143 The next thing to watch out for is...

While giving a tour of the city of Quama to a fellow countryman, he discovered Jestaff-Heliodora, who seemed to be a collaborator of Rahite.

The first thing he noticed was a strange magical power.

By concentrating, he realized that it was a kind of detection magic, but it was highly secretive and could not be detected unless he was on his guard.

It is fortunate that my senses have become more acute, perhaps due to my transformation into a demon.

And when he told his compatriot that he had been hit by a detection spell, his compatriot caught sight of the person who might have used the spell and Jestiff.

As soon as he saw that the guards beside him were about to move into a combat stance, his compatriot said he was going to turn around.

After that, he returned to the base and met up with everyone to share information.

But was that the right thing to do?　I think I could have captured both of them.

"You saw the look on the guard's face. That's the face of a man who was prepared to stay and fight. King Zenotta is in charge of the way things are done, but if we start fighting on the main streets of Quama's country, there will be casualties and it will look bad in many ways.

I'm sure you're aware of that, but I'm also sure that the reason he used ...... detection magic is because he knows that I had a relationship with Rahite. If they are wary of you on top of that, won't that hinder you in the future?

"Of course it will. Purple, deploy surveillance demons around Quama's homeland. I don't care if they can't get away.

I don't mind that, but if we put demons inside, we can locate them.

It hasn't been long since the Ao incident, and if a demon is found, word could spread fast. I want to include the internal development of the demon as a last resort.

The myriad demons under the purple demon lord can be deployed at will by her.

The number of demons is astounding, though their individual abilities are enough to defeat an ordinary adventurer.

However, her compatriots have no intention of relying on her power to that extent.

"I could have guessed Duvraeor's personality and character from his transformed form, but it was great to see Jestaff in person. It's a Gokudo race, a troublesome opponent.

"Gokudo?

"Gokudos?" - "Gokudos?

You mean like bandits?

They're a bit more established than that, though. I'd like to see the faces of Chenillas and Lobito if possible.

It is quite a frightening technique to be able to tell your opponent's tendencies by looking at his face.

I wonder how many people you've observed before you've mastered it, as well as its effectiveness.

Cunning or not, Jestiff and his guards are probably no match for you in terms of combat. If we only pay attention to the peculiarities of the guards' detection magic, most of us here should be able to handle them without a problem.

"...... Exduk, I have to warn you. The guard who was with me at the time, I consider him to be my biggest concern at the moment.

"But--

The expression on my compatriot's face is more serious than before.

This is not a joke, my compatriot is seriously wary of that man.

When I was at a loss for words, Ilias intervened, raising his hand.

It's unusual for you to be so blatantly wary, may I ask why?

The only reason Ecdysium noticed them was because they were using detection magic on us. Detection magic is the ability to sense the magic of an opponent, right?

Yeah, it can sense the amount of magic in your surroundings and locate you.

If that's the case, then the guards would have been the first to detect Exoik's magic. If he was using it even though he was right in front of you, then he might have been able to read some other information besides the size of the magic power. I don't know the extent of it, but it's possible that he could have grasped the fact that Exduk is a demon.

That's ...... certainly troublesome.

It's not only the quantity but also the quality of my magic power that has changed greatly due to my demonization.

Even conventional magic detection will be able to detect the difference in the quality of the magic power.

If they find out that I'm a demon, they'll be even more cautious.

I'm sure you're thinking about the fact that if it turns out you're a demon, they'll be more cautious, but that's not the point.

I feel like ...... is reading my mind. But you're not?

Yeah. When I made eye contact with the man guarding me, he was looking at me with a heightened sense of caution. Do you know what that means?

It's .......

My people have very little magic.

There's a higher probability that they won't respond to your detection spell.

And even if you could detect the faint magic of your compatriots, .......

So you're saying that you were more concerned about the danger ...... posed by your fellow man than you were about my strangeness?

Yes. I'm not proud of it, but I don't have enough magic to be trapped by detection magic. I'm not sure if I can detect it with any great accuracy, but that's not the point. In addition, there was a clearly irregular demon called Exduk next to me. In that situation, he was more wary of me than Ecdysium.

If you're just measuring simple combat power, I'm definitely far superior.

But that man was able to compare me to my people and perceive a greater threat in my people.

That means I could sense the strength of the people we know so well.

Can we find out the strength of our people with detection magic?

"I don't think it can. If anything, it's the same way as me. You intuitively sensed what kind of person I am from my face, my appearance, and the air I feel. At the very least, he's far more perceptive of danger than most of the people here who've underestimated me at least once.

Everyone except for Ilias and Wolfe looked away in awe.

At first, when I saw my people, I saw them as nothing more than a bunch of random people.

It was only when I was framed by them that I understood the danger.

The man who was able to see through it at first sight and identify it as more dangerous than me, a demon, ...... understood why his people considered it dangerous.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will work for you. You can think of it as a "me" that can fight.

I'd be wary of that.

The insight of my people, who can see right through me, combined with their fighting ability, will be able to overturn any ordinary difference in strength.

I've judged that my strength is higher than yours, but I'll go with the intention of challenging you as a superior.

My friend, what do you plan to do after this?

I have an idea of what they're up to, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to ...... prove it.

If you're a guild counselor, you can't use a false name, right?　If you're a guild consultant, you can't lie about your name, so why not use my cajoling powers?

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. If you capture one person and use the power of cajoling to make that information public, how do you explain the means?　If you order him to confess to the world, it wouldn't be surprising if he later says that he was manipulated by the magic of mental interference. I'm sure the world will trust him considering the fact that he is a consultant of the guild and his high status.

I'm sure no one will trust you if you use the Demon Lord's power to get them to confess, right?　I don't know what to do.

"If it's those three who are behind it, then it's solved. If the mastermind is those three, then that's the solution. But if Raheit's collaborators are not those three, then he may cut them loose and use other pawns. In that case, it's a toss-up.

Raheit had already tried to interfere with the nobles in Quama's territory and disrupt the chain of command.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

There is no guarantee that you can just suppress the three advisors.

You mean you need to know the whole picture before you can use my power?

Yes, but the power of the purple is a very powerful last resort. If you use it at the right moment, you can definitely disrupt their footsteps. I'm glad you're on my side, it makes me feel better.

"Oh, you don't have to comfort me just because I'm not in the game.

If that's what you mean, the only thing you really need to comfort me with is money.

Hmm, isn't it?

I'm sorry to bother you, but...　I'm sorry to interrupt your good friendship, but I was wondering if you could tell me the purpose of the guild's advisors that your friend is speculating about!

I heard Mixu's words, and I realized.

He had no information about their purpose, yet his compatriot had said he had an idea.

And there's no explanation for that.

The others are looking at their compatriots as if to say, "That's what they want?

What do they want?　The reason why Raheit contacted the guild's counselor, and the timing of the event, made it rather easy to come up with .......

"My friend, that lack of explanation is honestly something that needs to be fixed!

I'll nod my head in agreement.

My compatriot scratches his head without any sign of regret.

I'm not going to say anything until I'm sure. It would be embarrassing if I were wrong.

You should be ashamed if you're wrong. - You should be ashamed if you're acting as your friend's hands and feet without being able to see anything!

Sorry, sorry. That's what they're after. A coup d'état.

Koo-dah!

When the Scarlet Witch invades, soldiers from all over the world will be forced to deal with it, right?　I'm sure you've heard of it. I think that's what they're trying to do.

Everyone was stunned.

It's not unusual to hear outlandish words coming out of the mouths of your compatriots, but when it's this big, you're at a loss for words.

"So ...... are you planning to take away Kuama in such an emergency?

It's not just Quama. It's not just Quama, it's Gurne and Mejis as well. It's hard to say for sure because it's hard to deploy adventurers in Tarz. The guild's advisors were originally powerful men who owned their own countries, and their pride in those countries was strong enough to give birth to the guild. Rahite must have stimulated them in the right way.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea.　I'm not sure what to make of that.

I'm not sure what to make of this.

I'm sure you're not the only one.

I see, it's not strange that he would say such a thing to seduce the other party.

Even though humans' dislike of the Demon Lord has not changed since ancient times, their fear of the threat has become numbed over the course of history.

If you don't feel the threat firsthand, you won't grasp the gravity of the situation.

But still, I don't think they'll trust Raheit. ......

"He started to act around the time we visited Gurne, right? I'm sure you could convince him to do this at first. The Scarlet Demon King and the Blue Demon King are going to invade, but they will fight each other for territory. If the countries work together, it will be enough to control them.

It may well be that this is ...... possible, but ......

I'm sure the purple ones have been used for persuasion lately.

Oh, me?

I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea. The threat of the Demon Lord's invasion will be further reduced and the desire to overthrow the country will be boosted. In fact, the intervention of the third camp prevented the invasion of Ao with almost no human casualties. And by the way, this information is not only coming from Raheit's mouth, but is also flowing to various places through the Yugra religion. It's information that only a few people have access to, but I'm sure the guild's counselors can get their hands on it somehow.

What was supposed to be an unbelievable story is gradually gaining credibility.

It also explains why Raheit didn't immediately move the adventurers when the Blue Demon King invaded.

Quamah's forces had set up a defensive wall, but it had not developed into a melee.

If the mainland had been attacked at that moment, they could have left the defense of the wall to the army of local nobles and gone to suppress the mainland.

On the other hand, if the wall had been destroyed and a full-scale battle with the Blue Demon King's army had begun, and the leadership of the nobles had been disrupted, Quama would have been .......

"Do you have a countermeasure ......?

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on. I'm sure they'll stay quiet until then.

But after what's happened, ......

I'm sure that by the time the main forces of each country have moved on and come back, it will be settled. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's a fan of your work.

His compatriot stood up, sighing.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

"Are you going somewhere?

The situation doesn't seem to be moving quickly, and we don't know for sure. I think I'll just go to bed so I can get my head straight.

Even if you had proof, would you be able to break through ...... this situation?

It's only human work, it can be done by any means necessary. I prefer to take the easy way out if I can.

With that, his compatriot left the room.

The expression on his face at the end seemed to have a slight hint of the way he was at that moment.