Case 148: Upon meeting the former hero party.

A few days after the inspection was carried out in the Orleans' mansion.

Once again, the two daughters of the house, one of whom was now the head, welcomed another group of visitors. The few women came in from unremarkable vehicles, seeming especially low-key.

It was yet another cold night in Syrus.

Most of the mansion's lights were out, as its new owner typically never received guests on evenings. And as activity quieted down, attendants were allowed to leave early. From the outside, the building seemed to sink into its surroundings, blending in with the greenery that had taken on a dark tint.

Only a certain room at the far edge of the mansion's second floor had its light on. If someone were to peer through the ajar window, they would vaguely make out the silhouettes of people moving quite busily inside. That was, if they could see through the dense arrays of magical barriers around the mansion first.

''Your Highness, please hand me the garnish. On your left.''

''Aye. I want more meat.''

''No need to be so hasty... well, I guess we should add more meat.''

Penelope and Kiara both directed their gaze at Quasar, who was stuffing her mouth with grilled meat, her cheeks inflating as though a squirrel's. It felt like with her, the seemingly excessive supply of beef they had brought wouldn't be enough.

''Rachael, open your mouth.''

''Mhm...''

''Is it good?''

''Yeah. Open yours, too.''

On the side, Cecilia and Rachael were nearly stuck together. Flirting lovingly as they feed one another food. Not far away, another pair sat—Jeanne and Lilith. The latter eyed Jeanne tacitly, then, gauging the former heroine's attitude, raised her own fork with a smile. A faint blush could be seen on Jeanne's cheeks, though it took her a while to reluctantly accept the offering.

''...''

Only Lyra, who was diligently grilling meat with Penelope and Kiara, appeared somewhat lonely. While the heroine's hands skillfully flipped the slices, her eyes were glued to Cecilia, to her spring-like smile, mesmerized. She didn't seem to register the other woman beside Cecilia at all, but in the back of her head, she unconsciously held a grudge against that princess who stole her spot.

Who told Rachael to win the rock-paper-scissors and earn that premium spot?

Who told Lyra to come in dead last and had to do trivial chores like this instead of cuddling with Cecilia?

'Damned luck...'

Yet, three other women looked equally as upset and confused, if not worse than Lyra. They sat neatly in a row, their attention neither on the sizzling beef nor the plentiful other offerings, but on the ridiculous scene that was playing out in front of them.

Mia, the legendary archmage. Serendia d'Artois, the genius strategist. Cordelia de Rohan, the saintess of the battlefield.

They couldn't comprehend the situation they were put in. Before them, the empire's prospect owners—the princesses, the magnate, the renowned tech prodigy, and even the heroine—were all cozying up to humanity's two mortal enemies.

On the left was the greatest demon queen to ever sit on the throne, and although not as infamous, they still recognized the demon princess who bore a striking resemblance to her mother.

More bafflingly, their own teammate, their leader, Jeanne, was clearly being seduced by that demon queen!

It felt rather unreal. A million possibilities tugged at their minds, yet none of them sounded right at all. What had possibly happened while they were unaware?

Moreover, when Jeanne and Lyra called them over, they chose an... indoor barbecue instead of a serious setting? Was this some sort of sick joke?

Eventually, it was just right that they felt they needed an answer. Cordelia quietly took off her glasses, then slammed the table with her fist, ''What is the meaning of this?''

The room suddenly fell silent as all eyes fell onto the blonde saintess.

''Jeanne.'' She narrowed her eyes at Lilith. ''Out of respect for you, I haven't put a knife in that woman's throat yet, but don't you think an explanation is needed?''

Mia and Serendia appeared more reserved, but they, too, didn't hide their vigilance against the two succubi.

''...''

Faced with the inevitable, Jeanne took on a solemn expression and stood up, ''I suppose we should slowly discuss it.'' She glanced at Cecilia, only continuing after receiving a nod, ''It's about the entity behind the demon throne.''

Jeanne began to recount the story Cecilia and Lilith had told her to her three teammates. At the end, they all had thoughtful looks on their faces, although the skepticism was very much alive in their eyes.

Knowing that, Jeanne still stated her stance clearly, ''I intend to help them this time around, at least. I'm telling this to you guys because I want your help, too.''

While Serendia was still locked in her mind palace, the other two seemed to have something to say.

''...Do you realize what you're saying?'' Cordelia replied, her voice low.

''How can we trust them in the first place?'' Mia added. ''They're succubi... you know how they are.''

The mood expectedly turned sour at the archmage's words. The girls turned their hostile gazes at Mia, and Mia herself glared back at them as if asking, 'Why are you siding with demons?'

At Lyra, there was even a faint sense of resentment brewing. In the case that this whole 'archdemon' thing was a pretense, which was very likely in Mia's mind, it would signal a betrayal from her disciple. Mia, being Lyra's primary magic teacher, was the one who interacted the most with the heroine, so the pain she would feel must be paramount.

Amidst the tense mood, the black-haired half-elf spoke up, ''Calm down, you two.'' She sighed. ''There's no use getting worked up over it.''

''What do you suggest, then?'' Cordelia snapped at her teammate. ''That we give those demons the benefit of the doubt?''

''Why not?'' Serendia shrugged. ''Exceptions exist everywhere. If they're telling the truth and we're ignoring it, we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot.''

At the elf's suspiciously nonchalant attitude, Mia furrowed her brows, ''Do you know something?''

That 'something' implied a lead that would prove the other side's insistence. Staring intently at Lyra, Serendia nodded, ''Something like that.''

A brief silence ensued.

Choosing to believe in their strategist, Cordelia and Mia eventually backed down, though their vigilance hadn't decreased one bit. Nevertheless, it was enough for the boiling tension to cool down.

''However,'' The elf firmly added. ''If the demon queen intends to integrate into our country in any shape or form, she'll have to be judged accordingly. To us, she has caused immeasurable damage, and nothing will change that fact.''

Before Lilith could speak up for herself, Jeanne intervened, ''I'll take full responsibility for keeping her. This is my promise.''

While Lilith herself felt a wave of excitement as Jeanne stood up for her, the former heroine's teammates didn't look so thrilled. To avoid further escalation, Cecilia finally chose to put herself forward, smiling amicably, ''Well, well...''

''I don't expect you all to trust us fully or to forgive us. Not now.'' She said. ''Even if you don't intend to help us at all, that's honestly fine. But... my only wish is that you'd continue to be excellent teachers for Lyra. She's being dragged into this mess because of me, so I'd feel horrible if she loses your guidance because of it.''

'''' ... ''''

Somehow, looking at Cecilia's helpless smile, the three couldn't help but falter. More than a succubus's charm, it was a person's earnestness for their family.

It made them fall into deep thoughts.