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

2. Suspect NO. 1: Brave Ekler

“You’re looking more troubled than ever, Master. Are you okay?”

As I open the window and bask in the morning sun, a concerned voice speaks to me. It’s not human. The sword on the desk is talking.

“I’m fine. I just have some worries on my mind. I’ll think about it later.”

“Don’t keep it to yourself, Master. I’m with you.”

“Thanks, Durandal.”

The talking sword is my partner, the demonic sword Durandal. I found it stuck in an ancient ruin when I was a free mercenary, and it has been my weapon ever since.

At first, it didn’t talk, and I used it as a reliable sword. But one day, it suddenly started talking, and I was shocked.

According to Durandal, it was sleeping, but it woke up after feeding on my magical power.

Now, when I’m alone, Durandal often talks to me. It says it wants to chat with me more when we’re alone, without others around.

“Master, today is a rest day, what do you plan to do?”

“Well, I think I’ll take a stroll around town later. There’s no point staying in the room all day.”

“I’m here, so we can chat!”

“You’re always by my side, so we can talk anytime.”

“That’s true, but…”

Durandal’s voice sounds slightly dissatisfied.

“We don’t know the location of the Demon King’s castle, and we need to gather information, so we’ll take it easy in this town for a while.

I can make time to chat with Durandal whenever I want.”

“I promise! Make sure to set aside time to chat with me!”

“I understand. Yeah, let’s take it easy tonight too.”

“Yes, Master!”

I sense a joyful tone in Durandal’s voice.

After chatting with Durandal for a while, I left the room in the inn where we’re currently staying.

It’s unlikely that monsters will attack us in town, but it’s possible that demons are disguising themselves as humans. Since there have been cases of demons infiltrating in the past, Durandal is always by my side, ready for battle.

Currently, our Brave Party is resting in the town of Mannaka, located at the center of the continent. On the first day, everyone was relaxing in the inn, but as the days passed, people started to go their separate ways, and when I woke up, no one was left in the inn.

Our goal is to gather information, but it seems like everyone is doing their own thing. I’m sure they’re all acting according to their own desires.

As the Brave Party, the information we desire most is the location of the Demon King’s castle, where the demons are based. It’s difficult to find their stronghold, and our second priority is to gather information about the Four Heavenly Kings, the Demon King’s direct subordinates.

The Four Heavenly Kings are a mysterious group of demons, with five members. According to legend, each of them possesses extraordinary power and has wreaked havoc on humanity. The story goes that they were sealed away by the heroes, bringing peace to the world, but with the Demon King’s revival, their activities have resumed, and it’s no longer just a fairy tale.

We want to find and defeat the Four Heavenly Kings before they cause significant damage.

Anyway, back to our search for the Demon King’s castle. To be honest, I don’t need to find it. The reason we’re searching for it is that the Demon King is there. My companions are searching for it to defeat the Demon King, but I already know where the Demon King is.

It’s a sad truth, but the fact remains that one of our Brave Party members is the Demon King. Instead of searching for the Demon King’s castle, I need to find evidence to prove who among us is the Demon King.

It’s painful to suspect my companions, but I have to accept it. Otherwise, my stomach won’t be able to take it.

“Ah, is that Ekler over there?”

I saw a woman sitting by the fountain in the center of the town, her black hair blowing in the wind. She wasn’t wearing her usual armor, but a white one-piece dress instead.

This was none other than Ekurea, the leader of the Brave Party.

“Ekurea, good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“………….” *nods*

“That’s good. You were with Tora-san until late last night, weren’t you?”

“…………” *nods again*

“I’ll tell Tora-san too. Ekurea, you should firmly refuse when you don’t want to do something.”

“…………” *nods once more*.

As you can see, she’s not very talkative. She’d nod or shake her head to show her intentions, but she never speaks. We’ve been traveling together for about three years, but I’ve never heard her voice.

Considering she’s a suspect, being the Brave Party leader and all, it’s not like I can just let her off the hook. The problem is, she hardly talks, so I have to read her actions instead.

If I think about it from the perspective of finding evidence, it might be faster to investigate her past misdeeds. Unfortunately, most of our party members have a criminal record, and it’s not surprising if one of them turns out to be the demon king.

She committed a crime, and it happened right after we set out on our journey. As the leader, she took the lead, and we followed her through the streets. Suddenly, she opened the door to a stranger’s house and walked in.

“Who are you?”

Ignoring the homeowner’s confused voice, she proceeded to rummage through the house, taking money from the dresser and putting it in her bag.

It was a brazen crime, committed in broad daylight with the homeowner right in front of her. I was shocked, and before I knew it, the homeowner was yelling at her, trying to grab her, and the guards arrived, arresting her for theft and assault.

Her expression was particularly striking, as if she was thinking, “What did I do wrong?” It’s common sense that taking something that doesn’t belong to you is stealing, but who would have thought the Brave Party leader would commit such a crime?

I calmed down the commotion and headed to the guards’ station. In the end, we managed to bail her out by paying the fine and compensation. The guards’ faces were unforgettable when they learned we were the Brave Party.

Did I just help her get away with it? It feels like she’s grown attached to me. Even when we’re walking or taking a break in town, she’s often nearby.

Because she’s quiet, it’s just her being by my side, but…

That’s the extent of her misdeeds. After that, she didn’t do anything strange. She’s mostly done good deeds, and it’s hard to tell what she’s thinking because she doesn’t talk.

As a suspect, she’s still far from being the demon king.

Is it because I have a familiarity with her black hair and eyes from my past life? No, I should set that aside and make a fair judgment.

“I’m going to go, but what about Ekurea?”

“…………”

“I don’t know what to do since you’re not saying anything.”

I’m looking for Saasha, but will Ekurea come too?”

“…………” *nods again*.

“Alright! Ekurea, you can take your time and rest too.”

“…………” *nods once more*.

I watched her nod and then left the scene, heading towards the tavern. I’m certain Saasha, the mage, is there.

With conviction, I walked on.

───By the way, I remember the first thing Ekurea did as a Brave Party leader, and it was just like something out of a national RPG. I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought.

Is it possible that we’re from the same hometown?

“No, that’s impossible.”