Chapter 25 - Departure
I woke up. From the window, I saw the outside was still dim.
No one has come to call me yet, but it wouldn't hurt to get ready. Yup, let's change my clothes and wait downstairs.
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When I went downstairs, Nost and the other soldiers have gathered and seemed ready to depart.
Did I make them wait?
"Good morning, Fell-san. I was just thinking about calling you." (Nost)
"Good morning. Are we going to depart now?" (Fell)
"Yes. If you're ready, then let's depart right away. There's Fell-san's search magic on our side, but it will be troublesome if the distance between our group and the bandits gets bigger." (Nost)
“Okay, let’s go!” (Fell)
"Yes. Oh, there's another person who will come with us." (Nost)
Who? Another combatan?
"It's me." (Ron)
Ron? Why? Is this some kind of mistake?
“I'm sure neither Fell nor the soldiers have completely trusted the other party. Therefore, it’s better to have someone you both are familiar with." (Ron)
I wonder if I'm not trusted because I'm a demon. I guess it's something unavoidable.
"Don't get me wrong. Even if the other party is human, believing in someone you've just met yesterday is impossible. It has nothing to do with the fact that you're from the demon race. In that respect, I have a relationship of mutual trust with both parties!" (Ron)
I see. That makes a sense. Even I wouldn't blindly trust a demon who I've just met. But why Ron, though?
"Just to be clear, my trust towards you has collapsed because of the matter with cat ears." (Fell)
"Yato-chan is here, so I won't force you to wear them anymore. Please don't worry!" (Ron)
If Yato weren't here, he might keep asking me to wear those accessories every day. It's impossible to build a relationship of mutual trust with him as expected.
"Be careful, Fell-chan." (Dia)
"Be careful not to get hurt." (Nia)
"Fell-sama, I wish you good luck, ~nya." (Yato)
Despite still early in the morning, Dia, Nia, and Yato were present to see me off.
"Such worries are unnecessary. Prepare delicious food and just wait for me. I will be back soon." (Fell)
When I was about to leave, I saw a mop in the corner of room. I suddenly thought of using the mop as a weapon since I've gotten used handling it.
"I will borrow this mop." (Fell)
"You're not going there to clean up, remember?" (Dia)
Huh? What is she saying?
I confirmed the position of the bandits with search magic once more. They were still in the same location as yesterday.
"Fell-san, have you confirmed the current position of the bandits?" (Nost)
"Yes. They're still in the same location as yesterday. Let's go!" (Fell)
I have to pay compensation if this mop breaks. Let's strengthen it while moving.
I secretly infused my magical power into the mop using a magical-power-giving skill.
This is quite difficult. If I put too much or too little magical power, the mop will break apart. I need to infuse a precise and constant amount of magical power into the mop.
Well, compared to creating drinking water with magic, it's relatively easy because it's not an operation of a very small amount of magical power.
Okay, it's finished. The mop will not break easily with this. However, for some reason, it was named Search & Destroy and became a unique item.... Yup. I didn't see anything!
There should be no problem as long as no one finds out. The mop's performance was improved because it gained skill to detect filth and to increase cleaning power. This can still be used a regular mop.
"Fell-san is a demon, right?" (Nost)
Feeling awkward because we have been walking in silence for about an hour, Nost tried to initiate a conversation.
"That's right. You can see my horns." (Fell)
"I can't really say much because I have nothing that can be used as comparison. In addition, I've never met a demon other than Fell-san. The same goes for the miss beastfolk who works at the inn." (Nost)
"Demon race aside, there should be beastfolk race in this world." (Fell)
"That's right. The beastfolk race lives in the Republic of Ugen, in the westernmost part of the continent. You can't find them in the east." (Nost)
The village chief told me that Republic of Ugen is located in the west. In order to go to the eastern side of continent, it's necessary to go through the enemy country and the Boundary Forest. It's only natural that you can't find them in the east.
That's right, since I've come all the way to this world, let’s visit the Republic of Ugen when I had a chance. I'm curious with the cultural differences between the beastfolks who live in this world and the beastfolks who live in the demon world.
"I've also never seen a beastfolk other than Yato-chan." (Ron)
I guess that’s the reason he asked Dia to make those accessories. I wonder if Dia had met beastfolks before, and used them as a reference. I'm kind of tired whenever I’m thinking about it.
Somehow, Nost has been staring at me since a while ago….
"My grandfather taught me that demons are enemies who cannot be talked with...." (Nost)
That's really out of the blue. I don't know how I should respond to it.
"However, here I'm having a proper conversation with Fell-san. I started to wonder if everything I've learned about the demon race was actually wrong." (Nost)
Dunno. Dia also said something along those lines before. The demon king 50 years ago and the current demon king have different policies regarding the human race, that's all I can say. I don't think such answers will satisfy him though. Oh well, let's try to explain it for the time being.
"The demon king 50 years ago and the current demon king have different policies regarding the human race. Therefore, it's only natural to have a different impression of demon race." (Fell)
"Is the demon king different from 50 years ago?" (Nost)
Huh? The demon king from 50 years ago was killed by the hero. Did this news not reach the humans?
Well, of course. This news had not reached them because the hero had never returned to the human world after defeating the demon king.
"50 years ago, the demo king was slain by the hero, and the hero himself also died not long after that. In other words, the demon king from 50 years ago and the current demon king are different people." (Fell)
This seemed to be quite a shocking news for Nost. The similar reaction also came from the other soldiers who listened to our conversation.
"How strange, I've never heard any news about the hero died in the demon world." (Nost)
"The person in question dead, so of course no one brought this news to the human world." (Fell)
"No, that's not what I meant. The hero of the Great War is still alive. He serves as one of the Four Wises of Goddess Religion now." (Nost)
That's impossible. We even made a grave for the hero in the demon world. Even if they're our enemies, we demons respect the strongs.
When I looked at Ron, he nodded at me.
It seems like what Nost said is true....
Oh, whatever. How the humans treat the hero who died in the demon world doesn't matter to me. Maybe there are more than one hero. Come to think of it, that jerk is also a hero.
Ugh. I get irritated every time I remember that jerk. I hope a meteorite falls on her head.
"You don't have to believe everything I said. This is just a story that's being passed down among the demons after all. In addition, how the humans treat the hero who died in the demon world doesn't matter to us." (Fell)
"Is that so...?" (Nost)
"The present is more important than the past. By the way, we will reach our destination soon." (Fell)
Hearing that, Nost started giving instruction to his subordinates
Human is weak as individual but strong as group --- seeing them reminds me of Maou-sama's words. I can fight dozens of human at once without breaking a sweat. However, fighting against one hundred or one thousand humans can be quite tiring. I even can get hurt in the process.
"I heard Fell-san has strong slimes monster. I would like them to help us if possible." (Nost)
"Okay. I don't think they will be able to cooperate with your subordinates though. It's better if they act on their own." (Fell)
"I understand. Let's talk about the details after the scouts return." (Nost)
The scouts returned few minutes later. They told us that they found a cave entrance with two people standing on guard just up ahead. However, the inside of the cave couldn't be confirmed because of the poor visibility.
I've also checked it with search magic, and indeed there's no other entrances nor other guards.
"The bandits won't be able to escape as long as we hold down the entrance. The rest is about how strong their resistance would be." (Nost)
"My slimes will charge into the cave first. You guys take care of the bandits who try to escape through the entrance." (Fell)
"Wouldn't that put the slimes in danger?" (Nost)
"If it's about the bandits who attacked the village, they're no match for my slimes. However, I don't know how strong the other bandits are, so be careful." (Fell)
I should have looked into them more when I had a chance....
Nost nodded after thinking a little.
"I understand. First, please neutralize the guards." (Nost)
I called my slimes from the subspace and ordered them to neutralize the guards. Three little girls (slimes) turned their bodies into liquids and approached the guards from behind without making any sound. After that, they covered the guards' mouths as they knocked them out with a swift movement.
"Fast." (Nost)
"Yeah. They are good at this kind of thing." (Fell)
I've never taught them anything though. I wonder if it's their instinct. What if they become stronger than me someday?