Black Demon King

544 The Witch’s Trap (1)

After successfully purchasing the cursed mansion, we immediately began the preparations to move.

However, for us, who could use spatial dimension magic, packing itself wasn’t a big deal. As I quickly packed up my things, my maid, Sariel, cleaned every corner of the dormitory. By the 18^th of Pristine Water month, we were ready to leave.

The next day, 19^th of Pristine Water month, in the morning.

“…We’ll be saying goodbye to this dormitory today.”

“When you put it that way, I feel like it’s a bit of a shame.”

Within a month of arriving in Sparda, we started living in this rundown dormitory. If I think about it, a lot has happened.

I sipped my coffee, basking in the sentimentality.

By the way, my right hand had almost completely recovered, albeit not to the extent that I could participate in a fight. Nevertheless, it wasn’t inconvenient for daily life. After all, I could finally hold a coffee cup with my dominant hand.

“Kurono, I’ll head out first. There are some places I’d like to see.”

After saying that, Fiona left her seat. Rather than casual attire, she donned her witchy garb, seemingly ready for battle. But I doubted that she’d go to a dungeon solo, which left me with no other possibility.

“Are you going to look for workshop tools?”

“That is my plan, yes.”

Yesterday, we went together to look at the furniture and interior decorations that’d be placed in the new house together. However, when it came to workshop tools—a witch’s specialty—it’d be pointless for me to go with her. A greenhorn like me couldn’t possibly understand the nuance of a cauldron boiling with suspicious liquid?

Fiona was now Rank 5, and was a top-class witch in Sparda in both name and reality. If Fiona were to go dressed like that, even a restaurant that refused first-time customers would welcome her.

“All right, time to go.”

“Stay safe.”

“Stay safe, Mistress Fiona.”

Lately, Sariel’s maid performance had started to feel a little more natural. Was it because of Fiona’s influence? Fiona was such a hardcore young lady, so that might be why Sariel appeared more dignified…

To get used to such a thing, how scary.

“Excuse me, Sariel. Can I have a refill?”

“Yes, Master.”

Let’s spend my last day in the dormitory relaxing.

After tonight, I’d be leaving this place in the morning.

I thought I’d be able to meet Simon at least once before I bought a house, but it seemed that he was still busy. He showed no signs of returning at all.

Hm, I guess I’ll ask Will to tell him that I moved.

While thinking about that, I read this morning Sparda’s newspaper.

“A new Rank 5 calamity monster, [Chaotic Rim], appeared in Faren?”

The headline that caught my attention was, of course, the monster of the Sixth Trial that I was pursuing. [Pride Gem] had evolved to [Chaotic Rim].

The article stated that in the early hours of yesterday, a black beast-type monster—presumably [Chaotic Rim]—was spotted in the Black Forest of Faren. It attacked the Druit Unit that was in training. After inflicting heavy damage on them, the monster fled underground. Afterwards, it appeared in a village around the Black Forest, robbed the food supplies, before fleeing the scene once again.

A large-scale pursuit was carried out by the Knights of Faren, but they were forced to abandon it near the border after confirming that the monster had fled to Parthia, the neighboring region to the West. All countries were advised to stay on alert… Was the gist of it.

“Parthia…? How far is he going to go?”

It wouldn’t be strange for him to cross the border again and go to another country. One of these days, I wondered if he’d return home to El Grand Canyon, the Earth Dragon Valley where Greedgore was.

If that happens, it’d be my first expedition… But if I let it escape again, it’d be no joke. Monsters with high mobility were difficult to chase with human feet. It’d be nice if I could predict his next destination, but as expected, I couldn’t understand what went inside a monster’s mind. Maybe I’d set up a trap and try to ambush it.

Well, for now, I’ll compare the information and think about it once my right arm is completely healed.

Even if I didn’t go to the Adventurer’s Guild, keeping up to date with the newspaper article should suffice. Now, the movements of [Chaotic Rim] weren’t only tracked by the adventurers, but by the whole country, so I’d be able to obtain more accurate information from now on.

“…Oh, it’s that time already?”

Before I knew it, I could hear the morning bell of the seminary, signaling the start of the homeroom. I was going to attend some classes today. I was almost done meeting the minimum graduation requirements. Once I was finished, it’d be time to say goodbye to the Royal Sparda Seminary.

Is my youth coming to an end?

Well, now I have a girlfriend named Fiona with whom I can seriously plan my future with.

Maybe the time had come for me to become an adult in the truest sense of the word.

“Then, I’ll go.”

“Yes, Master, have a safe trip.”

“…When Fiona isn’t around, you can just act like usual.”

“What do you mean ‘like usual’?”

“No, never mind. Don’t worry about that.”

I’m not used to being Sariel’s superior, after all.

With that thought in mind, I threw open the ill-constructed door…

“Kyaa—!?”

…Only to find a lone figure standing in the way. Someone was standing right in front of the opened door.

“Whoa—h-huh? Are you… Nell?”

“Huh!? Oh! K-Kurono!?”

A shrine maiden with flowing black hair tied into a ponytail stood in front of me. Yes, no matter how I looked at that red and white costume, it could only belong to a shrine maiden.

It got me seriously pondering as to why a shrine maiden costume existed in another world—but for now, I’d just accept that Earl Redwing made them as a hobby and secretly distributed them.

Okay, here’s the real question, why did Nell show up in a shrine maiden cosplay?

No, I guess it’s rude to call her a cosplayer.

Honestly, Nell looked really stunning in the shrine maiden outfit. Well, I don’t expect any less from the black-haired beauty. Even more so when she was wearing a well-tailored, authentic shrine maiden outfit, rather than the glossy, cheap one that a bad cosplayer would wear. Coupled with the white wings on her back, she looked majestic. She’d be worshiped as a deity at any shrine.

Despite looking all majestic, her panic-stricken face matched the one in my memory.

“Uh, what’s wrong? Shouldn’t you have returned to Avalon…?”

“Ah, uhm! I-I heard that Kurono has returned from the Galahad War, so I…”

“Did you come all the way here to see me?”

“Yes, I, I’ve been worried about Kurono for a long time, but I’m glad you’re okay… I’m so, so glad—!”

Overcome with emotions, droplets of tears trickled down Nell’s blue eyes. She was weeping at the heartfelt reunion.

Is she that worried about me?

Or rather, since Nell had a gentle personality comparable to that of a real angel, it might be natural for her to be so worried that she cried.

We’re friends, after all.

“Well, I’m doing fine… So, for now, would you like to come in?”

Accompanied by Nell, who was sobbing and nodding, I canceled my plan to go out and went back inside the dormitory.

Yep, guess someone’s skipping class today.

(Nell’s POV)

“Nell, I have good news and bad news.”

After returning from the Rank 5 dungeon, [Divine Realm Avalon], I returned to the Fire Shrine for the first time to report on my progress for the first time in about a month. But then, Bellclausen broke the news to me.

“O-okay?”

“Let’s start with the bad news… Kurono went missing during the Galahad War.”

“Huh!?” I was so surprised, I screamed.

Missing… Kurono?

No way, that’s a lie, that can’t be true—

—Even if it’s Bellclausen, I won’t forgive her for telling such an awful joke!

“—And the good news is that Kurono returned to Sparda alive.”

“Huh…?”

The overwhelming vortex of despair and hope drained me of all my strength, and I soon fell to my knees.

“Uh, Bellclausen, can you please tell me more details?”

“Hm, well, why don’t we enjoy some tea while at it?”

So, for the first time, I was filled in on the circumstances of the past three months.

After a fierce battle, the Galahad War ended with Sparda’s victory on the 24^th of Dark Moon. However, Kurono disappeared from the battlefield after facing off against a powerful enemy general of the Crusades.

The news on the disappearance of the Rank 5 adventurer party [Element Master]’s leader spread like wildfire. By the beginning of the new year, even the Adventurer’s Guild was clued in on it.

“Looking at your mental state, I don’t know what’ll happen if you hear this information. That’s why I decided to hide it until now.”

It’s as if Bellclausen doesn’t trust me at all…

But if I’d heard that Kurono went missing, I’d probably have been in a worse situation than Bellclausen would have imagined. Especially when I wasn’t exactly sane at the time.

“If Kurono is truly worthy of Rank 5, I expected that he’d either return alive or at least inform everyone of his safety… But well, it was worth the wait.”

Firmly stating that she knew Kurono would survive, Bellclausen sipped on the hot tea.

How wonderful.

Bellclausen and I had to thank Kurono for going above and beyond.

“Bellclausen, could it be the reason you encouraged me to venture to the dungeon—”

“—That’s right, it’s to prevent you from listening to outside information as much as possible.”

Certainly, if I was holed up in a dungeon, there was no way outside information would reach me. Also, once I was passionate with the dungeon clearing, I wouldn’t listen to anything else on my way back.

However, given that not a single piece of information about his disappearance has reached my ears, some sort of scheme must be at play.

“I was aware that what I did is wrong, but everything is for your sake, Nell. Please forgive me.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize at all! Thank you for your consideration, Bellclausen!”

I didn’t feel any resentment. After all, as long as Kurono returned safely, everything else didn’t matter.

“Oh, uhm, Bellclausen, I—”

“Well, hold on, calm down. I know exactly what you’re trying to say.”

Of course she would, but I couldn’t help myself.

I miss him.

I want to see Kurono.

Ah, if I can, I’d teleport to Sparda this very second.

“Hehe, someone is in a rush. A lover reunion after a long time, eh? You’re much more beautiful now, Nell.”

“Eh!?”

My hair was disheveled as if I’d just gotten out of bed. My complexion was pale, with dark circles under my eyes from sleep deprivation.

…To greet Kurono in such an appearance…

What kind of reunion is that!? Absolutely not! Not on my watch!

“Make sure you’re fully prepared, Nell.”

“…Okay.”

Anyway, that was how I decided to visit Sparda for the first time in a while.

In order to avoid any commotion, I’d already finished greeting my father and all my friends from the academy. As an extra layer of insurance, I’d bring a trustworthy companion with me.

Also, before I knew it, my older brother had returned to Avalon and was looking for me, but…

My brother doesn’t think well of Kurono.

I couldn’t let him know that I was going to see Kurono, lest he attempted to sabotage my plan.

I’m sure this is what Bellclausen is warning me about.

—A well-intentioned saboteur, wholly different from a rival in love.

I’m sorry, but please wait quietly inside the royal palace until I can hold hands with Kurono and make a triumphant return to Avalon!

“Then, Bellclausen, I—Nell Julius Elrod—is ready to go!”

“Very well, I wish you good luck and longevity.”

Dressed in the shrine maiden outfit that had become my armor both in name and reality, I began my journey to Sparda with the courage of a knight heading off to a distant battlefield.

Fortunately, the weather was fine and the journey was going smoothly. I arrived at the nostalgic Sparda about half a day earlier than planned. It was as if the Black Gods and the Almighty Princess Aria were supporting my reunion with him from Heaven.

On the day of arrival, the sun was already setting. I could barely contain myself before making the rational decision to spend the night at the inn of the royal purveyor. The next day, I carefully prepared myself—both mentally and physically—before seizing the day.

If only I could erase what happened three months ago from my memories. After suffering a miserable defeat at Lily’s hands, I could only say goodbye to Kurono.

But now, I am stronger. No longer would I foolishly fall into the devil’s inescapable trap and had my heart torn asunder.

Yes, I was stronger. At least, stronger than that time. With my wings no longer broken, I could soar into the sky once more. I was no longer afraid of Lily.

Even if Kurono finds out that I was touching myself… It doesn’t matter.

Because I believe in Kurono. He’d forgive me. He’d accept me.

“Haa… Haa… Kurono…”

As I drew nearer to the seminary, my heart was beating fast, and my body was burning.

Then, when I saw the familiar main school building, I started running uncontrollably and slipped through the main gate.

“Please wait, Princess of Avalon.”

“…You’re—”

“This is the first time we’ve exchanged words directly. I’m Fiona Soleil, also commonly known as Fiona of the Element Master.”

When I passed through the main gate, instead of that abhorrent she-fairy, I encountered a witch clad in black, who quietly stood there.

“I recognize you. Certainly, this is the first time we’ve spoken. My name is Nell Julius Elrod.”

After delivering those artificial lines, I was about to make our conversation brief.

“So, Fiona… Do you need anything from me?”

I was on high alert. It could be said that I was more wary than when I was standing in front of the undead royal guards of the [Divine Realm Avalon].

I could see why. Fiona Soleil. That woman was also in the same party as Kurono. Even today, she was still by his side, carrying herself proudly. Considering that not even Lily managed to get rid of her, I could see how close Fiona was to Kurono.

“There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“I apologize, but I’m in a big hurry right now. Can we talk about this another time?”

Now, I could remain calm and dismiss her. It’s not a good idea to fight here.

The fact that she was calling out to me here implied that she disapproved of my meeting Kurono. Responding to the other party’s call without thinking—or rather, without proper countermeasures—was like storming into the enemy’s base through the main door.

“Let me fill you in about what happened while Kurono was missing.”

“!?”

Oh my goodness! How devious of her! She’s enticed me with an irresistible bait so that I’d jump into her trap!

I’d come this far. Like I said before, as long as Kurono was safe and sound, nothing else mattered. Not even the details of his disappearance.

Or at least, that was how it was supposed to be.

“Don’t be so anxious? Aren’t you Kurono’s friend? I just wanted to let you know before you meet him, so as not to hurt him.”

“W-what exactly happened…?”

I couldn’t guess her aim at all! If I took her words at face value, she sounded much more understanding to me than Lily… But who’s to say that she intended to ensnare me with her sweet words?

…However, what if she’s telling the truth? What if I accidentally said something offensive or brought up a sensitive topic to Kurono? Of course, that’d be terrible.

I was no longer afraid of love rivals and well-intentioned saboteurs, but what if… What if Kurono were to hate me? If that’s true, I’d be broken beyond repair…

“Kurono is still in the dormitory. I won’t keep you for too long. After listening to my story, please enjoy your reunion with him to your heart’s content. I have something to do, so I won’t be back until the evening.”

“Okay, I understand. Fiona, please tell me what happened.”