Back in time a little bit, to the early morning.

—The town of Kulga.

At the far end of the town stands a huge mansion that looks like a small castle.

It’s the mansion of a former lord and the current residence of a high ranked demon who is one of the aides to the Demon Lord over the area.

Passing through the gates of the mansion, a carriage and escort demons enter the site.

“It wasn’t a very exciting mission, was it?”

“It was a direct order from the Demon Lord, so I may have been overzealous.”

“You’re right. With this much strength, it would have been really interesting to see humans try to attack.”

“Hahaha! Humans are essentially cattle now. If any of them had the guts to try, I’d keep them!”

The guards all laugh, “Sure.”

When they arrive, the air among them is relaxed a little.

The rat-headed demon of the guard was going to open his mouth to snap at the guards, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

The wagon stops just past the second gate.

This is where the carriage’s journey ends.

Luggage will be unloaded from here and carried in.

There are already two demon porters waiting for them. They have the majestic horns and tails of the demon race, but their appearance and gestures are more like human aristocrats who respect propriety.

“Thank you for all your hard work.”

The demon with the sheep-like horns on the right bows his head.

This “transport” is done in secret by the order of their master, the Demon King. Both the coachmen and the escorts were selected for high loyalty and fighting ability because of this.

This is why the carriers are so polite.

“You too.”

“Carrying a load is a job that humans should be doing…”

“You’re right, but it can’t be helped because humans can’t enter this mansion.”

“…Oh, that’s right. I’m sorry about that.”

“No worries.”

As they talk about this, a demon comes running towards the carriage from the mansion.

Jens-Jam Grey Alains.

The Demon Lord has given him the honor of ruling this town—He is the aide to Adreas-Balya M. Crescent, one of the thirteen Demon Lords.

“The cargo has arrived!”

He calls out as he hurriedly approaches the carriage.

Normally, he would’ve started with a greeting, but he was excited by the arrival of something he’d been waiting for.

This time, it was an Orichalcum Armor that Lord Adreas gave to Jens as a reward for his hard work.

He’s been waiting for it for a long time, so he couldn’t help but get a little excited.

“Master Jens, you don’t have to go outside to get it.”

“Don’t say that. It’s a gift from the Demon Lord and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.”

He smiles happily with a slight chuckle.

He can’t say much more because the escorts and carriers already understand how he feels.

A gift from the Demon Lord, the absolute master, is enough to make one jump up and down and start dancing.

“So, let’s see what we’ve got, shall we?”

He walks around to the back of the wagon.

They are so immersed in Jens’s excitement, the other demons are also in a joyful mood..

When the carriers open the curtain in excitement, there’s nothing in the carriage.

—There is nothing there at all.

“…What is…the meaning of this?”

Jens’s thoughts are disrupted.

He was waiting for the cargo to arrive. That’s not a lie.

He was looking forward to the Orichalcum armor. That’s not a lie either.

The fact that the Demon Lord sent it to reward his subordinate…is a cover.

The actual thing that they were supposed to carry was—the Divine Weapon.

The armor was a sign of bravery that was taken from the humans in the war ten years ago. One of which is supposed to be loaded on this wagon…

The Demon Lord and his minions know that some humans are planning to rebel against the demon race. So it’s possible that the humans have been trying to retrieve a trump card for humanity, a Divine Weapon.

That’s the real reason for the camouflage.

Even if it is stolen, there is almost no danger of the sacred object falling into human hands.

That’s because all Divine Artifacts are housed in the infamous “Abyssal Box”.

The Abyssal Box can only be opened by the thirteen Demon Lords or those who have proper keys.

There is no way that any of the thirteen Demon Lords would cooperate with people, and Jens received a key from Adreas, which he carries with him everywhere.

In other words—There’s no way the humans can open the Abyssal Box

That doesn’t mean it can’t be stolen, though.

If the other Demon Lords were to find out that a Divine Weapon had been stolen by a human, it would be a huge disgrace.

Adreas is young among the Demon Lords, so he is looked down upon by some of them.

If such an outrageous blunder were to become known, Jens’s reputation would surely be ruined.

It doesn’t matter if Jens is responsible for carrying the load or not…

As a matter of fact, the result is that the entire load has been stolen. He will inevitably face Adreas’s wrath and it doesn’t matter who is responsible in the face of a Demon Lord’s rage. Only corpses and rubble will pile up until the flames of his wrath are extinguished.

“What happened!?”

He grabs one of the nearby escorts by the neck and strangles him.

Jens is more of a civil servant, but as the Demon Lord’s aide, his combat abilities easily surpass the average demon.

“You bastards!!! Where is the cargo!?”

He continues to grip the guard’s throat in anger, causing the guard’s neck to snap with a loud crack. He throws the corpse down and reaches out towards another escort’s throat, but…retracts his hand, regaining composure, saying, “I shouldn’t kill anyone else.”

His anger at the unforeseen situation and the guards not doing anything to prevent it doesn’t subside at all, and he releases a beast-like breath, “Fuuuuuh!”

“EXPLAIN!!!”

One of the guards hurriedly straightens his posture and speaks about the situation as much as they can understand.

“YES! There was cargo here at the entrance to the mansion! The gatekeepers confirmed as we entered, so there’s no doubt about that!”

“Then, why the hell isn’t it here now!?”

“Why isn’t it here now?…Well, it must have been stolen between the gate and here…”

Jens thinks.

Now isn’t the time to be angry.

If it’s true that the cargo was stolen just now, it means the culprit is still nearby. He’ll have to catch them before they escape.

Jens orders one of the carriers under his command to ask the gatekeeper, “Have you seen anyone suspicious since the carriages arrived?” and, “Was the cargo really there?”

Jens also considers that the carrier is the culprit, but he has been with his escorts ever since the carriage approached. He didn’t have time to steal anything. At the very least, the two carriers are clean and can be trusted.

According to the carrier’s report, which came back a minute later, the cargo was definitely there, there was a faint smell of beast when he checked, and no one had been on the street when the carriage came through.

(The smell of a beast…?)

If they were demons, they would have said “demon smell”. Since both the guard and the escort were demons, it was only natural that they would smell like demons. In other words, the cart smelled like some kind of beast.

(A beast stole the cargo?)

No, that couldn’t possibly happen. He immediately dismisses the possibility.

Considering the size of the cargo, it would have to be a suitably large beast to carry it out. If it was that big, there’s no way the gatekeepers wouldn’t have noticed it.

There are spells and abilities that can make you disappear, but they are all too advanced to be used by a beast with little intelligence.

If that’s the case, then the smell of a beast on the cart was probably due to animal hair or something that had gotten onto the cart as it passed through the forest.

If it’s true that the gatekeeper checked the cargo and there was no one suspicious in the street, then there is only one possibility.

The thief is still on the premises of the mansion—.

As another possibility, the word “transference magic” that allows you to jump across space crossed Jens’s mind, but only some Demon Lords and a few high-ranking demons can use this super-high-ranked magic. As for human beings, there is only a record that one of the heroes could use it long ago, and no one has ever used the transference Heavenly Arts, at least, not in front of anyone.

“Order the gatekeepers to close the gates! No one is allowed to enter or leave for the time being!”

The rats are now trapped, but the demons need to be careful.

They have to get that cargo back at all costs.

“Have them close the gates to the town! Don’t let anyone out!”

Farmers with fields outside the town and those who come from outside to deliver food and supplies will be shut out—

(No, wait!? If we make a fuss, the Demon Lord might hear about this…)

The only way to do this is to limit entry and exit to the town.

“Tsk…”

It’s not good to click your tongue as a superior, but Jens doesn’t have time to worry about things like that right now.

“No, I waited…I’m not doing that now. I checked the baggage of every single person who had come in, out and had suspicious things…and those with suspicious behavior were sent to me. Only those whose identities can be verified will be allowed to enter and leave the town—”

I can’t tell them not to go outside.

I suddenly have an idea.

Fortunately, there are not that many people coming in and out of the town. There are a lot of bored demons lounging around the town with nothing to do but eat and sleep.

They can become quite useful at a time like this.

“I’ll put a demon guard on anyone who leaves the town. We can use people who have too much free time in the town for this.”

“A demon for every human…?”

“Yes.”

It’s understood how serious Jens is about this.

Of course, his status, honor, and above all else, his life is at stake.

Two carriers start running to relay Jens’s command.

“Now, we’re on a rat hunt…perhaps a thieving cat hunt? If I’m right, the thief is hiding somewhere on the property.”

“I see, so you’re going to find them?”

“That’s what I’m going to do and you’re coming with me.”

He glares at the guards and the coachmen.

“If the Demon Lord finds out about this matter, you will be the first to be decapitated. I hope you work hard after coming to understand this.”

“Huh!!!” (The whole group)

I will find them even if I have to shake the mansion upside down—.

Jens bites down so hard in anger that his gums bleed as he watches the crew scatter throughout the mansion.

(Thieves!…I will definitely find you and torture you to death…!!!)