At least a part of what Hazel said is true.

Because the underground isn’t just tunnels, neither is it completely a maze. On one side of the path is a wall reinforced with stones, while the other side has little rooms that look like residences at regular distances from each other. One is even a house with old pans and other simple items, proof that people lived here once.

A few hundred years ago, this was indeed a city.

And it was a large, unknown underground city.

“Although I heard that there are ruins underground, I never thought they would be this large in scale.”

After walking for around an hour, Saralegui seems to sigh with emotion. In contrast to me now, his condition is much better than it was a while ago. He handed the only torch to us, and is walking at a distance from us. It’s amazing how he can walk so steadily without a torch.

Of course, he hasn’t forgotten to walk with his right hand on the wall. If he didn’t do that much, he would be a lot worse off.

Walking in an uninhabited cave or tunnel without touching the wall, is a very dangerous thing to do. If you got lost in the bottomless darkness of the square, you wouldn’t even know which way to walk. For all you know, the next step forward is a ravine, or the side a cliff.

But the underground is a lot warmer than the surface, so we didn’t make much use of the thick jackets we have in place of sleeping bags. Ahead of us, Saralegui looks perfectly fine in his summer clothes.

“Hey—Didn’t I say that it’s really dangerous to walk in front on your own?”

“Relax, Yuuri, I’ll be fine. This is much better than fighting those rotting corpses.”

I think no one likes being attacked by the undead.

Looking at Saralegui’s happily hopping back, I punch Josak’s upper arm once with my fist. Because the exceptional spy has not been himself the entire time, continuously wallowing in regret.

“If that time I hadn’t rushed in, and had pulled the two of you out instead…”

“What are you saying? If you hadn’t followed us in, the two of us would be completely nerve-wrecked by now!”

And even if he wanted to pull us back, there was no time and s.p.a.ce for both Saralegui and I to pa.s.s. If he tried to pull us out by force, chances are high one of us would have gotten stuck. Since I can’t be at ease leaving Sara on his own, then Josak following us is the best decision we could have made.

“But there’s still good news, Gurrier.”

“What—”

“According to Hazel, this underground tunnel seems to head north. So as long as we don’t go off track, we should be going against the path she took to get here. That way we can head for the royal tombs or the facility where Jason and Freddy are kept. However…”

Even as I say that I feel I’m being too optimistic, so I add self-condescendingly,

“We’ll have to see if everything goes so smoothly.”

“It will.”

Here’s to hoping.

And I hope we don’t encounter those terrifying things Hazel was talking about. How terrifying must it be to make the woman that is courage incarnate, Hazel Graves, so scared? Is it the darkness? Or monsters? Or maybe illusions?

How I envy Josak, who couldn’t understand what she was talking about back then.

Once my attention leaves that topic, my mouth unconsciously mentions the name I’m extremely worried for.

“I wonder, is Conrad all right?”

“Since he said it himself he’ll be fine, then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

The spy shakes the hand that isn’t holding the torch, relaxing his shoulder muscles as he replies,

“If he was forcing himself, he would definitely give you a huge smile, y’know. Especially when it comes to you, this att.i.tude of his is even more noticeable.”

“You say he’ll reply with a smile, really?”

“Really.”

Then I should better believe his words, words spoken by the childhood friend who went through thick and thin with him.

“The Young Master is gentle to everyone, so I understand your pain. But don’t be deceived by how we look, we have survived many battles to make it to today, y’know. So we’re really lucky, and we won’t just kick the bucket that easily. Especially Captain, if he were to die in a battle with the enemy, who knows how the next generations will laugh at him, so he would fight even harder. Besides, he’s only up against ten fermenting bodies, to Lord Weller, that’s like the second cup of red tea in the afternoon.”

“Urgh~~”

You mean lemon tea left for a few days. Since Josak, who knows Conrad’s strength better than anyone else, said that, then ten or twenty of those resurrected group should be nothing.

Maybe the fact that a weakling like me is worrying about him is an insult in itself.

Josak raises his head carelessly, and then shrugs his shoulders,

“There’s another trench. Watch your step, we already pa.s.sed two since just now.”

“Mn.”

Up until now, we have indeed pa.s.sed two identical trenches. The wall underneath our fingers sinks in a little there as well, so we can detect them immediately.

Although we call them b.u.mps, they are actually ancient fences. Under the not-so-bright firelight, we can see a stone slab about 50cm thick above us. The heavy stone will fall under a certain condition, sealing up the tunnel. It’s something like a floodgate in modern times.

Since it’s that thick and heavy, it can probably block a rush of water and sand. But right now I can’t feel any hint of underground water at all, and ahead of us is an endless, gentle slope. At this angle, even if there are falling rocks and soil, it won’t become a landslide. If it’s not to stop water or debris, then what kind of threat would need such a large slab of stone to stop.

I shudder once in spite of myself.

“If you’re squashed by that kind of stone, that’s an instant ‘bye-bye’.”

“Probably.”

Saralegui’s happily hopping back ahead of us, is swaying like a ghost in the dead of the night. Although his clothes are pale green, but under the illumination of a single, not very rea.s.suring torch, all we can see is a blur figure of white.

“…Why is he in such good spirits?”

“Maybe it’s because he got rid of the thorn in his side.”

“By the ‘thorn in his side’, you mean… Conrad?”

Gurrier nods three times in succession.

“How could Conrad be the thorn in his side? Doesn’t Sara really like Conrad? Like when we were on the boat, he was even bossing him around… No —I meant, didn’t he keep Conrad by his side at all times?”

“Ah, so you saw that after all?”

“Not only did I see that, I even saw that time when he didn’t care at all what others thought, and used him as a living clothes rack. And I was thinking, maybe it’s because that guy is an only child, that’s why he was so happy to have an older brother, so I was happily watching from the side. You know, that time… We were all so sure that Saralegui was an only child, we had no doubts whatsoever.”

After saying that, I sigh deeply, covering half of my face with my free left hand,

“…Am I too quick to trust others?”

Although there’s no breeze, the flame is dancing. Above me, Josak retorts, “Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

“My brain may be worse than other people’s, Josak. Otherwise why would I make the same mistake over and over again?”

“I asked you, why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

“It’s the same with Sara.”

My right hand is heating up from rubbing against the wall too much. Although the stones and soil are as cold as ice, but the fingers touching the wall feel hot from the friction. It’s a bit like that numbing feeling from holding ice tightly.

“The first time we met was in the bath, right? Weren’t you there too, Gurrier? If only I was a bit more observant, and saw Sara for the type of person he was, we wouldn’t have to be here now! If only I could activate my self-defense instincts, I would have known that whatever that guy says cannot be trusted.”

“You couldn’t have helped it, after all back then you were bathing with the sheep, right? So of course your heart would have been a-flutter, it’s not something you could control.”

He can use his feminine voice to comfort me, only this time I can’t cheer up. It’s all because I keep making the same mistakes, getting myself in trouble over my stubbornness. Not only me, even my most important comrades are in danger because of me.

I really, truly feel that I’m a useless Maou. Vaguely I remember a saying, “people with a foolish king are unfortunate’.

“Even if you say that, Young Master…”

The unfortunate minister representative—His Majesty the Maou"s Spy 0043, points his finger onto the top of my head,

“Up until now, when Your Majesty believes in someone and takes what seems to be rash and selfish action, has it ever ended badly?”

My mind starts listing out everything that has happened since I was first flushed down the toilet into s.h.i.+n Makoku. The capital, Van dar Via, Sverera, Hildyard, Caloria, s.h.i.+maron.

“…I think there should be a lot more. In places I’m not aware of, a lot more things should have happened.”

And then comes Seisakoku.

“I feel as though this is all because everyone protected me, otherwise considering that I didn’t even have time to practice before I was hastily put on the throne, there’s no way my position could be so stable until now.”

“Mmhaheiahaa—”

Josak suddenly makes a strange sound that sounds like a sigh but isn’t a sigh. If it wasn’t for the fact that he has to touch the wall and hold the torch, I think he would have raise his arms and shouted into the sky.

“Gurrier, what’s the matter!?”

“I’m really so useless, eh. That’s why, His Excellency doesn’t want to summon me back to the country, and keeps me as an international employee only good for running errands--!”

What’s wrong, is he not happy with his current job? My hand leaves the wall to grab the spy’s clothes.

“You’re not happy with your current work environment? And I thought you enjoyed it! If so, you should have said so earlier, I’ll tell Gwendal subtly, I’ll definitely use plenty of subtlety.”

“It’s not what you’re thinking, Your Majesty. Actually, me, I’m trying desperately to comfort dejected old you, y’know!”

He points at Saralegui ahead of us with his chin, and even says in a purposely loud voice,

“Setting Captain’s absence aside, there’s really no need for you to worry about that kind of guy.”

He actually dared to call the Shou s.h.i.+maron boy king ‘that kind of guy’, as expected of the unbeatable Gurrier.

“But no matter how I try to comfort you, it’s no use at all! Mmhaheiahaa—Looks like, I really am a useless soldier, huh~ If it was Lord Weller, right now he would brilliantly use one line and his strange smile to solve this, right~~ Ah, is this not strange enough?”

The image of Conrad tying the sack tightly appears in my mind.

“Recently he can be quite mean sometimes, too.”

“Exactly—”

Gurrier frowns, his head c.o.c.ked almost all the way to his shoulders, and then he uses the left hand with the torch to wipe his forehead. It seems to me that his hair is moments away from being burned by the flames.

“That black-hearted man’s words can comfort you, while I, pure white and innocent Gurrier, no matter how I try… Maybe it’s because I’m no good with my words or my smile is too normal, so I can’t get Your Majesty’s spirits up no matter what. What a useless soldier I am, huh.”

“I—told—you—You’re not useless!”

“And besides—”

Josak’s hand leaves the wall, his calloused fingers messing up his orange hair.

“It’s my fault too, that that important Lord Weller isn’t here.”

“Eh, Josak’s fault? Why, did you guys fight?”

“What are you two talking about--? If it’s anything interesting, I want to listen too—”

Saralegui waves at us, all carefree. Why can he continue moving forward even without a torch? So unlike me, scared of the dark.

Josak bends down, pretending to scrutinize my complexion, his eyes staring straight at me. Those eyes, bluer than I expected, reveal a lot of antic.i.p.ation and some regret,

“…I talked that hesitant[1] man.”

I ask back in reflex, “What did you talk to him about?”

“I told him to think carefully on what he really wanted. I said that, and I even told him not to simply approach you until he comes to a conclusion.”

My mind is still stuck on ‘What did you talk to him about?’ Recently, this brain of mine that has started using English a lot often reacts directly to how ‘SVOC’[2] is arranged.

“I asked him, ‘Which side are you choosing?’”

“Aah, you’re talking about Conrad?”

I finally get it.

In other words, he forced Lord Weller to decide between Dai s.h.i.+maron and s.h.i.+n Makoku. Maybe he even told him not to get too close to me until he decided which nationality he wanted, or something like that? Both of them have human and mazoku parents, so maybe it’s easier for them to communicate.

But, even if you force him to say ‘which one of these will you choose as your hometown’, it’s probably not that easy to cut off the ties.

“And at the end he actually sulked. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d, he really did refuse to approach us.”

“No way, he can’t be sulking, can he? I mean, there’s no need for him to sulk over such a small thing, is there?”

He’s already an adult of over a hundred years old, how could he sulk over a small thing like that? I refuse to believe it, but at the same time I imagine Conrad crouching on the ground and drawing circles. Finally I can’t help but laugh out loud.

“That’s why Gurrier ended up being the one with you. So sorry, Young Master.”

“What are you saying, Josak gives me a feeling of security as well, y’know! And the ultimate transformation techniques you use at the critical moments, are always a sight for sore eyes!”

“That’s exactly right, I love Your Majesty the most~~”

I don’t hesitate to punch his back, and he doesn’t hold back when he forcefully rubs my neck. Although it’s nice to see him smile, he sure is using a lot of strength there, I wish he would control it a bit. Although the two of us are exchanging friendly banter at the back, Saralegui doesn’t seem to care in his happy mood, until he turns around suddenly and says with certainty,

“It seems to be something alive there.”

Even though he’s been leading the way since we started the downhill slope, this time he’s looking back. And he’s even looking beyond our shoulders, at something even further behind us.

“Hey… Don’t do this, Sara—If you tell me there’s something on my shoulder, from tonight onwards I won’t dare to go to the toilet on my own.”

“Really—Young Master is being too polite. If you don’t mind, Gurrier can accompany you to the toilet anytime!”

“I don’t want a stalker like you who most likely will peep at me accompanying me to the toilet—”

Saralegui’s completely taken aback by our conversation. Right now, his expression really is very cute.

“Accompany? No, Yuuri, I’m not talking about accompaniment here. I saw something alive behind your shoulders, in other words higher up the slope we just pa.s.sed.”

“You can see so far!?”

And the surroundings are so dark, too. Basically Josak and I are taking turns holding the torch, so Saralegui has basically no light to show the way. Even so, he can detect something alive and moving in the distance.

“Sara, are your eyes really good?”

The person in question smiles gently, like a flowing cloud, and then caresses his long eyelashes with his middle and index fingers,

“Didn’t I say so before, Yuuri? My eyes may be such a bright gold, but they can’t stand heat and light. Especially sunlight.”

I know that. The reason he wore gla.s.ses, isn’t because of his eyesight, but to protect his eyes. Even now, I still occasionally think those thin colored gla.s.ses really do suit him very well.

“That’s why my eyesight is very good in the darkness instead, because there’s nothing blinding me. Even if I suddenly enter total darkness, it’s only a little blur in the beginning, but I can get used to it immediately. No light is actually easier for me.”

“Eh, get used to… Don’t tell me you can see?”

“Yeah, I can? Can’t everyone see after a period of time?”

“Normal people can’t see--!”

“Really?”

His expression of disbelief leaves a normal person like me at a loss.

So that means that the door to his memories is open now, too? Ohh~~ No wonder he turns off the light when everyone is asleep. No, wait, does he sleep because the lights are off? Turns off the lights so he can sleep? I mumble away, saying the interesting things above.

“This counts as a super convenient power, doesn’t it? Although you say you were exiled from the country for not having houryoku, I feel this is a really cool houjutsu.”

At least this is more special than Ajira’s translation houjutsu. I always feel that that’s definitely the product of hard work. Saralegui, who doesn’t understand the pain of those hard-working types, presses a pretty finger to his lips,

“Is that so? Even though there’s a difference in degree, I always thought everyone could see.”

I hate geniuses who can compete with others on talent alone the most. But instead of hate, I should say I envy them.

Underneath the gentle torchlight, Saralegui narrows his eyes and smiles like an angel,

“But still~~ I don’t have any hopes for houjutsu anymore, Yuuri. Even without the power bestowed by the G.o.ds, humans are still unbeatable. Even if I’m not grateful to the G.o.ds, I can still rule a country, and get whatever I want.

I put one hand into my pocket, my right touching the wall, and mutter with a sigh,

“…If I heard that a month ago, I would have been so touched.”

Now that I know what your true colors are like, I won’t find your words cool anymore. Sure, you need power to rule a country, but the reason you can get whatever you want, is actually because of your unscrupulous methods, isn’t it.

“What I’m concerned about is the ‘living thing’ you’re talking about.”

Josak stretches his arm, trying to illuminate as much behind us as he can.

“In this underground with no apparent food source, are there really large living things that the eyes can’t see? Or are those corpses right on our heels?”

“Those inhuman soldiers can’t reach this area, because Mother’s power can’t reach so deep underground.”

“What on earth is your mom trying to do? Why would she send zombies to kill her own son?”

“I don’t know why, either.”

He uses an unbelievably cold tone to say his own mother’s name,

“The Empress Alazon, probably wishes me dead, huh? Or maybe she’s scared I’ll manipulate Yels.h.i.+, and claim Seisakoku as my own.”

“Even so… There’s no need to kill you, is there?”

“That’s what she’s like, extremely obsessed over power.”

“Impressive, just like a puppet.”

Josak says that with a tone of contempt. Perhaps feeling insulted, Saralegui raises his head and looks at the man so much taller than his with a severe gaze.

“Who do you mean by ‘puppet’?”

“You, of course, Shou s.h.i.+maron king.”

“Me?”

Before I can intervene, the two of them have ignited ice cold sparks. His entire face red with anger, Sara deliberately suppresses his emotions,

“Which part of me is like a puppet to you?”

“Mn—Appearance, actions, the way you can’t escape your mother’s grasp… Once you add it up, all of you, I guess.”

“I have escaped Mother’s grasp!”

“Sorry, sorry, then should I say you want to use the underground as your puppet, and be the puppeteer that controls the country?”

“All right, all right.”

I feel as though it’s pitiful for Saralegui to be called a puppet, so I raise my hands and step in between the warring parties. The three of us are really different in body size.

“Please, can you guys not argue in a dangerous situation like this? Our luck on this journey has been bad enough. And don’t you think it’s strange? Gurrier and Sara, your relations.h.i.+p shouldn’t be this bad. Normally, you guys can’t sustain a conversation beyond a few lines, right? So what’s this now? It feels like you’ve disliked each other since a long time ago. Why are you suddenly like this? Could it be that while I was unaware, we sucked in some poisonous gases that will trigger your fighting instinct… What sound is that?”

Just like a television with a finger holding down the volume up b.u.t.ton, the seismic noises and slight tremors are rapidly approaching us, and the sound is getting louder. There’s a sound like tiny claws on the ground, and high-pitched squeaks that tense up every nerve in your body. What looks like a grey wool carpet is sweeping towards our direction.

Tens of thousands of rats are slowly moving down the slope.

“This!? This is the living thing Sara saw!? Goodness, they’re rats! I’m terrified of rats!” “Calm down, Young Master. Pretend to be a rock, quickly pretend to be a rock and wait it out!”

I raise my hands and present a banzai pose, shutting my eyes tightly and leaning on the wall. Pretend to be a rock, pretend to a rock… One, two, mn—I can’t eat anymore. c.r.a.p, this is Bancho Sarayas.h.i.+ki[3].

“If you’re bitten by these things, you’ll either get the plague or end up like the cat-shaped robot, or you’ll get sent to Maihama[4], so it’s one out of three!? Gurrier doesn’t know about the terror Doraemon had to go through[5], that’s why he’s so carefree. Waa—they’re on my legs, they’re on my legs--!”

“What’ll I do with you~~ Since you’re so scared, I’ll lift you up in a princess carry.”

“…Never mind, thanks for the offer.”

I grew up in the sports field next to the river and I’m this scared, so Saralegui who was raised in the palace must be even more terrified. I look beside me, but not only has he turned his face this way calmly, he’s even staring at something higher up the slope. He doesn’t seem to care the slightest about the swarm of rats by his feet either.

Soon after he raises his hand up high, as though challenging an invisible person who isn’t there, and then he reaches out his fair, slender hands, pointing at something that looks to me like an empty spot in the darkness. Even underground, those golden eyes are still sparkling. He looks like an angel declaring the death of a human, or maybe a demon.

Those eyes that can see through the dark, can they see other things as well?