Apparently, the demon king is mixed in the hero’s party.
It was the goddess Mirabel, who reincarnated me into this world, who told me that.
I’m what you’d call someone who reincarnated. I was an average businessman in my old world, but then died and was reincarnated. Pretty basic stuff.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
She says with a sharp expression after I threw the question back at her.
So the demon king really is in our party.
“I don’t know what the demon king is plotting, but it is among you.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“Hum, if I did, I would have told you from the start.”
Useless goddess.
“Did you just think of me as useless?”
“No, I would never think something so rude.”
Mirabel sighs deeply. She clearly knows, but she’s not mad enough to pursue it further.
“Normally, we gods are not allowed to interfere with the world below. The very fact that I am helping you like this is taboo.”
“You told me that when I was reincarnated.”
“Yes! But I didn’t want to leave you alone with danger approaching, after you were reincarnated and all!”
She’s a goddess, but it sounds more like she’s a middle manager.
Naturally, there is someone above her, and if she thoughtlessly breaks the rules, she will be punished.
She is a kind goddess, or she wouldn’t have gone out of her way to warn me. I feel embarrassed for thinking she was useless.
“So the demon king is one of my friends.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“If you say so, I believe it, but it hurts to suspect the people I have been traveling with…”
“Yes, but it’s the truth. You are free to doubt it, but it would be terrible if you were betrayed by someone you trust, and killed. Demons are sly, so you know you can’t let your guard down with them, right?”
“Yes…”
Our sworn enemy is among us. It’s hard to accept.
It’s been three years since we were summoned by the country and sent on a journey to defeat the demon king.
We have looked for our enemy’s base, the demon king’s castle, while dealing with rampaging monsters and plotting demons in various lands.
“And I can’t talk about it with anyone, right?”
“No one other than me.”
That’s another problem. Mirabel says I shouldn’t talk to anyone else about this.
The demon king can use Mind Read magic.
If the person I’m confiding in just happens to be the demon king, I’ll be killed on the spot. If it’s someone else, the demon king will read her mind and kill her.
“The cheats I gave you prevent anyone from reading your mind and brainwashing you, but the same does not go for your friends.”
“Of course.”
They’re definitely not weak. The fact that they’re the hero’s party alone means they’re stronger than others. But still, Mirabel says no one else can block the demon king’s Mind Read.
“To put it simply, everyone in your party is level sixty-five.”
“That doesn’t sound great.”
“That’s about right, but don’t worry, you are strong. But your enemy, the demon king, is level one hundred.”
“It’s frustrating how it feels far away, but at the same time just close enough to feel within reach…”
“And you can definitely reach it if you get stronger. But as you know, the difference in level means you can’t beat the demon king one on one.”
“Of course.”
“To make up for that gap, you either have to get stronger, or coordinate with your friends.”
“But the demon king is one of them.”
The words feel heavy as they leave my mouth. So I have to fight alongside my friends to beat the demon king, but the demon king is one of them, meaning I don’t know if I can trust them.
One of them is the demon king, but if the one I suspect isn’t it, and I end up mistakenly taking her down, that’s something I can never take back. Demons are sly. I know that very well.
“There is one thing you should do. Find proof of who the demon king is, and expose it to your other friends so you can fight together! That is all you can do.”
“So treat my friends as suspects as I look for the demon king…”
“I keep saying it, but you’re the only one the demon king cannot Mind Read! You must not speak to anyone without evidence! If the demon king reads someone’s mind and finds out, it’s over!”
“I understand. It pains me, but I’ll try to figure out who it is.”
Gather evidence. I’m not going to become some genius detective or anything, but I have to do what I can. If I don’t, my friends are in danger, and they don’t even know it.
Without evidence and certainty of who the demon king is, the others won’t believe me. Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt. I never thought I’d be in a position like this before I reincarnated.
“I will keep appearing in your dreams like this, so we can talk. I’m not supposed to interfere, but this is too much for you to carry on your own. Remember, you have someone you can talk to!”
“Thank you Mirabel. If I may grumble, I already feel like this stomach ache will kill me.”
“It’s too early to grumble!”
She smacks me on the head. She was like this when I met her too, but she’s always quick to react like this.
I reincarnated here twenty-eight years ago, and I’ve seen Mirabel in my dreams many times since then. She says interfering with this world is taboo, but she’s appeared in my dreams well over a hundred times.
She’s worried. She’s kind and cares about me. I’m very thankful for her support when it felt like my heart was breaking.
But that’s enough grumbling. My stomach hurts, but I have to be strong for my friends.
“The sun will come up soon. See you next time, Kyle.”
“Yes! See you next time, Mirabel!”
“Good luck!”
Her smile is bright as she fades away.
It will be morning soon, and my consciousness will wake up.
I have five suspects.
First, the core of the hero’s party and holy sword user, the hero Eclair. I feel like it’s wrong to suspect the hero, but there’s a fundamental problem. She doesn’t speak, and throughout all this time, I’ve never heard her voice. And she has been arrested once before.
Second, the supporting firepower of our party, Sasha the mage, who can use multiple spells. She’s an alcoholic and she’s always drinking. I feel like she’s out on her own a lot too. And she’s been arrested for her behavior while drunk.
Third, Dal the thief, who is an expert explorer who detects and disarms traps and is in charge of mapping. Everyone in the hero’s party was somewhat known before, but she was the only exception. Her past history is kind of iffy, and she was arrested for stealing a national treasure.
Fourth, someone on the vanguard like me, the agile fighter who leads her enemies as she pleases, Tora. She’s a tiger beast person and her face is kind of stern, but she’s been arrested multiple times trying to take cute boys home.
Fifth, the always necessary healer. Noel is an elf who heals and buffs the party. Her heart is open to her fellow party members, but she publicly hates humans, and doesn’t even like to be in their presence. She was arrested after hitting an important noble.
Yep, they could all be it!
After waking up, I need to sort out what information I have.
There’s no need to panic, I’ll definitely find evidence on who the demon king really is.
“I’ll catch my friend to save my friends.”
Index Next Chapter>>
