Dal realizes what she said, and her face turns red as she rushes out of the room.
I get it. I’m not that dense. Dal likes me.
If I don’t think about it and accept it, that makes me happy. She’s beautiful.
I’d be lying if her blushing smiling face didn’t do anything for me. Honestly, it’s moving.
Men are simple, and we aren’t going to feel bad about someone liking us. Of course I’ll be happy.
That said, what I just heard is pretty heavy. It’s too much for my stomach.
“No wonder I never heard of her. She’s our country’s secret.”
“A half demon half royalty is a big problem, master.”
It was supposed to be our secret, but someone else was listening. My sword.
She doesn’t know Durandal is sentient and can talk, so there was nothing we could do. Actually, it was never our secret to begin with.
“Durandal, what do you think the risk would be like if Dal’s identity was found out?”
“Let’s see… There would be an uproar in the neighboring country of Crematoras without a doubt. Their queen was killed by demons, so they hate them more than most.”
“Crematoras…”
Demons were nothing but things in fairy-tales until just a few years ago. And there are many demons like Berial and Dal’s mother who have been living disguised as humans for a long time.
The demon king returned five years ago, and with that, these demons we didn’t even know existed started making moves.
They’re sometimes bold, sometimes prudent, but it’s when they’re sly that they really cause damage. And the damage caused in these last few years has left big wounds on the hearts of the people.
That’s why there is so much hope placed on our party.
“The demon who killed the queen was her lady in waiting for many years, right?”
“Yes. She had served the king since he was a baby, so he trusted her. The fact that he let her take care of the queen is proof enough.”
“And despite all that trust, she betrayed the queen and killed her… That’s just miserable.”
I’ve been in Crematoras as a freelance mercenary.
I was only a mercenary whose name was known a bit, so I didn’t get to meet the king, but it was obvious that the people adored the king and queen.
And the queen being killed by a demon amplified their hatred of demons all over the country.
“It’d be bad if Crematoras knew.”
“It would. A half demon is still a demon.
They would not care about our circumstances. As far as they’re concerned, she would be a hated enemy and nothing else.
They would demand her head, and worst case scenario, there would be war between the two countries over her.”
A sigh escapes my mouth.
That’s even more reason why this secret can’t get out. Neither to Crematoras or demons.
If demons knew, that would be the worst. They could instigate war between humans.
“There is also Telma, ruled by elves. They see demons as impure beings.”
“Then priests…”
Most priests are elves. They are a very faithful race, but to become a priest, you must have the holy aptitude.
One can be exempted from this rule, but only after passing a trial that shows devotion to god.
I’m getting off track, but to summarize, many priests are elves because it’s common for elves to be born with holy aptitude. It’s said to be ninety percent.
That’s why they declare they are god’s chosen race, and they’re kind of nasty.
Their discriminatory remarks stand out, and they tend to look down on those without the holy aptitude.
Since darkness is the opposite of light, they have a special dislike of demons, who they see as an impurity in this world, and a race that does not belong in it.
I’m sure they’d want to kill a half demon. They might even put her on trial for heresy and execute her publicly.
“I think it will be all right with Noel, but we should be cautious with other priests.”
“Yes. I will.”
Our companion Noel is an elven priest, but I think she’ll be all right.
She dislikes humans, but I think she has a soft spot for us after we’ve been traveling together all this time.
But we don’t know what might happen if the church gave instructions, so let’s still be a little careful.
“Good thing that tsundere elf didn’t see her use magic.”
“Where did you learn the word tsundere?”
“From my former master!”
…Takeshi!
As Durandal said, the saving grace is that Noel didn’t see her use magic. She was in the inn with a cold at the time. Then again, if Noel was there, Dal probably wouldn’t have needed to use it.
Being down one member clearly made a big difference in that battle.
“Only you and Sasha clearly saw her use magic.”
“And I regret that now.”
“Accept it!”
I remember it very well. It was a battle that showed all too well how important a healer is.
Tora and I were on the vanguard together, but Tora fainted after taking a hit for the hero. If Dal didn’t use magic, Sasha would’ve been done in for sure.
And it was because Dal’s magic scared our enemies that the hero’s holy sword managed to connect.
It’s a painful memory.
“Well then master. We have some examples, but surely few people would have a favorable view of a half demon.”
“I guess so.”
“Yes. While there are demons like Berial, they are a small minority.
Most demons bring about a lot of damage, so the entire world is united in seeing them as enemies.”
I need to tell Dal not to use darkness magic again. Thankfully, the risk of her being exposed is minimal if she doesn’t.
Being only half demon means she doesn’t have the characteristics of a demon, like a tail or wings.
I think other than her using magic, only a priest’s Judgment spell would out her.
Demons disguise themselves as people, and they’re very difficult to find among them.
We can’t hurt people who are unrelated to demons by mistake, but priests’ magic is one of the few ways to find them.
Judgment is a spell only used by those who have given themselves to god. It’s a judgmental light that burns away only those with evil feelings and intentions.
Many demons have been destroyed by this spell, so it can’t be said to be wrong.
“So demons are a common enemy, Durandal. But why do they attack us?”
“Because they were once persecuted by humans and elves.”
Hn?
“Demons, who did not have the power they have now, were enslaved by humans and elves and made to work hard for the development and prosperity of their countries.”
“Ah, I see.”
“They were treated unjustly and even their dignity was trampled. It’s said that when a leader called the demon king appeared after all that suffering, a rebellion against humans and elves began.”
…Then didn’t humans and elves create this problem?
