The man who sat in the most honorable seat relaxed in his chair.
“Huh… It’s tough to run a meeting.”
He rummaged through the desk drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper, unfolding it.
“Is it you, Ririan?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
He stood up, and as he approached, he alternated between looking at the paper in his hand and me.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Korun.”
Introducing himself for the first time, he reached out his hand lightly.
I briefly shook Korun’s hand and let go.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from the Demon King.”
“Do you come here often?”
“Sometimes for a visit.”
The fact that someone from a body dealing with state confidential information came here for a visit was surprising.
“Let’s talk about business. Please take a seat comfortably.”
There were a total of five desks, so everyone could find a place to sit.
“The current situation doesn’t seem serious. The citizens also think it’s just a level of monster attacks.”
“As I mentioned earlier, once they start to organize and receive orders, they become a threat.”
“You seem quite afraid of the Undead, don’t you?”
Tenji slightly lowered his head in response to Korun’s words.
Among us, only Tenji had faced the Undead properly.
“I came from a place that was once overrun by hundreds of thousands of Undead.”
“You must have had quite a tough time.”
“My advice is to not let your guard down.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
While listening to Tenji, Korun intermittently wrote something down on the paper.
“Currently, it is said that the Undead are gathering in southern Filon. You need to go there and meet with Unit 5.”
“Unit 5?”
“You’ll get the details when you meet them.”
Though it was called an intelligence department, there weren’t many instances of exchanging information among each other.
The usual practice was to hear the detailed information directly when meeting face-to-face.
Someone must relay this information to someone else.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible for this kind of department to function properly.
“Korun, are you a high-ranking official in the intelligence department?”
“No, I’m just a regular employee.”
“But you facilitated this meeting.”
“Usually, it’s the one who receives the orders who runs the meeting. Only they can convey specific details.”
Indeed, Korun had stated in the meeting room that it wasn’t a meeting but a proclamation.
A hierarchical obedience.
If one merely follows orders that come down, it didn’t seem very different from a military structure.
“What exactly does the intelligence department do?”
“Infiltration, espionage, assassination, among other things. What we do isn’t exactly something we can be proud of. Latnia has a similar organization as well.”
The special forces team of Latnia.
An organization officially nonexistent in Latnia that stands in opposition to the intelligence department.
I knew enough about it, so I didn’t discuss it further, thinking the intelligence agents would likely know.
As I exited the intelligence department headquarters, I witnessed an incredible sight.
I understood why the Knight Order couldn’t investigate the intelligence department.
As I left the headquarters, the large warehouse I initially entered had transformed into a considerably small and cramped space.
Moreover, the passage leading to the basement had disappeared.
“Is this magic?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The reason we could find the entrance was thanks to Solche being with me.
Otherwise, we would have faced a shabby warehouse within the palace.
“We should hurry to southern Filon.”
“There’s no need to rush.”
Surprisingly, Solche was quite relaxed.
“Think about it. The Undead haven’t transformed into an army yet, have they?”
“That’s true.”
“Requests for mercenaries to subdue the Undead must have gone out to various regions.”
Thus, by entrusting the extermination of the Undead appearing in different parts of the Empire to mercenaries, we could gather various information.
“Who collects such information?”
“There’s one high-ranking official whose name is known among the staff. He gives the orders.”
Since he was a member of the intelligence department, Solche naturally couldn’t disclose his name.
“So, what do we do now?”
“The capital can move anywhere within the Empire at any time, so we still have some leeway.”
Although we had some time, the Demon King had informed us that he would be waiting for us in Laiden.
However, unexpectedly, we received a request from the intelligence department.
Thinking about what was urgent, I concluded that the Demon King’s matters took precedence.
I shared this with Solche.
“I see. Then the two of you should leave for Laiden first. I will visit Laiden when the time comes.”
Solche accompanied us until we reached the location of the teleportation device.
“As you know, there is no teleportation device in Laiden. Once you arrive, you will need to move a bit.”
As Tenji and I stepped onto the teleportation device, Solche’s figure faded with the light.
Zzzt!
Upon opening my eyes at the arrived location, I found myself in a shabby underground space.
I saw a person responsible for the teleportation area sitting in a corner, deeply engrossed in their work.
I approached him and asked for the way to Laiden, and he responded briefly and simply.
“Go outside and head east.”
Stepping outside, it was already getting dark as the sun set.
If I moved with my back to the sun, I seemed to be able to arrive roughly.
I transformed back to my original appearance.
“Okay, hold on tight.”
“Yes?”
“We’re going to fly!”
Flapping my wings lightly, I held Tenji’s hand while slightly hovering above the ground.
Since Tenji was male, he felt notably heavier than Epiro.
In contrast, Epiro had felt so light that I barely noticed I was carrying her.
When I was in a state where I could use my innate demonic powers fully, Tenji still felt light enough.
As I scanned the ground, I started to fly quickly through the sky, quickly spotting a large city a little distance away.
I wondered why they hadn’t established a teleportation area within the city.
As I got closer to the city, I noticed several buildings that I hadn’t seen before.
“Stop!”
“Huh?”
A winged demon was flying closer to Tenji and me.
“Please identify yourself.”
“I don’t belong to any faction. Should I just show my identification?”
Nodding, the winged demon gestured for us to proceed, and I pulled out my identification.
“Please show your identification, as well.”
“Due to certain circumstances, I currently lack identification.”
“Hmm. Please follow me.”
Following him down, we reached a makeshift checkpoint.
“First, where are you coming from?”
“I’m from Pyson.”
Tenji answered, and the guard seemed to understand something.
Pyson Village falls within the Kant region.
If judged by origins, it could also be considered part of Latnia or Roran.
“Then, take this with you.”
Tenji received a small wooden token.
Temporary identification may have many inconveniences, but it would allow us to pass the checkpoint.
We passed through the checkpoint into Laiden without any issues.
There hadn’t been many significant changes since the last time, but the movement of people had significantly decreased.
Considering what kind of measures had been taken since the Demon King arrived, it was evident that precautions were better prepared than compared to before.
Since Laiden wasn’t far from Latnia, some preparations were necessary.
Although we had entered the city, I had no idea where to meet the Demon King.
With no specific plan, I decided to find what was most likely.
“What kind of building is this?”
“Hotel.”
Since Aila was with us, it was highly likely that if she were to find lodging, it would be here.
As we entered the hotel lobby, Tenji kept looking around eagerly.
“This is a nice hotel.”
“Isn’t it?”
I approached the front desk to ask if Aila was staying on the top floor.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot disclose that information.”
Thinking about it, there was no one here who would know my current appearance.
When Aila and I had come here, I was in the form of a child, so it was only natural.
Furthermore, the staff had no way of remembering what I looked like back then.
With no other choice, I was about to pull out the Demon King’s horn to inquire when the staff called for me.
“Oh? Just a moment. Is it you, Ririan?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“If you go up, your companions will be there.”
“Excuse me, but how did you know it was me?”
“Your horn.”
The staff pointed to the Demon King’s horn in my hand.
The Demon King had instructed the staff to allow anyone holding that in.
With his permission, Tenji and I took the elevator up to the top floor.
Upon reaching the top floor, the hallway was very quiet.
There should be at least one person in the room, so I opened the door and stepped inside.
I could see Isabel lying on the bed near the window, which was the innermost bed among the four beds.
“Oh?”
“Are you feeling a bit better?”
“I’m almost fully recovered now.”
I sat down near Isabel, approaching the bed.
“Where are the others?”
“Aila is right there.”
Isabel pointed in the direction where Aila was standing at the door.
“How did you get here so quickly?”
“I came from the capital.”
Skipping a lengthy explanation, I spoke as briefly as possible, yet Aila seemed to understand quite well.
“What about the Demon King?”
“Niv went out for work after a long time.”
“Work?”
“Something strange has appeared nearby.”
The reason why Laiden was somewhat prepared compared to what was seen in the capital.
It was hard to imagine the Demon King, who usually seemed to be just hanging out, actually working.
As it was getting late, I decided to rest for the day.
The next morning, I was looking out the hotel window at the scenery outside.
Since it was before sunrise, the city was enveloped in dark shadows.
As the sun gradually rose, armed soldiers began to appear on the streets.
There were still no clear movements from the Undead.
Once they organized like an army, the world would fall into great turmoil.
At that moment, the door to the hotel room quietly opened, and the Demon King walked in slowly, sinking into the bed.
“You all arrived early.”
“Yes. Have you been working until now?”
Instead of a response, I only received the sound of soft breathing.
Though he claimed not to be involved in Imperial affairs, he always appeared to be alert and focused.
One question remained: Normally, ordinary people don’t know the identity of the Demon King.
I was curious about how he had presented himself in front of people.
They must have been on high alert in the city, knowing that he was the Demon King.
