It Seems That the Demon King Is Among the Members of the Hero’s Party

19. A Peaceful Moment

Ekurea is a reincarnator

I never noticed until now. I’m disgusted with my own dullness. I should have confirmed it earlier.

If she’s a reincarnator, then I can understand why she did what she did when we traveled… Wait, no. That’s just a normal crime. If she’s a reincarnator, what kind of moral values did she have in her previous world? I want to retort.

From our conversation earlier, I realized that there are questions she can answer and ones she can’t.

God and reincarnators, and the fundamental reason she can’t speak. It seems like God is involved.

I should ask Mirabel about this when I meet her next. Maybe she’s connected to it.

Even if I ask Ekurea herself, considering our conversation earlier, it might be pointless. She probably won’t be able to answer.

“Thanks for answering my difficult question.”

“…………”

Ekurea smiles. She finally smiles today. She was depressed until just now, so this is better.

Let’s move forward with our original goal for now.

“Do you remember Berieru?”

「…………」

I nodded after tilting my head once. Did I feel doubtful because I suddenly heard about Veriel?

Yet, I nodded, so she must also remember.

“I talked to Noel at the church. If Noel’s information is correct, we can find out where Klovikas is.”

「…………！」

Is she surprised? No, she’s furrowing her eyebrows, and her face looks a bit stern. She probably doesn’t have good feelings towards Klovikas either.

Among those who have been involved with Veriel, I’m second only to her. Ekurea can’t speak, so Veriel would one-sidedly talk about her family…

“If everything goes as planned, we’ll leave town in 5 days. Noel will organize the information, and we’ll gather at the church the day before to decide our strategy.”

「…………？」

Ekurea nods. It seems she has no objections.

“I’ll prepare everything for the trip. Ekurea, make sure to get plenty of rest and prepare yourself for the 5th.”

「…………？」

Ekurea nods. It looks like everything will be fine. My throat is a bit dry. I take a sip of the fruit juice the shopkeeper brought me. It’s delicious, similar to pineapple juice?

Ekurea is also drinking juice, looking like she’s enjoying it. It’s hard to believe she’s a reincarnator.

I don’t know, but I’ve learned a lot of things over the past few days. There’s some painful information too.

For now, let’s enjoy this moment. We’ll leave town in 5 days. Once we reach our destination, we’ll have to fight Klovikas.

It won’t be an easy opponent. It’ll be a fierce battle. For now, I’ll take a break too. It would be great if days like this could continue forever…

After parting with Ekurea, I decided to head to Sasha’s place, the only one whose whereabouts I knew.

The other companions are honestly nowhere to be found during the day. They’ll return to the inn at night, so I can talk to them then. As for Sasha, she might drink all night and not return until morning, so I’ll head to the tavern directly.

On my way there…

“Dar!”

I called out to Dar, one of my companions, who was walking ahead. She reacted to my voice, looked back at me with a surprised expression, and quickly ran away.

It’s been like this for a while now. Does she dislike me?

No, I don’t think so. It would be a shock if Dar disliked me. I could chase after her, but it’s better to talk to her when she returns to the inn.

Worst-case scenario, I can convey my message through the door.

For now, I’ll head to the tavern. I’ll let Sasha know too.

“It’s quiet today.”

I walked down the alley and arrived at the tavern, which was different from the previous time – there was no noise.

Is it because they’re not competing in drinking? If so, that’s a relief.

As I entered the tavern, I saw a few people drinking at tables and the counter. It’s amazing how people can drink at noon.

It’s none of my business. I won’t say anything. I looked around the tavern but didn’t see Sasha’s face. The tavern owner was sitting at the counter. It’s better to ask him.

“Excuse me. Has our companion Sasha come here?”

“She’s drinking alone upstairs. It’s the same room as before.”

The tavern owner placed a cleaned wine glass on the table and pointed upstairs. It seems she’s drinking alone today.

That’s convenient.

“May I go up to the 2nd floor?”

“Please do.”

After getting permission, I climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor. If it’s the same room as before, it should be the room at the end of the 2nd floor. This is it.

“Sasha, are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. If you have something to say, come on in.”

As I called out in front of the door, Sasha’s response came back. I’ll go in without hesitation.

As I opened the door, the first thing that caught my eye was the empty bottles of liquor, 8, 9, or 11 of them. They’ve been drinking quite a lot.

Sasha was sitting in the same seat as last time, with her elbow on the table, waving at me. On the table, there were bottles of liquor and two cups, one of which was mine…

“How about one cup for now?”

“It’s an invitation from a woman, so I’ll take one cup.”

As I sat down and faced Sasha, I was immediately handed a cup of liquor, and I took a sip.

I’m not drunk, but Sasha seems to enjoy drinking. The aftertaste is good. Is it fruit wine? Not bad.

“This is good liquor.”

“Right! It’s a specialty of this town. I’ve been hooked on it lately.”

Sasha was drinking the liquor with gusto, exclaiming how delicious it was. That’s Sasha for you. If we were to have a drinking party in the Dwarf Kingdom, it would be a big deal.

“So, what’s the purpose of this? If it’s a conversation that’ll spoil the liquor, then let’s not have it.”

“I’m leaving this town in five days, and I need you to prepare for it.”

“I’m telling the others right now too.”

“Hmm, something happened, didn’t it?”

“I talked to Noel today. We found out where Clovis is. We want to settle the issue before it causes problems.”

“Ah, Clovis of the ‘One Wing’… That won’t be easy.”

“We can’t drink as much as we want, can we?”

“You’re always drinking on the road, aren’t you?”

“That’s not what I mean! We can’t bring too much liquor, and self-control is good for the body.”

“I think excessive drinking is bad too.”

It’s pointless to say that. She won’t listen, and she’ll just carry a lot of liquor anyway.

Even on the road, we often drink while walking. But we’ve never gotten drunk and affected our combat performance.

That’s why I can’t say anything strong. Even if I do, she won’t listen.

“Okay, got it. Five days from now.”

“We’ll gather at the church the day before, and Noel will organize the information to decide our plan.”

“Can we drink without worrying for just three days? If we can finish early on the fourth day, we can make time to drink.”

“I’d like you to hold back on the day before we leave, but…”

“No way.”

“I knew it. You’re not the type to go without drinking for a day, are you?”

It’s just a matter of how much you drink, not whether you do or not. But are you okay with the money? We divide the party’s funds equally and manage them individually…

That part is probably taken care of. Hmm? Sasha is looking at me with a mischievous grin.

“By the way… did you have a proper talk with Dall?”

“I was worried about that. The cowardly Kail managed to have a proper talk, but…”

“Honestly, I wanted to complain to Sasha about that, but it’s not the time.”

“You had a proper talk, so that’s good. I don’t want to hear the details, so don’t tell me.”

This guy is trying to escape!

“Dall is a half-royal, half-demon.”

“Why did you have to say that?! I was trying to pretend I didn’t know!”

“Your eyes are fixed on me, aren’t they? Then let’s do this together.”

“I understand, but I don’t want to know. I don’t want to take responsibility.”

“It’s a bit of a problem for me to handle alone. Fewer people knowing is better, but I need someone to rely on when something happens.”

“Piling it all on Kail alone is a bit too much.”

Sasha let out a sigh and poured herself a drink, downing it in one gulp. I’m the one who wants to sigh. This woman seems to be thinking of leaving everything to me and pretending she doesn’t know a thing.

I immediately told her, “Don’t leave it all to me. You’re in this together, Sasha.”

Besides, if something happens when I’m not around, it’ll be a problem.

She’s quick-witted and can provide support as a fellow woman. Sasha is the right person for the job.

No need to explain the situation, either.

To be honest, I can’t expect support from the others. Brave? He can’t even talk. Toru-san? He’s reliable in battle, but he’s basically a muscle-brain who thinks he can solve everything with a punch.

Noel? Forget about it. I know she has feelings for her friends, but that’s because she doesn’t know about Daru’s situation. If she finds out, I don’t know how she’ll react, so it’s better to avoid it.

Sasha held out her empty glass, as if telling me to pour her another drink.

I poured her a drink, and she smiled, seemingly satisfied, before taking a sip.

“I guess I have no choice but to cooperate, then. But in return, let’s hang out today.”

───In the end, it’s come to this.

I let out a sigh and took a drink. It’s still delicious, though.