Chapter 40
40 . 1 Lies and Reality
While panting, I watch Ristia who was captured within the spell . His face distorts with anguish as he glares at us with a knee on the ground .
“To think that I got defeated by you bastards…!”
I turn away . I can’t bear to look at Ristia’s unsightly expression .
How did it come into this? When did Ristia become someone who would commit something evil out of hatred towards the dragon tribesmen? Was the Ristia I knew all this time just a lie?
My eyes become a bit wet .
“Hee, seems like it is over . ”
Ludriad-san appears from behind the rock holding Priscillchan’s hand and comes towards us .
Arere? Where’s Mistral?
Is what I think as she suddenly emerges from the cave .
“Everyone inside has already lost consciousness . ”
Apparently, Mistral entered the cave without anyone noticing in order to survey the situation .
Mistral also joins us . Afterwards, we all look down at Ristia .
Ristia, trapped within the spell, can’t even move his neck . He just glares straight ahead at Ludriad-san and I with eyes full of distain .
Mistral takes Priscillchan’s and pulls her behind herself .
“Hey, yuusha, nice to meet you . ”
Ludriad-san gives a carefree wave of his hand . Ristia spits at him in turn .
” Bastard, who are you?”
“Ah, I see . I suppose there’s no way you would know my face . ”
Ludriad laughs, hera hera, with a face full of delight . Despite that, his eyes are not smiling in the slightest .
“Ernea, is this the yuusha?”
Mistral’s eyes fill with doubt as she asks .
I nod in response .
“Instead of like this, I wanted to introduce him to you as my best friend . ”
I wanted to eventually introduce Mistral to Ristia . To proudly tell him that she is my bride . Instead, that didn’t happen . They met in the worst way possible .
Mistral becomes even more doubtful upon at my sorrowful expression . That’s when Priscillchan tilts her head and Nymia goes “nyaa . ”
“Is this really the yuusha?”
Mistral asks once again .
This time, Ruiseine nods .
“Yes, there is no mistaking it . ”
“Fuun, so this is the yuusha . ”
For some reason, even Ludriad-san looks at us with doubt .
“W-why are you so doubtful?”
I don’t understand why they’re doubting this! Ruiseine and I have seen Risita at school practically everyday since the beginning of spring . Even if he’s now wearing this hideous expression I can bear to look at, there is no mistaking that this is Ristia .
“But…”
Mistral starts to say something, but she swallows her words partway .
“Nnmtto, this person is a demon!”
Priscillchan, however, someone unable to read the atmosphere, suddenly makes an outrageous statement .
“Eh?”
I can’t understand what Priscillchan is saying! Ristia is a demon? There’s no way it can be true! After all, he’s the yuusha whom has been chosen by the holy sword . The yuusha absolutely can’t be a demon .
However, Ristia, upon being suspected as a demon, trembles and his expression changes .
“Oi, oi, you’re saying the yuusha is a demon? There’s no way I can believe something that outrageous . Little lady, what makes you think he’s a demon?”
As expected, even Ludriad-san is surprised by such an unexpected development .
“Nnmtto, I can tell just by looking at him . ”
Priscillchan says, as if it is just a matter of fact .
“What Priscillchan said is true . I also can’t see this person as anything but a demon . ”
Mistral agrees with Priscillchan’s words .
Ludriad-san hesitates over how to respond . However, Ruiseine and I understand . Mistral, a dragon tribesman, can distinguish whether someone is a god or demon just by looking at them . I don’t know about Priscillchan yet, but it seems like those from the long-eared tribe are the same .
“Ehhh, then, Ristia has been a demon this whole time?”
Is it really possible? For a demon to mix among the human tribe and even end up chosen by the holy sword?
“I wonder about that . In the first place, why are you and Ruiseine convinced he’s yuusha Ristia?”
“Something like that, I can tell just by looking at him . What can be seen before you is Ristia himself . Plus, isn’t that the holy sword with him?”
At my words, Priscillchan again tilts her head .
“Nnmtto, that’s a magic sword . ”
“Ehhh!?”
Priscillchan’s sudden bomb surprises everyone except for Mistral, Nymia, and herself .
“T-this is a magic sword?”
“My, my, well, well, so the holy sword’s true form is that of a magic sword?”
“There’s no way that’s possible! Grandpa said that the holy sword is a really powerful, mystical, sword . ”
I unconsciously repeat what Old Sleigstar once told me . I then I hurriedly close my mouth with my right hand .
“Hee, there’s an elder with enough conviction to claim that the holy sword’s true form is actually a mystical sword? I really want to meet him . ”
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Ludriad looks at me with great interest .
“M-more importantly,” I divert the topic in a fluster . “What does it mean for this to be a magic sword?”
Everyone turns their gaze towards Ristia’s sword .
“It seems like asking the person himself will be faster . ”
With those words, Ludriad-san approaches the edge of the crescent moon shadow which marks the barrier’s boundary . Should Ludriad-san enter the crescent moon, he’d end up bound as well . He can’t get any closer than that .
“Speaking of which, this person’s companions should be inside the cave . What did they look like?”
Even though I didn’t understand Mistral’s intentions, I describe the appearance of Ristia’s comrades to her .
Mistral puts her hand over her chin and thinks it over .
“There were no men inside the cave . There were some small children though . Also, while there were some well-kept women, there was also no well-dressed woman there weren’t any who could be considered shrine-maidens . ”
“My, my, well, well,”
Not inside the cave? Then, did they go out? If so, they might surprise attack us while our guard is down . But, Ristia himself affirmed that they were inside the cave . What does this mean?
My head is spinning . Ruiseine also looks at me with a troubled expression .
40 . 2 Lies and Reality
My head is spinning . Ruiseine also looks at me with a troubled expression .
“In other words, this guy’s a fake . ”
Ludriad-san draws the magical sword from his waist .
A fake? Could a fake really have such a similar looking face? Or maybe, is he a demon with a transformation magic?
“Now, who are you? If you don’t confess, I’ll torture you . ”
Ludriad-san grins as he looks down at Ristia .
“W-what are you saying, I am the genuine yuusha Ristia!”
“Hee, is that so? Then, tell me, what are the names of that boy and miko-san? If you are the real thing, you should be able to at least say the name of your best friend . ”
“Fun, who would ever follow your instructions, bastard?”
A knife is thrust into Ristia’s thigh by Ludriad-san at his feigning ignorance .
“Gyaaahhh!”
Ristia’s expression warps as he screams .
“I’ll give you another opportunity . What are the names of these kids?”
Ludriad-san takes out another dagger out of his chest pocket .
I hate torturing, but maybe this is the only way? Ruiseine also watches the situation unfold in silence .
If he’s the real Ristia, he should be able to say our names . It isn’t something he needs to endure torture for . Speaking of which, not once did Ristia call our name during that confrontation . If he really is a fake, then he shouldn’t know what our name are .
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“Gugh,” Ristia continues to resist and keeps his mouth shut .
That’s when Ludriad-san stabs a knife into Ristia’s sword wielding right wrist .
“Gyaaahhh!!!”
“Really, it’s quite easy to hit a close target that can’t move . ”
With a cheerful tone, Ludriad-san said takes out another knife .
This person has no hesitation over torturing others . Ruiseine and I both frown as we watch the exchange . Mistral keeps her eyes fixed on Ristia who refuses to yield .
Priscillchan covers her ears at the top of her fluffy hat and turns around . Yeah, this scene is a bad influence for children, so please stay like that .
“Where should I aim next?”
Ristia’s face twitches as he watches Ludriad-san twirl his knife in his hand .
“I-I am the yuusha…” Ludriad-san gets ready to throw another knife at Ristia’s feign of ignorance . “W-wait, I will tell you everything . so please spare me…!”
Ristia gives up in a fluster . I guess even demons dislike being tortured with severe pain
“Fumu, then tell us what you actually are . ”
Even though Ludriad-san relaxes his throwing posture, he watches Ristia without any negligence . After all, even if Ristia has already been weakened and was captured by Ruiseine’s spell, if he is really the demon, then he might be able to break through magic of that level .
I also refine my dragon spirit for the chance it’s needed . Everything will get troublesome if he’s only pretending to cooperate only to rampage afterwards . Instead, Ristia obediently tells us the truth . It might be because he truly feels cornered .
“as you’ve claimed, I’m a demon . I’m from a minor tribe, one that excels in transformations . But we were threatened and made to come to the kingdom of the human tribe . ”
“Threatened?”
That sounds like a convenient excuse, too shady . Ludriad-san also seems to think the same . Without a word, he prepares his knife .
“P-please wait . It’s the truth . I won’t lie after coming this far . ”
Ristia’s face pales . Yep, this guy’s really a fake .
“Re -release this spell for me and I’ll release my transformation magic . ”
“We can’t trust you . ”
“Please believe me! My family is actually gentle!”
“A gentle demon?”
“aren’t there people humans among the human’s tribe too? It shouldn’t be strange for there to be gentle demons within the demon tribe . “
“That’s true . However, if you act even the slightest bit suspicious, there won’t be any mercy . ”
Mistral pulls out her jet-black one-handed rod . She then signals Ruiseine with her eyes . We put ourselves on guard and Ruiseine releases her spell .
The fake Ristia presses down out of pain on areas he’s been stabbed . At the same time, as he releases the transformation magic on his body . He neither recite any chants nor scream out any words . Also, while I can’t see any magic power, a phenomenon unveils before me . That magic is being invoked is clear .
Although we are wary of him, the false Ristia didn’t lie to us . His face melts . Ruiseine and I frown at the sight . The eyes, ears, and nose disappear to reveal a smooth, white face with only a mouth .
Even his hands that are visible from his clothes melt . They become fingerless, backs of hands, but are also pure white in appearance . The false holy sword he holds drops to the ground .
“This is the true appearance of my people . ”
We are all stunned at the fake Risita transforming into something like a white, unfinished, ceramic doll .
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This is a demon? I know that various kinds of demons exist . Back in the ruins I saw some with wings and others that were small . Still, I didn’t know ones with an such inhuman appearance like this one could exist .
“We are from a minor tribe . You could even say that we are dying . We live quietly on the frontier and we hate conflict . Yet, there are others with their eyes on our transformation magic . ”
The demon’s face has become nothing but a mouth, yet his face fills with anguish as he speaks . Seeing such an expression without eyes or a nose is eerie .
“They captured and threatened us . ”
“Who caught and threatened you?”
“That, I don’t know . They were just underlings at any rate . The ones who caught and threatened us were fat slave dealers . ”
“Yup, this smells like complete bull . Do you think we’ll believe a convenient story like this?”
I also nod at Ludriad-san’s words . There’s no credibility to this demon’s story . There’s no evidence either . Trusting him is too hard .
“As I’ve said, we’re inherently a gentle race . Our numbers are on the brink of extinction . Even I want to survive . ”
The demon desperately begs us for help .
“If you let me live, I will cooperate with you no matter what . Please, help me . Even if I were to escape and go back now, I’d be killed for failing . ”
The demon drags his feet towards Ludriad-san and prostates himself before his feet .
All of us exchange troubled expressions .
“My, my, well, well, So there even demons like this exist . I used to think that all demons were just ferocious beasts . ”
Ruiseine looks at me with an uncertain expression . As a shrine maiden, there’s no way she can help a demon . However, she appears to pity the demon who bleeds crimson from his wrist and thighs and pleads Ludriad-san for his life before us .
“Killing him like this with confirming anything would be a problem . Even from just considering his battle with Ernea and Ruiseine, it’s clear that he isn’t that strong . Therefore, arresting him until a proper investigation can be carried out should be fine . ”
Ludriad-san nods towards Mistral’s proposal .
“Certainly, even if I cross-examine him now, I have no way of telling if he’s lying or telling the truth . Although, for the time being, we can consider the dragon tribesmen issue as settled . We can probably withdraw now . ”
“P-please wait a minute . ”
I stop him in a fluster . There is one more thing I need to check .
“Is the real Ristia safe?”
I know that this demon is an imposter, but I’m curious as to how he can change into Ristia . If there are any negative effects on Ristia’s body… the thought gives me goosebumps .
“The real yuusha? I don’t know that much about him . This transformation magic lets me take on the appearance of one I’ve touched before . First, I turned into a town girl . Then I approached the yuusha, touched him, and changed into his figure . ”
“Then, it has no effect on Ristia?”
“None, I just transform to the person I touched . My people only specialize in transformation magic . ”
I hold my chest in relief after hearing the demon’s confirmation .
“Well then, let’s return to the headquarters so I can hear about your situation in more detail . If you cooperate with us, I will guarantee your life . A comfortable life with three meals and an afternoon nap . ”
Ludriad-san laughs, “kakaka . ” .
What a high reception .
“That’s why, you guys, take this demon in with courtesy . Those guys sleeping inside the cave are also bandits, so take them together back!”
While I’m wondering about what Ludriad-san suddenly said, a great number of patrolmen appear from behind nearby rocks and bushes .
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