Chapter 49

The content of the main story 25 is almost identical to the protagonist's perspective. Please skip it if you don't like it.

I, Rois, the captain of the squire unit, am not only responsible for ensuring that His Majesty the Demon King spends his days without any trouble, but also for the overall management of the second floor, a special space.

Therefore, I make it a point to check the guest rooms on the second floor at least once a day. One of our duties is to be able to welcome any guest with the highest level of hospitality.

I am not saying that I don't trust the unit members. It's just better to have multiple eyes confirm such matters. That's why not only I, but also the deputy captain, Chebur, check at different times.

Once a member has become capable of handling all the basic tasks, they are rotated to serve by Lord Kaiyu's side. This applies not only to the squire unit but also to the guard unit.

As long as one is in the squire or guard unit, they must be able to serve and protect Lord Kaiyu without any issues. It goes without saying that one should be able to perform their duties naturally and smoothly, without being overwhelmed by Lord Kaiyu's beauty or his vast magical power.

Conversely, if one can do that, they can serve calmly no matter who the guest is.

That said, we don't just throw someone inexperienced into the mix. When an inexperienced person serves by Lord Kaiyu's side, one of the captains or deputy captains of either the squire or guard unit is always present. This is an unspoken rule.

Therefore, I have the deputy captain of the squire unit, Chebur, and a few others stationed here. From the guard unit, the captain, Grandio, and a few others are responsible for the security around Lord Kaiyu.

I have no intention of wasting time, but I cannot afford to overlook even the slightest detail, so I check everything carefully.

After confirming the facilities, cleaning, and maintenance of supplies, and making a few minor adjustments, I walked towards the grand staircase. There, the captain and deputy captain of the document unit, Elies and Mars, were standing. Between them was a young child in the uniform of the document unit.

This was the provisional unit member who was discussed at yesterday's unit leader meeting. The child, found by the captain of the cooking unit, Dilnan, in the 'Deep Forest' at the border of the eastern demon king's territory, had lost their memory and was of a neutral gender.

--- This is an anomaly in the northern demon king's castle, a burden that can only be a hindrance. If they cause any trouble for His Majesty, they will be eliminated immediately. They are an impure element.

While quietly observing, I heard Elies talking about the second floor. The content of their conversation, which I could faintly hear, was something I couldn't ignore. The child had mentioned a glimpse of a technology that I had never heard of.

I decided to hear the entire conversation from the guards who had been listening to Elies and Mars later, and that Elies needed to submit a formal report.

...I wanted to make contact with the child and see for myself.

When the conversation paused, the child started fidgeting in front of Elies.

"Captain Elies, um, can I..."

"Oh, fidgeting? Do you need to use the restroom??"

"No, can I walk on the fluffy carpet a little more?"

This unexpected question provided a good opportunity to make contact with the child.

"---...Please, come in."

"Rois..."

"There are no guests today, so it's fine to walk on the carpet a little."

Without hesitation, I called out to the child and approached. I could tell that Elies and Mars were on guard.

The child, however, was completely oblivious to the tension between us, and looked at me with a carefree expression.

...Despite having a somewhat well-kept appearance, the child's magical power was weak. It was a contradictory existence.

"Go ahead, Yurii."

"Is it okay?"

"Yes. The captain of the squire unit has given permission, so feel free to go."

Without hesitation, I called out to the child, and Elies encouraged the child to go.

"Thank you very much, sir. I'm Yurii from the document unit today."

"Oh, the pleasure is mine."

Despite the child's lisping, they managed to greet me politely, which was commendable for their age.

As I observed quietly, the child looked at me intently.

Their gaze gave me a strange sense of déjà vu. Their eyes, unlike before, showed no emotion or color. The large, purple eyes were incredibly clear, yet their depths were completely unfathomable.

While trying to recall where I had seen those eyes, the child's expression suddenly returned to its previous state, and they started walking on the carpet.

After a few steps, the child let out a strange sound, skipped, and fell, rolling on the carpet. Despite this, they looked like a typical child. Yet, the eyes I had seen earlier kept haunting me, and I still couldn't recall where I had seen them.

Satisfied, the child slowly ran back to Elies, tripping on the carpet.

"Are you done?"

"Yep."

"Hehe, you must have had a lot of fun. Your hair is messy."

Elies, who had been hugging the child's legs, gently fixed the child's messy hair. Elies seemed completely unaware of the child's eyes earlier.

"---...Shall we move on to the next place?"

"Yes, let's."

As I watched them, Mars and Elies subtly indicated that they were leaving. The child turned to look at me again, but there was no trace of the eyes from before. Their eyes only showed the satisfaction of having had fun.

Feeling a knot in my chest from not being able to recall where I had seen those eyes, I watched as the child, Mars, and Elies left.

Once they were out of sight, I approached the two guards and quietly confirmed the details of what I had heard. I would also receive reports from Jott and Yaeto about the technology the child had mentioned. After extracting the details, I made them keep it confidential, and they nodded in agreement.

Checking the time on my pocket watch, I realized I had lost more time than expected, but seeing the child with my own eyes was perhaps a good thing. The squire unit members are not fools; they should be able to think and act on their own.

All that was left was to digest the knot in my chest left by the child's eyes and search my memory calmly.

"Captain Rois, welcome back."

"Thank you. Is there any problem?"

"No, there isn't."

"Deputy Captain Chebur is preparing the morning tea."

"Understood. ...Ah, please arrange for the carpet near the grand staircase on the second floor to be adjusted."

"Understood."

As I returned to the side of Lord Kaiyu's office, the squires who were waiting greeted me. I responded and, since the time for morning tea was approaching, I left the preparations to Chebur and headed to Lord Kaiyu's office. After entering with proper etiquette, I felt Lord Kaiyu's and Captain Grandio's gazes on me.

The moment I saw Lord Kaiyu's long, black eyes, I felt a sense of déjà vu again. Realizing the reason, a chill ran down my spine.

---...Even for a moment, a child with eyes similar to Lord Kaiyu's.

In a situation where we have almost no information about the child, this coincidence is significant.

Based on my intuition, and having served by Lord Kaiyu's side for over 300 years, I have seen what his eyes can see. If the child truly has eyes similar to Lord Kaiyu's, their existence cannot be ignored.

In that moment, the child, who had been nothing more than an anomaly in the northern demon king's castle, became a dangerous element.