“Please show me your ID.”
I was startled when it was said. I had come a long way from the country I was summoned to, but would this still be valid here?
“I only have this…”
I showed the letter and the medal I had been given.
It was a royal letter from the king of a certain country and a medal with the royal family crest. The king is my contract holder.
It seems that they understood a bit about the country.
“I am Kingu. I have a contract with the person who gave me this letter. I came to visit someone in this town.”
“My apologies, please go ahead.”
The gatekeeper bowed respectfully and stepped aside. As expected, a king’s handwritten letter is quite effective.
Currently, I am visiting the town of Renant in the kingdom of Chenkaslar .
I have business with the King of Hell I met at the Dead Sea. Although it’s unpleasant to owe him anything, I have no leads at the moment, so relying on someone living nearby seems to be the best option.
“Who are you looking for? Do you know where they are?”
A young man, who had been standing slightly behind the gatekeeper and observing, spoke up. He had golden hair, green eyes, and wore white armor like a knight. It seems he’s a superior officer.
“Well… I only know that they seem to be in this town. A demon named Belial…”
“You’re acquainted with Lord Belial? Then allow me to guide you. I am Sieghart.”
“I am Kingu. I appreciate your help.”
The young man, despite being a knight, smiled and told me to follow him. It’s nice to see such kindness. I’d like to train my subordinates to be like this. But how did he meet Belial? I hope he wasn’t caught causing trouble…
No, it seems unlikely that humans could catch him.
“This is the house.”
It was surprisingly small. Considering it’s him, I thought he might have built a palace or something, of course, probably leaving it all to his subordinates.
“You’re too kind. As a token of thanks, please accept this.”
Feeling good, I handed him a scale from my mother. I had picked up a few that had fallen in the place where my mother used to live. I don’t want to give these tough scales to heartless humans.
“No, it’s part of my job, please don’t worry.”
“It’s my principle to return favors.”
I forcefully handed the scale to the man who tried to refuse and knocked on the door.
“Belial, are you there? It’s me, I have business with you!”
After a while, he appeared at the door with an annoyed look.
With red hair and red eyes, he was a flashy King of Hell who liked jewels.
“…You’re still around here?”
“I’m acting on my mother’s orders. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll have to report it.”
“…Come in! You’re really pushy!!!”
The knight confirmed that I had made contact with Belial and then left.
I entered the house after Belial, and we closed the door.
After walking a short way down the hallway from the entrance, we reached a guest room. It was quite simple, with no significant furnishings. I sat down on the sofa and looked around, but it seemed like he was alone for now.
“Where’s your contract holder?”
“She’s making potions. Last time, she was making Amrita.”
He answered curtly and sat down on the sofa across from me.
“Ah, so that’s why you were at the Dead Sea. How did it go?”
“Amrita and Soma are easy to make, so she says there were no failures.”
Amrita is one thing, but making Soma without failure…? She’s quite skilled. If this man says it, it’s not a bluff. That woman must be not only proficient in magic but also in crafting magical items.
“…As expected, since she’s your contract holder, her sense of things is a bit off.”
“What exactly did you come here for?!”
Right, I have important business. It might be better if my contract holder is here too. Since I might need to borrow this man, I should check with my contract holder as well.
“I’ll talk once my contract holder arrives.”
“Sounds complicated…”
Belial exaggeratedly sighed and crossed his legs.
“Hey, at least offer some tea to the guest. Isn’t there a servant?”
“…Such an arrogantly pushy man! Ekvar , are you there?”
Belial yelled toward the second floor, and soon I heard someone descending the stairs with lively steps.
The man who opened the door and peeked out appeared to be in his thirties or younger. He had navy blue hair that reached a little past his shoulders, loosely tied behind his back. His shirt was quite well-tailored, so he likely had some wealth or status.
“The guest has requested tea.”
“Got it.”
This guy seems a bit lighthearted… He probably gets along well with Belial. He’s skilled, but also quite a hopeless case.
“By the way, how’s your mother doing?”
“…She’s enjoying herself in the human world.”
The topic turned uncomfortable… My mother seems to want to travel at least once around the human world. While she likely wants me to return to the Black Dragon’s village, since I made a contract, I was given a reprieve for now.
My mother, Black Dragon Tiamat, has taken the form of a human and is currently enjoying herself, so humans don’t seem to recognize her. Despite her efforts to hide it, humans are foolish if they can’t recognize that overwhelming magical power.
“If she’s in a good mood, I don’t mind.”
“I almost got into a fight with Baal, but somehow avoided it…”
“…What kind of terrifying situation is that?! I heard Lord Baal was summoned to a country in the south… It’s good that he’s not around here!”
While we were talking, two cups of tea were placed on the table.
When the man made eye contact with me, he gave a smile.
“Oh, sorry about that. Would you like honey or lemon with your tea?”
“Lemon.”
“Got it.”
He nodded, left the room for a moment, and returned with some sliced lemons.
He’s quite thoughtful. I feel bad for comparing him to Belial.
As I squeezed lemon into the tea, I continued the conversation.
“So, Baal came here, right? He killed the king of the country where he was summoned, destroyed the summoning facilities and various places, and then made a contract with the king of the neighboring country. In exchange, he had them build a palace for banquets…”
“He’s still as hot-headed as ever… And he even invited me to a banquet…!”
This man clearly dislikes Baal. Baal is hot-tempered, and I don’t like him much either.
Trying to shake it off, he took a sip of his tea.
“You’re one to talk. Your contract holder is just as hot-headed. What was that woman? She hit a sea serpent with a ridiculously powerful lightning spell in one shot, then said ‘What a pity, not a dragon.’ No one has ever said something like that in front of me. It was hilarious.”
“Afterward, she shouted that she didn’t know it was a Dragonkin. It was amusing!”
I guess it’s a bit cruel not to tell him. I’m not keeping it a secret, but he’s still such a malicious man.
“…Eh!?”
“What is it, you’re still here?”
The servant let out a foolish voice. Well, it’s not easy to tell the difference between Dragonkin and humans. Especially humans, they’re so insensitive.
The conversation fell silent, and in the quiet room, footsteps could be heard from the underground. It seems the workshop was below ground. To prevent people from sneaking a peek at the work and to avoid causing damage if there’s an explosion, it’s common to have the workshop underground.
“Iriya , come here. A guest.”
Without delay, Belial called his contractor. The woman, called, responded with a brief “Yes” and quietly appeared.
“Oh, this is… Kingu-sama! I would like to thank you again for the precious item you gave me the other day.”
When Belial’s contractor saw me, she politely bowed her head. Her movements were quite refined. It was completely different from my previous impression… That’s why women are so terrifying.
“He says he has something to discuss. You sit as well.”
After the woman sat next to Belial, the servant poured her some tea and offered it to her.
Now, I decided to get to the point.
“I hear that King Sarkotea is bedridden with illness. I’ve been asked to visit in place of my mother, but I don’t know where the Empire is located. I don’t really want to owe you anything, but it can’t be helped.”
“That nearly indestructible King, huh. I know where it is. It’s hard to explain, so we’ll have to go together… Is that alright, Iriya ?”
Belial asked his contractor.
“I don’t mind, but where is this King’s country?”
“It’s the underground Dragonkin Empire of Zumw.”
“Underground Dragonkin Empire!?”
The voices of the contractor and the servant overlapped. As expected, they were shocked. It seems that even the fact it’s underground was not widely known, but it should be somewhere around here. At least now, it looks like I can fulfill the task my mother entrusted to me.
I sighed in relief and finished the rest of my tea.
