MTLNOVEL Ch. 97
Chapter 97
Rifiris was kidnapped.
They searched for clues about the kidnapper with the people in Grimoire, but unfortunately, they found nothing. It seemed that only Rifiris had been secretly taken and then the culprit left.
"What should I do? I can't find Rifiris..."
Yuurai slumped her shoulders in the living room of the house where they usually lived.
Claire, Lipia, Gilka, Ragvela, Jeevy, and Fia, who had helped search for clues, were also gathered in the living room for the time being, and except for Fia, they all looked gloomy.
"Isn't it strange for the Demon King and the Hero to be living together anyway? So even if she's gone, isn't it fine?"
Fia said such a thing casually.
"Sure, the situation is strange. But when Rifiris is somewhere else, she feels constrained by all sorts of ties. She's still a small child, so I want her to live freely here."
"As a result, she may gain power surpassing the Demon King and possibly turn against her. Honestly, I think it would be better to kill her early on."
"There might be a chance she comes to kill me someday. But with Rifiris, I think we can avoid that kind of situation. I have no intention of killing her."
"......I've thought this for a while, but you really trust that young Hero quite a bit, don't you, Demon King? You never know how a child of that age will change."
"Well, yeah."
(If she were really just a five-year-old, I'd probably think she was unstable and dangerous. But inside, she's around seventeen, so she's not as unstable as a five-year-old.)
That's what Yuurai thought, but she refrained from explaining.
"......Just because I don't know how she'll change doesn't mean I should kill her now. If she comes to kill me, I'll just fight back then."
"I see. ......Hmph. A scenario where the Hero gains power and defies the Demon King, leading to a deadly battle that destroys the world—it's not a bad story. I shall also devote myself to raising the Hero!"
"Don't imagine weird futures like that."
Yuurai was reminded of Emma by Fia's unwavering mindset. Though their beliefs and what they trust in differ, their stubbornness was similar.
"By the way, Demon King."
"What?"
"It's just a guess, but I think the Cult Leader might know where the Hero is."
"......Huh? Why?"
Yuurai was surprised that the topic of the Cult Leader came up here.
"The Demon King Cult has countless followers all over the world. It's possible that one of them was involved in the Hero's kidnapping. Even if not, some followers might specialize in tracking people. With the Cult Leader's help, I think we can find the Hero even without any clues."
"......There's hope, but I really don't want to rely on that Cult Leader."
Yuurai was reluctant to depend on the shady Cult Leader Elquid. Claire and the others also made sour faces.
(On the surface, they're trying to cooperate with me. It's not like we're fighting together, and if it's just helping to find someone, maybe it's fine...?)
Come to think of it, isn't it possible that the Cult Leader is the one pulling the strings behind this kidnapping? That suspicion even crossed her mind.
"Hmm, Rifiris might be in danger, so I guess we should use whatever we can. ......Ah, right. Hey, Lipia. Is there anyone in your village who might be good at finding people?"
"There's no one with that kind of special ability..."
"I see. Well, if there were, you'd have told me already. Just in case, let's also ask the leaders of Yusef and Rugimano. If that doesn't work, we'll have to rely on the Cult Leader."
After that, Yuurai checked with the leaders of the two towns to see if there was anyone good at finding people.
Unfortunately, it seemed there was no one with such abilities in the towns.
Among the Adventurer Guild affiliates, there were some skilled at tracking people. However, they couldn't be made to cooperate for the Demon King's sake.
In the end, the only one they could rely on in the current situation was the Cult Leader Elquid.
Reluctantly, Yuurai made a request through Fia for Elquid to search for the Hero.
Elquid readily accepted the request, and just an hour after it was made, they had already identified both the kidnapper and Rifiris' location.
The one who kidnapped Rifiris was someone from the underworld named Neil. The employer was the second prince of the Nogia Empire, located west of the Rivalt Kingdom.
Neil and Rifiris were currently heading toward the Nogia Empire. Their destination was unknown, and they were riding on the back of a bird-type Monster, moving at high speed. They had a rough idea of the location, but not the exact current position, and couldn't track them in real time. If they chased now, it might end up being a wasted effort unless the other side reached their destination first.
Yuurai was delighted to have found a lead to search for Rifiris. She was also anxious that relying on Elquid might cause trouble later, but figured she'd deal with it when the time came.
"Even if we don't know Rifiris' current location, let's at least start heading west."
That's what Yuurai decided, and after quickly getting ready, she began the journey.
* * *
(I realized I'd been kidnapped, but I'm not in mortal danger, right? If they intended to kill me, they would've done it already.)
Rifiris, riding on the back of a giant blue bird, tried to calm her anxious heart.
The one who kidnapped Rifiris was someone dressed entirely in black. From the soft feel when touched, it seemed to be a woman, but even the eyes were hidden by a thin cloth, so it wasn't clear.
"Hey, why did you kidnap me? Am I going to be killed?"
Rifiris spoke to the person in black. The giant blue bird was equipped with a saddle, and the two of them sat front and back on it.
Around Rifiris' arms were magic-sealing shackles. They didn't completely seal her magic, but they reacted to magic and caused such intense pain that it could lead to fainting, effectively sealing her magic.
"......I cannot give you details. But rest assured, you will not be killed."
The voice was that of a woman. Rifiris also sensed that she truly had no intention to kill and didn't seem like someone from a criminal organization.
"Well, if you intended to kill me, you'd have done it before kidnapping me. So, who are you, and where are we going?"
"Call me Neil. You'll understand the destination soon enough."
"......Your profession—is it something like an assassin?"
"Something like that."
"I see... So you do killings too, but this time it's just a kidnapping?"
"Something like that."
(Neil herself doesn't seem dangerous. But I don't know what will happen where we're going. That doesn't mean there's no danger. I really don't want another ritual to summon an Angel by offering a sacrifice...)
Yuurai, you're searching for me, right? Please find me soon...
Rifiris understood Yuurai's strength. However, when it came to finding people, she probably wasn't that skilled. She would surely find her someday, but when that would be was uncertain.
It might take months to find her, and during that time, there was a high chance Rifiris would suffer.
"......Hey, Neil. Just a word of advice, but you should stop with this kidnapping stuff. I'm friends with Yuurai, the Demon King, so doing this is like making an enemy of the Demon King. She's super strong, and if she wanted to, she could destroy a whole town... no, even a whole country. If you let me return to Grimoire now, I think she'll let you off with just a light punishment."
"That's not possible. I must carry out this job."
"But I'm sure something bad will happen."
"That might be true."
"Even knowing that, you're still going to kidnap me?"
"Yes, I am."
"That's weird. I don't get it."
"I suppose so."
Rifiris tilted her head, unable to understand Neil's intentions.
"Still, you're quite mature for your age. Does being a Hero accelerate growth?"
"......Maybe so."
She didn't say that her actual mental age was seventeen.
Sometimes people questioned her age, but she never tried to act childishly. A seventeen-year-old pretending to be childlike would come off as unnatural and suspicious. It was easier to let people think she was just mature for her age. After all, Heroes are special.
"......Still, it's strange that a Hero like you and the Demon King were living peacefully in the same town."
"Yeah. I don't know how things were with the old Hero and Demon King, but Yuurai and I are friends. We don't fight without reason."
"......I see. But not everyone is happy with that."
Neil let out a small sigh. Though she was the kidnapper, it didn't seem like she was doing it of her own will.
The conversation between Rifiris and Neil didn't get particularly lively.
The uncomfortable journey through the sky continued for a while.