"I want to hear……" (Fia)
The words fell out of my mouth with surprising ease.
As soon as I uttered the words, I realized that they accurately expressed my feelings.
I didn't know how much Green knew, and I didn't know if it was true, but I wanted to hear as much as I could.
"Understood" (Green)
Green nodded and let his gaze wander into space, as if trying to choose words.
During that brief moment of silence, Zavilia got off my shoulder and climbed onto my lap.
Then he nuzzled his head into my stomach.
Well, Zavilia realize that he was trying to encourage me, and became happy and hugged me tightly into my arms.
Then I turned to Green, as if to encourage him to speak, and he spoke with a look of concern.
"This is what the Book of Beginnings says: 'There are demons with 33 crests in the world.' Fia, this may overlap with what you already know, but... some demons... There are beings called 'demons' who take the form of humans. The most powerful of them all have crests engraved on their bodies, so they are called 'demons with crests.'" (Green)
"Yeah……" (Fia)
I listened to Green's talk as if he were reviewing something from 300 years ago.
I was a princess in my previous life. Because I held the position of the Great Saint, any kind of confidential information was brought to me, and I was familiar with hearing about the "Book of the Beginning."
Therefore, I listened to the story while comparing it with my past knowledge.
"The strength of a demon is proportional to the number of crests. The number of crests a demon has varies depending on the demon. Some demons have one crest, while others have three crests. However, the 'Book of the Beginnings' says that if you add up the number of all these crests, there are 33 crests."
Yes, that's right. I had heard the same story 300 years ago... But even as I thought about it, my breathing began to become unnatural.
...Ah, here we go again. I panicked and clutched my chest, trying to steady my breathing.
It was always like this. As soon as I thought about the demon, my heart started beating fast.
As I was taking deep breath to calm down, Blue reached out to me with a worried look on his face.
"Fia, are you okay?" (Blue)
I grabbed Blue's hand with the hand that was holding my chest and smiled as if to reassure her.
"……I'm okay" (Fia)
I was holding Zavilia in one hand and Blue in the other. I felt like I was being protected and all my fears were blown away.
Green looked worried, just like Blue, but seemed to have decided that it was best to finish the conversation first, so he continued speaking.
"After the Great Saint sealed the Demon King of Thirteen Crests, all the demons were sealed away, as was the rumor on the streets...I want to say that, but did they feel that they were at a disadvantage because the Demon King was sealed away? 300 years ago, demons suddenly disappeared from the world.
"……what?" (Fia)
My heart, which had just begun to calm down, started to jump once again when I heard something I had never expected.
Green continued in a quiet voice, as if trying not to provoke me further as my eyes widened.
"Even a single crest on a crest-bearing demon is powerful, so all the demons 300 years ago built their own castles in forests and hills and lived there. However, when the Great Saint sealed away the demon king, Eventually, the demons abandoned their castles and began to disappear." (Green)
"It is……" (Fia)
Why is that?
Was the Demon King still sealed away, unlike what I expected? was that why the demons went into hiding because they felt they were outnumbered, as Green said?
——I didn't know.
Since I only have limited information, I didn't know why the demons disappeared, but...the reality had far exceeded my expectations, and some demons were still in this world.
"...Demons are..." (Fia)
There were still some people left somewhere in this world.
I looked visibly pale, and Green spread out his hands and moved them, as if trying to calm me down.
"Fia, your fear of demons is valid. All demons disappeared 300 years ago. That's why everyone has forgotten how terrifying demons are, and now it's only used as a threat to children who won't listen... but the demons disappeared on purpose, it's not like it's gone. Your feelings of never forgetting fear are correct for a living creature." (Green)
Green's phrasing was unusual, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was trying to comfort me.
...Green was kind. Since then, he had been looking at me a lot.
And the stories I was told from an early age were slightly different from the truth.
According to my sister, after the Great Saint subjugated the Demon King, the demons were sealed one after another and all disappeared.
However, in reality, many demons were able to escape.
As I grimaced, wondering what was going on, my heart began to beat unnaturally, and the sick feeling that comes from thinking about demons spread throughout my body.
I tightened my arms around Zavilia and let out a shaky sigh.
Blue sat next to me as if to cheer me up.
Maybe it was because Zavilia was in my arms, or maybe it was because I was surrounded by Green, Blue, and Curtis who had traveled with me, but unlike before, I didn't feel so sick that I collapsed.
I looked up and continued listening to Green.
Green, who saw this, gave a small nod and continued speaking.
"There is no need to unnecessarily make the people anxious. On the surface, all the demons have been sealed away. However, in reality...there are only a few demons who were sealed after the death of the Great Saint. There aren't many. There are only two, "Two-Crested Moon Maiden" and "Five-Crested Whirlpool Cleft." (Green)
"Two-crested...moon maiden" (Fia)
I felt a chill at that name and repeated it in a low voice.
At that, Green gave a big nod, as if to give him some strength.
"Don't worry, Fia. Those demons have already been sealed away. Furthermore, during her lifetime, the Great Saint has sealed away as many as 20 demons, including the 'Demon King of Thirteen Crests.' If you add up the demon crests that have been sealed so far, there are 27 crests."
...That was right. In my previous life, I had sealed 20 demons, including the Demon King.
"There are 33 devil crests in total. There are only 6 remaining devil crests left hidden in the world." (Green)
Green said it as if it were a natural fact, but...
For the first time, I began to doubt Green's words.
……Is that really so?
I was still thinking that the Demon King was able to escape from the sealed box.
Therefore, in addition to the demons with a total of 6 crests, there was probably a "Demon King of Thirteen Crests" in this world right now.
Also, among the demons with a total of 6 crests, the "Demon King's Right Hand" that killed me must be included...
Green didn't seem to be able to read my thoughts, but he casually said something important.
"Of the six crested devils who have escaped, we know one crest. He is a close aide of the Demon King, known as 'One-Crested Right Hand.'" (Green)
The moment I heard those words, my body stiffened, but at the same time I was convinced.
...See, the Right Hand had managed to escape after all. and……
——That's it. "The Demon King's Right Hand" was a demon with a single crest.
Is that so? There's more in his body...
For a moment, my thoughts started to split, but then I remembered that the "Demon King's Right Hand" that I saw in my previous life just before I died had only one crest engraved on it.
——Yes, it was just one crest.
For some reason, I felt at ease with my thoughts and let out a sigh of relief.
Then, Zavilia, who seemed to have read my thoughts, put his whole body close to me, as if to reassure me, as if to pamper me.
I held Zavilia in my arms and slowly stroked his back.
Then, strangely enough, the heartbeat that had been beating so rapidly began to calm down little by little.
It's okay, it's okay.
I had Zavilia, I had Curtis, I had Green and Blue. It's alright.
When I noticed that my heartbeat had calmed down, I looked up and asked Captain Curtis, thinking this was the time to take a step.
"Curtis, can we go to the cathedral and confirm the existence of the Demon King’s Box?" (Fia)
——The Cathedral.
The headquarters of salvation that unites churches and saints around the world.
It was also a place that was more guarded than anywhere else in the world, and where the box containing the demons was kept.
Captain Curtis gasped, but then shook his head apologetically.
"……it's difficult" (Curtis)
"That's right." (Fia)
When I heard the obvious answer, I muttered in agreement.
The cathedral opened its doors to many who seek salvation, but only a limited number of people could enter the innermost room where the box containing the demons was kept.
The number of people who could enter was so limited that it could be said that only a handful of clergy and the kings and emperors of each country were allowed to enter.
The only person who could enter that room and check the Demon King's Box was...the King of Nav Kingdom, which was said to be a major power on the continent. Or perhaps the Emperor of the Arteaga Empire.
"Yeah, that's impossible!" (Fia)
There was no way a mere knight could ask His Majesty the King for a favor, so I should just give up.
After giving up on checking the Demon King's Box, I started thinking about the next best thing...By the way, Green spoke up.
"Fia, can you leave it to me?" (Green)
"Huh?" (Fia)
"...As I said earlier, I have some great acquaintances. I think we'll be able to confirm the Demon King's Box somehow." (Green)
Green looked at me with a strong look in his eyes and declared.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
Today I would like to inform you about the comicalization.
The latest episode has been updated and depicts "The aftermath of the Black Dragon exploration" to "The inquiry sponsored by the Sixth Knight Commander."
This is a humorous story about Captain Zachary. I personally thought it was interesting, so I would like to introduce it to you.
The link below will take you to the comicalization page, so please take a look if you like.