The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 64: The Interrogation

“Investigator, I will explain everything.”

Blanco, with a solemn tone, recounted to Neil and the other investigators the full sequence of events that had transpired here.

“Ha…”

Neil, pressing his forehead in frustration, uttered in disbelief.

“Is that what you call an explanation? It’s utterly incomprehensible.”

“What is…”

“You just stood there and watched?”

Blanco, stung by the accusation, protested.

“It was… the technique was too swift; there was no time to intervene…”

“Shouldn’t you have done something, anything? Killed or stalled? The Twin Blade Assassin has already fled far away, and the LaFon party has met their demise…”

Neil approached with large, determined strides.

‘It seems he’s blaming me.’

Neil, bringing his face close to mine, said with disdain.

“I despise cowards like you more than the Twin Blade Assassin. Weak and full of fear, scavenging around here for scraps.”

“Investigator!”

Blanco retorted, as if to say this wasn’t right.

This is not the action I would have chosen.

“Do you have anything to say?”

“Nothing.”

“…Damned brat. You’re displeasing to me.”

He turned his back and pointed his finger at me.

“It should have been you who died at the hands of the Twin Blade Assassin, not LaFon…”

“That’s enough, Neil.”

“Damn it… Balphus, was it? I’ll grant your wish and assign you to the outer perimeter. Stay out of my sight forever.”

Well, well.

Could this be fortune in disguise?

* * *

“It’s a dangerous game… the Twin Blade, is it?”

“He must be wandering the Great Forest by now.”

“If he’s taken the map and fears Scala, he’d better hurry out of the Great Forest.”

Well…

I doubt he would do that.

“What will you do? I have something that might help calm your nerves…”

“Tea?”

“Yes. The ‘Let Fate Decide’ tea.”

“Sleep… what?”

“It’s not your ordinary balloon flower tea. I’ve used a special product! How about it, want to buy it? Last time I gave a discount…”

“…No, thanks.”

“Change your mind, just let me know! Ha-ha!”

As Pio sprawled out to rest again, the demons’ conversation drifted over.

“Why not just kill the Twin Blade or whatever?”

“Ruby, we must avoid actions that draw attention within the punitive force.”

“Is that so? But what if that guy keeps provoking us?”

“Even if we kill him, it must never be in front of others. It would draw unnecessary attention. And thanks to our tolerance of him, we could slip away to the desired outer boundary. Things have worked out rather well.”

“Hmm… the captain is right.”

The punitive force members who witnessed the death of the LaFon party approached the deceased’s friends to offer condolences.

“That Twin Blade bastard… joining the hunt was suspicious from the start.”

“Those Easterners can’t be trusted.”

“Watch your words. There are a few of those ‘Easterners’ you speak of here.”

“Hmm…”

Elsewhere, the talk was all about the current hunt.

“This time, they seem determined to uncover the source of Urea’s immortality.”

“Really?”

“I hear the association brought such an excessive number of people for that very reason. They plan to thoroughly search the nearby Great Forest.”

“Pity for the adventurers. It was an event that let them touch big money every autumn.”

“Still, facing that monster every year is too much. Haven’t you heard how those touched by Urea’s breath die?”

“This is news to me.”

“They say they swell up with overflowing vitality until they burst. Horrific, isn’t it?”

If the association is serious, I can’t stay in the Great Forest any longer. Waiting for them to leave is like waiting for death with the door wide open.

“Hey! I’ve brought the hot-off-the-press deployment map.”

Pio returned, waving a parchment.

“What’s that?”

“What else? With the LaFon party gone, the deployment will be revised. This is the updated one.”

“I see.”

Swoosh…

I unfolded the parchment and checked the deployment map.

‘Huh?’

I’ve been assigned a considerably better position than before. With this…

“But… there’s some unsettling news you should hear.”

“…What?”

“One of the deployment maps has disappeared.”

“…What?”

“It’s suspected that the Twin Blade or one of his insiders might have taken it…”

That means…

‘…Damn.’

Pio shrugged his shoulders.

“I requested a deployment change, but it was ignored.”

“Neil, was it?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

The Twin Blade’s exposure to the deployment wouldn’t directly harm the punitive force.

The only one troubled by the exposure is me.

Swoosh…

Glancing around, I saw Neil watching me from afar amidst the crowd of investigators.

Hmph.

“He’s like a petulant teenager.”

“Neil, you mean? He’s a headache… He hates cowards, just like his master.”

“…It sounds like you’re implying I’m a coward.”

“Ahahaha! Did it sound like that? Come on, there’s nothing cowardly here. It’s worse to intimidate in numbers.”

Neil’s behavior was inappropriate, but I could understand his dislike for me. If I were an ordinary adventurer, I might have been overly concerned about Neil’s opinion.

“But this is serious… If the Twin Blade really took the deployment map…”

“The moment the Urea hunt begins will be the most dangerous.”

“If he’s still in the Great Forest, he’ll probably try to kill you, right? Hmm, it’s obvious. The Twin Blade’s way of thinking is easy to predict. How can I… help you?”

“…You’re offering help?”

Pio’s offhand remark caught my attention.

The Twin Blade, though it was a surprise attack, had literally ground the renowned LaFon party to dust. To take on such a formidable opponent?

“There’s nothing I can’t do. But… it won’t be free. Buy a product from me!”

“…What’s the catch this time?”

“What’s friendship for! Tea. But this one’s a bit pricey.”

“…Since when were we friends?”

“Haven’t we shared crises and sympathies?”

“…”

“…Fine, I was going to give you a special discount. But if you don’t want it… I won’t care if the Twin Blade comes after you!”

“Let me know if you change your mind. As for friendship… I’ll think about it.”

Thump, thump…

He patted my shoulder and walked away.

“So, not many chances to be friends with me, huh?”

* * *

Days passed once more.

At last, the punitive force entered the striking range of Urea. So much so that, standing still and looking into the distance, one could catch a glimpse of something presumed to be Urea.

“Wow… that’s Urea…”

“Scala is a monster, to face such a beast head-on?”

“Have you never seen an ogre in combat?”

“The investigative team is a group of monsters themselves.”

With Urea in sight, the punitive force began their final respite. Seeing everyone’s solemn expressions as they tried to soothe their anxiety, it was almost strange how calm I remained.

‘I should be the most anxious of all.’

Right now, they seem like allies, but as soon as Urea falls, they’ll turn into enemies. No, if the demon servants are discovered before Urea falls, it’s highly likely they’ll become enemies from that moment on.

As the marathon of death loomed, my heart was eerily tranquil.

Swoosh…

Someone slipped through the guard’s gap and brushed past me. In my hand was a note folded several times.

‘Romwell?’

The situation is not good. You have a plan, right?
Of course, there’s a plan.

A plan well-utilized in the original story.

You only have one chance. As soon as you finish reading this note… leave the camp immediately.
‘…What?’

I’m about to cause a commotion. It’s likely the camp will be swept up. I’m not sure how things will unfold, but when the time comes, execute your plan.
I turned around and told my companions immediately.

“Everyone, we’re breaking away.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean…?”

“There’s no time to explain.”

As we hurriedly escaped the camp, avoiding the eyes of the punitive force members, Pio happened to be coming from the opposite direction, probably returning from a task in the forest.

“Huh? Going out as a group for a leak? Where are you headed?”

While I was choosing the right words to say to him, the situation took a drastic turn.

Rooooaaaarrrrrrrr!
Boom…

Urea, who had been motionless, started moving and let out a monstrous roar. At the same time, screams erupted from the camp.

“Scout report! Urea is reacting to something!”

…Romwell has made his move.

“Additional report! Unidentified fiends are luring Urea out!”

“Block them! What is the reconnaissance team doing!”

“That’s…”

Without realizing, I urgently spoke to Pio.

“Pio.”

“Uh… Yes?”

Pio might become an enemy if the situation changes. It would be right to leave him in the camp to die.

But…

“…Don’t rush back to the camp, enjoy a walk or something.”

Why did I say that?

The death of a human is nothing to me…

‘Ah… I see.’

My principle of action is not hatred for humans. It’s solely to make Faust happy, to move according to that will.

Ironically, for my own happiness, I uttered those words, wishing that this person, who had treated me kindly, would not die here.

It may seem a great contradiction that I, who have taken many lives, wish for someone not to die. But the grand principle exists above all contradictions.

For Faust’s happiness, anything goes. There’s no need to be just or good.

“Ha-ha… What’s that…”

As Pio looked at me incredulously, a magical reaction continued in the distance, as if being sucked into Urea.

The overflowing vitality.

“Damn…”

Wham!

I grabbed Pio’s wrist and ran as far as possible from that spot.

The direction Urea was facing… was precisely where Pio and I had been.

Wham!

We fell forward together, as if collapsing.

Boom!

[Urea uses the Breath of Overflowing Life.]

[Urea gathers the surrounding life force and releases it.]

[Targets hit by the breath recover health, and any healing beyond their maximum health deals life damage instead.]

Like a razor smoothly gliding across stubble, leaving the chin clean, the center of the Great Forest was blown open.

By a hair’s breadth, my companions and I managed to avoid the breath. The same was true for Pio.

“Uh… Uh…”

Pio looked at me with shocked eyes. As I turned my back to leave, I advised him.

“Pio. Leave this place, you might die.”

“…”

Loud shouts continued to come from the camp.

“Deploy! Deploy now! The Urea subjugation begins now!”

“After regrouping the punitive force, join Lord Scala immediately! Repeat! After regrouping the punitive force, join Lord Scala…”

The camp was in chaos.

At least half of the punitive force was swept away by Urea’s breath.

The death of many.

Bodies, unrecognizable, burst open, were scattered everywhere.

Dozens were swept away.

So many lives lost without a chance to prepare.

…Am I sad or pained by this?

‘…No.’

This moment is precisely what I had hoped for.

“From now on, we retreat at full speed!”