14. Love TriangleThe next evening

  "What do you need, lil bro?"

  Brando and the Guildmaster were talking in the tter's office. The younger demon was slowly slowly sipping a red wine from a gss chalice. The older brother was doing the same, while also smoking a cigarette.

  "I need nothing at the moment... Maybe a pointer or two, not that i have many hopes about that."

  The guildmaster puffed a cloud of smoke directly in Brando's face, who coughed.

  "You idiot! You'll ruin my drink!"

  The older brother ughed awkwardly.

  "Sorry, my bad..."

  Then his ughter became a smile as awkward as the ughter was.

  "What do you need your big bro for?"

  "As i said, i'm not counting on you on anything. However..."

  The demon grins.

  "Maybe... There's a thing you can indeed help me. Can't you give our friend the H ranked adventurer a commission where accidents may happens?"

  "I'm not omniscient. How can i know that an accident will happen?"

  The guildmaster's slightly concerned expression was in stark contrast with Brando's annoyed one.

  "You either don't or you make them happens. But that's not the point. The point is that we should make that guy accept a commission or two with high risks that he doesn't know about so that an accident ends up ciming his life. Is there something we can leverage him to cooperate?"

  The guildmaster scratched his head, while puffing another cloud of smoke, this time away from Brando.

  "Honestly, he seems to ck both ambition, dedication and even work-ethics in general. Should i threaten to fire him if he doesn't comply?"

  "That either wouldn't work or it would be too obvious that there's something we want out of him. I mean, he doesn't seem that bright... But even a complete idiot would see that we would have something in our mind with such kind of threat being used."

  "And... What would you suggest, then?"

  "I suggest to wait for the right opportunity to manifest itself."

  Both Brando and the guildmaster sipped some wine.

  "So, you've met him, haven't you."

  The guildmaster puffed another cloud of smoke. Brando, despite not being in the trajectory, coughed. He turned his head, noticing that the windows were all closed. He snapped.

  "DO YOU WANT TO ASPHYXIATE US?"

  He stood up went to the closest window, opening it as much as he could.

  "Better."

  He then returned to his pce, drinking some wine after he did it.

  "Returning to our discussion. Yes. I've met him. I went to ask my girl Vionte out, since it was some time since i met her st time, so i went to her house. Her irrational hatred towards poor me has probably infected her family, since they made me wait a bit. Then the door opened and i find some random guy at the door who refused to introduce himself and started babbling complete bullshit like that Vionte has died. I faked some interest about whatever idiocy he said and then left after a while when i understood that i wasn't welcome in here and Vionte wasn't coming down on her own."

  "You're saying that the H-rank adventurer lives in her house?"

  The guildmaster was perplexed.

  "He never gave away anything about himself, but since Vionte really wanted to give that adventurer a job i assume she would be willing to also give him a pce to stay."

  Brando finished drinking his drink. He was calm.

  "This fact, despite his ck of any remarkable feature, is enough to make him a threat, however low it is, to my pn to seduce that frigid girl and make her a real succubus with a capital S. That's why i need a way to make that guy dispose of himself."

  The older brother, after he extinguished his cigarette in an ashtray, put his hands together, with fingers crossing.

  "Isn't it slow though, why don't you just bring him with you somewhere hidden and just kill him with something?"

  Brando stood up, furious. He smmed his hands on the desk.

  "We leave in pair and only i return? I'm the prime suspect! I have to prove i'm not guilty."

  The guildmaster was concerned

  "But you can do it while outside the kingdom. Those primitives-"

  "That would be better. However there would still be guards. And then there's the border. I still have to prove why my companion vanished to avoid being suspected of murder. I need to distance myself from the location the accident happen to avoid being suspected in the first pce. That's basic logic bro..."

  The guildmaster scratched his chin.

  "Yeah... It seems indeed a better pn. However... Can you promise me something?"

  "I won't share my girl!"

  "I wasn't thinking about that... I'm already in love with someone else... Just... You won't dispose of your older brother just to cut a loose end, wouldn't you?"

  Brando smiled.

  "Of course not. We are brothers, family. I would never do such thing. We are in this together."

  'Also it would draw a lot of unnecessary attention and would only increase the suspicion that the accident wasn't really an accident.'

  "I knew your love for me was great, bro."

  The guildmaster rose his cup of wine.

  "A toast then. To our romantic future."

  Brando rose his own chalice and made the toast.

  "To us."

  They then drank some more wine.

  Meanwhile, in the same building, Agamennone was working in a shobby manner, more interested in watching cringeworthy shows than to do his job.

  'It's the fourth time now that Ms. Strongest-In-The-Team-By-A-Far-Margin is defeated by someone almost as strong as her and needs to be saved by the newbie protagonist who cks any competence whatsoever...'

  At that moment a figure entered the building. It was an anthropomorphic lizard.

  "Oh, what a coincidence. Do you work here too?"

  Agamennone rolled his eyes.

  "Sadly yes."

  Tiberio approached the other boy, who was way more interested in watching the show.

  "So... How are things going... uhm... I seem to have forgot your name... What was it, again?"

  Agamennone let out a smirk, leaving the anthropomorphic lizard puzzled.

  'It's obvious you don't remember it... I've never told you, you idiot!'

  "My name was Agamennone."

  Tiberio was left even more confused.

  "Was Agamennone? Have you changed your name?"

  The demon lord tried to keep a deadpan expression, despite letting out a giggle or two.

  "Why would you think that i changed my name?"

  "You said your name WAS Agamennone..."

  "You asked me what my name was. I told you what my name was. There's nothing about changing my own name."

  The anthropomorphic lizard looked at Agamennone with half-lidded eyes.

  "I understand... I think..."

  "What do you need then. I hope it's not a compint about the current state of the bathrooms."

  Tiberio smiled.

  "Oh, no. I'm here to collect a reward for a job i've completed."

  Agamennone raised a eyebrow.

  "You managed to complete a job?"

  The anthropomorphic lizard rose an eyebrow.

  "Why do you think that it's strange?"

  "You know, you don't seem.. Reliable..."

  Tiberio was surprised.

  "What? I am reliable, and i'll prove it to you!"

  The anthropomorphic lizard took out the a paper and put it on the counter. Agamennone observed the paper, rising his eyebrow again.

  "You've been paid to collect plums. That's something i'd expect you to manage to accomplish, i'll give you that..."

  His eyes then looked at a note scribbled on the paper.

  'Total payment: 6 gold coins.'

  He then read the whole paper again

  'Payment: 1,5 silver coins per kg of plums collected.'

  Agamennone was surprised.

  "You've collected 400 kg of plums?!"

  "That's right! Obviously not all these plums in a single day, you know..."

  Tiberio was quite proud of himself.

  "I was expecting that, actually... You should have died of exhaustion otherwise..."

  The demon lord left the counter, going towards a vending machine, buying himself a can of strawberry tea. Meanwhile the anthropomorphic lizard picked a cigarette and started to smoke inside. Seeing this, Agamennone approached the adventurer forcefully picked the cigarette out of his mouth.

  "You don't smoke in my presence. The smoke room is upstairs, at the highest floor."

  Tiberio grunted.

  "Fine Agamennone... I'll go outside."

  Tiberio took his cigarette back and went outside. Meanwhile the demon lord returned at the counter, where he drank his strawberry tea while fetching the necessary money for the payment. The anthropomorphic lizard returned after a couple of minutes, enough time for Agamennone to finish his tea and to put the money on the counter.

  "That's your payment."

  The anthropomorphic lizard took the money, with a wide smile on his face.

  "That's good, my friend. Have a nice evening."

  This time Tiberio left for real. Agamennone was annoyed.

  "I'm not your friend."

  He returned watching the TV show. While he did that, Brando was slowly descending the stairs. As he reached the ground floor, The demon noticed Agamennone watching the TV and decided to approach him.

  "Oh... Who am i looking at... Vionte's... Retive... How are things going?"

  "They are going..."

  Agamennone was barely paying any attention to the other guy.

  "Our previous encounter didn't go well. Let's start again. I'm Brando Diecimiglia, rising star of this branch of the adventurer's guild."

  Brando extended his arm for an handshake that Agamennone awkwardly refused to give. Brando then retreated his arm.

  "I'm... An adventurer's guild's... Employee."

  "Well... I can see that..."

  Brando replied matter-of-factly.

  "What's your name then, if i may ask."

  Agamennone blew out some air in frustration. Brando aknowledged such reaction.

  "Don't worry. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. You'll tell me the next time we meet. Given our jobs, is rather likely that we'll meet again. You'll have a lot of time to open yourself to me."

  "I doubt it."

  Agamennone replied in a off-hand manner.

  "I see... Well... I hope next time we manage to hit off... And i also hope that things continue to go well for you."

  Brando smiled, waving his hand at the other guy before leaving. Agamennone did not reply.

  The next day.

  Agamennone was wandering through the academy, struggling to find the exit.

  'I have the feeling that the more i leave this pce the harder it is to find the exit the next time... Why does this pce looks like a puzzle?!'

  As he wandered, the figure of Timotea appeared in front of him. She noticed Agamennone and went to approach him.

  "I was searching for you. I lost you as soon as the training ended and yet i failed to find you afterward."

  The demon lord pirouetted for 540° in his pce and then walked away with a rather fast pace. The girl, however, ran after him, catching up to him and grabbing him by his arm.

  "I'm starting to think that you wanted to avoid me. Isn't it?"

  "Indeed. What prize do you want for guessing it? Does a kidney satisfy your tastes?"

  The boy was really annoyed.

  "A... Kidney?"

  'Is he all right in his head?'

  As Timotea was thinking, Agamennone tried to escape from her grab, without success.

  "Where do you think you are going? I think it's the right time for us to talk."

  "I don't think so."

  Agamennone attempted again, without success, to flee. Both parties were growing more and more annoyed towards the other.

  "If it was for the punch i gave you... I'm sorry, ok?"

  "This apology seems conveniently given at a time where you need my sympathy..."

  "Ok then... Forget the apology... And forget about being asked nicely. Tell me everything! Why is my friend so protective of you, a guy who suddenly popped in her life. I was nice enough not to pressure you too much in a moment that wasn't great for you but the time for the truth has come. Tell me."

  "Just ask her then! Leave me alone, you jealous cat!"

  Agamennone tried for the third time to free his arm. He was still unsuccessful, especially since the catgirl's grip strengthened after being called "Cat". Meanwhile the couple was attracting attention from bystanders

  "I'm not jealous! I want to know why you seem to have so much influence on her!"

  The human lost his patience.

  'Screw it. I'll make her leave one way or another.'

  "You know, i've made her my pet!"

  Timotea snapped. She punched Agamennone in the face. It was hard enough for him to fall backwards to the ground. She also released him, leaving him alone. She was furious. Agamennone was sitting on the ground amidst ughters and shock. He stood up. Seeing a small group of colleagues snickering, he shed out at them.

  "Why don't you just kill each other!"

  Agamennone then left, leaving all the people that previously surrounded both him and Timotea.

  "That guy... He has no respect for people."

  "He can't take criticism."

  "I just want to punch him too. I'm sure he regurly gets punched."

  "He's a jerk that deserves no respect."

  As he walked away, Agamennone caressed his cheek. He then took out his phone, making a call to someone called "Sex Molester", who answered almost immediately.

  "Hi"

  "Who is it?"

  "What do you mean by 'Who it is'? You called me!"

  "It's s something i think is fun. Still, i've called because i wanted to tell you that YOUR CAT FRIEND IS A JEALOUS PSYCHO!"

  He then ended the call.

  That evening.

  Agamennone yawned as he watched a film about a viginte.

  'Why is he so invested into finding a stupid 5-years-old girl... I care not for that living prop, and this guy is annoying as hell, always going for show and being needlessly violent with possible witnesses and random people...'

  At that moment his phone began to ring. He took it out, and looked at the hour as she silenced the appliance. Agamennone puffed.

  'It's already that time? Drat...'

  Agamennone put his phone in his pocket, then he slowly left his pce, inconsciously putting the remote control of the guild's TV in his pockets too.

  'The other guy should already have arrived by this time. I'll get yelled at if i arrive te at Volframio's meeting location, so whatever adventurer may come now will have to wait. Mors tua vita mea...'

  Agamennone left the guild, his posture, with his hands in his half-full pockets and the bent head which almost gave him a hump was telling of his ck of happiness for his duty. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watch by a figure: a catgirl who was drinking a plum smoothie.

  'If these two just came clean i would have never done something like this!'

  Timotea, with a frown on her face as she drank the smoothie, locked her eyes on the guy. She was hidden just behind the guild's external wall. She was dressed in dark, comfy clothes, contrasting the adventurer's guild uniform's light green worn by Agamennone.

  'I also had to tell my parents i had to help a colleague of mine... I'm not a good liar, nor am i fond of lying...'

  Lost in her thoughts, the catgirl almost forgot her objective. Agamennone was walking away from her.

  'Drat!'

  The dark-haired girl followed the guy, who noticed nothing strange around himself. Timotea, soon enough, became annoyed.

  'Why does he walk so slow! I'm starting to get bored... That guy!'

  Agamennone continued to walk until he heard something strange: the sound of something woody cracking. He instantaneously froze in pce. Meanwhile Timotea was hiding behind a nearby pine.

  'Stupid pinecone! It almost gave me away!'

  The cat girl observed his target who was now slowly observing his surroundings. He was trembling.

  'Luckily he doesn't seem too perceptive...'

  Agamennone soon started to walk again. He also started to sing in a tone that was a mixture between the cheerful and the mencholic.

  "I/ am going to die./ and that/ 'll happen today!/ I've ma-/ ny things to do..."

  'His tastes are weird...'

  The catgirl was weirded out by the song. Nonetheless she continued her pursue. After a couple of minutes, Agamennone reached the usual training ground. Volframio was there too.

  "You've come... And only 4 minutes te..."

  Agamennone dismissed the armor's words with a handsign. Volframio puffed in response. The armour observed his surroundings, before turning towards the demon lord.

  "Do you know that you are being followed?"

  Agamennone's reaction of shock arrived with a couple of seconds of dey.

  "W-what?!"

  The young man observed his own surroundings, finding nothing suspicious. However, he suddenly ran away, panicking. Volframio sighed, before going towards the stalker.

  "I know you are there. Show yourself or i'll have to use force."

  At that point, Timotea showed herself, leaving Volframio confused.

  'A girl?'

  The living armour put a hand on his sword, scaring the girl, her hair straightening.

  "Who are you, random girl!"

  "I-i'm Timotea, a citizen and an adventurer."

  "And why a citizen and an adventurer would stalk a skinny guy who flees at the first sign of danger."

  The girl composed herself.

  "I want to know what's between that guy and my best friend."

  The armour was left puzzled.

  "Why don't you ask them then?"

  "Do you think i've not done that? They won't tell me."

  Volframio scratched his chin.

  "Who's your friend?"

  "Vionte!"

  The armour sighed.

  "That girl... She only brings problems..."

  Timotea gred at him in response.

  "What do you mean! She's not problematic at all!"

  Volframio did not reply. He unsheated his sword, pointing it at the cat girl, scaring her, but not enough to make her flee. Timotea was in fact raising her guard, ready for a fight. The living armour then turned his head left and right, before tossing his bde behind him, leaving the catgirl confused.

  "Well, i'm not a fan of disposing of people that know too much... I'm going to tell you something you have to keep for yourself, confidential. Do you understand?"

  The girl nodded.

  "Let's start with the basics. Do you know that it is possible, and has already happened, to summon people from another world, or other worlds, we never really cared about that detail, that will then rise to become the... Ultimate weapon at a nation disposal..."

  "I more or less know that..."

  "Now... Such summons more often than not happen at the same time for every extant nation... Or maybe even in a greater number... I don't really know... Still, the important thing is that many heroes appear simultaneously."

  The girl nodded.

  "While it is theorized that these summoning were once mediated by people, now seem to happen autonomously. Either way, it's not possible to choose who the hero is. It's chosen randomly."

  "Hah..."

  "That guy, to our dismay, is our hero, also known as the demon lord."

  The catgirl blinked twice.

  "What?!"

  Then she scratched her chin.

  "Honestly... Now everything makes sense..."

  "Good. So i don't need to give you other details..."

  Volframio extended one of his arms outwards.

  "Now... We have to find out where Agamennone has gone. Since it's your fault that he fled, you'll help me. Don't you think?"

  An annoyed Timotea pointed a finger towards him.

  "My fault? If you didn't tell him about being stalked he would still be here!"

  The armour put his hands on his hips.

  "If you didn't stalk him in the first pce he wouldn't have run away!"

  The couple argued for a bit.

  "We should search for him, captain..."

  An almost embarassed expression by Volframio was juxtapposed at Timotea's serious one.

  "True... I was forgetting about that..."

  The duo searched for the demon lord. They were using a small fme created on their indices to elighten their surrounding. They decided to stuck together. It was only after some minutes that they managed to find the boy, full of dirt and scratches.

  "What happened?"

  "I tripped..."

  The frowning demon lord, still caressing the pce where he got abrasions, then noticed the presence of the catgirl.

  "Why is she here?"

  His tone was inquisitive yet it cked its usual intensity.

  "I was taking a nocturnal stroll... I find it rexing."

  Agamennone nodded. Only after a couple of moments he realized something, making him very angry.

  "YOU STALKED ME, YOU STRAY CAT!"

  He then turned towards Volframio.

  "SHE STALKED ME! ARREST HER! FEED HER TO THE PIGS!"

  The catgirl felt uneasy.

  "What? Calm down..."

  The living armour pointed a finger towards Agamennone.

  "We're not going to feed anyone to any pig. It's illegal and not on my moral compass."

  "YOU'RE USELESS!"

  Agamennone turned again towards the girl.

  "I'll remember this. YOU'LL PAY!"

  The boy then signaled the girl to leave with a handsign. The girl, slightly unsettled by the reaction, complied without replying, leaving the pce.

  "Since you seem to be full of energy, i think we can have a more intense training session tonight."

  Volframio used a stern tone.

  "THAT'S UNFAIR! I'M THE VICTIM HERE!"

  "Physical exercise will also help you calm down. Now, get ready."

  Agamennone, trembling from rage and frustration, followed the captain of the guards as they went towards the training ptform.

  Meanwhile.

  In the same park where she was the day before, Domenica was sitting on a bench under a mppost. Soon after, the guildmaster also arrived, with a bouquet of roses under his arm, sitting near the horsegirl, who became annoyed by his presence.

  "You, again? I told you-"

  "Domenica, don't be so aggressive! I'm in love with you! It's a sacred retionship the one i've with you!"

  "Gennaro, I've told you, i'm not interested. I don't know why are you still trying to woo me..."

  "Because i'm in love with you. You can't suppress the power of love!"

  The guildmaster poured all his heart in his words.

  "That's... Fttering, but... I don't love you, and this is not something that can change any time soon."

  The woman tried to leave, but the man put himself in front of her, kneeling on the ground. As the horsegirl tried to walk around him, he extended his arms to block her path.

  "This is the proof of my devotion to you."

  The girl blushed slightly.

  "I'm experiencing embarassment in your stead... Please stop it..."

  "Wait!"

  The guildmaster searched in the pocket of his trousers, the ones of the adventurers' guild's uniform, and extracted a box. He then opened the box, revealing a silver neckce with blue gems. The girl was annoyed.

  "I've already told you... Those gift won't change how i see you... I'm not someone that can be bought with such methods."

  Domenica tried to push the gift away from her, but the guildmaster, who pushed the other way, was too strong.

  "Take it. It would make me happy to see you accept this humble gift by my part..."

  Gennaro tried to be as sweet as possible, only for him to sound rather unsettling. The girl sighed.

  "Humble? This thing seem expensive!"

  The man made an awkward smile, making his indices fingers tap each other.

  "Yeah... Honestly, they are expensive... You know... Nothing you can't solve with a little loan..."

  The girl gasped. Her expression showed a bit of concern for him.

  "Are you taking loans to buy this stuff? Then i cannot accept it..."

  Gennaro downpyed the situation, waving his hands wildly.

  "They're not really loans... I... Think embezzlement is the technical term..."

  The woman was disappointed. She closed her hands into punches.

  "You're embezzling money to buy me stuff?!"

  "Just a bit... Nothing relevant... Hehe... You know... I only buy the best things for you..."

  Domenica put her hand on her forehead. She was more annoyed than angry.

  "Fine... I'll take it... However, promise me something. Stop. Pestering. Me. Understood? Or else i may slip your tendency to go buy stuff with other people's money."

  The girl took the box with the neckce inside, closing it and putting it in her purse.

  "Crystal clear, midy."

  Gennaro nodded as he said that. He then stood up in front of her.

  "When i saw such jewel, the first thing i thought was you... This is how much i love you."

  Domenica scratched the back of her head. She was uncomfortable.

  "Then... I'll go... Bye... Gennaro..."

  The woman slowly walked away, walking in a rather composed manner but failing to completely hide her uneasiness. Gennaro waved back at her, ignoring at first the fact that the girl was giving her back to him.

  "Goodbye..."

  The man started to giggle in a stupid manner as the girl left.

  'She's lovely...'

  While walking, Domenica put a hand in her purse, picking the gift she just received. She stopped to admire the box.

  'I think i can give this thing to my dear Brando...'