Episode 16
…Teresia sat in the chair, making no effort whatsoever to hide her displeasure.
The Blue-Winged Crow Inn.
And smiling pleasantly across from her was Monica.
The two of them were in a room at the Blue-Winged Crow — a space fully twice the size of the room Yurina was using at the Scarlet Frog, the two of them seated facing each other.
“Well then.”
“Oh, ‘well then’? Now, now, Teresia — the two of us haven’t actually said a single word to each other yet, alone here, have we. Shouldn’t we make some effort, hand in hand, to talk things through and exchange information, so as to improve the situation for both of us? And yet you open with something so perfunctory — well, frankly, I have to wonder about that. Though I suppose given the circumstances, you’re hardly in a state to be composed right now. Very well then, let’s set the preamble aside exactly as I said and get straight to the heart of the matter. So?”
“…”
Teresia thought, “This person really can talk.”
She didn’t say it aloud.
“First, then. The fact that Yurina was the demon lord — that’s our basic premise, yes?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“To think the knight who traveled alongside you this whole time was the demon lord — the true enemy was closer than expected, was it?”
“Please don’t speak of her that way.”
“Oh dear, my apologies. That was, admittedly, rather thoughtless and rude of me. I’ll apologize for it.”
“…In any case. It’s a fact that Yurina was the demon lord. And she attempted to end her own life using the demon lord’s own power.”
“And yet she’s alive now. Does that mean the demon lord is still alive and well?”
“That’s somewhat complicated.”
Teresia’s expression darkened.
“First — Yurina has not developed a demon lord’s personality.”
“A ‘demon lord’s personality’ meaning?”
“…The will to destroy the world, as the demon lord. I’ve observed her for some time now, and nothing about her has changed from before.”
“And the possibility that the demon lord’s personality is being extremely cunning, and deceiving you?”
“There is absolutely no possibility that I would be mistaken about Yurina.”
“O-oh. I see.”
Monica recoiled slightly at the sheer intensity of that.
Then, clearing her throat with an “ahem,” she continued.
“So then, are you saying that at the very least, we can rule out the worst-case scenario — Yurina awakening fully as the demon lord and wielding that power to destroy the world?”
“To begin with, Yurina has already died once. I don’t want to place any further burden on her than that.”
“I’d like that too, if it were possible. But on the other side of the scale, quite literally, sits this world’s future. Or are you saying Yurina matters more to you than the fate of the world?”
“…”
“…”
“…Hmm. Well, let’s set that aside for now.”
Monica casually pulled out several sheets of paper and showed them to Teresia.
Frowning, Teresia took them, checked their contents, and her already-tense expression grew tenser still.
“…An investigation’s already been carried out, I see.”
“That, too, is simply because the fate of the world is at stake here, regardless of whether you personally are trusted or not. Even if the king himself confirmed with his own eyes that you defeated the demon lord, there would still be an investigation into whether the demon lord’s influence has truly vanished from this world.”
“Even so, as far as results go—”
“Ah, as you can see, the only conclusion reached so far is the ambiguous one — ‘we cannot yet determine whether the demon lord’s influence has been completely eradicated.’ This is the kind of thing that requires a long-term investigation.”
“And so you, too, came to this town for that same investigation?”
“Precisely, Teresia. And as a result — wouldn’t you agree that turned out for the best?”
“Why?”
“Because you and I have at least some measure of friendship between us.”
“Is that a joke?”
“I don’t intend it as one, actually.”
Monica shrugged, as if there were nothing to be done about it.
“Personally, I consider you a hard-won friend. And for a friend’s sake, I’d like to bend the rules to some degree — at the very least, if anyone other than me had come, Yurina would likely have been killed, regardless of your own wishes.”
“Do you imagine I’d simply stand by and let that happen?”
“In that case, an all-out war between the saint and the world would likely have broken out. Well — that’s precisely why it fell to me to come in person, you could say.”
“…”
“Now then, in any case, that’s the situation. In my official capacity, I am investigating the demon lord. But even so, I am also on your side. So if you need anything, feel free to rely on me.”
Teresia stared steadily into Monica’s eyes.
And Monica met that gaze head-on, smiling.
A brief silence.
It was Teresia who broke it.
“…I need mana restoration potions.”
“Mana restoration potions? Whatever for?”
“I’ll be using them myself. I’ve stockpiled a certain amount, but it’s still nowhere near enough.”
“…May I ask why?”
Teresia pressed her lips together once, then said:
“If you hear this, you become an accomplice too.”
“Oh? Are you actually worried about me now, in your own way? Even so… the most I can say is that I’ll make a minimum effort.”
“Then, as payment up front—”
Toward the window.
Looking in the direction where Yurina surely was, Teresia said:
“I will absorb the demon lord’s power into my own body, and afterward, end everything myself, by my own hand.”