Chapter 85

"Alright, what's the deal? Is that guy the target?"

"Yeah... no mistake. The bodyguards were unexpected, but I'll take him out when the time is right."

In the cargo area, the two demons were having a dangerous conversation.

"Don't use such violent words. The child might get scared."

"I think he's already scared..."

"Unh! Unh!"

Destroya, who was in the same cargo area, was restrained and gagged by Lamina. There was no way to alert the two outside about the current situation.

(What impudent fellows... to gag me like this, they'll get the punishment they deserve... Setsu will see to it.)

With most of her strength gone, she had no choice but to rely on her partner...

◆◆◆

"Setsu, can I leave this carriage to you for a bit?"

"Huh? What's up?"

Gurus was sweating profusely.

He looked like he was in bad shape.

"Are you feeling sick? If so, you can rest in the cargo area..."

"No... my stomach hurts! I need to go relieve myself!"

"O-Okay..."

I was taken aback by his urgency. I thought he should have said something earlier, but I took the reins and stopped the carriage. Unfortunately, there were no bushes to hide behind in the area. As I watched Gurus run far away, the demons in the cargo area got off.

"Sorry, the driver's got a bad stomach, so the carriage will be on a break for a while—"

"Tch! You caught on! Let's go, Lamina!"

"Right!"

The demons started chasing Gurus at an incredible speed. The woman called Lamina had her hand on her sword.

...Could they be after Gurus?

"I don't get it, but I can't let them!"

I kicked off the ground and chased after them. They weren't running at full speed, so I could easily catch up.

"Hey! Don't come any closer!"

"Don't run, you bastard!"

"Die with dignity."

Alright, I can make it. I stepped between Gurus and the demons and blocked Lamina's sword with Black Circle.

"What—"

"I can't let you ignore the bodyguard...!"

"Hmm... stopping Lamina's sword, huh?"

I forced my arm away and put some distance between us. My arm was numb.

That sword is not easy to stop, after all.

"Hey, Zion, this guy's not just anyone."

"He doesn't seem to have any magic power, but he's not to be underestimated... don't let your guard down."

"Of course."

These guys... their arrogance vanished in an instant.

This is going to be tough. In the worst case, I might have to use my gluttony to fend them off.

"Hey, what did you do?"

"I, I didn't do anything! I'm not involved!"

Gurus was so scared he didn't even try to run. This is too difficult...

"You didn't do anything? You're the first prince of Distenia, aren't you?"

"—What?"

This guy... is royalty?

"I've taken care of your father, the king, and your siblings, Margaret. The only one left is Prince Gurus, you."

"Please, stop..."

What the hell... when did they do this? These guys are no good. It's good that the war is over, but what are they trying to do by causing chaos in a human country? I need to leave this continent as soon as possible before things get worse.

"By killing you, we, the demons, will achieve a perfect victory!"

"Ah, wait—"

"Damn!"

I blocked and pushed back with Black Circle again. They're still so fast... it was a close call.

"This guy! Again..."

"Don't get too excited. This bodyguard is good, but the main target is the only one that matters."

Zion's hand was pointed at me. His magic is bad news; I can't resist it in my current state.

"This is the only way!"

I pulled out two knives from under my jacket.

"Nightmare"

Zion cast the spell. I quickly stabbed the knives into my leg and Gurus's shoulder.

"Ugh..."

"Ahahaha!"

"This guy...! He resisted my magic on the first try..."

Zion's specialty is an illusion magic that traps people in an eternal nightmare. Once affected, they can't return to the real world without external interference. It can be countered with magic, but it's not a fair fight with average magic power. At least, for me, who has no magic, and Gurus, who has little, we would have been perfect targets. That's where the knives come in. Illusion magic, at its core, puts the target to sleep. By causing pain, I can wake them up. If we were even a little late, we would have been trapped in an endless dream.

"You... do you know what it means to defy us, the Five Great Demon Generals?"

"...You're the ones who don't understand..."

I stood up, pulling out the knives. I kicked up the dropped Black Circle and pointed it at the two.

"You guys acted on your own again, didn't you? You'll get in trouble with Desath again."

"Wh-What? A human calling Lord Desath by his name—"

"We've crossed swords, so you should realize it by now."

I threw Black Circle. They didn't catch it out of caution, but they were surprised when they saw it on the ground.

"This is... Schwarze...!?"

"It's broken, but this is definitely that sword..."

Finally, they realized. This sword was given to me by the Demon King Desath, and it was once used by Desath himself. They should know about its existence and that it ended up in my hands.

"No, but... Setsu was killed by humans five years ago..."

"You can't be serious..."

Finally, they realized... now, maybe we can—

"You stole this sword from Setsu!"

"Wait, just a minute!"

Zion lunged at me in anger. I couldn't let him touch me, so I hit his chin from below, then landed two punches on his body as it arched upward. Just as he was about to fly backward, I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the ground. I pinned his arms behind his back and pressed his head to the ground, completely immobilizing him.

"Damn it! Let go!"

"Idiot, you're a magic specialist, you can't win in hand-to-hand combat."

Zion's weakness was close combat. He neglected training because he thought the enemy would fall into his illusions anyway. Still, his illusion magic is strong enough to make up for it.

"Your actions and movements... are you really Setsu...?"

"Yeah, I can't explain the details, but I'm definitely Setsu. I've already met Desath and the others. If you don't trust me, just ask them."

"...I don't sense any lies. Zion, this man seems to be the real Setsu."

"...Alright, stand down. I won't struggle anymore."

Do you really believe me? This guy.

Even if you don't trust me, we can't have a conversation like this. I slowly got off Zion and put some distance between us.

"Still, I need proof. Answer a few questions, and we'll see."

What a hassle.

But we can't move forward without this... I silently gestured for him to continue.

"First question, what's your specialty in cooking?"

"Deep-fried foods."

"Second, Lord Desath's favorite food."

"Shortcake."

"Last, when did Setsu and Lord Desath's engagement take place?"

"I don't remember ever agreeing to that."

After answering all the questions, Zion thought for a moment and turned to Lamina.

"Can we trust him?"

"Don't ask me. But... I trust him."

"Hmm... Even if it's a trick, he could have harmed us here... Alright, we'll accept you as Setsu."

"Phew... Finally."

Honestly, I might have lost if we had continued fighting. It's really inconvenient not to have magic. I might need to avoid meeting people who haven't seen me in this form for a while.

"Alright, so, hand over that guy."

"...Huh?"

"What, you didn't hear me? I said he's royalty, so you, being Setsu, don't need to protect him, right?"

...That's true.

As a bodyguard, I should protect this guy who's cowering in the back, but I don't want to fight Zion and the others. I don't want to fight my comrades. But letting him be killed here doesn't seem like a good idea either. Come to think of it, they killed the king and his family, didn't they? Maybe it's better to capture Gurus and take him to the Demon Continent.

"I don't mind handing him over—"

When I explained this to them, they agreed. They immediately tied him up with the rope from the carriage, and Zion and Lamina kept watch. I drove the carriage, and Straw, who was completely ignored, stayed in the cargo area. If we keep going, we should reach Lacria soon. I hope we don't get involved in any more trouble...