TWEM Vol. 7 Chapter 3 Part 1
Chapter 3 – Reunion with the Heroes
One day, a little over a week after we returned to Perdis.
Tendo and his group arrived at my mansion, so I entertained them in the guest room.
“It’s been a while, Haruto.”
“That’s right, Tendo. I’m sorry for leaving you in charge of Glicente. “
“It’s okay. The people’s vitality has returned, and the soldiers’ proficiency has improved. The ministers who saw this are working even harder.”
“I see. I guess it’s thanks to all of you. Come to think of it, what are Aegan and the others doing?”
After defeating the king who was trying to use us, Glicente made Mariana, the princess who was the mastermind behind the summoning, the formal queen and left Aegan and the other elves to effectively run the country.
I had not asked him about what had been going on recently, so I asked Tendo, but for some reason, Tendo gave me a distant look.
It was Shinonome who answered my question.
“He’s working hard behind the scenes. But once every two weeks, the head of someone who was plotting something evil is blown off… It’s a bit extreme.”
“I’m sorry.”
I felt sorry because I was the one who gave Aegan and the others the ability to fight.
“By the way, Yuki-kun.”
“What is it, Asakura?”
“Are things going well with Suzuno-chan?”
“Pfffo!?”
I spat out the tea I had in my mouth.
I looked at Asakura, wondering what happened all of a sudden.
“Because she’s your fiancée, right?”
“Ah, ah…”
“Then how is the progress?”
When asked about the progress, Suzuno spoke with a sigh.
“I’m ready whenever you are, Haruto.”
“…I’m sorry.”
After that, I ended up being lectured by Asakura, Shinonome, and Finne.
Seeing such a scene, Tendo and Mogami at first had a look of pity on their faces, but then they started to hold back their laughter.
When I saw the two of them, I vowed that I would punish them later.
After the sermon was over and Tendo and Mogami were done, I explained the situation to everyone again.
“…Well, that’s why Tendo and I are going to the demon territory. Shinonome, Asakura, and Mogami should either work as adventurers or train at the training ground.”
“I got it.”
“No problem.”
“Well, with Haruto, we should be fine as long as nothing serious happens.”
The three of them nodded, so I stood up.
“Then, I’m going to the Royal Castle with Tendo now.”
With that, Tendo and I left the mansion and headed to the royal castle to talk to Dillan.
～
While I was listening to what kind of training Tendo was doing in Glicente, we arrived at the Royal Castle and were immediately shown to the guest room.
After a while, Dillan came in after finishing his official duties.
“Tendo, it’s been a while.”
“King Perdis, it’s been a while.”
“How is the Kingdom of Glicente?”
“That’s right. It’s been a while since then, but the royal capital is full of life and the government is doing well. It’s all thanks to you all.”
“I see. I’m glad to hear that…Then I’m sorry to rush into this, let’s get to the main topic.”
Hearing those words, Tendo’s and my expressions hardened.
“When I heard that the two of you came, I told the kings of each country that an emergency meeting would be held in an hour. Well, even though it was an emergency meeting, I told everyone that it would be held soon.”
“Then let’s decide now what we will talk about at the meeting.”
“That’s right.”
“That would be best.”
We started discussing and an hour passed quickly, and we moved to the conference room.
～
What I came to was the room where the magic tools for communication were placed.
“I’ve been to the royal castle several times, but this is my first time here. Is this the communication magic tool?”
There, on the table, was a crystal ball about 30 centimeters long.
Dillan nodded at my words.
“That’s right. We communicate with each country through this crystal. The face of the person on the other side of the crystal appears.”
“Hmm, I guess it’s not impossible to make one.”
Dillan looked at me.
“Oh, come on, Haruto, don’t tell me you’re going to make it and sell it?”
“I’m not going to sell it. I mean, it’s bad, right?”
“That’s good… I guess I was nervous about that part.”
“Hey, wait.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Haruto?”
I think I heard something I shouldn’t ignore.
“Dillan, what am I?”
“No, what? I thought you were just being serious.”
I then looked at Tendo, but for some reason he looked surprised.
Hey, wait. You too!?
“Why do you two always behave like I’m not being careful?”
““…Eh?””
The voices of the two of them made my nerves twitch.
“You do it all the time.”
“…Always?”
“You always do that.”
“How can that be? You always end up doing outrageous things without realizing it.”
“Haruto. Dillan is right.”
It seemed like our perceptions were very different.
“…I’ll try a little harder.”
““A little?””
“…I will try my best.”
The two of them nodded with satisfaction.
“Why don’t we get on with it?”
“Okay, then.”
Dillan, sitting on a chair, infused magic power through the crystal, and the representatives of each country were projected on the screen.
Naturally, Oskar, the emperor of the Galzio Empire, Liebert, the pope of the Holy State of Belifaire, and Mariana of the Kingdom of Glicente were also present. And there were quite a few faces I have never seen before.
In the midst of all this, Dillan opened his mouth.
“We’ve already talked about most of it, but today we’re going to talk about the expedition to the demon territory. The two members here are Haruto, an EX rank adventurer, and Tendo, a hero. Greetings, both of you.”
Tendo and I turned to face the crystal and bowed.
“I am Haruto, an EX rank adventurer.”
“I am Koji Tendo, a hero. You may call me Tendo.”
“Thank you both. Now, Haruto, please explain again.”
I nodded and began my explanation.
“A few months ago, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army, Gheel, sent a horde of demons against the royal capital of the Kingdom of Perdis, which I repelled… This is how I came to be in this adventurer rank, so I think everyone knows about it.”
After confirming that the kings nodded through the crystal, I continued.
“And just recently, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Dragonoid Damnatio, attacked the imperial capital of the Galzio Empire with his dragons.”
The kings looked serious.
“But listening to the two of the Four Heavenly Kings, it appears that they are not acting on the orders of the Demon King, but rather on their own initiative. That’s why I proposed this reconnaissance of the demon territory in order to ascertain the truth. That’s all from me.”
When I stopped speaking, the conference room was filled with silence.
Soon after, a king raised his hand and spoke.
“Adventurer Haruto. What if the Demon King wants a fight?”
“In that case, the hero and I will defeat the Demon King… After that, there is a possibility that it will become an all-out war, but I can only pray that the new Demon King will be as moderate as possible.”
“In the first place, do you think you can have a dialogue with the Demon King?”
The other kings were also waiting to see my reaction.
It was natural for humans in this world to recognize that demons, especially demon lords, were the enemy of humanity.
“I’ll do it. And then, let’s create a place for peace negotiations with the human kings.”
“There’s no way that’s possible! Well, what would you do if the Demon King went berserk at the negotiation venue?”
“We are going to have a dialogue to prevent that from happening. The purpose is just ‘peace negotiations’. In any case, we need to find out how the demon tribe is doing before the other Four Heavenly Kings invade some other country again—right?”
When I said that, the kings were silent.
“…Hmm. Haruto is right. So, this time, can we proceed with ‘peace negotiations’ with the demons? Anyone who has any objections, raise your hand.”
――Silence.
“Then it’s decided. Haruto. How long will it take for you to come back?”
After hearing Dillan’s question, I turned to face Tendo.
“What do you think, Tendo?”
“I think it will take about a month. It’s about a week’s journey from here to the continent where the demon territory is located, right?”
“That’s about right. Even if we estimate at most it will take a little over a month, including the time until we return.”
Well, I have teleportation magic for when we return, so it’s only for a moment.
“Hmm. Then I’ll leave the timing of departure to Haruto. Is that okay with everyone?”
None of the kings objected anymore, they just nodded.
“Then it’s decided. Haruto, are you leaving right away?”
“Yeah. I’m curious about the demons’ movements, so it’s probably better to hurry.”
“Okay, then today’s meeting will end.”
Thus, the crystal ball lost its luster and the meeting ended.
We left the room where the crystal ball was placed and moved to the guest room.
The queen, Amalia, who had finished her work for the day, was sitting there.
When we sat down and took a break, Dillan asked me.
“So, when are you leaving? I assume you’ve already decided?”
“That’s right. I’m curious as to when.”
“Right, I’m planning to leave in a few days… Are you okay with that, Tendo?”
“Yeah. I think that’s fine too.”
“Then we’ll leave in three days.”
Dillan asked after hearing that.
“I’m sure you have a lot of preparation to do, so shall we call it a day and go home?”
“I guess so. I’ll come back and pay you a visit before I go next time.”
“Okay.”
“See you again.”
And so we left the royal castle.
～