human.
She was the second human I had seen here after Peter.
Could she also be here to rescue the prince?
How many are there? How skilled?
First, I need to understand the strength of any other heroes in this castle.
Let’s start with her.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Illy Smith. You can just call me Illy.”
I held out my hand for a handshake. Hands reveal a lot about a person’s job.
“Nice to meet you, Illy. I’m Estelle.”
Her gentle eyes curved softly, her cheeks slightly pink as she smiled brightly and shook my hand lightly.
I quickly examined her hand.
Small and soft. No calluses except a little on the side of her index finger.
A hand that had probably only held a pen.
Not someone used to physical work.
Not a mercenary.
And if she wasn’t a mercenary, she was unlikely to be a hero. Someone who cannot fight would not volunteer for such danger.
Still, I could not jump to conclusions.
“Shall we go to the kitchen?”
“Yes.”
I followed Estelle as she led the way.
She glanced at me and asked,
“How did you end up working at the Demon King’s castle?”
“For the salary.”
Twenty thousand Libra was two years’ living expenses for commoners. It was the safest excuse.
“Ah, the salary…”
Estelle nodded.
“Right? That’s why I applied too.”
She smiled brightly.
Behind her, I saw the courtyard growing dark.
She wore a loose white shirt and work overalls. I noticed leaves and small branches stuck in her pink hair.
Could it be—
“Are the trees in the courtyard your work, Estelle?”
