If that's what it was about ......, then we need to go out and find it quickly!

Of course. That's why I'm in the process of assembling a search party with my men. If you wait a little longer, we'll be ready to go.

　After receiving the explanation, Lily advises with a panicked look, but after hearing the answer from Shin, she regains her composure a bit.
　Indeed, in front of the palace, many soldiers can be seen hurriedly preparing themselves.
　You will find Jack, Fitis and Rock among them, and as soon as you see them, Lily hurriedly approaches as well.

"Fitis, Jack and Rock!

"Miss Lily!
Lily.
"Lily!

　Each of the three called out to the approaching Lily, and Locke, perhaps feeling anxious about Kyou's disappearance, hugged Lily with tears in his eyes.

I'm going to be able to see you at ......

"Hey, boy, it's okay, Rock. I'll find that guy for you.

　Lily strokes his head to calm Rock, who was about to cry out.
　Eventually, he turns to Shin and declares, "That search party, I'm going to go with you. 　

"That search party, I'll be going with you.

Of course. In fact, I'd like to ask you to do the same. Let's make sure we find Kyou together.

　With that said, Shin accepted Lily's request straight away.
　This is the first time he's ever seen this kind of thing, and it gave him the impression that he had changed in some way from the old Shin.

　Soon, the search party is ready, and when Shin receives the news, he announces loudly.

All right, now we will go to the desert to find Kyou, the demon grower who was kidnapped by the Manticore. All hands, let's move out!

　With that, just as he was about to leave the palace, a person appears from behind the search party and calls out, "Wait!

Wait.

　It was a surprisingly cold, emotionless voice in the room, a voice that was quiet but resonated through everyone in the room.
　I turned around to see a brown-skinned young man dressed in a gorgeous outfit, Singh's brother, called Masuda.

"You will not allow me to send a search party.



◇ ◇ ◇



......!　It's on ......!

　I was held captive by the Manticore and spent several hours in the air, unable to move, following his flight. But it wasn't a very enjoyable experience.

　After a while, I finally entered the cave where I thought we were going to go, and was released into the depths of the cave.
　Looking around, the space is surrounded by rocks and is larger than I expected.
　The ceiling in particular was more than several meters high, and here and there, light leaked from cracks in the rocks and flooded the room.
　Then, after looking around, the only paths were the passageway leading to the back and the entrance you just entered.
　Of course, that entrance is blocked by the manticore, so you can't escape even if you try.

...... Hey, since you brought me all the way here, do you have something to do with me?　Or are you going to eat me here?

　I wondered what was going on, and spoke to the manticore in front of me. And then--

You're a cooler man than I thought. I expected your type to panic at times like this.

　Keeeeeeee!　Shavettaaaaaa!
　I didn't think I'd heard that line before, but I screamed it in my brain.

　However, I had a certain amount of expectations about the answer from the manticore, so it wasn't surprising that I actually said it.
　I thought it was possible that it could speak, since it has a human face.
　What I didn't expect was that his tone of voice was more fluent than I expected.

...... No, well, not really. I've never been kidnapped by a demon before, and I honestly feel like I'm in danger. I'm sure you're not the only one who's had a lot of experience with this kind of thing, but I think I've gotten a little more ballsy.

　Thinking back, it started with the first killer plant, and then confrontation with various heroic title holders.
　I had to face off against my mother, the demon king.
　And because I went through a literal battle with the emperor's heroes, my mind might be able to get into this situation.

　Above all, I had a certain conviction.
　Maybe it's because I've raised many different demons and seen them all.
　I've come to know if the monster is dangerous or not, or if it has hostile intentions.

　The demon in front of you is indeed a dangerous demon.
　As it shows, at that time, Shin said the manticore's danger level was A.
　That was one of the strongest ranks among the demons I'd trained, aside from the hydra.
　I could probably kill her instantly.

　But on the other hand, I couldn't sense any hostility from this monster.
　I did feel fear when it attacked me, but it kept holding me rather than attacking me and brought me to this place.
　And even now, this one standing in front of me does not seem to be attacking me.
　That's why I'm still calmly talking to this guy and putting all these thoughts together.

"So what's the point of taking me?　You don't do this for no purpose.

　The manticore pauses in thought in response to my question, then approaches me.
　It unintentionally raises its fists and strikes a fighting pose with Dora-chan, who is in her pocket, but she passes us and goes to the back passage.
　Eventually, he turns around and mutters, "Follow me.

...... What do you want to do, master? But I already knew the answer to that question.

Let's follow you.

"Yes, but isn't it dangerous?　Better yet, now you can escape through the exit: ......



"No, it'll just send the poisonous needle in the tail toward us. Don't worry about it, Dora. I think I have a plan.

　You're going to be able to find out if you're going to be able to get a good deal more than just a good deal more.
　You're going to be able to get the most out of it, but this is something that only I can do.
　There's a part of me that's intuitive, but for now, believing that will lead to my own safety.
　With that in mind, I quietly follow the manticore in front of me.

　Eventually, after a short walk, we emerge into an even larger space.
　In the center of the space, I see someone lying in a bed-like place lined with straw.

It's ...... that kid.

　As soon as he saw her, the manticore that was leading the way looked back at you.

Let's fix that kid .......

　The look on the manticore's face as he muttered this was as if he was worried about something more than ever before.
　From a distance I could see that it wasn't a monster but a human being.
　I couldn't help but ask the question to the manticore.

"Who in the world is that girl?

　The manticore was silent for a moment before answering my question with one word.

...... my child.

　Only that one word and then silence again.
　But for me, that word was enough.
　The manticore that exists in front of me now is not an A-ranked and feared demon, but rather a father who worries about his child.
　The manticore's attitude prompted me to approach the person.
　But as I approached the child, I gasped in surprise.

　I gasp in surprise because the boy on the ground is a human boy, and he looks exactly like the person I knew.
　As a result of the fact that you have to be able to get a good deal more than one person, it is very important that you have a good idea of what you are looking for.

I'm not going to be able to get to the bottom of it.

　Yes, there was a boy with a face that looked exactly like the genius Shin that I knew.