He could not understand what kind of attack it was. The attack of the man who called himself Arclial had no form, and seemed to be nothing more than a random swing of his sword. However, all of his attacks easily cut down my body and cut off any attack.
　I knew that it would be a bad idea to let others fight with this man, so I stood in front of Arkreal as long as I could and continued to take his sword.

(Is there anyone among us who can match that man's swordsmanship? (Is there anyone among us who can match that man's swordsmanship, even if it's Iliad or Wolfe?

　What crossed my mind was the guard behind Marito. I thought that he might be the one, but his position is even more limited than mine. Unless Marito was attacked by Arcreal, it would be difficult to confirm that possibility.

Oh, he seems to have regained consciousness.
"...... you?

　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of these in the marketplace. In the back...

"Looks like you've been beaten up pretty bad, huh?
"My Lord ......

　I know what they're doing when I see them. I think they are healing my damaged body and replenishing my magic.

I heard that you were beaten up pretty badly. I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.
"Thanks for the ......, No-Derik Tranklith.
"Nora is fine. It's a good opportunity to heal the body of a demon.
Well, ...... I hope it will be of use to you.

　Nora's formula is quite brilliant. She's healing my body while adjusting her own magic so that it doesn't rebel against the Lord's magic.

I understand you fought a man who seems to be the equal of Ygras?
"Fought is not the right word. I was only attacked one way and one way only. I couldn't see any chance of winning. ...... I'm sorry.
"No need to apologize, okay? Thanks to your judgment, he almost achieved his goal. There were no casualties on our side. Isn't that enough? Or did you want to take on an opponent you couldn't beat and end up in a mess?
"...... No.
"Duvvleoris has done his duty well. Duvraeus has done his duty well, surviving as a squire to protect the Purple Master is his greatest achievement!
"Oh, she knows better than you, doesn't she? If I lose you, there is very little I can do. It would mean that I would be useless to him.

　Yes, the most important thing for me is to protect the Lord's position. Then I've made the right decision. This wound is not a sign of defeat. It's a sign of victory.

I envy you, purple girl. It's hard to find a squire who does so much for me. I want Nora.
"Don't you? But you can't have her.
I don't mind plunder, but it's the wrong kind of plunder.
Oh, well, love isn't part of it, so you can work on that, right?

　I'm not sure I fully understand what you're talking about, but it seems that the Lord and Nora have a good relationship. I suppose this is a good thing.

"...... Nora, I want to get you back as soon as possible. I know this will be difficult for you, but please take care of her.
Leave it to me. But a demon's body is more complex than a human's.
Maybe it's because you're in human form now. Once you're back in your demon body, you'll be able to understand its structure a little more easily.

　My physical structure is complicated by the fact that I'm transforming my original demon body into a human form. In order for Nora to heal me effectively, I should return to my former form of a great demon. Using what little magic I have left, I will remove my humanoid form.

"......
Are you horrified?
No. No. Nora likes it better this way.
You're strange, you know that?

　My master wanted his followers to be pure. That's why our great demon took the form of a well-formed man. Some of the fighters had reverted to their original forms, but they had no intention of losing their human form if they were to fight as the Lord's followers. To human sensibilities, the demon form was a symbol of disgust and fear.

Can I touch it?
"Yes, do as you wish.

　Nora fearfully touched my flesh. But it's not out of disgust or fear, it's more like she's feeling something else. I don't understand what kind of emotion it is, but it feels a little bit like the way the Lord touches that man.

　I don't know how I feel about that.

　Now, Jastet is next. As Mikus seemed to be playing with Morari, I took Ilias and Wolfe, who seemed to be bored. I could have done it alone, but they would have killed me if I moved a single head. At the other underground prison, Jastet is being held in the same way as Morari. The restraints are a little tighter than Morari's, perhaps in consideration of his fighting strength.

"Jastet, right? Thanks for your help the other day.
"......

　Yastet is looking at you quietly, without glaring. It seems that he intends to follow the advice given by Lahite to the letter. I'm glad to hear that you think so highly of me.



It's like you don't want to talk about it. I don't mind. I'll do the talking, and you can open it up if you want to interrupt.
"......
Your talent as a bastard is your ability to concentrate and all that, right? Morari may have spatial awareness or something like that, but from the looks of it, there's still a lot of nasty people in your group.

　Personally, the most troubling thing is Ritual's powers of observation. Being able to see the extent of your opponent is a strong weapon in your arsenal of tricks. It's almost like he understands "me". His experience as a famous adventurer and guildmaster combined to make him quite capable. To be honest, I think it was quite a mistake to meet him.

I think Ritual is the most active in determining if someone is a bastard or not. Rahite is ...... well, he seems to fit the bill as an interloper. By the way, have you ever heard of the ...... Nektohar demon tribe?
".......

　He doesn't reply, but you can tell a lot from his response. There's a difference between a response to someone you know and a response to someone you don't know. You can delve into it like Rahite did before, but what you need to do now is to understand this Jastet. I'll wait a little longer to initiate.

You don't want to respond. How about a simple question? Was it Morari who attacked you from behind when you caught me before?
"It was ...... Lahite.

　Oh, you're the first to open up. Well, I see. So that's what you are, and it looks like I was right.

"I see. I'll have to thank you next time I see you. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's had it. ......
......
In the event that you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you don't have any, it will probably be vegetable soup, but would you like some meat in it like Morari?
...... Do what you want.

　Jastet did not express any wishes, and only answered the question once. He did not respond to any of the other questions. I walked out of the cell and stretched.

"Well, so much for the first day.
Shishou, what do you know from a conversation like that?
Oh, Morari and Jastet are loyal to Lytal personally. Morari seems to be devoted to Ritual, but Yastet seems to be conscious of Morari. I guess it's more of a camaraderie than a love affair.
"Oh.
You know, .......
"When I asked Morari who attacked me, he said Jastet. Maybe that's the right answer, but Jastet said Rahite. This is a lie that it was not him, and a statement of care to avoid being pointed at Morari. Also, when Morari said that he wanted meat for his meal, he replied, "As you wish. He must have felt a little unsettled when he found out that Morari had had a conversation with him. Also, Jastet doesn't seem to like meat very much.
I don't mean to sound cynical, but ......
It's not just the voice you should observe. The trick is to find out how it reacts to the words you say, to find out which parts of it undergo such minor changes.

　Jastet is trying not to react, but his ears can hear. Once the brain understands the meaning of a word, the body reacts. After mentioning Morari's name, Jastet focused more on making sure he didn't miss a word. All that was left was to perform the necessary steps to understand.

From Wolfe's point of view, I didn't notice any difference!
"I see. Well then, try focusing on the intervals between breaths with Jastet, and the intervals between blinks with Morali. There's a subtle shift in the way you react.
"...... You're watching all that?
"You can't stop breathing or blinking. You can't stop breathing or blinking. If your body becomes conscious of not reacting, the reaction will be such physiological phenomena. If I wanted, I could check the heart rate - the interval between heartbeats. Maybe I'll bring in an Exoik one of these days.

　With an Exoik, you could measure the pulse of the other person through the chain. Well, I don't think I'll need to do that this time, so I'll figure it out.

"Shishou, you're calmer than usual this time, aren't you?
"Hmm, yeah. Rahite tried to kill me, but those two are just like servants. I'm going to be polite to a certain extent.
You're not going to be a cold sissy, are you?

　Cold, huh? I think "I" am "I" and have humanity. You can't help but see it that way in the eyes of a third party. That said, you're right, Wolfe, you do have a good sense of humor. That's usually where I come in.

The other side's tired from the Scarlet Witch and all that. I'll switch over when I really need to.
Wolfe loves both of you!
That's great. I'm going to act as me for the time being. This one's still easy to imitate, so keep an eye on it.
Yes! I probably won't be able to imitate you, though!


"I wouldn't want you to imitate me too much. ......
I'm glad you're both so honest.

　After that, I met up with Ecdysium and Purple to get a report on the situation around Quama. At the moment, Raheit and his men don't seem to be making any moves to get Morari and the others back. Aside from Jastet, who specializes in combat, they must want to get back Morari, who can use transference magic. However, it will be difficult to hide while the key Morari is in our hands.

How is the interrogation of the two bastards going?
We've had enough contact to understand. We just need to narrow it down. How's Duvraeus?
My magic is fully replenished. He's ready to fight as soon as his magic and wounds are healed.
I don't need to fight. I'm just waiting for Nora to heal.
If I could, as a maiden, I would give you more time.
Well, there's no need to rush her. It's a good experience for Nora to heal a demon.
It's a good experience for Nora.

　So until then, I'll be the one to help Jastet and the others understand. I've been worried about you because of what you did on your own. Let's make a smart decision to solve that problem.