Immediately after having dealt with the three adventurers, I fly bit above the trees and search for the remaining one. It's not difficult to spot him heading directly towards the town while stumbling through the sparse forest. Oh, and he is clucking loudly and making wing motions with his elbows non-stop - a charm's power really is amazing, when it works. I head ahead of him to the town; I believe I know exactly where he is going.

There's lots of clamor when the chicken man returns. He keeps at it without paying any attention to the baffled townspeople, until finally arriving in front of the notice board. Stopping cold half way of a pretend chicken wing flap, the adventurer has a very complicated look on his face.

"Hello again, chickventurer~."

It gets several degrees more so when he hears my best approximation of Celica's sing song tone and sees me waving a hand at him. Were this moment in an internet video, right now there'd be that 'hello darkness my old friend' song playing as the background music.

"WHAAA... HAaaa... Haaah... Just-- What? You!? Here..."

Besides the fatigue from running all the way here, he's experiencing a moderate mental break down. I wonder what his reaction will be when he finds out I killed his friends too? While he crouches and hyperventilates, a crowd is gathering around.

"She... *Hiiiii haaaaa*... She... SHE'S THE DEMON!"

He points at me with half-crazed look. That got their attention.

Military circles who benefit from demons the most are relatively accepting, but same might not be true for general population. The stigma towards demons is lesser here in the empire than it is in any other country I've heard of, but just how much less than 'purge them all and salt the ground' remains to be seen - and I'm about to find out soon.

This is a big risk I'm taking, but I'm fed up with sneaking around with wings uncomfortably wrapped under my clothes. Which is why I decided to see what happens if I openly act as a demon in this small town. Even if it goes all wrong, there aren't enough guards to pose real threat to me, and the citizens can't muster too big torches and pitchforks rabble... I hope.

Judging from their reactions, the crowd is skeptic towards the man who ran here while imitating a chicken. But they won't interrupt the spectacle either. Originally I planned to just charm and send all the adventurers and other undesirable visitors here - as a testament to my very real power. However, with the charm failing to affect more than one of them, I believe more hands on demonstration is necessary.

Just when I'm about to reveal that yes, I am the demon, Celica walks in... no, flies in!

"A~iiis~! You promised I could join in too~!"

She lands right next to me. Did she spy on me and decide to steal my thunder? Her arrival certainly makes an impression, as crowd backs off with oohs and aahs. I decide that to hell with it all, and unleash my wings too but the reaction is much more muted. Thanks a lot Celica. You have ruined the script I planned for this event.

I immediately mete punishment by stretching her face.

"Celicaaaaaaa...!"

"Aissh~, stoph! My cheekhs~! Uguu~..."

The make-Celica-cry session is interrupted when McChicken goes full retard. He had been staring at Celica's sudden arrival blankly, but now he starts screaming like a lost soul.

You just ran from a hill, do you really want to go back? Anyway, isn't he supposed to be charmed? I'm not feeling the love here.

"Celica... I charmed that one, why isn't he more... charmed? You told me it would last 'forever'."

"Aah~, it does last forever~. Unless he resists it~ of course. Did big sis~ forgot to mention~ that? Tehe~."

She accompanies her tehe~ with a fake punch on her own head. I give my unreliable 'big sis' a real punch right on the same spot. Celica, your advice is bad and you should feel bad.

The townspeople look like they are unsure just how to react to this absurd show, but at least they haven't turned aggressive. Neither are they exactly stoked to see two demons though, so I decide to let them mull over it in peace. I grab Celica and go airborne.

"Read the poster. Reasonable prices, discreet services."

Naturally I didn't leave without some advertising.

***

The following days my designated place on the hill near the town is visited by all sorts of people. It's surprising how so many are more curious than they are afraid, especially considering the grim warning that graves of the adventurers that attacked me should give. The stone-mage ironically crushed by boulder needed no burying by the way. I guess the unintentional stand-up comedy that the chickenventurer and Celica caused diminished the intimidation factor tad bit. In any case, most of the visitors come just to gawk. 'Ooh, it's a real succubus, with wings and everything'.

Some brave fools failed to believe the 'no lewd stuff' part of my poster and made some very frank propositions. I pointed the first perv to all too eager Celica, who now is part of the operation. I quickly stopped doing that after she drained the hopeful applicant to the doors of death though. Some more monster hunters showed up too, but they didn't feel like being jerks and attacking me unprovoked when so many townspeople are watching.

One drunk jokingly asked for 'life advice' about 'meaning of life'.

"There is no meaning. Anything you do is equally meaningful or meaningless as any other option. ... So feel free to get drunk as much as you want."

He was actually happy to have his lifestyle validated, and presumably ran off to get even more drunk.

***

Since there were too many people around as witnesses, I didn't at first get any information gathering or kill quests, until one bit smarter person sent a courier with a message on sealed letter. He wants me to find out whether or not his cousin cheated him of his inheritance. This, while dull, sounds like the first legit task, so I get to it on principle. I leave the other possible jobs to Celica's hands and set course to the cousin's house that lies some distance away from the town.

The place is a moderately big farm house, and seems to grow pigs. As I knock door, I see another pig answering. It's the same sweaty man who tried to get a young witch to curse his cousin. I already have my answer then. But I decide to get proof too.

"What is it no-- Y-you?! What are you doing h-here? This is private area!"

He still remembers I scared him off, but is more bold at his own home. I could scare him good by revealing the wings I'm currently hiding, but I don't want him running around telling everyone the nice witch (I was having tea with her when this one barged in) consorts with demons. There is of course chance he'll find out eventually anyway, but I want to at least lessen the risk a bit.

I don't feel like using charm spell either. While he most likely is susceptible to succubus' temptation, I don't want to even imagine this disgusting tub of lard being madly in love with me. So, instead I smash the door frame above him with my swordstaff.

"Hiiiiiii!!!"

He really does sound like a pig. I'm not being very delicate about this issue, but since I already scared him shitless in the earlier encounter, finesse is hardly an option now.

"You will write a confession about forging the will."

"Mh... Wh-what would you be talking about?"

I turn the blade in the crevice I had made, dropping wood splinters on him.

"A-a-a-ah yes, that will... Right... There might have been some unclear things after all..."

He's braver little piggy than I thought, but whatever. As long as it'll be change and the task is completed.

After that is done I deliver the paper stained by his sweat to the happy customer. I even get a fair portion of the inheritance as reward, which sounds good... on a paper. I give the quest giver who failed to mention the extent of the inheritance a death glare when he presents my reward: a single slightly bent silver fork.

...Why did I even bother?