—Holy Light Capital: Highest Class Inn, Ortemis.

It is the sister store of the highest class restaurant, Artemis, that nobles and a number of wealthy people use.

This one also has an incredibly high hurdle and the cost to use is equally high.

At the Ortemis counter, a pair of adventurers had finished paying the bill and were about to leave the inn.

The Star Players, Mink and Organ.

Even though they are adventurers, their luggage is abnormally little.

It is because the bag they have is special.

Mink’s weapon is a rare weapon that’s categorized as Unique, but her bag is a rare item she found in the Prison Dungeon at the north.

An item that increases the amount of items it can carry depending on the amount of the user’s magic power. Depending on the user, this can be considered a cheat item.

This may be a bit of a tangent, but the new items that are found in the dungeons obviously don’t have a name.

Normally, the finder would be the one naming it, but lately, there’s people who want the fame, and some collectors would become sponsors, so there’s many adventurers that are made to search for new things.

Of course, the things that are found will be named however the sponsor wishes. There’s some who would put their names in them, giving really long names, or giving names that many people love. It truly is coloring depending on the person.

If this were a northern country person, it is still fine, however, when a person of the Holy Light Country, who are said to have a catastrophic naming sense, become the sponsors, it can turn into something terrible.

The items that will now be mentioned are a part of the victims of this:

<<Heals Body: A liquid that recovers 1 health.>>

<<Refreshed: A blue liquid that sometimes recovers vitality.>>

<<Let’s Go: A red liquid that gets you energetic.>>

<<Melancholy of Kakifry: A golden liquid that makes you sleepy.>>

<<A Reddish Something: Soil that has a lot of nutrients.>>

<<Jumping Mushroom: Sometimes gives power to the male genitalia.>>

<<Come in my mouth: A white liquid that recovers 3 health. Name Giver: Yukikaze.>>

Because there’s so many terrible names, even the broke adventurers wouldn’t want to go to searches for new items requested by Holy Light Country sponsors.

By the way, the one who found the bag was Organ, and she was the one who gave it the name. It only took her a second to give her the name Convenient-kun.

Mink wanted to name it, <<Compress it, Pitch Black Space of Mine>>, but both were questionable.

Organ lightly pats the Convenient-kun in her hand.

She might have a slight attachment to the item she named herself.

“Let’s go, Mink. We are leaving this country at once.” (Organ)

“…I may look like this, but I was seriously injured, you know.” (Mink)

“You are at fault for poking your head into a stupid ruckus.” (Organ)

“You have been in a bad mood since yesterday…” (Mink)

Mink may have been casted healing magic, but her body is still not completely healed. Normally Organ wouldn’t be this forceful, but it looks like the timing was bad.

Mink had an idea as to why.

That’s why she said it.

“The Dragonewt yesterday was incredible~.” (Mink)

“Dragonewt, how stupid.” (Organ)

Organ returns the shot with a prickly attitude. Seeing this, Mink internally went ‘good grief’ and sighs.

“Listen well, that was just a human. He had no dragon blood mixed in him.” (Organ)

Because she herself is a mixed race, she is really sensitive to blood.

What she saw of Zero was that he is just a human, and he was nothing more nothing less.

“Then what was that unbelievable power?” (Mink)

“…As if I would know. Ask the person himself.” (Organ)

The mood of Organ gets worse and worse. Her anger was not only because of the Dragonewt, but a lot of factors piled up. It could be considered a type of misfortune.

Seeing someone save a Cambion just like her, she felt an unbearable anger and displeasure.

In the past, Organ had been in a worse environment than Tron, but there wasn’t a single person who saved her. Thus, she put diligent effort for the sake of saving herself, and became strong. And so now, she has climbed up to a shining position like a Star Player.

She gets pissed by people who just speak and wait for saving.

She also gets pissed by idiots who save such fools with a proud face.

For her, everything about it rubbed her in the wrong way. The next time she sees that man, she might instinctively kill him. That’s how serious it is.

“Well, I don’t match with that man anyways. This may be a bit rude to my savior though.” (Mink)

“Hoh? That’s unexpected. I thought for sure you had taken a liking to him.” (Organ)

“Those kind of men are no good for me. They have to be more…like darkness; a man that you can feel deep darkness within him.” (Mink)

“Then marry a Devil, like Carnival maybe.” (Organ)

“Stop it! There’s no way I would be able to stand those unbearable golden sparkles!” (Mink)

The two were having a heated conversation about something strange as they leave the inn.

The direction they are heading to is north.

The war continues, but because of it, there’s a characteristic liveliness to it, and this is also a land that has uncountable amounts of dungeons and ruins.

■■□□■■□□

—Holy Castle: Library.

“Hmm…Don’t understand it much. I don’t know if to call this western or fantasy.” (Maou)

Obtaining permission, Maou was now tilting his head in the library.

There’s an uncountable amount of books, and he had the librarian choose the ones that are related with the Angels, and he was skimming through them.

“But the drawings that sometimes show are really beautiful!” (Aku)

“If it were a picture book, that would be okay…” (Maou)

Maou sat on the seat with Aku sitting on his laps, and she was peeking into the book.

From an outsider’s perspective, it looks like a father reading a picture book to his child.

“In the first place, did the Angels exist since the beginning? Or did someone create them? Most importantly, why did they disappear? Even though their enemies that are the Devils still exist.” (Maou)

“Eeeh…I have never thought about that.” (Aku)

What was written in the book was that the Angels and Devils are enemies.

The Devil King, Greol, laid waste to his surroundings, and the Cherub sealed him. The fact that the Cherub had been exhausted by that and disappeared. That the Throne also lend its strength in this.

After that, Throne had also disappeared. And then, the High Angels and Mid Angels began to disappear one after the other.

“The important Seraph is written nowhere. Did it run away?” (Maou)

“I-I don’t think that’s the case! It is definitely watching over us somewhere…” (Aku)

Maou’s statement was reprimandable, but Aku’s response didn’t seem to have confidence.

It can’t be helped.

There’s no one who has seen Seraph after all. Currently, it simply remains in books as a vague existence.

“Only its name is out there, but no one has seen it. It is like an UMA.” (Maou)

“Uma?” (Aku)

“ An Unidentified Mysterious Animal. In other words, it is no different from not existing.” (Maou)

Just like a Demon Lord, his tone was incredibly direct.

This man -no, Oono Akira doesn’t have an interest in religion, and he doesn’t accept things like ghosts inside his head.

It was to the point that a friend of his that has a strong sense of the supernatural told him that: ‘The ghosts are the ones who don’t get close to people like you’.

“Well, we have a lot of time. We can come here again whenever we have the chance.” (Maou)

“Yes! I want to read a lot of different books!” (Aku)

The cute attitude of Aku made Maou reflexively pat her head.

Aku seemed to be happy at being patted.

“M-Maou-sama…Can you please read this book before we go?” (Aku)

“Hm? The big adventures of the destruction dog, Pochi…What the hell is this?” (Maou)

The title was a big question mark, but Maou rethinks it feeling as if it is just fine to read to a child.

The picture book was about a dog called Pochi that bit anything and everything, but it finally was driven out of the village, and after becoming an adventurer, it began to dive into dungeons.

“Why did a dog become an adventurer… What kind of story is this?” (Maou)

“But the doggy is cute.” (Aku)

As the pages flip by, it seems like Pochi destroyed the weapons and armor of the adventurers as it dove deep into the dungeons.

“What a problematic dog…”, is what Maou muttered, but Aku seemed to be having fun.

Pochi was beating monsters deep in the dungeons, saved a female dog that was being attacked by a slime; he was truly a busy fellow.

{What dirty slime…Unforgivable-woof!}

{Slime slime slime~~!}

Maou lost strength and the book falls.

“What’s with this book?! Just what age range was it targeting when it was written?” (Maou)

“B-But isn’t ‘slime slime slime’ kind of cute?” (Aku)

“Do the slimes in this world talk? Do they?!” (Maou)

“N-No! I haven’t met any, so…” (Aku)

Maou brought out the last of his strength and continued flipping the pages; Pochi finally reached the deepest part of the dungeon.

In there, Pochi found many weapons, armors, magic tools, and he brought them back to the village, thus becoming the most popular (dog) in the village —and that’s how the story ended.

“What’s this? In picture books, there’s normally a moral in the story.” (Maou)

Maou weakly mutters, but there was a single question he had.

It is the fact that he found weapons and armor in the dungeon. It may be a picture book, but it interested him whether this is true or not.

“The Librarian-kun over there, this book says that there’s many weapons and armors fallen in the dungeons. Is that true?” (Maou)

“Y-Yes… You can even find items from ancient times, occasionally.”

“Fumu…” (Maou)

What surfaced in the mind of Maou was…an armor that can resist magic.

He has been doing fine until now, but there was no assurance that it would go the same way in the future.

No matter how much overwhelming amount of health he has, carelessness will bring downfall. And as proof, in the game, even the Nightless Castle that’s said to be impenetrable had fallen once.

(There’s definitely a need for something that raises resistance to magic…) (Maou)

Maou saves this inside his head as he leaves the library.

■■□□■■□□

(Now then, there’s a lot to do…) (Maou)

Maou once again thinks about the plans from now on.

Maintenance of the Rabi Village, setting the facilities, summoning the close-aide, searching for something to increase magic defense; all of those are things that can’t be neglected.

Maou was thinking while returning to the inn, and a gaze was intently staring at him from the back. Furthermore, it was the kind of gaze that felt as if it was licking his body all over.

Maou had sensed this a long time ago, but he didn’t show any reaction to it as he returns to the inn.

“Aku, return to the inn first. I have some business to attend to.” (Maou)

“Understood!” (Aku)

Seeing off Aku, Maou walks through the city as if nothing, and enters an alley.

He stopped at a random place, and lights up a tobacco.

He must be waiting for the other party to show up.

With how famous he has become, there’s obviously going to be people investigating about him.

Is it from the Holy Light Country, or is it from another country? Whichever it is, it must be some sort of spy.

“It may not look like it, but I am a busy person. I don’t have time to play a game of tag.” (Maou)

That statement of Maou seemed to agitate the other party a bit, but they in time showed themself.

It was someone he didn’t expect.

“You are…” (Maou)

It is the girl with thin golden hair and red eyes.

“…I have found you.”

The girl that Zero had saved the other day…Tron.

• Chapter 35: The first step

(Why does this kid know that I…) (Maou)

Yesterday, Zero should have properly said that he had a mission and left.

He probably thought that it would be cool to leave like the wind. He is an unbelievable idiot.

Well…I was acting as him for close to 10 years though.

(N-No, that’s not it! I could do it only because it was inside the game! Acting a character like that in real life, in front of others, is impossible!) (Maou)

While I was being caught in a weird conflict with myself, the brat was looking at me.

I can’t describe it properly, but she was giving off a strange aura as if she were not looking at my face or body but something else.

I am going to be busy from now on, and yet…let’s just drive her away somehow.

“So, what business do you have with me, brat?” (Maou)

Just after I said it I noticed that I messed up, but it is already too late.

The upwards red gaze of hers became stronger.

“As I thought, the same way Zero speaks. The same color.” (Tron)

“Color… What are you talking about?” (Maou)

I huff the smoke, and slowly puff it out.

Maybe because it has the effect of recovering vitality, my head is steadily getting clearer. This might be a more problematic matter than I thought.

“…I can see all things in colors. The emotions of people and their souls.” (Tron)

“Some sort of new body fortune-telling? Look for someone else to bother with that.” (Maou)

I tried to leave the place just like that, but the hem of my coat was grabbed. Moreover, with unbelievable strength.

This brat, underestimating her because of her appearance might be bad. The aura she is giving off as well, I feel as if it is somewhat different from that of a human.

Even so, she is also different from the Devils I have seen…

“Bring out Zero. Right now.” (Tron)

“What have you been saying for a while now? You have the wrong person.” (Maou)

“Come. Here. Come right now.” (Tron)

“Don’t repeat it in such a weird way! What if the police comes?!” (Maou)

It is as if I have brought a girl to an alley and am making her say dirty words!

I am finally going to begin business, so like hell I will allow a strange rumor be spread around.

(But this girl…) (Maou)

The strength she is using to grab my coat is increasing more and more, and it shows that she won’t be letting go no matter what.

I don’t know what reasoning she is using, but she seems to be sure that I am Zero.

Even so, no one would believe what a brat like her says anyways. My looks, age, and voice are all different after all.

“What’s your objective for a while now? You want money?” (Maou)

“Zero…no, you saved me.” (Tron)

I was about to say ‘I wasn’t the one who saved you’, but my mouth was shut.

I felt as if, the more I speak, the more I would mess up somewhere. From what I see, she feels like a homeless girl, and she probably is close to that.

In that case, rather than fooling her, it would be faster to talk my way out.

“From what I see, you are a homeless girl. Are you saying you don’t have a place to go, so please pick me up?” (Maou)

“…Yeah. I want to meet Zero.” (Tron)

A small tear gathers in the corners of her eyes, and that head of hers hanging low was clawing at my heart.

I said it lightly, but maybe I was a bit tactless there…

I don’t know how old this brat is, but…Zero went through the trouble of saving this life, so having her die off somewhere is just…while I talk my way out, maybe I should use her in some way.

“Right, I don’t mind letting you meet Zero, but…I have a number of conditions.” (Maou)

“Conditions? I will do anything.” (Tron)

‘Don’t say stuff like I will do anything so lightly’, is what I wanted to say, but she is a kid, so there’s probably no ill intention in it. And in reality, she might be an useful talent even if I were to take off my pity glasses.

This unnatural grip strength, and this mysterious power of seeing colors.

“If you follow my orders and work for me obediently, I could let you meet him.” (Maou)

“Work? What should I do? Should I kill a lot of people?” (Tron)

“No!” (Maou)

Every single one of them, what do they all think I am?

My face may be scary, but I am a good willed man!

“In the near future, no matter how many hands I have, it won’t be enough.” (Maou)

I cut my words there for a moment.

I have counted them accurately, but the Rabi Village is a small village of at most 300. If I consider that most of them will be occupied with farming, I would like more hands.

If visitors increase, we can’t continue in a defenseless stance like now, so she might be useful for defense purposes.

“If you use that strength of yours and that color thing you talk of, I don’t mind picking you up, brat.” (Maou)

“I am Tron…Not brat.” (Tron)

“A brat is a brat. Let’s go.” (Maou)

I begin walking in the direction of the inn. If I were to stay in this alley for a long time with a kid, strange rumors might spread.

(At any rate, the amount of girls around me has increased…It is getting unbearable.) (Maou)

If I am going to summon another close-aide, it might be good to call that guy that is used to babysitting. I would like a guy close to my age in the group already.

“Oi, brat, it is already fine to release my coat, don’t you think?” (Maou)

“Okay…” (Tron)

The brat—no, Tron obediently lets go.

The fact that I told her to obey my orders must have worked in my favor here. But the hand she let go with, slowly held my right hand.

“Oi, what are you doing?” (Maou)

“I don’t know about this city, so it would be troubling if I were to get lost.” (Tron)

“Are you an idiot?! With that age of yours, as if we can walk around looking like this!” (Maou)

I carried the brat in one hand and head to the inn with hastened steps.

Having a face like this and walking with a child in hand? Hell no.

I am not a dad!

“The same smell as Zero…” (Tron)

The brat was saying something, but I ignore her and increase my pace.

I felt gazes here and there, but it is better than walking around with held hands.

Some would whistle and say ‘Thanks for the saving yesterday!’, but I ignore it all and finally reach the inn.

(Why do I have to face so much pain just to return to the inn…?) (Maou)

■■□□■■□□

“Now, everyone finished preparations, right? Let’s go!” (Maou)

Returning to the inn, I clap my hands loudly.

Gotta return to the Rabi Village fast and finish preparations. There’s way too many unexpected troubles and developments.

“Chief, who is that kid…?” (Yuu)

“Waah! What incredibly beautiful hair!” (Aku)

Yuu probably doesn’t feel it too strange for Kunai Hakuto to pick up people. In reality, the setting is that all close-aides were scouted by Kunai after all.

Within those, rather than calling it scout, there were some that were more like he forcefully kidnapped them, but…well, that’s an aside.

Looks like Aku was being Aku and was purely having her eyes shine at the cuteness of Tron.

“Y-You…that girl has ‘evil’ mixed in her.” (Luna)

It was rare to see Luna’s face stiffen, and she was staring straight at Tron.

What does she mean by ‘evil is mixed’?

Is it like the half-elves that are normally heard of in fantasy worlds?

In my eyes, she is no different from a human, but maybe since she is a Holy Maiden, she has some sort of ability to differentiate them.

“She will be necessary in the future of the Rabi Village. Close your eyes to this please.” (Maou)

“A Holy Maiden, closing her eyes to a Cambion? Don’t ask for the impossible!” (Luna)

“If you manage to develop that village, you can win over your two older sisters, you know?” (Maou)

“Uuuh…T-That’s…” (Luna)

Just as I thought, Luna holds strong competitiveness towards her sisters. If I just poke at that, things should work out.

“In the first place, someone that stands at the summit of a country is a person that can be good and evil. People like you who divide things in black and white won’t be able to advance a single step forward, you know?” (Maou)  

“What’s with you?! Talking all high and mighty…” (Luna)

“That’s because I expect a lot of you.” (Maou)

“Hnngh…I get it already! However, if she does evil, I won’t show mercy, okay?!” (Luna)

Luna points a finger at Tron, and she nods.

She doesn’t seem to have anywhere else to go, so if I just teach her later, she shouldn’t cause any trouble.

I also have the ‘carrot’ that is Zero, after all.

Well, it is hard to think of Zero as a ‘carrot’ though.

<<Yuu, can you use Mass Teleport now?>> (Maou)

<<Yes, Chief. I feel like one of the things that was restraining me has been released.>> (Yuu)

<<That’s good then. We are heading to the Rabi Village.>> (Maou)

Mass Teleport isn’t something that only the higher ups of the Empire can use, all Players can use this command. As long as you have the vitality, you can use it at the very start, and it looks like Yuu has also unlocked it without any problems.

(The problem is who is the one restricting the commands, and who is releasing them though…) (Maou)

Even if I try to think about that now, there’s way too little info to go by.

I want to believe that fundamental questions like that are going to be clear as I investigate Seraph.

“Well then, grab onto me. We are jumping to Rabi Village.” (Maou)

Aku and Luna tilted their head at this, but I have been showing magic-like things before, so even when they have question marks over their heads, they still obey without questioning.

But the question I do have is that, for some reason, even Yuu was wrapping her hands around my arm.

<<Yuu, you can teleport on your own.>> (Maou)

<<It is impractical to use 60 vitality for something that can be done with 30, Chief.>> (Yuu)

<<Well…you do have a point.>> (Maou)

My arm had been tightly secured by Yuu, and she admonishes me with an attitude like that of a math teacher.

Different from the other kids, Yuu’s proportions are so good that it is troubling…in a lot of meanings.

“Okay, let’s go. [Mass Teleport: Rabi Village].” (Maou)

My field of vision changed in an instant, and the place we arrived at is the strangely nostalgic Rabi Village.

Looks like everyone safely teleported with me.

Luna and Aku were making a ruckus at the fact that we warped in an instant, but my attention was more directed at the Bunnies that are frantically working.

The Bunnies were diligently working in the fields while their bunny ears were swaying around.

They were sweaty and their clothes were muddy…and yet, why is it that I strangely see that appearance of theirs as beautiful?

Maybe because of their poor environment, the children of the Bunnies are also working in the fields. Even though they should be at an age where they would want to play around, they don’t have the time to do it.

I have made it so that they can use as much water as they want, but it wasn’t a problem that could be resolved with only that.

The leaving villagers, the dried land, the rain that rarely comes, on top of that, it may be more soft on the Bunnies, but there’s a strong discrimination towards demi-humans in the Holy Light Country.

“Yuu, we are beginning the preparations at once.” (Maou)

“Yes, Chief. After that, please leave the rest to me.” (Yuu)

The Bunnies seem to have noticed us, they wave their hands and run towards us. They most likely trust us due to the matter with the pulley and the fertilizer.

But their faces had a deep color of fatigue, and the clothes they are wearing is ragged.

(Just watch… I will turn around everything, and I will have an amount of gold you have never seen before rain in this village.) (Maou)

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