Before that, several days had passed since we returned to the Underworld from the mansion. During that time, we had been diligently gathering information on Sister Ellen, the person we were searching for, in order to keep our promise with Silvia. We not only searched for her around Grelverelka but also requested cooperation from Gallia, the King of the Doktoria Kingdom, and arranged for him to investigate other accessible countries. I was impressed by how smoothly everything went, from Sera asking her father to intervene, to her father ordering King Gallia. The investigation report was submitted the very next day, a testament to their efficient work.
I was organizing these documents in front of the Blood Fountain, a famous landmark in Grelverelka that had recently been restored, along with Rion and Ange. No, I wasn’t just playing around. While I was taking a walk with them to clear my head, a demon messenger suddenly appeared, handed us a report, and vanished. Judging by the demon’s demeanor, it was probably in a great hurry. Officially, it was a direct order from my adoptive father, a former tyrannical Demon King. I apologize, demon intelligence agent.
With that thought of gratitude, I sat between Rion and Ange at the edge of the Blood Fountain and spread out the report.
“Hmm… No sightings of a silver-haired woman fitting her description, and no record of her staying at any inns. Was she traveling without stopping in any towns?”
The investigation revealed that no information related to Sister Ellen could be found in this area. I had expected a silver-haired beauty to be quite noticeable, so I felt a bit disappointed.
“I also searched in my free time, and the result was the same. It’s not just that we couldn’t find her, but perhaps she never came this way in the first place?”
“Never came this way?”
“Sylvie, Ellen-san mentioned that she was headed to the Underworld from Amatsukisengen in Traage. I suspect that, just like how we arrived at Unlimited Poison Sand from Inferno Flame Mouth, the entrance on the Amatsukisengen side might connect to a different location. That would mean she didn’t come to the Doktoria Kingdom.”
“Ah, that’s right. I did forget that.”
My mistake, my mistake. Perhaps I’ve been too engrossed in my hobbies lately to make such a basic error. I need to tighten up my screws.
“Oh, don’t be so down. There’s no guarantee that Sister Ellen definitely went from the Traage side, and this could be considered confirmation that we’re on her trail, don’t you think? Older Sister certainly thinks so.”
“Me too! Me too!”
“Haha, thanks for the encouragement. I’ll think of it that way too. Alright, I’ll send this document to Touya and the others’ pendants.”
I took out pendants identical to those of my four disciples and performed the action.
“Huh? It had that kind of function too?”
“Mel got a little carried away with it. I only heard about it later, but apparently, it has a lot of other various functions too.”
“It’s like a mobile phone…”
Yeah, it really is. I wonder if this is like email. I hadn’t explained it to Touya and the others, but they’ll probably figure it out. There are four of them, after all. They’re high school students. I have a preconceived notion that they’d be proficient with such functions.
“Still, silver hair, huh? I’m a little envious.”
“Wait, Rion. That feeling is a momentary mistake. Rion, you’re best just the way you are.”
You won’t be forgiven if you dye your hair, big brother!
“Haha, I’m not really thinking of doing it. I don’t think it would suit me anyway. But Ellen-san has silver hair, right? Sylvie and Colette also have beautiful, smooth silver hair, so as girls, we can’t help but admire them!”
“Yeah, Older Sister can understand that feeling. It’s admirable!”
“Is that really how it is?”
“That’s how it is!”
Rion and Ange were completely in sync. Well, I guess it’s okay to just admire them, right? There’s no doubt that Silvia and Colette are beautiful and cute, and both of them have a mysterious appearance when they’re quiet. Yes, as long as they don’t get swayed by food or goddesses they worship.
“Oh, right. Speaking of silver hair, the Proxy also had it. It reached down to her feet, so maintaining it must have been a lot of work!”
“Wow, I’m also envious of long hair… Although it’s impossible, what if Sister Ellen was actually a Proxy!?”
“Haha, Rion-chan’s imagination is amazing. Even Ange-san couldn’t have thought of that.”
“Ange, you were her former colleague, right? The Proxies are the ancestors of the shrine maidens of Delamis, aren’t they? Then it wouldn’t be strange for her to have the same hair color as Colette, who is her descendant. Is her appearance similar too?”
“Hmm… Yes, but it’s like Colette, but more… voluptuous?”
“Voluptuous?”
“…Her chest, you know.”
“Ah, I see…”
“…”
Hey, please stop falling silent the moment the conversation turns to chests. What kind of reaction am I supposed to have, being squeezed between the two of them? I feel so left out.
*Pirorirorin♪*
“?”
In the midst of that silence, a ringtone reminiscent of a mobile phone from a decade ago echoed in our minds. I found it a welcome distraction, but is this sound indicative of Melfina’s taste?
“Oh, it’s from Miyabi. The reply is surprisingly fast, wow.”
Moreover, looking closely, it’s a call, not a text. She’s using it better than I am, even though I received an explanation… Or rather, I wasn’t even informed about the calling function. I’ll have to question Mel about it later.
“Uhm… Miyabi?”
It looks like a normal pendant, so I cautiously call out, unsure if I’m using it correctly.
“…It turned out to be a phone call. Wait a moment, I’ll hand you over to Setsuna.”
It enters my mind with a sense of telepathy. Ange and Rion can clearly hear it too.
“Eh, you want me to answer? Is this a phone? A mobile phone? Am I… okay? Will it break if I touch it?”
“It’s okay. It’s not real, so Setsuna’s mechanical incompetence skill won’t activate. Feel free to talk.”
“B-but I’d rather have Miyabi answer. You know I’m still a g-gal-kei! Impossible, impossible! Miyabi, you’re good with Reigns too, right? Please!”
“I know you’re using a flip phone, and Reigns don’t matter now. I don’t want to actively talk to him. It’s fine, you just need to talk from there.”
“Really, really!? It won’t suddenly explode!?”
High performance can be a double-edged sword. It’s picking up sounds clearly. And it seems to be capturing quite a lot… Miyabi disliking me is normal, but Setsuna’s panic is extreme. We could only look at each other and wait for her to calm down.
“H-hello. This is Setsuna. Is this Kelvin-san?”
“Yes, it is. Uhm, are you okay?”
“I’ll… I’ll try my best.”
…Will she be okay?
“Did you get the message I sent? I investigated it here too, but I couldn’t track Sister Ellen at all.”
“Um… Ah, yes. We all confirmed it. Silvia-san and Emma-san are very grateful. With such detailed investigation reports, they can narrow down the search area significantly. But, it’s truly amazing. How did you manage this in such a short period?”
“…It’s a corporate secret.”
If I told them I mobilized the entire demon country, they wouldn’t believe me, so I’ll keep quiet.
“How about your end? Did you find any clues?”
“We also traveled to various countries and investigated, but we couldn’t get much information…”
“I see…”
“Ah, but there was one thing. We heard it from a child in a passing caravan, and it’s not very reliable… It was a vague story, and that child saw it a long time ago.”
“That’s fine. Please tell me.”
“Well, they said that a beautiful silver-haired woman, wearing white vestments, which are rare in the Underworld, was heading towards a place called the Heart of the Evil God. That place is a forbidden land, taboo among demons. We discussed it, but the possibility is probably low—”
Hmm, the Heart of the Evil God, huh? …Hm, hm?
