Chapter 54
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It was the morning of the third day since the Demon Kings set out.
Ceres wandered the town of Grimoire to clear her mind. The snowy scenery could be called fantastical, but the almost complete absence of human presence felt lonely.
(......I wonder when this town will be restored. Even if people gather, those who would dare come to a territory directly under the Demon King's control can't be decent folks......)
Ceres was aware that she herself was one of those indecent folks. Even if people like her gathered, she didn't think the town could be properly restored.
(To begin with, can that little girl govern an entire town? She might have combat ability, but she doesn't seem like the leader type.)
Yuurai is strong. She possesses overwhelming magical power, and the magic she wields is both powerful and ferocious. If she got serious, she could probably dominate the world with her strength.
However, that's all there is to it. She doesn't have any special charisma or dignity, nor does she have the skill or wisdom to make others follow her. She also lacks negotiation skills with other territories or countries.
Aside from her martial prowess, she's just a little girl. She looks about fourteen, and her mental age isn't much different from that.
Ceres couldn't imagine that Yuurai becoming the ruler of this town would automatically lead to a good town being built.
(Well, she could gather some capable subordinates for that part...... Though anyone willing to work under a Demon King is probably no good either.)
"Well, I don't really care about this town's future."
As Ceres muttered while exhaling a white breath, the fiend left behind by Yuurai let out a roar.
"......An intruder?"
Whether the town was destroyed or not, Ceres didn't care.
But...... the fiend's roar soon stopped. Or rather, it was cut off.
"Heh, so someone capable of taking that thing down has come?"
That fiend was fairly strong. Not a match for Ceres, but generally speaking, few could defeat it.
Curious about who had come, Ceres ran toward where the fiend had been. Fortunately, she always carried her beloved sword, so she could handle a fight if it came to that.
After running for a few minutes, Ceres arrived.
Standing beside the corpse of the fiend, whose head had been severed, was a young man.
"......What. It's just Ruberto."
First-Rank Adventurer, Ruberto Jatis.
He was twenty-five, wasn't he? Dark green hair, sharp eyes like a hawk. Tall, with a relatively slender build and a refined appearance, but his combat ability rivaled Ceres's.
His weapon was a spear. And he wore deep navy armor.
His personality was calm. Or perhaps, one might even call it cold.
"......Ceres. You're alive."
As fellow First-Rank Adventurers, they knew each other's faces and names.
"Yeah, I'm alive. Haven't been turned into an Undead either. Did someone tell you I died?"
"No. I just heard a rumor that you went to Grimoire and never came back."
"I'm just staying in this town."
"What are you doing here?"
"Watching how things unfold. There's no deeper meaning to it."
At first, after losing to Yuurai, she had wanted a rematch. But as Yuurai grew and gained overwhelming power, the idea of fighting her felt absurd.
She's no longer an opponent one can defeat head-on. Even if Ceres fought her while Yuurai held back and somehow won, such a victory would be meaningless.
Now, Ceres mostly just wanted to watch what Yuurai would do next.
She wouldn't help, but she wouldn't interfere either.
"......So you're not planning to strike down the Demon King when you see an opening?"
"No, I have no such intention."
"Where did your sense of justice go? Didn't you say you'd eradicate all the world's evils with your own hands? Won't you take down the Demon King?"
"She's a Demon King in name only. Inside, she's just a little girl. Not someone I absolutely have to defeat."
"Hoh...... Is that so? Have you changed a bit?"
"What do you mean?"
"......No, never mind."
Ruberto shook his head.
"So, what are you here for, Ruberto? Don't tell me you came to take down the Demon King alone?"
"No. My main purpose is scouting. I received a request from the Adventurer Guild."
"So you came to check what kind of person the Demon King is?"
"Exactly. She's killed tens of thousands of people on two occasions, but there's been no movement since. I came to find out what she's thinking, what she's planning. What to do after that isn't something I can decide on my own."
"I see. Unfortunately, that Demon King isn't here right now. She's gone to Yusef and won't be back for a few days."
"Is that so...... Bad timing, then. Well, that's fine. It's a good opportunity to handle my other task."
"Other task?"
"If possible, I've been told to find the Demon King's weaknesses."
"Hoh. Weaknesses, huh. That's a risky thing to consider. Planning to find a weakness and use it to control her?"
"Seems like it. The Adventurer Guild wants to defeat the Demon King if possible, but if that's not feasible, they want to control her. Ceres, do you know anything about the Demon King's weaknesses?"
"Yeah, I do. Living with her, you see plenty."
"For example?"
Ceres hesitated for a moment about whether to tell him honestly. If she said something disadvantageous to Yuurai, she wasn't sure what that former Holy Knight would do.
But since it was something anyone could figure out without much effort, she decided to answer.
"One of her weaknesses is this town. The Demon King doesn't want this town to be destroyed."
"Oh? Why?"
"She wants to restore this town. That's why it'd be a problem for her if it got destroyed."
"......Is that so? Anything else?"
"Her companions. The former Holy Knight Claire and the Eyeless Tribe girl Lipia are particular favorites. There might be a sense of kinship since they're also Undead. Next is Gilka, the former leader of the Black Phantom Wolves. She works hard for the Demon King. And then there are two Eyeless Tribe girls who are friends with Lipia; the Demon King values them too. On top of that, she probably cares about the Eyeless Tribe as a whole. Also...... she might care a bit about the former Bandits around here. As for Aquell, she turned him into an Undead and kept him alive, but the Demon King doesn't seem to think much of him."
"......A Demon King who values her companions, huh?"
"Yeah, that's right. She's that kind of Demon King. She'll kill tens of thousands if they're unrelated to her, but she hesitates to kill companions or acquaintances."
"If that's true...... taking them hostage might make it possible to control the Demon King."
"Maybe. But I don't think it's a good idea. One wrong move, and she'll retaliate. A lot of people will die again."
Ruberto looked thoughtful.
"......It's better than having no leverage. Oh, right. If the Demon King values her companions, sending one of our people to infiltrate and be recognized as a companion could work too, right?"
"Yeah, that's not a bad idea. But don't send someone who obviously looks like a spy. She'll be on guard. An ordinary girl would be better."
"Hoh...... By the way, is a girl preferable?"
"The Demon King doesn't seem interested in men. Not that she's overly interested in women either, but she's relatively softer on them."
"I see."
Ruberto nodded thoughtfully.
"I'll consider personnel selection later. ......So, right now, are there any people here who could be used as leverage against the Demon King?"
"There are two Eyeless Tribe girls here. Claire, Gilka, and Lipia are out with the Demon King."
"......Then, I'll take those two and see how effective they are as bargaining chips."
"Handle them carefully, alright? If you harm them, there's no telling what the Demon King will do."
"......You're not going to stop me?"
"I'm not the Demon King's companion. I'm just an observer. The Demon King knows that and still lets me stay here."
"I see. It's good we didn't end up fighting each other. Are those two at the lord's castle?"
"Probably."
"Got it. One more thing to ask. If you were to defeat the Demon King, how would you do it?"
"Assassination or ambush. That Demon King is a formidable enemy in a direct fight, but she's not always on guard. She can't fully respond to sudden attacks."
"I see."
"If you're going to do it, end it quickly. There won't be a second chance."
"Understood. Thanks for the information."
Ruberto started walking toward the lord's castle.
Ceres followed behind, intending to see how things would unfold.