Volume 6 Chapter 52 The Capacity To Drink Turbidness
"──So that's the behind-the-scenes story."
The reason Getsuya was pushed to the back was because of what Reed just talked about regarding the demon. To be honest, when she brought it up after we had calmed down from the healing, I almost zoned out. Just between us.
'I really have to tip my hat to my partner's sharpness. Not that I have a hat to take off, though.'
Noticing my stress, Gram whispered his usual joke.
"..............."
After hearing the story, Getsuya's shoulders slumped even more, but there was nothing we could do about it.
For now, I couldn't find a way to defend Getsuya. If Reed hadn't been here, someone among us might have been missing in the worst-case scenario.
"Up until now, Mikage has been our last line of defense 'before things got out of hand', but──well, that's fine."
Maybe it was about trust, but more than that, we needed Mikage to steer the somewhat reckless Getsuya. Only when Getsuya and Mikage were together could Rouza's situation be stable.
Anyway, I could blame him (Getsuya) later. First, we needed to solidify the discussion at hand.
"From what I've heard, the client that the disguised demon mentioned is──."
"Probably my brothers."
Rouza jumped ahead of Aina's thoughts.
"The 'small fries' part is likely referring to the guys who attacked Kyunei-sensei's clinic. From the way they talked, it seemed like they weren't in sync, but──thankfully, it worked out."
Even while saying "thankfully," there was a hint of a sigh in his voice. The moment Reed mentioned the word 'demon,' Rouza looked slightly surprised but also seemed to accept it. Maybe.
"You──did you know from the start that a demon would get involved at some point?"
"...Close enough, I suppose."
After a brief hesitation, Rouza spoke.
"I definitely thought they would make a move someday. But I never expected them to strike in a foreign land, away from my brother's protection."
"Seriously? This is just like that Narinki guy's situation, isn't it?"
I've already shared most of what I heard from Reed and Rouza about the situation. I grumble with a hint of dread in my voice, but I feel exactly the same way.
The chaos we got caught up in at Eubarest was a conflict between the old and new mafia controlling the town. The new mafia, led by Narinki, had 2 demons as their muscle.
The scale is different between the town's mafia and a nation's ruling class, but the setup is pretty similar.
It was already suspicious enough, and now it's getting even more intense.
"When I was in Sanmoto, I was attacked by demons just once."
That time, it was a complete surprise attack, and several of the guards who first confronted them were killed. They were all trustworthy and skilled fighters. Rouza said if it had been me facing them first instead of those guards, I would have been in serious danger.
"After that, Getsuya and I managed to take them down together. Capturing them alive was impossible, though. I haven't been that scared since I bet my arm in a serious underground gambling match."
Don't throw in something that's hard to respond to in such a serious moment.
"Don't worry. The most nerve-wracking moment was when I faced you. You don't get to experience a match like that many times in a lifetime."
"Seriously, this is not the time for jokes!"
Even though the atmosphere is very serious, Rouza laughs. But there's something lacking in his expression, which makes me think he's trying to lighten the mood. I can tell from our short time together that he's not the type to see his guards as just 'walls.' But maybe he's trying to avoid getting too down about the fact that the guards were killed.
"I saw a demon for the first time then. Its features had already been described in Sanmoto."
It had horns growing from its forehead and even the color of its blood was different. It seems like it was easy to identify.
"I tried to investigate things in my own way, but I couldn't find any clues at all."
While Rouza was doing that, the demon's body that he thought he had stored away had mysteriously disappeared from its hiding place. After looking into it, he found out that it was likely due to the orders of someone connected to his brother.
"Stopping at 'possibility' shows just how skilled my brothers are. I'm almost certain in my gut, but it's still just a hunch. There was no way to pursue it further."
I could guess that the clues related to the demon's footprints were also being covered up by Rouza's brothers behind the scenes. Again, there were no direct connections, and it remained as 'assumptions' no matter how far I went.
"By the way, before and after I was attacked by the demon, some strange folks started hanging around my brothers."
Rouza exchanged glances with me and Reed.
'I felt that "strange presence" from those guys, you know, like that rough blade over there.'
'Who are you calling a rough blade?! I'll snap you in half!!'
'Why do you always have to provoke like that?'
The azure monk staff (Touga) spoke to me through telepathy, while the snake belly sword (Slay) was furious, and the black spear (Gram) calmly advised. The ones who could hear the telepathy all frowned.
'I sensed a similar presence from the dead demon, so they are probably demons disguised as something else. The only way to confirm it is to force them to reveal their true identity.'
However, Rouza was certain that a demon had infiltrated her brothers' ranks.
"──So, you're saying that the demon has gotten close to Rouza-san's brothers and is plotting something?"
They probably couldn't hear Touga and the others, but Rouza's earlier words were enough for me to make that guess. Rouza nodded at Aina's perspective.
"It's about my brothers. No matter what the demon is hiding, they must have already accounted for everything. My brothers may be inexperienced, but when it comes to swallowing impurities, those 2 are clearly better than me."
Aina had mentioned something before.
──"Fish don't live in water that's too pure."
Water is basically the country, and fish refers to people.
No one can live in a world that's too pure and clean. It's natural to have some distortions or mistakes──what you call 'murkiness.' For rulers, it's all about how well they can swallow this 'murkiness.' Aina learned this from the king (father figure).
'Still, I don't hear many good things about someone who carries too much filth inside.'
Rouza, who acknowledges his brother, unusually added a word of caution. It seems he doesn't want to see his lord belittling himself.
"But you're also living it up with underground gambling and all that, aren't you?"
"What I do is serious business, but in the end, it's just a 'game'. Still, it seems my father expects those older brothers of mine to come to me and take on the 'murkiness.' That's probably not something they're too happy about."
It's like being assigned dirty work. Even I can tell that's not a pleasant thing.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)