<At a certain place in the Kingdom of Magic, Noareiz>
An elderly man wearing a monocle approached a girl who was focusing on something and spoke to her. His voice carried a hint of excitement.
“Well? Were you able to confirm it?”
“Yeah, there’s no mistake. It’s the demon that was summoned in the kingdom. As proof, we tried pitting it against a vampire, but it was no match. However, I did confirm the flames of Hell.”
“It was a low-level vampire, weak enough to be overlooked, so it’s no surprise. But it seems our comrades have succeeded.”
“Yes, that’s correct. We confirmed the demonic magic and the corruption from Hell during the summoning in the kingdom, but we now have solid evidence.”
The girl, whose hair was long enough to reach her knees, spoke with one eye closed.
“Honestly, I wanted to visually confirm it back then, but…”
“If you had, you would have been caught in the crossfire. In fact, our comrade died immediately after the summoning. That was the best course of action at the time.”
The elderly man, though not entirely convinced, accepted this explanation.
“That’s true, but it’s regrettable that we couldn’t observe exactly what happened at that location.”
“Indeed. When the corruption from Hell ceased, we thought the demon had been destroyed, like the angel summoned previously, but… Oh.”
The girl opened her closed eye.
“What is it?”
“We’ve been found out. This is more troublesome than I expected. The adventurer from the Empire.”
“It’s hard to believe… but that adventurer has somehow subdued the demon? And they’ve also defeated an angel, I hear.”
“Heh, that’s not something a human could manage. As for the defeat of the angel, the trick has been revealed. There’s evidence that one of the Creation King’s weapons was used. As for how they defeated the demon, we have no information.”
The elderly man’s eyes widened.
“The weapons of the Creation King still exist? And they used one? What a waste of such a valuable item.”
“Adventurers don’t care about that sort of thing. They’ll use whatever they can. In that sense, they’re similar to us—pragmatists.”
The girl chuckled. She seemed somewhat excited as well.
The elderly man sighed slightly.
“I’d prefer not to be compared to such crude individuals… But, the demon is coming to this country?”
“Yes, and not just any demon. This one holds a title and territory in Hell. It’s a being close to the Demon King. A fantastic subject for research.”
“We must make preparations. For the sake of our noble cause.”
“Of course. Our comrades were satisfied just summoning the demon, but we’re different. Our goal is the demon’s power itself.”
“Indeed. Humanity’s potential has been thoroughly explored. We need further evolution. Angels, being servants of God, would make us subordinate to Him if we gained their power. But with a demon…”
The two laughed. Whether it was the laughter of researchers or of the covetous, one could not tell. At that moment, they did not realize the truth of the saying: when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
<Inside the Magic Train>
The vampire killed by Mastema didn’t leave behind much information. Its body turned to ash and vanished, leaving only its clothes.
We returned from the roof of the train to the interior.
The bartender had arrived, bringing with him a priest and the security personnel. I asked the priest to heal Arnella and remove her curse.
Since the vampire that drank Arnella’s blood had died, there likely wouldn’t be any lasting effects, but just to be safe.
Leaving Noel to take care of Arnella, I talked with the security staff. Mastema remained by Arnella’s side.
According to the security staff, the vampire had started working on the magic train about six months ago. He had a gloomy demeanor but did his job, so there had been no issues. He didn’t socialize much with the security team.
I also spoke with the bartender, who recalled that the man had indeed disliked sunlight. It was clear that the vampire had been hiding as a crew member.
There had been a few female passengers who occasionally experienced dizziness, but it had been dismissed as motion sickness from the magic train.
From what I gathered, he had blended in well. If things had continued like this, he could have lived undetected for years, but something must have forced his hand.
I was also concerned about that bird that kept watching Mastema.
In the Empire, magicians rarely use familiars.
They tend to be more aggressive and would rather channel their magic into casting spells than into maintaining a familiar.
On the other hand, magicians in the Kingdom of Noareiz often use familiars as a status symbol, as I’d learned during my research.
Familiars can share their master’s sight and hearing, making them extremely useful. The bird’s behavior back then didn’t seem natural.
Someone must have been observing the battle between Mastema and the vampire. The question is, who?
Trouble can arise anywhere.
But a familiar, huh? If I enroll in the academy over there, will I be expected to have one as well?
I really don’t want to have any more dependents. Mastema being my familiar would be perfect.
Mastema looked up, her face slightly irritated.
“Hey, did you just think something improper?”
“Oh, demons are sharp, huh?”
“I could tolerate certain things from you, but you better say it out loud.”
She scolded me. I suppose she’s telling me to be clear if I need a favor. Fair enough.
Arnella regained consciousness. She was a bit groggy at first, but after being purified with holy water, she was fully alert. She tried to apologize to me in a panic, but I told her not to worry.
I thanked the priest and handed him a small gift. He initially refused, but when I explained it was an offering, he accepted on the second try.
With the bartender’s testimony, we were released from security.
It was already nighttime outside. The view from the window was too dark to enjoy.
We decided to sleep in the beds provided in the private cabin.
When we woke up and had breakfast, we would finally arrive at our destination—the Kingdom of Magic, Noareiz.
I fell asleep, my heart racing with excitement for the first time in a while.
