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

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Chapter 286


　The devil is real.
　I was told this fact by Falga-sama a few days after I reported my encounter with something unidentifiable with bat wings in a cemetery.
　I have been called a monster and a devil many times, but I was surprised at this fact.
　I had always assumed that the devil was an imaginary creature, even in this world.
　But when I thought about it, I realized that this is a world of vampires and dragons, so it was no surprise that there were at least some devils here, and I soon became calm.
　But that calmness was soon disturbed by the next words of Falga-sama.

『———Dig up the graves. Not all of them, but the resting place of the strong ones who left their mark in the Kingdom of Lingle.』

　I wasn't the only one surprised by his words. Rose, who had come into the hall with me, also had her arms crossed and her eyes wide open.
　The devil's purpose is ——— it may not be to keep an eye on Rose and I, but rather the cemetery where we had visited.
　The corpses are taken away somewhere.
　Hearing such a horrifying story, Lloyd-sama, with a sad face, instructed to check on those who lie in the graves.

"———Usato, you go back."

　Rose, perhaps knowing that Auru-san and the others were probably among them, quietly said these words as if she were suppressing her emotions.
　I instinctively wanted to follow her as she headed towards the cemetery, but thinking about Rose's inner thoughts, I decided to quietly back off.
　Permission was given to the bereaved family and an explanation was given.
　After seeing the bustle of activity in the hall as people began to discuss these things, I decided to leave.

●
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

　I return from the castle to my quarters and sit alone in my room, lost in thought.
　The night was falling, but Rose still hadn't returned.

"A devil, huh?"

　If it was the devil that was watching us, was his target the bodies of Auru-san and the others?
　Even if so, what for?
　It's horrible to even think about it, but was it for some purpose?

"A sudden talk about a devil..."
"Why are you worrying about yourself now?"
"?!"

　I turned towards the voice from behind me and saw Nea standing right behind me.
　When did she come into the room?

"You should at least knock..."
"No, I did. I knew you were there because of your presence, so I snuck in."
"Ah, is that so...wait, why?"

　Is there really a need to sneak in?
　What do you mean, “I knew you were there because of your presence, so I snuck in”?
　When I tilted my head and wondered why the first half and the second half were not connected, Nea turned on a light on the desk with a magical tool with a bitter look on her face.

"Geez, why is the room so dark?"
"I've been thinking about something ... What do you mean I've been thinking about myself?"
"Eh, you were thinking about the devil, weren't you?"
"First of all, let's stop thinking that the devil = me...!"

　This guy really thinks that...!?
　...No, maybe I could talk to Nea.
　I forgot until now that this girl is a vampire and a necromancer.
　I've been told not to tell anyone else about the devil, but she's my familiar, and most importantly, I can trust her.

"Nea, can you please listen to me for a moment?"
"Long story?"
"Yeah"
"Okay, I'm listening."

　As I turned my chair towards Nea, who was sitting on the bed, I told her about my encounter with a devil the other day and what that devil might be aiming for.
　Nea, who had shown interest in the word "devil," had a difficult look on her face after hearing the whole story.

"I didn't expect your kind to show up..."
"1. get messed up by senpai. 2. get messed up by Ururu-san. 3. To have a serious talk with me. ———So, which do you prefer?"
"I'll choose 3, please..."

　I'm being serious.
　Nea, who answered immediately, puts her index finger on her chin as if to regain her composure.

"Hmm, if there's a possibility, I guess it would be moving the corpse."
"Like you did?"
"That's right. I think I said this before, but a body can't exist without a soul. My necromancer powers overturn that common sense and allow me to control only the body... but honestly, I don't think there's much point in moving the body of a strong person."
"Why?"

　If it's a strong person's body, surely it's correspondingly strong?
　In response to my question, Nea picked up a spare diary that was on the desk and began writing something with a pen.

"A dead body decays. It's not impossible to strengthen a person's strength with magic, but if a trained body and everything else falls apart, you can only create a zombie with a certain level of strength, right?"
"...Indeed"
"So there's not much point in stealing the body of a strong person and controlling it."

　As someone who trains regularly, it's a bit disappointing, but of course, when you die your body will just decay.
　If I were to imagine the zombies I saw controlled by Nea, there would be no point in stealing the body of a strong person.

"So there's no chance the body was stolen?"
"Not necessarily."

　Eh, which one is it...?
　Just as I was about to stumble, Nea showed me something she had written in the diary.
　They were separated like illustrations.
　...For some reason, I couldn't accept the fact that the design was of me with a two-headed body.
　Also, there are lines on my face that look like they've been patched together? Is he Frankenstein?

"There is also the method of restoring the body with magic and controlling it as it is. This way, you can draw out some of the power of the person before death, and it is even possible to use a power that exceeds the limits of the body."

　I was shown an illustration of a devil-like illustration electrocuting my (?) body with something like sorcery.
　It's unnecessarily comical, but what is being done is very gruesome.

"Is there such sorcery...?"
"I don't know. But maybe if we ask the Demon King, he'll be able to tell us?"

　...That seems possible.
　That's why Falga-sama gave the orders.
　If the devil is trying to do something with the bodies of dead people...

"That's definitely not something we should forgive."
"...R-Right..."
"Raising the dead and using them to work for you is the worst thing you can do...! Right, Nea!!"
"You actually know what you're saying, right!?"

　I tease Nea, who has messed up once.
　Well, now I don't mind.

"But the devil really exists."
"You didn't know about them?"
"Yes. There were some documents that hinted at their existence, but they were pretty vague, so I didn't really believe in them."
"So they're just beings hiding in the shadows of history..."

　There is a high possibility that they will become enemies, but are they even capable of fighting in the first place?
　...No, just because they are the devil is no reason to be afraid of them.

"Commander ripped off his wings, so that means there's substance. If I can hit him, that means okay."
"Uwaah... you're just like the usual... even a devil would find you pretty frightening."

　Of course, that wouldn't be possible with ghosts that you can't touch.
　The question is how the devil is working, but we don't know that at the moment, so it's useless to think about it.

"There are so many things I have to think about, it's hard..."
"There's also the matter of a meeting."

　I nod at Nea's voice.
　Not only did I have to think about the devil, but I also had to think about the meeting.

"You must be having a hard time too. Being called to such an important event even though you're not even a hero."
"I was the one who decided to do it."

　There are not many people who can communicate with the Demon King.
　That's probably why he asked me to accompany him.

"Fufufu, I think I'm kind of looking forward to it."
"We're not going out to play."
"...Eh, wait, can I come with you?"

　Nea looked puzzled, as if I'd said it as a joke, so I scratched my cheek.
　During their previous meeting, there was a possibility that Nea's abilities would cause them to distrust her, but this time it would be different.

"We need you, someone who can deal with the Demon King's sorcery."
"Perhaps you'll take Ferrum with you?"
"...Hmm. I'm still kind of troubled about that."

　It is not only the four kingdoms that come to the meeting.
　More people than before will gather, and some of them will naturally be prejudiced against the demons.
　I wonder if it's okay to take that child to a place where she could be exposed to the malice of such people...

"If you ask her, I'm pretty sure she'll go with you."
"Hahaha..."
"In fact, if you don't take her with you, I think she'll assimilate and follow you without even realizing it."
"Seriously...?"

　She doesn't even let me notice her?
　I spoke in a surprised tone, and Nea nodded solemnly.

"Eh, I don't think there's any way I wouldn't notice."
"With Ferrum's current dark magic, it might be possible, you know. I mean, you can assimilate to the point where you can control it with your will. In other words, that means it's easier for you to assimilate."

　Should I be pleased with the increased tactical range of the assimilation of me and Ferrum?
　Or should I be happy that Ferrum has that much trust in me...Hmm.

"Well, it's funny that the person in question doesn't realize it."
"..."
"I won't tell her, okay? Not now."

　It seems to be implicitly saying that I have to tell her.
　What's this? I feel as if she has a hold on my weakness, even though I have done nothing wrong.

"Also, right~. If I follow you, I can take a break from training. I'm sure Ferrum will be very determined to follow you."
"... I guess I'll be the only one from the Rescue Squad..."
"...Haa? Ah, ah~? I'm sorry! I don't think that way, so just take me with you?!"

　She reacts amusingly when I joke about it.
　Smiling wryly at her flustered look, I stare at the palm of my hand.

"No matter how much I train, I... I'm still one person."
"You said it again now."

　I know it makes you question my human existence, so I restated it.
　I stare at Nea and continue to speak.

"Until now, I’ve never been able to solve anything on my own, and it’s only because of you and everyone else that I’ve been able to get this far… So, I’ll be relying on you from now on too, okay?"

　Nea's eyes widened at my words for a moment, but then she smiled.

"Good grief, there's no need to tell me that now. After all, I'm your familiar. Wherever you are, wherever you go, I'll be with you."

　I am relieved to see how confident she is.
　In my journey from the first battle to defeating the Demon King, I have never been able to solve anything on my own.
　I have always had the help of others and have been able to move forward because we have worked together.

"Thank you"
"Fufuhn, be more grateful."

　Nea seemed to be in a good mood, but soon her face became taken aback.

"Ah, but, on second thought, if I go with you, does that mean accompanying the Demon King, right? That's a bit scary..."
"Well, I understand that you're worried."
"On the other hand, why are you acting so nonchalant about it?"

　Nea stares at me.
　It is true that I am not too anxious about accompanying the Demon King.

"I guess it's because I somehow thought we wouldn't be enemies anymore."
"Eh...?"
"There's no basis for that, though."

　If I had to say, it's a hunch.
　I won't say something like we understood each other because we punched each other, which might make me sound like a muscle-brained person.　
　This is something that only I have in my mind.

"The Demon King certainly has a bad personality, is a prankster and troublesome, and is unreasonably strong and a nuisance to those around him, but——"
"That's pretty harsh of you..."
"At least, right now he's acting for the good of the demons. I think we can trust him that much."

　Many people were injured and sacrificed in the battle against the Demon King's army.
　Even though there was a reason for the battle, I must never forget that fact alone.
　However, even so, I swallowed those feelings.

"...Hmm?"

　Then I hear a knock on the door to my room.
　The knocking sound is somewhat hesitant, and when I look toward the door.

"Usato, dinner is ready."
"So it's Nagi-san?"

　Apparently quite a bit of time had passed while we were talking.
　As I was about to get up at the sound of her voice, Nea, smiling as if she had just thought of something, rushed to the door and opened it.
　At the other end of the door is Nagi-san, who naturally has a look of surprise on her face.

"Uweeh?! Wh-why is Nea in his room?"
"We were having a little secret talk. A secret, okay."
"S-S-S-S-Secret?!"

　She just complicates things further...
　I held my forehead involuntarily when I saw Nea enjoying herself in front of a flustered Nagi-san, and I got up from my chair to clear up the misunderstanding.


"Nea, don't say misleading things..."
"Because her reaction is funny. It's like the cute Suzune's reaction."
"Is that a compliment...?"

　After that, we decided to move to the dining room on the first floor to eat dinner.
　As usual, Alex had cooked dinner, so I was wondering what to have for dinner tonight, and just as I was about to step into the dining hall where everyone was ——— I noticed the door at the end of the hallway that led to the dining hall opening and someone entering.
　The first thing that caught my eye was the green hair ——— Rose had returned.
　I immediately went to greet her.

"Welcome back, Commander."
"Ah"
"It's just about dinner time now, so how about Commander———"
"No, I can eat later. I have something to do first."

　———She was different from usual.
　To an outsider, she looked the same as usual Rose, but to me, it was the first time I'd seen her suppressing so much emotion.

"Commander."
"...What?"
"Did you find the bodies of Auru-san and the others?"

　I really don't want to ask this question.
　But I have to.

"———The coffin was empty."

　The devil's target is Auru-san and the others' bodies.
　And it seems he has already stolen those bodies as well.

"..."

　What could be more infuriating than this?
　Emotions that I can no longer put into words take over my mind.
　As I try to use my reason to hold back the anger I felt towards the magician from Samarial and Jinya-san in Hinomoto, I feel a hand on my head.
　Realizing that it is Rose's hand, I instinctively look up.

"Don't worry."
"But..."
"We have decided what we have to do. It doesn't matter if they're former subordinates or whatever. Even if the dead come back to life, or if only their bodies are being controlled."

　She said so and laughed in her usual tone.
　It was a ferocious smile, brimming with anger ——— an expression that was completely out of place in the situation, and it took me by surprise.

"Do they think stealing corpses is enough to frighten us? No, it's not up to us who should know, right, Usato."
"...Yes, that's right."

　We must tell them who they have made an enemy of.
　The threat that stands in their way from now on is———I will never forgive an enemy that toys with human life, even human dignity.
　For that, I'll harden my heart.
　If necessary, I will even steal the forte from the devil.

　I'll make sure they repay for making a fool of the Rescue Squad...!

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Author's Notes:
At this point, Usato is pretty pissed.

This was also a story where Nea's necromancer setting came into play.