My plan to recharge my evil essence I put in motion with Athala seems to have an effect. I can only imagine countless people who keep looking for their socks in vain and getting more and more frustrated, all the while fueling my power with their anger bit by bit, sock by sock. I'm also detecting hints of a more potent essence, which I believe is caused by people giving up on wearing matching socks altogether - tiny slivers of apathy right there.

After I came back from my impromptu trip I managed to wrangle out more information from Celica, who is notoriously bad at explaining details. She confirmed that negative emotions and acts facilitated by the demon don't have to be of exact type of sin: it's rather a matter preference and affinity than necessity that makes a demon specialize in certain types of sins. That is good, since I find random acts of lust distasteful, and apathy is a tricky one to reliably incite.

While the change isn't particularly big, I have started recuperating sligthly faster thanks to my slow but long lasting plan. I think I could soon use a bit of hellrime again; as my most powerful ability I'm anxious to regain it. Still, it's only for emergencies, since I could overuse my essence if I'm careless.

I suspect a demon completely without any essence might even cease to exist, or at least be in very dire straits. I dipped too deeply in that power when druids tried to kill me, and since then I've felt this hollowness, like part of me was lost. I believe part of that shows as memory loss.

I sip some more tea made by Celica - it tastes like she just drowned plants in hot water rather than brewed tea. I have been back to the capital since last week, and it has been absolutely uneventful since then. Not that I'm complaining. Nothing happening is better than something annoying happening.

My ennui is, however, disturbed when a message is sent from the castle. I'm summoned - normal summoned, not demon summoned - to the military council of generals. When I promptly arrive, they are crouching over various maps. A general with a moustache that seamlessly merges with his enormous side-burns addresses me as soon as I have entered the room.

"Lady Aisen. As of now the Empire is at war."

Lady Aisen is my alias here. The generals use it since servants are within earshot. There probably are all sorts of awful rumors about me, mostly because of Celica's escapades, but it's still not known that I'm a demon.

"So soon?"

"Hmmhmmh, Empire has many enemies."

"So who is it this time?"

"The Dwarven Alliance."

Dwarves. I have never actually seen one, and I don't believe that has been a loss. I've heard rumours of course. Not good ones. Like that they grow their elite soldiers by tossing them in pits with a supply of monsters to fight until adulthood, when they emerge as psychotic berserkers. Or that they farm monsters by closing off series of valleys, and flood them with water to drown and harvest the monsters periodically.

They sound like they'd be a gold mine for demons looking for malevolence, but according to what I heard from Celica, they are just too damn ruthless and utilitarian to make contracts with. I have no trouble believing that.

"And you want demons to join the war."

"Exactly. Please convey the demon lord that we wish to make a contract similar to the previous war, with the same price. He'll know the exact details."

Well, that quickly over. But if the dwarves are as hardcore as I've heard, there's fat chance of the price being anywhere near the same as it was with those wimpy elves. But I'll deliver the word anyway. I've been here about two weeks, and this is the first time I actually do the job I'm supposed to do. I'll do my best, even if it's just for novelty's sake.

I march to the summoning chamber to have a messange sent to hell, but my role turns out to be even less involved than I thought. Holoster, the head imperial demonologist, has already directly summoned the demon lord, and is currently negotiating for the empire. I'm not exactly sure where head demonologist fits in empire's hierarchy, but considering how important this pact is, probably at the very top with the council of generals.

They both notice my arrival and the demon lord greets me bit embarrassedly from within the summoning circle. Yeah, he should be. Why the hell did badger me into this job, if I'm not even needed?

"Ah... How has the ambassador's posting treated you, Ais?"

"What posting? I'm here just as a decoration!"

The demonologist cuts in before the demon lord can answer.

"Rest assured, at least you do that part nicely."

Is he flirting with me? No... the dry tone tells it was just his usual sarcasm. I glare at him coldly - he just smirks. I address the demon lord again.

"Tell me... Have I wasted almost two weeks of my time for something completely pointless?"

"Well, I believe yours is an important part to play. In case I am not at liberty to do this directly, then you shall take the lead. Besides, most of other concerns had been smoothed by your predecessor... It's a well-oiled machine, so there aren't many challenges left--"

"So, it's just almost always pointless."

"Aaaaaa... Please don't quit! I need my vacation time sometimes--"

"I want a swordstaff. Hellforged and with that same perpetual flame enchantment your sword has."

"B-but that's expensive! Our budget can't--"

"Cough cough. The negotiation. Cough. The big war we're starting."

Holoster disrupts my renegotiation of job perks. Fine, whatever. I'll just be AWOL whenever I feel like. Well, I'd have done that in any case, but now I won't even consider being ashamed about it. I wave my hand irritatedly and leave them to it.

As I'm about to head back to my house, I happen to meet Celica. She is uncharacteristically somber, none of her 'whistles innocently, no eavesdropping here, no siree~' acts.

"Ais~, I heard. Be careful, those dwarves... they are just plain wrong."

Huh. Usually she'd be giddy at the thought of war - it's her second most favourite thing, right after sex - but the dwarves really seem to really bother her.

"Something happened with dwarves."

"What? N-no~, of course not~."

"..."

I stare at her intensively, and she caves in.

"Fine... Celica had juuust~ a little mishap... And sort of got captured~."

"That sounds bad."

"It was! So~ many books!"

"...What?"

"Those brutes~, they used Celica's wings to make books~! Regenerate and snip~ snip~ again!"

... Not what I was expecting. So they used her as an unlimited source of parchment. And a demon doesn't need to eat, so it's free too. As nasty as that arrangement is, it has certain ruthless ingenuity to it.

"Why are you looking so understanding~?! Ais!"

***

Three days later the campaign begins and I join in with the imperial military, this time as one of the humans. I'm technically a military advisor after all, so it'd look odd if I didn't ever show up for wars. I and Celica are the only demons around; rest of them will be summoned only at the actual battlefield, because who wants to travel with a horde of demons?

The goal of this campaign is to capture of a dwarven fortress located moderately far away in a mountaineous territory east of the Empire and north of the elves. I don't particularly enjoy the trip. Riding by horse is frustrating when you can fly, and especially so when the insane animal seems to share the hatred all animals hold for me. But the journey with the column of soldiers steadily goes on regardless.

I'm not sure what I should do about possible battles before our arrival though. Should I use all my power and risk being spotted as demon by people who aren't supposed to know, or stump myself to pass as human and risk being defeated? That worry became obsolete when I happened upon a familiar person - again.

"By the Night Star! This goes too far... Everyone, a demon doth infiltrate us!"

The lord with whom I have bit of a history shouts this out. He holds righteous zeal against demons and especially towards me. I did tell him last time I'm an ambassador of hell, but in his surprise he didn't connect the dots from that to my presence here.

His revelation doesn't impress people around me though. Generals and other upper echelon personnel know, but I didn't expect the common soldiers to be nodding too.

"Yes, lord Innwel, we know."

"Her maid tried to make a demonic contract with me."

"Didn't anyone else notice that one's horns? And those huge... tracts of land she can run really quickly?"

"Lady Aisen herself punched that bolting horse unconscious with one hit, so I had inkling..."

"No way she was human, her body's just too flawless! I stared at her ass the whole march, so I know."

Uhh... I need to have talk with Celica, but maybe I should have been more discreet too. And who was it who said he's been ogling me all the way from capital?! Although, ever since I began travelling with all these soldiers I've been getting a slight trinkle of essence of lust, so it's not like this comes as any surprise.

Well, in any case, it seems there is no animosity for sudden demons in their midst. I suspect the reception is only this good because we are succubi. Not many men would hate the idea of having pair of ridiculously attractive lust demons along, clearly.

"I'm here because I'm doubling as a military advisor."

"Ah..."

He was already put off balance by the soldier's casual reaction to us, and the realization that I'm here officially quells his complaints.

"... I may have acted hastily, lady Vader. While I still do not approve of the demonic pact, if you are here legitimately, I shall not hinder."

Right, I randomly told him my name is Darth Vader the first time we met. He still hasn't realized it's not my real one. That joke has got old by now though, so I'll just tell him my real name.

"Ais."

"Come again?"

"My name is Ais. Or lady Aisen."

Just a minute... Since I'm officially lady Aisen in the Empire, and that should be a surname, does that make my full name Ais Aisen? I should have given that name more than half a second's thought...

Invel... Innwell? Whatever, lord In-something looks at me with increased suspicion. 'I loved thee, but even thine name was a lie!?', is what he is thinking. Probably. His very one sided crush was crushed back then, but the dissonance between his morality and having fallen for a succubus still must affect him. He doesn't let it seep into his words that much though.

"Lady Aisen then. Know that joined the fields of honor to see with my own eyes how demonic forces affect our troop's morale. So I shall be watching thee."

"... And what insights does my cleavage offer you on that matter?"

As I point out that he jerks like from electric shock and darts his gaze every which way except said area. My armorplate might be technically useless, but it comes with mighty distraction bonus. He has been lost there for almost the whole time we have been speaking. I don't judge though... I sometimes stare at myself in mirror too.

".........Thy conduct. I meant as in watching thy conduct."

Doing his best to reclaim his own conduct he retreats with all haste. While he is mostly harmless, I have a bad feeling his case of love sickness is steadily relapsing, one cleavage at a time.