The thing to spread next

We carried the 3 men we captured to the vacant house Comrade secured as a base of operation, separated them in their own rooms and locked them there. 

The male Riodo adventurer seemed to be able to make composed decisions. This suggested that he was cooperating with Raheight by his own will.

That's why I thought we might be able to get extremely valuable clues here, but…

"I am done, you know? It didn't work. It seems like his name was a fake one?" 

The one who came out from one of the rooms was the Purple Demon Lord that we brought from Taizu, and also her bodyguard Dyuvuleori. 

In order to draw out information with as much precision as possible, we might need the Stomach of Perplexion of Dyuvuleori and the Enticement of the Purple Demon Lord, so we called them here. 

"He has a small magic seal stone embedded in his head, so mind manipulation magic is erased. I tried taking him in with my Stomach of Perplexion, but as long as he has resistance to mind manipulation magic, it won't be possible to read them immediately." (Dyuvuleori)

"Raheight is quite the careful guy. It would be easier if he were to have one or two holes." 

"Sorry for not being of use though?" (Purple)

"Don't worry. I was the one who revealed that you were hiding in Kuama before. It wouldn't be strange for the Scarlet Demon Lord to form countermeasures through Raheight." 

They aren't people who can be threatened. 

But Comrade doesn't seem to be too bothered by this. 

"Human, it may take time, but you can perform torture far worse than death inside my Stomach of Perplexion. Wouldn't you be able to make them spill out the information if you corner them to the limit of their mental capacity?" (Dyuvuleori)

"They may have the resolve, but they are still human after all. I do think there's a possibility there, but how long do you think it will take you?" 

"They are decently good, so it will most likely take a few days in order to corner them without breaking their minds." (Dyuvuleori)

"That's also fine in the worst case scenario, however, them being freshly captured is the best timing, you know. With the guides missing, there's the possibility the others will tuck away and hide. Let's think of a way to draw out their information as soon as possible." 

Comrade placed a hand on his chin while sitting on a chair in the living room, looking pensive. 

The Purple Demon Lord saw that, silently sat by his side, and leaned her body on him.

"This is distracting though." 

"Oh my, that makes me happy though? But it would be horrible of you to just leave me alone when you called me all the way here, you know?" (Purple)

"Even if you tell me that, there's nothing I can do for you right now." 

"That's why I am just staying here by your side without saying anything though?" (Purple)

"…Me complaining about that is my own selfishness, huh. You can stay like that. I will think as it is." 

"Thanks." (Purple)

I feel like the distance between these two has gotten a lot shorter compared to before. 

Comrade has simply opened himself up a bit to her, but the Purple Demon Lord's expression is clearly gentle. 

Can someone change that much? No, that could be applied for me, too.

I looked at Dyuvuleori, and he was watching the two silently from slightly further away. 

I had an honest question here, so I went to his side, and tried asking in a low voice.

"Dyuvuleori, what do you think of those two?" (Ekdoik)

"What do I think…huh. Who knows. My Lord said that she would try enticing that human without relying on the power given to her by Yugura. I can't measure how much worth there is to that, but I will just watch over it without getting in the way if that's what My Lord wishes." (Dyuvuleori)

"What about Comrade?" (Ekdoik)

"I haven't seen as much worth in that human as My Lord does. But that human is the only one in this world who can bring peace to My Lord. I value and acknowledge this fact." (Dyuvuleori)

"Are you not going to help them out?" (Ekdoik)

"I am the strength of My Lord. If My Lord so wishes, I plan on offering my everything to answer her. She treats me as a separate being and as someone to support her. I must accept that." (Dyuvuleori)

"No independence… Doesn't seem to be the case." (Ekdoik)

"Obviously. I will continue being what My Lord wishes me to be by my own will. That's my duty as a monster serving a Demon Lord, and I wish to do so." (Ekdoik)

I was trained as a human killing tool by mine Father, Beglagud. 

I thought the words of Father were everything. 

That relationship might have been similar to the Purple Demon Lord and Dyuvuleori. 

But that's only on the surface. There's a difference in the strength of my heart at that time compared to that of Dyuvuleori's.

Dyuvuleori has been given the power to be free and the opportunity to. 

Even with that, he chose to serve the Purple Demon Lord. That resolve is something that even the current me…

Monsters really can have human-like traits, too. There's a lot that can be learned in the world. 

"I asked a foolish question." (Ekdoik)

"I don't mind. If you don't get in my way and understand my way of being, I won't think of this conversation as pointless." (Dyuvuleori)

"I see… By the way, can I get your honest opinion on this sight?" (Ekdoik)

"…I actually think that maybe I am being a bother for staring at them." (Dyuvuleori)

"Leaving aside the Purple Demon Lord, I feel like Comrade would be overwhelmed." (Ekdoik)

"Could it be that it is my fault that the relationship of the two hasn't progressed?" (Dyuvuleori)

"I can't deny it, but I don't feel like agreeing either." (Ekdoik)

Comrade wouldn't be able to feel like it if a monster that stands out even among the Unique were to stare at him the whole time. 

That said, there's even bigger monsters at the side of Comrade, so he must be used to it already. 

"By the way, I have a message from the Blue Demon Lord." (Dyuvuleori)

"The Blue Demon Lord asked you to give me a message?" (Ekdoik)

"She said if she were to ask this of My Lord, her attention might be directed to that human instead and she would forget about the message, so she told it to me." (Dyuvuleori)

I see. That does make sense. 

The Purple Demon Lord only looks at Comrade at this point. 

She must have judged that it would be most effective if she were to leave it to Dyuvuleori who is dutiful.

"So, what's the message?" (Ekdoik)

"She said she wanted to reconfirm the demonification as soon as possible. She apparently needs to give you mana regularly when your body is still not used to it." (Dyuvuleori)

"I see. But there's no issues as of present. It should be okay to do so after this matter is over." (Ekdoik)

"So it seems. I can tell the quality of your mana has changed since the last time I saw you." (Dyuvuleori)

"The Blue Demon Lord is quite the dutiful one too. I became a demon in order to prove to her that I won't betray her, and yet, she even proactively looks after me." (Ekdoik)

"You are now a subordinate of the Blue Demon Lord. Maybe she wants to properly teach you that." (Dyuvuleori)

"I see. Makes sense." (Ekdoik)

It is true that I should have a bit more awareness that I have become the subordinate of the Blue Demon Lord. 

But as long as I don't have the experience of serving someone, it is pretty hard to feel the reality of it. 

My relationship with Father was close to that of control, and the one with Comrade is that of working together. 

But a master-servant relationship doesn't seem bad when I see Dyuvuleori. 

Being able to have such clear determination would be a sign of great growth for me. 

"That's the end of the message." (Dyuvuleori)

"Understood. If I return to Taizu, I will try to head to the Blue Demon Lord's place as soon as possible." (Ekdoik)

"That's a conversation that makes me pity Blue." 

Comrade approached us when our conversation was about to end. 

Looks like he thought of a plan. 

"Have you thought of a plan?" (Ekdoik)

"Yeah. Dyuvuleori, I would like to borrow your strength for a bit." 

"Me? I will help out as much as possible, but I can't separate for a certain amount of distance of My Lord, you know?" (Dyuvuleori)

"It is okay. I will have you move within the sphere of this house."

"Comrade, what do you mean by you pitying the Blue Demon Lord?" (Ekdoik)

"It is nothing. I just thought of the reason why she entrusted a message to Dyuvuleori." 

"Isn't it in order for me to gain awareness of my position just as we spoke of before?" (Ekdoik)

"She can do that in a second by just forcing an order on you. You will be able to understand the reason once you go meet her. Take your time thinking about it." 

So I will understand once I go meet her…huh.

If Comrade says so, that must be the case.

It doesn't feel too good to make it this cryptic, but this is also in part a problem that I have to resolve, so let's work hard. 

◇◇

I open the door of the private room and check the state of the man inside. 

This guy is a Riodo guild member. His registered name is Hasa. 

He doesn't yield even under the threats of Dyuvuleori, so it seems like he has quite the tough mental strength. 

Hasa saw me entering the room and didn't falter or act tough; He simply looked at me calmly. 

He must have been trained a decent amount by Raheight. He leaves nothing to be desired as a spy. 

"Heya there, Hasa. How you feeling?" 

He was gagged so he can't talk, so there's no response from him, but despite not feeling me as a threat, he also doesn't show signs of underestimating me. 

I gave the sign to Ekdoik and he took out the gag. 

We have checked inside his mouth already, so there's no issue with having him talk. 

Being able to make it in time even if a person bites off their tongue is one of the scary parts of an isekai. 

"…Sorry, but I have my own position, too. I can't speak. I will thank you if you don't torture me too badly though." (Hasa)

"In that case, the scary guy you met before will have free reign on you though." 

"I will tag along until my heart breaks then." (Hasa)

He doesn't just stay silent, so he is easy to speak to in a sense, but it seems like he has a pretty strong sense of camaraderie. 

He might just be purely scared of Raheight and the people around him, but…there's no need to worry too much about that.

I have done a light Comprehension on Hasa.

I can comprehend the patterns of others' actions and personality when it is with someone like Raheight who has done a variety of moves.

But there's still too little information in order to do a full power Comprehension on Hasa.

However, I have grasped the bare minimum traits. That's clear when seeing his reaction in the tavern. 

"If you spit out the name of at least one bigshot behind you, I can wrap this up peacefully, though. Well, since we have the opportunity here, I shall introduce you to the one that hired us." 

"Hoh, I am grateful for that. I think it will only serve as a parting gift for when I croak, but it is better than nothing." (Hasa)

Well, of course he would bite if I were to put it like that. That's my objective though. 

I place a hand on the doorknob and look back. 

I then slowly open the door while looking at the face of Hasa.

"?!" 

The one that showed up at the other side of the door is a single demi-human man. 

His attire is decently sharp, but what stands out the most is his strict atmosphere. 

His nasty eyes remind me of a mafia boss. 

And the face of Hasa was flustered to an incomparable degree from before when he saw this man. 

I was planning on doing the same to the remaining two, but there's no room for doubt with this surprise. 

Might as well strengthen my grounds with his words.

"Of course you would be surprised…since we have been hired by the same person." 

"! A fake?!" (Hasa)

"You noticed fast. But your reaction was worth a thousand words. It is okay now, Dyuvuleori." 

Hearing this, the demi-human expanded and retracted in a disgusting manner, and returned to his butler Dyuvuleori appearance. 

This is a combination of Stomach of Perplexion and Back of Misperception.

First, we had Dyuvuleori take in Mix who knows a lot about the people of Kuama with his Stomach of Perplexion. 

And then, he read the appearance of the perpetrator with the memories of Mix and created the statue of it inside the space. 

After that, he used the Back of Misperception on that statue, changing perfectly into the perpetrator. 

Mix was hit lightly with the mind tinkering, but she was happy about having gotten a rare experience, so I decided to not worry too much about it. 

"Comrade, it is true that he showed a shocked expression when he saw Dyuvuleori, but it is not strange for a member of Riodo to know him though?" (Ekdoik)

"No issues with that. The reaction of Hasa was clearly that of someone who 'saw someone that shouldn't be an enemy' -someone who should normally be an enemy when you are trying to act secretly in Kuama to take advantage of the invasion of the Scarlet Demon Lord." 

"…" 

It seems like Hasa has switched to not showing a single reaction, but it is already too late. 

He has made the fatal error of allowing me to discover who one of the masterminds in the Riodo side are. 

"We have ascertained one of the people Raheight has actually made contact with. I am actually displeased by how big the scale is." 

"Right… To think that man would be connected to Raheight." (Ekdoik)

After Yugura defeated the Demon Lords as a hero, he left the management of the land to a few influential people. 

What was born from this were countries like Taizu and Mejis. 

The influential ones that weren't left with the management pledged their loyalty to the country and became nobles. 

The influential ones that wanted to try to maintain their authority established the guilds.

Riodo, Morgana, and Shunait are all the names of the founders.

The families of the founders were the ones who held the authority in the guilds in those days, but because of the flow of time, the highest authority of the guild ended up being decided by who was the most capable.

Even so, the families of the founders are still the advisors or sponsors, so they are in a position to support the guilds. 

Dyuvuleori transformed into one of them. 

"Gestaf Heriodora: a family member of the demi-human that founded Riodo, and the advisor of Riodo." 

"To think the leader of the guild would be joining hands with Raheight to cause chaos. Should we capture him at once?" (Ekdoik)

"No, I would like to do the same to the other two first. I got an incredibly bad development popping up in my mind just now." 

"…What is it?" (Ekdoik)

The remaining two are affiliated to Morgana and Shunait. 

After we used the shaking tactic of Dyuvuleori by having him transform…the two reacted.

One even slipped with a 'why are you here?!'.

My bad feeling hit the mark. I wonder what to do while staring into the distance.

"The advisor of Morgana, Chenies Morganais; Advisor of Shunait, Robito Goshunait. These guys are conspiring with Raheight." 

All the lead figures of the 3 great guilds of the world have gathered up and have the intention of antagonizing humanity. 

It seems like this issue runs deeper than I thought.