LS – Chapter 148: Asking for help next

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The major countries of Taizu, Mejis, Gahne, and Kuama announced the reality of the resurrection of the Demon Lords to all the people in their respective territories.

The Demon Lords that have resurrected are: the Yellow Demon Lord, Green Demon Lord, Blue Demon Lord, Scarlet Demon Lord, and Purple Demon Lord. 

Within those, they have also been informed that the Blue Demon Lord destroyed the defensive walls of Kuama through the Kuama Nether, and that the Scarlet Demon Lord is preparing to invade. 

Not only bad news were told. 

Someone from the same planet as Hero Yugura has appeared, has been cooperating with 4 major countries, and has made the accomplishment of controlling the Demon Lords. The Gold Demon Lord, Blue Demon Lord, and the Purple Demon Lord are at present neutral parties. 

This information will most likely echo to the other remaining major countries at a later time. 

By the way, the details of a certain someone were kept hidden.

Information of my appearance will most likely be leaked in the near future, but as long as I am carrying the banner of the weakest, I won’t go out of my way to take on the risk of standing out. 

But Gold who is making this announcement as the king of Gahne must be having quite the complicated expression. 

I would have wanted to see it and tease her about it. 

I was at our base, reading the copy of what has been announced together with Ekdoik, and thinking about what to do from here on.

“They haven’t told them that the Demon Lords have joined a side.” (Ekdoik)

“Makes sense. The Yugura Church can’t really announce that we have joined hands with the Demon Lords after all. Officially announcing that we of the 3rd Faction have controlled the Demon Lords is the safe method to not create unnecessary enemies. Saying that I am a compatriot of Yugura sounds nice after all. There’s even the possibility of me being elevated to being the new hero.” 

Calling me a hero, which denotes the bravest of people, when I have a chicken mentality would just make me feel embarrassed, so I would like to refuse such a title. 

“You have faced the Demon Lords and have won against them. I would say you have rightly earned your title as a hero though.” (Ekdoik)

“The only one I faced properly was Purple, you know? There was barely any physical exertion from it after all.” 

“We wouldn’t have been able to get the result we have now with the Gold Demon Lord and Blue Demon Lord without your smarts, Comrade. Talking too much about how you lack skills will sound like excessive modesty, you know?” (Ekdoik)

“I could reluctantly accept the title of tactician though… I am aware that my methods resemble those of a swindler, so rather than calling it modesty, it is more like it is hard to brag about it.” 

I don’t have the nerves of steel to brag about winning by using dirty means. I can’t say: ‘Hey, I am the hero. I am threatening others by using Demon Lords and have cornered the Demon Lords mentally to defeat them!’.

“It is true that you have not used methods that others would be proud of, but…at the very least, Wolfe respects how amazing you are from the bottom of her heart.” (Ekdoik)

“Wolfe decides things mostly on logic rather than by using the scale of right or wrong after all.” 

By learning what’s right or wrong, people get the ability to measure things under other means aside from just logic. 

Wolfe didn’t learn to differentiate right or wrong since birth, so she can see all things in a flat manner, and can bring about decisions with logic. 

Putting it like that may sound good, but I can’t really dismiss the downside of how hazy her ability of being able to delineate ‘what’s okay to do and what’s not’ is.

If she gets dyed in the path of evil, it is extremely easy to neglect the good. Even if you end up in the path of evil at the end, you should learn the path of good, too. 

“Is it not good to be logical?” (Ekdoik)

“It is not bad, but it isn’t good to only be able to make logical decisions. It is not like you interacted with Blue in a logical way, right?” 

“…I see. That’s true.” (Ekdoik)

If he had gone through the logical path, Blue would be our enemy; it would go without saying that the most logical solution would have been to eliminate her. 

There’s also the risk of Blue turning on us, and having her turn into an enemy while she is still being considered an ally. It should be avoided if you can’t bring about benefits on all fronts. 

Even with that, Ekdoik chose to calm Blue -moreover, for a personal reason.

“The action that you took wasn’t logical but humane. However, you don’t regret the decision you made, right?” 

“Right. I even feel proud that I made this choice.” (Ekdoik)

If he were to say those words to Blue, that cold attitude of hers could warm up a bit, but let’s not say that. It is more amusing this way after all. 

“Nothing bad in there being more standards to make a decision. I would like Wolfe to learn from a lot of other places aside from me.” 

“You must be grateful of Ilias being by your side in that sense, huh.” (Ekdoik)

“Yeah, the chivalry of Ilias and the others is strong after all. It might be a bit too stiffening for Wolfe, but they should be good role models.” 

She admires me on top of all that, so the chances of Wolfe awakening into chivalry are really low, but let’s not touch on that. 

“I would also like to contribute to the growth of Wolfe in other things aside from technique.” (Ekdoik)

“You don’t have to worry about that, Ekdoik. The influence you provide is without doubt a good one.” 

“I-I see… It is pretty ticklish to be told that straight to my face.” (Ekdoik)

“Right? I am always feeling ticklish. It would get even itchier if I were to be told I am a hero.” 

“…You returned the topic so smoothly.” (Ekdoik)

“I don’t like getting sidetracked too much after all. Now then, the public will have no choice but to have their attention turned onto the invasion of the Scarlet Demon Lord. The representatives of the nations will have to show their skills at manipulating the perception here.” 

It would be great if they were to join as one to fight off the invasion of the Scarlet Demon Lord, but with the distrust towards the nations accumulating, it could even end up giving a justification for the coup d’etat of Robito and the others. 

“And so, what will we be doing from here on?” (Ekdoik)

“Dangerous methods will be the last measure. I plan on matching their stage.” 

“Meaning…?” (Ekdoik)

“Stealing a nation is in a sense more troublesome than invading a nation. You have to convince the people that are already living in it after all. They can’t just aim for an opening, bring down the castle, and end it there. They need a justified reason that can convince most of the populace.” 

“Is it something that can be found so easily?” (Ekdoik)

“The ones in trouble about that are King Zenotta and Gold. King Zenotta isn’t as charismatic compared to other rulers. As for Gold, if it is revealed that she is a Demon Lord, distrust towards her will shoot up in one go. The Yugura Church also has its issue of their standard being the human scum Yugura Nariya.” 

If Gestaf, Robito, and Chenias will be targeting their respective countries, Kuama, Gahne, and Mejis would be the best targets. 

I have investigated the internal conditions of Taizu, Torin, and Seren, and it would be a bit hard to create a justified reason. 

But there’s no need to adhere to truths in order to prepare seeds for scandals. Let’s be careful about this to a certain degree.

“When you think of it like that, there’s a lot of openings they can poke at.” (Ekdoik)

“The number one problem would be the unique flavor Raheight will bring in his plan to create that justified reason.” 

The result after investigating Gestaf and the others was that they are mainly just securing people and are barely doing anything suspicious. 

In other words, the ones who will be executing the important plan will be the people on the side of Raheight. 

“Searching for an invisible opponent is hard.” (Ekdoik)

“It is not like it is invisible. The experiment before worked, right?” 

“Yeah, check this.” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik spread out a map of the Kuama region. 

Detecting enemies with magic won’t work as long as there’s Haakudoku with them.

I warned them directly to begin with. Of course they would be wary about surveillance. 

Gestaf has shut inside his residence and has not shown up as I thought. 

But he can’t just cut off all communication to the outside. It should be safe to assume he has some sort of contact with them. 

The first thing I thought of when thinking about methods to make contact with others without showing himself was the sound transmission that is the secret technique of the Yugura Church. 

But using this would not only turn the Yugura Church hostile, it also has the risk of being intercepted, so it is not a good method. 

The reality is that Ekdoik was also keeping an eye on the mana waves directed to the residence, but there was no reaction.

The next thing I thought of was the invisibility magic that the anbus of the nations use. With this, there’s no worries of being caught as long as it doesn’t get caught by detection magic. 

But they wouldn’t approach them if we were to use detection magic brazenly, so I squeezed my gray matter a bit here. 

I had Ekdoik bury his chains in a way that it encircles the residence. 

The mana doesn’t leak to the outside, and if there’s anyone who is walking around the places where it is buried, you can feel the vibrations as if it were a pressure sensor. 

I honestly think this versatility is overpowered. If we didn’t have Ekdoik, I think I would have done this by spreading water or something and inspecting the footprints. 

“It is as you said, Comrade. The amount of people coming in and out of the residence don’t match the actual numbers. There’s no doubt someone who used invisibility magic has come. That person headed in this direction.” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik said this and drew an arrow on the map. 

I would have wanted to chase them and capture them the moment we found them, but we might end up not even getting any info if they are just lackeys, so we have to prioritize pinpointing their base.

“Over here is the route the invisibility magic user took when discovered by Rakura who is using the same method to keep in check the residence of Chenias. We should be able to narrow down the candidates with this.” 

“So you made Rakura do this, too?” (Ekdoik)

“She is not versatile like you, so I had the mana of Rakura sneaked underground.” 

“Detecting vibrations with mana, huh… I don’t think it is impossible, but the vibrations you can feel with mana are so faint that you wouldn’t be able to detect anything properly.” (Ekdoik)

“Yeah, Rakura said that was impossible for her, too, so I tried tearing off a floor tile on a vacant house and buried her body in it with her head out, and she managed somehow. After that, I had her team up with Mix to detect both the mana and visual oscillations to create a pseudo method like yours.” 

“You are so casually merciless.” (Ekdoik)

“No, I had no intention of doing so at first, but she was complaining endlessly about how it was boring to just watch, so I ended up snapping.” 

Rakura can shoot up the precision of something if she concentrates on that one thing. 

I acted like that because I thought that it might be possible to do so even with an inefficient method as long as we set the environment to concentrate, just like the time when she detected the mana waves the Blue Demon Lord released. 

It is by no means because Rakura was on the verge of going wild by saying ‘it would be faster to just rush into the house of Chenias!’ because she was bored of staking out. 

I buried her on the ground to calm her down while also doubling as a punishment. But she said ‘Ah, I might be able to do it’, so I went with the flow and said ‘then, counting on you for 3 days and 3 nights’.

Though it is not like she is buried for 3 days and 3 nights. Mix would dig her out every now and then to eat and go to the bathroom. She apparently sleeps on top of the ground. 

When the person herself said ‘You seriously planned on abandoning us here for 3 days and 3 nights, without even checking on us once, weren’t you?!’, I responded with my business smile. 

Right now the totally muddied Mix and Rakura are accompanied by Ilias, and having a drinking party at the Kuama Castle as they take a bath in their spacious bathtub. 

This is the appropriate payment for hard work, and not because my conscience pricked when Mix and Rakura showed results half in tears and Ilias looked at me as if I was an ungrateful brute. 

Girista casually went with them too, but she won’t get arrested at the castle, right? 

“The others are having it rough too, huh…” (Ekdoik)

“Sorry for bringing this up when you are mourning the pains of others, but I would like you to do some more stakeouts.” 

“I don’t mind that, but…is it the place of Robito?” (Ekdoik)

“No, it is the location that I am guessing through the information of you and Rakura. There will be more people around, so I would like to ask this of you who can process both visual information and vibrations.” 

“Got it. I shall head there at once. But then you won’t have any bodyguards.” (Ekdoik)

It hasn’t been long since it has hit night, but Wolfe is already in resting mode. Being able to make decisions through good or bad is important, but treasuring your living habits is important to protect your most essential asset that’s your body. 

She is in her growing phase, so I would like to allow her to stay up late a bit, but if staying up late becomes a habit, I feel like Maya-san would reprimand me. 

“I have no plans on going out until Wolfe wakes up, so I will stay by the side of Dyuvuleori until the others come back.” 

“Oh my, I would have preferred you to say you will be staying by my side instead, you know?” (Purple)

I don’t know since when Purple was here, but she gently placed a hand on my back. 

I was on the verge of screaming there, but I bravely endured. Nice job, me. 

“…I was apprehensive about saying I would stay by the side of a woman all night, you see.” 

“Fufu, you really are a late bloomer, you know?” (Purple)

“Also, can you not scare me if possible? My mind is also brittle.” 

“Hearing a cute scream would be a nice memory for me though?” (Purple)

“Can you respect our efforts a bit here?” 

Even if they are neutral parties now, Purple is a feared Demon Lord in the eyes of humans. But not only does she seek equality, I think she even feels sad that she is being feared by people. 

And so, I am trying to interact with her casually at all times, but there’s a limit on my resistance to jumpscares. 

“I like seeing your gallant figure, but I also like the comical hard work you put in for my sake, you know?” (Purple)

“Warped love and hate never leads to any decent results.” 

“It is not warped though? I want everything after all.” (Purple)

“Might as well just accompany Ekdoik… Wait, Ekdoik is gone?” 

“He already left though? I like that he reads the atmosphere when I am alone with you, you know?” (Purple)

I should be praising Ekdoik for having learned how to read the atmosphere, but I would like you to read one more step ahead from that. 

Maybe I should just go to sleep early like Wolfe. No, there’s no knowing what Purple will do to me if I were to sleep in a situation where no one is present. 

I must somehow survive this space of enticement until Ilias and the others come back. 

“R-Right, I forgot I had something to talk about with Dyuvuleori.” 

“Really? Can’t be helped then… Dyuvuleori, come out if you dare.” (Purple)

“Ain’t that way of putting it unfair?” 

Dyuvuleori didn’t show up that night. 

◇◇

“Haah, that brought me back to life…” 

“Yeah…” 

A few days after investigating the surroundings of the Chenias residence with Rakura-dono, Rakura-dono had begun to get bored about there being no noteworthy results, and Mister Friend showed up and proposed to investigate people who are using invisibility magic. 

The method taken was to bury Rakura-dono in the basement of a vacant house which I had to question the sanity of. 

Mister Friend put it extremely lightly, saying: ‘Can’t you manage somehow if you fuse with the ground?’, but the troubling part is that Rakura-dono could now detect the vibrations of the people walking around. 

That method was implemented officially as a result, and it was a repeat of days where Rakura-dono was buried for several days. 

Rakura-dono was doing her work decently seriously the first day, but she began questioning herself, wondering what she was doing on the second day, and by the third day, she began to sob deliberately. 

I turned invisible and observed the people around on top of the roof, so I managed to not see that pitiful sight of Rakura-dono aside from the times when she pleaded to come out. 

Even if it was only a few times a day, the job of digging out Rakura-dono and burying her really got to my heart. 

Fortunately, we managed to grasp the footsteps of someone using invisibility magic on the 3rd night, and we confirmed the direction they headed to, but I got shivers just imagining this continuing for several days more. 

“Rakura, Mix-sama…seriously, good job out there…” (Ilias)

“Lady Ratzel, those pitying eyes twist the knife on the wound instead…” (Mix)

“I would have liked seeing that~.” (Girista)

“Girista, that sight was something that brought tears to the eyes of the ones who saw it.” (Mix)

As for Rakura-dono, it seems like she has enjoyed her bath after so long and some booze. 

It seems like she is concentrating on having regained her way of being instead of how she was treated before. 

“Haah, I can move my limbs~… Uuh…” (Rakura)

Or not. She must be trying to forget. 

By the way, we went directly to the Kuama Castle and met King Zenotta for permission with our bodies covered in mud, but the eyes of pity from King Zenotta were filled with kindness. 

To be more precise, King Zenotta even shared the alcohol he recommended. 

“That said, I am impressed that Boss implemented such a horrible plan~. Even though there must have been some other better method~.” (Girista)

“Seriously! I did accidentally blurt out ‘Ah, I might be able to do it’ when he buried me on the ground and I felt the precision of the mana vibrations around increase though!” (Rakura)

“The decision of Mister Friend after that was scary fast…” (Mix) 

“Uuh… Tears are coming out just from remembering the smile of Counselor-sama when he returned…” (Rakura)

“You normally don’t see a refreshing formal smile of that level after all.” (Mix)

The smile of Mister Friend that comes from the bottom of his heart is truly wonderful, but…it was to the point where I worried whether my memory isn’t playing tricks on me. 

“But Mix-chan, is it okay for us to move away from our location?” (Rakura)

“Mister Friend said it was okay, so I think it is, but… Oh, Lady Ratzel, what’s the matter?” (Mix)

“Well, uhm…you see…” (Ilias)

Lady Ratzel isn’t looking too good here. She is making an extremely awkward face. 

This is…the face when she is feeling guilty about something. Should I ask about it? 

“Ilias-san, you are sweating buckets.” (Rakura)

“I-I might have gotten dizzy from staying too long in the bath…” (Ilias)

“By the way, Boss arranged for devils from the Purple Demon Lords. What was he planning on doing?” (Girista)

“You idiot! Why are you asking that now?!” (Ilias)

“Oh, was it inconvenient~?” (Girista)

“N-No, not really! I was simply surprised at the drastic change in topic! Anyways, this drink that King Zenotta prepared for us is pretty good!” (Ilias)

What a truly easy to understand reaction. 

Something to feel guilty about and arranging devils… Ah.

“…Lady Ratzel, is it about setting devils around Kuama to switch with what we were doing?” (Mix)

“*Cough* Cough*?!” (Ilias)

“I see… It is possible to set devils deep where detection can’t reach, and they can perform monotone work endlessly without issues…” (Mix)

“Mix-chan, doesn’t that mean that our hard work…” (Rakura)

“I-It is okay-desu zo! The one who showed results was you, Rakura-dono. It is because you managed to bring about results that Mister Friend managed to prepare a more efficient method through that process-desu zo!” (Mix)

“R-Right…” (Rakura)

It is true that a more simple method existed, but the one who proved this method worked was Rakura-dono.

But if I were asked whether it was needed…no, I have to make it look necessary!

“Right. But it is because Boss felt guilty that he arranged things with King Zenotta here~.” (Girista)

“Y-Yeah. He would at times worry about Mix-sama and Rakura—” (Ilias)

“Ilias-san, your eyes are swimming all over the place.” (Rakura)

“That’s not…” (Ilias)

“Mister Friend completely forgot about us for 3 days, didn’t he…?” (Mix)

“And then Boss said ‘Ah, crap’ this morning.” (Girista)

“Girista, you are doing this on purpose, aren’t you?!” (Ilias)

“*Sob* *Sob*…” (Rakura)

Aah, the pace of Rakura-dono’s drinking has doubled from the sadness. 

Looks like we will have to get an extra reward from Mister Friend later. 

“But Mister Friend forgetting about us must mean that’s how busy he was with investigating Shunait?” (Mix)

“You could say that. He is friends with Robito now.” (Ilias)

“What?!” (Mix)

Mister Friend had infiltrated into the bosom of the enemy while we were investigating the surroundings of Chenias?! 

I heard Robito Goshunait is pretty skilled though… That’s Mister Friend for ya. 

“Counselor-sama’s conversation skills are impressive after all. How close are they?” (Rakura)

“Aah… To the point of being asked whether he wanted to marry into the family.” (Ilias)

“That much?!” (Rakura)

“Mister Friend accepted?!” (Mix)

“No, he said he has a woman waiting for him at his villa, so he can’t take a wife. Robito didn’t give up despite that though…” (Ilias)

He is most likely referring to the Purple Demon Lord, but it seems like he managed to deceive him without lying. 

I can tell from the face of Lady Ratzel that she was shown quite the scene. 

It would be pretty worrying if he were to marry into their family even if it were for the sake of the operation. That’s a relief. 

“Speaking of which, Counselor-sama has mellowed  quite a bit recently.” (Rakura)

“Mellowed…?” (Ilias)

“When he was dealing with the Blue Demon Lord-san, how to say it…it was like he was always peeking out the scary Counselor-sama, but these few days it feels like he has returned to the Counselor-sama of before…” (Rakura)

“You say he has calmed down despite having been buried?” (Ilias)

“That’s not what I mean though?!” (Rakura)

It is true that Mister Friend has been on edge as of recently. 

But today’s Mister Friend was pretty easy to get close to, or like…I can’t describe it well. 

“Fumu… The only possibility I can think of is the people he has made contact with… I don’t think it is Robito, so…Haakudoku?” (Ilias)

“Who?” (Rakura)

“The right hand of Gestaf Heriodora. He excels at detection magic.” (Ilias)

I remember him warning Ekdoik-dono that he is someone to be careful of. 

The next day, Girista-dono challenged him and got defeated. And then, for some reason, they managed to capture him. 

“Sounds possible. Mister Friend is like a mirror. He changes his way of being depending on the person he concentrates on. He must be someone more likable than Raheight by a lot.” (Mix)

“Yeah, he didn’t look like someone whose head turned that much, but I think he had a straightforward personality.” (Ilias)

“He is also pretty strong, you know? Not as strong as Ilias, but depending on the situation, he might even be able to defeat Ekdoik~.” (Girista)

“Even against Ekdoik-san…?” (Rakura)

“What kind of person is he?” (Mix)

“Let’s see… I don’t think he has power that stands out in battle~. But it feels as if he can match the enemy properly~.” (Girista)

I don’t really get it, but does that mean he is stronger than he looks? 

Seems like I will need to face him as if he were above me if there’s ever a time when I fight him.

“Well, it looks like I will have to be grateful for Haakudoku-dono who has returned Mister Friend to his easier to interact self.” (Mix)

“Mix-sama, the chances of him being an enemy as of present are pretty high…” (Ilias)

“We may have to consider him an enemy, but exercising respect towards your enemy is possible. You don’t just learn from the enemies in life.” (Mix)

“Right…” (Ilias)

“By the way, is there any other information about this Haakudoku-dono?” (Mix)

“According to the information he has asked, he likes meat and his hobby is to practice the flute.” (Ilias)

“Was he having a marriage interview?” (Mix)

I don’t remember Mister Friend asking me those types of questions though… No, we are talking of Mister Friend, he probably already knows all of that. 

Umumu, I am a bit jealous. 

In the end, Rakura-dono immediately drank herself unconscious soon after coming out from the bath, and Ilias had to carry her. 

Mister Friend was being given a lap pillow by the Purple Demon Lord when we returned to the base. 

At that time, his face as if saying ‘Ah, I have been saved’ was a real nice one that would enter my top five. 

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