Chapter 249: Request


    We walked after the Oni woman.


    Leaving the streets lined with stalls near the castle wall, we headed towards the center of the city.


    「Hey Sophia, we’re heading to the center of the city, aren’t we?」


    「Indeed.」


    「By some chance, are we going to that castle?」


    「I am certain we are.」


    「Ahh, thought so.」


    I don’t know if there’s aw about it, but we were intruders who entered this country illegally. The fact that we’re heading to the castle meant that the master of the Oni woman guiding us was definitely a higher-up. As people who snuck in, this was awkward.


    Sure enough, after following the Oni woman who called herself Ryuka, we saw the royal castle right in front of us.


    「<em>Haa</em>~ As expected~」


    「……yes.」


    Ryuka-san freely passed through the castle gate and we continued along as well without being inspected and headed into the castle.


    「Please wait here.」


    「……yes.」


    Subi and Devil maids made tea for us at the extravagant lounge suite we were left at.


    「……those maid uniforms are quite indecent……」


    「Takumi-sama, if you want it then……」


    「Me too, I have noints if Master (Husband) wants me to wear clothing he likes.」


    <em>Aren’t the maid outfits used by these Subus and Devil maids simr to the ones worn in maid cafes?</em>


    While I drank tea and tried to suppress my excitement, I felt a presence approaching from the other side of the door.


    <em>click</em>


    Those that came into the room were Ryuka-san, the Oni woman who guided us here, and a Subus.


    We passed each other a few days ago, though her face was different. She probably used an illusory spell. However, I couldn’t forget her presence, so I was certain that she was the Subus from the other day.


    「Please take a seat.」


    「Excuse us.」


    The Subus frankly told us to take our seats after we stood up to greet them when they came in.


    Was she in her mid-twenties? I couldn’t tell her age so I can’t be certain. But she was most certainly a beauty.


    「The suddenness must have been surprising. I am the Queen of uros, Fraal.」


    「My name is Takumi Iruma. She is Sophia and she is Marnie.」


    「Iruma-dono, your group is from the Northern Continent, is it not?」


    After introducing ourselves, Queen Fraal asked us a question directly.


    「……yes, we have our reasons foring from the north to investigate this continent.」


    「……it doesn’t appear that you came by way of Samandour’s ships. Well, that is fine. Iruma-dono, you do not seem to have any prejudice towards us. Therefore, I have a request I wish to ask of you.」


    「A request?」


    I desperately averted my eyes from Queen Fraal’s lethal outfit and body as I listened to her talk.


    Surprisingly, Queen Fraal’s concern was not unrted to ours.


    ording to her, several rulers had acknowledged the increase in monsters recently. And so, Devil King Gandalf, Beast King Guzhr, and Queen Fraal held a conference to share information.


    「Despite the entire continent being close to a monster nest, the recent increase of monsters felt unnatural. However, we do not have the personnel to spare to investigate the cause. As such, each country is limited to investigating within the surroundings of our respective countries.」


    「So that’s where Ie in?」


    「Yes, if in case it’s an outbreak of new dungeons, there is a danger that the monsters would overflow if left neglected.」


    She exined that the entire terrain was either monster nests or simrnds, and there were a certain number of dungeons on the continent, but the six countries manage those near their respective territories.


    The dungeons with useful monster materials were managed by thinning out the monsters, while the dungeons that didn’t had their cores destroyed and were killed.


    「(Takumi-sama, is that because of the Evil Spirit and the Pope?)」


    「(There might be a connection.)」


    I informed Queen Fraal about the sinsmitted by the Divine Empire of Sydnia and their god making dungeons, and their subsequent escape to the Demon Continent.


    「……oh my, I can’t imagine a Majin going crazy. Did they believe that we are races whose ancestors are monsters?」


    「That was no longer a person, but a monster. I failed and wasn’t able to catch them.」


    Considering how Akira and the Imperial Princess weren’t in that ce, it wouldn’t have made that much of a difference even if we defeated the Pope.


    「Then Iruma-dono, this request is a windfall for you as well, isn’t it? Furthermore, your group’s strength is astonishingly higher than ours. It could be said that you are the most suitable for investigating the unusual phenomenon of this continent.」


    「……in the first ce, we came to this continent in order to investigate, so it is the request of Your Majesty, in one form or another.」


    「Iruma-dono, you need not speak to me in such a formal tone. Please think of me as the person in charge of a city that could not even be called a country.」


    「No, that would still be too…」


    「Please consider this as the style of this continent.」


    「I seeee.」


    Queel Fraal promised to cooperate with us as much as possible. Thanks to that, we no longer have to trespass in the city.


    We gave our word to report periodically to Queen Fraal, then returned to the base.


    ***