第１７９２堀：勇者と魔王相対する時 (Part1)
Chapter 1792: When the Hero and the Demon Lord Face Each Other
Side: Holy
"Oh my, if it isn't the Hero himself."
Indeed, standing right before me was the legendary Hero who had single-handedly put the Kingdom of Ioa back on its feet.
"No, Holy-san. I haven't exactly defeated you, have I?"
"But you are a Hero, aren't you?"
"That is certainly true, but..."
"And you call the Demon Lord by her name with a suffix."
"Well, you call Deryu-san that too, don't you?"
"...I suppose you're right."
That Demon Lord was here, too. And she’s the one governing the land. Honestly, what has the world come to? I heard that the ones who actually defeated me were the special forces led by Steve, one of Yuki's subordinates. It wasn't even a proper fight. What does that make me—someone who lost to a goblin? I heard Deryu lost to Surakichi-san, the slime, as well...
"Setting aside the melancholy, what is the situation with this fortress?"
"Ah, right."
The reason I was the one welcoming Hero Taiki was that I’d been appointed as the fortress’s guide. I wondered why, but Tori, Vilia, and the others were far too busy with the construction and maintenance of the fort. I’m not sure if I’m the most appropriate choice for a guide, but I was the only one with free hands.
"That said, here. A map."
I handed the map I’d been given to Taiki.
"There are two types of fortresses. No, rather, two have been built. One on the plains and one on the plateau. The one above is primarily for surveillance."
"A plateau, huh? Sounds like it’d have a unique ecosystem."
"You say the same things as Yuki."
"Well, we come from the same place. It’s only natural we’d think alike."
I don't think that's quite right, but there’s no point in pointing it out. I continued my explanation.
"Currently, the defensive functions and some facilities of the plains fortress are operational. The plateau is strictly for surveillance and minimal defense."
"That makes sense. You can't run a fortress of that scale at full capacity all at once."
"As for rooms, they’ve prepared them in both locations. They said to leave the choice to you, Taiki."
"I see. Well, I’m here as a Hero. Which units am I allowed to command?"
"For that, you’ll have to ask Tori. I don’t have the authority for such things."
"I suppose that’s true. Anyway, Holy-san, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"I heard this from Yuki-san, but do you feel anything regarding the Demon Lord?"
"Ah, that."
The reason I was dispatched to this New Continent was because I was a capable individual with time on my hands, but after hearing the circumstances from Oue, my objectives expanded. One of them was to track the presence of the Demon Lord.
"I have absolutely no idea."
"You say that so plainly."
"If I don't know, I don't know. It’s not like I’ve stopped investigating, either. Even when I was close to Deryu or Liliana, I couldn't sense a thing. I only knew you were a Hero because you introduced yourself."
"Fair point. I don't really sense anything either, even when I’m close to a Demon Lord or another Hero."
It seems Taiki hasn't felt anything since arriving in this land either. Well, that’s just how it goes.
"Stories always say that Heroes and Demon Lords are drawn to each other in some ominous way, but reality is a lot more mundane."
"Indeed. Though, since a Demon Lord and a Hero are standing here together in a different sense, I suppose the legends aren't entirely wrong."
"...That is certainly true."
It’s strange to see those who should be mortal enemies standing side-by-side, but there’s no denying we are both here.
"Well, I’ll be coming and going for a while. At this rate, I’ll probably end up having to go North, too."
"To the North?"
I hadn't heard anything about that.
"Yes. If the people in the North are making a fuss about a Demon Lord appearing, the standard response is to send in a Hero as a deterrent."
"I see. So you’re going to make it look like a Hero appeared in the North."
"Well, that depends on how things unfold. The Church of Clear Stream would hate for a Hero to emerge from Oue or Weed, who they consider to be the Demon Lord’s trump cards, wouldn't they?"
"That’s for sure."
That’s right. For the Church of Clear Stream, which is pulling strings behind the scenes and even interfering with major powers, the idea of a Hero—the ultimate weapon against a Demon Lord—emerging from Oue or Weed is something they would vehemently deny.
As I was nodding in agreement, Taiki suddenly had an idea.
"Come to think of it, Holy-san, you are a Goddess, aren't you?"
"Hm? Well, according to my status, I’m a former Goddess and a Demon Lord."
"Do you feel like you’ve lost your divine authority or abilities?"
"No, I still have them."
I actually investigated this with Yuki and the others. We wondered what happens to a Goddess's abilities when she turns into a Demon Lord. I thought it was a ridiculous question at first, but when we checked, it turned out my abilities from my time as a Goddess hadn't been lost. I even asked Luna-sama about it.
*“Huh? Your abilities? Use them as you like. I didn't take them away. I only stopped you because what you were trying to do in the land of Ioa was wrong; there were no further penalties. Oh, want some potato chips?”*
And that’s how I ended up eating new-flavor potato chips. I had braced myself for a serious conversation, so I was left with a very complicated feeling.
"Then, here’s a suggestion. If you can appoint a Hero, why not intentionally create one and send them over there? It’s a bit of a stretch, but..."
"Ah, I see. You mean to make it look like they’re from the North, rather than from Oue or Weed."
The Church wouldn't be able to reject that. But...
"In that case, you’d need a background, wouldn't you? The Church would investigate that."
"Ah, so they do check backgrounds. I suppose details aren't that easy to come by in this world, though?"
"Even so. If the Church is going to treat someone as a Hero, they’ll investigate to see if anyone else has their hands in it. Weed would do the same."
"That’s true. Ah, I thought it was a good idea..."
"Well, the direction isn't wrong, but the question is who to make the Hero."
"Oh, by the way, are you able to appoint a Hero?"
"I can. Though, Heroes were always a nuisance to me."
After all, they are beings capable of defeating me. It would be foolish to create one of my own free will.
"That’s true. Still, knowing we can designate a Hero gives us more options."
"Yes, that’s true. It increases the means at our disposal."
"And, uh, there’s one thing that’s been bothering me."
"What is it?"
"As far as I can see, there aren't any monsters around, are there?"
"Ah... I suppose you're right."
That was all I could say.