Chapter 102
At the heart of the land once called Tokyo lies the most bustling place in the Kingdom of Hexaldoria: the royal capital of Hexaldoria, laid out in a circle around the royal castle.
The castle at the center must occupy a third of the royal capital. Beyond the enormous outer wall surrounding it lies the castle town. The entire area is even larger than Salmaria, which is known as a fortress city, and its population is the largest in the Kingdom of Hexaldoria.
The circular outer wall has triumphal gates to the east, west, north, and south, each allowing people to enter and leave. Guards keep watch to prevent monsters from getting in, but they don't particularly check who comes and goes. Everyone from criminals to nobles passes through.
That said, there are no checks only in the castle town. At the gates in the walls surrounding the royal castle grounds to the east, west, north, and south, strict checks are carried out to ensure the residents of the noble district within the grounds aren't harmed.
“It doesn't look like there's been much of a commotion.”
“Everything seems perfectly normal. It hasn't changed at all since I came to the royal capital's castle town a long time ago.”
Takako, Menou, and the others, who had followed Kagami to the royal capital, had also passed through the triumphal gate and reached the castle town without attracting any particular suspicion.
Although they'd made it inside, they were still wanted criminals. To avoid drawing attention, they'd first bought cloaks to cover their clothes, and now everyone was wearing one as they walked through the castle town.
Fortunately, there were plenty of criminals in the back streets of the area known as the castle town's slums, and ordinary people and adventurers stayed away. That allowed them to move through the area without attracting suspicion.
“Wow... Wow! This is amazing! Salmaria was incredible, too, but... the royal capital is amazing as well!”
Now and then, Alice caught glimpses of the lively main street from the back alleys and cried out in delight. The castle town of the royal capital had a different kind of energy from Varman and Salmaria, and Alice was practically bouncing with excitement.
“I never imagined... that I would set foot in a place like this. You never know what life has in store for you. ...So much has happened lately that I don't even have the energy to be surprised anymore.”
“Demon King-sama... I feel the same way.”
Despite this being the Demon King's first time entering a city inhabited by humans, the Demon King murmured with the same air of detachment as Takako and David. Menou was used to human settlements, but the royal capital was so enormous that she kept a close watch on her surroundings, ready for anything to happen at any moment.
“Looks like Kagami-chan hasn't started anything yet. Let's find him and meet up before he gets himself into trouble. I wonder... where he is.”
“Maybe... he's already snuck into the royal castle?”
Tina rested a hand on her chin and added, “That man might actually do something like that.”
“That would certainly be the smartest way, but realistically, it's impossible. To get into the royal castle, he'd have to climb over the ten-meter wall between it and the castle town, and the area beyond is packed with guards. It'd be a different story if he could use magic to hide himself or silence his footsteps... but Kagami-chan can't use magic.”
“Then what do you think he's doing? Could he be lost?”
“No, I doubt Kagami-dono is particularly bad with directions.”
Based on Kagami's usual patterns, Takako, Tina, and Menou desperately tried to guess where he might be. But since he always did the unexpected, they honestly had no idea.
“...Let's go to the front of the royal castle and wait there. If we do, something is bound to happen—or that Villager will show up whether he likes it or not.”
Seeing that they would get nowhere at this rate, the Demon King suggested they head to the place where they were most likely to encounter Kagami.
“...That does seem like the most practical option. Let's go. Either way, time is running out. While we're standing here, something might happen to Kururu-sama...!”
At that, everyone wore grave expressions. There was hardly any time left to waste.
Since they'd been branded as criminals just a day ago, Kururu and Rex's group had most likely already been brought back to the royal castle by Parna and Militariel.
“At worst, we might have to handle everything on our own.”
As Takako murmured this, she imagined just how difficult that would be and was reminded once again how much Kagami's presence meant to them.
Following the Demon King's directions, they headed to the southern gate in the wall separating the royal castle from the castle town. Two burly-looking guards stood watch, and everyone hid behind a nearby house to observe them.
Seeing the two guards yawn with boredom, they realized there still hadn't been any obvious commotion inside the royal castle.
“Looks like they haven't arrived yet. What are they doing...? They left before us.”
“What will you do? If you're going to rescue this person called Kururu, I'll help.”
“...That's not something I'd expect the Demon King to say. You're willing to put yourself in danger to save one human?”
“One of those humans saved me. And being a demon has nothing to do with helping the person they're trying to save, does it?”
“Well... I suppose you're right.”
“But if that Villager isn't here, then all we'll do is rescue Kururu. I don't know what happens after that... At the very least, you'll all have a hard life from now on... and we'll go back to how things were before.”
In a sense, that foreshadowed a different kind of ending.
The fighting would end for a time. Kururu would avoid being brainwashed, and the Demon King and the others would return to their old lives. One side would live as fugitive criminals, while the other would once again stand before humanity as enemies to be defeated... An ending in which nothing had really changed.
It was the very ending they should have avoided above all else.
Thinking about it, Takako wondered if perhaps they should give up on Kururu. But there was no way Kagami hadn't anticipated that outcome.
Still, Kagami hadn't appeared. Though Takako trusted him, his continued absence made her a little uneasy.
“Ah, over there!”
But her unease proved unfounded.
Where Alice was pointing, Kagami was walking briskly toward the gate as if nothing were amiss.
“K-Kagami-sama? Where have you been, and what were you doing?”
“I have no idea... Maybe he was preparing something? But he isn't carrying anything.”
Kagami looked exactly as he had when he handed his backpack to David. Empty-handed and unencumbered, he steadily approached the gate before stopping in front of the guards.
The guards glared at Kagami, who had suddenly appeared and walked straight toward them, with expressions that made it clear they found him highly suspicious.
“What do you want? Don't you know where you are? This is the center of the royal capital, the royal castle of His Majesty Hexaldoria, the king of this country!”
“You look like a Villager... I don't know where you came from, but get out! Lowly riffraff like you have no business coming anywhere near this place!”
The two guards shouted at him and pointed their spears toward Kagami.
“...I have business here.”
Kagami grabbed the two pointed spears, one in each hand, wrenched them from the guards' grasp, and threw them behind him. Then, unconcerned, he started walking again toward the gate.
“...Huh?”
The guards blinked, unable to understand what had just happened, and stared at the hands that had been holding their spears. Then they realized just how dangerous the man now before them was and took a step back.
“W-who are you...? What are you?”
The guards were terrified—not only by how boldly he had acted in this place, but also by the fact that, despite their being fairly skilled and over level 50, this seemingly ordinary man had taken their weapons from them with ease.
“Is this guy really a Villager? S-someone...!”
Pale-faced, one of the guards leaned toward the window used to contact those inside the grounds, preparing to call for help from the soldiers within. But at that very moment—
“Rex... Kururu! I'm here to abduct you both!”
Kagami declared war in a voice so loud it made you want to cover your ears. Rather than open the massive gate, which must have been thirty centimeters thick, he punched it with his bare hands and smashed it apart.