By the time we returned to the road, completely shrouded in the darkness of night, and arrived at Lilia-san’s mansion, it was already close to midnight.
[Welcome back, Miyama-sama.] [Lunamaria-san, sorry for being so late.] [No, My Lady and the others have just returned a short while ago, so it’s not that you’re very late.]
I apologized to Lunamaria-san, who had likely heard the sound of the carriage and came out to greet me, even though it was already this late. She told me that Lilia-san and the others had also just returned a few minutes ago.
[How was the dinner party?]
[Yeah, I had a lot of fun.]
[I’m glad to hear that. My Lady has been worried about you, so…]
We continued down the hallway, exchanging light banter.
Hmm, it feels a bit strange. When I compare the two of them again, I notice that the atmosphere between Ein-san and Lunamaria-san is different. Ein-san has honed her abilities to perfection, never leaving any gaps in her work. On the other hand, Lunamaria-san has a more laid-back approach. How should I put it, she treats being a maid more like a job. They’re both maids, but they give off different vibes…or perhaps it’s just Ein-san who stands out as unusual…?
As I was thinking about this, I was led to the dining room. After greeting Lilia-san and the others, we had tea together and shared stories about what had happened to each of us.
[…I see, a Demon who used to be an otherworlder, huh…That’s quite a rare case.]
[Yes. I’ve heard that some of the Heroes from the past wanted to live here permanently, but for someone to have reincarnated as a Demon…]
[But wait, is there even a way to reincarnate a human into a Demon in the first place?]
In the middle of our conversation, as expected, Lilia-san and the others were especially curious about Neun-san’s story as a former Japanese.
Neun-san had casually mentioned that she was reincarnated with Kuro’s power, as if it were a normal thing, so I had always assumed it was possible. However, both Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san were clearly surprised by the revelation.
[I can’t say there isn’t a way. In fact, there was a human with the same description as Kaito-san mentioned, but she lived hundreds of years ago. Among the High-ranking Demons who have lived for so long, many possess secret techniques still unknown to us humans.]
[However, to possess such power that not only changes one’s lifespan, but also their original race…The High-ranking Demon that Miyama-sama encountered must have been at least a “Count-rank”…It could even be a “Duke-rank” High-ranking Demon.]
[Wait, the rank you’re talking about, is that the ranking among the Demons?]
[Yes, the Demon Realm doesn’t have the same aristocracy or ranking system as the Human Realm, but it’s common for a particularly powerful Demon to be given a title to indicate their strength for convenience’s sake. The strength of a Count-rank Demon alone is enough to rival a country. They’re equal to or even more powerful than High-ranking Gods in the God Realm. There are only a handful of Duke-rank Demons in the vast Demon Realm. At the very least, they aren’t the kind you can meet casually.]
There’s no doubt that Kuro is a High-ranking Demon with immense power, but it seems she’s even more extraordinary than I initially imagined.
However, if she’s truly that remarkable, I would expect Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san to recognize her name. At least, that’s what I thought, but…
[…Ah, I hadn’t mentioned it to Kaito-san and the others yet, but many High-ranking Demons regularly use Information Concealment Magic, so third parties wouldn’t be able to gather any information about them.]
[Eh? What does that mean?]
[To use our earlier conversation as an example, Kaito-kun, even if you tell us the name and details of a High-ranking Demon, that magic would prevent us from hearing any of it. We’d only be able to hear it if we were aware of each other’s existence, but we wouldn’t be able to extract any information from you.]
[From Miyama-san’s story earlier, the only ones we’ve been able to hear about are Neun-sama, Acht-sama, and Razelia-sama. As for the others you mentioned, we haven’t heard anything about how many there are, their appearance, or the details of your conversations.]
[I-Is that so…]
Information Concealment Magic…I see. Speaking of which, Acht told me that High-ranking Demons are essentially lone wolves who often make their subordinates do the work while they stay out of sight, and Kuro only appears when I’m alone.
Indeed, if we assume that Kuro is a High-ranking Demon of Count-rank or higher, she would have the kind of power capable of rivaling a country’s military strength on her own. If she were to walk around town, it could easily cause a commotion.
[For example, Luna and I naturally know the names and appearances of the Six Kings, but…if Luna were to mention the name of the Underworld King, it would be as if our words weren’t recognized by Kaito-san and the others, like they didn’t hear anything at all.]
[Information Concealment Magic is a very advanced type of magic. When it’s always active, it consumes an enormous amount of magic power, making it impossible to use normally unless you’re a High-ranking Demon. So, whether or not someone can use Information Concealment Magic is one of the criteria for judging their rank. However, there are no humans who can use information concealment magic, so there are many unknowns, such as the range of its effect…]
Lunamaria-san added to Lilia-san’s explanation.
Hmmm. In other words, among the people I’ve gotten to know this time, Neun-san, Acht, and Raz-san are ordinary Demons, while Sechs-san and Ein-san are classified as High-ranking Demons.
[Well, there are some beings who don’t go as far as to use Information Concealment Magic…”War King Megiddo Argetes Borgnes-sama,” “World King Lillywood Yggdrasil-sama,” and “Dragon King Magnawell Baskus Lardo Kurtzvald-sama” don’t use Information Concealment Magic, so everyone should be able to hear their names…]
Whoa, a bunch of ridiculously long names were given in rapid succession. No matter the world, it seems that all kings have long names, as I thought.
Come to think of it, one of the names sounds familiar. Isn’t the Dragon King’s name the one Acht used as an example of how big he is?
[I can tell just from hearing their names that they must be great figures, but why aren’t the three of them using Information Concealment Magic?]
As I was thinking about this, Kusunoki-san expressed the same doubts I had.
[The reasons vary for each of them. Though it isn’t like we asked them directly about it, it’s simply that the War King doesn’t like things like hiding. The World King has a large number of followers and is even an object of faith in some areas. As for the Dragon King…his physique is so enormous that it could be mistaken for a mountain range, so it wouldn’t make much sense for him to try and hide.]
[…I think I’ve learned once again just how outrageous these Six Kings are.]
The Dragon King is even bigger than I imagined!? Saying he’s around the size of a mountain range, that’s like over thousands of meters!? Compared to that, even Acht, who stands at 5 meters, might really look like a child. If a being that size were to move around, I think just walking would be enough to cause an earthquake…
[Well, we won’t have the chance to meet the Six Kings in person for the time being, but you can still see them during the Festival of Heroes.]
[That is…I don’t know if I should look forward to it or be frightened for that day…]
[Normally, even nobles don’t have the opportunity to get to know High-ranking Demons. Moreover, you even ate together with them…That’s quite an odd situation you got into, Miyama-sama.]
[I guess you could say you have a talent for making good connections. If a High-ranking Demon remembers your name, that alone can give you some kind of power…Please do treasure those connections you’ve built up.]
[Ah, yes.]
Hmmm. If you look at it that way, I guess I’m quite lucky to even be able to interact with these tremendous beings. Unnn, I have a lot on my mind, but for now, let’s just think of the situation as a plus for me.
How someone who even nobles rarely get to know visits me every night and even teaches me magic…Thinking about it again, that’s quite an outrageous situation to be in.
[Putting that aside, wouldn’t it be better for My Lady if you could get a bit of Miyama-sama’s talent?]
[Ugghhh…Indeed, Kaito-san’s social skills are something to be emulated. If you have any tips, would you please share them with me…]
[…Ha-Hahaha…]
For some reason, I can’t help but bitterly smile back at Lilia-san, who’s looking at me with respect.
I—I can’t tell them…I can’t tell them that I was just a loner who didn’t even have any friends in my former world. These relationships I currently have are just the result of being swept around by Kuro, and my social skills are actually as small as a water flea…
Dear Mom, Dad—I was supposed to be an elite loner when I was back on Earth, but for some reason—It seems like I’m one step away from having a personal connection cheat.
(T/N:
Advanced chapter post, not bonus chapter lul.
-LazyCat