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

8. Mr. Durandal’s Demon Tribe Lecture

───Realizing what I said, Dar’s face turned bright red as he rushed out of the room.

That’s basically what happened.

I’m not particularly dim-witted either.

Dar has feelings for me.

If I didn’t think about it and just accepted it, I’d be happy about those feelings.

She’s a beautiful girl, after all.

It would be a lie to say I didn’t feel anything when she smiled at me with a reddened face.

To be honest, it gets me going.

Men are simple creatures, and when they think someone has feelings for them, they can’t help but feel happy about it.

However, the content I heard was too heavy.

It’s a massive stomachache-inducing seed.

“It’s only natural that I don’t know her name. The country had been keeping it a secret, after all.”

“Being a half-human, half-demon is a major issue, Master.”

I thought it was a secret between the two of us, but there was another person listening in – the sword (thing) that was with us.

Dar doesn’t know that Durandal can talk or has a self, so it can’t be helped.

But it’s not like it’s a secret between just the two of us, anyway.

“Durandal, what do you think the risk would be if Dar’s true identity is exposed?”

“Well, the neighboring country, ‘Cremaltas’, would definitely make a fuss, I think.

After all, their queen was killed by a demon, so their hatred towards demons is extremely strong.”

“Cremaltas, huh?”

Demons were like fairy tale creatures until a few years ago. There were many demons like Beliel and Dar’s mother who had been hiding in plain sight among humans.

About five years ago, the demon king revived, and since then, the demons who had been doubted to exist began to move.

Demons (those guys) sometimes act boldly, sometimes cautiously, and above all, cunningly, bringing harm to humans.

In just a few years, the harm caused by demons has left deep scars on people’s hearts.

That’s why the expectations for our brave party (us) are high.

“The demon who killed Cremaltas’ queen was a long-serving lady-in-waiting, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, she had served the king since he was a child, and the king trusted her deeply.

She was also in charge of taking care of the princess, so it’s easy to see why the king trusted her.”

“To be betrayed by a trusted lady-in-waiting who killed the queen… it’s unbearable.”

I had stayed in Cremaltas when I was a freelance mercenary.

Although I was just a moderately famous mercenary, I didn’t have the opportunity to meet the king, but I could sense that the king and queen were beloved by the people.

So, the hatred towards the demon who killed the queen is immense, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the entire country hates demons.

“It would be bad if Cremaltas finds out.”

“Yes, it would be bad. After all, she’s a demon, even if she’s a half-breed.”

They don’t know about this situation, and to them, she’s nothing but an enemy to be despised.

I think they’ll want to kill her. In the worst-case scenario, it’s possible that a war will break out between Arcadia and us over her.

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

If that’s possible, it’s even more crucial that we can’t let them know. Not just the Kremlatas, but the demon tribe as well.

The worst-case scenario is if the demon tribe finds out. They’ll manipulate humans into killing each other if they learn about Daru’s secret.

“And we should also be cautious of the ‘Telmah’ ruled by the Elf.”

“They treat the demon tribe as impure beings, after all.”

“Then it’s the priests, I suppose…”

Most priests serving the church are Elves.

Not only are they a devout species, but they also have a condition for becoming a priest: they must have the ‘Holy’ attribute.

There is an exception to this rule, but in that case, they need to take a test to prove their faith in God.

Let’s set that aside for now, but the reason there are many Elf priests is that their species is more likely to produce Holy attribute users.

It’s said that about 90% of Elves are Holy attribute users.

Therefore, they claim to be a chosen species by God, which is quite arrogant.

They often make discriminatory remarks and look down on those who can’t use Holy attributes.

They especially despise the demon tribe, who wield darkness, the opposite of light, and consider them to be impure beings that shouldn’t exist in this world.

They’ll undoubtedly not tolerate the existence of Half-Elves and will try to kill them.

If things go badly, they might even hold a heresy trial and publicly execute them.

“I think Noel-san will be okay, but we should be cautious around other priests.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on them.”

We also have an Elf priest among our companions, but she should be fine.

Although she dislikes humans, she seems to have feelings for her fellow travelers.

Still, if the church gives an order, we don’t know what might happen, so it’s better to be cautious.

“It was good that we didn’t get caught using magic by that Tsundere Elf.”

“Where did you learn that word, ‘Tsundere’?”

“I learned it from my previous master!”

───Takashi!

As Durandal said, it was fortunate that we didn’t get caught using magic by Noel.

At that time, she was resting at the inn with a cold, so it’s the opposite: if Noel had been there, Daru might not have needed to use magic.

In that battle, it was clear that we were one person short.

“It was only Master and Sasha-san who saw Daru use magic clearly.”

“I regret seeing it now.”

“Let’s just give up!”

I still remember that battle vividly.

It was a fight that made me realize the importance of a healer.

Toru, who fought alongside me on the front lines, protected the hero from enemy attacks and got knocked out, and if Daru hadn’t used magic, Sasha would have definitely died.

Thanks to Daru’s magic, the enemy was intimidated, and the hero’s holy sword was able to reach them.

It’s a painful memory.

“Well, Master, I’ve listed a few things, but basically, there are few people who show friendly reactions towards Half-Elves.”

“Yeah, that’s probably how it’ll turn out.”

“Yes, there aren’t many demonic tribes like Beliel, but they’re overwhelmingly in the minority.

Moreover, the harm caused by the majority of demonic tribes is too great, so it’s become common knowledge that demonic tribes are the enemies of the world.”

I need to tell Dar not to use any ‘dark’ attribute magic from now on.

Fortunately, if he doesn’t use magic, the risk of being discovered as a demonic tribe is significantly reduced.

As a half-human, half-demonic tribe, Dar doesn’t have the typical demonic tribe characteristics like a tail or wings.

If Dar’s true identity is revealed through means other than magic, it would be when a priest uses the ‘Judgment’ magic.

───Demonic tribes disguise themselves as humans and blend in with human society.

It’s extremely difficult to identify a demonic tribe that has blended in with humans.

We can’t afford to mistakenly harm an innocent human who isn’t a demonic tribe. The priests’ magic is one of the few methods that can be used to identify them.

The ‘Judgment’ magic, which can only be used by those who have dedicated their lives to the gods, is said to burn away evil emotions and malicious intentions with its sacred light. The Elves boast that it’s guaranteed to work on demonic tribes.

In reality, many demonic tribes have been discovered and eliminated using the ‘Judgment’ magic, so it’s not like it’s a mistake.

“The demonic tribes are a common enemy, aren’t they, Durandal?

Why do demonic tribes attack other races like us?”

“That’s because demonic tribes were once oppressed by humans and Elves.”

Hmm?

“It’s said that humans and Elves treated demonic tribes as slaves, exploiting them for the sake of national development and prosperity.”

Ah, I see. That makes sense.

“They were treated unfairly, their dignity trampled, and they endured the suffering. Then, a leader known as the Demon King appeared, and they rebelled against humans and Elves. That’s how it started, I think.”

───It’s not like humans and Elves are innocent, either.