CH 199

We came to a stone statue so large that we all raised our heads to see how far the limit of such a sculpture reached.

The appearance was of a lively looking girl with a crown on her head pointed outward.

She was the Lord of this land, and the former Demon King, Bertin, the goddess of the night.

She is one of the sovereigns of this continent, with numerous legends and anecdotes. Her influence is so great that the neighboring countries strengthen their defenses with the slightest movement she makes.

—I was expecting a much scarier look from this Demon King, but she really is very cute.

—Frau, she really is, just look at the size of those breasts.

Frau begins to playfully touch the statue’s breasts.

Said statue is adorned with many flowers under her feet, which shows that she is very loved by the people.

This is the first time she came to a place where a Demon King is loved by its inhabitants… Well, I guess there are all kinds of people in this world.

—She is the same type of person as His Majesty the King. She seems to be doing as she pleases while leaving the government to someone capable.

Takigi explains while eating an ice cream. According to her, the country where they live is also ruled by a former demon king.

—I hear that Bertina is also sick. She has been locked up in her room for the past few years, without coming out even once.

Nambala, with a bag of cakes in her hand, replied. From time to time, she reaches into the bag with a crunch and puts the baked dough into her mouth.

They both seemed to be really enjoying this little sightseeing around the city.

For my part, I had a hot drink in one hand, and a toothpick with meat on it in the other.

This city is the capital of dissipation. Everything you see intrigues you and makes you want to crave it. If you don’t have great willpower, you could end up buying every single thing you see.

We proceeded to sit on a bench and take a break.

—I like this city. Thank you for bringing me here.

—It’s a relief for us to hear that. You’re looking for other people besides the deputy commander, though, right?

—That’s right. We used this scroll to try to….

When we opened the scroll, there was a response from the guide needle, it seems that someone was close to us.

Or will it be the same person who ran away from us last time? Or it could be Soara and Pione, who we haven’t found yet… Either way, I’ll do my best to get them back home.

For the time being, we decided to follow the needle and start walking.

—We are close.

The spire pointed to a person wearing large armor and surrounded by four knights.

Both residents and soldiers greet him politely. He must be a high-ranking military officer. His appearance also gives that impression.

It’s hard to imagine that that is one of the girls.

—We are here!

Kaede shouted loudly.

—Hmm?

—If you want to make a request, follow the formal procedure. The general is busy now.

—I’m Kaede from the Manyu Brigade, and I’ve come for this person.

—Don’t you dare speak to her without permission. Do you want us to arrest you for blasphemy?

One of the knights stepped in front of Kaede, blocking her advance towards the person in the center of the four.

However, the latter stopped and stared at us.

—Stop. I know them.

—Forgive my boldness.

With a single word, the gentlemen stepped back in silence.

—You, follow me.

And so, the five of us followed the general to a house.

**************

—Kaede-san!

—Pione-san?!

Pione takes off her helmet and jumps toward Kaede. Then she stares at me with wet eyes.

—I knew you would come for me. I’m so happy. I know it hasn’t been that long, but it seems like years.

—It’s a relief to see you safe and sound. By the way, are you here alone?

—No. Soarer is with me. But maybe you shouldn’t see her now.

After releasing Kaede, Pione had her maid take off her armor and put on a lighter outfit.

This place seems to be Pione’s mansion.

—Umm, who are you two? This is the first time I’ve seen you two.

—I am Nambala of the Second Manyu Brigade.

—I am Takigi, I am also a member of the Second Manyu Brigade.

—The Second Manyu Brigade… Both Soarer and I were aware of this, we had planned to make contact with them at some point.

Pione sat down on the couch with a serious expression on her face.

—Let me introduce myself. I am General Pione, I am in charge of the Sixth Army. It’s a newly created army with very few personnel, but I think I’m doing reasonably well.

Being a general is hell and hard work that someone has to undergo. How can I reach that level in such a short time?

As if he had guessed what I was thinking, Pione continued speaking.

—It’s all Soarer’s doing. She put me in a position that suited her and forced me to do all sorts of irrational things every day. The only reason I’m still alive is because I had hoped that Toru would come for me. Otherwise, I would have despaired.

Pione’s eyes became moist again, and she averted her gaze.

—I’m sorry. I’ve been very busy lately and I’m emotionally unstable.

—Don’t worry, I’ll make you feel better in no time!

—Thank you, Kaede-san. I’m so happy that I can’t help but cry.

Thanks to Kaede’s magic, Pione manages to calm down a little while smiling.

—After escaping from prison, we went through the great forest and on our way out, we made a great fortune in Yellowhawks.

Pione places her teacup on the table and smiles.

—Those were good times.

After those words, her expression changed completely, becoming expressionless.

—Soarer said she wanted to be a missionary in the capital. Then we left our mansion and moved here, that’s when she started doing priestess work day after day. Her actions and her words reached all the people in the city, to the point that the queen was also on her side. At present, she is the second queen, and more than half of the inhabitants of this country are believers.

That really is something incredible. For many years I have believed that Soarer was a dangerous woman. A monster disguised as a priestess.

—After she rose to an important position in the country, she had the power to obtain any information. And that’s how we learned about the existence of the Second Manyu Brigade, and about the title Toru got in Big Gear. We had planned to start a search, but now it won’t be necessary.

—So, what do you want to do? We can use the magic teleportation circle that’s in Kaede’s hometown, and then you can return home right away.

—So, there is a way to go…

She said as he scratched her cheek with her finger…

—Can I wait a little longer? You see, I’m a general right now, and I can’t give up so easily. Especially now that I have to deal with a monster?

—Monster?

—Yes… Well, I don’t know if the right term would be monster, since…

Footsteps echo in the quiet hallway, and a gentleman abruptly enters the room.

—Forgive me for interrupting. But the monster has just broken through the outer wall and entered the city. We have managed to stop it with our troops, but it is inevitable that we will suffer a heavy blow if things continue as they are.

—All right, I’ll join you right now, hold on until then.

After those words, the knight nodded and ran out of the room.

—Toru, since you are here?

—You don’t need to ask, we are ready to help.

—Thank you… I’m counting on you.

***************

Black smoke rose in the west of the city. Occasional explosions occurred and loud monstrous roars shook the air.

It seemed that most of the inhabitants had already been evacuated, and soldiers with guns lined the deserted streets.

—Give me a report on the situation.

—It looks like the SS rank adventurers lured that thing here.

—This is no time to look for responsibility. We have to get rid of that monster, and we can’t allow them to endanger Bertina-sama.

—General! All the adventurers have been defeated! The enemy is approaching at high speed!

The thunderous roar enveloped the entire air, and the monster was approaching our area while destroying buildings in its path.

Huge amounts of magic shot out from all directions. But the damage it inflicted was so minimal that it continued on its path without a care in the world.

—Remove all the soldiers, we’ll take care of him.

—Okay, proceed to evacuate all units!

Kaede, Frau and I readied our weapons while Takigi and Namaba watched us from the roof of a nearby building. They were very curious to see what our skills were like.

But they had also enlisted their weapons and were ready to help in case we needed it.

The monster landed in front of us, and roared as loud as it could.

—What the hell is that thing?

The monster was a jet-black snake, and a man hung upside down on the edge of its mouth.

—That… That’s no ordinary monster…

The snake shakes its face and swallows the man.

—No way…

—Master, that monster must be put down, this is unforgivable.

Neither Kaede nor Frau can hide their amazement at the way people are gobbled up in front of them.

—Guaaaargggh…. To…ru…

—Wait, is that monster calling the Lord?

To our amazement, we stopped and watched the snake act strangely. From its head began to grow half the upper part of a human body. Eyes form on its head and it stares at me.

—Guaaagh gaaaghh….

The human was babbling things, it was as if he was having trouble speaking.

But that was not the most shocking thing, but the person he was… Sain, my ex-best friend.