The next morning after one night. Helian was lying on his bed in a room of his temporary lodging, looking out a virtual window.

　He crossed his arms and thought about the information he had obtained during his meeting with the frontier count.



"Liewe. What did you think of the blue knight's answer?



　He asks Levee, who was sitting in a chair in the room and filing paperwork.

　She is the only one here now who has temporarily reverted to her demon form. Both Gardi and Celes are on separate missions and are not at the inn.



　Helian, before the Blue Knight battle, might have unconsciously thought that , and might have finished the examination and consideration of this matter inside by herself.

　However, Helian now knows that it is a bad idea to try to follow through with such stubbornness.

　Therefore, he thought that he should at least have a minimum of consultation and exchange of opinions with Lieve, and he put his question to her.



　When asked, Levee turns her eyes away from the documents in her hand and turns her amber eyes to Helian. After a short pause for thought, she replied in a brisk tone of voice.



"I am sure you are not lying. I don't think that the frontier count had any information about the existence of the blue knight.

"And the reason for this?"

There is no point in hiding it. Assuming that they knew the existence of the blue knight, I cannot think of any merit in withholding this information from us. Also, I heard from Celes and others that Zion Gardiner and his escort knights were dismayed at the appearance of the metastasis phenomenon. The claim that this was an unprecedented event is probably true.

"I'm sure it's ......."



　Rieve's answer was almost as good as Hellián's guess.

　After all, the blue knight was a mythical threat that far surpassed the capabilities of the Count of the Frontier, who was considered to be the best of mankind, and even Liewe, the pride of Alkimaira's eight legionnaires, had a hard time with it.

　If they had known that such a monster existed in the city's labyrinth, whether it would be effective or not is another matter, they would have immediately sealed it up.



"There is a story that a knight who dies with a strong obsession or grudge left behind becomes undead, ...... but I don't think this line is likely either."

"Yes."



　Regardless of whether Blue Knight had any kind of obsession or grudge, if such a monster was born for such a reason, this world would have been destroyed a long time ago. In reality, however, the Boundary City of Seals, the shield of mankind, has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. According to the words of the frontier count, the strength of a person during his/her lifetime has an influence, but from this point of view, I do not think that the blue knight falls into that category.



　In addition, considering the condition of the blue knight at the time of the encounter, it is difficult to believe that the blue knight was walking freely in the labyrinth. He was bound by chains, and there was dust on his body as if he had been in the labyrinth for a long time. Judging from the circumstantial evidence, they must have been their first guests in hundreds of years. At least, it had been sleeping in the depths of the labyrinth, long before the birth of the frontier count.



"At the same time, it is hard to believe that it is just a stray demon. At any rate, you, the leader of the first legion, have been hurt so much. If you hadn't used the secret of the magic, you would have been killed for sure. It's crazy to think so.



　It was a blessing in disguise, Helian thinks now, that both he and Levee were transferred at the same time. If only one of them had jumped, he would have died for sure.



　This is true even if only Levee is transferred, not to mention if only Helian is transferred. The reason is that the secret cannot be activated without the king (the player). Considering the fact that the player was just barely able to win the battle even though he strengthened himself by using the secrets, it is very likely that he would have been killed by the blue knight alone.



"Should we call it an irregular ......?



　That thing is truly unique.

　It is clearly out of place (...) in the context of the demons it has encountered, the strength of the human race, and other historical backgrounds.

　It should be evaluated as a potential threat in a completely different category from the conventional forces of this world.



"Anyway.... If not even the SEAL leader, the Count of the Frontier, knows about it, it seems unlikely that we'll ever find out its true identity from the information we can get through personal connections."

"Unfortunately."

"Oh, well. This was already known before the meeting. I'll consider it a step forward just to have that fact revealed. ...... but more importantly, it has brought up some other headache-inducing concerns."



　Helian let out a heavy sigh on his bed.



"Of all the things, black hair and black eyes are the hallmarks of a brave man. ......"



　Frankly, I'm in a giving you a break.

　I asked the question with a light heart, but what I got back from the frontier count was an astonishing new fact that could be called a bad story.



"What do you think of this new information that you had not even imagined?

"Yes. I think the word "brave" is an appropriate way to describe Mr. Helian.

"............"



　I feel a twinkle in Levee's eyes as she looks at me, but it is not in the direction of the answer I wanted to hear. And for Helian, this new information is inconvenient. It is no wonder that the title of "brave" is so far from him, because now he can no longer take the hood off carelessly.



　Because he is a brave man. The symbol of a family of heroes. It's not just a matter of being conspicuous. I had heard that black hair and black eyes were rare, so I had kept it hidden to avoid attracting unnecessary trouble, but now I have to hide it even more firmly than before.

　It is Helian's honest impression that the number of troubles has increased.



(......, I'm more of a demon king myself...)



　Now I am a king leading a people of demons.

　If you ask me whether I am a brave man or a demon king, I am definitely in the demon king category.

　In fact, some of the people of LATESTWOOD were seriously afraid of me as a Demon King in the beginning, although the misunderstanding has been cleared up now.



　Considering this, I would say that our decision to hide the Alkimaira was a good one. I feel like patting myself on the back for making such a good decision.



　After all, a brave man is said to be the one who defeats the Demon King, and the frontier counts who rule the border city of Shields are the descendants of the brave man. Helian has no intention of pretending to be the Demon King, but if the existence of the Demon Kingdom (Alkimaira) is discovered, they will immediately turn against each other. As we would like to build a good relationship with the frontier counts, we would like to avoid such a situation.



"One thing is certain. One thing is certain. Now we cannot expose Alkimaira any more than before.

"Yes. But if the Commander of the VII Corps (Robin) and the Commander of the VI Corps (Camilla) carry out the Latestwood case as planned, it should not interfere with the original plan.

"Yes. That's why I'll have to be a little more cautious for the time being.



　Although I am in the midst of a period of great weakness due to the repercussions of my secretive activities, I can still be active as a healthy person for a little over five hours per day. I cannot just coast in bed because I am tired. Now that I have recovered so much, I must resume my work in earnest as their superior who has been working so hard for them.



　By the way, I don't even want to recall the first few days when I didn't recover at all. I have never resented the fact that my sponsor (Levee) was a woman as much as I resented those first few days. And I try not to think about the two days before I regained consciousness. If I imagine it carelessly, I might want to die in a fit.



"......Mr. Helian."

"Hm?　What is it?"



　While I was thinking about it, Levee approached me in a fearful tone.

　Then, after a slight hesitation, Lieve opened her knit lips as if she had made up her mind.



"With all due respect, how about taking command in your home country from now on? We will take care of things on the ground.



　Rieve's ears and tail stiffened nervously at his suggestion.

　Helian, who had received the advice, crossed his arms and thought.



"...... can I take that as a recommendation that you should take command in the safety of your castle?"



　A bead of sweat dripped down Rieve's cheek at the weight of the Lord's question. A large bead of sweat eventually trickled down his chin and made a stain on the floor. A fierce feeling of regret surged through her heart, but once she had spoken it, it was too late.




　What she advised them to do was her sincere and honest wish. Rieve was determined and returned the affirmation to the Lord.



　And then, right in front of her eyes.... Helian, still recovering from the cost of the secret, speaks his answer with his arms crossed.



"I see. I see..." She looks like this, so it is not surprising that such words come out of her mouth. ....... But I dare tell you. Rejected."



　Helian continues speaking, conscious of the solemnity of his words.



"I am certainly not in perfect physical condition. I am still exhausted from the ridiculous encounter with a mythological threat (SS rank). I accept that as a fact. However, that is no reason to change what I said in the audience chamber.



　Before leaving for human territory, Helian told Levee and the others about his future plans. He said that he had to show the people that they had nothing to worry about.



　And the reason why he is revered as the king, who does not have the power of a frontier count, nor the conviction of a leifer, nor the diplomatic skills and leadership abilities of a leader, is because of his in overcoming various hardships and tribulations.

　Although there have been many failures and defeats along the way, in the end, the background (history) of victory and successes has placed the weak man, Tsukasa Misaki (Helian), on the throne of king.

　That is how Helian perceived it.



　In view of this, this incident could even be considered lucky from a different perspective. Although the encounter itself was an unfortunate event, he was able to accomplish the feat of defeating a mythological threat so soon after his departure. We were able to show the people a new saga of the king. This will be quite effective in maintaining the loyalty of the people to King Helian.



　Although I feel that I am involved in some kind of divine mischief if I think about it calmly, I cannot be their superior if I do not have the tact to make the best out of a bad situation. After the incident the other day, Helian reminded himself of this and made an effort to look at things positively.



"If I run back to my home country over something like this, I will be laughed at by the people who are working so hard. At least if I were a citizen, I would be disillusioned by the king's cowardice.

"Yes, such a thing is ......!"

"Oh, good. You don't have to argue about this. I only meant that I would have thought so. Besides..."



　Helian looks into Liewe's eyes, takes a breath, and opens his mouth.



I have a trusted advisor. I have a loyal retainer who, despite being forced into unexpected combat with inadequate equipment, still managed to honorably protect the king. Then why would I run back to the castle?"



　As he spoke, Lieve's wolf ears sprang up on the top of his head, his face clear.

　After a few seconds, the meaning of the words permeated his brain, and his silver tail began to move back and forth vigorously, sending some of the stack of papers to the floor with the force of the wind.



　The reaction was more than I expected, even though I tried to ...... dress it up.

　I felt that I had somehow come to understand how to deal with Levee.



"Well, that's what I mean. Again, a single defeat of a mythological threat is an undeniable accomplishment. It's rather fortuitous that it cost us so little. Therefore, there's no need for you to feel guilty at all.

"......ah."



　A mumble escaped Levee's lips, as if she had uttered it unintentionally.

　Helian thinks that she was concerned after all, and a vermilion color of shame appears on Levee's cheeks.



(Even at the time of the game, he rarely sent me a request for activation. ......)



　There are two ways of activating the secrets: by giving permission upon the request of a subordinate, or by the king (the player) actively activating the secrets.

　Whenever she did request it, it was only for low-cost secrets such as "Crimson Moon", and she never requested to invoke her most important trump card. Even if she was facing a strong enemy, she tended to try to fight without her trump card unless she was in a very critical situation.



　Incidentally, some corps commanders may casually request the activation of the secrets even if the situation is not critical. A typical example is Nogard, the commander of the 8th corps. When he requested to invoke the secret of the secret with a life force consumption in excess of 70% against an enemy force that could be destroyed even with a normal force without the corps commander, I was indeed quite embarrassed.



"For the time being, I plan to return to Japan once in the case of the Rattestwood incident, but until then, I will continue my activities in the SEALs as planned. We can now set up a teleportal and we have a place where we can hide it. We want to continue to build the groundwork for gaining control until we are in a safe area. Therefore, we will first promote the establishment of a base of operations in this city to secure our position in the human realm. Is that clear?"

"--Ha. Awe."



　Rieve returned the color to his cheeks, and then solemnly offered his consent.

　Then, after looking curiously at the papers that had somehow fallen to the floor, she began to collect them quickly and efficiently.



　While watching the scene, Helian used a thought operation to open the virtual window.

　The newly displayed information is the geographical location of the border city of Shields.

　A map of SEALS, which has been made more detailed by Gardi's search for several weeks, appears in front of his eyes. As I stare at it, I recall the feeling of déjà vu that I had on my second day in the city.



(It's just like this town, isn't it? ......)



　In the center of the field of view, an overall view of SEALS in the shape of a vertical cross is projected like an aerial photograph.

　The southern part of the city, which corresponds to the longitudinal part, was located toward the boundary area and had numerous defense facilities and many layers of solid walls, giving it an air of a fortified city, while the central area had an orderly structure with a lot of convenience. If you zoom in on the map with the main street running through the center of the city in the center of the