For some reason, the mansion looked unusually hectic when I returned, a little later than planned, due to my meeting with Isis-san.
When one of the servants led me to Lilia-san’s office, both Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san were there, and for some reason, when they saw my face, they both showed expressions of relief.
[Welcome back, Kaito-san. I knew there was no chance of anything happening with you being with Kuromueina-sama, but I’m still glad you’re safe.]
[……Errr, what’s going on?]
Tilting my head at Lilia-san’s relieved tone, a possibility crossed my mind.
Ah, they were probably referring to that incident with the wyverns in the royal capital. They may have seemed less of a big deal since Kuro quickly dealt with them, but upon thinking it over, it could have been much more serious.
The fact that I came home later than planned must’ve made Lilia-san worried about my safety.
I was about to sit down and apologize for causing her concern, but the words she spoke were not what I expected.
[Kaito-san, I’ve already mentioned this to Aoi-san and Hina-san earlier, but for a while… or at least just tomorrow, please refrain from going out.]
[……Eh?]
Huh? Weren’t we talking about the wyverns? Did something else happen? No, maybe they’re just being cautious in case there are still wyverns flying around the area.
[……Today, we’ve heard that Death King-sama has been sighted around the royal capital.]
[……The Death King?]
It seems she really isn’t talking about the wyverns.
Speaking of the Death King, if I’m not mistaken, the Death King was one of the more bad-tempered among the Six Kings, alongside the War King. It’s said that they would kill anyone who displeased them.
I see, I guess I can’t blame them for being cautious with one of them nearby…
[Death King-sama is always clad in “magic power of death” and is extremely dangerous. If you’re faint-hearted, you’ll likely faint just from seeing her… So, please refrain from going out until we gather more accurate information on this matter.]
[………………..]
Arehh, that’s strange… I wonder why, but for some reason, as she was talking, Isis-san’s face suddenly popped into my mind.
I’m not exactly sure what this “dangerously-sounding magic power of death” is, but if she’s talking about something that could make you pass out just by standing near it… Hmm. I feel like I’ve been in a similar situation not too long ago.
[……Miyama-sama? Is something the matter?]
[…….Ah, no……]
Hahaha, no no, there’s no way that’s possible, right?
We’re talking about one of the Six Kings here. Beings that are at the pinnacle of the Demon Realm, and ones you’d only usually see at the Festival of Heroes. There’s no way I just encountered one like that out of nowhere, right…?
Hmm. It must just be my imagination, I must have been mistaken. But… let’s check it out a little, just to be sure.
[Um, Lilia-san. That Death King… her name isn’t Isis Remnant, right?]
[……Kaito-san. How do you know Death King-sama’s name? You wouldn’t have been able to know it unless you had seen her yourself, thanks to the Information Concealment Magic…]
[…………….]
I see, so Isis-san really is the Death King, huh… She certainly was intimidating, but I don’t think she has a bad temper.
No, she definitely has a strong personality—just in a different way—but I don’t think she’s the type to kill someone just because they displeased her…
[……My Lady, is it just my imagination? I have a really bad feeling about this.]
[……That’s unexpected, Luna. I actually feel the same way…]
[Ah, no, errr……]
[Kaito-san. Where did you hear that name? You heard it from Kuromueina-sama, right? If it was Kuromueina-sama, I don’t think she’d be affected by the Information Concealment Magic, so you must’ve heard it from her! Please, tell me that’s the case!!!]
[……I’m sorry. I met her just now.]
I told Lilia-san, who looked at me with desperation in her eyes, that I had already met the Death King.
Immediately after that, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, Lilia-san’s face crashed into the desk.
[My Lady! My Lady, please, pull yourself together!]
[………………….]
Lunamaria-san rushed over to her, but Lilia-san didn’t even move, keeping her head down. After a moment, she slowly stood up and walked toward me.
[Umm, Lilia-san—Gueehhh……]
I was about to say something in defense, feeling the strange tension in the air, but before I could finish, Lilia-san grabbed me by the collar.
[What do you mean!!!]
[Wha, Lilia-san… It hurts……]
[Why! Is it always like this!? Every single time I take my eyes off you, you somehow end up meeting some outrageous being in the world!!!]
Lilia-san shook me back and forth by my collar, tears in her eyes. My head jerked wildly with the ridiculous force, and on top of the pain, it felt like my body was floating off the ground!?
[Are you doing this on purpose!!! You must be doing this on purpose, right!? How could you possibly know another one of the Six Kings after such a short time!!! And this time, it had to be the Death King-sama… Why did you have to get involved with the scariest one!!!]
[No, My Lady… As expected, there’s no way he’s meeting one of the Six Kings on purpose.]
[………………..]
Lilia-san isn’t just half-crying anymore—she’s completely in tears. I can’t really say anything about it since I’m the one who caused her tears, but she must’ve been really worried…
I’m so sorry… but I’d really appreciate it if you could let me go soon. At this rate, I’ll end up getting to Mom and Dad’s side before I can even explain myself.
Also, Lunamaria-san, could you please stop calmly throwing in your tsukkomis?
Ah, damn… I’m going to lose… my consciousness again…
[…Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe after encountering Death King-sama.]
[No, My Lady… I doubt that Miyama-sama was exactly safe a while ago… though it was mostly because of My Lady.]
[…E-Errr… Kaito-san. I’m really sorry, are you alright?]
[…Yes. Somehow…]
After shaking in mid-air for a while, I’m not sure if Lilia-san finally regained her composure, but now she was repeatedly apologizing while making sure I was okay.
I feel like I’ve been fainting a lot since I came to this world… though it’s mostly at Lilia-san’s hands…
[However, to get acquainted with Death King-sama after Underworld King-sama, Miyama-sama really never ceases to amaze me. Well, I’m not sure you could exactly call your relationship with Death King-sama “friendly,” but…]
[That’s right. I’ve heard that Death King-sama is hard to please, so I’m just glad you made it back safely.]
[…Ah, errr, regarding that…]
It seems they’re really frightened of Isis-san, as neither Lilia-san nor Lunamaria-san seems to believe that I’ve become friends with her.
I guess the cause of their fear must be that eerie aura I felt when I first met her—what did they call it? The magic power of death, maybe? In truth, after talking with her, she seemed quite kind though…
I suppose I shouldn’t bring that up to them later, huh? That wouldn’t be good… I should probably mention that I told Isis she could visit me anytime she wanted to…
[……She would… come visit another time.]
[……Eh?]
The moment I said that, the two of them froze, as if time itself had stopped. A moment later, Lilia-san asked me, her face pale… no, it looked like all the color had drained from it.
[……She’s going to visit? Death King-sama? You’re not actually saying she’s coming to kill us all, right?]
[Ah, yes. Well, we’ve become friends, so she asked if she could visit me, and I told her she could come by whenever she wanted.]
[……You became friends? With Death King-sama? Ah… Ahaha, you’re just kidding, right? I mean, we’re talking about Death King-sama here… the most terrifying of the Six Kings, right? She’s the kind of person who could shatter someone’s sanity just by being near them…]
[No, we’ve really become friends. Oh, and she also gave me a very unusual flower.]
When Lilia-san asked me with a confused, almost broken smile, I felt a little scared as I explained, taking out the blue flower that Isis-san had given me.
[That’s a blue crystal flower, huh? It seems like an incredibly powerful State Preservation Magic has been cast on it. My Lady, this really is…]
[……Stop, I don’t want to hear it.]
[Umm, Lilia-san?]
Staring at the blue flower—the Blue Crystal Flower—Lunamaria-san muttered in disbelief, while Lilia-san simply covered her face with her hands upon hearing it.
Looking at Lilia-san’s grim and sorrowful expression, Lunamaria-san appeared equally shaken and began gently patting Lilia-san’s back.
[My Lady… Please stay strong.]
[……What the heck is going on with Kaito-san’s unique friendships…? It looks like his are even more impressive than mine now… I mean, he’s at the point where just a single word could crush the Albert Duchy…]
[My Lady, I understand how you feel. Yes, Miyama-sama has simply become… too extraordinary. In some ways, he could even be called a monster, but you’ve done nothing wrong.]
[……Luna…]
The people I’ve come to know are certainly outrageous, though it’s a bit vexing to be called a monster.
However, seeing Lilia-san like a crying child in front of me, I can’t bring myself to complain about their words, I just feel sorry instead.
After leaving Lunamaria-san to comfort Lilia-san for a moment, she suddenly stood up as if finding the right time and quickly bowed her head to Lilia-san.
[……By the way, My Lady. I’d like to take the day off tomorrow.]
[……Wait a second! Why are you trying to escape all by yourself!?]
[P-Please let go of me, My Lady! Meeting Death King-sama isn’t something to take lightly! I still have my mother waiting for me to come home alive!]
[I’ll never let you go!!! You want me to face Death King-sama alone!? That’s impossible! I was already overwhelmed when it was just Kuromueina-sama visiting us, and now you’re telling me I have to welcome Death King-sama……]
[……I will never forget the days I spent in your service, My Lady.]
[Why are you assuming I’m going to die!?]
Watching the touching scene suddenly turn into a grappling match, I once again realized the magnitude of the situation.
Dear Mom, Dad—Isis-san is coming to visit again, but when I mentioned it to Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san, they both—looked scared.