Goodnight, Ray. I brought you another drink.
"Thank you every day, Princess Beatrixine.
"'Thanks every day, berry' - right?
Uh-huh. Thanks for everything, Belly.

　The princess demanded a correction and I reiterated it firmly.
'Ichigo-chan (berry),' as if it's a commoner's term of endearment, but she specifically allowed me to do so.
　I have to call her that, or else she won't forgive me.

I'm dressed as a lady's maid and freely explore the castle as a way to relax from my daily official duties. So what's the point of taking a break if you also treat me like a princess excessively!

　And the princess - no, Berry blurted out.

'Everyone in the castle knows about this, don't they?
It's kind of an open secret, isn't it?
'You all trust Berry enough to turn a blind eye to him, don't you?
You're just being overly demanding. In fact, I don't plan to leave the castle grounds even for a single moment, and I'm not afraid to explore.

　Berry says that and speaks hatefully, but I think he's a smart kid who knows how to draw the line between what's okay to do and what's not okay to do.
　He knows how many people would be worried or bothered if he went out to explore the castle grounds, so he doesn't go, no matter how curious he is.

　That's why Berry wants to hear stories about the outside of the castle from me.
　Every day since the first day we met, she's brought me something to bring to the nooks and crannies of the backyard where I've been training myself.
　I take a break to enjoy it and chat with her.
　I'm a country bumpkin who doesn't know much about things either. The topic of conversation is mainly about demons. This is something I know more or less about thanks to Magnus.

"I heard that the army of the 'magic bullet general' is attacking from the north, right?
Yeah. But I'm told they're holding them off well in the Citadel Kilomit.
General Georg, the protector of the Kiro-Mitsu, is a great war commander!

　Berry proudly mentioned the name of the general in the Grand Duke's service.

The plan is for Magnus and I to aim for that kilomitz, killing all the boss monsters that are doing bad things along the way and leveling up so that we can prepare for the 'Magic Bullet General'.
That's all well and good, but will you be able to keep your kilomitsu until then, Warrior of Light?
'So far it doesn't seem to be a problem at all. This is just Magnus's take on it, but there are no refugees pouring in from the north, nor is the Grand Duchy's distribution or economy in shambles. They say this is the best proof that the defensive warfare in Kilomit is stable.
Well that's a wonderful insight. Magnus, you seem to be a very wise man, don't you think?
'Yes. I've never met anyone smarter and more knowledgeable than Magnus.

　It's nice to hear Magnus praised as much as it is my own!
　--what can I say, am I getting too carried away?
　But I can't pretend to mean it.

'But, Ray?　I have no doubt that the generals of Kirumitsu are working that hard, but is the 'magic bullet general' a surprisingly meek opponent?
'No way!　Don't ever underestimate those demons, Berry!

　I shook my head as hard as I could.

"The highest level I've ever fought was 20 manticores,
Twenty?　Even Sir Dane, who wants the name of the strongest knight in the castle, is 15!
Yeah, in fact, the Manticore was incredibly powerful. But they say his level is over 40.
You're kidding...

　Berry turned pale and exclaimed.
　His hands froze as he reached for the candy.

'Hey, Ray?　If that were true, wouldn't the kilomitz have fallen long ago?
Indeed, if the Magus General himself had attacked, I think this castle would have fallen as well as the Kiro-Mitsu.

　I think, or rather, that this is all just Magnus' take on it.

Then why doesn't the "Magic Bullet General" himself attack us?　Are you skimping?
'Well this may be disgusting to Berry, but...'
I don't mind, speak up. A public servant who shuts her ears to stories that displease her is not qualified to govern.

　This is the kind of resoluteness of Berry.
　It's so cool.
　I like it.
　Well, I can't say it out loud, but.

Then, let's suppose that the Magic Bullet General comes to this castle and kills Berry and the Grand Duke and his sons and daughters, the country of Luxon will be finished, right?
''Before that, let's not play the game of saying that one of your brothers should have escaped from the castle and tried to revive your family, so can we continue with the hypothetical?
So, if Luxon is destroyed, it doesn't mean that we humans are defeated by demons.
Yeah, I can see that now.
To a demon, beating a human means driving them to extinction.
If the Demon Lord turned this castle into a sea of fire, and the people who survived are holed up in various places and continue the resistance, then there's not much point in letting the castle fall.
Yeah, yeah. Lord Dane is naturally stronger than a rat, isn't he?　But you can't eradicate the rats in the castle, can you?　"It's the same with the Magic Bullet General."
And how is this Bullet Master going to beat the humans?
So I've been having the demons under my command fight to level up my army.
Oh...!

　Berry, sitting sideways on the lawn, tapped her pretty kneecaps, glancing through the hem of her skirt.

'It's hard to eradicate a human being with the strongest 'individual', but with a well-trained 'group', it's possible to do that someday, I suppose.
Yeah, yeah.

　In addition, Magnus speculated that this could also be an aspect of the competition for advancement between the "Eight Demon Generals".

Hmmm, that's an interesting story. It's just as interesting to hear from someone who has actually been on the front lines fighting these monsters.
No ... hahaha ... it's all from Magnus...
'Ray needs to get out of his despicable habit!　You are not so frivolous as to let Lord Magnus speak his mind to the unimportant, are you?　Because of the trust you place in Ray, you share a sense of community with him, don't you?　Then you should keep your chest out, Ray!
Gee, I'm sorry...
I'm not sorry!
Oh, thank you.
Okay.

　Berry said with a smirk.
　That look on her face, which was so selfish, was really dazzling to me.
　Whenever I despised myself, she would get angry at me as if it were her own fault, and that always saved my heart and my mind.

　In fact, when she started coming to see me every day, I no longer felt the pain of life at the palace.
　I am so grateful for Berry's presence in my life.

　N-No................................

There you are, Princess Beatrixine.
I have been looking for you for a long time, my friend.

　We were alone, but then the sound of unassuming footsteps approached us.

　Berry sighs next to me, as if fed up.
　I wondered what the hell was going on, and looked at the group that had come all the way to the corner of the backyard.

　It was a group of knights.
　They are also called youngsters, those who are before the age of twenty.
　That's fine. That's fine in this case.
　The problem is that the boy who leads them is the one who walks at the front.
　That one too noticed my presence and was blindsided.
　We looked at each other and muttered at the same time.

'Ray, what are you doing here?'
Eldora, what are you doing here?