“Iriya , Iriya .”
The fairy, Silphy, who was with Zieg, appeared once again through the window.
How does she know this place, even though we just moved here?
“What’s wrong, Silphy? And how do you know about this place?”
“I can feel it because of the scary demon presence. Iriya , give me some medicine. Zieg is sick.”
“Sick?”
“Yes, he’s had a high fever since yesterday. I’m sure your medicine will help him get better.”
It seems the potion I gave him last time wasn’t the problem. The fever was probably caused by an injury… In that case, the potion should have worked.
Could it be a coincidence? No, it can’t be Belial…
I looked at Belial in worry, and he shook his head with a displeased expression.
“I don’t have that kind of ability.”
So, it’s probably not related. If he were under a curse from a Demon Lord, it wouldn’t be a mere illness—it would be a death sentence. Like how angels bestow blessings, the Demon Lords also cast curses, but they’re not things to be used casually.
For now, I followed Silphy to the barracks where the defense team stays.
Belial was grumbling and didn’t seem too eager to go, but he accompanied us anyway.
The barracks wasn’t large, just a small building next to the headquarters, where about forty people slept. It was afternoon, but a few people who had been on the night shift were resting in their rooms.
Zieg used the room at the farthest end, in the corner.
I knocked but received no answer.
I quietly opened the door and peeked inside—Zieg was lying in a bed near the window, suffering in his sleep.
There were cloaks and clothes hung on the wall, and several books with bookmarks were scattered on the desk.
“His face is really red. And his fever is pretty high…”
The breath he was exhaling was hot, and he was sweating heavily.
“He took the medicine, but it didn’t help. He’s been suffering this whole time.”
“This… doesn’t seem normal.”
Silphy leaned over his bedside, looking worried, but Zieg seemed completely unaware as he tossed and turned.
“Did he eat something strange?”
“Strange? He’s not a child.”
Belial, leaning against the wall near the door, was staring at us with a bored expression.
When I didn’t respond, he sighed as if annoyed by the whole situation.
“That’s not what I meant. This is a desert fever. There’s no sign of that thing being here, so I’m saying maybe some magic from the disease was mixed into something and entered his body.”
“Desert fever…? And who is this ‘thing’ you’re talking about?”
“…The Wind Demon Lord Pazuzu. He’s the one who brings the fever. He stands apart from us.”
Is this an illness caused by the magic of a Demon Lord!? Silphy mentioned the medicine wasn’t working, and if this continues, it could be quite dangerous.
I’m glad she came to get me early.
“Food… Zieg ate cookies that a child gave him.”
“That’s likely it. When you let a child give something, the guard drops.”
Using children, how cowardly!
“Could it be that they still have something with that magic to cause the fever…?”
“No, that’s not possible. If the person wasn’t here, it couldn’t have been a good contract. It’s likely a couple of items, at most, exchanged for his life.”
“Exchanged for his life…?”
Why go so far to do something like this? Or perhaps they didn’t care about risking their life and just thought it would be easy? To summon someone just to kill?
“You understand, don’t you, the danger of summoning a Demon Lord? They spread disease on a town-wide scale. There’s no way a deal to only affect one person could work. Summoning a Demon Lord is disrespectful in itself.”
“…That’s true. But let’s focus on curing this illness first!”
The disease is unlikely to spread any further, so we should focus on treating Zieg for now.
I took the Soma out of my bag. It is a medicine said to cure all diseases. If this doesn’t work, there’s nothing more I can do. I don’t know of any other medicine for this desert fever, and this is the only one I have on hand. The rest is still being made. Even if it’s not enough, there’s nothing I can do about it…
“Purification…?”
“Not necessary this time.”
I was about to have him take it right away, but I realized I didn’t have a cup. The Soma in the bottle could be used for about three doses.
“Hey, Silphy, where’s a cup?”
“A cup? The kitchen.”
Just as I was about to go with her to get one, there was a knock on the door.
“Excuse me, Captain. It’s Marren. How is he?”
Perfect timing! It was one of Alesia’s acquaintances, the gatekeeper. He would recognize me, and he was easy to talk to.
“I apologize for the intrusion. Please, come in. I was just about to speak with you.”
Marren seemed a bit surprised to see me, but when I explained that Silphy had brought him here to get medicine, he nodded in understanding.
I explained that the illness was the desert fever, which is caused by a demon.
I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I told him this was a medicine I made myself and gave him the Soma. I asked him to take it now and then again in the morning. I also reminded him to try other methods if it didn’t work.
Silphy and Marren smiled and thanked me, but I still wasn’t sure if it would cure him.
After leaving the barracks, we headed out onto the street to go home. Along the way, there were the Adventurer’s Guild and the Merchant’s Guild at the intersection, and there were more people coming and going than usual. Outside the Merchant’s Guild, there were several boxes and bags placed.
“I wonder what’s going on…?”
Curious, I peeked into the Merchant’s Guild I was registered at. Everyone seemed busy, and unusually, no one was at the reception desk. In the salon, merchants were speaking noisily with each other.
“Excuse me, what’s going on?”
I spotted the receptionist, a woman with light blue hair wearing a pale yellow shirt and a khaki vest, walking by and called out to her.
“Oh, Lady Iriya ! It’s terrible! A few days ago, there was an earthquake, right!? There was a landslide in the northeastern mountains of the town, and some villages have been isolated! The people who managed to make it here are asking for supplies, but there’s a shortage, so they want us to deliver them…”
“I see… if the roads are blocked, we can’t deliver the supplies, even if we have them.”
“Yes, there are two people who can use flight magic, but they can’t carry large amounts… The Adventurer’s Guild is looking for volunteers to help with transport, but they haven’t been able to gather many people. Right now, messages have been sent to other areas and the capital, and the mayor and guild leader are working on a plan.”
We could use flight magic too, but we couldn’t carry much food at once.
The boxes outside appeared to have been provided by the merchants registered with the guild, and more were being prepared inside the guild.
The Adventurer’s Guild seemed to be in a bit of chaos. They were apparently releasing some of the town’s reserves, and preparations were underway. The defense team had gone out to remove the debris. The commander being bedridden with illness must be the most frustrated by this situation.
“Also, it seems that the change in terrain has caused some dangerous monsters to appear…”
“…Dangerous monsters, you say? And are the supplies gathered?”
Suddenly, Belial cut into the conversation.
“Yes, the supplies are supposed to be gathered at the assembly hall, and donations from the townspeople are coming in. There are also supplies coming from the merchants.”
“…I see.”
It seemed like Belial had something in mind.
I had a feeling he reacted to the mention of dangerous monsters.
Once outside the town, Belial suddenly suggested that we summon something.
“There’s someone who’s good at transporting supplies! Yes, it’s for helping people!”
Since Belial was nearby, there was no need for a protective magic circle, so I quickly wrote out a circle, a pentagram, and four strong symbols.
Even so… “helping people”… that’s not really a word that suits him.
“Respond to my call. Open the door to the closed otherworld, appear from the void. In the name of the highest, show yourself. Demon Seere!”
The coordinates shone brightly, and a shadowy figure resembling a centaur appeared. After a burst of smoke, the figure became clearer. It was a handsome man with navy hair riding a winged white horse.
“You! To summon me without even preparing a magic circle… You really underestimated me!”
“Oh? Underestimate me, you say? What do you mean by that?”
“Ah… B-Belial-sama, I didn’t realize it was you! Today is such a fine day…”
He seemed rather nervous. I was wondering if I should have at least prepared a formal ritual. Anyway, when I explained that I needed help transporting supplies, he eagerly agreed, saying that it was his specialty.
As we walked back toward the Merchant’s Guild, Seere seemed a bit intimidated by Belial. It wasn’t good to intimidate him.
“By the way, what kind of dangerous monsters are we talking about?”
When we arrived at the Merchant’s Guild, I told them that Seere would help transport the supplies. With a simple wave of his hand, the supplies vanished and were stored in his special space.
While he was gathering the supplies, Belial was talking to the receptionist to gather more information.
“Yes. They’re large creatures covered in green fur, with snake-like heads and long tails. They can breathe fire and eat livestock…”
“…Could it be La Velyu…?”
It might be one of the creatures I saw in the monster damage reports from the Kingdom of Egdualum.
“Do you know about them, Lady Iriya ?”
“Yes, they’re monsters that eat people and livestock. When several were confirmed in the Kingdom of Egdualum, two mountain villages were destroyed before they could be eradicated!”
“Are they really that dangerous!?”
Not just the receptionist, but everyone around us was in a state of shock.
It’s understandable. If those monsters appeared in isolated villages with blocked roads, they’d become easy prey.
“If they’ve been eating livestock, there’s no time to waste. We must go immediately. Please tell me where the village is.”
The receptionist quickly pulled out a map and explained the location. Seere, who had just arrived, also looked at it and said he would gather the supplies before heading there.
When I went outside with Belial, I was asked how we would travel, and I answered that we would use flight magic.
It seemed not many people knew we could use it.
