Getting down to business, the pumpkin-headed man considered his words for a moment, ultimately deciding to trust this renowned demon lord subjugation organization.
Beside him, the baby-faced, buxom girl was still wary of Canary, seemingly convinced that anyone who would associate with a pervert like Croix must be some kind of female pervert herself.
Even so, she didn't try to stop him, allowing the pumpkin-headed man to negotiate with Canary, though she looked ready to bolt at any moment.
Their relationship seemed less like that of a young lady and her butler and more like a parent and child.
Taking all this in, Canary decided to gather some intelligence first.
"Could you tell me about the Demon Lord?"
"He's a pervert!" the pumpkin-headed man stated bluntly, his polite demeanor belying the fierce burning of the will-o'-the-wisp inside his giant pumpkin head.
It was clear he was thoroughly displeased with this so-called Demon Lord.
The girl nodded vigorously in support of this assessment.
"Oh? How much of a pervert?" a new voice asked. "More of a pervert than me?"
Hearing this, everyone in the drawing-room turned their gaze to the suit-clad reaper who had just walked in from the back hallway, a dejected look on his face.
That question, of course, hadn't come from Canary, but from this baron of the cross dressed in a suit.
Croix Baron looked utterly crestfallen at the moment, not because he had nearly been beaten out of the room by the old fire dragon's wife, nor because of everyone's cold and disgusted expressions, but because the lady of the house had just refused his request.
"The eggshells of the fire dragon clan are to be completely eaten by the newborns as a source of nutrition."
Faced with such a reason, even he couldn't persist, and could only regretfully depart from the sexy eggshell that was destined to be devoured.
In the midst of his dejection, he overheard the conversation in the drawing-room and chimed in with curiosity.
"Eek!"
Seeing the pervert approach, the buxom, baby-faced girl couldn't help but cry out, prompting the pumpkin-headed man to shield her.
The pumpkin-headed man also adopted a wary expression, raising his five-digit-level aura like a mother hen protecting her chick.
Faced with this level of defensiveness, the reaper Croix walked over with an air of complete indifference and stood behind Canary.
His surprisingly normal behavior made the highly guarded girl stunned for a moment, feeling a slight sense of relief. Could it be that this pervert doesn't harass strangers?
"I'm relieved you're self-aware enough to know you're a pervert," Canary said, slightly surprised that Croix wasn't up to his usual antics. "But I'm even more relieved that you're showing some restraint today by not harassing that young lady. Even I think she's sexy and cute to an explosive degree. What's wrong, have you finally decided to get a vasectomy?"
Hearing Canary's words, the girl's recently calmed heart leaped back into her throat. Could she really be a female pervert?
"What kind of crap are you spouting, Canary!" Croix retorted, highly dissatisfied with Canary's slander. "I've simply sublimated my aesthetic sense for the time being and am temporarily uninterested in anything other than unborn eggs!"
He glanced at the distant girl with the eyes of a sage. "Hmph! Normally, I would say that child is cute to an explosive degree, with a bombshell figure we've never had in our community. But to me now, it's all just useless fat. How could it compare to the beautiful lines of a calcium carbonate-based eggshell—Oof! What the hell are you doing, you idiot Canary, are you trying to kill me?"
Halfway through his sentence, Croix dodged and rolled, narrowly avoiding a fire orb Canary had silently thrown at him.
Judging by the trajectory, he would have been fine even if he hadn't dodged—with Canary's pathetic combat skills, she couldn't hit a stationary target—but the fire orb had an area-of-effect, so it was better to be safe than sorry.
Watching the reaper scramble away, Canary raised an eyebrow and finally relented. "I was just trying to teach you that some things shouldn't be said so carelessly. While she might not compare to this Grand Demon lady, our Arcadia girls' group is by no means lacking, you know! Even Lord Su Mo has never complained!"
True, while she hadn't reached or surpassed an E-cup like the girl before them, Canary was at least a C, by no means flat-chested.
Leticia, due to her clothing, looked similar to Canary but was actually a size larger, she just kept it hidden. On a topic like this, Canary would naturally not tolerate any slander.
Hearing this, Croix finally understood why Canary was angry, and he found it somewhat amusing. "He's never complained? Isn't that just because Lord Su Mo doesn't see you or Leticia as women?"
At least in his eyes, this little girl he'd rescued from the Dystopian Demon Lord's ranch and the serious, rigid Leticia both fell into the category of "good bros" or "good sons" that he couldn't see as members of the opposite sex.
After landing that jab and seeing Canary's eyebrow twitch as if her composure was cracking, he pushed his luck even further. "Besides, at your age, you're still calling yourself part of the 'girls' group'... Oof! Dammit, you're serious? I was just joking! Lord Su Mo wouldn't complain about you guys! Look at that world-shaking demon lord Shiroyasha, she's not complained about, and she's even older... Stop, stop, I was wrong, I won't say anymore, my lips are sealed!"
It wasn't until he had touched upon an unmentionable, taboo topic that Canary finally lost her patience.
Croix, who had once been judged a Demon Lord by the god-groups, had had his Gift Game broken by Canary, and its ownership was now in her hands.
As a result, even though Canary was as weak as a kitten and probably couldn't even defeat a six-digit being, she could easily punish this four-digit reaper through the contract.
After being slashed by blades and burned by fire, Croix finally learned that silence is golden.
After the farce, Canary directed the maids to toss Croix behind a chair like non-recyclable trash.
Then, acting as if nothing had happened, she turned to the pumpkin-headed man with an air of calm, seemingly wanting to continue their previous conversation.
However, before she could speak, she saw the pumpkin-headed man and the baby-faced, buxom girl exchange a look, their eyes filled with curiosity.
"Um, miss, may I be so bold as to ask a question?" the pumpkin-headed man began.
"You may. Just call me Canary," Canary said, nodding as she had a rough idea of what was coming.
"Very well. Miss Canary, you may call me Jack, or Pumpkin Jack. As for my young lady, her name is Willa. Her full name is Willa Za Ignifatus (Willa-the-Ignis-Fatuus)."
The conversation had finally reached the name-exchanging stage.
After the introductions, Pumpkin Jack, under the curious gaze of the girl named Willa, finally asked his question. "Miss Canary, you mentioned a 'Lord Su Mo' just now. Could that be the very same person who caused such a stir on the Upper Floors of Little Garden not long ago?"
Pumpkin Jack's tone was extremely respectful, as if he had heard quite a few rumors.
"If you're talking about the past, present, and future master of the Christian church, then yes, that's him!" Canary said with a slight smile.
"Ah!" Pumpkin Jack's eyes lit up, and he became thoroughly excited. "You have a connection with that great lord?" he pressed.
"I've only had the good fortune of meeting him through a twist of fate. Please forgive me for not being at liberty to discuss the details," Canary said with a mysterious smile, before casually probing, "Why do you ask, Mr. Jack? You seem quite interested in Lord Su Mo. Have you met him as well?"
"No, no, no, not at all! I am but a lowly demon. How could I possibly be worthy of meeting such a great lord? It's just that I received much care from a saint of the Christian church in the past, and I couldn't help but get carried away," Pumpkin Jack said, shaking his head hastily with a self-deprecating, bitter smile.
It was clear that, having once received the grace of the Christian church, he held Su Mo in high reverence, becoming excited just at the mention of his name. Confirming that he wasn't lying, Canary relaxed.
"Jack, is that Lord Su Mo very powerful?" the innocent and naive Grand Demon asked, not yet comprehending the weight behind the title of the sole God of the Christian church.
Seeing the girl's ignorant gaze, Jack took a deep breath.
He wanted to explain, but he didn't know how to describe such greatness, so he could only explain with a wry smile, "It's not a question of being powerful or not. Lord Su Mo is a very special kind of existence, almost omniscient and omnipotent."
Hearing this, the naive girl's eyes immediately lit up. "Then can we ask this lord to help us get rid of that pervert? If it's him, he can definitely do it, right?"
Hearing such a simple-minded question, Pumpkin Jack and Canary exchanged a look and shook their heads helplessly.
"Lord Su Mo could certainly do it, but to trouble him with such a small matter would be far too presumptuous. Something like this should be left to small-fries like us!" Canary said.
"Aww... but I don't think that stalker is a small matter. Is there really no way to ask Lord Su Mo for help?" the girl, unversed in the ways of the world, blinked, still holding onto hope.
"Ah, well, about that..." Jack scratched his large head, unsure how to persuade her to give up the idea.
Faced with such pure expectation, even Canary found it hard to say anything. Seeing Pumpkin Jack looking as helpless as a flustered father, she thought for a moment and came to his rescue.
"You can!"
"Really?" Willa immediately looked over, pleasantly surprised, her wariness of Canary lessening slightly.
"Really, but it might not work," Canary nodded. "Lord Su Mo is now the sole God of the Christian church. In theory, if you pray, it's possible Lord Su Mo will hear you and help you solve your problem."
"Of course, you can't rely on that entirely. How about you pray on one hand, and rely on us on the other? A two-pronged approach will be more effective against that pervert."
"Okay!" Willa nodded emphatically, her eyes shining with joy.
With just a few words, Canary had successfully solved the girl's problem.
Seeing Willa's hopeful expression, Pumpkin Jack shot Canary a grateful look. He didn't want to say that Su Mo would never help Willa, as that would damage the great lord's image.
Nor could he actually go and seek an audience with Su Mo, as treating him like an all-purpose elixir for every problem was a form of sacrilege in its own right.
Canary's method was perfect. It solved the problem without damaging Lord Su Mo's image, and she hadn't lied.
According to Christian doctrine, their prayers could indeed be heard in the heavens; it was just that the Lord didn't necessarily respond every time.
Of course, as adults, neither of them thought their little problem was worthy of troubling Su Mo, nor did they believe he would so easily answer the girl's prayer. So, after placating her, they tacitly returned to their previous topic.
"The Demon Lord pursuing us is named Maxwell. Yes, that's right—Maxwell's Demon, from the physics thought experiment."