Chapter 87

The view of Kant from the sky was split so perfectly in half that it seemed meticulously crafted.

Divided east and west based on the central plaza, it looked like it had been sliced with a knife.

Continuing straight from the central plaza, one reaches the lakeside.

A thought crossed my mind that someone must have intentionally designed the city this way.

I didn’t know the location of the lake, but the appearance of the city was unmistakably well-made.

Feeling the urge to fly for the first time in a while, I decided to move closer to the lakeside.

I landed in a part of the forest of Kant beyond the lakeside.

The place where I had previously caught a demon with the spear of lightning.

The surrounding area was still barren, not a single blade of grass grew there.

Perhaps the transformation had worn off, as I could hear faint sounds around me clearly.

I heard a few people conversing.

As I slowly moved towards the source of the sound, I saw armored soldiers and knights.

Behind them, I recognized a familiar face.

Rustle.

“Who is it?!”

I had no intention of stalking them, so I revealed myself from the bushes.

“A demon?”

They didn’t seem particularly wary of me.

After whispering among themselves, one of the knights finally spoke up.

“Hey, if you’re a demon, you can use magic, right?”

“Of course.”

“That’s good. Help us.”

“Let me hear what you have to say.”

The knight pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it.

As I moved closer to look at its contents, it appeared to be a map of the forest of Kant.

I wondered what use a map of the forest would serve, but it was filled with various markings throughout.

“We’re going to search here.”

“There’s nothing there.”

“What?”

The place the knight pointed to was marked as a pond, but it was an area I had blown away with magic.

“It was where the orc habitation was, but it turned barren during the raid.”

“Is that so?”

The knight drew a large X on the map and stared at it for a while.

“For now, let’s investigate over there.”

I hadn’t realized it when I came in at night last time, but the forest of Kant was larger than I had expected.

Exiting the forest, I would reach the forest leading to Payson village, but now it was a vast wasteland.

Curious about what they were doing, I decided to accompany them for a bit.

The soldiers and knights led the way as I walked alongside Epiro.

“That voice belongs to Ririan, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“I knew it. I wasn’t mistaken when I felt it the first time.”

There didn’t seem to be any sign of anger in her voice.

As we walked through the woods, I asked Epiro what these people were searching for.

“They’re looking for some minerals.”

If they were searching for minerals around the region of Kant, it seemed more appropriate to look in the mountains separating Latnia and Roran territory.

This place clearly wasn’t a suitable spot for minerals with its dense forest.

“I think it’s over there.”

The soldier was pointing at a spot thick with grass and trees.

As we ventured in a bit further, a small cave entrance appeared.

“This is the marked area.”

The knight pulled out the map to check, nodded, and entered.

“Demon, when it gets dark, use magic to light the way.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to light a torch?”

“Normally, I would have asked a priest to do that.”

It seemed Epiro had other abilities besides healing wounds.

The cave widened as we went deeper.

After a while, it became dark, so I conjured a light with magic.

“Definitely convenient.”

The knight ordered one soldier, and the soldier began to draw a map of the cave on paper.

They left markers as they moved, periodically.

“I feel like something should be here.”

“Could you at least tell us what you’re looking for?”

“A sword.”

Completely different from what Epiro had known.

“A sword? Are you all really here to find that? You must not!”

Epiro suddenly became agitated and spoke loudly.

“The best way to break free from a mediocre life is that method.”

As the atmosphere shifted uneasily, I drew my dagger.

“Put that down! You won’t incur any harm.”

“The sword is sealed by the goddess. It’s not meant to fall into human hands.”

“That’s why I brought you. You’re not human. Neither is the demon over there.”

“Do you really think I would obey your wishes?”

I didn’t know what sword they were searching for, but it was obvious it was a dangerous item.

As I dispelled the light I had created, darkness enveloped us in an instant.

The distinction between humans and demons lay in the familiarity with darkness.

Even in the underground cave’s gloom, my eyes could distinguish objects quite clearly.

Quickly, I grabbed Epiro’s wrist and began to exit the cave.

Flash!

“Over there!”

They had definitely said they weren’t prepared to use light, yet they had tools emitting light corresponding to their number.

No matter how much training they had, it would be impossible for a normal human to chase after my speed.

Emerging out of the cave, I hurriedly flew up into the sky.

I made my way toward the lakeside hut after exiting the forest.

“What was that sword they were looking for?”

“It’s an old weapon once used by a monster’s subordinate. I’ve heard it grants humans powers comparable to those of demons.”

“Is it something like a demon sword?”

“Exactly. There are twelve demon swords in the world.”

The demon swords scattered across the world, other than the six that are essentially sealed, roam freely.

It was said that even with the goddess’s power, six was the limit.

If one of those twelve swords lay in the underground cavern we had just been in, it posed a serious problem.

“I will report those people to the order.”

“But you don’t even know their faces.”

“I know their names.”

“What if you’re lying?”

Epiro thought they might exploit the fact that she was blind.

There were four individuals in total: one knight and three soldiers.

It couldn’t be ruled out that they weren’t official soldiers or knights of Latnia.

“Even so, I have to report it. It’s also my fault for not managing the seals properly.”

The demon sword sealed by the seals is managed secretly by the priests of the nearby Diana Order.

While the location is highly classified, if the number of priests is small in an area, it can be possible to discreetly track them down to learn their location.

The fortunate part is that it requires the power of the order’s priests to unseal it.

In other words, without divine power, it would be impossible to approach, let alone unseal.

Epiro pulled out paper and a pen from inside the hut and handed it to me.

“Please write something for me.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know how to write in Latnia.”

“I guess that’s not possible. Then please take me to the order’s building.”

“Is there something there?”

“A telephone.”

Worried they might follow us, I flew through the sky.

We arrived at the hut, but they might have left the cave and headed straight to the order’s building.

Looking down at the order’s building from the sky, it didn’t seem significantly different from usual.

“Fortunately, it seems like no one is around.”

“Then, I’ll contact them, so please guard the entrance. And you must not come inside?”

It seemed that Epiro wanted to prevent anyone from entering when they realized I was a demon.

I nodded in agreement and began to guard the order’s door.

When I heard about the demon sword, one person suddenly came to mind.

I distinctly remembered that Riki carried a demon sword.

Since the Diana Order was only in Latnia, they probably wouldn’t know the state of the sword in Roran.

Click.

Having finished contacting them, Epiro came out from the building.

“I’ve made contact. They say they’ll come for an inspection soon.”

“Won’t it be too late by then?”

“We’ll have to wait.”

I felt uneasy as if nothing had been resolved satisfactorily.

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

“No. This is my home.”

“Those guys will surely come back here, you know?”

While I might not know, everyone in the village was aware of Epiro’s location.

It appeared quite dangerous just to leave things as they were.

“Shouldn’t we request protection from the knights in Latnia?”

“Do they even do that?”

I had heard from Isabel that priests in other regions were protected by knights.

Yet Epiro was not only left unprotected, but she was also subtly disregarded by knights and soldiers.

It was definitely not a normal situation.

With deep contemplation filling my time, it came down to merely waiting for them to arrive.

Before I could think any further, my body moved first.

“So, you brought a priest?”

“I thought they might also help with Isabel’s injury.”

The Demon King briefly glanced at Epiro.

In contrast, Aila’s gaze was as if she were constantly glaring.

“I’m sorry, but I must ask for your help.”

Adopting a posture of a humble request, Aila looked very troubled.

“Well, as long as there’s something, it’s not an issue.”

“This place isn’t easily touched by the knights of Latnia.”

Although it was ostensibly just a lodging place, it was essentially a building owned by the intelligence department of Roran.

If an attack occurs first in the neutral region of Kant, it would provide grounds for war.

Of course, it probably wouldn’t escalate to such extremes, but those who caused it would be chased by both empires.

Since Epiro couldn’t use a room alone, I decided to share a room with her.

Out of caution, I also requested the hotel staff to keep watch around the building just in case.

For some reason, the hotel staff provided us with significant conveniences.

If I asked for necessary items or made requests, they would immediately comply.

From that day on, I would see guards stationed around the hotel building.

“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.”

“Is there anywhere else safe you can stay?”

“No. I rarely leave the area I’m assigned to.”

In other words, Epiro had to find her way back to Kant somehow as long as she was tied to the order.

“Please explain more details about that sword.”

“Why are you so interested… oh, right? You’re all demons, maybe that’s why?”

Epiro was lost in thought for a moment.

Meanwhile, the suppressed energy of the transformation potion wore off, and I returned to my human form.

“Are you really a demon?”

“Why? Do I look human right now?”

“Not exactly, but you have strangely human-like traits.”

The demons I had seen were not vastly different from humans.