"Little brat, don't joke with me. You moved so early? I thought it'd take far longer before you built up the courage to come."
The Demon King's voice sounded especially annoyed by the words 'father-in-law', bringing Damien endless amusement.
"Haha, what can I say? Junior was far too excited to gain father-in-law's approval, so I couldn't help myself."
"Sigh, still in the mood to joke? Well, it matters not. Tell me, where are you right now?"
"Hmm, I'm outside your house, though there's this big shiny wall in my way!"
"Can you take the situation seriously at all? Don't you understand the implications of what you are doing right now? Also, how can you use mana so freely to communicate when you're in the presence of so many higher beings? Those old farts have probably already sensed you."
"Hahaha, I mean is it so necessary to take the situation seriously? In my opinion, things will work out pretty smoothly. Even if they don't, escaping is something I pride myself in. As for those other Demon Kings, I don't think we have to worry about them right now. While my concealment can't be considered heaven-defying, it should at least keep my mana from leaking and being sensed."
"Fine, fine. It's not like my life is about to be in your hands or anything. It's not like I need some kind of assurance to trust a stranger I only met for a few minutes a month ago. Bastard, if something happens I swear on my name that I'll be the first to kill you."
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, how am I supposed to get in? Even if the others haven't noticed me yet, they will the instant I step through this barrier."
"That's fine. I'll make an opening for you, so grasp it as you see fit."
"Understood. I'll see you in a bit."
"Stop acting so familiar with me."
Damien put away the communication talisman after he finished speaking. Although he only showed playfulness to the Demon King, his face was incredibly serious.
He had used the communication talisman because he really had no other way to proceed forward from where he was, but he wasn't assured at all about whether or not he had been discovered.
As he had said, he had no confidence in his concealment. He wasn't using vector control or any of the abilities he had confidence in. His Demonic Bloodline was new and he was essentially using the situation as an experiment to test its capabilities.
Damien patiently waited without moving an inch, scanning the surroundings like a hawk trying to notice the opening the Demon King was preparing for him.
Many minutes later, he noticed a young woman in a maid uniform hastily leaving the castle.
'As expected, this guy is a true maid appreciator.'
Since this little maid was the only one around, Damien kept his focus on her movements. As he watched, she scampered off to the side where a large garden was located. Incidentally, this garden was in line with the barrier around the mansion.
Damien narrowed his eyes. It was too much of a coincidence when considering both her timing and location. Thinking so, he made his way to the area she had reached.
It wasn't long before the maid started happily plucking some flowers and carefully placing them in a few vases she brought with her. From an outsider's perspective, she was so focused on her task that she lost track of her surroundings.
As she moved, she finally reached the edge of the medicine garden, and in that instant, her body brushed past the barrier, leaving her half inside and half outside the barrier's width.
"Who goes there?!"
An alarmed shout came from the side of the castle. Near a dozen fully armored guards surrounded the area in an instant, blocking off any potential trespassers. Their auras flared out and covered the surroundings, putting a heavy pressure on the poor maid caught in its center.
"Ah!"
The maid exclaimed when she saw the situation. Sweat began to trickle down her brows.
"E-esteemed sirs! I live in this castle! I am not a trespasser!"
"Girl, what are you doing alerting the barrier? If you truly live within the castle, you should know that no residents are allowed to leave the castle grounds unless ordered!"
"Esteemed sirs, this little one made no move to leave the castle grounds! This is all a misunderstanding!"
"And what could we possibly be misunderstanding?! Us being alerted clearly means that you attempted to breach the barrier. There is no other reason needed!"
The guards began to move forward, drawing their weapons and pointing them at the maid.
"Sir! It was but an accident! I simply came to the flower garden to pick some of these Moon's Glimmer Lillies, but my body must have accidentally passed through the barrier! I was too focused and didn't notice, this humble one is incredibly sorry!"
The maid's knees hit the ground as she began to prostrate, not daring to raise her forehead up off the ground.
The head of the guards glared at the maid suspiciously, but seeing how tears were starting to well up in her eyes, his brows furrowed.
Looking around, the guard noticed tens of vases filled with Moon's Glimmer Lillies neatly arranged on the side, and even the maid's body was covered in dirt and the scent of flowers.
Thinking carefully, there was no reason for a simple maid to try and sneak out of the castle. The guards knew that even if it was them who tried to do so, the only outcome would be death.
As for the maids and servants, they were specifically picked or groomed to have no attachments to the outside world. Most of them were orphaned due to their parents not surviving the Demon God's Baptism.
The guard finally relented, admonishing the maid before calling for a retreat. Once the troop was finally out of sight, the maid heaved a sigh of relief.
"Scary! Too scary! Next time, I can't come to this flower garden anymore."
The maid crouched down and hugged her knees. A few silent tears dripped from her eyes. She was only a mortal, and the pressure those guards had exuded made her body feel like it was going to be crushed in an instant.
It was only many minutes later when she finally managed to compose herself.
"I can't let the Lord see me like this. But I wonder if he will like my gift?"
Smiling to herself, the maid wiped the residue of tears off her face and gathered up the lilies she had plucked. Finally, she walked back to the castle and entered inside.
"Hmph. It looks like she was telling the truth."
Not far away, the guard captain hid in the shadows and watched the maid's actions. There was no way he'd loosen his suspicion simply based on her claims.
But after observing her actions once the danger had passed, the guard captain was finally convinced. There was no way a mortal could act well enough to fool his senses.
Thinking about how his time was wasted on a false alarm, the guard captain harrumphed once more before leaving the area. He needed to go find some servants who he could vent his frustrations on.
Unfortunately for the guard captain, however, he had failed to notice the slight squirming of the maid's shadow as she had entered the castle.
