Slave to Righteousness (III)

I begin recounting to Ariesa all that I know about the Demon King’s plan. Just in case, I also tell her about everything that has happened to me so far on the off-chance that any of it may contain useful information that I lack the context to understand.

The Demon King’s explanation. The six other Demon Lords. The Crest of Greed. How I come from another world. What I did after being summoned. Why I went to the Knight Post. How I ended up getting arrested.

I tell her absolutely everything.

She listens to it all attentively and patiently, never once dismissing me or telling me to skip even the most random and minor detail. At the same time, she asks me many questions and seriously jots down notes.

I feel a little awkward talking at length with her paying such close attention to me like this, but it’s also somewhat refreshing to be able to get these crazy situations off my chest and share them with someone else. If I had to keep carrying all of this all on my own, I may have eventually gone crazy but having her here to listen makes me feel a little less trapped in my own head.

After I finishing telling her everything, she asks a few more confirming questions to make sure she got all the details right before concluding her interrogation.

“I see… so that’s what’s going on. To think that the Demon King had such a trump card left in her sleeve. She truly doesn’t know when to quit.”

Ariesa bites her lip in frustration at the mere thought that the Demon King wasn’t completely done for good. Her unpleasant expression speaks volumes of how she feels about the Demon King. On the other hand, it also shows how seriously she took my words.

“So you believe me now?”

“Yes, I do. After you went into such detail and answered all my questions, I can only conclude that you’d have to be a phenomenal liar or genuinely delusional, if you weren’t telling me the truth.”

“Phew. That’s good. I was still a little worried you wouldn’t believe me like last time.”

“Mm. I… apologize for that. I dismissed your earnest warning as a prank for too quickly. I even used violence against you…”

She lowers her head in shame, clearly reflecting on how roughly she treated me.

“Oh, no, no, it’s fine. I also understand that it’s a pretty far-fetched thing to just drop on someone and expect them to believe. I don’t blame you for how you reacted.”

“Thank you. I can only hope you’ll find it in your heart to trust me to do better in the future.”

“Hey, I already have. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have just shared everything with you.”

“Yes, I suppose so. You have my gratitude for that. This information is vital, and I would’ve lived the rest of my life with guilt and regret, if my actions had led to it not reaching the right people. I shudder to imagine if my mistake had led to countless deaths and destruction at the hands of these Demon Lords… I don’t know if I would be able to live with myself.”

She smiles warmly from the bottom of her heart, emanating both relief at the situation and fear at what could’ve happened.

“Do you really think that the Demon Lords are that much of threat?”

I wonder, seeing how badly just the thought of them seems to have shaken her.

“Yes, of course. They cannot be taken lightly by any means. Even if they’re just regular people from another world, the mere fact that they have the Demon King’s power means that they have the potential to destroy the world. They need to be stopped at all costs!”

She exclaims emphatically, her hand practically shaking with fury and fear.

I see… so that’s how the people of this world see me.

That’s how they’ll treat me once they know who I am…

“Ah! N-no, wait, I didn’t mean it like…”

Ariesa panics as sees my grim reaction and immediately realizes her mistake.

“I-it’s okay. I don’t mind. I understand how I must seem to you. I know that my very existence here is evil…”

To the people of this world, I am unquestionably the bad guy.

I am just the spawn of the Demon King, a dangerous threat that needs to be vanquished.

I am completely and utterly evil…

“No! Don’t think like that!”

All of a sudden, two strong hands clap my cheeks and snap any thoughts out of my head.

“H-huh?”

“I’m sorry I said such things. That was way too insensitive of me. So please don’t say such things about yourself either.”

With both hands clasping my head, Ariesa looks deep into my eyes and pours her heart into them.

“You’re not evil, Mamoru. Even if you’re a Demon Lord, you’re not a bad person. You never asked to be put into this situation. You got dragged into this against your will and had an unfavorable position forced upon you. And yet, when you got sent here, you immediately tried to do what you could to protect other people. That shows that you have a kind heart and a noble soul. I know that you are definitely a good person!”

“Ariesa…”

Aw, man, I don’t know how to react. I didn’t expect her to say such a thing and especially not with such strength and emotion.

How could I possibly tell her how warm and fuzzy those words made me feel? After what I experienced earlier, I didn’t think there would be anyone who would view me positively anymore.

Ahh, I don’t know how to put these feelings into words. But even so, there’s something I must say.

“Thank you. That makes me feel a bit better.”

I return a smile to her as the best form of thanks I can.

“Ah, w-well, that’s good… I-I wanted to make sure you didn’t think I hated you or anything…”

She quickly withdraws her hands and scoots away to regain some distance from me.

Despite her immediate attempts to put back on her prim and proper posture, I’m beginning to see her in a different light after everything she’s said.

“You know, Ariesa, you’re a lot kinder than I thought.”

“Huh!? Wh-wh-what makes you say that? N-no, I’m not!”

“No, seriously. My first impression of you was that you were a perpetually stoic, strict, and angry lady. I didn’t realize you could be so… sweet.”

“S-sweet!? No, no, you’re mistaken. I am the iron-hearted commander of the Adamsale Knights, Ariesa Leohart. I’m not coddling you or anything. I’m just making sure you have a clear understanding of the situation. Don’t get the wrong idea or anything!”

“Haha, I think that’s part of what makes you sweet.”

“Ghh!”

Ariesa makes an uncomfortable expression and even blushes slightly.

“A-ahem! Anyways, back to the topic at hand, now that I have this information, I need to start sharing it with others.”

“Right. That’s exactly why I wanted to tell you.”

I immediately follow Ariesa’s lead and lock in.

Right now, the question at hand is what we do with this information on the Demon King’s plans. I wanted to share it with Ariesa specifically so she could use her position to spread it to others.

“What do you think we should do? Should we just announce it to the public?”

“Hmm. No, that’s not a good idea.”

“Why is that? Not that I don’t believe you or anything, but I’d like to know.”

“Simple. There are two reasons. First, it will cause unnecessary panic and fear among the people. It still hasn’t been very long since the war ended; the mere fact that the Demon King may still be present in some form will create intense dread among the public and destroy any sense of peace they have. Second, the news will reach the ears of any remaining Demon King loyalists out there. If they hear about it, they will immediately flock under the banner of the Demon Lords in an attempt to restore the Demon King’s army. In fact, they may even kidnap the Demon Lords and coerce them into fulfilling the Demon King’s will.”

“I see. Yeah, both of those things would be bad.”

“For now, a little discretion and careful manuevering will be necessary. But don’t worry. I have a good idea of who to contact for this scenario.”

“That’s great. Do you think you’ll be able to get in touch with them soon?”

“Well… right now, it might be difficult. The Knight Station is swamped with work at the moment, so I won’t be able to access many resources. In this current state, I can’t even call a meeting with the top brass until things calm down.”

“Oh yeah, you mentioned something like that before. The Knights are really busy right now, for some reason? Can I ask what’s going on?”

“Oh right, I suppose you wouldn’t know. The truth is that there’s a big ceremony that’s about to happen in a few days.”

Ariesa puffs out her chest somewhat proudly as she announces it.

“The Hero of Light, Ryuta, is having his wedding ceremony here in Adamsale!”

“Huh!? Really?”

The Hero of Light, Ryuta? That means he’s one of the seven heroes who was summoned to this world and defeated the Demon King.

Someone like that is getting married here in a few days?

“Wait, wh-who’s the bride? Is it another of the Heroes?”

“What, no. She’s a resident of this world. The wedding’s being held in Adamsale because she lives here.”

Wow, that means it’s a marriage between two people from different worlds. The Hero who came from another world and the girl he fell in love with after being summoned here…

Damn, that’s a picture perfect fairytale romance.

So it really is possible for a summoned otherworlder to find love in this world.

“And so, as you’d expect from a wedding for a Hero, the ceremony is going to be gigantic. The whole city is going to be celebrating. And of course, us Knights have been put in charge of security. So we’ve been buried in work preparing for the big day. Right now, literally nothing matters more than making sure this event goes safely and smoothly.”

Ariesa sighs as she complains about the ridiculous workload, yet she still retains a proud smile all the while.

Despite everything, she must be really happy to have such a momentous event happening in her city and under her watch.

For a simple wedding to elicit such a response and require such grand preparations, it goes to show just how stupidly popular the Heroes of Light are. They must be the biggest celebrities in the entire world right now. And why wouldn’t they be, after literally saving the world from destruction?

Man… that must be nice. To think that they were just regular people from my world like me. I wish I could be loved by everyone like that too…

“A-anyways. So basically, it’ll be hard for you to spread the word about the Demon Kings until after the wedding is over, right, Ariesa?”

“In essence, yes. Any large scale actions will need to wait until afterwards.”

Hmm, then it looks like there’s no helping it. If even Ariesa, commander of the knights, can’t do much right now, then there’s likely little anyone else can do…

“Oh, wait. Shouldn’t we also tell the Hero of Light this as well? Since he’s the Hero, he should be informed too.”

“Mm, true. If it has to do with the Demon King, we can’t forget about the Heroes. However, under the circumstances, it’ll be difficult for me to arrange a meeting with him before the wedding…”

Ariesa ponders the dilemma for a bit, before it comes to her in a flash.

“I know! I’ll be in charge of the security team on the day of. I can find a way to get a one-on-one with him and tell him right then. It’s perfect!”

“Eh? You’re going to tell him this grave news on his wedding day? Right at the altar? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Ah! R-right, I suppose that would be rather insensitive of me…”

Ariesa sweats a bit as she imagines how awkward it would be if she did that.

I’m starting to suspect this woman has a serious inability to read the atmosphere.

“Well then, we’ll just have to wait until after the wedding. That’s the most practical option.”

“Yeah. It sounds good to me.”

I nod in agreement.

It’s settled then. It sucks that nothing can be done before that, but it can’t be helped.

That will be the plan.