"Thank you so much for this. Thank you so much for this.

"From me too, thank you.

"Don't worry about it. I just did what I wanted to do.

　After the battle of the kings was over, Sin and Alicia immediately thanked me.

　By the king's decree, Shin and Alisha officially reside in the royal palace as the royalty of this country without being noticed by anyone.
　At first, I was working on growing demons to solve the country's food problems, but after I discovered Alisha's secret and was kidnapped by the manticore, I became deeply involved in Shin's survival and the problems of the palace that came with it.
　But it wasn't I who solved these problems, but rather Shin and Alisha and the others themselves.
　I was only there to help, and the reason I cured the king's illness was because of my companion, Drage.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has done this. So thank you so much for that ......, Kyou.

　Alisha's cheeks are red and she honestly says thank you.
　In this way, a little while ago, she was a bit cocky, perhaps because of her manly pretense, but now the girl's gestures sometimes make me smile.

You'll be able to find out what's going on with the food problem.　I'm sure the guys I raised in the wasteland grew up without a hitch.

Yes, Kyou helped me out a lot with that too. Nowadays, there are a lot of demons in that area that you've never seen before, and most of them are very popular in the city. Especially jack-o'-watermelons, which are now becoming a national specialty.

I'm glad to hear that.

　I let out a breath of relief at the answer from Alisha.
　I'm glad to see that our original goal of food supply is being solved in secret.
　However, until the current environment of demon cultivation is completely stabilized, I had planned to stay here for a while longer.

Well then, it's time for us to go back to our own country.

　Rostam and Sachaque were the ones who muttered to each other, and both of them were already preparing to leave.

"Rostam-san and Sachaque-san, thank you for the cooperation of the Empire.

　I bowed my head and thanked them for their departure.
　In a way, these two were even better than I was during this battle of the champions.
　Without the information they put together and their insights, we wouldn't have been able to drive Masuda away.

''Don't worry about it, cultivator. I told you that if you asked for help, we'd come to you wherever you wanted us to go.

　And with the momentum that said it would never change, Rostam put his hand on my shoulder.
　Hmmm. When I look at it this way, I can see how reliable these guys are.
　While I was thinking this, Sachaque seemed to be troubled with a difficult look on his face.

I'm not sure what's wrong with you, Mr. Sachaque?

...... "No, I've got a few things on my mind about this one: ......

What's on your mind?

...... The lead up to this battle of the Kings, and more specifically, the revelation that your Singh was alive: ......

　Singh looked shocked when Sachaque suddenly called his name, and I felt the same way.
　What does it mean?

"...... Kyou. A demon cultivator named you came to this country and grew Shin until his manticore snatched it away. From there, you found Sin, and even joined the War of Kings to rescue her. It all seemed to work out as if it was a setup: ......

　...... Surely that's a fair point, Sacherk, but isn't that overthinking it?
　The fact that the rescue of Sin, the immediate reaction of Massuda to the announcement of the king's war, and the start of the king's war after Alisha was injured, certainly gave me the impression that the information circulated quickly, but even so, it is still within the realm of coincidence.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world," he said.

...... "And that manticore also said that he heard about me from 'someone' ......

"Huh?　What is it, Mr. Sachaque?

　I was curious about what Zachary was muttering, and I asked him back, but he replied, "...... is nothing.

...... I might have been thinking too much after all. It's a good thing that this case is settled. I'll have to take that as a good thing: ......

That's right. You've always been too suspicious of things. This whole thing is of their own making. Then you should admire that.

　Zachary smiled at Rostam's words and said, "You're ...... right.

It is a good thing that you have a lot of experience in this field. And then, Arabian sisters and brothers, you will live happily ever after.

　To Rostam's words, both Alisha and Shin smiled and returned straight away.

''Yes!''

　After receiving their replies, Rostam and Sachaque also smiled and disappeared.


◇ ◇ ◇


You ......!　You think you can lock me in a place like this and get away with it for free!　Hey, you listening to me!

　It was an underground room that existed in a remote part of the palace.
　There were rooms there to isolate the royalty and the nobility, the higher orders of people.
　But in this case, it was a prison for the nobility only.
　In such a heavily guarded prison room by soldiers, a man appears.
　It was a sorcerer dressed entirely in black robes.

You are the sorcerer!

　At the sight of the man, Massauda, who had been locked up in this room, raised his voice.
　At the same time, he regains his arrogance, as if in relief.

I've been expecting you. Now get me out of here. Of course you're ready to leave the country.



　The sorcerer ordered the sorcerer, who until just yesterday had been his arm, to do so, but the sorcerer's attitude toward him was calm.

Massauda. First of all, let me thank you. It is thanks to you that I have found out about the abilities of the demon cultivator who came to this country. His power is real. The ability to cultivate demons not only creates existing demons, but also new ones. That means that even demons that have been destroyed can be cultivated with his power.

"......?　What are you saying?

　The words that came out of the sorcerer's mouth made Massauda hide his eyebrows.
　But as if to ignore him, the sorcerer speaks as eloquently as a bard.

Prince Sin and Princess Alisha, the two of them, had the impossible task of growing up through his power to move people. They worked hard to overcome the obstacle that was you, and as a result, their growth brought about a positive change in this country. You were, in a sense, able to be a part of the world's evolution. Let me thank you for that. But still, sisterly love is a wonderful thing. The love of family, I can admire it as the most beautiful spark of bond I've ever known.

"...... so what are you saying?

　When the sorcerer speaks drunkenly in front of him, Massouda finally snaps at him as if he has reached his limit.
　But the sorcerer's eyes are ruthless, as he himself has done many times before, as if he were giving up on a useless pawn.

Massauda. I am here today to announce my resignation from your entourage. Well, this place is much better than your average prison, and if you had to spend the rest of your life in it, you wouldn't be too inconvenienced. Except that I'll never see the light of day again.

　At the sorcerer's line, Masuda, realizing that his face was turning pale, jumped out to cling to his feet.

"Well, wait!　Do anything and everything!　I'll do whatever you want, get me out of here--

That would be impossible. You can't get me what I want. What I want is something only the Demon Cultivator would be able to grow.

　With that much muttering the sorcerer disappeared.
　Later, only the screaming plea of Masuda echoed through the room.