Leo was actually a woman, and her name was Leona.

I made a terrible misunderstanding, so I desperately apologized to her who was shocked and managed to calm her down.

 

「...... So, Usato. Did you fight the awakened Charon?"

"Well, well...... For the time being."

 

He nodded at the words of the Norn, who looked a little tired from the previous commotion.

Even though they fought a fight, they were just trying to hit back, even though they were bogged down in a blizzard.

I don't know if it's more or less a battle, but if my information is useful, it's worth mentioning.

 

"Me too, Leo...... I have the same impression as Mr. Na. The growth of horns and tails made the atmosphere even more violent. Maybe the next time we have to fight, I'll lose my strength......

 

In fact, even before he woke up, he had more than I did.

If his strength is also increasing, the only thing that beats him at the moment is his foot speed. Then, you have to train to improve your speed and strength by thinking about the possibility of facing each other next.

As he crossed his arms and thought about his future training plan, Norn tilted his head.

 

"Did I mishear? Now, it sounded like Usato had the same power as he was before his awakening."

「...... Huh!?"

 

And then I got it.

What a grave. I should have said it more oblate.

No matter how much you do, it would be useless to just say the fact that you competed with each other with arm strength.

 

「...... No way, it's a word for it."

"Huh, you don't have to be humble, Usato. I ...... you overwhelm Charon with your physical abilities alone."

 

- She tried to deceive herself, but she was corrected by Leona, who had regained her composure.

Leona smiled sheepishly and clenched her fists tightly, perhaps remembering the scene when me and Charon were fighting.

 

"Even though he's holding me, he's running on the ice like the wind, pulling Charon away from ......! He even showed off his feats by dodging Charon's downpouring ice spears and knocking down flying shards with his bare hands......!"

"Les, Leona......?"

"I was in cover watching him fight, and it's safe to say that his ability to detect danger and his agility in dodging were particularly inhuman, as he almost perfectly avoided the axe swinging in front of him!"

 

Do you have a lot of heat......?

I'm grateful that you introduce me, but I don't think I need to explain anything that much. It should be true, but when I hear it again, I ...... embarrassed.

The Norn was slightly drawn back by Leona's enthusiasm, and his eyes widened and he shifted his gaze to me.

 

"I didn't think it was a fool, but the Lingle Kingdom has sent a ridiculous human being, ...... it's obviously not normal to compete with Charon in that state with just his body. Maybe you're from the life-saving team that I've heard rumors about?"

「...... Yes."

 

This person, like Gladys and Lucas, doesn't seem to know about Rose, but he seems to know about the rescue team through rumors.

...... I'm a little scared to hear about the rumors about the rescue team.

 

"It's decided."

「......?」

 

Norn looked at me and nodded once.

The words she muttered made me question a little.

 

"I finally understand why he expected you to come."

"He? Who could it be?"

 

The word "he" that Norn refers to earlier.

At first, I thought it was Charon or Leo, but it was clearly not.

It's as if he anticipates our visit here and is aware of Charon's current situation.

 

"I'll let you see me now...... Leona"

 

The Norn rose from his throne and spoke to Leona.

 

"I'm going to let Usato and the others meet him, and you're going to be with me."

"And what about Charon?"

"Yes, I'll have to tell you everything."

 

Leona's face frowned slightly at the words of the Norn, but she quickly returned to her serious expression and moved right next to us.

At the same time, the Norn walked towards us.

 

"What the hell are you ...... doing, Norn?"

"It's a secret place in Mealark that is only available to people of special status, and I'm going to take you there."

 

...... secret location?

Is there a "he" in such a place?

 

"The one who made Charon's armor is the one who created the sword of the hero who overthrew the Demon King."

「!?」

 

The one who created the weapon of the brave!?

That is the person who is also the creator of the small knife that I have now...... Isn't it?

 

"Wait a minute, the hero who defeated the Demon King was hundreds of years old, right? There is no way that a normal person can live for ...... long like that."

 

It reminds me of Nea, who is a little behind me.

It's impossible for a human, but it's possible for a demon like Nea, who has more intelligence and lifespan than humans.

 

"That's right, it's not human to let you meet me now."

 

I stammered, and the Norn replied, and struck the floor three times with the staff in his hand.

Then, a blue pattern emerges on the ground, and the foot disappears as if sinking into the ground. I turned my head to Nea.

She had a stern look on her face as she rested her hand on the floor with a blue pattern.

 

"Nea, what's this?"

"Yes, magic, and it's very old and highly hidden. I can't even notice it...... The one down there is quite a master. It's frustrating, but he's better at handling magic than I am."

 

We try to keep our voices as quiet as possible, and while we talk to Nea, our bodies move down through the floor.

I looked overhead and saw the maid waving at me from where the floor had become translucent.

The scaffolding goes down and down.

In the midst of this, the Norn, who had been staring at his wand, looked up.

 

"There's still time before we get down, so if there's anything you want to ask in the meantime, just ask."

 

What do you want to ask...... Or?

The most important question I want to ask is about the person I'm going to meet, but I'll know that soon.

As I was thinking about what to ask, Mr. Alc spoke to Mr. Norn.

 

"Queen, may I ask you a question?"

"As long as I can answer that, I don't mind."

"So how were the people who lived in this city transferred to neighboring countries? Now that Lord Charon is on a rampage, it must take a lot of time and effort to move even a small number of people while hiding them."

 

Come to think of it, they didn't explain how they sent the Mearlark people to a neighboring country.

Even though it is a city, there are not a few people who live there.

What's more, it's not water, it's ice. No matter how many people can fit on a boat, it is meaningless if the surface of the water is frozen.

In such a situation, how did they manage to get the people of Mearlark out of the country?

 

"In order to move the people from here, I first had Leona stop Charon, and then I moved all the people while she was stranded."

 

...... Isn't that unreasonable?

I didn't say it, but I was suspicious of the explanation that was so concise and sloppy.

Seeing our reaction, the Norn smiled in annoyance.

 

"I don't think this explanation will convince you, it's true that it's a reckless operation so far, but with the help of his help that I'm going to meet him now, I succeeded in this reckless operation."

 

Saying this, the Norn held up the staff in his hand to show us.

In the center of the wand was a triangular, jagged, scale-like gem that emitted a light similar to the barrier that covered the Mialak.

 

"No way, this is the magic tool that created the boundary?"

"Yes, it's a combination of magic and magic, to be exact. This is also a special wand that he created, and it has been passed down to us royalty."

 

In other words, the staff held by the Norns can be said to be the last bastion to protect the city of Mialak?

When I heard that a large outer barrier was emitted from the magic tool, I thought it would be a more exaggerated device, but it is quite compact.

 

"This wand allows me, the caster, to create a wide area of barrier by imbuing it with magic, and although it can only be used in this city under his control, I can use my magic to deploy a barrier of a certain strength in any form."

 

A magic tool that can only be used in a limited number of places, but has a reasonable effect.

It's pretty out of the norm to be able to keep it activated by one person's magic.

Earlier, when I was drinking the potion, I threw it away, but .......

 

"I created a barrier between Charon and the people to get them to safety, but there were some monsters in the forest that had gone berserk under Charon's mind, so I put most of the knights as guards. That's why there are very few people in the castle right now."

"I see......

 

The reason why the Knight of Mialark is not there is because he went out with him to protect the people who were moving from the violent demons.

The knights can't go back because of Charon's presence.

It's a difficult situation.

 

"So you were practically dealing with Charon by yourself."

"I was on the defensive from start to finish, and today I was almost stabbed."

"Still, I think it's amazing."

 

Without anyone's help, she could not be weak in the face of a great enemy named Charon.

Leona, who was dismayed by my words, looked away awkwardly.

 

"No, no, if I had done better in the first place, I might have managed to do it before he woke up......

"Don't be too self-deprecating, you're doing a good job."

 

Worried about Leona, who was still becoming self-deprecating, the Norn called out.

 

"Humility is one of your strengths, but it's also a weakness. If you have that, you will be able to do this Miarak--"

"Norn......sama!"

 

Leona interrupted the Norn's words and uttered a pained voice.

She immediately bowed her head at her rudeness, but her expression changed to a stern one.

I didn't know what the Norn was trying to say, but I could understand that the words that followed were not very good for Leona.

 

"There seems to be a reason for this."

"That's right."

 

He nodded at the murmur of Aluk, who was watching the exchange between the two.

It bothers me, but it's not a good issue for us to be involved in. This is a matter of Norn and Leona, master and servant.

 

"It's about time we reached the bottom."

 

Norn's voice was slightly sunken.

At the sound of her voice, I looked down at my feet and saw that the blue glowing magic pattern was gradually losing its light.

 

"He said to me, 'Thou art a queen though thou art immature. Judge yourself with two eyes.'"

 

As I stared at the floor as it quietly descended, the Norn said something to himself.

 

"I saw you with my own eyes...... I thought it was trustworthy. Still, I'll be careful."

"Attention? Is there something to be aware of?"

"Yes, if you see him, don't be intimidated. He has a slightly bigger, scarier face, an unnecessarily intimidating look, and his words and actions are quite superior, but he is a kind person at heart...... Person? That's why ......."

 

He has a scary face and gives off a sense of intimidation in vain, and his words and actions are from above...... Is it Rose?

No, it's not unreasonable.

Anyway, I'm totally fine with that. Even though it's a scary face, I don't think it's going to surpass that tough face or Rose.

 

"It's okay because I know people like me."

 

Even if the person I'm going to meet now is an outsider, there's no way I'm going to be scared of anyone more than Rose.

Or rather, is there a more terrifying being in this world than that person? I even think so.

 

"No, I can't be the same as him. No, it shouldn't exist."

"What?"

 

She murmured softly, and I couldn't help but ask back.

Is it that great?

Maybe more than Rose ......? No, no, it's not a rose standard, but it's possible that it's amazing in another way.

While I was thinking about this, the scenery around me was changing.

Until now, the scene had only been a series of bright blue walls, but suddenly it was transformed into an enormous cave.

 

"Oh......."

 

An exclamation escaped my mouth unintentionally.

The ceiling and width of the cave are unusually wide. There were spring-like springs everywhere in the cave, and blue light leaked from the bottom of the water and illuminated the cave.

It was a fantastic sight.

I was surprised that there was a space underground, but I didn't expect to see such a beautiful view.

 

"This is the treasure and heritage that Myarak is proud of.

That's the only word I can find."

 

Laughing a little at my words, the Norn turned his attention to the fountain that glowed blue.

 

"The water in this spring is special, it just looks like glowing water, but if you drink it, you can get immense power."

"Immense, power? That water has such an effect...... But you can't have such a sweet story, can you?"

"Yes, this water is nothing but poison to living things. Water is not a force to be reckoned with, but a source of power. The source of that power is life--it turns life into power. And the most harmful thing to humans is that this water gives more than just power."

 

Turning life into power.

For me, I don't think it's a very good thing.

 

"Easily obtained power drives people's minds crazy, and drinking this water means succumbing to one's own weakness and turning away from the reality in front of us. The power that springs up makes your mind lose its spare and composure, and you become an outlaw who only wields power--"

 

Scaffolding arrives at the cave.

The Norn, who had been fascinated by the scenery around him, stepped forward before us, put his hand in a nearby spring and scooped it up lightly.

 

"'If you desire with greed and karma, your heart will be torn apart and your body will perish in pain'...... If you drink this water, it will destroy your mind and body because of its potency. That's why we, the royal family, continue to protect this place to prevent the 'greedy' from abusing the spring."

 

A fountain that gives power.

I'm sure that if its existence is known, there will be no end to the number of people who want it.

Just by listening to the story, I could understand that the beautiful spring in front of me was dangerous.

 

「...... I'll show you where he is."

 

Returning the water he had scooped up in his hand to the spring, the Norn walked to the end of the cave.

I followed her in silence, and she stopped in front of a particularly large spring.

But there is no one in that fountain.

Where is "he" when the Norns speak?

 

「...... I'm here."

"Nea?"

 

Nea muttered in a tense voice.

I looked at her and she was staring at the fountain.

 

"I'm definitely here...... We know. Amako, you feel this too, don't you?"

「...... yes."

 

Alc and I don't know what Nea and Amako are feeling.

But from the look on their faces, it's clear that there's definitely something in the fountain.

 

"I've brought you, please show yourself."

 

When the Norn said this, after a moment of silence, the water of the fountain swelled from the center and a huge "something" emerged.

In an instant, a presence that even I could feel emanated from the one in front of me, and I stood in front of Amako and clenched my fists lightly.

 

"Come on, you're lying......

 

Nea was right, we knew.

That was two months ago.

That's when I learned about the previous hero.

The dragon of calamity that she has awakened.

 

「―――」

 

However, what appeared was a different appearance from the "evil dragon" we knew.

Of the four wings, two are cut from half to shredded.

The large tail has no tip, as if it had been cut off,

the scales are cracked, the claws are also missing more than half,

The mane that grew from his neck and the beard from his lower jaw were painted pure white.

We were so surprised that we couldn't even speak, and we were looking up at "him" stunned, and the "dragon" dripping with water from the spring looked down.

 

"Welcome, Gentiles, my half has been taken care of."

 

"He," the blue old dragon said to me in a hoarse voice reminiscent of an old man.

 

 

_____________________________________

Demon Lord: "I've flagged it."

 

It's a foreshadowing of the third chapter.