Jake’s first question when he heard about the Demon Lord having a harem regarded the logistics. You see, the Demon Lord was quite large, while all the regular demons he saw in his sphere were human-sized, so…
Anyway, not important. What was important was the entire theming of the thirty-fourth floor, as the friendly demon explained it to them.
“The evil Demon Lord Gubrothas had a harem back before he was sealed away consisting of nine Mistresses and one Prime Consort that he valued above everything else. In the years waiting for his return, the Prime Consort took control and was the most powerful person outside of the evil Demon Lord Gubrothas himself. She was the original leader of the Demonic Cult, and after the summoning, she embraced the demonic path and became a half-demon herself. The nine Mistresses and the Prime Consort have been in a power struggle for a long, and some have even been disillusioned due to the prolonged absence of their lord. However, more importantly, are the young candidates and common Courtesans hoping to ascend to become Mistresses. Many of them have been here for many years and know secrets that can help us, such as how to open the seal to the castle of the evil Demon Lord Gubrathas, though I suspect that key is held only by the Prime Consort. I also heard that three Secret Scrolls have been given to three of his Mistresses. Locating those will also assist us moving forward.”
In essence, this room, if not entire floor of Nevermore, was pretty much a large red-light district. Jake’s first thought was just quickly finding their targets and going on a slaughter. However…
“Please try to not cause unnecessary death… many of those who live here are those who never truly joined the army of the evil Demon Lord Gubrothas. You must be selective and only kill those who are truly evil while sparing the innocent. We must not raise too much suspicion either, as I fear the evil Demon Lord Gubrothas may choose to temporarily completely seal away the castle or perhaps even flee.”
It was a nice request that Jake would certainly have ignored. The problem was, it wasn’t actually a request.
Floor Penalty activated. Killing any non-designated target on this floor will result in a subtraction of Nevermore Points. This subtraction grows exponentially based on how many “innocents” are killed. Using Identify will inform you whether a being is innocent, undetermined, or free to kill.
“Wait, what the hell?” Jake asked after reading it. “Negative points for killing? What kind of dungeon is this?”
“The type that punishes people who go full murderhobo for no reason.”
“First of all, how do you even know the word murderhobo? Secondly, how come just killing everything on any prior floor was totally fine?” Jake asked with a bit of exasperation. “The answer to your first question is that I am smart, and the answer to the second is that I am talented at making diverse encounters,” Minaga said, clearly proud of himself. “Does make life hard for you, huh? Can’t just kill everything and move on? Also, do you like how it contrasts to the prior floor, where it was all about killing?”
“Not a big fan, no,” Jake muttered. “But we could just head straight for the Prime Consort, kill her, and move on, right?”
Minaga didn’t answer. Instead, the Sword Saint shook his head. “That would result in no bonus points being gained, I assume. I am not saying we can’t send one person to quickly finish off the Prime Consort, but that may raise suspicions… I think taking it slow may be for the best.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Jake said. “But how will we even be able to sneak around? I can maybe see the two of us put on some big robes, but the others…”
Jake looked at the plant lady, the green bird, and the large floating Unique Lifeform. They didn’t exactly fit into a city of demons. At least there were still cultists walking around, many of those humans, but that would only help Jake and the Sword Saint.
“Ah, do not worry, I have prepared identities for all of you,” the demon in the room said, almost like Jake’s words had triggered a dialogue response. “Here, take these identification badges, and you will be believed to be part of the Demonic Cult.”
“How does that make any sense,” Jake said as the demon took out five badges, each of them flying towards a member of Jake’s party. It didn’t change their appearance or anything. All it did was add a slight change to the feeling of their aura.
“And this actually works?” Jake asked the demon.
“The Demonic Cult often has new members joining from the old kingdom, so your appearance should not raise any suspicion, and your identities are perfect as long as you are careful and don’t divulge who you truly are. Now please, you must locate the three Secret Scrolls and find the key to unlocking the castle so you can finish your quest and slay the evil Demon Lord Gubrothas and restore order. Obtaining the three Secret Scrolls is also imperative as it will no doubt help you in the final fight against the evil Demon Lord Gubrothas.”
Still incredibly skeptical, Jake pointed to Sylphie and the Fallen King. “You mean to tell me that a Demonic Cult consistent only of humanoids will not at all question the appearance of a green hawk and a Unique Lifeform?”
“The Demonic Cult often has new members joining from the old kingdom, so your appearance should not raise any suspicion, and your identities are perfect as long as you are careful and don’t divulge who-“
“Seriously?” Jake cut him off, hearing the exact same dialogue.
“The Demonic Cult often has new members joining-“
“Thank you for your guidance. We will do our utmost,” the Sword Saint then cut him off as he bowed.
“I wish you luck. Please bring the Secret Scrolls back here when you have them all, and I shall decipher them,” the demon said, finally changing what he said.
Jake looked at the demon as it seemed to enter a catatonic state, just staring into the wall.
“You mean to tell me that these people are actually sapient creatures, Minaga?” Jake questioned.
“They just have very selective hearing and short-term memory loss; what can I say? Anyway, I will echo his words and wish you luck… I look forward to seeing your performances. Ah, but just one more tip for you. Well, you and the swordsman.”
“What is it?” Jake asked.
“While it is an entirely valid strategy, one I would even recommend for most parties, I will warn you about sleeping with too many of the Courtesans, and I would definitely warn you about trying to get any of them preg-“
“Minaga,” Jake cut him off as he raised a hand. “What the actual fuck?”
“What? Oh, you think I am joking? I had a guy decide to settle down here and abandon his party after falling in love with one of the Courtesans. True, he will be kicked out when the fifty years run out, but the dude was still delusional to the extreme, and last time I checked, he got two kids, and he probably fucked up his own Records pretty badly. Casually sleeping with them is totally fine, though, and a great way to get information.”
“Is this not too disadvantaged towards non-male individuals and monsters attempting the dungeon?” the Sword Saint asked, seemingly unbothered.
“There are plenty of incubi and men around too, and no one said the Mistresses or even Prime Consort don’t have quite… interesting tastes.”
“Ree?” Sylphie asked, seemingly confused about the entire conversation they were having.
“Don’t worry about it. Minaga is just talking nonsense,” Jake reassured her.
“Up to you how you do it, but putting on some charm may prove very beneficial… anyway, that is the last hint I will give. Have fun!”
With that, Minaga popped out. Well, he was never there to begin with, but… yeah. Jake and the others were left to wonder how to proceed on this floor, with Jake being quite unsure for the first time since entering Nevermore. Through his Pulse of Perception, he could locate several interesting places, but if killing was not an option…
“Let us begin by scouting the city a bit more carefully and confirm that we can indeed blend into the crowd before we decide to make any more moves,” the Sword Saint said.
“Yeah,” Jake agreed, primarily because he had no other ideas. As a group, they went through a secret exit leading to the cellar and entered the house of the old demon before promptly leaving to the street of this district of the city that was designated as the “Demon Lord’s harem.”
In all honesty, it was a bit of a silly name, considering there were plenty of people there that had nothing to do with this harem. The name was probably only what it was because the Prime Consort and the Mistresses ruled the area. And, of course, because Minaga had named it.
Once outside, Jake was more than ready to be jumped by some of the many guards walking about. However, to his surprise, the first guard they met outside just walked up to them and nodded as Jake used Identify.
[Celibate Demon Guard – lvl 250 - Innocent]
“Hello there, I haven’t seen any of you around before. Are you new members of the Demonic Cult?” he asked.
Jake was momentarily not sure what to say as he once more took a look at their party. There was no fucking way anyone would think they were actually new members. He also confirmed that Identify designated the guy as innocent, so killing was indeed not an option.
“Yes, we are. We arrived not too long ago after hearing about the return of the honored Demon Lord,” the Sword Saint answered for their group with a smile.
“Ah, I see. We have had quite a few new visitors recently,” the guard nodded. “Carry on then, and enjoy your stay! Sadly the castle is closed off right now, much to the disappointment of the Mistresses and the Prime Consort. It makes me fear the loneliness and lack of attention from the Demon Lord may leave them vulnerable to being approached by those with untoward intentions. Do inform the guard if you come across any such individuals.”
“Who would dare do such a thing?” the Sword Saint said, looking horrified. “And how would such a thing even happen? I am certain the Mistresses and Prime Consort are all under heavy protection within their residences, and it isn’t as easy as just walking in there to get an audience.”
“It indeed isn’t that easy,” the guard nodded. “However, these insidious individuals instead approach the young Courtesans belonging to the factions of a specific Mistress to get an audience, and then through the Mistresses associated with her, they approach the Prime Consort. Recently there are even been rumors of a lot of these individuals approaching the Courtesans in the inns, but as it isn’t against the rules for the Courtesans to spend time with others before they become official Mistresses, then we as guards can’t do anything about it.”
“We will be certain to keep an eye out for such individuals,” the Sword Saint nodded with determination.
“It is good to see such upstanding individuals,” the guard said with a smile. “Here, take this signet and show it to a guard if you wish to report someone. It will also help other guards not suspect you are one of these horrible people who wish to take advantage of the naivety of a young Courtesan or even a Mistress.”
“Thank you for doing such a splendid job to keep them all safe,” the old man said with a deep bow.
The guard nodded before walking away.
Jake just stood there staring as the Sword Saint had a small signet in his hand that gave off an interesting aura.
“I must admit, this is a lot easier than I had expected,” the Sword Saint muttered.
“Yeah,” Dina nodded.
Jake didn’t wanna comment on the stupidity he had just observed. Though one part of him wished it was that easy to get information out of people in real life.
“Ree?” Sylphie asked.
“As long as you are certain you can stay hidden,” Jake shrugged. “And remember not to kill anyone that Identify marks as Innocent. Actually, probably just avoid killing anyone, period.”
“Ree,” Sylphie agreed as she turned into wind and disappeared.
“Are you certain sending off the Sylphian will end well?” the Fallen King asked. “She is not the most subtle.”
“That is true,” Jake said. “But she has an overpowered ability to make people like her, so I have a feeling she will be just fine. If she will accomplish anything, now that is a total toss-up.”
“Sylphie is pretty smart when it matters,” Dina nodded, approving of the bird.
“Very well,” the Fallen King said. “I am uncertain what my role will be on this floor, but if it is desired, then I can accomplish whatever task is assigned to me.”
“I believe it would be pertinent to first follow the tip given by the guard and investigate the inns to find Courtesans we can form positive relations to, and through them, meet a Mistress. As long as we can speak to one Mistress, it should allow us far more insight into the actual political landscape of this floor and make better decisions from there. I have also checked the fabricated identities we have been given, and nothing links our party together, so splitting up is also a good option. If there are different competing factions – something there always is in a harem - then having a person in each camp would be preferable as often internal information is biased, and we will have to know both sides to make the best decisions,” the Sword Saint said.
Jake slowly nodded, not hearing anything wrong with that. The others also seemed in agreement, probably because none of them knew what to do.
“Would anyone complain if I took Dina with me? If we approach the Courtesans as a group of two, it will make them less suspicious we are trying anything. We can try to infiltrate one faction can try to enter one through another channel, with perhaps even Sylphie getting lucky. Fallen King, I would advise you to try and approach some guards and join them. Considering your status as a Unique Lifeform makes you incapable of reproduction, you will likely be considered a “safe” guard, based on the other’s description of celibate,” the old man continued.
The Fallen King nodded along as the Sword Saint looked at Jake. “What are your plans?”
“I will try to go for a tavern too, I guess, with my target being to reach the Prime Consort as soon as possible, whatever means possible. Chances are we will have to kill her one way or another… and as always, I will take on the job of handling the floor boss,” Jake said.
“We must still bide our time,” the Sword Saint said. “As that old demon warned us, then raising a ruckus will result in making our task a lot harder, and it is likely it will make finding these Secret Scrolls impossible.”
“Oh, I won’t go to fight her directly,” Jake smiled. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t handle her through other means.”
“While Minaga did mention it as an option, seducing the Prime Consort may be a bit difficult for you, but I implore you to give it a shot,” the Sword Saint said skeptically yet encouragingly.
Jake stared at him, trying really hard to see if the old man was joking. He wasn’t.
“I am talking about alchemy.”
“Oh,” the Sword Saint muttered. “I guess that works too.”