Chapter 71 (1/2)

The day of our trip arrived.

We are about to embark on a new destination.

The king, Luna and Marianne come to see us off.

”Please be very careful.”

”If you need anything, just send a message scroll.”

”See you soon, Toru-kun! Clean up this whole mess and come back safely!”

I nodded at the words of the 3.

In the end, we were unable to fully enjoy Grayfield.

However, what we gained here was significant.

If I come back in one piece, I'll make sure we all bathe together.

”Toru-Dono.”

”What 's wrong?”

Before I could take a step, the King made me stop.

He lowered the tone of his voice and spoke in my ear.

”When you enter the dark realm, you should visit the country of Formelia. The race of demons there should be able to guide you to the Demon King's castle in exchange for money.”

”How did you get that information?”

”Between you and me, my country has a secret deal with the demon race. However, now that the demon king has appeared, our communications have been cut off. But I'm sure if you mention my name to them, they will cooperate.”

The King carefully handed me an envelope.

It probably contains a letter requesting cooperation.

It seems that Grayfield, which is in conflict with the demons the most, thus having to resort to hidden contracts with them, is a bit wary.

Others may come to think that they are working for the enemy.

I bowed to the King, and we drove away from the city.

We left the capital and crossed the Demon Fortress.

Soon after, we enter the dark realm ruled by the demon race.

”It's very normal, and peaceful.”

”You know, I always figured this place was going to be hell, since it has the word 'dark' in its name.”

”Kyui”

The trail leading from the fort crosses a meadow, where butterflies can occasionally be seen.

The blue sky hurts my eyes and the warm breeze feels so good.

The Dark Realm - the name is creepy, but in reality, it is simply a generic term for lands that are not controlled by humans.

In this place, demons create their own nations and live the same lives as humans.

”You look different.”

”That's right, but you don't look too creepy.”

”Control your words, Frau. Master looks handsome in any form.”

”Is there something you want to say, Frau-san?”

”Huh”

Thanks to our rings, we have changed our appearance.

I now have horns coming out of my forehead in a normal manner.

Kaede's fox ears and tail are gone, and she now has horns.

As for Frau, no costume was used.

I decided it was unnecessary because I could hide her in my backpack at any time.

In the worst case scenario, there is the camouflage ring originally worn by Mirim, one of the six generals, so I can have her wear it in case of an emergency.

”There are no demon soldiers in sight.”

”They must have retired after what happened.”

It is true that the demon race is strong.

But their total number is small.

In addition, they have many factions and are not monolithic.

Demons are self-centered, rude and uncoordinated.

Therefore, if they attack in a large group, they will be too easily stimulated.

The reason why we are a small group of people who are going to defeat the demon king is because the demon race has the opportunity to take advantage of it, and the success rate is high.

”Kaede, get out the map.”

”Yes.”

She handed me the scroll and I activated it.

A semi-transparent window opened on the paper showing a detailed map.

I placed my fingers on top to mark the position we were heading to.

The country of Formelia... Will this be the address?

”Let's go this way.”

”Weren't we heading to Formelia?”

”There is a meadow up ahead. If we go in that direction, we will be detected, which would be an advantage to the demon king. It's better to take a detour and move through places where we won't be easily detected.”

In addition, it is not certain that Formelia will cooperate with us.

If we are revealed and then betrayed, the journey will become more complicated.

If possible, I would like to save the ”King of Grayfield” card for last.

……That is why I started walking in the opposite direction to the planned course.

We made our way through the forest, over small mountains.

Occasionally we crossed paths with some demon races, but they did not feel uncomfortable with us, and our trip passed without any particular problem.

We finally arrived at the city of our destination.

According to the map, the name of the city is ”Kogehain”.

Details are unknown, but it appears to be a large city.

We entered the city, which was surrounded by high walls.

”It's much more chaotic than the human side.”

”Yes, you are quite right.”

The city of demons has many things.

In the tents you see, piles of monstrous materials are placed, and countless dried fish of unknown nature are hung. In front of the food stall, men drinking alcohol during the day hung out, and monsters that would have been hunted were placed next to them.

In addition, tiger and lizard-like monsters roam the middle of the city, mounted by their owners.

The standard of living is not so different from the human side, but there was a considerable gap in the atmosphere.

”Oops”