"This mountain is different from what it looks like, but there are many plants growing there."
Blue picked up the ivy hanging from the tree branch and muttered in a surprising tone.
Green and Curtis, who were walking in front of them, stopped and looked back at Blue.
It felt very good to walk around in the quiet mountains at a time when it was still morning.
——The three of them descended from near the top of the mountain, which is Blackpeak's territory, and were in the process of checking on Blackpeak.
After breakfast, Curtis announced that he was going to explore Blackpeak, and Green and Blue asked to go along, saying, "Me too," and "Me too," so the three of them ended up exploring together.
Perhaps because of the black dragon's good management, no monsters appeared until they came to this place.
Therefore, the three of them were exploring Blackpeak while taking their time and observing their surroundings.
Curtis replied politely when he saw Blue's curious expression.
"That's right. Moreover, there are many plants that you don't normally see. Perhaps the unique black soil of this mountain has influenced it and created its own unique vegetation." (Curtis)
Curtis hand-picked rare plants little by little and put them in a bag on his back.
Green and Blue look at Curtis inquisitively as he repeated the same task over and over again.
Realizing this, Curtis stopped and answered their questions.
"Lady Fi is interested in medicinal herbs, so whenever I find a rare medicinal herb, I collect it. That said, I'm not that familiar with medicinal herbs, so many of the plants I collect may just be weeds." (Curtis)
"I see!" (Green, Blue)
Hearing Curtis's words, Green and Blue began to compete with each other to break down the plants that caught their eye.
However, these two apparently couldn't distinguish between medicinal herbs and non-medicinal herbs, and it seemed like they were more likely to mix in weeds than Curtis.
After checking their surroundings and collecting what appeared to be medicinal herbs, the three of them sat down on a rock that looked comfortable.
It felt like a surprisingly comfortable time, and all three of us were surprised by that.
Even though they were only connected because they held the same things that were most important to them, it seemed like they were able to understand something in the short time they traveled from the royal capital to this mountain.
For example, Curtis thought that even though they were high-ranking people, they didn't have a strong desire to show off and didn't go out of their way, but they knew how to use their abilities and status, and when the situation called for it, they were willing to take on services themselves.
Or, Green and Blue thought, he's a thoughtful and capable man, but he's dedicated to assisting Fia.
After inferring the other's personality based on each other's actions, it seemed that they were perfect enough to accept each other.
Such feelings naturally showed in their demeanor, and before they knew it, the conversation was progressing in a casual manner.
Just when they felt they had recognized each other and accepted each other as friends—just as Blue let out a cheerful laugh—there was the sound of a nearby pebble being trampled.
At that moment, everyone looked up as if they had been shot.
Then they turned their head in the direction of the sound and looked at the source of the sound.
"Hello"
The person standing there was a girl around 15 years old wearing a yellow dress that looked like a village girl.
A girl with shoulder-length black hair and black eyes was holding a basket in her hand and smiling.
"…………"
At first glance, she looked like a girl you could find anywhere, but no one answered.
On the contrary, without averting his gaze, he stood up from where he was sitting, as if preparing himself, and put his hand on the sword or ax he was holding.
Because the situation was too unnatural.
This mountain was ruled by a black dragon and was home to many ferocious monsters.
There was no way a young girl would be able to climb such a mountain alone and be safe.
In addition, no matter who the other party was, it was not someone who could get close to them at a distance of about 5 meters and the three of them the did not notice.
As a result, everyone was trying to maintain their current distance with cautious expressions.
Every time the girl took a step forward, they stepped back the same distance, and so on.
"Oh, maybe I'm being watched?"
The girl rolled her eyes and shook her black hair, which was cut close to her shoulders.
"But why? I'm just a normal cute girl. If you treat me that badly, I'll cry."
The way she was clearly pretending to cry made their skin crawled with fear.
Curtis looked at the girl without blinking and asked a simple question.
"Black hair and black eyes—is she a demon?" (Curtis)
The moment Green and Blue, who were standing next to each other, heard Curtis' words, their bodies stiffened as if they had been shocked.
However, the two of them concentrated their efforts on the prize they held without saying a single word.
Meanwhile, the girl covered her face with both hands in a crying pose and let out a muffled voice.
"It's terrible, it's terrible. Brother won't be popular if he accuses a girl he meets for the first time to be a demon. Or rather, it's an old idea that just because its hair and eyes are black, it's a demon these days."
Curtis answers calmly, keeping his distance.
"But it's not a mistake. Demons are proud of their colors, so they don't change their colors." (Curtis)
"Hmm... But black is the trend right now. As long as you pay, they'll dye it any color you want."
While saying that, the girl removed her hands from covering her face and stared at them with a mocking expression.
"Well, no matter how much money you pay, you won't be able to reproduce such beautiful black." (Curtis)
Then, the girl wrapped a strand of hair around her finger.
"Uhuhu, so my brother says, 'You have the most beautiful black hair and sparkling black eyes I've ever seen. You're beautiful. You're wonderful. It's amazing. —Are you a demon?' That would have been the correct answer."
The girl gave her a deliberate look and smiled at the three of them who stood there in silence.
"But even if you ask me that question, I'll deny it. I'll say, 'I'm human. All demons have been sealed away. Isn't that right?"
The girl waved her hands, and then pressed them tightly against her head.
Then, she drew a line from the top of the head to the sides of the head.
"See, I don't have horns. I'm not a demon."
Then the girl looked at Curtis.
"Huh? I wonder why you don't believe me when I'm saying all this? If you're an older brother, your murderous intent must be disgusting. You're getting more and more in the mood to kill me. Eh, there's a girl in the mountains. Are you the type of person who wants to kill someone? Scary! You may be thinking that you can bury the body in the forest and destroy the evidence all at once, but even if it's in the mountains, wouldn't it be a bad idea to commit murder?"
Curtis, who was bombarded with provocative words, remained silent and stared at the girl.
At first glance, he seemed as calm as usual, but the hand that was gripping the handle of the sword had turned white, showing that he was suppressing some kind of intense emotion.
Her normally calm eyes were filled with a fierce color, as if she was about to kill the other person.
Sensing that the situation was about to explode, Green and Blue tried to calm down, even though they could not grasp the situation.
"Curtis, as you know, murder is a serious crime...Although there are certainly many unnatural things, this girl looks like a human to me..."
"For 300 years, a demon has never appeared. Therefore, I don't think we will encounter it very often..."
However, neither of them had any proof that she was "human," so their words were slurred.
Above all, they were made to think that Curtis's words and actions so far have given me a good idea of his excellence, and that they might be sensing something that they could not detect on their own.
As a result, the two of them were unable to stop Curtis, and kept their eyes moving nervously at both Curtis and the girl, hoping to be able to move in case something happened.
Meanwhile, Curtis suppressed the rage swirling within him and glared at the girl.
"The fact that you have black hair and dark eyes and step into this mountain full of monsters alone is enough to conclude that you are a demon——If I am wrong, I will apologize to you at your grave." (Curtis)
With those words, Curtis pulled out the sword he was wearing at his waist and slashed at the girl.
Perhaps because the movements were so quick and fluid, the girl couldn't move and just stood staring at Curtis.
With the sound of tearing flesh, Curtis's sword pierces the girl's left breast.
——In an instant, blood splashed from the girl's chest, staining Curtis, who was still pierced with the sword.
The basket the girl was holding rolled around, and the contents spilled out.
"Curtis!!" (Green, Blue)
In both Green's and Blue's eyes, it looked like Curtis had plunged his sword into the unresisting girl.
As the screams of the two echoed, the girl coughed up blood from her mouth, and with a huge convulsion, she turned her face toward the sky and rolled her eyes open.
In the quiet silence, only the sounds of Green and Blue's erratic breathing could be heard.
For a few seconds, the girl remained still in that position, but suddenly, her eyes turned around and returned to black.
While Green and Blue's eyes widened, the girl looked up and stared at Curtis with unfocused eyes.
"Ah? It really cuts me. I wasn't expecting it. Ah, this is a fatal wound. I'm dead."
"It’s terrible, it’s terrible," the girl muttered.
Then she taunted Curtis.
"Well, the guy who does all this and doesn't change his face at all is an inhuman. It's insane for him to attack me even though he's not sure I'm a demon. Yeah, he's an inhuman. He's not human."
Then the girl looked at Curtis with emotionless eyes like glass beads and spat.
"This, murderer."
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
〇The 5th volume of the novel was released on May 15th, and it seems that many people have picked it up, so thank you very much. I added a lot of things, so I hope you enjoy it (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)⁾⁾⁾
〇The latest episode of comicalization has been updated.
This is the original story of the book version that is not available on the web, and this is the episode where Zachary & Quentin confess to Cyril & Desmond that "Fia's familiar is actually...". The link is below, so please take a look if you like (*^-^)
〇A popularity vote is currently being held on the publisher's website. There are only 3 days left, so thank you for your continued support (•ᵕᴗᵕ•)⁾⁾⁾
☆Earth Star Novel "Daiseijo" special page
https://www.es-novel.jp/special/daiseijo/
I am always grateful for your help.