With King Zect and the others’ lead, we walked forward.

[Well then, follow our lead.]

The harpy that seemed to be the King’s attendant said.

Meanwhile, the other armed harpies formed a tight circle around us.

I guess we haven’t completely gained their trust huh.

Our group stood at the rear of the procession.

Then, we went straight, following the King’s group ahead of us.

……As for the harpies, they’re not going to fly and were walking alongside us huh.

Walking for a while, we began walking down a wide, gently-sloping staircase.

After a couple of steps, we came upon another wide corridor.

The corridor seemed to be a straight path.

Walking forward, we eventually passed through the corridor———-

—-and the scenery opened up at once.

[This is……]

Looking at the spread-out scenery, Seras exclaimed in surprise.

It seemed like Nyaki was also overwhelmed……

[Wha—nyaa……]

—-Letting out such a dumbfounded voice.

If I had to describe this place in a few words, I would say that it is an “underground kingdom”.

It is believed that there was once an underground city-like civilization.

Looking at its appearance, it must have been repeatedly extended and reconstructed to become what it is today.

The buildings are also covered in vines.

A huge rock wall encircles around the city.

The areas around the wall were terraced.

The steps got higher the closer it was towards the walls.

At the top of these wide steps were rows of buildings.

Further down the steps, we arrived at a large street.

The street continued straight ahead.

While I was looking around the place, I noticed that the distance between us and the King’s group ahead of us was quite large.

With the urging of one of the harpies, we started walking again.

Residents came and went along the paved street.

The faces I’ve seen were quite diverse.

A humanoid race with the head of a dragon.

A humanoid race with the head of a beast.

A race with the upper body of a human with the lower body of a horse.

A race that looks like Orcs.

There are also goblin-like creatures.

Just now, a unicorn-like being crossed the alley.

……Looking closely, I can even see some of them that look like those minotaurs.

There are quite a lot of them.

However———– Not a single one of them have golden eyes.

As I had expected, I can’t feel the unique frenzy that those minotaurs have.

[……………………]

I see.

This is certainly a paradise for the non-humans huh.

As I was looking at the various races in this place……

[Don’t just stand there, get moving.]

The harpy that seemed to be the King’s attendant urged Nyaki, who was standing still/

If I remember correctly, this harpy……

She’s called Gratora or something like that.

Surprised by her urging……

[M- My apologies nya.]

Nyaki flusteredly caught up with us.

Well……

It’s no wonder why she stopped and was glued to this scene.

A scene like this where Demi-Humans and Monsters were living along.

This is the first time I’ve seen something like this.

As we walked through the street, a lot of curious gazes fell upon us.

The unfamiliar faces must have caught their attention.

Well…… It’s also possible that they’re curious because of the large number of soldiers around us.

However, it doesn’t seem like they were vigilant of us.

Perhaps, it’s because there are no humans among the “new faces” walking on this street.

They could clearly tell that Seras is an elf from her ears.

Nyaki doesn’t look any different from the Beast-type Demi-Humans.

Slei looks more like a monster.

Pigimaru, whose face is peeking out from my robe, is also a monster.

And then——— There’s me who’s wearing the mask of the Fly King.

The King may have guessed that I was a human……

But that fact was still unknown to the general populace.

That’s why, they still don’t know that I’m a human.

[……………..?]

From the way they’re looking at me……

It’s just slightly different from the way they look at Seras.

Surprisingly, I also found some appreciating gazes from other monsters.

Even when they aren’t the same races———– beautiful things are “beautiful” after all.

Ignoring their gazes, I looked around again.

Even after looking around though……

I have yet to find any elf or dark elf.

[…………………]

Even so——— This place is quite big.

Moreover, there are also people like Gratora and the Harpy soldiers who are armed.

That means they have another “fighting force” huh.

At that moment……

[Belzegia-sama.]

Drawing herself closer to me, Seras whispered.

[About that matter…… Are we not going to tell them about it yet?]

That matter…

She must be talking about the Alion’s army that would be invading soon.

[I thought about telling them earlier……. but I’d rather tell them when I’m alone with the King. I think it might be dangerous if the others heard about it.]

“Humans are going to attack this place”

If such information spread around unchecked, it may cause confusion.

Fortunately, the King seemed to be a reasonable person.

[That’s why I’m only going to tell the King first. Then, as to what we’ll do after that——- I guess it’s up to King Zect.]

[I see…… So, that’s what you’re thinking.]

[We certainly should tell them as soon as possible, but it’s not like they would be able to attack right away……]

From Alion to this place, they would have a considerable distance from Eastern Demon Zone to the Western Demon Zone.

In normal times, there wouldn’t be any Alion troops in Urza, which is the country close to here.

The same goes for Mira.

The only troops that Alion had in other countries would be Vysis’s apostles.

The Heroic Sword told me this information.

So, the 13 Cavalries would usually be on standby in Alion.

The other Divine Beast should also be there……

The 6th Cavalry and the other Divine Beast.

After they have determined the location of the Faraway Country, they will start moving.

After that letter reaches Alion, they should be departing from Alion.

That means……

We can assume that they would still take some time to reach this place.

At that moment, Gratora turns towards us.

[You there, what are you whispering about?]

“What are you talking about over there?”, Gratora questioned further.

I answered in a calm tone.

[I’m just telling her that King Zect seemed like a trustworthy guy.]

Gratora looked at us with doubting eyes.

Looking tenser, she spoke.

[……Of course. Zect-sama is a man of great talent as a king. I will not forgive you if you show any rudeness or disrespect to our king. Do you understand?]

[Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.]

It seemed like he was quite trusted by his subordinates.

After a short walk, the castle that I had seen in the distance is finally near.

It seemed like that was our destination.

Behind the case was also that rock wall.

Rather, it seems like the back of this castle and the rock wall behind it seemed to be one and the same.

I guess that’s how the castle was originally built.

The further we go into a place that seems to be the inner citadel, the higher it gets.

From that inner citadel-like place, I can see the whole region.

Thereupon, we walked even further———– and arrived at the castle gate.

Passing through the gate, we stood, looking up at the main gate.

Looking at it herself, Seras let out a sigh.

It seems like she was slightly impressed by the towering majesty of the building.

[It certainly is…… just like a great ancient fortress, isn’t it?]

Nyaki was also surprised.

[Yes…… Looking at it up close, it looks amazing nya…… Haanyaa~~]

Looking around at this distance, I could see vines and moss all over the place.

“”

Even though this place is supposed to be underground, it looks more than just a bunch of rugged rocks.

The grounds of the castle, in particular, were littered with groomed flowers and plants.

I could also see what looked like a field.

Hunched up, several Kobolds were tending this field.

Looking back to the castle, I could see Orc soldiers standing on either side of the castle gate.

They were holding a spear in hand and wearing a horned helmet.

Compared to the Ogre soldiers in the Great Demon Emperor’s army, they are slightly smaller in size.

However, the color of their skin seemed to have more depth in them.

On the other hand, the Ogre soldiers looked like a mass of muscle.

The orc soldier glances at us.

But other than that, they didn’t move a muscle.

They may be a surprisingly quiet race.

[This way.]

With Gratora’s lead, we entered the castle.

There was an atmosphere in the castle that made me think that this place has been standing for a long amount of time.

However, it seems like this place is well cleaned.

It’s like an old, but a well-maintained house.

There were also Demi-Humans in the castle.

Some of them are dressed like maids.

Everyone wasn’t even surprised when the horse-shaped Slei entered the castle.

I suppose this is the difference between this place and the humans’ countries.

Normally, they would have been surprised to see a horse intruding this place.

However, putting aside their indifference to Slei’s entrance……

Their gazes of curiosity shoot through us.

Is it unusual for someone new to come into the castle?

Gratora, who had been restlessly watching me for a while……

[It doesn’t seem like you’re that curious, aren’t you?]

——told me so.

Even though I’m wearing this mask to cover my face, I guess I still look like that huh.

[Do you want me to be curious about this place, Gratora-dono?]

When I replied so……

[No——- That’s not the case.]

Gratora huffed, turning her head away.

With her curt attitude, Gratora walks up the stairs.

Not saying anything else, we followed her up the stairs.

She stayed quiet until she led us to a room.

[All of you wait in this room. When everything’s ready, a messenger will come and call for you again.]

After saying that———

[I will remain here and watch over all of you.]

——–Gratora didn’t leave the room.

The rest of the Harpy soldiers seemed to be staying here as well.

[……………………]

Well, I guess that’s to be expected.

No matter how effective showing Erika’s letter to them is, that still doesn’t mean that I earned their trust yet.

Especially the people aside from the King.

At any rate, they’ve accepted us because their King told them to.

Perhaps, the reason they stayed here is that they still don’t trust us.

[May we sit on the chairs over there?]

When I asked, Gratora silently nodded.

With her nod, Seras and Nyaki sat down next to each other first.

Then, Slei lay down on the floor diagonally in front of them.

And finally, I sat down.

The place I sat down on is right in front of Gratora.

……I guess some idle chat should do.

[Was it unusual for newcomers to set foot in this castle?]

[………………..]

There was no reply.

She was still glaring at me with the same sharp eyes.

Looking at her eyes, it really reminded me of the eyes of birds of prey.

……No, well, I guess she has those eyes because she’s a harpy.

At that moment, I noticed that Nyaki was looking at me with a worried look on her face.

I think she was worried about Gratora’s not-so-friendly attitude.

However, it doesn’t seem to be much of a problem.

Gratora may be cautious of me——— but she doesn’t hold any ill intent towards us.

She isn’t thinking of harming us.

I think she simply wants to protect this country———– to protect the king.

In short, she’s just an overly serious woman.

That said, she doesn’t seem to be very flexible.

Eventually……

[Gratora-sama.]

A female soldier whose lower body was a snake opened the door.

At first glance, her upper body was comparable to a human.

I guess…… she’s that so-called lamia huh.

She was somewhat dressed like a knight.

It’s a bit revealing——— but I guess you could say that’s the attire of a knight.

Anyway, with the lamia’s call, Gratora stood up.

She urged us to follow her.

Thereupon, she brought us to a room in the castle.

▽

Inside the room, there was King Zect.

Incidentally, the room we were led to wasn’t the audience room.

It was more like a conference room.

This certainly seems like a good place to have a discussion.

A large rectangular table was set in the center.

Surrounding the table were chairs of varying sizes.

The difference in sizes is probably due to the different sizes for each species.

There was one chair closest to the entrance.

It’s a relatively normal-sized chair, something that a human could easily sit on.

And then, on the seat in the back, farthest from the entrance———

King Zect was sitting there.

[Have a seat.]

Saying this, King Zect held out his hand and urged us.

[By all means, Fly King-dono, take the seat in front of me.]

Doing as I was told, I took the seat near the entrance.

Seras and Nyaki sat on my left and right, at the seats closest to me.

As for Slei, she didn’t lay down on the floor, but stood on my right.

No one was seated near King Zect.

The only one near the King is Gratora, still standing in position.

Thereupon, the door was closed.

It’s just that……

[…………………….]

I could still feel the presence of other people nearby……

[Now then———]

King Zect breaks the ice.

[The reason for your visit to this country———]

As if he was confirming something, King Zect continued.

[—-is to meet the Forbidden Race, is it not?]

[Yes. The reason we came here was definitely to meet the Forbidden Race.]

[For what reason did you come to meet the Forbidden Race?]

[……It may be rude of me, but I’d like to request King Zect one thing.]

[Let me hear it.]

Pausing for a moment, I spoke.

[May I ask for permission to speak with you alone?]

[Wha—-]

Baffled, Gratora reacted.

[I’d like to ask you to have everyone clear this room———- including those in the hidden room.]

The room next door———– No, perhaps, it’s supposed to be a hidden room.

He’s probably keeping his troops there in case of emergency.

……It seems like this castle also had such a place.

It seems like they aren’t some carefree bunch.

They properly see threats coming from the outside as “threats”.

Things don’t look as bad as it seems huh……

With eyebrows raised, Gratora frowned.

[Y- You b*stard, what kind of stupidity are you———]

Just as Gratora was about to move towards us, King Zect held up his hand and stopped her.

[It’s fine.]

[H- However…… If this person was sent from somewhere to kill Zect-sama……!]

[Gratora.]

Maintaining his calm demeanor, the King spoke.

[If it weren’t for Erika-dono, I would have perished. They are the ones that Erika-dono trusted to send here…… and I trust in Erika-dono. Thus——- I want to trust them too.]

[H- However———]

King Zect then lowers his hand.

Pausing like that for a moment, he then gazes at me.

[I’m not sure if this matter has anything to do with the Forbidden Race…… but it seems like you have something you need to urgently say.]

[………………….]

This skeleton king…… he’s quite observant.

Thereupon, King Zect spoke with a slightly forceful tone……

[Gratora.]

[Ah—— Hahh!]

[Clear out the room. Take Armia and the others and wait outside this room.]

(T/N: アーミア / Aamia)

[……Understood.]

This Armia…… must be the name of the person in the hidden room huh.

After a short pause, King Zect said.

[Don’t be so hard on yourself, Gratora.]

[No…… If that person does anything strange, please call me immediately.]

[Umu, I’ll be counting on you then.]

It seems like he’s also very considerate with his subordinates.

He isn’t the type that would intimidate others with his orders huh.

[………………….]

The presence that had been lurking in the room faded into the distance.

It seemed like this hidden room could be accessed even without having to pass through this room.

Feeling that they have left, I spoke.

[Seras and the others too, you all should wait outside.]

When I told them so, Seras brought her face close to my ear and whispered.

[We wouldn’t be able to determine if what he said was the truth in that case though.]

She’s confirming my decision huh.

[It doesn’t matter.]

I can’t just let the other side take a step back while our side doesn’t do anything.

When I whispered this, Seras quietly nodded.

[——–Well then, let’s go, Nyaki-dono.]

[Y- Yes nya.]

Thus, it was just me and King Zect left in this room.

The King then asked.

[Is this distance enough?]

[I guess so…… Even though the room has been cleared off, I don’t know if they’re at a distance where we could talk about something confidential. Do you mind if I sit somewhere closer?]

[I don’t mind. Go on, come closer.]

Asking for his permission, I moved to a seat diagonally in front of King Zect.

As I sat down, the king spoke.

[It seems like you have a very important matter to discuss. I have a lot of questions for you as well, Belzegia-dono but…… let’s hear about what you need to say first.]

[Understood.]

“The Goddess’ forces are about to invade this country.”

I told King Zect about it.

I’ve also told him about Nyaki and the Heroic Sword.

“A crisis might be drawing near this country.”

I tried to summarize the main points as much as possible to convey this.

However, I also made sure that the information I gave him isn’t too little.

I gave him the details that should be given.

As I was speaking, I could see that King Zect was getting agitated.

However, he suppressed his emotions and listened in silence until the end.

[———Well, that’s the situation for now.]

Feeling despondent, King Zect hung his head.

[I see…… For the outside world, we’re still considered as dangerous beings huh.]

[No, I’m not so sure about that.]

I told him that so far, it seemed that only the Goddess and the people around him were actively hostile towards them.

[In other words…… This invasion is being led by the Goddess…… and isn’t the consensus of the outside world?]

[I haven’t seen everything in the world with my own eyes. However…… I’ve heard that each country has varying perceptions regarding Demi-Humans.]

[I see.]

King Zect’s voice was laced with some relief.

[I believe that we still have some time before the army sent by the Goddess arrives here. However, if we are to fight the army sent by the Goddess, we will need to be prepared…… So, I thought I should tell you about this as soon as possible. It’s just that…… If this information suddenly spreads, it could cause unnecessary confusion. For that reason, I thought that…… I should only tell this to King Zect when we were alone.]

[I’m greatly obliged with your consideration, Belzegia-dono…… I will immediately discuss the future plans with my subjects. Incidentally, your group’s original purpose…… it was the Forbidden Race, right?]

[………………….]

“”

Now then……

This is the turning point that would decide my path.

As expected, I’m a little nervous—— but still, I asked.

[Are they…… still alive and in this country?]

King Zect looks at me again.

Thereupon, he spoke.

[You don’t have to worry———— They are still alive and well in this country.]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep