Chapter 47 - Volume 3 (1/2)

Volume 3, Chapter 17: I Turned Ten Years Old, Part 2

“……What in the world was that monster…”

Said the so-called Hero Alfio in a cracking voice.

Nobody blamed him for being [Timid]. Antique the Elf and the swordswoman Cheria both had had pale faces as they watched the battle with the [Demon Beast].

Alfio had his meals early after the indignant exchange between him and His Highness Roderick. While thinking about what means he would use to get close to the beautiful maids and female knights, he was struck with a sudden torpor and lost consciousness.

The [Hero] was blissfully unaware that their magic power had been forcefully stolen. and indeed when Alfio woke up in the forest by the lakeside, Roderick and his escorts were preparing to head to the place where the castle previously stood.

{The ancient castle has disappeared……?}

Although to be precise it wasn’t gone, rather, about half remained, but it was clearly no longer the castle from Alfio’s memory. Not to mention, in the sky above, there was a [Golden Storm] fighting a [Black Tempest] and the beautiful forest around the castle had been painted an inky black.

The situation was clearly not good.

Looking at that place which gave off a malicious presence from even where they were, Alfio thought that he would be crazy to even go, but because of Antique, Cheria, and Athena, who didn’t for a moment doubt that he was a true Hero, he reluctantly decided to head to the old castle.

Even if his disposition made him be ignored by the Royal Family of Shiguresu, Alfio wasn’t an incapable fellow.

Other than reverse engineering the body reinforcement magic that Daemons and Demons naturally used, he had the [Quick Casting Magic] of the high speed and protective types, a wonderful talent for magic.

Applying the high speed magic to his companions, Alfio was able to reach the location before Roderick by taking a back route.

Alfio’s party saw a terrible sight there.

A [Demon Beast] that one could tell at a glance was on the level of a [Natural Disaster], and of all things, that beautiful princess… Yurushia was battling that terrifying [Demon Beast] with her attendants.

Because he put his priority on keeping a safe distance, he couldn’t make out the details, but Yurushia was flying in the air on golden wings, throwing a golden spear made of magic, and throwing the [Demon Beast] to the ground.

But that wasn’t the problem.

Certainly, the magic that Yurushia used, gave off a mighty feeling of [Holiness], and Antique, who was also named a [Saint], was shocked in the sheer difference in power, though that wasn’t the problem.

The problem was the attendants of that [Saint].

Fighting with that Saint were figures that looked [Irregular]from a distance, and of them, one of them was the [Daemon] that Alfio’s party had fought before.

“Wh-, what the heck does this mean!?”

“……I don’t know, but is the princess cavorting with the Daemons?”

“D-don’t be stupid, Anti, that child is the [Princess] of the Holy Kingdom and Athena’s younger sister! Surely, she must have been deceived by the Daemons.”

Alfio was in a state of confusion. Athena, who had remained silent thus far, began to laugh.

“Fufu… As expected, that child… Yurushia truly is a wicked existence.”

“Si-Sister-sama…?”

Ophelia broke into a cold sweat at the sight of her sister smiling arrogantly.

“No, well… isn’t she our sister, more or less…”

“Ophelia!”

“W-wait, Athy. Such a beautiful girl… No, that child is fighting against that monster.”

“First of all, it’s strange. It’s impossible for Yurushia to have the ability to take on such a [Monster]. The proof is the fact that she’s bragging.”

As Alfio looked in the direction that Athena was pointing to when she answered him, Roderick arrived.

“Roderick-sama has just arrived with perfect timing. As I expected, that girl collaborated with the Daemon King and summoned that monster to try to deceive Roderick-sama!”

“I-Is that so……”

Although he didn’t understand the theory, he couldn’t come up with an immediate rebuttal since that’s what Yurushia’s own elder sister said, but Alfio was convinced that there was something that Athena was keeping from them.

Although to Alfio, all measures of social class held no measure to [Pretty girls], it was easier to capture a disgraced princess than a proper one as he remembered on the [Thin Books] that he had read in his previous life. (TLN: he’s talking about H doujins.)

“O-okay……… We should withdraw for the time being.”

“Why!? We should reveal Yurushia’s evil plot to His Highness,”

“It’s useless. If His Highness doesn’t actually believe your story, wouldn’t you be going against everyone over there? Let’s aim for her when she’s alone.”

“…I see. Roderick-sama might have been brainwashed.”

Alfio’s persuasive words brought Athena to understand that possibility and she nodded, gritting her teeth.

By no means would he say that he was afraid of the Demon Beast, as Alfio held his chest in relief.

“But where will we be withdrawing to?”

“First of all, let’s get out of this country…”

Alfio smiled superficially to Cheria who seemed uneasy while hugging her shoulder.

Up until now, he’d done as Callisto requested and saved up a small amount of money.

Alfio’s wish wasn’t to become a king or save the world, but to live happily forever after with his [Brides].

To fight for the sake of getting a bride was alright, but other than that, he didn’t intend to risk his life. So he was thinking of spending time at his parents’ in Shiguresu until the commotion died down.

“I see! Then, we will prepare to go to the Daemons’ territory.”

“……eh?”

Antique’s determined words made Alfio leak out a voice reflexively.

“That’s right, Ally. While whittling down the strength of the Daemons, we can gather evidence that that child is connected to the Daemons and get training at the same time!”

“As expected of Al-sama! To have thought through this so deeply, we sisters have renewed our respect for you again.”

“Al-sama, how wonderful… when will we depart?”

Cheria, Athena and Ophelia, all nodded in tandem with Antique’s words, staring at Alfio with dreamy eyes.

“…… L-let’s set off!”

” ” ” “Yes!” ” ” ”

He could no longer escape. Alfio was asking himself how it came to this, but for the sake of appearances in front of the girls, he decided to head to the Daemon Territory.

“………”

Among them, Athena smiled at the thought of finally causing Yurushia to have a tearful face… she was hit by a slight sense that she was making a major [mistake], but forcibly pushed it to the bottom of her heart.

＊＊＊

” ” ” ” ” ” ” “………………” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

As 【He] left after throwing down this enormous parting shot, everyone present was staring at me in a tense silence instead of delighting in their victory.

What do I do…

That guy… when he says things like that, it makes it sound as if I’m acquainted with Demons.

Although it can’t be helped because it’s true, when I looked pointedly at my attendants for help with deceiving them, they were all pretending to not know me like they were a hundred metres away.

……… You guys, I’ll seriously remember this.

“…It can’t be, Duke Kapell had summoned forth such a frightening Demon… ”

I intend to pass the buck with a sorrowful look.

It’s not a problem because it’s mostly fact…… The other half is my fault, though.

“……What did Duke Kapell do?”

It worried them, too. Rick rode in on my story.

“The Demon appeared…… as before I could counteract the poison that had been given to us, all of the people were sacrificed……”

“I see…… Although, it would have been good if we could have caught the perpetrator……”

“Still, given that situation…”

I don’t think that anything that had gotten embroiled in the battle between 【Him] and I would still be alive. In order to change the flow of the conversation, I really need to find some evidence that Duke Kapell is to blame.

“It’s no problem.”

Turning around to face the voice, I saw Noa walking up to us, holding a ragged human who was laughing a little.

“This person is…?”

“Yes, it’s Archbishop Callisto. Fortunately, he was thrown off by the blast of wind, and I found him lying around in the forest.”

So my attendants were looking for witnesses…

But with a witness, and no other evidence, could he have managed to see it when I turned into a Demon? As I mulled over that thought, Fannie, who was good with mental manipulation secretly signed ‘Okay’ to me with her hands, and I felt relieved.

“That’s not how it was!”

Suddenly, Noel yelled out loudly.

Oh this is bad…… While holding himself like he couldn’t be deceived, Rick placed his hand on Noel’s shoulder and spoke to him.

“Noel… You understand that the person who is taking this the hardest is Yurushia…”

“That is…… I see, Lucy is quite pitiful…”

……eh?

“That’s right, Princess-sama is being targeted by such a terrifying Demon Beast.”

“Perhaps it was afraid of Yurushia-sama’s power… Such a Demonic aura must have wanted Yurushia-sama as a [Sacrifice].”

Springing off Noel’s words, the guardian knights and Holy Knights all comforted me.

In short, they seemed to think that what 【He] said was him asking for me to sacrifice myself to him as a Saint, and they thought that I was nervous and afraid.

Their trust in me is so high that my Demon heart feels a little pained.

After everything settled down, and it seems that the battle was over, Vio and the girls were escorted to us by Bear-san and the mercenary company.

“Princess Yuru-sama, are you alright!?”

“I’m terribly sorry! I was unable to serve you when I was needed the most…”