Ed put down a bag commonly used in the human world and glared at Hien. His mind was quite complicated.
It was clear that Demon had sent a sign telling him what to do with this guy... but what should he do?
'Kill him?'
No, if he was going to kill him, Demon would have killed him long ago.
If you can't read even one look in the eyes, you're disqualified as an adjutant. Ed's mood sank.
Anyway, he couldn't just waste his time like this. Another assumption came to mind.
'It looks like they've had all the conversations they needed to have, so I guess that doesn't mean they should be sent out.'
Even if that wasn't the case, he had to leave again because he had more luggage to take care of, but it worked out well.
Wasn't it impossible to leave Hien alone in a room where Demon was also away?
"Go back now... what are you doing now?"
"Ah."
A low voice growled. At the same time, a painful groan rang out.
Hien was putting that strange flower into Demon Arut's bag.
It probably wouldn't work anyway, but maybe it was an intention to harm Demon. Ed's eyes were suddenly filled with murder.
"Explain. Is this an action approved by Demon?"
His wrist, which was held as if it was about to break, trembled in pain.
Hien closed his mouth for a moment as if to relieve the pain, and then spoke slowly.
"It's an escort plant. It's a flower that bloomed from seeds that Demon gave me, so I think I should give it to Demon. I also told Demon."
The answer was no.
But Demon needed someone to weed out the scoundrels.
The mission itself was confidential, and the possibility of that 'someone' becoming a burden was greater than the possibility of making Demon's movement easier, so he did not take him with him.
'If it's a plant that's relatively small and easy to carry around, it'll be fine.'
He knew it was presumptuous. Even if Demon found out about this and cut off his head, I have nothing to say. However, whenever Demon visited the human world, he always came back with dark shadows under his eyes.
Hien suspected that this was because he was carrying out a confidential mission alone and dealing with monsters that would attack him without even knowing the subject while he was on the road, so he wanted to give him something to relieve his fatigue.
Ed, who narrowed his eyes and examined the authenticity, soon relaxed his grip.
While he was massaging his wrist, feeling a sharp pain, he reached for his bag and reached for the flower pot. Contrary to concerns that it might be thrown away or destroyed, the flower pot was placed in a bag in a safer condition.
"...It would be difficult to add anything since there is a flower pot. You should put the food bag in the front pocket."
He wondered for a moment whether he should at least cast an illusion spell, but the ban on magic had not yet been lifted.
Ed, satisfied with having carefully closed the bag entrance, turned his head.
"Is it okay now? If you want, get out."
Ed dragged Hien outside and slammed the door.
In the quiet space, the bag placed on the table shook and soon became quiet.
***
It was late spring again. I couldn't believe I passed by like this without even experiencing winter, let alone snow. Even in the future, such peace will be difficult. The sound of clashing weapons reminded me of a dark future filled with red and bloody smell everywhere, and I sighed deeply. There was strength in the hand holding the bag.
'Ah, the bag.'
It's scary to even think about it again.
It was long after I had crossed over to the human world that I opened the bag. The magic pouch containing essential items such as food pouches was in the front pocket of the bag, so there was no need to open the bag separately, but I never thought it would come back in such a big bag.
'He said he felt uneasy for some reason.'
Ed always brought me a bag with camouflage luggage, saying that there might be people who get suspicious when I go back with a light body, so I assumed it was like that this time too.
Checking my baggage was a waste of time for me, whose priority was to escape the demon world full of monsters and set foot in the human world I missed.
But I never thought you would give me such a big fright.
'No. Is Hien the culprit?'
No matter who put it in, it didn't change the fact that it gave me a big fright.
As soon as I opened the bag, a terrible flower cried out at me, and it gave me goosebumps... I wanted to throw it away right away, but due to the nature of demonic creatures with persistent vitality, I doubted if this flower would die, and if it didn't, it would be quite difficult. It was impossible to release such a strange creature into the human world.
Fortunately, Hien was right and the flower did not attack me.
'So what should I do? I have to take it with me until I return to the demon realm.'
I gave up on killing it.
Just in case, I stabbed it with a dagger, but it grabbed my dagger with a leaf on the stem and twisted it!
It was a very strong plant.
I didn't give up and tried to burn it, but the flint I took out nearby was blown away by its whip-like stem, and when I tried to light it and throw it in from a distance, it hit my hand that was outstretched toward the flower pot. It was canceled.
'Why is the plant is so quick-witted...'
One intention to kill it may be shocking, but it stayed still when picking up a flower pot without much thought, and only responded when you reach out to handle it.
So I finally gave up on trying to throw it off the cliff.
'I'm going to take care of it, so please be quiet.'
I raised my head while massaging my throbbing wrist. The entrance to the Count's residence came into view.
I felt the security guard looking at me suspiciously. I smiled and walked in front of him and pulled back the hood I was wearing.
Regardless of whether the guys who recognized my identity were panicking or not, I looked up at the mansion and strengthened my stomach. A loud cry shook the Count's mansion.
"Remember!!"
Why on earth did you put seeds in my bag! Of course, I was the one who gave it to Hien! But still!
"Why?"
"Count!"
"Come to your senses!"
My vocal cords couldn't handle the loud shouting.
I lowered my head and vomited blood and gritted my teeth.
Oh, it sucks.
Fortunately, I didn't faint. As I watched Remember silently setting up tea, I quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Maybe at other times, I shouldn't have fainted like that.
I still had a bag full of strange creatures. What would happen if someone opened my bag while I was passed out and offered to pack my things? It's scary to even imagine.
"... Ah Remember. Let's use these leaves instead of those."
"Aren't those... Deusa tea leaves?"
"Please leave two glasses for four. One is Remember's."
"... All right."
I thought he would refuse, saying it was the duty of a butler, but surprisingly, he obeyed obediently.
The tea was completed without any problems. While the tea was being prepared, someone came in for a moment…
"This is Dan."
"Come in."
"I heard that you have returned and came to say hello. You were just preparing tea. I am...! Ah..."
When he noticed the Deusa tea leaves on one side of the table, he quickly became glum and left.
Why on earth did you come?
Come to think of it, as soon as he saw the tea leaves, he had hidden something behind his back. When he left, I took a quick look...
'Deusa tea leaves?'
How did you get it here?
"I'm glad you came back safely."
"Ah."
I suddenly raised my head. Remember, who was sitting across from me and quietly drinking tea, was looking at me.
The silver-blue eyes that were looking at me went down to my feet and then narrow. A questioning voice continued.
"But why didn't you leave that bag with the attendant?"
"Remember."
Thanks to you, I remembered it.
I pushed the bag aside with my foot and looked him in the eyes.
"There were a lot of things that made me question why you had put them in my luggage."
"I put it with you just in case."
"Flower seeds?"
"Yes."
"What kind of flower seed was it?"
"It's a rose."
It seems you didn't give me strange flower seeds on purpose. Was Hien's infusion of magical energy the cause?
However, the question of the inclusion of flower seeds and other useless items was still not resolved. I looked at Remember with suspicious eyes.
"What on Earth is Remember?"
"He is the butler of the hero Deon Hardt."
"Not that one."
"If not... are you saying you are from Esperanes?"
"Ah Esperanes... Esperanes?!"
'The kingdom they are currently attempting to conquer is Esperanes. It is the smallest kingdom on this map. Considering the scale of the Empire, I think it won't be long before the gates open.'
The Demon King's voice passed through my head like an auditory hallucination.
There was no way Remember doesn't know this. I stuttered to open my mouth to him who calmly lifted his teacup and moistened his lips.
"... Are you... okay?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Isn't the Empire attacking your home country?"
"Oh, it's okay."
The answer that came back was as calm as his attitude.
"The Empire has more to lose in the process of conquest than to gain from it. In the future, he will have to devour more kingdoms, but His Majesty will not stand by and watch this happen. It will probably not be long before he changes the direction of his army."
"..."
"And if it is truly conquered, the Empire will have to cross swords with other powers on the outside and deal with Esperanes on the inside. It would be very annoying."
A strong sense of faith in one's country was evident from the words.
What did I know about Esperanes? A small kingdom located in the center of the continent. A natural fortress surrounded by mountains on all sides. Just about that much.
Sensing my curiosity, Remember narrowed his eyes and whispered secretly.
"Will this old man explain to you about that place?"
"..."
I was fascinated and immersed in the topic of the mysterious little kingdom.
It was when I returned to the room after the conversation that I realized this wasn't right.
This sly butler...!
I hurried to find Remember, but what greeted me was a communication device given to me by the Emperor. It's also connected to the Emperor!
"Remem...!"
"Count Hardt."
"Your Majesty?!"
"I contacted you after hearing that you were back, but was the timing bad?"
"Glory to the Empire..."
As I hurriedly paid my respects, I heard a low laugh.
"'Glory to the Empire'... Yes, it's appropriate to say hello."
"Perhaps I made some kind of mistake..."
"No, I didn't say that. It's appropriate to say hello."
Wasn't that a joke?
I thought my heart was going to drop.
" I am not at the imperial palace right now."
"Ah..."
"Yes, unfortunately, it seems difficult to talk directly face to face. Instead, let's get the report like this."
The Emperor's voice, referring to the 'report', sank low.
The time had come to be nervous. I straightened my back.
***
The Emperor placed the communication device on the desk and quietly touched the back of his left hand. It was a recent habit he developed because the bandage was frustrating.
People around him tried to stop him, saying that the wound would only get worse, but when did the Emperor ever care about such things? Regardless of whether blood was seeping through the bandages or not, he did not stop moving his hands and listened to the voice on the other end of the communicator. The words that came out after hearing the brief report that the Demon King had moved contained a faint smile.
"...This is what happens in the end."
"..."
The table has been turned upside down.
In order to deal with the demon realm, the human world must come together. At the very least, no one should interfere with the Empire fighting the demon realm on the front lines.
Other kingdoms had become unable to attack the Empire, and the Emperor, who knew what was more important, must now turn his eyes away from them and face the demon realm.
The eating away was over now.
"Is there anything else you need to report?"
"What are the criteria for 'what needs to be reported'?"
"That means there is something."
"..."
Deon Hardt did not answer what was not asked.
Originally, the standards were loose enough to easily answer a few conditions, but it was natural for them to become stricter as the war with the demon realm was imminent.
Seeing each other was over.
'Now we can properly fight this way as well.'
Psychological warfare and a battle of pride.
Emperor Eduardo had no intention of backing down. In his opinion, 'Emperor' meant not backing down when facing something and moving forward.
So, the one who became a coward would be the Demon King, not him.
He shook off his distracting thoughts by tapping the back of his left hand and slowly opened his mouth.