Chapter 53: Tension (Part 2)

I muttered, looking at the pool of blood where not even an arm remained.

We needed the corpse for investigation.

However, Leticia said that the curse on the heart wasn’t simply a curse that stopped the heart, but a structure that

automatically stopped the heart and caused the body to explode when forbidden words were spoken, so the result

would have been the same whether she killed him or not.

It’s a shame, but if that’s the case, it couldn’t be helped.

Magic isn’t my specialty, and Leticia’s goal was capture, not truth, so I thought she would be disappointed in her own

way, so I didn’t say anything.

Disappointment is disappointment.

It’s nothing more or less than that.

I walked out of the dungeon exit and said nonchalantly.

“At least we didn’t get nothing. We have an idea of which demon the guy who called himself ‘master’ is, right?”

“If it’s a demon worthy of being called ‘master’, there’s Ryuryeon, and above all, it’s certain that it’s a demon related

to that problematic organization.”

“We can infer that much even without evidence… Do you remember what the guy shouted before he died?”

“…What did he say? He said we don’t know anything and that it’s just the beginning…?”

“Yes.”

I nodded and recalled in my mind the words that the guy shouted in a rage at the moment of his death.

You don’t know. This…is just the beginning……No matter how much you try to stop it, the determination of those

who want war is beyond what you know…!

It would be beyond.

That’s what the following words would have been.

The determination of those who want war would be those who are dissatisfied with the current peace agreement

between demons and humans, and if so, it was natural to think of the organization Ryuryeon belonged to.

Because that organization was the only one currently causing trouble on the surface, not only in the Empire but also

in the Demon Realm.

Then, as if I had just remembered, I clapped my hands lightly and said.

“Ah. I should have asked for the name of the organization.”

“…Come to think of it, I should have asked for the name of the organization, not his name.”

“Well… Even if we didn’t ask, Leo or others might have found out the name of the organization, so let’s skip that.”

Bad guys usually proudly say the name of the organization they belong to, so I thought this guy would too…

Unfortunately, he wasn’t.

It’s not like it’s some secret organization.

No.

Come to think of it, it is a secret organization.

I let out a hollow laugh.

Even the Demon King’s Apostles introduced themselves as some Apostle and a proud subordinate of the Demon King

before attacking.

…Usually, it’s normal not to say it.

Um… Hmm.

Maybe I’m too influenced by shonen manga-style development(Protagonist Growth).

It’s natural for villains in shonen manga to introduce themselves.

Well, this game is like a shonen manga-like royal road development, but it’s also not.

First of all, the game I’m playing is not that kind of shonen manga-like game.

Creak.

When Leticia and I opened the dungeon door and went out, the blue-shining sky greeted us first.

I frowned at the light hitting my eyes.

Srrr.

And as soon as we came out, I looked at the dungeon that was slowly turning into dust as if it had finished its

job, and then I turned my gaze to the system that appeared in front of me.

[You have cleared the main quest.]

[You have cleared the dungeon created by someone unknown. As a reward for the quest, the promised reward will be

given to the player. Thank you for your hard work.]

[Reward: New skill unlocked and clues about the organization Ryuryeon belongs to.]

[The new skill will be added to the skill window, and the clues about the organization have been placed in the

inventory as a document. If you are curious about the contents, please open the inventory and check the document.]

If it feels like the tone has become strangely more polite than before, is it just my imagination?

It might just be my imagination, but it’s the system anyway, so maybe I was being too sensitive.

But the fact that quests appear like in a game in a realistic setting, and that only I can see the name tags of magical

beasts above their heads when entering a dungeon, was not very pleasant, both then and now.

I looked at the system with a sullen expression, and when the window that said the quest was completed

automatically closed, I blinked and turned my gaze to Leticia.

While I was staring blankly at the system, she was holding a crystal ball in her hand and talking to someone.

So I thought I could check the newly acquired skill and clues later, and I was about to take a step closer to Leticia.

I heard a familiar voice from the crystal ball.

-So an unidentified demon attacked you and you eventually killed it?

“Yeah. Um, sorry. I tried to capture it alive if possible, but there was no time to undo the curse engraved on its

heart…”

-What? Haha. You can even apologize, you’ve really become much milder since Damian returned?

“…Do you want to get hit?”

-Just kidding, just kidding. Even I would be hurt if you hit me? Anyway, it’s a shame that you couldn’t capture that

guy alive, but it’s okay since you guys are safe. And even if he didn’t say it, we all know that guy is a demon from

Ryuryeon’s side, right?

Even though his appearance wasn’t visible through the crystal ball, I could picture Leo shrugging and speaking in my

mind, and I suddenly stuck my head over Leticia’s shoulder and spoke in a playful voice.

“Still, it’s too early to conclude? We don’t know who that guy’s master is. He might be a member of another

organization cooperating with Ryuryeon, and above all, the scale of this matter is quite large, so it’s too early to

conclude!”

-This annoying voice……Damian, do you have to object to everything I say?!”

“Annoying voice, sob sob. I’m so sad. And I told you to call me Charlotte, not Damian, now. What if someone hears

you? I’m not objecting, I’m just making a reasonable suggestion. Even if the scope widens, it’s better to be sure,

right?”

“Charlotte is right. I also almost concluded that it was the work of those guys from Ryuryeon’s side, but it’s too early

to be certain.”

Of course, even if we don’t say it, we all know that those guys are the main players in this matter.

“If they did this at a time when we made a peace agreement with the demons, they must have something to believe in.

If it’s Ryuryeon, who was mentioned as a candidate for the next Demon King, even more so.”

-…If we assume that even a demon who can create dungeons has joined, their momentum must have risen

considerably. And their courage would have increased. So it’s not that what you guys said is wrong, so will you stop

teasing me?

At Leo’s voice, which was letting out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded, Leticia and I looked at each other and

smiled faintly.

As expected, Leo is fun to tease, I thought inwardly, and recalling the clues that would have been added to the

inventory, I added.

“It seems like you guys also cleared the dungeon, but did you get any information?”

-No, we didn’t have a single strong magical beast like you did.

“You drew a blank.”

-You hit the jackpot.

“Should I be happy about hitting the jackpot? We didn’t even get any useful information, and we almost died because

of a demon that suddenly appeared?”

-Is there even a demon besides the Demon King that can kill you?

“…Aren’t there many now? There are as many demons who want to kill me as there are demons who fear me.”

The reality was that there were more demons with a belligerent nature who wanted to tear off my neck and rip my

limbs apart as soon as rumors of Damian Radius of the Demon Realm appearing, while there were demons who hid

themselves.

As much as they killed humans, I also cut down countless demons who were their brothers, family, or relatives.

Of course, it’s not that the demons who want to kill me out of hatred or resentment, but simply want to have the

achievement of killing the Heavenly Demon.

“It’s okay. I’ll protect you by your side, and you’re not so weak that you’ll be defeated by small fry.”

Leticia naturally handed me the crystal ball in my palm and buried her face in my shoulder, and I smiled helplessly

and stroked Leticia’s hair.

Then, as if asking me to stroke her more, Leticia pushed her head towards me, and I burst into a small laugh and

stroked her ash-gray hair, which is also her symbol.

Her hair was soft whenever I touched it.

It felt like I was touching real cat fur.

-Can you please stop flirting until after I finish the call?

“Oh. Can you see?”

-Of course I can’t see. I’ve said this several times before, but I wish you’d at least flirt after the meeting is over.

“Perverted Hero.”

-Ha?!

“What are you imagining when you can’t see?”

At Leticia’s words, who suddenly intervened in the conversation and made a strangely sharp remark with a voice

mixed with laughter, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and I wiped the tears from my eyes, telling Leo, who

would be shaking his shoulders, through the crystal ball.

“Yes, perverted Hero. You also stop flirting with your wives… and let’s end the meeting here for now, and if there’s

any information obtained while going through the dungeons, unless it’s urgent information, it’s better to meet once

and organize it.”

I also need to set up the newly acquired skill and summarize the clues in the inventory, so time was quite tight to

move on to the next dungeon.

I don’t know how he took those words, but Leo, who remained silent for a moment, replied with a laughing voice as if

he was dumbfounded.

-Be careful. They’re the ones who declared war on the human world and the Demon Realm. If it’s an organization

that Ryuryeon belongs to, it means they have something to believe in. They’re not the ones to start a war they’ll lose.

“…How ominous. You too, take care of yourself, and now that you’ve retired as a Hero, don’t overdo it.”

-I’m still a Hero, okay? I’m hanging up.

With those words, the crystal ball lost its light.

My eyes looking at Leticia through the crystal ball were warm, but my eyes looking at the place where the dungeon

was were infinitely cold.