We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
A constant stream of customers?
“Muuu, I don’t understand. I’m getting confused.”
I try to organize the situation by somehow activating my head, which had stopped processing due to the shocking fact revealed by the Mimicho woman.
“Istericia is a companion of Baltnowar, right? But Istericia and the Mimicho Race live under the protection of the Demon Lord’s ruler?”
“Wait a minute. We don’t know anything about this Baltnowar guy!”
“Huh?”
Okay, it’s gotten even more confusing.
They don’t know Baltnowar?
What does that mean?
The Mimicho Race is the same tribe as Istericia, right?
Even so, they don’t know Baltnowar?
This is no good, my mind isn’t working.
I intended to sort out the current situation, but I only got more confused!
My gaze wanders left and right, following my confused thoughts. Then, I notice the Great Sin Staff, which had been taken away once, lying among the Mimicho Race.
“Elnea,”
“Yes?”
“Please give me that staff.”
“Hold on. I’m confiscating it this time… Whoa!!”
I answered naturally because she spoke to me so casually.
Before I knew it, a beautiful woman with blonde hair styled to the side and narrow eyes appeared beside me.
“Sha-Charlotte!?”
“Fufufu, that’s right?”
Charlotte smiles sweetly. But I don’t have the luxury to do that.
I tried to escape in a hurry, but before I knew it, a whip had entangled my ankle, and even spatial jumps were sealed.
“Elnea, why are you in such a hurry? Isn’t she a subordinate of the Giant Demon Lord?”
Then, Old Sleigsta called out to me from above, sounding suspicious.
That’s right, Old Sleigsta doesn’t know.
“Grandpa, it’s not like that. Charlotte betrayed the Giant Demon Lord and is now an enemy!”
“What!”
Old Sleigsta bares his fangs, thinking he’s been tricked.
“She’s been standing beside you so naturally that I didn’t pay any special attention. I never thought she was an enemy!”
Old Sleigsta begins to gather an immeasurable amount of Dragon Energy.
However, Charlotte rebuked him with her usual smile.
“Please stop. If Lord Sleigsta and I fight here, Elnea will be charred to a crisp, you know?”
I can’t escape this situation!
“Besides, if you honestly hand over the staff, I’ll answer Elnea’s questions.”
“Are you talking about things related to Istericia?”
“Yes.”
Mumumu. She’s my enemy, but her proposal is tempting.
As long as Istericia herself doesn’t spill the beans, I can’t find out the details. And Charlotte is offering to tell me.
However, is it dangerous for the Great Sin Staff to be handed over to Charlotte as the price?
“Fufufu, Elnea, think about it. I can forcibly take the staff, you know?”
“That’s true. It would probably take Grandpa to stop Charlotte when she’s serious… and then I’d be completely burned, right?”
“Yes. Therefore, I recommend accepting my proposal.”
In the sky above, Old Sleigsta growls menacingly.
If this were an issue related to the Dragon Forest, Old Sleigsta would surely act even if I were sacrificed. However, this is a forbidden territory.
Old Sleigsta seems to have prioritized my safety by weighing the transfer of the Great Sin Staff to Charlotte against me being completely burned.
“Then, Elnea. Anew, please retrieve the staff and hand it over to me.”
“In this situation, I have no choice but to accept your proposal. But, too bad! As a human, I get cursed if I touch cursed weapons!”
“It’s alright? The Mimicho Race wasn’t cursed, were they?”
“You say that, but…”
Istericia, who was wielding the Great Sin Staff, and the Mimicho Race who tried to retrieve it and escape, were not cursed.
However, I can’t take the risk of barging into the people who were fighting until just now to retrieve the Great Sin Staff.
So, if you want it, take it yourself, I tell Charlotte beside me.
“I suppose I have no choice.”
Saying that, Charlotte raises her hand not holding the whip forward. Then, the Great Sin Staff lying on the ground disappears and reappears in Charlotte’s hand the next moment.
“As for me, I have no need for such old weapons. However, Baltnowar asked me to retrieve it in case of any emergency.”
“…You’ve joined forces with him, haven’t you?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
“Please give my regards to His Majesty as well,” says Charlotte in a tone that’s hard to tell if it’s a joke or serious.
“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“W-W-Wait a moment, I say!”
This time, I’m the one stopping Charlotte.
“You handed over the Great Sin Staff. As promised, tell me what you know.”
“That’s right. I forgot. Fufufu.”
Gah. What a demon!
We, who have been toyed with from beginning to end, were more exhausted than when we were fighting the Mimicho Race.
“I believe it concerns Istericia and him, right? I know it well. Of course, it’s knowledge from when I served His Majesty.”
Saying that, Charlotte tells me with a smile.
Originally, only Istericia, chosen as a sacrifice, could enter the forbidden territory.
Those chosen as sacrifices are forced to use the Great Sin Staff to fulfill the unreasonable demands of the ruler.
And most sacrifices chosen thus far end up having their lives consumed by the Great Sin Staff.
“The fact that Mimicho Race members other than the sacrifice could enter the forbidden territory must have been permitted just before. However, that means it was permitted knowing it would lead to a clash with you, Elnea.”
Charlotte says it lightly, but doesn’t that mean we’re being played too?
I casually look around.
“It’s useless to search. While I admit that I find this situation amusing, I’m observing you with clairvoyance, so I’m not physically present here.”
“It’s annoying enough to be watched from somewhere, but to enjoy it? That’s really infuriating.”
“Fufufu, that’s a very Elnea-like sentiment.”
The Mimicho Race knew they were being manipulated.
However, I believe the Mimicho Race had no choice but to proceed. And it was the Demon Lord’s ruler who orchestrated it.
“So, Elnea, will you join Baltnowar’s side?”
“Absolutely not!”
I immediately refuse Charlotte’s invitation.
“What a shame. I think it would surely be more fun if Elnea were on our side.”
“I don’t live to entertain Charlotte or the Demon Lord’s ruler.”
“Fufufu, that’s right. Well then, since I’ve been rejected by Elnea, I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Before you go, one more thing!”
My hand grasping Charlotte’s arm would easily be shaken off if she wanted to, but Charlotte readily accepts my attempt to stop her.
This composure of Charlotte’s is undoubtedly due to her absolute power.
From above and behind, not only Old Sleigsta but also Yunyun and Rinrin are watching for an opening from Charlotte.
Yet, Charlotte remains unfazed, reminding me that she is indeed a legendary demon.
I ask Charlotte, who hasn’t lost her smile, one last question.
“If the Mimicho Race retreats from here as it is, what will happen to them? You’ve been by the Demon Lord’s side and seen the ruler’s actions and thoughts, right? So, can’t you predict what will happen to them?”
“Fufufu. To think that would be your last question, Elnea is truly kind. Then, I shall tell you. Without the Great Sin Staff, the Mimicho Race can no longer choose sacrifices. Consequently, they will lose their protection.”
“So, if they return to their original homes, they will be targeted by demons from now on?”
“Rather… Before coming here, I saw the Cursed Forest. It’s no longer a place where the Mimicho Race can live.”
Charlotte tells me that most of the spirits are dead, and the forest without spirits is sinking into a deep curse.
Come to think of it, the Mimicho woman said that, didn’t she?
That they no longer have a place to return to.
“Then, where were the Mimicho Race trying to escape to?”
“Well, I can’t say for sure. However, I doubt they had a future no matter where they fled.”
At Charlotte’s words, the Mimicho Race turns pale.
Surely, with a desperate hope, they must have attacked here with their entire village. But we prevented it.
“A tribe with no place to return to, abandoned by their protector…”
I look at the dejected Mimicho Race and then at Istericia.
“Elnea, surely you’re not feeling sympathetic towards them!?”
Carly, sensing my thoughts, interjects in surprise. I turn to Carly.
“I understand the anger of Carly and everyone else. But let’s think calmly. They have no place to return to.”
“But they were our enemies! The Mimicho Race, who were shunned by the spirits, how can you sympathize with them!”
“Then what should we do? To ensure we are never attacked again, should we kill all the captured people?”
“Th-That…”
“If we don’t kill them, we have no choice but to release them. But even if they are released, they have lost their protector, so there’s a high chance they will be targeted by demons and die sooner or later? Or would it be more comforting to know they died somewhere out of our sight? That we didn’t directly cause their death, freeing ourselves from guilt?”
Old Sleigsta remained silent, hovering in the sky.
Charlotte, also interested in our decision, watched the unfolding events with a smile.
“However, they…”
“They… at least the Mimicho Race, other than Istericia, are not connected to Baltnowar. They seem to purely want to return to the land where their ancestors lived.”
Well, their methods were very violent, and they caused us a lot of trouble.
“However…”
At this point, I also understand the feelings of Carly and the others.
“It’s true that it’s hard to welcome people we were just fighting with. And unfortunately, they’ve lost the bond with the spirits that we cherish above all else.”
The Mimicho Race might deserve some sympathy.
However, I can also understand the feelings of Carly and the spirits. Rather, I should prioritize the thoughts of my own kin.
Perhaps, as Charlotte says, I’m too soft…
“I suppose there’s no other way.”
“Grandma Yuuri!?”
Grandma Yuuri and Jab appeared there.
“Grandma, I told you to stay quietly in the depths of the forest!?”
Priscilla-chan’s mother rushed over.
Grandma Yuuri, ignoring Priscilla-chan’s mother’s attempts to stop her, came towards us.
“Since Lord Sleigsta is here, we can’t afford to be slacking off.”
With smiles that matched Charlotte’s, Grandma Yuuri and Jab became beings who would support my thoughts.
“For now, let’s put aside the question of whether they will live here with us or go elsewhere. However, for a while, it’s fine to take care of them.”
“We will assist in re-educating misguided youths.”
Faced with the gentle smiles of Grandma Yuuri and Jab, who looked kind, the Mimicho Race looked up in surprise.
The woman who had told us various things started crying inconsolably, having found hope for salvation.
Perhaps they were just struggling to survive.
Even with the ruler’s protection, they must have lived harsh days.
After all, they had to produce sacrifices.
Now, a helping hand was extended from a different perspective.
Although it was slight, hostility from the Mimicho Race began to wane, and a sense of clinging to hope started to emerge.
“Fufufu, this is a fitting conclusion for you, Elnea.”
Charlotte watched us with amusement.
“Will the Demon Lord’s ruler be satisfied with this outcome?”
“Well, I wonder? But I certainly enjoyed myself.”
“For Charlotte, it’s purely entertainment, isn’t it?”
“Yes, because I am a demon.”
“Sigh,” I drop my shoulders.
To Charlotte and the rulers, the fates, hardships, and happiness of others are like watching a Peking opera or a play.
“By the way, Elnea.”
“Yes?”
“Before I take my leave, I’d like to enjoy one more thing.”
“Wait, I’m getting a bad feeling!”
“Before visiting here, I visited one more place. Was it the Dragon King’s Capital? There were people from the Red Striped Bandits swarming over there, is that alright?”
“Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!”
I scream and look up at Old Sleigsta.
Then, I remember Lily, who is not here, and turn pale.
