[part 3]

But in contrast to them, I wasn’t able to regain my sense of equilibrium, and feeling dizzy, I collapsed on a nearby sofa. Could this be the rumored magic sickness....?

Magic sickness refers to a state of motion sickness that happens when people who are not usually accustomed to magic are exposed to strong magical powers, or move using magic.

Milly-sama looked at me anxiously.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“You should use this.”

Farah-sama took a wet cloth that was placed on the tea wagon and put it on my forehead. Huhuhu, I’m sorry for the trouble.

“Thank you.”

“Aria, did Greed send you here?”

The elf Rufaga-sama took a step forward and asked me. As soon as I heard the word “Greed”, I raised my head in a panic. Yes, if not for him, I wouldn’t be dizzy right now.

“Yes! A humanoid demon appeared! Greed-sama....!”

“It finally appeared. For the past few days, the spirits were telling us that there is a demon watching us outside the barrier. Could that be him?”

“Oh, but there are several demons who hat invaded the castle. Even though one of them is a humanoid type, the other one is—”

“It’s a demon that is half-human, half-beast with a bull’s head. It was seen at the castle, causing an uproar.

“Eh, oh, that’s right but....”

“And the demon you met with an appearance of the boy was the perpetrator who broke the barrier, and also the one manipulating behind the scenes. And then Greed sent you here through teleportation, while he was in the middle of a confrontation.”

“Ye..s.”

I nodded, my facial muscles stiffening.

Erm.... I haven’t said anything yet, but why are you saying it as if you have seen it?

However, it was not only Rufaga-sama, but even the priest Renas-sama nodded while looking at something in the air.

“Oh, I see. In order for the demon boy to be able to move freely inside the castle, he released the bull beast as a decoy. In order to attract the attention of the magicians. It can deceive ordinary people, however magicians are sensitive to signs of magical power.”

....Who are you talking to, Renas-sama? Could it be . . . the spirits? Did he hear the details from the spirits?

....Is there nothing I can tell them?

I slumped my shoulders. They why did I have to be sent here?!

But.... No, I know. Greed-sama’s purpose was to make me escape from there.

Rufaga-sama said, stepping away from the sofa where I sat.

“Then I’ll go to Greed. I will leave the beast to Renas and the others. It seems like it’s using a concealling magic, so please be careful.”

“Understood.”

After Renas-sama responded, Rufaga-sama nodded and vanished. Vanish.... There is no other word that could describe it. Because he disappeared in a blink of an eye.

“All right, I will now explain the situation.” Renas-sama told the female thief Milly-sama and the female warrior Farah-sama.

“Two demons invaded the castle. One is a half-human, half-beast. Its purpose is to show up in public and to create a fuss in order to attract the magician’s or our attention. And the other one is a humanoid high-ranking demon. This guy is the mastermind. It looks like he intruded this place with a purpose. And his purpose is . . .”

Renas-sama trailed on his words and cast me a glance for a moment. However, I was not able to notice it as I was re-folding the wet cloth that was laid on my forehead. [T/N: Oh, girl....] But with that gaze, Miliy-sama seemed to understand what Renas-sama wanted to say. Lightly nodding at each other, Renas-sama continued.

“The purpose is . . . unknown. But the dangerous between the two is the high-ranking demon. Greed and Rufaga will deal with it. We will deal with the beast with the bull’s head. This thing uses concealment magic and seems to be good at hiding its presence. Although it has a head of a bull, it surprisingly has a mind of its own. It was first seen near the soldiers’ barracks, and was also seen in the garden. It was lastly seen at the dining hall.”

“In other words, it revealed itself in places where there are a lot of people. Because it is a decoy.”

“Yeah.”

“So in the meantime, it was lastly seen at the dining hall,” Farah-sama said.

“Yes. Since the magicians are all gathered over there, there is a high chance that it will shw itself there again.”

“Speaking of magicians, what will Rufus do? He must have gone to the princess.”

“Ah, the Princess!”

Remembering the Princess when she was mentioned by Milly-sama, I got into a panic mode. Because of that demon who has a boy’s appearance, I completely forgot about the Princess! Even though the Princess is important to me!

“I have to confirm the safety of the Princess!”

Although the Minotaur’s purpose was only to stir trouble, it does not necessarily mean that it will not appear in front of the Princess. I have to stay by her side!

“The Princess is all right. She hasn’t noticed the commotion. Though Rufus noticed and rushed to her side.”

Renas-sama said with a smile as if trying to assure me. But at the next moment, his smile vanished, and said with a serious expression.

“Since Rufus decided to stay with the princess to protect her, Aria should also go to the princess’s room and stay with Rufus. The place is protected by a barrier, so the bull beast will not be able to enter, but still anything could happen. And if anything happens, Rufus will be able to deal with it and protect you and the princess.”

“Y-Yes.”

Urged seriously, I unconsciously nodded but.... I suddenly asked.

“Uhm, they made a hole in the barrier, right? Yet how can you say that the Minotaur will not be able to enter here?”

Once it has entered, it can now appear anywhere inside the castle. Perhaps it is here right now.

But upon hearing my words, Renas-sama only stared blankly at me for a moment then smiled bitterly.

“Oh, right, you weren’t still informed. Actually, the main tower, wherein the Palace and the hall were located, is going to be broken again.”

“What!?”

“It commonly happens in castles. The same also happened to the royal castle of Selphida where I worked in the past.”

Farah-sama supplemented.

“The building where the royal family lives and the government offices are the most important places in the castle. That’s why those had special barriers. In the event that the barrier of the castle is destroyed, the important places will be prevented from the invasion of demons. And inside the castle, it seems that barriers were set up in the main tower and the tow main buildings. The barriers were probably made the the most powerful magicians of this kingdom, and among them, there were some who must have failed. No matter how powerful the demon is, it will have a hard time breaking it. Therefore, it should not have been broken by the likes of a beast.”

“There is a different barrier here....?”

It is my first time hearing this, but Farah-sama’s explanation sounded convincing.

That’s right. In case of an emergency, there is a need to have another level of protection to protect the royalty and other important people if the castle’s barrier will be destroyed!

“....By the way, the macho Demon King who abducted the Princess from her room....”

“Ah, it means that he broke the two barriers by force. Instead of making a hole in the barrier, I guess the barriers were crushed into pieces by using more force than it could withstand. It is a magic that can only be used by the Demon King. But it is not as simple as it is. Aside from the Goddess and the Spirit King, only the Demon King and Greed can perform such magic.”

Wait, just now, Farah-sama said something too scary without hesitation! Seems like Greed-sama and the Demon King are of the same level!

As expected of the strongest Hero. No wonder he is called the walking natural disaster or the ultimate weapon.

“By the way, we will be relieved if you stay here. But we have things to do, that’s why, Aria, stay with Rufus. Please never leave this building.” Milly-sama made sure to remind me. “To see the current situation for a moment, or take just a little glimpse is a no-no.”

“I understand. Since I am not the heroine of the story, I will not do such things.”

Hey, it occurs frequently, right? The pattern wherein the heroine, despite being warned, will be exposed to the danger of a desperate situation as a result of diving into the danger herself.

Although I was advised on what not to do, it felt strange. But I am not the heroine, so why am I reminded about danger and to stay put?

Nevertheless, Renas-sama still looked worried when I left the living room at the end. Does he thing I’m a child? By forbidding me, it makes me think that he is enticing me to do the contrary.... No, I will not do it, okay?

If I were the heroine of the story, I will force my way to follow Renas-sama and the others because I am worried about Greed-sama who was facing the demon, and will forget all the warnings and go see the situation.

—However, I kept my musings to myself, and obediently went to the Princess’s room.

I did not hear or see how the incident ended after this, even from the testimony of the witnesses and the person himself, and the testimony Renas-sama asked from the spirits.

*?*?*

—After sending me to the living room through magic, Greed-sama confronted the demon with a boy’s appearance.

“What is your purpose? What are you trying to find out that you had to resolved to use a decoy?”

Greed-sama interrogated the demon with indifference. But his tone was different from what he used to Aria had just now. His tone was rough and he dropped the honorifics anymore. However, the demon with a boy’s appearance could not understand the difference and only frowned.

“Hey, Hero, the aura you emanate when the woman is here just a while ago is quite different. Aren’t you putting up a facade?”

The demon then paused to think about something, then widened his red eyes.

“....Don’t tell me it’s her? That woman was the hero’s....? Oh, no, it seems I made a mistake. I did not expect that the target was right in front of me and I have let her escape.”

“....As expected, your purpose was her.”

Greed-sama’s eyes narrowed. His tone remained detached as usual, but it held coldness like ice.

However, the demon did not seem to care at all and only smirked. If only its eyes weren’t red, its appearance looked like a cheeky boy. Though the words coming out of its mouth is not like that of a child at all.

“I have let her get away before my eyes and was sent inside the barrier. For something that was built by humans, it was a good one. Well, it’s not as if I won’t be able to break it with my hands, but just as I was thinking that it would take time, I saw her coming. Ah, how unfortunate. Really unfortunate. I could have saved a lot of trouble had I known.”

“As if I will allow it. Espiridion.”

The demon was surprised upon hearing Greed-sama say that as he pulled out the Holy Sword out of its sheath.

“How did you . . . My name.... Ah, that’s right, the hero has an annoying skill called [Analysis], right. Moreover, it is said to have included the names of the demon clan. An incredible hero, they say.”

The demon—Espiridion said and waved his hand to Greed-sama. Soon, several sharp-pointed ice columns appeared in front of him, and attacked Greed-sama all at once. Shooting from the sky, Greed-sama dodged the attack. However, the ice columns changed its trajectory and tried to attack Greed-sama from behind this time.

Greed-sama floated into the sky, lightly somersaulted to avoid the attack, and brandished the Holy Sword in his hand. The next moment, an invisible power released from the Holy Sword broke the ice columns into pieces, and without losing its power, it attacked Espiridion.

“....Ugh.”

Espiridion crossed his arms to shield himself. However, the momentum of the Holy Sword couldn’t be stopped, and he was dragged by a few meters behind from where he was standing.

“No way, this....”

Lowering his hands, it seems that his composure was lost judging from Espiridion’s face. However, Greed-sama descended from the ground, breathing just fine.

“Amazing.... The only one who could defeat the Demon King, huh? Noir-sama told me not to mess with you....”

Espiridion murmured, grimacing. Although it is presumed that they exchanged attacks, just by a single blow, the difference between their abilities was clear in everyone’s eyes.

—By chance, that was also the opinion of those people who were looking at them from the window.

The next moment, the surrounding air vibrated, and a person suddenly appeared.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting, Greed.”

It was the elf Rufaga, who has a silver-white hair and silver-white eyes, and an out-of-place radiant smile.