Volume 4 - CH 1.2

Why do I have to serve my kidnapper……? But it is far better than losing my arm.

The first job I was ordered to do was “to brew tea.”

I don’t know where I was brought, but this room had a complete set of tea brewing tools. There are also stove-shaped magic tools and iron kettles, much like those used in Schwarze's castle, and, of course, tea leaves.

I took them off the shelves and was shocked.

The tea leaves were from Mindalk, which is said to be the finest of them all!

Even though they’re demons……!

I’ll say it again because it’s important. They’re demons!

I hear that the demons don’t need food or drink to live, so eating food for them is a complete luxury. Tea is a luxury for humans, but I’m not convinced!

I think that demons should just drink second-class tea leaves. To consume the finest products surely is luxurious!

Lost in my thoughts, I unconsciously made a mess.

In the first place, it is because of the demons that the tea leaves from Mindalk are not available all the time, making the price increase further.

In the mountains between the country of Mindalk and the country of Lake Salida, good quality tea leaves have been harvested for a long time.

However, ever since the Demon King’s Castle was built on the mountain, several people became scared to enter the mountain, and until it came to a point where tea leaves were no longer available.

Even after the Demon King’s Castle disappeared thanks to Greed-sama, the price is still soaring because few people enter the mountain because they still fear it. When will it become cheaper……

……I thought, and before I knew it, I heard the sound of boiling water from the iron kettle in front of me.

I decided to set aside the price of tea leaves and concentrated on pouring hot water into the pot. It is the finest tea leaves. I don’t want to waste it.

When I turned off the fire of the stove-shaped magic tool, I quickly put a towel on the handle of the iron kettle and lifted it……

At that time, Verde, who was lying on the sofa, urged me with a lackadaisical voice.

“Aria~, still not done? I’m already tired of waiting.”

──And now we return to the opening scene.

“I’m sorry for making you wait.”

I brought the tea that I had finally brewed to Verde.

The tea was a little messy, but I’ve taken the appropriate steps and should have been able to make a delicious tea.

“Oh, I’ve been waiting!”

Verde got up and lifted the cup. He then took a sip and said.

“Yep, it is delicious. It is many times better than what I previously drank at the inns.”

Oops, I got a compliment! Of course, it is expensive tea so it is delicious.

But rather than that, he said something that stirred my curiosity.

“Inns?”

For a moment, I thought he meant inns for demons but that would be impossible, you know? I’m sure he meant human inns!

“Why would a demon like you be at an inn? I mean, you would not be able to hide your red eyes……”

Since the higher-ranking demons have human appearances, I think they can blend in with human crowds.

Besides the fact that demons hate humans, there was another reason why many demons didn’t do that.

They have red eyes that are peculiar to the demons. It seems that they cannot hide that feature.

So if they go to an inn, the people will soon find out that they are demons. And yet, he was able to drink tea . . . Did he threaten the inn, or was the inn just ridiculously crazy……?

“Indeed, this eye color can’t be changed or hidden.”

Verde pointed to his eyes using his free hand.

“But I can influence the other person. I cast spells on the people at the inn so that my eyes would not look red to them. For them, I have black eyes. It was a drastic move that was made possible because it was a rural town with no magicians or people who were sensitive to magical powers.”

“You can do that……!?”

The idea is, if you can’t change the color of your eyes, then you just change the way the other person sees you.

“But why take the trouble to go to an inn……? Well, isn’t it really strange for demons to stay in a human inn in the first place, is it?”

I blurted out.

However, Verde did not seem to be offended and said amusedly.

“That’s because I’m interested in humans. If you want to know the subject, isn’t it best to observe it closely? No, it was fun to pretend to be a human and wander around.”

“Y-You have a point, though……”

I already noticed it earlier but Verde is very different. At the very least, he is completely different from the demons I imagined.

It seems that Azul and Noir see him as capricious and selfish, but additionally, he is strangely human-like…… And above all, one thing made me feel the most uncomfortable.

──Verde has no hostility to humans.

The hatred of human beings expressed by Azul and Noir is completely unnoticeable from Verde.

“Err…… don’t you hate humans?”

I asked him cautiously, but he answered straight away.

“I don’t like nor hate them, okay? But I’m interested and I want to know more about humans. I traveled around various places and made many interesting discoveries. I thought I’d get tired of it but I could not get enough of it.”

And Verde giggled as if he remembered something.

Well, I’m not sure. I just thought that demons hate humans. And I feel that there is a subtle contradiction in his interest in them even though he doesn’t like them nor hate them……

But I somehow understood why he turned me into his maid. I’m sure that is because of his “interest in humans”. He said he cooperated with Azul and Noir because he wanted to talk to me.

There is something he wants to ask…… But what on earth do I know?

I can’t think of anything at all, but if he asks me what he wants to know, Verde might lose interest in me.

If that happens, we may not be able to talk like this……

I have to collect as much information as possible while I can talk to him!

“Uhm . . . can I ask you some questions?”

Seeing Verde enjoying his tea, I cut to the chase.

Verde then replied, “Okay,” with a very light tone.

……Is it all right to just say it so easily?

“But only up to three.”

I know, right~!?

Well, I didn’t expect to get an unlimited number of answers. Since I am only down to three, I need to ask carefully.

Hardening my resolve, I asked him about something I am most interested in.

“The castle of Schwarze…… What happened to everyone in the castle? It seems that demon beasts have appeared all over the place, but after that……”

At first, I thought of my safety as my top priority so I tried not to fret about it too much until now, but what happened to everyone after that?

What about the princess? What about the other royals? What about the Prime Minister and Famir-sama?

As long as Greed-sama and the others are there, nothing worse will happen. But……

Ugh, I’m worried. Everyone is also worried about me, though.

“The demon beasts released by Noir have been wiped out. Since the Hero exterminated them all.”

“I-Is that true?”

“Why would I lie? Of course, it’s true.”

I felt relieved, but I was taken aback by what he said next.

“But that Hero, did he become a monster? It was said that he wiped out all the demon beasts by himself, and almost in an instant. Isn’t that funny? But won’t he be able to move after releasing that much power?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

──And when I heard the details from Verde, uneasiness set in.

Immediately after I was kidnapped, Greed-sama used his powers to cover the entire castle. It was complex magic that only destroys demons and does not hurt humans.

Thanks to that, the demon beasts vanished, but releasing magical power over a vast area at once put a lot of strain on Greed-sama’s body so he might be in danger……

W-Waaaait!

“Well, I don’t think that Hero will die just because he utilized all his magical powers beyond human capacity.”

Indeed, even if the demon beasts that appeared all over the place were defeated one by one, there would have been considerable damage no matter how hard Greed-sama and his friends worked.

So Greed-sama had a way to get it done in a blink of an eye…… I could understand that.

How-e-ver!

I wanted to stamp my feet in frustration.

I just took my eyes off him for a moment, then this happened! Why doesn’t that person take care of his body? He doesn’t seem to value himself!

I’m worried about Greed-sama for not caring about his friends’ feelings. 

Argh, he will definitely have some educational guidance when I get home!

Immersed in those thoughts as I stood beside the sofa, Verde offered me a cup.

“It’s bad to make different kinds of faces, Aria. Another serving, please.”

“Oh. Yes.”

Seeing that his cup is empty, I received it. I wonder if that is a maid’s muscle memory.

Returning to Verde after brewing tea, I have already regained my composure.

I’m pretty worried about Greed-sama, but I’m sure he is okay because there are people around him who can use healing spells, such as the elf Rufaga-sama and the priest Renas-sama.

For now, I have to do what I can.

I handed the second serving of tea to Verde and asked the second question.

“Azul and Noir mentioned a while ago that this is the Demon King’s castle, but . . . does the Demon King still exist?”

Upon hearing that, Verde’s smile disappeared for a while.

But soon, he smiled again and placed the cup on the table in front of him.

“No, the Demon King does not exist anymore…… The Demon King has been defeated by your Hero, you know?”

His words made me shudder.

However, Verde continued without feeling any discomfort.

“There are only the three of us here. It was Dier and Ludi who wanted to call this the Demon King’s castle. They also claim that this has the same location and appearance as the original castle.”

So this is where the Demon King’s castle was originally built──in other words, in the mountains on the border between Lake Salida and Mindalk.

It also means that they rebuilt the Demon King’s castle even without the Demon King in the place where their master, the Demon King, died. Moreover, with the same appearance.

……Is it because of loyalty to the late Demon King, or is it in memory of the Demon King? Either way, it feels like an obsession.

Verde said with a grimace.

“The place is gloomy as if they were still mourning! I think it’s stupid. The Demon King is gone. Even a piece of his magical power is gone in this world. And yet, they still restored his castle. They want this castle as a place of mourning for the Demon King.”

Then, Verde relaxed his eyebrows and laughed sarcastically.

“But, aren’t they acting like humans, are they? Don’t you think so, too?”

“W-Well……”

One would want to mourn if they lose a person they love. If he/she was killed, they would want to defeat the enemy. Any human being would think so. I understand their feelings.

However, demons are solitary and rarely flock, and there is almost no bond between parents and children or between siblings. They have a little sense of companionship with each other, and they finally were able to get together because of the Demon King. That is what their race is. So of course, there is no concept of mourning the death of a comrade. Their death, unlike human death, is merely disappearance.

Yet, Azul and Noir still pledge their loyalty to the late Demon King, mourn his death, and still try to take revenge on Greed-sama. And they thought of rebuilding the Demon King’s castle in the same location and made it a place of mourning for the Demon King.

Those who hold such feelings are human-like. That’s what Verde is trying to say.

“Even though they hate humans, they do the same things humans do. I’ve never heard of a demon mourning a dead friend. I think it’s really stupid.”

Verde said as he lifted his cup again, and laughed.

“However, the fact that we still exist now is unparalleled in history. We are the first higher-ranking demons to survive after the Demon King disappeared.”

“Y-You’re right.”

The heroes in the past, without exception, defeated all the demon cadres and then fought the Demon King who is the last boss. This is because normally, the path to the Demon King’s castle will not open unless all the demon cadres are defeated for they challenge the hero to a battle to keep him away from the Demon King.

However, that common practice was ignored for the first time in the present. Greed-sama did not defeat all the higher-ranking demons, but challenged the Demon King and defeated him.

……That’s why I’m in this situation right now.

“I have survived after all the trouble, so I wish I could live as I like. Those two are weirdly serious. They had to involve me when I was just trying to live freely.”

It was said in a flippant tone, though.

I don’t really understand what Verde thinks more than Azul and Noir……

The words and actions of Azul and Noir, who were ridiculed by Verde as human-like, are still understandable. However, Verde’s words and deeds are beyond my understanding.

Far from hating humans despite being a demon, he doesn’t even care about his master, the Demon King, even though he was defeated by Greed-sama…… It seems that he helped Azul and Noir, but in the end, he only acted as he pleased……

I really have no idea what he is thinking. Well, thanks to his whim, I’ 'm safe for now.

Taking a sip from his cup, Verde then looked at me and asked.

“So, what is your third question?”

I was taken aback so I pondered for a while.

What I really want to hear is how to escape from this castle. But no matter how I look at it, I think he will not tell me.

The other thing that I would like to know is what Azul and Noir are planning to do with me, and what they are plotting against Greed-sama……

I think it is better not to ask for my peace of mind. It is absolutely improper!

What else…… Ah, how about this?

“Erm, you said you applied a spell on me. What kind of spell was that?”

Honestly, it made me worried. Verde said he did it to protect me, who is not resistant to magic but is there more to it than that? It would be terrifying if I were being manipulated without noticing it……

Hearing my question, Verde stared at me in puzzlement.

“As I said, it is just to protect you from magic, okay? Is something wrong? Well, you must be too intolerant that you could get sick even to the protection spell……”

“Ah, no, it is all right if it’s just a protection spell. It’s just that . . . even though I am in this situation, I remain calm so I was wondering if other spells were cast on me……”

Well, of course. I was kidnapped by the demon cadres, so I’m alone in a place like this. Normally, I’m likely to panic or get into a state of depression but I’m strangely calm.

No, I’m scared of scary things, but not so much though……

That’s why I thought it was because of Verde’s spell, but Verde scowled at me.

“It’s not my spell, you know? In the first place, why should I consider your mental state?”

I know, right~? Verde is a strange demon, but he wouldn’t take care of me like that.

“Maybe you already got a hold of yourself?”

“Got a hold . . . of myself?”

I heard this phrase somewhere.

──Yeah. I think . . . I don’t want to think too much of it, but I wonder if this is the so-called “Milford temperament”.

It is the unique temperament of us Milfords, with my father as the head of the family. While he avoids troublesome things and immerses himself in his hobbies, he is strong against adversity and is strangely calm even when he is in danger……

……No, it’s nice that I got a hold of myself, but when I think that I am like my father, I have mixed feelings. Tskkk.

“Now that you mentioned it, I already told you the spell so I’ll say it……”

Verde suddenly cast a meaningful look at the engagement bracelet on my left wrist and grinned.

“The bracelet is a magic tool, isn’t it? I can feel the sacred magic and the magical power of the Hero from it.”

I instinctively covered the bracelet with my right hand in surprise.

“I noticed that while carrying you from Schwarze’s castle, and it has some sort of mechanism, right?”

“E-Err……”

I stepped back in consternation.

This bracelet is an important connection between Greed-sama and me. This is the only thing I can rely on right now.

Something inside me insisted that it should never be taken nor destroyed! Seeing me upset, Verde chuckled.

“Don’t worry. I will not take it nor tell Dier about it. On the contrary, I’m covering it up with a protection spell so that you will not get caught.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

“The protection spell, don’t tell me……”

Verde stuck out his tongue and said mischievously.

“To tell you frankly, the bracelet is protecting the intolerant you from magical powers. My spell only hides the magical powers from the bracelet so that they can’t see it.”

“……Eh!?”

Does that mean that the bracelet is the one that protects me?

And Verde’s spell hides the power of the bracelet from the other demon cadres?

I was confused. I could not understand why Verde would do that.

“Why did you do that……?”

Verde answered my query candidly.

“I thought of taking you as a loan. Or rather, to the Hero and the elf through you……?”

“Greed-sama and Rufaga-sama……?”

“Yes. It seems that using you is the most effective way to appeal to them. Listen, Aria. This is a big loan, don’t forget it.”

Verde reminded me as he placed the cup on the table. He then smiled.

“So, I guess that’s the end of your question? Now, it’s my turn.”

When I heard that, I strengthened my mind.

“I have something to ask you about this book.”

As soon as Verde said that, the same dark green book Rufaga-sama showed me a few days ago appeared in his hand.

──It was “A System Called Hero”, which was written by Ren Shirosaki, the “White Sage”.

“Th-That book……!”

“You recognize this? It’s been a best-seller among humans for a long time.”

“I’m aware of that, you know……”

Far from being aware, I just recently heard an important story about that book. The intention of Ren Shirosaki in publishing that book was to──

I halted my thoughts.

……No way, that’s what Verde wanted to ask me? But how did he know that?

No, I wanted to retort about the fact that demons have books about heroes, though!

“D-Did you read that book?”

“Of course, I’ve read it. Otherwise, I would not have asked you about this book, right?”

I know, right~!? Well, of course. But I only said that inwardly.

Don’t read books about heroes, you demon……!

Verde, who was not aware of my internal tsukkomi, said while flipping through the book.

“I knew about this book a long time ago, when I was still wandering around where humans live. I had some knowledge about the author who was a visitor from another world, so I somehow read it. And . . . I was surprised. This book says what is as close to the truth as possible and will make you wonder if humans twisted the truth they were spreading. A lot about us demons was also written. With some purpose.”

I suddenly felt a chill. He’s s-sharp……!

“I was suddenly interested, so I decided to get to know more about Ren Shirosaki. I read all his writings, went to where he lived, and even broke into the newspaper guild that he established. Did you know that the guild has an autographed manuscript? I wanted to take it home but I didn’t want to alarm the elves with my invasion, so I held back.”

H-Hey…… Verde-san? Did you turn into a fanboy? [T/N: He’s more of a stalker! XD]

Despite my discomfort, Verde is still eager to talk. Moreover, he is getting more and more excited.

In the meantime, I became interested in the other world in which he lived. I even got a drawing that was drawn based on his story and tried to reproduce a room based on the other world. Hmm, it’s a room with a tatami and a porch. I made it in this castle. I’ll show it to you later, Aria.”

“O-Oh……”

“But unfortunately, the weapon used by Ren Shirosaki is stored in the Great Temple and it cannot be accessed. It’s one of the rarest things brought from another world, so I definitely want to see it……”

By the way, Ren Shirosaki’s weapon is said to be a “smartphone”, a small box-shaped device that fits in the palm of your hand. That is the source of the knowledge of Ren Shirosaki, who is called the “White Sage”, and he seems to have used it to advise the hero Matthias. It is said that the real thing is still carefully stored in the Great Temple of the Goddess, but even after 400 years, the internal structure is too complicated to make a duplicate.

……And that’s the explanation of Ren Shirosaki’s weapon. Verde’s admiration for Ren Shirosaki is not odd. I was left speechless by his high praises.

He visited the place where he lived, visited the newspaper guild, wanted an autographed manuscript, and even reproduced the room with tatami and porch on top of all that…… His mania is too scary!

“It’s a pity that he didn’t come in this era. I wanted to meet him in person and talk to him. Talk about stories about another world.”

Even though I was taken aback, Verde continued to talk cheerfully.

“Oh, right. There was a little bit of his magic left in the newspaper guild and the autograph, and from there, I managed to read what he was like at that time. After all, it was a little different from the human beings in this world. Aria, would you like to see it, too?”

“Eh? You can show it to me?”

I was surprised that such a thing was possible, but if there’s a chance to see the famous “White Sage”, I definitely want to see it.

“Of course, I’ll show you something special.”

Verde said so and extended his hand in front of him.

The next moment, something like a translucent doll appeared on Verde’s palm.

……Is that Ren Shirosaki?

He was a young man of the same age as Greed-sama and the others. His outfit is not a robe, but a regular shirt and trousers. To be honest, he doesn’t look like a wise man at all. He looks like a normal young man.

But his face, which is bordered by quirky jet-black hair, is not so chiseled and his general impression is neat, which is also a little different from ours. He can’t be considered handsome, but there was something that attracted people to his charming face and joyful smile.

……This person proposed to Rufaga-sama “the concept of a world where humans and demons could discuss on adjusting their magical powers” and laid the groundwork for that.

“He’s a very interesting person, both in terms of behavior and thoughts. His work is also really unique. I wonder if all humans in the other world are like him. Hey, did you know? He started a newspaper guild and was involved in compiling all the heroes’ stories, and then published articles about the other world’s culture in the newspaper. It’s a very popular section, and there are a lot of magic tools that were inspired from those articles. Like the stove-shaped magic tool over there. It was developed because he introduced in the newspaper that there is kitchenware in another world that can let anyone easily make a fire. The word ‘stove’ is originally from another world, right? In that way, he had a great impact on human society. But what is it for? Before publishing this book, he seemed to be reluctant to convey information about another world to others except for his friends, saying, ‘I don’t want to affect this world in a strange way,’ but why did he suddenly change direction? Right?”

I know the answer to that question.

……He wanted to change the humans’ consciousness of this world by spreading the culture of another world. 

The figure of Ren on Verde’s hand disappeared.

“I’ve followed his footsteps and researched a lot, but I still don’t understand his purpose in writing this book. Hey, Aria, I want to know. The purpose of this book, his thoughts. I feel that there is something that he wants.”

Then, Verde’s smile vanished and was replaced with a serious expression, looking at me.

“I’ve been musing about it. Who knew Ren's intention in writing this book? Ah, it’s the elf. Is the elf who traveled with him four hundred years ago still alive? For sure, he must have heard something from Ren. That elf has just come out of an elven forest village. To assist the heroes of this generation as a ‘guide’.”

“……Rufaga-sama.”

An elf joined the journeys of the Hero Matthias four hundred years ago and the current Hero as a guide. That elf is Rufaga-sama, who also revealed Ren Shirosaki’s “impossible dream” to me.

“Yes, that’s him. But even if I ask him directly, he will not tell me. For him, I am an enemy to destroy.”

I nodded. That’s right. To keep the amount of magical power flowing in the world constant, the higher-ranking demons must cease to exist.

Also, according to Rufaga-sama, it will take a long time to get the humans and demons to sit together for a discussion. Now that the seeds of Ren have finally begun to sprout, Rufaga-sama should be wary of those demons who are aware of the plan and want to crush those sprouts……

“Since I can’t talk to him, then I should approach someone else who knows. So I thought, who would the elf tell it? The first person he would relay it to is, of course, the Hero. However, the hero of this generation is beyond the standard and strange, so he must have plenty of worries. Therefore, the elf was left with no choice but to tell it to someone who has a great influence on the Hero. In other words . . . you.”

I trembled with fear.

“The ‘guide’ must have told you, the fiancee of the Hero, various stories. About the goddess, the world, the relationship between the Hero and the Demon King. So, Aria.”

Verde peered at me with a fierce glint in his eyes. Feeling pressured, I stiffened.

“Did the elf say anything about this book? If you know, will you tell me?”

For some reason, Verde seems convinced that I know something about this book. Though, I cannot easily reveal the important story I heard from Rufaga-sama to others, let alone to a demon.

But if I don’t speak, this whimsical demon would simply discard me. It seems that the only way to ensure my safety is to spill it out.

Suddenly, Rufaga-sama’s words flashed in my mind.

“There is only one thing you have to do. Be sure to survive any situation, even at the expense of someone else.”

……Is that advice made for this kind of situation?

“Aria, I want to know.”

I stared back at Verde and made a decision.

“……I understand. I will tell you what I know.”

Even if I have to crawl on the ground, I will survive this and go back to Greed-sama safely.

To that end, I will do what I should do. That’s all.

While apologizing to Rufaga-sama in my heart, I revealed Ren Shirosaki’s “impossible dream” to Verde.

His intention in writing the book, and his intention in spreading the culture of another world.

“Eh, eh eh!”

Verde beamed all the time, nodding with interest, his eyes widening.

“What an interesting idea! It’s an idea that the demons won’t think of. I see, that’s why he wrote this book.

After I told him everything I knew, Verde seemed to chew on Ren’s thoughts, nodding and muttering, “I see.” I then asked him.

“What do you think about his idea?”

──I kind of betted telling Verde this story. 

If it was Azul or Noir, I could not imagine what I might have gone through. But if it were humans . . . especially Ren Shirosaki, who piqued Verde’s interest, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t nip it in the bud.

I also wanted to know what he thought of this story as a demon.

Verde answered my question with a smile.

“It’s an interesting idea, but it is also impossible to achieve.”

“……I see.”

Well, I thought so too, but when he said it aloud, it’s kind of disheartening.

“You know what? I don’t really understand the Demon King. Well, Ren is a human being so he can’t help it. The Demon King cannot give up his hatred for humans. He can't throw it away and choose a way to coexist with humans.”

Verde then placed the book on the table and pointed to the sofa opposite him.

“Anyway, why don’t you take a seat?”

“Huh? But it’s the norm for the maid to stand and wait on……”

“Just do it.”

Verde urged me to sit on the sofa, my eyes widening. I sat down opposite him in puzzlement, and then he said in a quiet tone.

“You told me what I wanted to know, so I’ll also tell you something as a sign of gratitude. About the Demon King and──the truth about the demons.”