The Demon Saint is Missing, so I Ran to Another World

Determination to Defy (Side Chapter)

***The residence of the demon ambassador to Chersea, Kalen Grattiani***

A carriage with gilded trim, pulled by four horses and emblazoned by the coat of arms of the Human Saint arrived at the courtyard of the demon ambassador's villa in Chersea. The Paladin Corps squad that came with it immediately got down their war steeds and lined up along the door of the carriage and the stairs that led to the doors where the Lady Grattiani awaited, together with her human servants.

"..."

The first one to go out was the Head Maid, Princess Lilyhaven of Nerfes, followed by the younger servant, Duchess Eris of Braunhauer. Then, when they had already stood in their proper positions, the Human Saint, Lady Madelaine Rubinforth, finally graced everyone with her presence.

It is their usual pomp whenever they visit the demon ambassador.

"Good day, Your Holiness!" was the greeting of Lady Grattiani. "I see that you dropped by our humble embassy once again, after the visit yesterday...and of the other day, too..."

"A pleasant day to you as well, Lady Grattiani," Maddie replied to her, even though she could read her mind. The demon lady, though amicable, was getting tired of her repeated visits. However, just as she swore to herself, she would always update on the status of the Lord Kuro in Cherflammen.

"Please, let's have a cup of tea," the ambassador signaled to one of her servants, who went to the kitchen for her mistress' request. Meanwhile, the Lady Grattiani led Maddie's group inside her villa's visitor's lounge for a proper conversation.

"You must be getting tired of seeing my face coming over again," the Human Saint quipped.

"Ah, it's fine, Your Holiness," the ambassador answered. "I understand your concerns regarding the safety of the Lord Kuro of Arles in our lands. Rest assured that my master, the Prince Hurion Devras, is taking care of him for the time being."

"..." Maddie remained silent. Deep inside, she knew full well that the demon ambassador was just bluffing; the Lady Grattiani hadn't receive any communications from Cherflammen for about two weeks now. And she herself was worried that there's something going on back in her land.

"Please," the ambassador gestured for her maid to serve the Human Saint, "have some of our finest tea, Your Holiness."

"Lady Grattiani..."

"Y-Yes, Your Holiness?"

"Tell me the truth; you know you can't hide anything from me," Maddie's voice was gentle, yet the pressure she exerted was enough to heighten the tension inside the visitor's lounge. "There's no communication from your master in Cherflammen. Is everything alright?"

Lady Grattiani froze. She couldn't find the right answer to the Human Saint's question, for she had no idea as well. The last letter that the demon ambassador sent went unanswered, and there was a decrease of caravan trade from Cherflammen to Chersea. In her books, that meant something big was going on back in the demon realm. However, the merchants who came back from that land had no answer; they couldn't even remember the times they were inside Cherflammen, or their memories were vague.

"Milady, I believe you're only acting in the interest of your ruler, the Prince Hurion Devras," Maddie began. "However, I must remind you again that my faithful servant, the Lord Kuro of Arles was taken by your mistress, the Lady Noir. As such, I wanted guarantees for his safety."

"My sincere apologies for lying, Y-Your Holiness," the ambassador bowed her head. "Honestly, I'm also in the dark of what's going on in Cherflammen. I thought of delaying from telling you the true situation, for I was still hoping for a letter from milord until now. However, I already sent a trusted deputy to check on things, for the silence of my master is already a source for concern on our side."