It Seems That the Demon King Is Among the Members of the Hero’s Party

56. Losing Something

───Her silver hair, like snow, was still immaculately clean. Seeing her hair, which reached down to her waist, made me think that taking care of it must be a hassle. It was tied up at the nape of her neck, and the ends swayed like a tail.

Her large, round eyes were an unusual color, with the right eye being red and the left eye being blue. There was also a tattoo on her right cheek. Had she been sleeping? This person.

There was nothing wrong with her facial features. Anyone who saw her would call her a beauty. However, the aura surrounding her body made it impossible to feel inferior to her. Her appearance was always surreal.

Despite this, she was wearing a tightly fitted women’s suit, which made her look more like an office worker than a god. I had heard her talk about work with Mirabel, but it seemed like she was doing large-scale administrative work. She was in charge of managing souls and repairing the world. Later, she would go through documents brought by her subordinates and stamp her approval. It was like she was a company employee, not a god.

Her previous suit had been pants, but this time it was a skirt. The skirt was quite short, showcasing her healthy and beautiful legs.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine!”

As I saw her smile, I couldn’t help but feel at ease. The aura surrounding her body, which could be called divine, seemed to be at odds with her carefree and approachable demeanor. Her smile was beautiful, but it made me suspicious, and my stomach hurt.

“Were you sleeping?”

“I wasn’t sleeping!”

“There’s ink on your cheek.”

Mirabel rubbed her right cheek with her sleeve, erasing the ink. I thought she had rubbed too hard, as her cheek was slightly red. She was still a goddess who seemed to be missing something.

“Did you find out about the demon king?”

She forced a smile, but it was clear that our current conversation couldn’t be ignored. She was trying to laugh it off, but her face was red.

I thought she was more human-like than god-like. Her sensibilities and way of being were also very human.

“I’m sorry for teasing you. Unfortunately, we still haven’t found the demon king. We’re searching, but we can’t find any evidence.”

“That’s right. We’ve only just started searching, and it’s not like we can find it right away.”

“And now, there’s something more important than searching for the demon king.”

“What’s that?”

“I fought one of the Four Heavenly Kings, a woman called ‘Deception’ Diabolos.”

“Before we met, I was watching your behavior for a few days, but you didn’t seem to be fighting.”

It seemed that Mirabel’s words were true, and she couldn’t see into the dream world. She had been observing my daily life during work breaks, but it seemed like she could only see my ordinary life.

If I had fought someone else in Tangumalin, it would be the Ancient Dragon, but that was more like work than a battle. I didn’t think she was worried about it.

“I fought in the dream world. Diabolos can read her opponent’s memories and show them their desired dreams. Those who are seduced by the sweet dreams become useless.”

“Do you think the power I gave you wasn’t enough to protect you?”

“It seems that Diabolos had a special ability that nullified my power.”

“I don’t think it’s funny that the power I gave you to protect yourself was broken. But I’ll add more power if you want.”

“No, it’s not necessary. I’ll settle the score with Diabolos on my own, without any tricks.”

“I don’t think you should be choosing your methods when dealing with demons.”

“It’s my whim. Mirabel, trust me. I’ll definitely win.”

She let out a deep sigh. I thought it was a foolish thing to say, but I didn’t want to break my promise to Diabolos. Next time, I would have a one-on-one battle without any tricks.

The battle with Diabolos was enjoyable. I didn’t want to betray Diabolos. It was my whim.

“If our memories were read, we can’t delay. If we report to the demon king, it’ll be obvious that you’re searching for the demon king and suspecting your friends.”

“That’s right. I’ll hurry as much as possible. By the way, I had something I wanted to ask Mirabel.”

“What is it?”

“How did you find out that there was a demon king among my friends? You don’t know who the demon king is, and it’s not like you can sense their presence.”

I had initially doubted this, but after reading Takeshi’s letter, it became a suspicious point that stuck out. How did she know that there was a demon king among my friends?

Normally, it would be the other way around. If you knew who the demon king was, you would tell your friends. In that case, you could also tell them who the demon king was, and the conversation would be quick.

───”Don’t trust Mirabel.”

Takeshi’s words echoed in my head. Was Mirabel lying to me?

Mirabel didn’t say a word, her face scrunched up in a difficult expression. Her face was slightly red too.

“It’s not like I found it…”

Her voice was small.

“It’s not like I found it! Another god, who was observing the world with Kyle, discovered it!”

Mirabel’s tone was frustrated, and I sensed that she was embarrassed about something. She had been talking confidently to me, saying things like “There’s a demon king among our friends!” – but it turned out she hadn’t even noticed it herself.

“I think I mentioned it before, but there are other gods besides me. Sometimes, I go to check on the world I’m managing…”

“Are you slacking off?”

“Why would I be slacking off?”

Her face was like, “What’s with you?” – she was probably sleeping on the job, this god. She noticed my gaze and rubbed her cheek again. It’s already gone, so I should just relax.

“So, the god who was checking on things noticed it. ‘The demon king is hiding among friends, and they’re searching for the demon king’s location – that’s hilarious!'”

I wish someone would bring that god here so I could punch them. It’s infuriating that they’re handling this so lightly. Mirabel seemed to sense it too.

“Can’t you ask that god who the demon king is?”

Honestly, if I just asked, it would all be over. I wouldn’t need to suspect my friends and search for the demon king.

“I’d rather not know,” she said.

“Why not?”

“If I show too much interest in my world, it’ll be discovered that I’m cheating…”

“If it’s discovered, it’ll affect my evaluation… Maybe I’ll get demoted or have my pay cut? I don’t want that, so I’d rather not know.”

“…………… “

“What’s with that look?”

“…………… “

“You’re not saying anything?”

Honestly, I don’t care if Mirabel gets demoted or not. She’s already said she’s cheating, hasn’t she?

I let out a deep sigh.

───From the time I read the letter Takeshi-san left for the reincarnated, I had been thinking about something. Honestly, I wanted him to write more details instead of just leaving vague words. But I investigated him to see if his words were trustworthy.

I had heard about him from Durandal’s mouth, but there’s a bias towards insiders. It was helpful to look at him objectively through the books about him.

The traces people leave behind often remain in history. Especially with a ridiculous nickname like “The Moving Deb,” he was a genuine hero.

Thanks to the books about him in Kremaltas, I understood Takeshi-san well. As Durandal said, he was a womanizer, but he was a true hero.

He risked his life to protect people from monsters and demons. It wasn’t just once or twice. Just as the evil deeds of villains remain in history, his good deeds remained clear until my time.

So, I judged that his words were trustworthy. The fact that he was also a reincarnated person was a big factor.

If he left a message specifically for reincarnated people saying “Don’t trust Mirabel,” it wasn’t a personal issue. It was a problem that concerned all reincarnated people.

Considering that, I wondered how I should deal with Mirabel. Should I trust her or not? If I trusted Takeshi-san’s words entirely, I shouldn’t trust Mirabel.

But I had built a relationship of trust with Mirabel, and I couldn’t simply accept Takeshi-san’s words.

I did, until now. That woman said it herself – she was cheating.

───Takeshi-san, I will fully trust your words.

The words of a hero who left his name in history, and the words of a god who openly admitted to cheating. If I had to choose which one was heavier, it would undoubtedly be Takeshi-san’s.

So, what did Takeshi-san mean by “Don’t trust Mirabel”?

If I didn’t read the information in Telma, I wouldn’t know, right? Takeshi-san was a social person, didn’t he know about reporting?

When writing a memo, please write clearly what you want to convey. That vague writing style doesn’t get the point across. Seriously…

───Takeshi!!!!!