Chapter 129
The Demon Girls
(Heh... so those are demons...)
There
was a silver-haired girl who looked about my age, and a purple-haired girl
wearing a military uniform who looked to be about a size larger than her. In
this world where colorful hair is common, silver-haired girls are completely
normal too, so at first glance, she really just looks like an ordinary human.
The purple-haired one has horns and such, so you can definitely tell at a
glance from her visuals, though. It was the same with the maid demon I fought
before, but the basic appearance of demons doesn't differ much from humans,
does it? Or rather, I feel like they're all beauties. Though my sample size is
small.
They
seemed to be talking about something, so out of curiosity, I closed the
distance just a little. However, it would defeat the purpose if they noticed my
presence, so I decided to keep as much distance as possible. As your LV
goes up, your physical abilities improve along with it, so I was able to catch
their voices from quite a bit further away than what I would personally
consider the danger zone.
「Is this really alright, Lirica-sama? Coming in with
just the two of us was perhaps a bit reckless after all...」
「Even so, we didn't have any other
choice right now... The letter was polite, and the king of this country seems
to be a trustworthy person. Therefore, even if we have to explain our
circumstances to some extent, I want to secure their cooperation.」
Well,
I certainly don't think he's a trustworthy person. The two staying perfectly
still behind me must have had the same thought, as they were nodding their
heads vertically in the darkness.
「The inn we stayed at last night
didn't seem to be of a good grade, even as a compliment...」
「...It was likely their way of
showing consideration so that our true identities wouldn't be exposed.」
「Even so, I think a slightly better
inn would have been fine! To make Lirica-sama stay in such a rundown
place!」
「Please don't be so angry, Priola.」
Hmm,
so the silver-haired girl is Lirica and the long-haired woman in the
military uniform is Priola... From the sound of it, is Lirica-san
in a higher position? It seems they have an objective they want to achieve,
even if it means joining hands with humans. Well, if they didn't have something
like that, they wouldn't go out of their way to enter a human country with just
the two of them. Still, that idiot king probably skimped on the inn fees just
because they're demons... What a petty man, as always.
「His Majesty the King has arrived!」
Along
with a somewhat lackluster voice, the sound of instruments could be heard from
what looked like an orchestra waiting in the back. No, why are you skimping
when you're spending money on that? They're probably being treated as state
guests, so at least spend some proper money on their accommodation... Then,
along with the solemn music, a single man arrived.
...Heh,
so that's Izel II.
To
someone like me who's used to fantasy games, his appearance looked exactly as
if he had jumped straight out of a game world. He looked to be in his early
fifties. A mantle dyed a beautiful red that rivaled the carpet laid out on the
floor. A fluffy-looking shirt worn underneath, and a crown heavily studded with
jewels and gold on his head. When he sat down on the massive, gold-plated
leather chair, surprise surprise, he looked exactly like a magnificent king, at
least in appearance. Uum... Perhaps because the surrounding decorations are so
well-made, he somehow ends up looking like a king with real presence.
From
behind Izel II, several figures smoothly stepped forward. A man who
seemed to be one of the guards was wearing a full suit of black armor, looking
undeniably strong. When I tried using Magic Power Perception... yeah,
he's not weak, but he's not that strong either. Even if he's specialized in
swordsmanship, I've raised my LV to 10, so I can handle him well enough,
and it doesn't seem like I'll have to struggle much.
Since
Izel II is a king, normally you'd be executed if you didn't prostrate
yourself, but the two demons dropped to one knee, gave a light bow, and simply
kept their heads lowered. Seeing that, Izel II made a sullen face, then
covered it up in an instant. A terrifyingly fast change in expression... if it
wasn't me, I would've missed it.
「I am Izel II.」
「My name is Lirica tu Baron.」
「I am Priola tu Rusara.」
Heh,
demons have proper first and last names too. Furthermore, taking a closer look
at the clothes they're wearing, they seem to be of a quality not far behind
what Izel II is wearing. Could it be that they actually have a highly
advanced civilization over there, and the human side just doesn't know about
it?
「We are truly grateful that you have
provided the opportunity for this meeting.」
「It is nothing. If it means the war
with the demons of the Demon Lord's Domain will end, it is a small price
to pay.」
Perhaps
out of caution, Izel II was facing them from quite a distance away.
However, perhaps captivated by the demons' beauty as they spoke, he started
saying they should change locations. True, this audience chamber is a bit too
oppressive for having a discussion. The throne where the king sits is clearly
higher than where Lirica-san and the other are, so they wouldn't be able
to talk on equal terms like that. As I tried to follow them for the time being,
Priola-san turned around to look in our direction with a puzzled
expression, going 「Hm...?」
「Is something the matter, Priola?」
「No, I just felt a strange presence
just now...」
...T-That
was close. Her perception abilities are on par with Mitsukawa-kun's
class. When I tried using Magic Power Perception, her magic power
capacity was head and shoulders above the humans present here. She's amazing.
She has magic power on the level of a Revenant from the Holy Corpse
of the Knight. What's more, observing closely, Lirica-san's magic
power capacity is even higher than that. Judging from her movements, it doesn't
seem like she's all that used to fighting... but she's an outstanding talent
who could become incredibly formidable if trained. Considering they also have
proper surnames, they must be people of high standing even among demons... but
with so many people like this around, can the human side even win? Honestly,
the only person on the human side I've thought was strong is Mitsukawa-kun.
There
was no hesitation in the king and his entourage's steps. It seems the plan all
along was to assert dominance upon meeting them and then immediately head to a
separate room. The place they entered was a single room within the Royal
Castle.
(It's a reception room for honored
guests. It might be a little rare for my father to enter it.)
(I see.)
After
putting a little distance between us so the others wouldn't notice, I had Alicia,
who was hiding in the shadow, tell me about it. As I approached and used Magic
Power Perception... yeah, there are several reactions. Furthermore, a few
of those are familiar reactions.
Carefully
passing through the shadows so as not to be discovered, I peeked inside the
room and saw the Kazuma harem there. And for some reason, the figure of
a blonde beauty was among them, looking completely natural. That is probably...
or rather, definitely the First Princess, Misha. She's blending in as a
member of the harem in a very natural way. It's strange, because just looking
at her from the outside, she appears to be a flawless beauty. Perhaps Kazuma-kun
was also easily won over by those good looks.
...Ah, we might get found out by the Hero, Kazuma-kun, or the Sage, Mitsurugi-san. I need to keep my distance so as not to enter the room too deeply. After thinking for a bit, I decided to take up a position under the desk right around the middle between them and the two demons. From this position, even if either side makes a move, I can deal with it when push comes to shove. For now, I'll stay hidden in the shadows and watch how things unfold.
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