We live on the foothills of Dragon Peak.
A fun journey between the Demon Race and the Human Race.
“Calm down, you two!”
I instinctively swatted away Ruilala’s sword with my hand, shielding Toris-kun.
Surprised by my sudden intervention, both Ruilala and Toris-kun looked taken aback.
Then, Ruilala was the first to smile.
“Hey, Elnea-kun. What a coincidence to meet you here?”
“No, no, it’s not a coincidence at all. I’m just confused by all the unexpected developments! So, what were you two fighting about?”
Ruilala, unfortunately, is my friend. Although she’s of the Demon Race, we’ve overcome various troubles together as comrades-in-arms.
Toris-kun can also be called a friend.
He’s apparently a slave to the Cat Duke, but he seems to be able to move around quite freely, and we’ve adventured together several times.
And yet, those two friends were fighting in Kusharilla’s country, far from their respective living areas. Moreover, Toris-kun was in a terrible state, and Ruilala was about to unleash a sword imbued with killing intent.
What on earth happened between them?
Despite my growing anxiety, Ruilala maintained her sarcastic smile and kept her sword raised.
“You’re not going to stop now, are you?”
At Ruilala’s menacing aura, Toris-kun tensed up behind me.
“Ruilala, calm down. Put away your sword.”
A demon and a human slave. It’s true that conflict might arise between these two incompatible races. But they should know each other, so why are they fighting with such open hostility?
Depending on the situation, we might have to stop Ruilala’s rampage.
Mistral, too, had his hand on the jet-black one-handed club at his waist, ready to spring into action.
As if sensing our tense atmosphere, Ruilala finally sheathed her sword.
She then shrugged her shoulders, looking disappointed.
“What a shame. This was supposed to be the fun part.”
To Ruilala’s dismay, Toris-kun let out an unusually weak sigh, “Please, I’ve had enough.”
“So, I’ll ask again, what were you two fighting about?”
Toris-kun sheathed his sword and managed to stand up.
Ruilala, after acknowledging the assembled faces in the mansion’s garden, explained the truth.
“You guys must be misunderstanding something, Elnea-kun? He and I were just practicing our sword fighting because we were bored.”
“You call it sword practice? Toris-kun is in terrible shape, and Ruilala was pointing her sword with murderous intent…”
Ruiseine and Madrine hurried over to Toris-kun and began to examine his injuries.
Although his black arms with their ceramic texture were not damaged, Toris-kun’s entire body was covered in cuts, abrasions, and bruises.
“Isn’t this going a bit too far for practice?”
Ruilala is undeniably a sword-fighting fanatic.
So, I thought she might have gotten carried away during practice and couldn’t stop. But my prediction was wrong.
While receiving treatment for his wounds, Toris-kun explained.
“Everyone, I’m sorry for the trouble. But it’s not Sword Viscount’s fault. I’m the one who asked for the training.”
“And that means?”
Toris-kun, being mindful of Ruilala, a close aide to the Giant Demon Lord, didn’t casually mention her name.
This is probably the standard behavior for a human living in the Demon Race’s country.
“Both Lord Sword Viscount and I were bored, so we decided to practice sword fighting. But ordinary practice wasn’t interesting, so we decided to fight with the tension of a real battle. You see, even if I went all out, I wouldn’t have the strength to defeat Lord Sword Viscount. And it would be more immersive training for me if Lord Sword Viscount directed her killing intent at me?”
“Toris-kun is right. I, too, had no intention of seriously killing the Cat Duke’s favorite. But I believe that a fight truly begins when one is at their limit, when they are in a desperate situation. That’s why I thought it was about to get interesting?”
“You’re still hiding your Black Arms secret techniques, aren’t you?” Ruilala gestured to Toris-kun’s arms, and he sheepishly rubbed them.
“Even if it’s training that feels like the real thing, this isn’t something I can show to demons during practice. Please forgive me.”
“What a shame. I wanted to see the true potential of Toris-kun, who is becoming quite well-known among demons as a Black Arms gladiator.”
In the demon world, there is entertainment that involves pitting slaves against each other or against magic beasts.
It seems Toris-kun is steadily gaining fame as a gladiator in this entertainment.
Speaking of which, I once asked Toris-kun a question.
From our perspective, it seemed like very dangerous and barbaric entertainment, but why was he actively participating?
His master, Astel, also treats Toris-kun with great care. After all, since they have a contract, anything that happens to Toris-kun would also endanger Astel.
So, I wondered if it was right for Toris-kun to continue fighting as a gladiator, where life itself is at stake.
At that time, Toris-kun smiled and said,
“If I become strong and make a name for myself as a gladiator, I believe fewer scoundrels will try to bother Lord Astel, so it’s fine. I also want to become a strong man who can protect Lord Astel. Besides, fights between gladiators don’t usually go as far as taking lives, you know? When you’ve been doing it for a long time, you learn how to fight in a way that satisfies the audience.”
As a result, Toris-kun is the one being proactive, and Astel is apparently the one on edge every time.
“So, he and I weren’t having a life-or-death battle.”
“That being said, I’m really exhausted. We’ve been fighting since morning without even having lunch! Please spare me today.”
It seemed like the training was over due to my interruption, and Ruilala calmed down, while Toris-kun calmly received treatment for his injuries.
“That’s a relief. I thought one of you had gone berserk and started a fight.”
We breathed a sigh of relief, understanding the situation.
However, we had forgotten the most important part.
“Oh right, Ruilala. We didn’t come here just to check on the two of you. Besides, why were you leisurely training in a place like this, Toris-kun too!?”
The Giant Demon Lord was furious that Ruilala had gone missing.
That’s why we rushed all the way to Kusharilla’s territory. And yet, she herself was busy practicing sword fighting with Toris-kun in the garden of a large mansion?
Furthermore, when I think about it, Kusharilla readily provided information about Ruilala, and Barbia guided us to our lodgings without any deception.
Frankly, I don’t understand the situation at all.
Barbia, who had guided us, also followed us to the mansion’s garden and quietly observed the unfolding events.
She neither intervened between Ruilala and Toris-kun nor interfered with our contact with Ruilala.
What on earth are Kusharilla and Barbia thinking?
And what is the situation with Ruilala and Toris-kun?
With a “standing and talking is inconvenient,” Ruilala, without any concern for Barbia, who had guided us, entered the mansion as if it were her own home, with an air of nonchalance. She then ordered the waiting servants to prepare tea.
“I guess we have no choice but to follow Ruilala,”
As we followed, Barbia also came along.
I don’t know why, but perhaps she’s not just guiding us but also keeping an eye on us?
In any case, we followed Ruilala into the mansion.
We were shown into the guest room, and after confirming that tea had been served for Barbia as well, Ruilala recounted the events.
“Oh dear, I’m in a bind. My journey was smooth and enjoyable until I entered the Fairy Demon Lord’s country? But the moment I passed through the border checkpoint and entered the first city, I was apprehended.”
It seems Ruilala did not commit the foolish act of fighting against Kusharilla’s subordinates. Instead, she was calmly apprehended and brought to this mansion.
“I’m not being imprisoned, though. However, if I try to leave the mansion grounds, several guards will follow me.”
“Naturally,” Barbia scoffed.
“So, while I’m living a life without hardship within the mansion, I can’t freely go out and sightsee.”
Naturally, I can’t just say, “I came for reconnaissance.”
The Kusharilla side also likely sees through Ruilala’s excuse of being on a trip, but they don’t press the issue. I suppose it’s an unspoken agreement between us.
“What a mess. The Giant Demon Lord was worried about you? That’s why we came all this way to find you, Ruilala.”
“I’m sorry. But since I can’t sightsee, I want to go home quickly, but the Fairy Demon Lord insists that I stay longer. So, I haven’t been able to take my leave.”
In other words, it’s a polite, indefinite detainment.
The Kusharilla side doesn’t want Ruilala to freely scout their country. However, if they were to detain her without legitimate reason, it would lead to conflict with the Giant Demon Lord.
Therefore, they have brought Ruilala to the mansion as a “guest” for appearances’ sake and are holding her under surveillance.
Furthermore, they’ve created a situation where Ruilala cannot leave, which is also a way to antagonize the Giant Demon Lord.
Wow, this is going to be tricky.
How can we get Kusharilla to release Ruilala?
“By the way, what about Toris-kun? Is he traveling alone?”
I recall Toris-kun was also investigating something under the orders of a demon ruler? However, I can’t imagine Toris-kun acting alone, so perhaps Astel or Sheria of the Black Cat Demon Race are also here?
“I entered this country with Sheria-sama. However, we just wanted to pass through this country and head further south. But just like Sword Viscount, we were captured upon entering the country. Ah, Sheria-sama is off playing somewhere freely. If you truly want to imprison her, the Demon Lord himself would have to deal with her.”
“Whoa. She’s that strong? I heard she was a former aide to Great Demon Lord Reikudo Azun, right?”
“I haven’t heard the details, but if Sheria-sama goes all out, she can instantly kill even a high-ranking demon.”
Sheria, despite her cute black cat appearance, is incredibly strong.
Moreover, Sheria doesn’t rely on anyone, so she holds no reservations. If angered, she will mercilessly kill anyone, even if they are Kusharilla’s subordinates.
Of course, Sheria is probably concerned about Toris-kun’s situation, but that doesn’t mean she can be restrained from her usual free actions. Well, since this country is just a transit point, Kusharilla might have judged that it’s fine for Sheria to move around freely.
“And yet…”
I then turned my question to Barbia, who was quietly observing us from a corner of the guest room.
“Why are you holding back not only Ruilala, who is on a trip, but also Toris-kun and Sheria, who were just passing through the country?”
It would be difficult to counter if they told me they were just enjoying their stay while visiting the Demon Capital. However, Barbia’s reply was unexpected.
“There’s trouble brewing in the south. Therefore, to prevent our guests from being endangered, we are having them enjoy their stay according to the planned itinerary.”
“Hmm? Trouble?”
Toris-kun and Sheria would get caught up in danger if they passed through this country and headed south?
The explanation that Ruilala is being kept in the Demon Capital because she might get caught up in trouble without knowing anything makes sense. So, what is the problem happening in the south?
As I voiced my doubt, Barbia’s lips curled slightly.
I messed up!
I have a bad feeling about this!
Could it be that Kusharilla and Barbia anticipated this development?
They revealed the existence of Ruilala and Toris-kun early on, leading me to question the internal affairs.
And what awaits us beyond that…
With Barbia insisting we return to the Demon Lord’s Castle as we had confirmed Ruilala and the others were safe, we had no choice but to comply.
Upon returning to the Hall of Brilliant Light, we were met with a very troublesome request.
“You said that you would help us when we are in trouble. Therefore, we will borrow your assistance. You will go south and eliminate those called the Imperial Honored Mansion.”
“The Imperial Honored Mansion!?”
We couldn’t help but cry out at the name of an organization we’d heard of before, in a land far from the previous disturbance.
