Black haired wise man Chiyuki

Fluffy~. Chiyuki-san. I'm still sleepy. ......

　Nao said with a yawn.
　I look at them and see that Lino and Shirone are also very tight. Sahoko also seems to be in a bit of a hurry.
　It's well past noon. You have been playing too much.

I'm sorry, Nao-san. But we need your help to investigate.

　We're on our way to the Grand Theatre in the Republic of Ariadia.
　The reason for this is that the people who belong to the donkey ears, of which Midas is the leader, are there now.
　We are led by Midas to the theater.
　The other members of Midas are myself, Reiji, Nao, Rio, Shirohane, Sahoko, and Decius. And then there's Decius.
　Krasus stayed behind in the Shogun's office because he had other business to attend to. Sisyphe and the others wanted to follow me, but as expected of a large group, they had to put up with me.
　Soon after, they arrived at the theater.

"Wow! I didn't know this was a big theater.

　Reno makes a swallowing noise.
　This theater is called the Alfoss Theater, to be exact.
　Alfos is the older brother of Raina, the goddess of wisdom and victory, a male god of song and art. The theatre was built as a tribute to this god.
　The myth of Alfos, the most beautiful man in heaven, is often associated with women.
　He was beautiful since childhood, and it's a famous story of a dispute between Ferrier and Ishtia over the right to raise him.
　In the end, neither of them gave in and Alfoss was to be raised by the two goddesses.
　And perhaps because he has Ischthia as his mother-in-law, the god Alfoss is also worshipped by the followers of Ischthia.

I'm going to call the priest, please wait here for the hero.

　Midas says, looking at Rage with a sink eye.
　Rage looks a little uncomfortable.
　It's the Alfoss cult that manages this theater. So the priest Midas refers to is probably also a priest of Alfos.
　When Midas goes into the back, we are left behind.
　The theatre is semi-circular, unlike the circular arena.
　The arched seating area is lowered from a high point on the outside towards the center.
　We are in the entrance of the theater.

Hey, Chiyuki-san, what is this relief? What is this relief?

　Cyrone says, looking at the huge reliefs at the entrance.
　The relief depicts a man with a bow defeating a strange monster.

'This is Albadon, Syrone. 'That's right, Sir Decius.'

　I answer the question and look at Decius.

'You are well aware of this. That's right.'

　Decius nodded.

'What is it, Chiyuki? What's that Albadon thing?
It was a long time ago, my dear Raige. In the early days of the founding of the Republic of Ariadia, an evil god called Badon attacked the country. Apparently there was quite a bit of damage at the time, but in the end the evil god was defeated by the bow of the god Alfos. This theater was built in honor of the god Alfos. And this relief depicts the scene. It's called Al-Badon, short for Alphos slaying the evil god Badon. Or A Badon, as it is also called.

　I explain to Rage.

''As expected of the black-haired wise man. That's right, sir.''

　I looked at the direction of the voice and saw a woman standing there.

'This is the first time I have met you, brave men of light. I am Clio, the priestess of Alfoss, who is in charge of our theater.

　Clio thanks us.
　We admire Clio. She has blue hair with a few waves and white skin, she's quite a beauty.
　But there is something about her that bothers me.
　Clio's ears are pointy. She looks like an elf.
　I think it's unusual.
　Elves sometimes go out into human society.
　But I've never seen an elf with human social status.
　Elves are rarely in positions of human social standing. This does not mean that humans are discriminating against elves, but rather that elves are not interested in human society.
　In other words, this elf is a rather rare category.

''Hoe~. It's an elf. And your sister isn't a dryad, is she? It smells a little like the sea.

　Nao says, rolling her eyes.

'Yes. I will be a Nereid, not a dryad.'

　Clio smiles.
　Nereids are one type of elf.
　And unlike the common dryads, they are elves skilled in music who live in the sea, not the forest.
　And the Nereid are famous for their beauty. For this reason, they are sometimes targeted by other races.
　The story of the poor Nereid who had his girlfriend killed by Cyclops and was forced to become his wife is famous.

''It's rare. It's unusual for such a beautiful elf to be a priest in a human country. The gods must be delighted.

　Rage said and touched Clio's hair.

''Fufu, you're very good at it, brave master.

　Clio smiles cheerfully with a hand on her cheek.
　Seeing this, Sahoko and Reno roar.

'Lord Clio!　It seems that the donkey ears of the troupe have a demon king worshipper in their ranks!　I'm here to investigate that!　If the situation arises, the next play will have to be cancelled!　Please understand!

　Decius intervenes between Rage and Clio.
　Rage reluctantly backs away from Clio.
　Good job. He cheers in his mind.

'That's troubling. The play is a tribute to the god Alfos. We can't just cancel it without good reason. ......

　Clio looks at Midas.
　Midas slumps his shoulders apologetically.
　If it were me, I wouldn't have any choice but to cancel it since there are people missing.
　But the common sense of this world is different. For Clio, stopping an offering to the gods would be more difficult than anything else. He is reluctant to cancel the play.

'I'm certainly sorry about that. 'I'm certainly sorry, but there are certain circumstances. Moreover, I can't believe I'm losing my leading lady, Shenna, too: ....... There's no way I'll be able to find an understudy anytime soon. ......

　Midas says, his eyes swimming.
　Then Midas's eyes stop at one point.

'Um, what is it?'

　Silone steps back as Midas stares at him.

'Yes!　Lady Syrone!　Could you take the lead role instead of Shenna!

　Midas runs up to Cyrone and takes his hand.
　Silone's mouth drops open in surprise as he suddenly grabs his hand and tells him.
　And after a few seconds.

'Yes ----!

　Sirone's screams were the wood spirits at the entrance of the theater.



The black-haired wise man, Chiyuki.

　There is no ceiling over the seats and arena of the Alfos Theatre, and the sunshine is shining through.
　It is said that if the tent is unfurled, the performance can be held even in the rain, but it is not necessary at the moment.
　In the arena, the members of the donkey ear troupe are in the middle of rehearsing.

'That's impossible!　Mr. Chiyuki!　Absolutely not!

　Cyrone says with all her strength to me.

'Do you think so?　I'm sure Sirone would be able to do it, though~
'I can't do this anymore!　Reno!　How could I be the star of a play!

　Cyrone shakes her head bobbing her head.
　The name of the play that Sirone hates is "Alferia".
　It is the story of a princess who goes to save a prince who has been kidnapped by a witch.
　Cyrone is asked by the play's leader, Midas, to play the role of Alfelia.
　The protagonist, Alferia, is not only a princess, but also a knight and a master swordsman.
　It's certainly a character that would fit in with Shirone.

''Is it?　I think it's a perfect role for Cyrone.

　Rage says with a smirk.
　It's obvious that he's completely amused.

'I can't!'　That's right! I think you're better suited for it than that, Reno!

　Cyrone waves the story to Lino.

'Hmmm, I don't think that's Reno's character. This princess.'

　Reno shakes his head.
　Reno laughs, as does Rage. These two are similar in this way.

''Please!　Lady Syrone!

　Midas is stuffing Silone with a hot look on his face.
　Syrone looks annoyed as Midas closes in on him with a hot look on his face.
　There is a part of Sirone that can't abandon those in need, even if they say something about her.

''Commander Midas, you shouldn't push him too hard.

　A woman comes out of the group that is practicing.
　She appears to be a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties. However, I realize that her appearance is a lie.
　She has magically changed her appearance a bit.
　Her actual age is in her late 30s, maybe even 40s.
　Most people might not notice it, but our eyes can't be deceived.
　Everyone else seems to have noticed that too. They have a subtle look on their faces.
　Who the hell are they?

'Ainoe. There's no way you can continue to postpone it so much, even if you say so. You should ask Shirone-sama to do something here.
''But I can't force you to do so. Commander, if you say that Shenna isn't here, then I'll play the role of the princess here, as I did before.

　The two of them exchange in front of us.
　And the name that Midas mentioned sounded familiar.

'Could it be that you are Ainoe, the great actress?'

　I interrupt the two of them.
　Then the woman called Ainoe looks at me.
　Ainoe, the great actress, is a celebrity of the Republic of Ariadia. I hear she has a lot of fans among the upper-class uncles.
　And until last year, she played the role of Princess Alfelia.
　But this time, Decius' sister, Sienna, will be playing the role. What does she think about that?

'Yes, my brave friends. Yes, my name is Ainoe. By the way, what brings the famous Hero of Light to such a place?

　Ainoe looks at us curiously.

'It's been a while, Ainoe-dono. My sister has been a great help to me.

　Decius steps forward and greets him.

'Oh?　I didn't expect to see you here too, Master Decius. It's been a long time. When was the last time we saw each other?　I think it's around the time that Sienna joined the team, right?　By the way, what are you doing here today? What's going on?

　Ainoe says with a bewitching laugh.

'Actually, that's what I'm talking about: ...... As I'm sure you know, Shenna has disappeared. And it seems that a demon king worshipper is involved in Shenna's disappearance. And that person is in this troupe.

　Ainoe's expression changes when Decius says this in a stern tone.

''A demon king worshipper?　How do you know that?
That's because this whistle was found at the scene of the incident. Look at this flute. Do you see the black goat stamp on it?

　Decius takes out his flute.
　When he sees the flute, Ainoe's eyes widen when he sees it.

'This flute was entrusted to me by Shenna at the time the incident happened. I was told that this flute would be blown by a man dressed as a satyr. And it seems that the man who was playing it at the time of the incident was a member of the company here. Lord Ainoe, do you have any idea who the troupe is?
Marcius!

　Suddenly, Ainoe shouts out loud.
　His voice was so loud that everyone, including the troupe members, looked at Ainoe.

''Ainoe-dono?''

　Decius looks at Ainoe fearfully.

'I'm sorry, Master Decius. It's nothing.'

　Ainoe laughs, "Ho ho ho.
　But I didn't miss it.
　Marcias must have been the name of the satyr who drowned when the incident happened.
　Why did he suddenly shout that name?

'I'm sorry to be beside you, Ainoe. Perhaps you know the owner of this flute? I believe there was a person dressed as a satyr named Marcias?

　I ask Ainoe.

'...... No, I don't know,'

　Ainoe shakes her head.
　I'm suspicious of the situation.
　I'll ask Reno about it later. Reno has the ability to tell if he is lying or not. We should be able to tell if Ainoe is lying.

'Come to think of it, Marcias isn't here. Hey, does anyone know who Marcias is?

　With that, Midas goes over to the troupe.

'Marcius or ....... Isn't that guy the most suspicious?

　Rage said and everyone nodded. To be honest, Ainoe is suspicious too, but I can't let that show on my face in front of him.
　After a while, Midas comes back.

'Apparently, he went out last night and hasn't come back.

　Midas's face turned sullen as he said this.

'What has happened to you?　Mister Midas?
'No. ....... As a matter of fact, someone apparently saw Sienna following her when Marcias went out.

　We look at each other at those words.

'I see. ....... By the way, do you know where this Mr. Marcius has gone?

　Midas shakes his head at my words.

'No, I didn't know anyone who did.
So, do you have any idea where he might go?
'You often seem to go to the city outside the western wall for a drink: ....... Shall I go and ask if anyone is familiar with it?
'Yes, please. And then, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to talk to you in private for a moment.
Yes ......

　Midas nods nervously and I take everyone away from Midas and Ainoe.

'Well, about the future. For now, Reno, do you know if she was lying to you?

　I asked and Reno nodded.

'Ainoe, you were lying to me. It's like he knows about the flute.
Yes, I felt the same way.

　It was Decius who answered that.

'Sir Decius, do you also have the ability to detect lies?
"Yes, wise man, I have the blessing of the angel Sursha.

　Decius laughs and replies.
　Surusha is an archangel called the Ear of the God King Odis. He is also known as the Inspector Angel.
　This angel is responsible for monitoring what happens on earth and reporting to Odis.
　And it seems that he sometimes interferes with the humans to make them live regularly.
　He is said to give blessings to the promising congregation of Odis at that time.
　It seems that Decius was also recognized by Archangel Sursha and given a blessing. If that's the case, he might have other magical abilities.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that there are two suspicious people, what should we do about them, Chiyuki-san?
Well, shall we split up? Someone to watch Ainoe and someone to look for someone called Marcias. That's why, Mr. Silone.

　I look at Shirone.

'What, Chiyuki?'
I wonder if you'd be willing to accept the lead role of Commander Midas.

　I say, and Shirone shakes her head.

'What?　Why?
'It's to keep Ainoe from getting suspicious. There's probably someone behind her. We'll have to let her swim and find out. And I think the best way to get close to her without being suspicious is for Miss Shirone to take the lead.

　Ainoe had changed her appearance with magic. And perhaps she was not a magician.
　Therefore, there must be someone who cast a spell on her.
　We'll have to find that person.

If that's the case, it would be faster to use Reno-chan's magic: ......

　Syrone is reluctant.
　Indeed, Syrone would be right. It's faster to use Reno's mind-reading magic and so on.
　But she might be magically connected to that person.

'It's certainly faster that way. But if the person who cast the spell on her finds out, there's a chance they can escape. For example, the messenger of the person who cast the spell could be on Ainoe's side. So I want to avoid Lino-san's magic as much as possible.

　It reminds me of a rat that Nao had caught earlier. If anything happened to Ainoe, he would notice.

'Ugh~'

　Cyrone snarls. He doesn't want to do it so badly.

'It's okay, Sirone. Reno will be here to support you...'

　Reno says brightly.

'I'd love to see Shirone as a princess too. I'm sure you'd look great in it.

　Rage chuckles and says and puts a hand on Sirone's shoulder.
　Actually, I want to see it too.
　Of course, I can't tell Cyrone about this.

'And then maybe they'll try something on us from the other side. So this is also meant to be a decoy. Instead of attacking their position, we should wait and see what happens. This is what I experienced when I fought the evil god Lavrus.

　I continue quietly, hiding my true intentions.

''Huh~. I understand, Chiyuki-san. But it's only for the sake of the investigation!　I'll stop as soon as the case is over!

　Silone reluctantly agrees after being persuaded by me, Reno and Rage.

'Sage Lord. I am curious about a man named Marcias.''

　Decius says.

'Well then, it's settled then. Sirone, Reno and Reigi. And Sahoko-san, you can follow Sirone-san. Is that alright?
Yeah. All right, Chiyuki-san.

　Sahoko comfortably agrees.
　'I hope you'll be a stopper for Rage.

'And the rest of us, Nao-san and Lord Decius, will try to track down someone named Marcius.

　Nao and Decius nodded.
　I look over and see that Decius is pale. He seems to be worried about his sister, Shenna.
　I also pray for Shenna's safety.
　I hope she's alive.




Shenna the dancer

　Shenna....... Shenna.......
　I think I hear my brother's voice calling my name from beyond the darkness.
　Perhaps he's worried about me.
　I have to go back.
　That's when I thought. I wake up in a room somewhere.

'Nope.'

　Look around you in your sleep.
　Where is this place?
　It's a pretty good room. The walls of the room are patterned and the bunks are fluffy.
　The furnishings also look expensive.
　The setting sun is shining through a small window high up in the air. It seemed that the time was getting close to night.
　But why am I sleeping here?
　I work my head.
　And then I remember. What happened in the basement of the tavern.
　I was chasing after Marcias and I met a demon, and there was even my sister Ainoe there.
　And I was chased by the white masked ones and fought the Dark Knight.
　My head is confused. There's so much going on, I don't know why.
　As I recall, I was defeated by the Dark Knight. But I'm alive.
　I get up.
　I don't know why I'm alive, but a demon lurks in this country.
　I have to tell my brother this.

"Hm?　What is this?

　Then I notice. Black spines are wrapped around my entire body. But it doesn't hurt at all. These thorns don't seem to hurt me.
　It's probably some kind of magic. But it doesn't seem to interfere with my ability to move.
　No wonder I can't stop thinking about it. I'm going to move.
　I feel dizzy when I get down from my bunk. It's probably because of the effect of the elixir Asash. You're going to be able to find out if you're going to be able to get a good deal more than you think.
　I forced my wobbly legs to move and went to the doorway of my room.
　The door is constructed to open to the inside of the room. The bolt is also inside.
　It seems that they don't intend to lock me in.
　I leave the room and see the stairs.
　I can hear people's voices from downstairs.
　I manage to descend the stairs, propping myself up on the railing.

'Wait, Regena!　You don't have to do that!

　I hear a man's panicked voice.
　As I go towards the voice, I hear the sound of water. Apparently there is a bathroom up ahead.
　I've been aware of it for a while, but it seems to be a very rich man's house.
　Of course there is no bathroom in an apartment complex, and there is usually no bathroom in other houses either. That's why public bathrooms are so popular.
　It is a given that whoever has a bathroom in a private residence is a rich person.
　I approach the bathroom. Who are they? I'll at least see your face.

'Please, sir!　Just let me flush my back while I'm here!
'No, but that said, ....... And Kuna!　What are you doing!
'Mm. If Ligeena flushes Kroki's back, Kuna will flush her front.
Hey!　No!　Kuna!　Woo hoo!

　What is he doing? The bathroom was blindfolded with a thin silky cloth that prevented me from seeing inside.
　That was when I approached. My legs get tangled up and I fall down.
　I pull on the blindfolded cloth and fall down as it is.

'What the hell!'

　They've noticed. It will not be good if we don't escape.
　But my legs are stuck.
　Someone's coming for me.

Are you okay?

　I look up as a voice calls out to me and I take the cloth that covers my head.
　There's a man in front of my face.
　And I look at him.

'Hee!　Monster!

　I can't help myself.
　I grew up in the Temple of Ishtia, the protector of prostitutes. If you were in the temple, you had plenty of opportunities to see men naked, even if you weren't with them.
　Some of the men were of poor quality, showing off their crude caterpillars.
　But the man in front of me was not a caterpillar. And it's not a snake either. It's a true evil dragon.
　I look at the man's face. That face is familiar.
　It's a dark knight.
　Fear spreads through me.

"Your face is blue. Your body is wasting away. You must still be asleep.

　The dark knight bends down and extends his hand as he says this. The dark knight's evil dragon looms in front of him as he bends down.

''Nuh-uh.''

　And then I fainted.




Dark Knight Kroki.

You're lying!　I can't believe my sister Ainoe tried to kill me!　I don't believe anything the Dark Knight says!

　Shenna says, glaring at me.
　I let out a sigh to myself.
　She passed out in the bathroom and began to freak out when she woke up again. It was hard to calm it down.
　Then, once it had calmed down, I explained what had happened so far.

'Believe it or not, it's true,'

　But she doesn't seem to believe it.

'I can't believe it: ....... My sister Ainoe was so nice to me.

　Shenna says, looking down.
　In fact, Ainoe was probably kind in the beginning.
　But as Shenna came to a head, she seemed to hate him.

'Seems that was the case at first. But what about these days?'
............

　Shenna is silent.
　'Apparently I have an idea.

'And I wonder if there was an attempt on his life before Kalkinos? Do you have any idea?

　I say to myself.
　Shenna looks up.

'I'm sure ....... Suddenly there were things falling out of my head and foreign objects in my drink and food, but ....... Of course I was going to catch the culprit later. I didn't think it was sister Ainoe who did it. ......

　Shenna ponders.

'Huh. ....... And then I'll give this back to you.

　I put a certain object I was holding on the desk.

'My sword?　Will you give it back to me?
Yeah. It's your property to begin with. And I don't think you should take this medicine anymore.

　I take out a small jar after the sword myself.

'Is that ......?　The jar that contained Asash.

　I did a little research on this drug called asash and it's dangerous to humans.
　It makes you stronger if you take it. But when the effects wear off, it can severely weaken the body.
　It's a dangerous drug that can be fatal if it's taken badly.
　She had been sleeping almost all day because of this drug.
　Well, in the meantime, she and Kuna would be watching Ariadia, but that's another story.

'Why do you say that?　You look like you're worried about me.

　Shenna asks curiously.
　It's certainly strange that I'm the one worrying about her.
　Why is that?
　I'm not going to be a good person. So it's strange to help her.

"Kuroki~

　Coona comes into the room as I'm distressed.
　Kuna must have been drying her hair in the next room. Is it already dry?
　The loungewear, made of thin, silky cloth, accentuates Kuna's stylized body.

'Goddess of Moonlight ......'

　I hear Shenna muttering as she looks at Coona.
　Coona comes to her side and sits down on her lap from the side.
　Then she pulls her head to her chest and looks at Shenna and laughs, "Hmmm.
　It's as if she's showing Shenna how to do it.

'Kroki, you don't have to help a woman like that. You should kill her and dump her somewhere else.

　Shenna's body jolts as Coona says with a laugh.

'No, Coona. You can't do that.'

　He says as he strokes Coona's head.
　It would be quicker to kill him, just like Kuna said. However, I couldn't bring myself to kill it.
　Considering my position, I'm more on the demon side than the human side. However, I have killed demons in the past.
　You can kill a demon, but you're hesitant when dealing with a human. Perhaps it's a matter of appearance.
　I might not have saved her if her appearance was not human.
　This is discrimination in a way.

''Mm~. What are we going to do with the woman then? Is Kuroki going to make more women?

　Coona says, puffing out her cheeks.

'No!　No!　I wouldn't do that!

　I shake my head.
　Shenna is quite a beauty.
　And even though she has a thin body, she was moderately comfortable to touch, as confirmed when I carried her.
　But I don't think you should force it.
　No matter how much it makes you want to lick your feet, you shouldn't do such a thing.

''Mmmmm~!

　Coona pinches herself as she thinks about that.
　Sheesh. I guess it was in my face.
　Coona glares at me cutely.

'Ouch!　You're hurting me!　Kuna!

　I manage to quiet Kuna.
　I look at Shenna and she looks at me anxiously.
　It's only natural. She must be anxious if you tell her you're going to kill her.
　I'm not going to kill her, but I can't let her go either.
　If we let Shenna go, Ainoe will kill Shenna.
　Besides, Shenna could go to Rage and the others.
　That would be the end of Ainoe.
　I'm not going to side with Ainoe, but I'm not going to side with Shenna either.
　That's why I'm not killing Shenna, I'm not letting her escape, I'm locking her up.
　I've made sure that the black thorns I've wrapped around her will tighten up if she tries to leave this house.
　Now she should not be able to leave this house.
　If she doesn't run away, I'll guarantee her a reasonable life.
　But I can't just leave her like this, like Kuna said.
　Can't we do something about it?
　The point is that Ainoe should not go after Shenna. If that happens, he can release her on the condition that she promises not to go to Rage and the others.
　In order to do that, we'll have to convince Ainoe first.
　But can we do that? Will I ever reconcile with the person who tried to kill me?

Yeah.

　But I have no choice.
　In the meantime, let's go check on Ainoe tomorrow. That's what I thought.