Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 312 Mission: 04-3 Review and Resolution
"Well then, the deliberation and negotiation meeting regarding the Gift Game [Hamel's Pied Piper] begins now."

In the conference room at Salamander headquarters, Kuro Usagi made a solemn announcement. She was presiding at the head of a long table, while Nero, seated at one side, glanced across and spotted Izayoi Sakamaki.

He sat in the third position on the contestant's side. The two people in front of him, with dragon horns on their heads, were obviously from [Salamanda]. The teenage girl among them was naturally one of the targets, Sandora. As for the fourth person... Nero didn't recognize him.

Izayoi's presence was a good thing. If he were there, he would definitely be able to see through the first trap set by Hamel during the negotiations and regain the initiative in time by making concessions in other areas. This was exactly what Hamel wanted to see most.

But their eyes met, and Nero and Izayoi's expressions turned ugly in an instant.

Just before, when Black Rabbit, the referee, called a timeout and Nero threw Izayoi to the ground, he lost his temper without hesitation. Izayoi seemed to find it humiliating that Nero had slashed him with the back of his knife in a life-or-death situation. To Nero, it was a complete waste of his kindness.

"Stop looking down on me, you bastard," "Hypocritical and arrogant low-class demon"—Nero was furious at these resentful insults, but he didn't seem to have any good reason to retaliate. Perhaps this was the price of being a half-baked villain, and for the time being, Nero could only endure this kind of vexation.

Nero certainly wouldn't hold back next time, after all, it was Izayoi's own request. But thinking that he would have to wait at least another week before taking action, Nero really didn't want to see Izayoi's face.

It makes me annoyed when I see it.

"First of all, I would like to ask the organizers about this game..."

"There aren't any imperfections." Pest interrupted Black Rabbit before she could finish. This was because Hamel's Pied Piper was a gift game created by the leader of the Grimm Fantasy Spellbook Group, and that man's gift games never left any loopholes that could be used as a basis for gossip.

Therefore, Pest gave her answer firmly: "The rules of this game are completely flawed or improper. This includes the seal on Shiroyasha and the conditions for breaking the game. Everything is perfectly set. It can be said that initiating a review is completely unnecessary and unjustified."

"Are you sure this is the answer?" Faced with such an aggressive Pest, Black Rabbit was clearly feeling a little intimidated. "You know, the one receiving the answer is the core of the Little Garden."

"Of course. Under this premise, we can now say that we were forced to interrupt the game due to an unjustifiable accusation. In other words, it is the contestants who are making a frivolous interference in the sacred game—do you understand what I mean?"

Sandra looked at Pest, her face darkening: "You mean..."

"If my statement is proven to be correct, we will have the right to add additional favorable terms to the game." Nero continued calmly.

"...I understand. Regarding this matter, let's wait for the news back before conducting further negotiations."

Black Rabbit bit his lip slightly, pricked up his ears and closed his eyes.

From the looks of it, it seems that it has started to contact the center of the small garden.

Nero took this opportunity to observe the expressions of the contestants' representatives again. Izayoi's face, though somewhat heavy, still managed to chat with the others. The faces of the Salamander members he was chatting with were as black as ink. Sandora was clearly inexperienced as a leader. Although she kept a straight face and said nothing, the small movements of her hands and feet said loudly, "I'm nervous." Meanwhile, the short, green-haired figure following behind Izayoi, though with a grim expression, possessed a certain calmness.

After a moment, Kuro Usagi lowered his head and replied with some embarrassment, "I got your answer. The rules of this game are indeed... not flawed or improper. Shiroyasha-sama's seal was also created through legitimate means."

Suddenly, a sound of gasps and gnashing of teeth emanated from the right side of the conference room. This further escalated the disadvantage faced by the contestants. Nero looked at Pest, who remained calm. Pest returned her gaze and nodded slightly.

That means "act according to plan."

Pest spoke first, "This is the natural outcome. So, regardless of the rules, we will independently decide the date for the resumption of the game."

"Date?" Sandra was the first to express surprise on behalf of the contestants.

Pest ignored her and asked the Black Rabbit who was presiding over the meeting, "Judgment Controller, when is the latest date for the resumption of the meeting?"

Black Rabbit answered hesitantly, "The latest? Uh... in this case, a month?"

"Really? Then one month."

"Wait!"

"Please wait!"

Izayoi and the short green-haired man beside him spoke at the same time, and Nero immediately revealed a barely perceptible smile.

They fell into a trap.

Pest turned to look at them expressionlessly: "Why? Isn't this a good thing for you?"

She is still acting.

"No, that depends on the situation." Izayoi said, leaning back in his chair and signaling to hand the topic over to another person.

The green-haired boy nodded, as if to say, "Alright, leave it to me." He then stood up, trying to appear more assertive. "The organizer may choose not to answer this question. Regarding the organizer's demon king—is your name 'Black Death'?"

After learning that the Demon King Community's name is [Grimm Fantasy Grimoire: Hamel], this answer is actually not difficult to guess. The legend of the community's origin, "The Pied Piper," is a simple story: a magical flute player, at the request of the townspeople of Hamel, eliminates a rat infestation. However, the townspeople betray him, refusing to pay the promised reward and mocking him. The flute player then blows his flute once more, carrying all the town's children away with him, and disappears into the distance.

In other words, the Pied Piper's power lies in controlling both humans and rats. Rats can bring plague, of which the Black Death is a type. Therefore, some interpretations of this story also interpret it as a metaphor for isolating plague patients in the mountains.

Pest has already demonstrated her strength in previous encounters. The strange black wind that deprives people of their strength is the embodiment of the "plague", and the black and white spotted Lolita dress she wears also implies the dark bruises that appear on the bodies of patients with the "Black Death" due to sepsis.

(End of this chapter)