Book 8: Chapter 4

The sensation of something cold being placed on the forehead.

Her awakened consciousness recalled the situation right before she fainted, and her brain demanded a quick grasp of the situation.

As a result, Ein jumped up.

「Kyaah!?」

「Uoh!?」

Colliding into Sharon who was peeking at her own face, sparks were given off in her view.

On the other hand, Sharon also went *plunk* and fell onto her backside.

「Tss…Sharon? Dammit, where is this? What time is it?」

「Eh? Erm…Ein, not even an hour has passed since you were sleeping in the bed, you know?」

「…Is that, so.」

In other words, it meant that not much time had passed.

After looking at her body, her wounds had completely closed. Someone had probably healed her with magic.

「So, where is this?」

「Nn, well. Kain’s house, I guess.」

Now that she mentioned it, it looked familiar. If she remembered correctly, was it the small house that Kain obtained after helping someone with something?

「That, damned fool…! Come to think of it, Sharon, why are you here?」

「Eh? Erm…It’s because I was worried about you, Ein.」

「As if this is the time to be saying that sort of thing! My being here will get even you involved in all of this, you know!」

「Wait, you’re a bit scary right now.」

After Seira, who heard the quarrel, opened the door and showed herself, Ein lost her strength and sat down on the bed.

「You too huh…No, I was able to predict that the moment you all said that this was Kain’s house.」

「You don’t need to worry, there’s only the four of us here. Kain is making food down below.」

「Eh!? I, I need to help him!」

After seeing off Sharon as she hurriedly left the room, Seira turned her gaze towards Ein.

「Well, I think it’s a bit late now. I went and firmly picked a fight with that white pervert after all.」

「…Is that so.」

「Ah, so mean. That’s completely different from the reaction you had with Sharon.」

Ein suddenly smiled at Seira who had mixed in a joke.

「More importantly, what happened after I fainted.」

「Nnー well, after the white pervert blocked the street with the Temple’s power and bullied Kain, I stepped in. After that, various things happened, and ended happily ever after. Rather, even I only participated half way through. What happened, for things to turn out like that?」

Hearing that, Ein understood the situation.

In other words, after Ein fainted, he fought, or was pursued…it was one of the two.

And then, it seemed that even Seira was dragged in.

「…Is that, so.」

「Raーther.」

Seira peeked at Ein’s pondering face from below.

「Ein, that white pervert said that you were a Mazoku or something.」

「That, is…!」

The sound of the door opening once again resounded in Ein’s ears as she was at a loss for words.

「Ah, Ein. I heard that you woke up but…are you alright?」

The ones who came in with a plate with steam coming out placed on a tray were Kain and Sharon.

Kain placed the tray he held in his hands on a nearby table, and approached Ein.

「…First, I will say my thanks. Thank you.」

「No, it wasn’t really anything for me to be tha…Uwah!?」

Before he could finish speaking, Ein grabbed Kain’s collar and pulled him close.

「…But still, I am sure I that I said it. That you shouldn’t get involved with me any more than this. And yet what is with this situation. Getting Seira dragged in…Do you plan on getting even Sharon to meet with danger?」

「No, but…」

「W, wait, Ein…」

After glaring at Seira, who tried to stop her, and made her stay silent, Ein fixed her gaze on Kain from the front.

「Listen up, Kain. If you can’t get it after being told indirectly, I will say it concretely. I am a Mazoku, and I infiltrated this country for work. That is why I was targeted. I don’t have some heroic reason, and in a certain way, It’s only natural that I was targeted.」

「Ein, that’s…」

「Kain, this is as far as the association between you and me goes. If you are asked something by the guys at of the Temple, persist in saying that was your first time meeting me. WIth that, you will…」

「Ahー, hold it. That’s, impossible. I made it so that it’s on the verge of being a political problem.」

「Haa!?」

Hearing Seira’s sudden bombshell announcement, Ein turned astonished eyes towards her.

「Rather, I was able to get a general understanding of the situation. In other words, Ein, you’re a Zadark Kingdom Mazoku, aren’t you?」

「Ugh…P, pretty…much.」

「Do you have an acquaintance called Sancreed?」

Far from being an acquaintance, Sancreed was one of the top class leaders of the Zadark Kingdom.

He was one of the Demon King Army’s Four Cardinal Generals and the Mazoku Hero, so in other words, he was an important person that carried a huge amount of classified information.

She didn’t know why Seira knew that name, but she couldn’t say anything untactfully.

「…No comment.」

「Hーn. For that person, personally, it felt like he wasn’t that bad of a person but…well, I was also able to understand that Mazoku does not always equal being bad.」

「Is, is that so?」

Sharon displayed a slightly perplexed look from hearing Seira’s affirmative reaction.

From Ein’s point of view, Sharon’s reaction was natural, while Seira’s impression was too innovative.

The children of the countries of the Shutaia Continent which was mankind’s territory, they were all raised listening to the Hero legend.

Since even the minstrels preferred singing the Hero legend, there were many times where they would hear it even after becoming adults.

Although Hero Ryuuya had defeated the previous Demon King, the days where they feared Mazoku such as Goblins, Beastia, Ogres, and Alva still continued. However, the hope called the Hero definitely existed in the past, and with the fact that the Divine Protection of the Gods were also in this world, the Hero legend would advocate the importance of inheriting that justice and living with it.

And then, the St. Altlis Kingdom was also the holy ground where the Hero Ryuuya was summoned.

That is why the people of this country had a strong sense of pride of needing to keep justice alive in their hearts so as to not bring shame to the Hero, and lived believing that the Mazoku were evil.

That recognition would not change so easily.

Even the current state where the Sylphid of the Jiol Forest Kingdom were living peacefully with the Mazoku, there were many of them who suspected that it was done through a brainwashing power just like what the Demon King of the past had done.

There were also some radical people that would make a broad interpretation of the Demi-Human argument which said that the races of mankind other than Humans──the Sylphid, Metalio, and Beastmen──were to be considered as those who had veered from the correct path of life, and would naturally advocate that the Sylphid were a species close to being Mazoku and that they were supporting the Mazoku.

It couldn’t be said that Sharon had that sort of thinking, but her confusion was clear.

「B, but. Ein is a good person, after all… I don’t know anything about the other Mazoku people, but if it’s you, Ein, I can trust you…」

「…」

Ein purposely didn’t say it, but Sharon was already acquainted with the Mazoku leader called Rokuna.

No, that wasn’t all. All three of the people here, they were deeply connected to Ykslaas who was now a direct subordinate to the Demon King.

Ein had thought only about their relationship with herself, but after thinking about the developments from here on out, it could be said that the three of them were in a considerably delicate position.

Going that far, there was this time’s incident. By some chance, there was also the possibility that some sort of strife would seriously develop.

What would especially be a problem, was Kain.

Seira who had a strong backing, and Sharon who wasn’t directly involved with the uproar this time were still fine.

But, Kain was different. No matter what kind of connections he had on all sides, there were few people that would try to protect the son of a regional noble. Rather, there might be those who would come out and try to use this time’s incident as material to weaken him.

「…Ein? What’s wrong?」

「Wait for a bit.」

Making a short answer to Sharon, Ein thought.

This time’s incident, putting it bluntly, Ein was the cause of it.

Furthermore, considering the debt from having her life saved, Ein had the obligation of playing some sort of hand.

However, what should she do?

There was the hand of having him stay just like this within the St. Altlis Kingdom, but the hope of the situation getting better was thin.

As for bringing him to the Zadark Kingdom, not only would it create even more weaknesses, it was to the point of being considered a poor move.

Even just the Jiol Forest Kingdom would be fine, but Kain probably didn’t have a legitimate reason nor connections to go to their country. The same went for the Cylas Empire.

「Um, hey. May I say something, Ein.」

「What.」

「The truth is, it’s about the reason why I invited you to join my party, Ein…」

「Ehhー, what was that!?」

「Kain, is that true!?」

Ein’s ears rang from the resounding shouts.

Since Kain and the others still had the position of being students, they were within the system called 「student parties」, but once they graduated the Adventurers School, they would be able to form official parties and register them as full-fledged Adventurers.

With Ein being the first one he invited to it, it seemed that neither Seira nor Sharon could just ignore hearing that.

「Ah, no, um, see!?」

「Naturally, you were planning on inviting me too, right!?」

「M, me too, right, Kain!」

Ein only turned her gaze towards Kain who was being hounded.

「So, what was the reason.」

「N, no. Before that, can’t you save me?」

「It’s your karma. Properly accept it.」

「Hey, Kain!?」

「Kain, are you properly listening to what we’re saying!?」

Seeing Kain shrink back from the two, Ein breathed a small sigh.

It seemed like it would take a bit more time to hear what he had to say.