The mysterious female knight who got into the carriage immediately after leaving the Kingdom of Lingle was Princess Naia, the first princess of the Kingdom of Kamherio.

I looked at her and asked, "Why is she, a royal, hiding her identity here?" I had a legitimate question, but I couldn't leave the princess of a country standing, so I decided to have her sit in the seat first.

 

"Suzune-sama, the hero of the Ringle Kingdom, and Usato-sama, the deputy leader of the Life Rescue Team, are my few friends."

 

Princess Naia, who sat down in the seat opposite me and my seniors, was the first to speak.

At the moment, he can't let Ferm know about him, so he remains assimilated with her, but he asks Nea, who is on his shoulder, to return to his humanoid form and listen to the story together.

 

"I have asked your father, King Kamherio, to accompany you in the carriage that will greet you in disguise...... That's the ostensible reason I'm here."

 

From the way he spoke, was there something going on in Kamhelio?

The fact that she, as a princess, herself comes to contact us, may be considered to be a troubling thing that is happening.

 

"What happened?"

「…… No, technically, there hasn't been an uproar yet."

"Hmm? So why are you here? You don't say you wanted to see us straight, do you?"

"That's not the case, even if there were no circumstances here, I would have liked to be here incognito anyway."

 

Or they seem to like it quite a bit, ....... But if there's no uproar, why not?

Princess Naia continues to open her mouth to me and my seniors who tilt their heads.

 

"There have been strange incidents in Kamherio in the past month."

"...... strange incident?"

"There have been four incidents in which people have lost consciousness in a short period of time."

 

You mean you're going to lose consciousness, you're going to pass out, right?

Maybe they haven't woken up, so I want to use my healing magic...... What do you mean?

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Princess Naia shook her head slowly.

 

"It's not that serious, the unconscious ones have no memory of before or after they pass out, and after they wake up, they go back to their normal lives without any problems."

"Then it's not a problem...... It's not like that, is it?"

"Yes, according to our investigation, those who fainted did not drink alcohol, but lost consciousness without knowing the cause, and woke up without any problems. There were no injuries or sequelae, and all those who were identified just lost consciousness in the alley and spent the night."

 

It's eerie to hear that.

Fainting from fatigue or being beaten is a daily occurrence in lifeguards, but it is not at all the case that you suddenly faint for no reason.

It's possible that he has some kind of illness or something, but Princess Naia's story should rule out that possibility.

 

"In the end, it was resolved that the people who were buoyant in front of the Hero Festival had removed their saddles to the point of losing consciousness, and no one was injured."

"Are there any other incidents other than those four?"

"Yes, it only happened during the period when the country was busy preparing for the Hero Festival, and after that, at least until I left Kamherio, there was no incident."

 

Did it happen during the preparation for the festival?

Well, it's possible that the demons took advantage of the commotion to make a move...... It's not necessarily the devil, and even if a human did it, it's too creepy to do .......

 

「…… It can also be interpreted that someone made a move under the cover of preparing for the festival. Still, you're overthinking it, aren't you?"

"Maybe, but...... Considering what the devil did in Mealark, I decided that I shouldn't overlook even the odds."

「…… Ah, that's what I mean......

 

…… Amazing.

The ability to contact us as soon as we notice something unusual is amazing.

While admiring her vigilance, Nea was talking to Princess Naia.

 

"I wonder if there's anything else that feels right, and I understand your concerns, but I can't judge with that information yet."

「…… It's just my feeling, but I feel that the atmosphere in the castle has changed a little...... Huh?"

 

Hmm? Princess Naia turned pale to show tiredness.

I squint at the abnormality of her who was talking normally until now.

 

"I don't think there's anything unusual about it, but it's a little different from the castle I'm used to...... But I don't know what it's about."

「…… Princess Naia? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm sorry, my vision is a little hazy...... Is it fatigue from traveling? I'm sure you're used to it......

 

A senior who couldn't see Princess Naia, who was holding her forehead and looking unwell, moved next to her and supported her body.

Are you influenced by something? …… Maybe because I brought up the topic of the castle?

…… I'll take a look at it.

 

"Mistress Naia, I'm going to cast a healing spell on you. Do you mind if I touch your shoulder?"

"Yes......

"Can I use the magic spinning?"

 

When she asks, Princess Naia gives her a suspicious look.

 

"Oh, I'm wearing it...... Why?"

"Then, we will also do a cure diagnosis."

"Healing...... What, is it a cure?"

 

Touch her shoulder and make a healing diagnosis.

When he infuses Princess Naia's magic with healing magic——— he notices that there is something mixed in with her magic, albeit only slightly.

 

「! This is ......."

 

A thin haze near the head.

I somehow guessed what it was, so I called out to Nea.

 

"Nea, give Princess Naia a Resistance Spell."

"Did you find something? What is the object of resistance?"

 

　……。

 

"The Devil's Magic"

 

Nea grants Naia immunity to demonic magic.

Then, the haze that covered her head was dissipated, and the complexion of Mistress Naia, who seemed to be sick, improved.

 

"It looks like the devil's hand has already entered......

"Apparently so."

「…… Was I under the influence of the devil?"

 

It's not strong brainwashing.

Is it more of an inhibition of recognition?

He continued to cast a healing spell on Princess Naia, and when she had healed to full recovery, she sat back down.

 

"Apparently, it's meant to keep you from noticing the presence of the devil lurking?"

"Princess Naia, what do you think?"

"No, no......

 

I should assume that he was contacted without realizing it, or that he was somehow affected by the demon's magic.

Either way, it's clear that the devil is involved, so you have to brace yourself.

 

"That I was unknowingly under the influence of the devil...... No way, your father ...... the devil too."

"No, it's unlikely."

 

Princess Naia denies Princess Naia's muttering.

 

"I'm sure the demons that have entered the Calmherio are doing their best to avoid revealing their identities, and now that the existence of demons has been exposed in the kingdoms, it's hard to imagine that they would bother to expose their identities to brainwash the royal family."

"But if you're ...... devil."

"If the demon had brainwashed King Kamherio, he wouldn't let Naia accompany him here, because the demon would be aware of how dangerous Usato is."

"Am I a beast of prey to the devil?"

 

Nea makes a stunned face at my twitching.

 

「? You're the devil for the devil, aren't you? I don't know what he's talking about, but he's ......."

"What, is this my fault?"

"It's about half your fault."

 

I was a little depressed by Ferm's words when he finally spoke.

Elsewhere, the senior who was thinking about our exchange with his hand on his chin opened his mouth.

 

"But you're dealing with the devil, aren't you? Listening to what you guys say, I doubt you're even thinking about it."

「…… Maybe."

 

It is doubtful that a demon who looks down on basic humans and has no shred of kinship would be so vigilant.

Nea rephrased it with a slight lack of confidence, but the situation was not so good.

However, the fact that Princess Naia came here is also a good thing for us.

 

「…… This should be done in secret. At the very least, it should not be known that Princess Naia is aware of the hidden demons."

"You never know where they're hiding."

 

I nodded at my senior's words.

 

「…… It's a shameful story, but at the moment, you are the only one who can be trusted. If you don't do it right, the guard knight you are guarding now may also be under the influence of the devil."

"I'll check that out."

"I was through, but didn't you normally detect the demon's magic?"

 

I can't help it because I could have done it.

It's subtle, but I've found that using a healing diagnosis can identify who is under the influence of the devil. In the name of relieving fatigue, find a demon-affected guard and have him repelled by Nea's resistance spell.

 

"Senpai"

"I don't mind this."

 

Talk to your seniors once.

When my senior, who understood what I was trying to say, nodded willingly, I turned to Princess Naia again.

 

"As long as the devil is involved, we can't afford to overlook it, so let us cooperate."

"I don't want to ......."

 

Princess Naia probably just wanted to talk to us about the devil, but maybe things were worse than she had imagined and she was sorry to ask for help from those of us who had nothing to do with Calmhelio.

A senior who couldn't see her with a somber face raises her index finger.

 

"Then let's go with the terms of exchange."

"Exchange conditions?"

"We're on our way to Calmhelio to find out the origins of a girl named Sia Garmio, and the Festival of Heroes is kind of a pretext for going to Calmhelio."

 

I see, are you going to make it a condition of exchange to have him look into Shea?

 

"Is he a citizen of Calmhelio?"

"If the story is true, it should have been, but it's also a nasty case that could involve the devil. Only those of us who can deal with the devil can move."

"Okay, so both Suzune-sama and Usato-sama ...... to the festival, so let's find out about a girl named Sia Garmio."

"It's a deal...... Well, I have to tell you about Sia Garmio...... Usato-kun, do you mind?"

 

I'll have to explain.

Princess Naia is a princess of Calmhelio who is devout in her faith in heroes, but she herself is not a person who is blinded by her faith.

After thinking about it and nodding, I explained to Naia about Shea.

A girl with red and black hair encountered in Miarak.

Dealing with light magic and having memories of Mr./Ms. Hisago.

And that his body was controlled by some entity and he fought in the realm of demons.

When she had finished explaining it as briefly as possible, Princess Naia twitched her neat face.

 

"Usato-sama isn't really a hero, ......?"

"I've been mistaken many times, but I'm not a hero......"

 

"It's a mistake outside of the people who are currently innovating magic."

"In fact, you're worse than a hero."

 

He goes through the murmurs of Nea and Ferm, who say whatever they want.

But I can tell you with certainty that I'm not a hero.

I haven't even heard the sound of the bell when summoning heroes, and my talent is far from that of my senpai and Kazuki.

 

"No, but what you're doing is too unusual, the achievement of defeating the Demon Lord, the matter of turning the magic power, and the exploration of the Demon Realm...... It's like a country throwing up its hands and pushing it to be a hero, right?"

"The heroes of the Ringle Kingdom are Kazuki and Senpai, and I myself am more suited to my current position than the hero, and I like it."

 

The title of lifesaver is the most appropriate, and I have no intention of quitting Rose's subordinate just yet.

 

"We can't rely on this one-sidedly, so please leave the matter of Sia Garmio to us, and we will make sure to gather the information you need."

"Yes, we are willing to cooperate."

 

The demon lurking at this time of year may be trying to do something at the Hero Festival.

Even if it was for any other purpose, it would not be possible to overlook the imminent danger to the King of Calmhelio.

…… From the beginning, the devil is an existence that we cannot leave alone.