「 Masked, no Mirage-Danna, we will be indebted to you for the rest of your life. This is the consensus of all the Wolf Demons. No words are enough from us who deceived you, to apologize and thank you for saving our lives. The Demon King's Army, no Mirage-Danna can use us Wolf Demons as you like, we wouldn't mind losing our life for you. 」

At the meeting hall in the southern village, the Wolf demons who had been evacuated to other villages also gathered, and centred around Robert, everyone rubbed their heads on the floor while facing Mirage.

This pose is called "Dogeza", it is used to show greatest sincerity in the east.

There are still many people who have dark patches left on them, but they have already recovered strength enough to move around, showing the strength of their vitality.

The sight of nearly 250 Wolf demons kneeling on the ground all at once was indescribable, and Astarte and Rafa standing behind Mirage had an uncomfortable expression on their face seeing this.

Although they were also energetically treating the Wolf Demons under the direction of the Mirage, it is unavoidable that the target of gratitude would be directed to the person who brought the cure.

「Robert-San, everyone, I just happened to know about the disease by coincidence. So, please raise your heads. Seeing so, many people kneel down before me like this, I am at a loss about what to do. All the Wolf Demons joining the Shadow Army, is already enough to show your gratitude. Also, you guys can't go out of the forest for some time to prevent the spread of the disease, but please bear with it as it is for the sake of eradicating Black Skin disease. 」

Mirage had already predicted that the Wolf demons whose lives were saved by him would want to join the Shadow army and it was more than important to do so now/ it will probably be the most important thing now.

From the first day of treatment, he used Rafa's contact ball to report the general situation to Demon King Lilith via Swift wind Castle, and from there he received order that he could do things as he wanted.

And of course, he was able to prepare the necessary material simultaneously, and succeeded in quickly making a large amount of medicine for treatment by using the Transfer magic.

After the treatment is complete, the next step is to prevent black skin disease from spreading outside the forest where the Wolf demons live, so Mirage has instructed the Wolf demons to eradicate the source of the infection.

「That's all right. However, I never thought that the mice and rabbits we usually eat were the cause of the infection. 」 (TL Note: on that note what do you think about the corona virus being caused by eating a bat)

As Robert said, the source of the black skin disease were mice and rabbits that these Wolf demons used to hunt on a daily basis.

To be precise the fleas that dwell on them were the source of the disease, they bit the mice and rabbits making them infected, and after that the Wolf Demons who touched these animal's blood became infected.

Also, when these fleas suck blood they are also infected, so it is necessary to exterminate the fleas, as well as their host, the mice and rabbits for some time.

For that reason, for a while, they continue to eliminate the source of infection, along with sterilization of all the villages and treatment of the infected.

「It was very hard to find out in your circumstances. Anyway, after you have completely recovered, you guys will be accepted in the Demon King Army.? Later, other personnel will be dispatched here, so please report to them about the items I have told you about earlier. 」

Since he had already engraved a Magic mark in every village of the Wolf demons, he planned to dispatch other personnel here using Transfer magic, for the observation and monitoring of the villagers, after reporting to the Demon King Castle.

Since this disease is unprecedentedly deadly, it is essential for a medical team to collect samples for research purposes, and it is also important to observe whether there are people in the Wolf Demon Tribe who are against them.

This is matter of course, regardless of whether Mirage trusts them or not, as they had been hostile towards the organisation called the Demon King Army until now.

It is very likely Mao-Sama has already prepared for all of this, thought Mirage.

It is unimaginable from her usual attitude, but since she was able to bring together the disorganised demons to form the Demon King Army, it goes without saying how excellent she was in making decision and executing it.

「Oi, we couldn't welcome you guys because of the treatment, but the next time, we will entertain you properly. And .... it may seem troublesome but my noisy daughter has something to say to you. Would you mind sparing a little of your time? 」

「Your Daughter is it? I don't mind............」

When the Mirage readily consented to the apologetic Robert, a little girl rushed out from the shadow of the huge figure.

From the standard of humans, she appeared to be a little girl of 10 or so years, with the ears and tail of a beast peculiar to the Wolf Demons, she approached Mirage with a tensed face.

Next to Robert, stood a beautiful woman, who seemed to be his wife, watched her beloved daughter warmly, and it can be seen from her appearance that the girl resembles her mother.

「th, that um.... Masked Oni-Chan, can you bend down a little? 」

Mirage crouched down on the spot and looked at the girl who shyly uttered those words.

Then the girl taking advantage of the physical abilities of the Wolf Demon tribe, quickly turns to right side, which is Mirage's blind spot and then stretches her hand to his face to quickly fill the distance between them.

「 What? 」

「Na! 」

「Ah! 」

Mirage who thought that she was going to remove his mask, pinned his face with his hand, but when her actions where contrary to his expectation, so he let out a voice of doubt.

And following Mirage, Astarte and Rafa who were standing behind, also let out a voice of surprise.

The little girl kissed his exposed cheeks which was not covered by the mask and then shyly ran behind Robert.

「Hahaha, see now Mirage-Danna has to take responsibility for our daughter. My daughter looks like my wife, she will definitely grow up to be beautiful, so look forward to it. 」

「I'm glad to be able to thank Mirage-San. Tee-hee, I remembered the day I saw mother and father kissing for the first time. 」

Though from the beginning till end, Mirage thought that he was deceiving the Wolf Demons, he really appreciated the courage of the little girl and was smiling under his mask.

Having seen the happy smile of the family in front of him, he was glad that the treatment went well.

「Don't make fun of Robert-San and the Madam. Well, then we will be leaving now. 」

Saying so, Mirage opened the gate and disappeared in an instant with Astarte and Rafa.

「I've seen it so many times, it's truly a ridiculous magic. And It is under the most terrifying guy I know.」

Staring at the place where Mirage's group had been before, Robert spoke with a smile and a dreadful expression.

Many of the other Wolf Demons do not know Mirage's abilities and are simple-mindedly thankful to him for saving their lives, but only Robert truly understood the scale of his power.

「Well, where are we? 」

「Right? This is not my castle, neither the Demon King Castle, nor your castle. 」

Astarte and Rafa seeing that they have transferred to an unfamiliar place, looked around while questioning Mirage.

It looks like a common wooden house having one room with a bed in the corner, a table, chair and a bookshelf, nothing unusual.

The curtains were drawn on the window, so you can't see what is outside and where you are and so Astarte and Rafa both have a confused look on their face.

「This is my...... well this is one of my hideouts. There is something we have to do before we go to the Demon King's castle. Tart-Chan, Rafa, take off all the clothes you both are wearing right now. 」

「Wh, what, what are you talking about, you masked pervert! No way, that bed is kept there for that purpose! What nerve you have to do such a thing with both of us together! This is kind of thing is done properly one-on-one! This pervert! Lewd! Erotic person! 」

Surprised by his outrageous remark, Rafa blushed and started yelling at Mirage.

On the other hand, Astarte had her eyes wide open for a moment, then thinking of something, she put her hand on her outer garment and began to take it off.

Her white, slender arms were exposed after taking of the garment, seeing this Rafa let out a cry of surprise.

「Hey, wa, wait Tart have you gone crazy? Why are you listening to him so obediently like that? No, no way are we doing this? Bu, but it's my first time, and it is so sudden, I'm not prepared......」

Seeing Rafa who excited alone, Astarte stared at her with a stunned look on her face and said.

「Rafa, what are you thinking about? Disinfecting and disposing of the clothes are a matter of course to not bring the pathogens back to the Demon King's castle. You see, Mirage-Sama put the things that we needed and went out of the room. 」

When Rafa turned her face in the direction pointed by Astarte, Mirage was no longer there, in place of him there were few clean clothes in a tub, water bottles, distilled liquors and medicines.

The idea is to cleanse and disinfect their body, change clothes and also disinfect the other necessary item like the contact ball, to reduce even a little possibility of bringing pathogens along with them.

This is a necessary measure, as even though a cure can be made, it will become a serious problem if this infectious disease is spread in the large Demon King's army.

「a, au, don't misunderstand!? Just now it was just a joke, a joke. Really, Tart you are too serious and inflexible.」

While grumbling and complaining, Rafa also began to change her clothes.

There are rows of Dragon's scales on her back at the base of her wings and the features of the dragon were evident on her shoulders and waist, but her limbs were smooth and beautiful.

Taking a sideway glance at such an appearance of Rafa, Astarte dropped a bomb in the room.1

「Rafa, now that I think about it, it seems that your breast didn't grow so well compared to your height. 」

It appears that Rafa's earlier remark had offended her and she decided to get back at her by remarking about the body part Rafa was conscious about.

Rafa paused her actions and turned towards Astarte, her expression was hardened with her mouth half-open.

「I, for my case it is called being slender. Us Dragon Demons are usually slender, because the extra flesh become a hindrance when we Dragonify and fly. Moreover, we are not a childlike?tribe like yours. The Evil Demon tribe can be said to be pitiable, having the breast and height like a child. 」

With a snort, Rafa creepily gazed over Astarte's whole body and provoked her in a silly way.

「I'm still growing. It is not a problem as the Evil Demon Tribe is a slow growing tribe. Hmm, moreover Rafa is the one with childish behaviour, and likes to wear childish underwear, too. What is that, bear panties?? Even kids don't wear them these days.」

At the end of Astarte's gaze was Rafa wearing a plain underwear with a bear?embroidered on it.

It is true that, it is okay if it is worn by child-like Robert's daughter, but it is a little awkward to be seen worn by Rafa who looks 15 --16 years old by human standard.

Rafa silently walked from her spot to the corner of the room, picked up the bed while glaring at Astarte, making one wonder where did such power exist come from in such a slender arm.

「Well, Bears are cute, so it's fine ...... but you.... that mature black underwear doesn't suit you! 」

As she spoke, Rafa hurled the bed at Astarte, but naturally such attack was easily dodged by her.

However, the wooden bed thrown with the strength of a Dragon demon hit the wall with a great force, and a hole in it with a loud noise, through which a half-naked Mirage in the next room could be seen.

And Mirage alarmed by the thunderous noise of the wall breaking, turned in the direction of Astarte and Rafa to check the situation, so essentially that being the case there was nothing he did wrong, but there was no way such sound argument was not understood by them.

After this Mirage was made to promise to listen to one of their requests, to appease the two who were enraged at him for seeing them in underwear, while he lamented that this was unreasonable as he was not the one at fault.

[1.TL NOTE: here dropping a bomb is a metaphor]