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

6. Suspect No. 3, Thief Daru

───Why is she (Daru) here…?

It was too sudden, and I was perplexed.

No, she must have come for a reason.

To be honest, I wasn’t mentally prepared. Although I thought Daru was trustworthy after consulting with Sasha, her sudden arrival made me slightly suspicious.

Sasha was the demon king, and Daru was her subordinate. If Sasha suspected me, she might have sent Daru to investigate.

That was the worst possible scenario.

For now, I’ll try to remain calm. If I acted strangely nervous, it would only raise her suspicions.

If Daru was a demon king or her subordinate, that would be a bad sign.

“Daru, what brings you here so suddenly?”

“Hmm? Isn’t it you who needs something, Kail?”

Daru tilted her head, looking puzzled.

Did I need something from Daru?

“What’s going on?”

“Is that something I should ask?”

Why? Darl looked puzzled.

Every time she tilted her head, her long, fiery red hair reached her waist and swayed.

What’s going on? Think about it.

“Darl, did Sasha tell you to come here?”

That’s a possibility.

If that’s the case, I might need to make a decision I’m not ready for.

There’s a chance things might take a turn for the worse.

“Ah, yeah! Sasha said she had business with me and was looking for me, so…

And she told me to give this to you, Kyle.”

It’s Sasha again…

What could she be giving me? Darl rummaged through the pouch tied around her waist, making rustling sounds.

Perhaps because she was wearing fewer clothes than usual, her cleavage was visible, and I instinctively averted my gaze.

“Here, Kyle!

Hmm, why are you looking away?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Darl handed me a folded white paper.

When I opened it, I saw Sasha’s handwriting.

“‘Since it’s about Kyle, you’ll probably just make excuses and hesitate, right?

I’ll create a situation where you can talk, so make a decision and come hear it directly from Darl.’

I involuntarily crumpled the paper in my hand.

Darl flinched at the sight, but I didn’t care.

It’s way too early for this. I’ve been making excuses about making a decision, and it’s not like much time has passed since I consulted with Sasha.

I haven’t even thought about what to say or do. Can’t I at least have some time to prepare?

I let out a frustrated sigh.

“Kyle?”

Darl looked at me with concern.

“No, sorry. I forgot you had business with me.

Let’s go into the room for now.”

“Hmm, what do you plan to do with me in the room?

Is it something suspicious?”

“No, I just want to have a normal conversation.”

“Oh, I see…”

She looked slightly disappointed.

When I invited her into the room, she entered and looked around curiously.

“It’s not much different from my room.”

“That’s because it’s the same dorm, after all.

Sit down on that chair for now.”

What’s she expecting?

If I had invited her to my home, it would be one thing, but this is just another room in the same dorm. Although the layout might be slightly different, the basics are the same.

I asked Darl to sit down, but for some reason, she sat on the bed instead.

─── Don’t listen to what I say!

She’s always like this. It’s as if I’m dealing with a capricious cat.

The beastman from the cat family is already in our party…

Well, how should I put it?

I’m struggling to find the right words. What I want to ask her is related to her delicate side.

It’s because she understands that she shouldn’t use magic herself, which is why she hasn’t used it until now.

But even so, Darl used magic when her friends were in danger.

…………。

Don’t waver. Don’t hesitate.

It’s okay. Darl is my friend.

“Uh, what’s…?”

“What’s wrong? If you have something to say, just say it clearly”

I’m stuck for words.

This is the kind of situation where Sasha would say I’m a coward.

What I’m trying to ask might hurt Darl. The thought of hurting my friend, who cares about her companions, makes it hard for me to speak.

About 30 seconds of silence passed.

I took a deep breath in, then exhaled slowly. I calmed down with a deep breath.

Darl was silently looking at me.

“If it’s something difficult to say, I won’t press you. But if you can answer, I’d appreciate it”

“Is it about my magic, Kail?”

“Yeah, that’s right”

The tense atmosphere is unbearable.

I’ve never been good with my stomach since I was young.

“From your reaction, I suppose you’ve roughly figured out my true identity?”

“That’s right”

My voice is weaker than usual. Anxiety is visible on my face.

I feel guilty for putting her through a tough time.

It seems my prediction was correct, based on her words. She indeed has demonic blood…

“So, I’m a chimera, a humanoid creature created by combining human and monster, to counter the demon king, made by human hands”

“No, I didn’t know that!”

“Just kidding”

As she laughs, just like she always does, the tension dissipates.

Despite it being a difficult topic, Darl is laughing.

“I’m a half-human, half-demon hybrid”

“I knew it was something like that…”

I’m not surprised.

“As you know, Kail, most demons were defeated by heroes in the past and had to hide their identities. My mother was the same, hiding and living as a human”

“Just like Beriel, right?”

“So it was”

───Beriell.

The name of the gentle demon we fought a year ago.

Just like us, he was living in human form. He even wore a calm expression when interacting with travelers, making it hard to believe he was a demon.

The fact that he had a family was also significant. He had a wife and one child, both human.

He was torn between his demonic kin and humanity.

His own kind pressured him to join forces with them against us, and he was caught between his loyalty to his family and his demonic heritage.

In the end, he was forced to fight us when his family was taken hostage by his demonic kin, and he was defeated.

We spared his life, but only because we had gotten to know him during that short period.

We decided to rescue his family in his place.

───But it was already too late.

The demon who had taken Beriell’s family hostage was already gone.

All that was left was the gruesome corpse of his family, slaughtered like toys.

Their bodies were no longer human.

“aaHHHHHH!”

For Beriell, who had been chasing after us with his wounded body, that scene must have been hell.

He held the lifeless bodies of his loved ones, crying tears of blood, and eventually took his own life.

I still remember his wails of grief to this day.

Not all demons are evil. There are gentle demons like Beriell.

But the majority of demons are cunning and cannot be trusted. I wonder what happened to her mother.

“My mother loved humans just like Beriell. She believed that even though they were different species, they could understand each other.”

“She had a kind heart, didn’t she?”

“Yes. My mother, who was working in human form, had a fateful encounter with my father and cultivated love.”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

Why does she look a little proud?

From noble mtl dot com

“My mother dreamed of becoming a family with my father, but he already had a family. My mother was just his lover.”

“That’s a cruel story.”

“Yes. After that, there was a fierce exchange of words between my mother and father, like a raging fire.”

“Eventually, the king intervened and settled the matter.”

“Huh? Why did the king get involved?”

“Because my father is the king’s brother.”

“…………”

Wait, I can’t process what Darl just said.

What did she just say? Her father is the king’s brother?

I couldn’t help but stare at her in shock.

Her refined, beautiful face was a sight to behold. She seemed to notice my gaze, and her white cheeks turned slightly red.

Her long, narrow eyes were the same red color as her hair, like rubies.

Red hair and red eyes – the symbol of the royal family in my country. A characteristic of those with royal blood.

───Darl (this girl), she’s royalty…