Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
Source: Syosetu

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Chapter 230


　Keira is missing.
　When Gref-san came running to the abandoned house where we were resting late at night, I had a bad feeling about what he said.
　It was obvious what Keira was thinking.
　But there's no way she doesn't understand the danger of going out alone in the dark.
　I intuitively sensed that something big was about to happen, so I calmed Gref-san, who was panicking, and Ram and Rose, who were crying, and I immediately set out to search for Keira.
　Since it would not be possible to look for Keira if I let Gref and the others out at night, I asked him to watch Ram and Rose, and we split up and went into the woods to look for Keira.

"Blurin! Do you remember Keira's scent!?"
"Grua!!"
"Please, I can only rely on you!!"

　Me and senpai, who are fast on our feet, relied on Blurin's sense of smell to search.
　Kazuki, Leona-san, and Amako are searching around the village.

"Nea!! How about from the sky!?"
"Nothing! I mean, you guys are too fast! You should be more in tune with me in the air!!"

　I can hear Nea's panicked voice from the sky, but me, Senpai, and Blurin have no intention of stopping.
　The forest at night is quite dangerous.
　There are monsters that take advantage of the darkness to attack, and more than anything, I'm worried that Keira's own magic will harm her.

"Usato-kun, this direction is..."
"Yeah, I know."
『I guess it's not ... a coincidence. This is the worst』

　I nodded to Ferrum's voice coming from inside me.
　In the direction that Blurin is heading ——— there are those gigantic ruins.
　A chill runs through me as we continue through the bushes ——— we emerge into the wilderness where the ruins are located.
　Along with that, my and senpai's hero armaments are deployed on their own.

"... It seems like coming here was something we were supposed to do."
"It seems so."

　Senpai, who shifted her gaze to the scabbard in which the sword was placed, replied with a wry smile.
　As we come out into the open, Nea, who had been flying in the sky, comes down to my shoulder.

"Usato. Does Blurin say that Keira is ahead?"
"Yeah... I'm not sure we can handle it on our own, so could you bring Kazuki and the others?"
"Understood. Besides, there's someone ahead."
"...Did you see it from the sky?"
"As far as I can see from a distance, there's only one person and a monster that looks like a flying dragon. I can't see anyone else, but...what should we do?"

　Control the flying dragon.
　Are they soldiers of the Demon King's Army...?
　While I was thinking about what I should do, senpai who was listening with me spoke to Nea.

"Nea, you go and get Kazuki and the others. I, Usato-kun, and Blurin will check the situation, and if necessary, we will capture them."
"Yes, I understand. Be careful."

　Nea jumped up from my shoulder and flew into the night sky.
　Once she was out of sight, we attempted to get closer to whatever identity was near the ruins.

"Blurin, be quiet, okay?"
"Guruu"
"Guruu"

　There is one extra squeal.
　I stare at senpai.

"Senpai, please don't make unnecessary joke in this emergency situation."
"Yes..."

　Senpai feels depressed.
　As we regained our composure and moved forward, I noticed the debris at our feet.

"Even though it's a wilderness, there is debris here and there."
"There's no sign of it being preserved, so it's probably just left to rot ... maybe it's even worse inside. We need to find Keira as soon as possible..."
"Yeah"

　As we proceeded through the shadows, hiding in what appeared to be the wreckage of the ruins, we found a demoness making a bonfire in a place surrounded by the wreckage of the ruins ——— a short distance away from the ruins, just as Nea had told us.

『Usato, Suzune, judging by her clothes, she is a soldier of the Demon King's army.』
"I don't think ... it's unrelated"
"...She's talking to the flying dragon about something. Let's eavesdrop for a moment."

　Perhaps feeling lonely alone, the woman who was standing idly in front of the bonfire was talking to the red flying dragon by her side.
　To eavesdrop, we move behind the rubble and listen in.

"A~ah...Koga-san and the others haven't come back yet, and I can hear a pounding sound coming from inside, so I think I should go home now~''
『Gyua』
"Yes Yes. Why don't I just go on a trip with Shawn to a faraway place? Surprisingly, it looks like we could go to the land of beastfolk. What would you like to eat if we go to the land of the beastfolk?''
『Gyuu』
"I see...cows, huh. The land of the beastfolk is rich in nature, so I bet there are wild cows there, too."

　She is muttering comforting things that are very far removed from the problems we are facing.
　However, there was one name in the woman's words that I couldn't miss.

"...Koga? Is he here?"
『That guy of all people. ...... I don't like this. He would definitely attack you when he sees you...』
"Don't say it..."

　When Ferrum is fed up, she seems to understand the troublesome nature of Koga very well.
　But if that person is here, she's probably seen Keira, who would have passed through here, right?

"Senpai. That person might know Keira."
"If she was here, there's a good chance she saw her. ...Ah, Shouldn't Usato-kun, who is in demon mode, be the one to ask? It would be less suspicious if you contact her as if you were here to look for Keira."
"That's a nice idea. Well, let's get started... Ferrum."
『Yeah』

　The black magic that covers me transforms me into a white-haired and brown-skinned demon.
　I still can't get used to my hair changing color, but it's only for looks, so I just have to put up with it.

"...All right. Well, I'm going to go ask."
"I counted on you, Usato-kun!"
"Guruu"

　I nod to senpai and Blurin, step out of the shadows, and approach the demoness.
　As if to make my presence known, I kicked the rubble as I walked, and the woman and the flying dragon immediately turned around to show their caution.
　I couldn't see the woman's face clearly because the light from the bonfire cast a shadow, but I could tell that she was extremely cautious.

"Who are you!?"
"Gyua!!"

　Who are you...?
　Caught up in the age-old phrase, I raise my hands and throw my voice in the air.

"Excuse me. I saw a light...uhm, are you from the Demon King's army?"
"...Hih!?"
"Eh?"

　For some reason, the female demon backs away when she hears my voice.
　She quickly came back to her senses, shook her head, and gave a weak smile.

"N-Nothing. I-I'm a soldier of the Demon King's army. What about you?"
"I am a traveler. I actually ... came here looking for a child who is traveling with me and has disappeared ... Uhm, she's a girl about twelve years old with gray hair..."
"...Shawn, did you see her?"
"Gyua..."

　The woman looked at the flying dragon, and he slowly shook his head.
　It's amazing, she's communicating like me and Blurin.

"Well, if you don't mind, I can help you look for her. Me and Shawn can look for the kid from the sky."
"...I'm counting on you"

　Right now, Keira is more important than my own feelings.
　Maybe we could find her from the sky.

"For now, please come over here. I can't see your face clearly up there."

　From the standpoint of having fought many times against Demon Army soldiers, it's complicated, but she seems like a nice person in general.
　...Of course, the Demon King's army isn't fighting solely out of grudges.

"Ah, it must be painful to stand, so please sit down."
"Y-Yeah. But———"
"The first thing you need to do is calm down. As long as you give me a description of your child, I'll fly out with my buddy Shawn to find her!"

　Shawn? That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?
　Tilting my head, I nodded at her words and approached the campfire.
　So finally, I can see the woman's face too, but...

"Hmm? You..."
『Areh? This person looks familiar.』

　If I remember correctly, she was a subordinate of Hannah-san, the commander of the Third Corps, who fought during the battle with the Demon King's army...
　I heard she escaped during the Demon King's attack, but how did she end up here?
　———Wait a minute, she knows my face.
　No, now that I am in demon mode, I should be able to fool her into thinking that I am just another person.

"But it's a distinctive outfit."
"Is that so?"
"I also saw a creature wearing similar clothes, but it was moving in an incredible way. It definitely can't be defined as a human being."
"Y-Yeah..."
"Ah, excuse me. I'm Nono Hellestea, a member of the Demon King's Army and the Flying Dragon Cavalry... Eh?"

　After saying this, she sits down on a stone diagonally in front of me ——— Nono-san looks at my face and stiffens as she introduces herself.
　Okay, just tell her right here that I'm a demon tribe and act like you know what she's talking about, and it'll be fine.

"H-Hih!? D-Devil!?"
"Yes?"
"Y-You've got horns!? Your true form!? Did you tear off your human skin and throw it away!?"

　Wait, first of all, the premise no longer holds.
　Why does she think of me as a devil from the very beginning? Why is she thinking that I revealed my true form?
　When I couldn't say anything to her, she fell backwards, her face contorted in fear.

"D-Don't tell me you've come here to kidnap a child!? A-A-A-A-And then, you came here to find me and Hannah-sama, who escaped!?"
"Hey, calm do———"
"———Kyuu"

　When she saw me, she screamed in fear and passed out.
　As if to add insult to injury to my confusion, the flying dragon next to Nono-san threw out its limbs and fell to the ground.
　The sight of it rubbing its wings against the ground is just like prostrating itself.
　I was unable to say anything as the scene became more chaotic than I could have imagined.

『I'm sorry, somehow. Usato』
"Why are you apologizing..."
『No, I’m really sorry. I'll make Nea apologize later...』

　Looking complicated, Ferrum apologizes.
　Perhaps unable to see this situation, Senpai and Blurin come out from the shadows with strange expressions on their faces.

"...U-Usato-kun, what did you do to this lady?"
"This person was the one I captured during the battle with the Demon King's army..."
"I see. I get the gist of it. In that case... it can't be helped."

　I'm not convinced that you're satisfied with that...!?
　There's nothing I can do about it since it turned out like this. Let's give up on searching from the sky and wait for Kazuki and the others here.
　As for the flying dragon ——— he's curled up in a big ball by Nono-san's side, and he's frightened, so there's no need to be alarmed. As for the flying dragon, we know why he's scared...

"Blurin, do you know where Keira is?"
"Grua"

　After sniffing, Blurin points his paw out into the darkness.
　Beyond that point———where the only ruins that were not rubble were the ones that had retained their shape.

●

--- seireitranslations.blogspot.com ---

　We met up with Kazuki, Leona-san, Amako, and Nea and prepared to enter the large ruins.

"Usato, is it okay to leave her alone?"

　Leona-san turns her gaze towards Nono-san, who is unconscious and being laid down.
　She seems to have been quite shocked, so she won't wake up for a while, but...well, she'll be fine.

"I don't think there is a problem. They've seen my face, but ... probably won't recognize me as human, so..."
"I-Is that so?"

　As I say this with a self-mocking laugh, Leona-san looks slightly taken aback.
　Well, the other reason is that if I tried to harm Nono-san, the frightened flying dragon by her side is likely to resist with all his might.

"In the worst case scenario, we might end up in a battle with Koga... huh?"

　I don't want to fight Koga at a time like this, but it's about him.
　I'm sure he'll try to get Keira involved in a fight or make some kind of cliche threat.
　...In the worst case scenario, we'll all beat him to a pulp.

"Usato"
"...Hmm?"

　As I was thinking about this, Amako, with Nea in owl form on her head, called out to me.

"Maybe predictions are inevitable now."
"Yes, I guess."
"So. I've been thinking about it for a while..."

　Amako looked down, looking a little uncomfortable.
　I kneel on the ground to meet her eye level, and she opens her mouth in confusion.

"Maybe someone was guiding us in our actions."
"Guiding? Is it the person who appears in your dreams?"
"Maybe. What can I say, that person is fishy, and more importantly, suspicious."

　If Amako feels that way, it must be quite something.
　... It's all getting a little creepy at once.

"From my point of view, it seemed like Keira was being pushed into a corner more and more. It might be because she felt like she might be abandoned by Usato, but... if that's not the case, then that girl could be manipulated in some way."
"...Nea, is that possible?"
"I honestly don't know. But if she could fool my perception, she must be a pretty good sorcerer. ... It's possible that she was led to think so that she would act voluntarily."

　There might be someone controlling Keira behind the scenes.
　Driven by the anxiety that she might hurt someone, she tried to use her emotions to lure us here.
　Keira was afraid of the dark magic she possessed, and couldn't trust herself.
　Still, she didn't want to hurt her family, Gref-san and others, so she relied on me and tried to learn how to use dark magic, but somewhere in her heart, she thought she couldn't do it.
　I don't know who she is, but if she was taking advantage of a kind-hearted girl who didn't want to hurt anyone———,

"...No"

　Let's stop having preconceived notions.
　The priority now is to find Keira and ensure her safety.