“It’s been a while. Wizard.”
A gruff voice echoed in the main hall of the tower.
Warlord Kanbelis.
As usual, he was clad in a flamboyant crimson armor adorned with lavish decorations.
He had removed his demonic mask and helmet, revealing his rugged face.
He looked bitter, but there was no reaction from [Detect Enemy], a skill that could see through hostility.
“Yes, it’s good to see you’re both well.”
I sat at the head of the hall and nodded magnanimously.
On my left and right were Claura and Sedam, and a step below them was Irudo. Behind me was Leiha.
The war tribe members standing in front of me were Kanbelis, two warriors as his guards, a person covered in a robe, and Leid.
He was also wearing the war tribe’s armor, but unlike his superior, he had a tight-lipped expression of irritation.
“I’m grateful that you left the warrior chiefs behind. Thank you.”
“That’s good to hear. We’ve also received reports. Especially in Filsand… you did a great job there.”
He was referring to the incident where I defeated the Legion of Dark Demons and captured the Demonist, a dark demon worshipper, in Filsand.
Of course, I assumed he had heard the story from Leid.
That meant that they also knew the fact that the Demonist, who had infiltrated the Shulz tribe, had said the same thing as the prophecy that the war tribe’s priestess had received.
“I owe it to the warrior chief and his comrades. …Well.”
I tried to keep a calm face as much as possible, but I was still nervous.
Sedam and Claura’s eyes were filled with killing intent as they stared at the war tribe members. I could see that with a sideways glance.
Leiha was even more elusive. She was hiding her presence as if she could turn into an assassin at any moment.
…It wasn’t that they were aggressive, but they were worried about me.
I had to pull myself together.
“…Well, let’s get to the point, warlord. The suspicion that I’m a dark demon or a focal point… what about the continuation of the interrogation?”
“Ah, yes.”
Kanbelis nodded once and knelt on one knee on the spot.
The other war tribe members followed suit.
“That’s the conclusion of the war tribe’s elders council. The possibility that you are a dark demon or a demonist… is extremely low.”
There was a brief pause before Kanbelis uttered those words, and Sedam and Claura let out a small sigh.
I felt the same way, but it wasn’t something that could be settled with that.
“So? Does that mean you’re not cleared of suspicion?”
“Yes. But we’re not going to investigate you any further. Rather, the problem lies with us.”
“About the priestess’s prophecy, right?”
“Yes. In the five hundred years of the war tribe’s history, the priestess’s prophecy has never been wrong. But this time, it’s not a matter of accuracy or error. If the demonist also received the same prophecy… “
Kanbelis’s stern face tightened even more with anguish.
The guards and Leid also clenched their teeth.
“The elders council wants to find out the cause of this phenomenon at all costs.”
“…I see.”
The morale of the war tribe would collapse if they found out that the priestess’s prophecy, which they had followed for five hundred years, was being used by the dark demons.
“Right now, you, wizard, are at the center of this phenomenon. Therefore, I ask you to bear with me and help me. Will you cooperate?”
“Hmm…”
I had been thinking about it ever since the commotion in Filsand.
In the end, it seemed to me that the interpretation of the word “focal point” was the problem.
In other words, does “focal point” mean nothing more than “a place where this world Sedea and another world are connected”?
If I think that way, I can sort out that the “focal point” that transforms into a dark demon’s nest and the “focal point” that is probably my Door of Wizardry have the same nature but are different things.
But still, does Kanbelis, or rather the elders council of the war tribe, really want to ask for our cooperation?
The most useful thing at this time would be “ESP Medal”, but Kanbelis has been able to resist the effects of this item before. I have to figure out their true intentions with our own power.
“You accuse us of being troublemakers, and now you want us to cooperate? That’s quite a convenient story for you, isn’t it?”
She must have taken my hesitation as doubt.
Claura showered Kanbelis with a cold voice.
Well, I’m getting used to the breathing around here. She must be deliberately playing the role of a whip.
“Ah, I understand that. I’m not ignorant of manners, either…!”
Kanbelis said calmly, without getting angry. Then, suddenly, the person who had been hiding their body with a robe and hood stood up.
He stopped Kanbelis from rising with one hand.
He quietly stepped forward in front of me, removed his hood, and dropped his robe.
“It is an honor to meet you for the first time, wizard-sama.”
He had a cool voice that seemed to calm my heart.
He bowed respectfully, and his long black hair swayed softly.
Well, he was not a man.
“I am the chief of the war tribe’s Miko, the ‘woman who preserves knowledge’.”
She straightened her back and looked at me with her large green eyes.
She was a beautiful girl with slender limbs.
The combination of a red skirt with many folds and a white jacket reminded me of the Japanese “Miko”.
And moreover.
“An elf, no, a ‘true elf’…?”
Sedam muttered in astonishment next to me.
Indeed, the girl who called herself the ‘woman who preserves knowledge’ had pointed ears.
…Leiha was a dark elf, and I had heard some stories about the elves of this world Sedia, but I didn’t expect to meet one here.
“As you have guessed. We are the ones created by the God. However, we are the second generation.”
“I see…”
“So they really existed…”
Sedam and Claura’s attitudes suggested that true elves were much rarer than ordinary elves.
Irudo seemed to be fascinated by her, and Leiha was stiffened.
I was also interested, but…
“Ah… I see. It was unexpected that Miko-dono would come here herself. I appreciate it, but… are you Miko who received the prophecy?”
I was able to calm down, seeing Sedam and the others panic for once.
I frowned, remembering the gruesome sight of the demonist, a dark worm worshipper, who was interrogated in Filsand and had his head destroyed by a dark worm.
“Please just call me Miko.”
The elf girl said with a gentle smile.
She was a young girl, but I felt a sense of tolerance as if I was talking to an experienced older woman. Well, she was an elf, so she probably wasn’t young in terms of age.
“As for your question, yes… I deeply, deeply apologize for causing you a great deal of trouble due to my foolishness.”
The girl – Miko – knelt on the floor and bowed her head deeply, like a dogeza.
Kanbelis behind her, the two guards, and even Leid followed suit.
She was a fragile-looking beautiful girl, after all. It unnecessarily stimulated my guilt.
It was also bad for my heart to see the tough guys behind her doing the same thing.
“…I want you to raise your head, Miko-dono. And the others too. …Honestly, I want an explanation more than an apology right now.”
“That is indeed reasonable.”
She began to speak in a tone that was calm but somehow musical.
As a TRPG gamer, I tend to want to believe an elf girl.
But here, I have to be careful.