CH 71

The day of our trip arrived.

We are about to embark on a new destination.

The king, Luna and Marianne come to see us off.

"Please be very careful."

"If you need anything, just send a message scroll."

"See you soon, Toru-kun! Clean up this whole mess and come back safely!"

I nodded at the words of the 3.

In the end, we were unable to fully enjoy Grayfield.

However, what we gained here was significant.

If I come back in one piece, I'll make sure we all bathe together.

"Toru-Dono."

"What 's wrong?"

Before I could take a step, the King made me stop.

He lowered the tone of his voice and spoke in my ear.

"When you enter the dark realm, you should visit the country of Formelia. The race of demons there should be able to guide you to the Demon King's castle in exchange for money."

"How did you get that information?"

"Between you and me, my country has a secret deal with the demon race. However, now that the demon king has appeared, our communications have been cut off. But I'm sure if you mention my name to them, they will cooperate."

The King carefully handed me an envelope.

It probably contains a letter requesting cooperation.

It seems that Grayfield, which is in conflict with the demons the most, thus having to resort to hidden contracts with them, is a bit wary.

Others may come to think that they are working for the enemy.

I bowed to the King, and we drove away from the city.

We left the capital and crossed the Demon Fortress.

Soon after, we enter the dark realm ruled by the demon race.

"It's very normal, and peaceful."

"You know, I always figured this place was going to be hell, since it has the word 'dark' in its name."

"Kyui"

The trail leading from the fort crosses a meadow, where butterflies can occasionally be seen.

The blue sky hurts my eyes and the warm breeze feels so good.

The Dark Realm - the name is creepy, but in reality, it is simply a generic term for lands that are not controlled by humans.

In this place, demons create their own nations and live the same lives as humans.

"You look different."

"That's right, but you don't look too creepy."

"Control your words, Frau. Master looks handsome in any form."

"Is there something you want to say, Frau-san?"

"Huh"

Thanks to our rings, we have changed our appearance.

I now have horns coming out of my forehead in a normal manner.

Kaede's fox ears and tail are gone, and she now has horns.

As for Frau, no costume was used.

I decided it was unnecessary because I could hide her in my backpack at any time.

In the worst case scenario, there is the camouflage ring originally worn by Mirim, one of the six generals, so I can have her wear it in case of an emergency.

"There are no demon soldiers in sight."

"They must have retired after what happened."

It is true that the demon race is strong.

But their total number is small.

In addition, they have many factions and are not monolithic.

Demons are self-centered, rude and uncoordinated.

Therefore, if they attack in a large group, they will be too easily stimulated.

The reason why we are a small group of people who are going to defeat the demon king is because the demon race has the opportunity to take advantage of it, and the success rate is high.

"Kaede, get out the map."

"Yes."

She handed me the scroll and I activated it.

A semi-transparent window opened on the paper showing a detailed map.

I placed my fingers on top to mark the position we were heading to.

The country of Formelia... Will this be the address?

"Let's go this way."

"Weren't we heading to Formelia?"

"There is a meadow up ahead. If we go in that direction, we will be detected, which would be an advantage to the demon king. It's better to take a detour and move through places where we won't be easily detected."

In addition, it is not certain that Formelia will cooperate with us.

If we are revealed and then betrayed, the journey will become more complicated.

If possible, I would like to save the "King of Grayfield" card for last.

……That is why I started walking in the opposite direction to the planned course.

We made our way through the forest, over small mountains.

Occasionally we crossed paths with some demon races, but they did not feel uncomfortable with us, and our trip passed without any particular problem.

We finally arrived at the city of our destination.

According to the map, the name of the city is "Kogehain".

Details are unknown, but it appears to be a large city.

We entered the city, which was surrounded by high walls.

"It's much more chaotic than the human side."

"Yes, you are quite right."

The city of demons has many things.

In the tents you see, piles of monstrous materials are placed, and countless dried fish of unknown nature are hung. In front of the food stall, men drinking alcohol during the day hung out, and monsters that would have been hunted were placed next to them.

In addition, tiger and lizard-like monsters roam the middle of the city, mounted by their owners.

The standard of living is not so different from the human side, but there was a considerable gap in the atmosphere.

"Oops"

"What 's wrong?"

"We have no money."

Lately, since I didn't have to worry about money, I was completely relaxed.

When I stopped to think, I forgot that we had no money that the demonic race uses.

This means that I cannot buy anything.

It finally hit me when I pulled out my wallet to eat.

What do we do now?

Will I have to sell some items for cash?

I looked down and saw Kaede tugging at my clothes.

"Hey, what's that?"

"Hm?"

Frau discreetly pointed to a large metal cage.

There is a crowd around it.

On the sign was written: "Those who hold out for 30 minutes will receive one million".

Can I really get 1 million?

Let 's see.

I tried to take a look at the cage.

"Heeeeeeeh!"

"Fusher"

"Get me out of here! I'm out!"

A demon man screamed and jumped out of the cage.

Inside was a five-meter long Sword Cat.

Sword Cat: Has a hardened sword-like barbed tail that cuts and kills anyone who approaches it. Its personality is more of a controlled sort, and is often only threatening when attacked.

The Sword Cat is a very strong monster that only lives in the dark realm, I believe.

Heh, I'm lucky to be able to see one in a place like this.

It's coat is light brown and it's appearance is quite beautiful.

"Who else wants to take the challenge? The entry fee can be after you have passed the test."

“!!”

I raised my hand when I heard that payment would not have to be immediate.

The participation fee is 10,000, but it doesn't matter as long as you can get the million.

I need some money now.

I can't continue this trip properly without money.

"Master, I'm not sure that's a good idea..."

"I just want to touch the cat."

"No, you can't! It's too dangerous!"

"But that cat is big and cute, isn't it?"

"Frau thinks the same."

Moments later, I ran away before Kaede said anything else.

I don't care, I'm going in.

I will not pass up the opportunity to win a million.

I'm going into the cage.

"Giii"

"Calm down, I won't do anything to you."

I raised both hands and showed no resistance.

However, Sword Cat moved to the corner of the cage and continued to act intimidating.

Was it unreasonable to expect a demonic creature to have the intelligence of one from the human realm?

I wanted to calm it down without it thinking I wanted to antagonize it.

"You can quit if you want to."

"I haven't even been here a minute."

"It's useless. No one has lasted more than five minutes with my cat."

......Five minutes.

Maybe this guy wants to secure his winning streak.

Shuu

As soon as I approached, I received a blow from the tail of the Sword Cat.

"What the heck?"

The demons outside the cage watching went crazy.

The animal's owner also clings to the cage in surprise.

I stopped the big cat's sword-like tail by holding it between my two fingers.

If you reach level 300, you will be able to do these kinds of tricks.

The cat tries to yank its tail back, but it doesn't manage to free it from my fingers.

I quickly activated [Master Tamer].

The air I emit puts the demonic animal's mind at ease.

I moved even closer and stroked it's neck.

The Sword Cat rolls over and shows it's stomach.

I stroke it some more and it starts to purr.

"Master, let me touch it too!"

"Sure thing."

"Frau also wants to."

"You can't go into the cage!"

I opened the door and Kaede entered the cage.

Frau is small and goes directly inside.

The three of us pet the cat.

He is a very cute kitten.

It 's so fluffy.

"Grab your million and get the hell out of here, quick!"

Oh, is it over?