I was just vaguely aware that she was a being that holds great power.
However, it's true that sometimes, she had that look on her face as if she has it all figured out, or that part where high-ranking demons, such as Ein-san and Sechs-san, have sworn absolute loyalty to her, and how she directly ask a Goddess to bless me. Thinking about these cases, there was indeed some part of me that it really might be so—– but still, I never thought that Kuro was the Underworld King.
I mean, for argument's sake, why is it that one of the pinnacles of the Demon Realm would just be wandering around like that?
[...I'm sorry. You had to act separately just for me..]
[...…..]
Pushing away the skeptical thoughts I still had in my mind, I bow to the woman walking next to me.
The woman with a red hair cut short, wearing easy-to-move trousers, a sleeveless jacket, and a black scarf wrapped around her neck, she silently shook her head at my apology.
Her name is "Sieglinde" and she is someone who serves Lilia-san. She's currently accompanying me as my guide and escort as I went to town to shop.
She is of the elven race that had their distinctive long ears, and coupled with her slender and beautiful appearance, she's a dignified person who seems to fit the terms "beautiful in men's clothing" perfectly.
The image of their blonde hair comes up to my mind when the word "elf" was brought up, but in a world where there are many hybrid races, the elves are said to have a variety of hair colors.
Currently, Lilia-san's mansion is in a horrific state that can already be called a battlefield.
Under the leadership of the zealot who was revived from her absentminded state (Lunamaria-san), they started a crusade to eradicate all speck of dust, while Lilia-san has been giving instructions to various people incessantly, making sure that the preparations to receive the guest are finished in a hurry.
The Albert Duchy is currently in a state of turmoil, as one of the Six Kings, the pinnacle beings of the Demon Realm, is visiting the mansion of a noble, and frankly speaking, Kusunoki-san, Yuzuki-san and I are nothing more than just hindrances.
Of course, the kind Lilia-san would never tell us such a thing, but it's not like we can just sit back and relax while everyone else, including the servants, are busy running, but that doesn't mean that there's anything we can even do to help.
So, we decided to go into town to do some shopping so we wouldn't be in their way, and after consulting it with Lilia-san, and I guess it's to be expected from Lilia-san who tends to worry, she assigned an escort for each of the three of us.
But well, Kusunoki-san, Yuzuki-san and I, who had escaped from the battlefield under the guise of touring around the place, we're moving around together in the beginning. But then, they decided that they want to go shopping for clothes, along with their underwear, and I don't think that the male me should really be going with them for that, so we decided on a meeting place and time and separated for the meantime.
[There are a lot of food-related shops around here, don't you think?]
[......]
Sieglinde-san nods in affirmation to the words I muttered while looking at the surrounding shops.
By the way, the reason why Sieglinde-san hasn't spoken since earlier isn't that she doesn't like me. It isn't that she doesn't want to speak, it's apparently because she can't speak.
It seems that back when she used to be a member of the Knights Order, but her throat was severely injured in a battle with a monster, taking away her ability to speak. I was told that there was still a large scar under the black scarf on her neck.
I feel like her inability to speak makes her unsuitable as a guide and escort, but Sieglinde-san's ability seems to be the best among Lilia-san's private army, and since she's a former member of the Knight Order, she's used to being an escort.
And what I'm most grateful for is the fact that she doesn't have any repulsive feelings towards the male me. With Lilia-san's warning, my position in the mansion had become stable, but there are still a certain number of people who are giving me strange looks.
Well, my position is, to say the least, like a boy that got enrolled in an all-girls school, so I can't really blame them. Lilia-san also understands that, and it seems that she has been careful in selecting people just like Sieglinde-san was this time.
[There seems to be a lot of shops that sell food around here, don't you think?]
[...…]
[Now that we're here anyway, I'd like to buy some sweets we could eat for snacks, but I wonder if there are any good places to buy them?]
[...…]
[That third store?]
[...…]
[Ah, the shop before that! Thank you very much.]
[...…]
Lilia-san apologized to me beforehand that it might be difficult for someone who can't speak to be a guide, but for me, it's no problem at all.
She's nodding and making gestures in response, so to be honest, it was much easier for me to understand than when I was talking with Shiro-san.
Well, Shiro-san has her perks and she's fun to talk to once you get the hang of it, but the difficulty of reaching that is high.
In comparison though, Sieglinde-san's emotions are easy to read from her facial expressions and gestures, so she's easy to communicate with.
[There sure are a lot in here. Do you have any recommendations, Sieglinde-san?]
[...]
[This jam? There are various types in here, but are they local products from around here?]
[...]
[I see. There are also some jams with colors I've never seen before. It would be nice to buy them with scones or something like that.]
[...]
[Unnn? Ah, jam cookies huh! These certainly look good.]
[...]
Sieglinde-san led me to a confectionery to find some food that could be eaten as snacks. It's great that I have a fantastic item like my item box, so I don't have to think about expiration dates.
Come to think of it, Kuro once brought me baby castellas with jam in it. The jam was so good, and I think these jam cookies would go along with the tea Shiro-san gave me.
Kuro had also mentioned that she likes sweets, so I'll also buy a little extra for our next meal together.
As I was asking Sieglinde questions, I was picking out some jam cookies to buy but I suddenly remembered Kuro's words.
" "
Come to think of it, Kuro said she said something she needs to do today, but I wonder what she's doing? Well, she may be busy as the Underworld King, but from what I've seen so far, I had the image that she would probably be doing whatever she wants somewhere...
Dear Mom, Dad—— Since the visit of the Underworld King is a matter of great importance, Lilia-san and the others are in a great hurry, but I, the person related to why this occurred—— was sightseeing for some reason.
A demon holding a high-ranking—– these rankings are the proof of the level of power judged regarding these beings. In the Demon Realm's society, where having a high level of ability is directly connected to the position they hold, it's a great asset to have such a title.
And one of such high-ranking demons, a demon that holds the title of a Viscount-rank, is now—– in despair.
His subordinate demons that existed in full view until just a few moments ago have fallen to the ground like corpses, and as if the wind itself has stopped blowing, the sounds in the surroundings disappeared.
It all happened in an instant. The castle decorated with glittering ornaments, the numerous treasures that he had stored away, and the influence and majesty he had as a high-ranking demon—— all of them disappeared in about a blink of an eye.
How could this happen? This question that's floating around in his mind, but wasn't able to leave his trembling mouth.
It's not that his ability to speak disappeared. But along with the shaking of his body from fear, his effort to keep a tight grip on his remaining consciousness from the despair, and from the fact that he mustn't look away—– It wasn't allowed.
That's because the person who has complete control in that room hasn't allowed it...
[...I should have guessed that it was you who did this from the start.]
A bell-like voice echoes in that quiet room. Before the gaze of the despairing demon were golden eyes shimmering in the darkness.
[The Recognition Inhibition Magic casted on Kaito-kun. From the feeling of magic power, I had already thought that a demon was probably involved in it, but I still wasn't quite clear who exactly it is.]
The motive for this was just a trivial desire.
It wasn't that the demon wanted to stand at the top of the Demon Realm or anything of that magnitude.
It's just that he wanted to reach a slightly higher position than he had right now. He wanted to gain greater wealth and authority than he had right now. To achieve this, he sought after the technology that doesn't exist in this world... However, just because of this small ambition this demon held, he brought destruction upon himself.
[A high-ranking demon from the Demon Realm messes with the Human Realm... and the people who came from another world. This is a pretty troublesome problem, isn't it? That's why I wanted to get this solved as soon as possible... But thanks to Kaito-kun, it was good that I was able to find this problem sooner.]
In the Demon Realm, there are beings that can't be opposed, even by the high-rank demons who hold high positions. They were such beings that opposing them is a direct way towards your destruction... They were beings holding power that were overwhelmingly incomparable to others...
[She usually doesn't cooperate with me in regards to things like this, but I guess it's because she was interested in Kaito-kun. The fact that she's very cooperative in helping us regarding this matter... was quite a bad luck for you. As long as Shiro's "eyes" search for you, there's no room for you to try to deceive us.]
Step by step, the golden eyes come closer, clad in magic power that seems to swallow up the space.
As if to give the demon, who can't escape, time to regret his actions, the Underworld King slowly walked and stood before the demon.
[...Now then, what do we do if we do something bad?]
[...Ahh... uwaahh... M- My...]
[Unnn?]
[...Please accept... my apologies...]
The presence of death is too dense around him. He feels fear to the extent that even the word "despair" is quite lukewarm.
After going against the will of the apex being of the Demon Realm, this demon doesn't hold any freedom anymore, even the freedom to die. Imagining the punishment that he would receive that even granting him death is an act of kindness, the demon squeezes out an apology and put his head on the ground.
[Unnn. Well then, I'll let you off the hook this time.]
[...Yes... Eh?]
After taking those words into his mind—- the demon sounded dumbfounded as he looked up at her.
To put it bluntly, he didn't immediately understand the meaning of those words. Because this demon had gone against one of the Six King's will, because of a petty desire, he isolated one of the otherworlders by casting Recognition Inhibition Magic, and planning to brainwash him after that and use him as a pawn.
So to speak, it's an act that would have breached the friendly relationship between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm, and he hadn't thought that there was any way that such an act would be forgiven...
[In this case, I just happened to be the one walking by, and you only casted a Recognition Inhibition Magic and it ended with that, and it didn't cause any real harm.]
[...Y- Yes.]
Yes, in a way, you could say that this demon was both lucky and unlucky.
It was unlucky of him that when he violated the forbidden out of desire, one of the Six Kings had found out about it... but the fact that the one who dealt with him was the most benevolent among the Six Kings, the Underworld King, and even though he tried to manipulate the otherworlder to gain their knowledge, but it was still a blessing in disguise that the plan ultimately ended as just an attempt.
However, when she had said "this time"...
" "
[You shouldn't bother others or do anything bad, alright? There will be no "next time"...]
[Hiihhh!?]
Yes, she was able to forgive him this time. However, there will be no next time... If you're a demon, even a baby can understand the meaning of being told these words directly by one of the Six Kings.
From now on, this demon will spend countless years carrying the fear that one of the Six Kings had her eyes on him, while making sure that he must live honestly and righteously. For even the smallest of misdeeds will not be forgiven the next time.
In a way, this may be the punishment given to this demon. For the demon, which has an incomparably long life span compared to humans, the day when they will be freed from the fear in his heart is too far away...
[Now then, with that out of the way... You have collaborated with some of the human nobles, didn't you?]
[ ! ? ]
[Of course.... You will tell me about them, won't you?]
[...Y- Yes. As you wish, I will tell you about all of them...]
Not having any will to disobey anymore, the paleness on the demon's face remained as he spat out all the information he had.