Chapter 95

It was thought that they would head straight to the demon king's castle in Sereid, but before that, Negus's magic power reached its limit.

The group, halfway through their journey, landed on the ground and visited an abandoned demon village.

This was also a place that Flamm and the others had visited during their journey.

"Let's stay here for the night. It hasn't been used for a while, so we'll need to clean up a bit, but there should be enough beds for all of us."

According to Negus, this place was originally home to about twenty demons.

There were a few houses and a grand building that looked like a meeting hall at the back.

There were also abandoned fields around, and it seemed that the demons who lived here led a self-sufficient life.

They headed to the meeting hall, where there was a spacious room inside.

They sat down on the floor and the chairs.

Flamm laid Kiril on a long bench and sat down next to Milkit.

"Quite a beautiful building."

Eterna, sitting next to Ink, said.

It was overcast outside, but it wasn't too dark thanks to the thin clouds.

A pleasant light filtered through the stained glass, projecting a beautiful image of a woman on the floor.

"The houses outside are also impressive, but considering the size of the village, it's quite a grand building."

Gadio, looking at the grand interior that reminded him of a church, said.

A considerable number of people and materials would have been needed to build such a structure.

"Even without a large number of people, it can be done with magic."

"The demons are a race skilled in magic, right?"

"Yes, that's why magic is more integrated into their daily lives than humans."

"But even so, what's the reason for building such a large building in a small village?"

When Flamm asked, Negus put her hand on her chin and thought, "Hmm."

She was from Sereid, the largest city in the demon territory.

She didn't seem to know much about how the demons who lived in the villages spent their daily lives.

"From what I've heard, they mainly used it for singing, dancing, and making a lot of noise."

"Not for rituals?"

Lainus, who had regained some of his energy, teased jokingly.

"Rituals... What do you think demons are? They are a much more peaceful and gentle race than humans."

"It's a joke. But if that's the case, it feels more like a banquet hall than a meeting hall."

"Indeed, that's closer. But every village has a meeting hall, and 'banquet hall' doesn't sound very dignified."

"Well, if that's the truth, there's nothing we can do."

"Moreover, the interior is overly luxurious."

"Maybe they're competing with other villages. This building was also made with magic, as a way to show their skills."

"Building a building to compete in magic... It's a roundabout way."

"Not a duel or something?"

Kerena was impressed.

She, being a former adventurer, thought it would be more straightforward to fight and decide the winner.

On the other hand, Harom seemed uninterested in the conversation and was quietly staring at the stained glass.

"Demons don't have much desire. That's why their population doesn't increase much. Since the ancient times when they were entrusted with the management of Origin's seal, their numbers have remained almost the same."

"How many demons are there, specifically?"

"I'm curious about that too."

Flamm and Milkit asked.

"There are hundreds of villages like this, with an average of twenty to thirty people living in each... Including the population of Sereid, it's probably around ten thousand."

Incidentally, the population of Sereid is about 2,000.

However, currently, a certain percentage of the villages have evacuated to Sereid to avoid the invasion of the hero party, so the population has increased significantly.

"Ten thousand sounds like a lot, but considering the size of the land, it seems small..."

"Maybe that's why the important people of the kingdom think it's a waste of such a vast land?"

One of the reasons for the invasion is undoubtedly that.

The demons can't use the land as effectively as they can, the kings of the past must have thought.

"But in reality, it's not such a sweet place. The monsters are stronger than in the kingdom, the land is barren and crops don't grow well without earth magic, and the further north you go, the colder it gets to the point of freezing to death."

"Indeed, it was cold there. I was dressed warmly, but it was still tough."

Hearing this, Flamm checked her own clothing anxiously.

She had no sleeves and short pants, leaving her healthy thighs exposed.

"Flamm, you'll definitely die if you stay like that."

"But Negus's clothes are open at the chest..."

"I'm a demon? My body is strong. But Flamm, you're just a human, so you can't do that."

"Ugh, what should I do..."

"If it comes to it, I'll let my master wear my clothes!"

"No, Milkit, take care of your own body?"

"Well, I'll protect you with magic until we reach the demon king's castle. After that, you can borrow something from Seithum or the previous master."

"Seithum?"

It was a name she had never heard before.

Not only Flamm, but everyone except Sera was in the same situation.

"Maybe it's better to call him the Demon King for you."

"The Demon King Seithum... His name sounds gentler than I imagined."

"He doesn't really have much dignity."

"Indeed, there is a gap."

The image of a demon king that comes to mind is usually a large, monstrous figure with horns, a cloak, and a fearsome face.

This is because the depictions of the demon king in books circulating within the kingdom are always of such a figure.

In other words, it is a plot by the brainwashed king and pope to create a negative impression of demons.

"Words have a big impact, don't they?"

"Probably, I think you'll be surprised when you see the real thing."

The demon king, because he is the king of the demons.

It's such a simple naming.

It doesn't mean a terrifying monster.

The real Seithum is a small, cute girl, not much different from Sera.

"Still, I never thought I'd meet the demon king in such a way."

"I never thought I'd have to bring the heroes to the demon king's castle myself."

"Did you get the demon king's permission?"

"I did, sort of. She'll be fine, she's more peaceful than other demons. She's even talking about making peace with humans now?"

"My image of the demon king is completely shattered."

The journey started with the classic setup of a righteous hero fighting an evil demon king, but this makes the humans seem much worse.

"But what about the other demons? They won't just stand by, will they?"

"Indeed, some of the demons have had their homes taken by the heroes."

What Kerena and Ink said was reasonable, and that's why Tsaiyon had to burn some of the kingdom's villages.

However, it's questionable whether the young demons who were angry about it were satisfied just by that.

"Of course, not everyone will accept it happily. But I won't let them act. Even among demons, I'm one of the strongest."

"God must have given power to the wrong person."

"Have I ever said something like that to you, Sera?"

"Right now, you're the pervert who's touching my thighs."

No one noticed, but indeed, Negus was touching Sera's inner thighs over her robe.

It was undoubtedly sexual harassment.

The atmosphere in the room became awkward, and the exhausted group began to rest.

However, there was no food, so Lainus said, "I'll go find something to eat," and went outside.

He must have been tired too, but he seemed to be unable to settle down without moving his body.

"By the way, there's something I want to confirm."

When Lainus's figure disappeared, Negus asked everyone present.

"Can we really trust that woman, Maria?"

Silence fell.

To Negus, who was using the Core, Maria was clearly an "enemy."

And for the others, excluding Lainus, the answer to whether they could trust her was "no."

"She did help us fight the Children and escape this time."

"...But it's also true that she forced the Core on Jean and Kiril."

"She knew from the beginning that the purpose of the heroes' journey was to break the seal of Origin. Even after the group was reduced and the journey couldn't continue, she tried to sacrifice her companions to achieve that goal."

This was an undeniable and undeniable fact.

Even Flamm, who couldn't remember her relationship with Maria, understood that the Core was dangerous.

Her fragmented memories of the spiral-faced Orga, the mass of eyeballs, the resurrected dead, and the battles with the Children and Mother were clearly etched in her brain.

They were the enemy.

No matter what the reason, relying on them was a mistake, a dangerous power.

"But Maria likes Lainus."

"I think she helped us because she's in love with him. It's a simple story, I think."

"If that's the case, it's fine. But she refused Lainus's hand and stayed in the capital."

"Was it to infiltrate and do some work?"

"If that was the case, she could have taken Lainus, who is good at such things. If she loves him, even more so. Even if she said it was dangerous to reject him, it would be the same in the demon territory."

In other words, Negus seemed to be saying that it might have been inconvenient for Maria to follow Lainus.

"…Negus is right, I think Lady Sera is hiding something."

Sera, who had been looking down and silent, said in a soft voice.

Her words carried weight, as she had known Maria longer than anyone else.

Flamm nodded in agreement with Sera's words.

As an outsider with no preconceptions, Flamm had listened to Maria's words.

At that time, she had a similar thought, "This person is lying."

"I thought there was a 'hesitation' in Lady Sera just before she parted ways with Lainus. I think she wanted to be together but had a reason she couldn't."

But if Maria was indeed planning the revival of Origin, why did she stay in the capital? It would be better to come to the demon territory to break the seal.

"Indeed, that's a concern."

In any case, once they left the capital, it would be difficult to keep track of her movements.

If she tried to contact them in some form, they wouldn't accept it easily.

That's all Negus could do for now.

◇◇◇

About two hours later, Lainus returned dragging something.

It was a White Buffalo, a B-rank monster, about twice the size of Lainus.

Compared to the Hellheim Buffalo, which lives further north on the continent, it is smaller and has less fat, but it is still a quite delicious monster when cooked.

Of course, there is the work of bleeding and dissection, but there are several people who are used to it.

While Flamm and the others were resting in the building, the work was quickly completed—

"Flamm, it's your turn."

"Huh? I think there are many people more suited to cooking than me."

Flamm, who had been lying on the floor, sat up and looked at Eterna.

Milkit, who had been snuggling up to her, also woke up, rubbing her eyes