Book 3: Chapter 3

「A hard worker?」

Luuty was reminded of Vermudol’s figure as 「Adventurer Shion」 when she had met him in the past.

His figure as he was earnestly absorbed in reading a book in the library left an impression on her.

Especially how there were a lot of books in regards to history.

His reading of books regarding the Hero, thinking about it now, was probably because he was the Demon King.

Adventurer Shion would intentionally accept requests that other Adventurers wouldn’t take such as requests from small villages and requests that had little profit, and was a person that could be said to be a model Adventurer.

Hearing those rumors, Luuty zeroed in on him.

It was there that she suddenly noticed.

「……Come to think of it, why did he do such a thing.」

What Shion mainly accepted were requests to subjugate monsters that threatened villages and towns.

Subjugation requests had low rewards in proportion to their degree of difficulty, and with there not being many that accepted them, many of the requests would go unsettled.

However, if left alone, that land would continued to be threatened, and it might lead to towns being attacked.

Therefore, normally, people that would try their abilities and people that were driven by righteous indignation would accept those requests disregarding the reward.

In that case, why did Shion──why did Vermudol accept those kinds of requests?

As a disguise for the sake of hiding in the Shutaia Continent, it took too much effort, and as work done for the sake of encroaching into the center of the political administration, it was too roundabout.

As a result of completing requests that others would shy away from, the fame of 「Shion」 had been raised, but Luuty felt that that was only secondary to him.

Why would Vermudol, the Demon King, do actions that would protect the peace within the Shutaia Continent?

For Luuty, she was unable to understand that.

No──there was only one answer that she could think of.

Mankind’s peace was his objective.

If she thought of it like that, everything was coherent.

However, why was there a need to keep mankind’s peace?

「……」

Thinking things over, what came to mind was──the Alva.

Possessing bodies with a black lustre and bat wings, they were mysterious Mazoku where even the land in which they lived was unclear.

Since the Alva would suddenly appear with space transference and indiscriminately attack things, they had become a frequent problem in the Shutaia Continent.

「Adventurer Shion」 sought information on those Mazoku that would appear here and there and brought about destruction.

In fact, it was said that 「Shion」 had buried a large number of Alva.

Since it seemed that the Demon King was able to create Mazoku, everything was his doing──it was easy to think that way.

However, that most likely wasn’t the case.

There was too much of a gap between the appearance of the Alva and the appearance of 「Adventurer Shion」.

Besides, it wasn’t like 「Shion」 exterminated only the Alva.

It was unreasonable to seek a relationship there.

「Then……does it mean it had nothing to do with the Alva……? However, in that case……」

In that case, just what were the Alva?

The Alva had sprung forth after the Great Demon King Gramfia, who had once reigned over the Dark Continent, was subdued.

In other words, it would be valid to think that the Demon King that succeeded after Gramfia had created them but……As long as the time when Vermudol had become the Demon King was unknown, she was unable to conclude with this.

「……I’m lacking on information.」

Having returned from her sea of thoughts, Luuty noticed that Sancreed’s face was right in front of her own and then backed away.

「Nwah!? Wh, wha……!?」

「So you finally noticed. Since you suddenly started mumbling, I thought that you had received some strange curse or something.」

It seemed that she had gone too deep in her pondering and became unable to see her surroundings.

As her face was turning red, a grilled skewer that gave off a fragrant aroma that went to Luuty’s nose was held out to her.

「Eh?」

「It’s a Charging Boar and Maru Mushroom grilled skewer. Want some?」

「When did you get something like this……」

「Seeing that it looked like my words wouldn’t enter your ears, I got them from nearby.」

「Eh, could it be that you just left me alone!?」

In order to gloss over her embarrassment, Luuty displayed unreasonable anger but……Sancreed made a face that said he found it unexpected.

「Same to you. Could it be that you haven’t noticed? I properly pulled you by the hand and brought you here.」

「Heh?」

Being told that, Luuty looked around.

Certainly, the scenery was different from before.

「N, now that you mention it, the place is different.」

「That’s right……so, won’t you eat it?」

Being told that, Luuty received the skewer, and bit into it.

The Charging Boar had a unique flavor to it, but by no means was it an unpleasant taste.

「……So, what were you thinking so hard about?」

「……That’s……」

Luuty hesitated to say it.

This man called Sancreed looked like he was sincere.

If she asked, he would probably answer most things honestly, and if there was something he couldn’t answer about, he would probably say that he couldn’t answer about it.

At the very least, he wouldn’t deceive her……is what she thought.

It wasn’t like Luuty knew deeply about Sancreed, but she was confident in her eye for people.

「If I ask, would you answer me?」

「I cannot make a definite promise. But, if it’s something I can answer, then I will answer.」

Hearing that reply, Luuty made a wry smile thinking that he was just as she expected.

「……What was the Demon King Vermudol trying to do in the Shutaia Continent?」

She went straight out and threw that question at him.

「……So you were thinking about that.」

「Yes.」

As if ruminating on Luuty’s question, Sancreed turned his gaze to the sky.

The cloudy sky.

Bringing his gaze back from that, Sancreed met eyes with Luuty.

「……It seemed that he tried to bring peace to mankind’s territory.」

「And why, would he do that?」

「For the sake of this country’s peace.」

Luuty thought about the meaning of those words.

Why would the Shutaia Continent being at peace make the Zadark Kingdom be at peace?

「If the world is disarrayed, mankind would demand a place to put the responsibility on, and suspect the Demon King’s revival……that seems to be what he thought.」

「That, is……」

Not possible, is what Luuty was unable to say.

In fact, the existence of the Alva had cause a portion of people to suspect the Demon King’s revival.

However, the reason why that suspicion wasn’t that widely spread was because the world was generally at peace, and because people thought that the Alva were merely remnants of the Demon King.

But, what would happen if the world was thrown into disarray?

Would people seek the source that threw the world into chaos?

──There is no need to even think about it.

The Demon King Shuklous, who once used Brainwashing Magic and accelerated the chaos in mankind’s territory. And then, the one who was said to be an even superior existence, the Great Demon King Gramfia. The people would surely remember them.

And then, the people would suspect the Demon King’s revival, and think that the cause of all of the chaos was the Mazoku.

Just like how they had done in the past.

「That is why he resisted. That’s all to the story.」

「……Is that, so……」

There was a point that she could understand.

In fact, it could be said that 「Adventurer Shion」 had stood up in order to keep the chaos done by monster damages to a minimum.

Unfortunately, the Demi-Human rejection had started to be loudly exclaimed, and since political problems broke out, his objective of making mankind’s territory peaceful was unachievable. However, if that had not happened, 「Adventurer Shion」’s actions would have contributed plenty to the peace of mankind’s territory.

Agreeing with everything, she came to understand.

If Sancreed’s story was the truth──it certainly had a large meaning in the current peace.

It might be a huge step towards the realization of true peace.

If they were able to form a peace treaty with even the St. Altlis Kingdom, then there was plenty of possibility that the other countries will also follow.

However, the problem was how would they negotiate with the St. Altlis Kingdom, and bring them to the point of entering a treaty.

In particular, there was no mistake that it would be extremely difficult to persuade the people that advocated the Demi-Human rejection.

The Demi-Human rejection argument was something that advocated that Demi-Human races like the Sylphid and the Metalio were just like the Mazoku in that they were things separated from the original strand of life, and that they were beings that went against the God of Life Philia’s will.

There was no way the people that supported idea would accept something like the realization of a world peace that included the Mazoku so easily.

Just how far had those people penetrated the center of the St. Altlis Kingdom, and how would they move the country.

There was a need to know that.

「……Hey, come back. Your skewer is going to get cold.」

「Wha……Hey, please don’t touch my ear on your own like that!」

Having her ear pulled by Sancreed, Luuty’s thought were forcibly interrupted.

However, it was true that it would be a waste for the grilled skewer to go cold. Putting one of the grilled skewer’s Maru Mushrooms into her mouth, she enjoyed the crisp food texture.

Swallowing it down, Luuty had a thought.

Having the chance to eat something like this in the Dark Continent was a something that she hadn’t even thought of just a little while ago.

Without being limited to just Luuty, mankind’s common sense towards the Shutaia Continent’s Mazoku was suspended in the past.

No, the common sense from the past is being succeeded as the newest thing……that would be the correct way to describe it.

In actuality, the Goblins, Ogres, and Beastia in the Shutaia Continent haven’t changed at all from the past.

That is why people’s perception of them shouldn’t have changed.

Both now and in the past, Mazoku have continued to be the enemy of mankind.

Just what should be done in order to change that mankind’s common sense?

「……Changing mankind’s perception towards the Mazoku, will be difficult, won’t it.」

「That’s true. That is what he’s been worrying over this whole time.」

When Sancreed said that, he returned the skewer that he had finished eat to the stall’s shopkeeper.

「And I’m sure that he’s worrying over it even now……All in order to protect this kind of daily life.」

「Daily life……」

That’s right, what was in front of her eyes right now was a scene of daily life.

Completely different from the Dark Continent of the past, a daily life similar to what could be found in a town of the Shutaia Continent was found here.

「I have, one request.」

Hearing Sancreed’s words, Luuty responded with a twitch.

「We……the Mazoku and the Jiol Forest Kingdom, have become friends.」

「Yes. At the very least, on documents.」

「That’s true.」

Luuty’s words that had a hidden meaning weren’t denied by Sancreed.

The method that Vermudol took in order to enter the treaty was pretty forceful, and there was no guarantee that the exchanged treaties would be protected forever after this.

Just like how the four major nations of the Shutaia Continent that had once walked together and exchanged oaths were now scattered due to Demi-Human rejection argument……

「But……I beg of you, please don’t betray us. At the very least, I ask that you alone don’t.」

「……Why me?」

「It’s because both the Demon King and Fainell seem to have taken a liking to you.」

「And what about you?」

Hearing that question, Sancreed said “fumu” and started thinking.

「Me huh……Let’s see. I would like to have expectations of our relationship from now on.」

「Well, that’s probably an appropriate impression.」

Saying that, Luuty smiled.

Since they had only met for the first time today, Sancreed’s words could be said to be only natural.

「I can’t make a definite promise. But, I will strive to not do so.」

「Yeah, that’s enough.」

That is why Luuty answered honestly, and Sancreed also agreed to it.

「By the way, when I heard about something called the 『truth』, I had asked about it to your king but. Is the objective of keeping peace that I just heard about that 『truth』 I was told about?」

「No……I don’t know about that. Please ask that to the person himself.」

「In that case, please be the intermediary, okay?」

「……You want me to?」

「Is there anyone else that could do it?」

Just as he was about to say “there’s Fainell isn’t there”, Sancreed breathed a light sigh.

「……Well, it can’t be helped. I was the one who asked for a favor first after all.」

「Fufu, that’s true……By the way, the recommended shops that you mentioned before, was that the end of them?」

「No, I still have more though……」

「Then let’s get going. Since this is a rare chance where it’s all your treat after all.」

Seeing Luuty as she said that looking like she was having fun, Sancreed made a wry smile.

「……I see. No wonder they expected things from you.」

「Did you say something?」

「It was nothing.」

Saying that, Luuty and Sancreed started walking through the nighttime Arkverm once again.