Heroes and Machine Girls Looking at Profiles

36 – Demon Lion

A red-haired woman lying asleep before my eyes.

She was honestly surprised.

No, it was partly because her partner was a young and beautiful woman, but more than that, it was her condition.

What can I say, when she first heard about it, she assumed that she had collapsed from malnutrition or that she was seriously ill of something.

However, after meeting her like this, her state was not that ordinary.

She is not sick, much less malnourished. The condition of her body itself was surprisingly healthy.

If her regular doctor had seen her, he would have been unable to determine her cause.

It wasn’t her doctor who was supposed to see her.

Shouldn’t she have been shown to a mage rather than a doctor?

This was the first time I had seen someone who could not feel even an ounce of ether… Or magic power, within her body.

Even if a person cannot use magic or magic at all, there cannot be a person who does not have magical power in their body.

Even naked warriors who have no connection to magic have at least some magical power in their bodies.

During the warrior party, Alessa once said something.

Magic power is like life force, so if a mage consumes too much magic power, he or she may die.

In other words, this person has absolutely no life force in his body.

But surprisingly, she was still alive.

Even though her body had absolutely no magical power… Life force, she could feel the pulse in her body.

“What on earth happened…?”

I was so embarrassed that I muttered a single word and Rudy looked up at me with an anxious expression.

“Um…Hey…Mom, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Ah…Yeah, it doesn’t seem to be life-threatening…”

I knew the cause, but I couldn’t figure out how to treat the problem.

It is a famous story that when one’s magic power runs out, one’s life is in danger.

However, there is no known cure at all, because when the magic power runs out, it cannot last long and dies within a few minutes, so there is no room for a cure to be developed.

In that case, you may be wondering if it would be possible to supply magical power, but that is not easy either.

The wavelength of magic power is different for each person, so if magic power of a different wavelength enters the body, it will repel the body.

Usually, after consuming magical power, it is normal to rest and recover naturally so that the consumed magical power can recover on its own.

If the floor falls like this without a trace, it is impossible because there is no magic power for natural recovery.

If I had known this would happen, I would have studied magic.

…No, I only learned the basics about magical power, so I never used it in the first place until I ran out of magic power.

How on earth did this person end up in this state?

Rudy says he suddenly collapsed one day. Can a normal person become like this?

“…Rudy, do you have a free room?”

“Yes, there are more than enough empty rooms. What’s going on?”

I don’t think it’s a problem that can be resolved in one day.

In order to at least make her feel no discomfort in that body, she tidied up the bed she was lying on with Rudy and left her room.

Then, there was Rossweisse, who was being tormented by six young girls.

“Lord…I am the owner~”

When Rossweisse noticed my arrival, he looked at me with a half-crying face.

I could feel the fatigue on her face.

“Uh…Is…Are you okay?”

“I… I’m not okay at all. I’ve never taken care of a child before.”

While Ross Weisse was speaking, the child who was clinging to Ross Weisse pulled her cheek and her words were interrupted.

Her expression became completely tearful.

When Rudy came running and comforted the children and pulled them away, Rossweisse, who had finally been freed from the children, ran and clung to me.

“Ugh, it’s hard to deal with young children…”

“Have you ever dealt with one before?”

“Ah…Yes, it’s vague, but…I have memories of taking care of children a long time ago.”

Ross Weisse stared into space as if recalling a distant memory.

“Since we were made to specialize in combat… We were really bad at things like raising children. Not only Zikrune but also Ortrinde would get into a tearful mood when the kids bothered her.”

…Gikrune aside, Ortrindera was in tears.

Something doesn’t work?

Even more so when I think of that face that is almost always expressionless and unfazed no matter what happens.

“Ah, but Gerhilde liked her kids.”

“Gerhilde?”

“Gerhilde is the second oldest sister among our nine sisters. Unlike us, who were made entirely for combat, Gerhilde was made for support.”

“Aha”

“Ah… That doesn’t mean Gerhilde can’t fight, but she can take on at least two or three ordinary warriors on her own, right?”

Indeed, the purpose was different in the first place.

If you think about it, the three people I met so far all had different areas of expertise.

Ortrinde specializes in defensive warfare, Rossweisse specializes in magic warfare, and Zikrune specializes in group warfare.

And even her second daughter, Ger Hilde, who is said to specialize in support.

“So, is your business finished?”

“No, I think I need to check the condition a little more.”

“Ugh… I’m going to go to the gym, but will you be okay?”

Rosweisse is worried about Ortrinde, who has already entered the Republic and is waiting for us.

Her

Like her sister, she seemed to care about her.

“Wouldn’t it be okay if it were Ortrinde? Who could touch Ortrinde?”

“No, that’s true, but… We need to supply ether, so I was wondering what to do about it.”

Ether supply.

Now that I think about it, I remembered that the day before she and Ortrinde separated and moved on, Ortrinde had kissed her to supply her ether.

Rosweisse also often asked for lips, saying that he was lacking ether.

Looking at that, it seems like there is a need to replenish ether frequently.

“Well, if you don’t overdo it, you’ll be fine without supplies for several months.”

“…Didn’t you ask me for ether almost every day?”

“Gasp”

…I guess there was no need to replenish it often.

News of the fall of the city of Ordis.

The news was delivered to the imperial capital by a messenger who had somehow escaped the battlefield, and the nobles were immediately summoned within the imperial palace.

Many defense forces were dispatched, defense facilities were expanded, and castle walls were strengthened.

Unlike Harbilitz, despite thorough preparations in advance and a defensive battle, Ordis eventually fell.

“Well… The number of demon armies we fought was three thousand… More than three times the originally known number.”

“……”

“……”

Hearing the words of the messenger, who was already in a state of complete disrepair, the throne room was engulfed in silence.

The demons who were thought to be nothing more than a thousand remnants at most.

But as the number tripled in an instant, the severity of the situation grew even more serious.

It is no longer at the level of remnants.

The army of three thousand demons and monsters is almost enough to easily surpass the entire army of a small or medium-sized country.

And, voices of criticism were exchanged on the spot.

“What happened?! Aren’t the number of enemies even greater than originally known?!”

“What did the reconnaissance unit do?!”

“That’s what the reconnaissance unit said they didn’t understand.”

“From Harbilitz to Ordis… We even lost many soldiers. What should we do about this situation…”

And the target of those voices of criticism soon moved elsewhere.

“Your Highness! I think we should also consider dispatching our wives!”

“It’s already past time to say it’s premature! If this continues, we’ll lose even more territory!”

“Your Majesty! Please think about it!!”

“We can’t have other territories taken over like this!”

In response to the nobles’ demands, the crown prince held his head.

Now, only Princess Anies was standing next to the crown prince with a white face.

Saint Ciella Frost was unable to attend due to illness, and mage Alessa Latley collapsed from fatigue.

With the two people missing, the nobles’ attention was focused on Anies.

No Es stood there, desperately trying to stop her legs from shaking.

“Umm…”

The crown prince closed his eyes tightly.

When the situation got to this point, he could no longer protect them.

The moment the crown prince was about to make a decision, someone knocked on the throne room door.

“Your Majesty!! Your Majesty!!!”

With that voice, the door to the throne room opened, and a soldier came in.

A soldier wearing the armor of the Imperial Guard rushed into the throne room and knelt down.

He was panting, and it seemed like he was running in a hurry.

“Demon… It’s a demon! A demon has appeared!!”

“What?!”

The crown prince jumps up in surprise at the soldier’s words.

The soldier raised his head and spoke to the crown prince.

“The demon… The demon said he came as a messenger… That’s why he’s asking for permission to enter.”

At those words, the expressions of the nobles changed here and there.

From a scared and white expression, to a puzzled expression not understanding the situation, to a serious face thinking carefully.

In the meantime, there was a nobleman who came to his senses first.

He was Count Railof.

“Your Highness, wouldn’t it be a good idea to listen to the story?”

“B…But…”

“The demon called himself a lion. That means they are not just remnants.”

After hearing the story, I had to ask for at least a little bit of information.

It was said to that effect, but the crown prince had a slightly negative expression.

“But…Won’t it be dangerous?”

“Why are you worried? The ‘Hero Princess’ is by your side.”

Hero Princess, Anyes.

She was known to be able to easily deal with at least one of her demons on her own.

That’s why Count Railof also believes in her skills.

“No, but…”

“Even if it’s dangerous, we’re not in danger and His Highness the Crown Prince under Anies’ protection will be fine. I think it would be good to hear the story.”

However, Prince Freud, who knew Anies’s skills, could not hide his anxiety.

However, she cannot reveal her true skills to everyone.

In the end, Prince Freud took a gamble.

I hope the other person is truly an ordinary lion who has no intention of causing harm.

And a few minutes after the crown prince’s permission was given, a demonic woman entered the throne room.

A beautiful female demon with white hair and horns on her head as if to indicate that she is a demon.

As she entered the throne room, her entire throne room fell into a tense silence.

As if to break the silence, the polite demon opened his mouth.

“Nice to meet you. Everyone from the Halfas Empire, and Your Highness the Crown Prince. And…”

The demon’s eyes were focused on Princess Anies who was next to the crown prince.

She was trembling, her mouth gaping, her face white.

“Uh…Why…? Why…”

“The princess over there…It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“Anies? Why are you doing this?”

Seeing Princess Anies shaking, Prince Freud could not understand the situation.

No matter how strong the demon was, Anies was shaking excessively.

Who on earth is the demon in front of her eyes that makes Princess Anies tremble so much?

The question was resolved immediately.

“I am Frey, the messenger of the ‘Demon Lord’.”

“Four…Four Heavenly Kings…Fray of the White…Why are you alive?!”

Princess Aes’ frightened cries filled her throne room.