Chapter 90
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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 90 – Special Souvenir and Words of the Demon King
“Then I’ll leave you here.”
After two more cups of tea, Ain was led to the tent.
As expected, there was no spring weather at night, and the temperature was so cold that he was freezing.
“It would be best if you didn’t go near the Demon King’s castle just yet. You can visit here when you’re stable.”
“And Marco-san’s mansion?”
“…Yes. So I think you should conduct your investigation in an area other than the area around the Demon King’s castle.”
“No, wait. That’s a problem. We really need to get a clue about ‘that’…”
It doesn’t make sense.
This meant they could not investigate the area around the Demon King’s castle, where important clues might still exist.
“Excuse me, sir. Did you… come to this area just to investigate those beasts?”
“Y-yes, we did, but… What about it?”
“Umu. Information is also something that can’t be conveyed in any way…”
Marco crossed his arms and looked like he was thinking.
It felt like they’ve gotten to know each other a lot better in the last few hours.
The abductor and the abductee. The two were getting along strangely.
“If all you want is a lead on them, go south.”
“S-south? Are you serious? South is the exact opposite of the continent…”
“I see. You really don’t seem to know anything. Then let me show you.”
Then Marco turned and looked south.
As he looked south, he caught a glimpse of the Demon King’s castle.
“After the Great War. They went south and sailed from the human harbor there. So if you want to follow their destination and clues, it would be best to go south.”
“…I-is that true?”
Thinking back to the Euro case.
The red foxes were treated as guardian deities on that continent.
He could not help but wonder why he had seen that figure over there, but Marco’s words made it clear.
“I don’t know what they were thinking. But they had even secretly prepared a ship. ——They always think that far ahead. That’s why those people really are a wonderful race.”
“Wonderful…?”
“Yes, that’s right. They watched over Her Majesty and supported Her Majesty with their superior intelligence. That’s why I love them- love… love…”
Out of the unrelated conversation, Marco suddenly dropped to his knees on the ground.
Then, he drew his sword and plunged it into his armor.
“Nngghhh!”
He did not stop with one thrust but repeated it twice, three times… and finally more than ten times.
“Hah… hah… Did you see it…?”
“Yes, I saw it. Is this what you call influence?”
Panting, Marco turned to Ain.
It was surprising that a one-word curse could still have this effect.
“It’s pathetic. Even if hundreds of years pa.s.s, that woman’s curse will not disappear. So I’m sorry… if we can end this conversation here.”
“Sorry. I understand what you said; that’s enough… thank you.”
The curse that caused the Demon King to go on the rampage.
The effect was that it had the same effect on those who were under the Demon King’s influence.
This affected Marco, who was also an important figure, without exception, and continued to affect him to this day.
“It is dangerous in this land where the curse remains, but it should not remain in other places, so don’t worry.”
“Yes, I understand. Then I will go to the southern port next time.”
Surprisingly, an important destination was nearby.
There were many plans to investigate the territory of the former demon king, but the fact that he could easily get new clues was somewhat disconcerting.
“Can I ask you one last thing?”
“…Anything.”
Marco bows his head like a butler and waits for the next words.
“I believe there have been a number of investigations over the years. How is it that you haven’t hurt any of these people?”
From Marco’s point of view, it’s not surprising that they felt like thieves.
It was the Ishtalika investigation team that came in with their feet on the ground and did various things as an investigation.
Is it okay? There’s no doubt in his mind that everyone would answer ‘no.’
“…Since it was ordered by Her Majesty to the point of making her mouth sour.”
“The Demon King’s order…?”
“Indeed. Rather than an order, it was a promise, a single promise that must be kept by the people of this place.”
With that, Marco thought back to the past.
Somehow, the atmosphere was soft and gentle, like that of an old man.
“Um, do you mind if I ask you about it?”
“Yes, of course. Let me tell you the story. The promise was——”
Ain heard a very sweet “promise” from Marco. It was a wish that was so uncharacteristic of the Demon King that it brought a smile to his face.
After hearing the Demon King’s words, Ain and Marco parted ways. As they parted, he said, “This is the old me. Please use it.” …He was told something incomprehensible and came back with a souvenir.
＊＊＊
——It was slowly getting bright here, and soon the sun would rise.
Ain walked alone to his tent.
His mood was mixed, and his shock at having learned so much in such a short time was obvious.
The former territory of the Demon King lay in ruins.
This atmosphere seemed to be a reflection of Ain’s state of mind.
“Raise your level, and then come back! That is, in other words.”
Even though I was happy that you came here, you can’t do it yet because it’s too much for you, you know? And that’s what Marco said, refusing him.
The words were different, but the meaning would be similar.
“That’s right. This is where the enemy leader used to be, so I knew it wouldn’t be that easy, yes.”
The real enemy was the red foxes, but for the sake of convenience, he’ll treat them like that.
Good heavens, that’s all he could say, but he didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of the Demon King. That was something he wanted to avoid.
“I also received a souvenir that I don’t really understand, so… let’s report it.”
He was suddenly abducted and given information and a souvenir!
If he told them this honestly, Lloyd and Dill would probably be more than a little panicked.
In fact, they would probably be scratching their heads that this had happened without them even noticing.
By the way, the souvenir was in a wooden box, so its contents were unknown.
“…Hah. Well, let’s sleep in the tent for now.”
It was his bad habit to put off inconvenient things until later.
He was aware of it, but improving it was difficult for him.
But this time, he knew it was not his fault, so he was relieved in that respect.
“No, wait, wait, wait. Is it my fault for using an illusory hand? Huh, it’s starting to look like I’m to blame as well.”
And so Ain wondered what kind of excuse he should make… With this thought in his mind, he walked on, alone and lonely.
He sighed and returned to his tent, unable to come up with a suitable excuse.
How would he explain this to Lloyd, Dill, and the others? What would he tell them? ——There were so many things to think about, but then he realized that he didn’t need to think about them.
“Welcome back, Ain-sama. So… where have you been?”
“…Hey, Dill. Good morning.”
“Yes, good morning. So, Ain-sama, where have you been?”
Hmm… That’s impressive.
The long eyelashes and the well-defined features. His skin was flawless, but his face was still masculine.
That was this man, Dill.
Just as a beautiful woman felt powerful when she was strong, a similar atmosphere could be felt in Dill.
“Let’s see… I was invited to the residence of the second-in-command of the Royal Guard of the Demon King’s Army…”
Dill’s anger was so great that he shouted at Ain for the first time.
＊＊＊
“Dill. You know you were careless, too, right?”
“Yes.”
As the sun began to rise, Lloyd came to Ain’s tent.
So that Ain could explain what had happened to him, he asked to call Dill.
“All I can say is that I was careless as well. I am so sorry, Ain-sama.”
“N-no, no, no! It was my fault in the first place, right? So you don’t need to apologize like that…”
Why was he taken away?
Ain told them, and when he heard the reason, Lloyd and Dill’s behavior changed.
When they thought about it, they might actually have understood. They deeply regretted that such a reason was the cause.
“But in a few minutes, I was going to look for you, even if it was in the Demon King’s castle. So I’m glad you came back…”
Despite the circ.u.mstances, Dill was deeply relieved that Ain had returned safely.
He was no longer waiting in Ain’s tent, well equipped with armor, weapons, and everything else.
It was clear that he was truly at the edge of his limits.
“We’ll talk more about responsibilities later. For now, let’s talk about the information Ain-sama received and the… souvenir? I guess.”
On the bed was a wooden box, about 30 centimeters long and wide and about 30 centimeters high.
Inside the box was the “souvenir” that Marco had given him.
“Father. I don’t think he would go to the trouble of harming Ain-sama… but shouldn’t we check it out?”
“I think you’re right… By the way, Ain-sama, what did Marco say when he gave it to you?”
“‘It’s the old me,’ he said. I don’t know what that means.”
He was here, wasn’t he? What did he mean by the old him?
He left the words that Ain couldn’t help but wonder, and he walked away.
In other words, he had no idea what was in there.
“I see. I know what’s inside, Ain-sama.”
“…Eh?”
“Father? Is that true?”
Ain and Dill looked surprised.
It was a wonder how he could tell from those words, but Lloyd had a firm confidence.
“He is a living armor, after all. It’s probably the head… But just to be sure, may I open it?”
“Uh, yes. I’m not sure, but please do.”
Then Lloyd put his hand on the lid of the wooden box.
It was sealed a bit tightly, but that had almost no effect on Lloyd’s arm strength.
It seemed to open easily.
“…The old me, he says… Does that mean himself…!”
“It seems that my prediction has come true. Umu… it’s a magnificent piece of armor. Ain-sama.”
Marco said the words “the old me.” That’s literally what it was.
Inside the box was a helmet that looked exactly like the Marco he had just met… it was his head.
“Father! That means…”
“Dill, Look closely. This is the first time I’ve seen it with my own eyes, but this is the head of the living armor.”
Like Marco’s, it has vein-like stripes. However, there was no color in it, and it looked like it was dead. But since it was not alive, it was not wrong to say that it was dead.
“The living armor undergoes a kind of molting only once in its life, and then the armor disappears. And while the armor disappears, the helmet remains. I never thought that I would come across such a rare item in my lifetime…”
“Even if he gave me something like this as a souvenir, I wouldn’t be able to repay him in any way… Is it really that great, Lloyd-san?”
“You can make a weapon out of it. If that happens, it will be a national treasure of the highest order.”
——…Wouldn’t that be too much? Ain couldn’t understand why he was doing so much for him.
He can’t help but feel that he’s not being treated with chivalry but with some other kind of emotion.
“I don’t know why. I think he felt it when he saw Ain-sama’s weapon. He wants you to make a special weapon with it.”
“Ain-sama… Do you have any idea why he would do so much for you?”
He must have felt as strange as Ain. Dill looked doubtful and asked Ain.
“I have no recollection at all. He said it was only natural for him to serve the royal family. How could you say that, but I think it’s just chivalry…”
‘Serving the royal family of Ishtalika is a natural thing for a knight.’
Marco, a living armor, said that. But it’s not just about chivalry anymore.
“Monsters follow those who are strong. Therefore, we, the Ishtalika who defeated the Demon King, can be a respectable existence for these knight monsters.”
Lloyd made his prediction. It seemed to make sense somehow, and Ain nodded softly when he heard the prediction.
“When you put it that way, I began to feel that way.”
“Yes, I suppose so… There are monsters like Marco-dono, is that what you mean?”
“You can’t underestimate the intelligence of monsters either. So, Ain-sama, there are not only monsters with courtesy but also those with new values. That’s all I can predict right now.”
“Yes… that may be so.”
No matter how much one thought about it, no answer came to mind. Meanwhile, Lloyd’s prediction seemed like a ray of sunshine.
There were some parts that were not completely convincing, but it would be wise to accept it at this point.
“Hah. There are so many things going on here.”
The gates of the castle suddenly opened, and the spring weather enveloped the area… and today, it’s a living armor named Marco, who was an important figure in the Demon King’s army.
The souvenir story to Krone would have acc.u.mulated a lot.
“The rest of the information Ain-sama got was about the southern port…? That would probably be Magna.”
“That’s right, Lloyd-san. I think it’s Magna as well. Speaking of the southern part of the continent, Magna is the most likely location.”
The southern side of the continent. There was no port there other than Magna.
There were other small ports that existed for a long time, but Magna was also a historical place, even if it didn’t have a specific name.
When Ain thought about exploring Magna in advance… Dill asked him about something that was bothering him.
“…By the way, Ain-sama. Can I ask you something?”
“Hmm? What is it, Dill?”
“Excuse me. I would like to ask you one more question… It is about the reason why he did not attack the Ishtalika investigation team that Ain-sama asked him.”
“Oh, you mean that?”
The reason why Marco didn’t attack the investigation team and just kept a watchful eye on them. He could not help but be curious about it.
In Ain’s case, he might have been overlooked because of his status as an Ishtalika royal. That was to be expected, but for a mere investigation team, it was another story.
“I’m curious too, Ain-sama.”
“Very well. I will tell you what the demon king ordered the people here to do… a sweet promise.”
The Demon King Arche, who was out of control. Lloyd and Dill swallowed with bated breath at the historical discovery of what orders she had given.
“It’s like she’s saying, ‘You all have to get along,’ until her mouth turns sour.”
They kept a straight face for a moment but quickly turned to Ain for an amused response.
“…Pfft, kukuku… A-Ain-sama. Is that sincerity? Hahaha! So he’s been loyal to this all these years, that living armor called Marco!”
“What magnificent loyalty…”
Their reactions were contradictory.
Lloyd laughed at Marco’s sincerity while Dill nodded deeply.
“Ku… kukuku… then, Ain-sama. This knight Marco is ‘the same’ as us, isn’t he?”
“The same? As what?”
Lloyd’s smile gradually fades, but he still smiles.
“The first king’s words are ‘forbidden to invade.’ That’s what Marco and us are following. Don’t you think we are quite similar?”
“I see. So that means we’re also following the Demon King’s word… If it comes down to it, we’ll be accepted into the Demon King’s territory.”
“A-Ain-sama, that’s…”
Dill has finally reached his limit.
Ain’s words. .h.i.t the nail on the head, and he had to shut his mouth.
“It means we are similar. ——I will have to ask for a good blacksmith when we return to Baltic.”
Marco and himself were very similar. Although they had such an interesting conversation, they also received important information that the Red Foxes had gone out to sea from Magna.
Ain would have to make a new plan from now on, but first, he wanted to talk about this souvenir.
He would use it to make a sword for himself.
Ain’s mind began to wonder what to do with this material.