Chapter 16
“ALL RIGHT, then I’ll leave you to it, Marchosias. Make sure she’s well attended to.”
“Sure, leave it to me!”
That was what Barbatos and Marchosias said to each other while they stood in front of the hut that Etoto was in.
“Please get her back safe.”
“I’ll be with her, so there’s no need to worry.”
Beside them a similar exchange was going on between Wallenstein and one of their friends, the light demon Liliella, who’d been called in for reinforcements. It was her job to lead Etoto and the others to Wallenstein’s hideout once they’d completed their assignment.
This was because they’d be splitting up into two groups once again.
Mira, Wallenstein, Meilin, and Barbatos would follow the trail that they’d discovered and capture the dark demon who left it.
The first three were the strongest of the group, and they could each handle whatever foe awaited them, no matter how powerful they may be. And they also had Barbatos, who could follow the traces of the unique demonic power that the dark demon had left behind. Collectively, they’d be the pursuit team.
That left Etoto, Bruce, and Marchosias who, together with Liliella, made up the protection team.
Since Wallenstein and Barbatos, who were members of the organization, would be away on the pursuit team, they’d decided to call in Liliella who was also a member.
Perhaps because she’d been assigned this task by Wallenstein, she burned with extraordinary enthusiasm.
“…So, that’s the situation. I leave the rest to you.”
“You can count on me, Master. I will do everything in my power to accomplish this task that you’ve assigned me!”
Meanwhile, Mira was having a similar exchange beside them. Not with Bruce, however, but with the three Valkyrie sisters he’d summoned, Helknae, Elenae, and Raglinae.
They’d been summoned after considering what kind of impression the protection team might give to others.
First, there was Liliella who, regardless of her genuine age, looked like a young girl. Then there was Etoto, who actually was a young girl.
And with them was Bruce, who was a middle-aged man, as well as the cheerful, carefree, and happy-go-lucky Marchosias.
If anyone saw the four of them marching down the street together, just what would they think? How exactly would they come off?
The chances were undoubtedly very high that they’d get the wrong idea, and so they summoned the three Valkyries.
Hrmm, now it shouldn’t be an issue.
And so, Bruce and his companions finally left Etoto’s house. Watching as the group departed, Mira nodded to herself that they should be fine now.
With Elenae and her sisters in tow, they looked much less suspicious. At first glance, the group just looked like a team of adventurers guarding the two girls.
Such being the case, they should have no trouble avoiding any unnecessary suspicion not only on the road, but when they met Etoto’s mother.
“Well, then, I suppose we should head out as well,” Mira said.
There was no longer anything to worry about, and so all that remained was to find the dark demon who’d tricked Etoto.
About an hour or so after Barbatos began following this dark demon’s trail, the party arrived at a small village in the mountains.
“Hrmm… At first glance, it looks like a normal village, but there’s some sort of unsettling vibe coming from it…” Mira said.
Hiding atop a hill that overlooked the village, Mira and her companions scoped it out. The trail that’d been left by the dark demon had led them here.
Had the dark demon simply passed through? Or were they hiding there?
The village looked so tranquil that it was quite difficult to decide just from looking at it. And yet, Mira felt something wasn’t quite right and deemed it to be suspicious.
“Hmm… It doesn’t feel human,” Meilin said, as if in agreement with Mira.
She observed that the villagers may have looked like normal humans, but they likely weren’t.
Guided by instinct, they turned to Wallenstein as if to ask what the deal was.
Perhaps because the magic demons used to disguise themselves was fundamentally different from the kind she was familiar with, even someone with Mira’s talents couldn’t easily see through such disguises. And to do so, she needed considerable preparation as well several different spells.
However, they had Wallenstein and Barbatos, who were experts in this field, with them, and so it didn’t take very long to have their assumption verified.
“Ah… This means… Yes, indeed. You’re right. They’re in this village,” Wallenstein said.
Thanks to his specialized exorcism equipment, he was able to quickly clarify their true identities.
He explained that the village was ruled by demons, and all the villagers weren’t humans; they were in fact lesser demons.
“And it seems our target is in that large mansion. I can sense the densest amount of demonic power coming from there,” Barbatos added, pointing out exactly where the dark demon was residing.
The power from the dark demon seemed to be concentrated inside this mansion deep in the village. What’s more, it was the exact same power as the one they’d followed from Etoto’s cabin.
In short, the very one who’d exploited Etoto was there.
“Judging from how strong their power is, I’m guessing they’re a considerably powerful Count-rank demon… But, with everyone we’ve got here, I’m sure they shouldn’t be a problem,” Barbatos said, somewhat surprised that the demon lurking there was stronger than he’d imagined. And yet, glancing at Mira and her companions, he smiled as he suggested they should be able to handle the demon that very day.
“That said, we’re up against a dark demon. I used to be one as well, so I can attest to just how cunning they are. We ought to be ready for anything,” he continued.
Currently, they had enough fighting strength to take on a Duke-rank demon head on. And yet, Barbatos added once again that this didn’t mean that they could be too confident.
“Hrm, good point,” Mira said.
“First, we ought to check whether they have any hostages, and we’d better make some preparations as well.”
In addition to their foe being a dark demon, the fight would be taking place entirely in an enemy stronghold. That meant they had no way of knowing what sort of traps might have been set up there.
Knowing full well the cruel and cunning tactics used by dark demons, Mira and Wallenstein agreed that preparation was half the battle. They began investigating the village and readying their own plans.
Meanwhile, Meilin, who’d wanted to charge right in through the front door, felt a little let down.
“It doesn’t seem like they’ve captured anybody,” Mira said.
Having used Woofson’s nose as well as Meilin’s [Biometric Scan], she’d gotten a reading on everyone in the village.
Including the dark one, there were fifty-four demons in total. As one might expect within a demonic stronghold, they didn’t seem to be bothering with disguises. Having distinguished each and every one of those Meilin had detected, Woofson concluded that none of them were human.
“I’ve detected and taken care of several traps on my end. I set them to explode instead of disabling them, so if you see white flames suddenly flare up, don’t worry about it.”
It seemed as if Wallenstein and Barbatos had more or less completed their preparations as well.
Sure enough, traps had been set all over the village. But because there were traces that they’d all been set by the dark demon, he’d opted to rig them with an explosive spell rather than disabling them, so they wouldn’t be discovered.
Afterward, when they began their battle against the dark demon, white flames would flare up to neutralize those traps if they were activated.
“Hrm, understood. But jeez, you’ve picked up some even more cool tricks, huh?”
“Yes, and you’re making me use them all up,” Wallenstein answered.
Wallenstein also seemed to have very much improved from what he’d been capable of in the past. Mira began wishing he’d show her his research notes, but now wasn’t the time for that.
Finally, their preparations were complete. Now all that remained was to deal with the dark demon.
“He and I will see if we can’t deal with the dark demon, so can you and Meilin take care of the lesser demons?” Wallenstein asked.
Their opponent was a dark demon, the type that Wallenstein and his comrades worked to rescue. And so, as soon as he asked this, he took out some unfamiliar tools and armed himself with them. They were used to weaken dark demons while harming them as little as possible.
“Hrm, leave it to us.”
“…Sure.”
Knowing it was best to leave dealing with the dark demon to Wallenstein and his comrades, Mira readily agreed with his proposal. Meilin, once more, seemed let down.
She’d explained the situation regarding the dark demon as well as what Wallenstein and his comrades were trying to accomplish, and so she must’ve known that it was best to split up. However, the dark demon was undoubtedly the strongest foe there, which was precisely why she felt so disappointed.
“Come on, don’t be so bummed out. One of the lesser demons might have a demon’s crystal. And if a fiend makes an appearance, you can take them on,” Mira said.
A demon’s crystal was a special item that summoned a random fiend. It was rare for lesser demons to carry one, but considering how many of them there were, at least one would most likely have one.
Having been enticed with this, Meilin then responded, “You promise, okay!” as her eyes smoldered with fighting spirit.
“All right then, let’s go,” Mira said.
Having formulated their battle plan, they were done being stealthy.
Going their separate ways from Wallenstein and Barbatos, Mira and Meilin marched into the village.
Proceeding straight through the village, they came upon a villager who turned around and said, “Well, I’ll be. It’s pretty rare for us to get guests this late at night. There isn’t much here, but we can at least provide you with food and shelter. So, come right over here.”
If they hadn’t known better, they might’ve simply thought him a kind villager.