141 141 "Hidden behind" (1/2)

”Thank you so much for this. Thank you so much for this.

”From me too, thank you.

”Don't worry about it. I just did what I wanted to do.

After the battle of the kings was over, Sin and Alicia immediately thanked me.

By the king's decree, Shin and Alisha officially reside in the royal palace as the royalty of this country without being noticed by anyone.

At first, I was working on growing demons to solve the country's food problems, but after I discovered Alisha's secret and was kidnapped by the manticore, I became deeply involved in Shin's survival and the problems of the palace that came with it.

But it wasn't I who solved these problems, but rather Shin and Alisha and the others themselves.

I was only there to help, and the reason I cured the king's illness was because of my companion, Drage.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has done this. So thank you so much for that ......, Kyou.

Alisha's cheeks are red and she honestly says thank you.

In this way, a little while ago, she was a bit cocky, perhaps because of her manly pretense, but now the girl's gestures sometimes make me smile.

You'll be able to find out what's going on with the food problem.　I'm sure the guys I raised in the wasteland grew up without a hitch.

Yes, Kyou helped me out a lot with that too. Nowadays, there are a lot of demons in that area that you've never seen before, and most of them are very popular in the city. Especially jack-o'-watermelons, which are now becoming a national specialty.

I'm glad to hear that.

I let out a breath of relief at the answer from Alisha.

I'm glad to see that our original goal of food supply is being solved in secret.

However, until the current environment of demon cultivation is completely stabilized, I had planned to stay here for a while longer.

Well then, it's time for us to go back to our own country.

Rostam and Sachaque were the ones who muttered to each other, and both of them were already preparing to leave.

”Rostam-san and Sachaque-san, thank you for the cooperation of the Empire.

I bowed my head and thanked them for their departure.

In a way, these two were even better than I was during this battle of the champions.

Without the information they put together and their insights, we wouldn't have been able to drive Masuda away.

''Don't worry about it, cultivator. I told you that if you asked for help, we'd come to you wherever you wanted us to go.

And with the momentum that said it would never change, Rostam put his hand on my shoulder.

Hmmm. When I look at it this way, I can see how reliable these guys are.

While I was thinking this, Sachaque seemed to be troubled with a difficult look on his face.

I'm not sure what's wrong with you, Mr. Sachaque?

...... ”No, I've got a few things on my mind about this one: ......

What's on your mind?

...... The lead up to this battle of the Kings, and more specifically, the revelation that your Singh was alive: ......

Singh looked shocked when Sachaque suddenly called his name, and I felt the same way.

What does it mean?

”...... Kyou. A demon cultivator named you came to this country and grew Shin until his manticore snatched it away. From there, you found Sin, and even joined the War of Kings to rescue her. It all seemed to work out as if it was a setup: ......

...... Surely that's a fair point, Sacherk, but isn't that overthinking it?

The fact that the rescue of Sin, the immediate reaction of Massuda to the announcement of the king's war, and the start of the king's war after Alisha was injured, certainly gave me the impression that the information circulated quickly, but even so, it is still within the realm of coincidence.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world,” he said.