On the second floor of the government palace.

 In the soundproofed communications room, the voice of a young girl echoed.

 “────Commander Jeanne?! Are, are you safe?”

 “Sorry to worry you, Min-dono.

 “N, no! It’s best if you’re safe……! All of Jeanne’s subordinates are also relieved to hear it now!”

 Commander Minstraum Schulten Biscetti.

 The western commander, nicknamed Min, was a girl younger than Kai. Her voice seemed to bounce happily a bit.

 But that was short-lived.

 “Jeanne-dono, I have a request……I’m sure you’re not in a trivial situation, but I need reinforcements for Western Schultz right away!”

 “Reinforcements……?”

 In front of the microphone in the communications room, Jeanne’s eyebrows wrinkled.

 They already had reinforcements. In Western Schultz, there should still be the Urza Humanity Rebellion Resistance unit that Jeanne brought.

 Balmung and his men were also sent as an allied force from the Southern Federation.

 “Commander Min? If I may confirm, you mean additional soldiers?”

 “Ye, yes────”

 From behind the girl’s voice, a beast-like yell came over the speakers in the communications room.

 “You’re connected to Jeanne!”

 “So noisy?!”

 “Is this stupid voice from the human called Balmung……!”

 Rinne and Reirin, who were in the corner of the room, hurriedly covered their ears with their hands. Balmung had the volume of voice that would make two people with excellent hearing scream.

 Yurun Humanity Rebellion Resistance, Commander Balmung

 “Ah, wa, wait──”

 “Are you all right, Jeanne-dono!”

 The man’s loud voice came through as soon as there was indication of the microphone being snatched from Commander Min.

 “Where are you now!”

 “……It’s going to sound like a lie, but the Urza Federation. The imperial capital.”

 “What did you say?!”

 “I got caught in the cryptid hero Rath=IE’s magic. The four of us, Kai, Rinne, Reirin, and I, were transferred. And now, Balmung-dono, please tell us more.”

 Jeanne brought her face closer to the microphone.

 As his captains, or his men, watched behind her with bated breath.

 “I’m talking about Min-dono, the reinforcements.”

 “……This base is being targeted. The three coalitions of Western Schultz, Northern Urza, and our Humanity Rebellion Resistance are holding them off, but the situation is unpredictable.”

 The man known as the Lion King ground his teeth out of irritation, and the sound echoed in the loudspeaker.

 “I’ll tell you briefly about what happened after Jeanne-dono disappeared.”

 “Please do. I was also very nervous about the situation. After we were transferred to Urza, Rath=IE must have remained there.”

 “That’s right. The beastman didn’t seem surprised that Jeanne had disappeared from in front of him. At that point, I could have guessed that it was his doing.”

 “……I’m sorry to ask this, but what was the final damage to the allied forces?”

 “It was nearly about to become extremely great.”

 “Extremely...”

 What do you mean?

 Kai and Jeanne unconsciously leaned forward toward the microphone, and Rinne and Reirin approached worriedly.

 “Rath=IE was in front of me. Behind me was a swarm of cryptids approaching with earth tremors as they got especially close. It was Jeanne-dono’s escort Farin and I who drew him away while the subordinates got into the cars. I ordered that, but things are in a difficult situation.”

 “……I remember it too.”

 At that time──

 They were on a run from a swarm of cryptids in the Western Federation. The hero of the cryptid tribe was waiting in ambush there.

 Surrounded from front to back, the situation was close to “checkmate.”

 “A monster bird Jis, two sub-dragons, and one dragon. Two unidentified floating bodies. Those are probably the larvae of Ouroboros.”

 “There's also a horde of basilisks coming from the horizon over there! There are more than twenty of them!”

 If they had not withdrawn in time, the allied forces would have been destroyed.

 It was no wonder that Balmung used the word “extremely” to describe it. But why did he take the trouble to correct it to “nearly?”

 “They were steel monsters.”

 “What?”

 “Just before we were crushed by the cryptids, they broke through the ground of the plain, and from there, huge steel monsters that looked like machines crawled up.”

 “…………Kai.”

 Jeanne’s voice was stifled.

 Kai nodded silently at the figure staring at him sideways.

 ……There was almost no doubt it was the steel machine species.

 ……I knew it wasn’t just that one.

 And the habitat was terrifyingly vast.

 It was not only to the north, but also to Western Schultz.

 “Balmung-dono, so you had those two races in front of you……?”

 “Yes. This was our greatest humiliation, but we were also lucky. The two races did not see us humans as a threat. They didn’t even look at us, instead they turned their backs on us and started their fierce clash.”

 A clash of monsters──

 On one hand, the cryptid race was considered the strongest in terms of individual strength.

 On the other hand, the “sixth” steel machine race was created through the world reincarnation.

 Even if it was just one of them, Kai and the others had a tough time, and the clash was fierce.

 ……Evenly matched? Which one would win couldn’t be imagined.

 ……The swarm of cryptids losing, or the group of steel machines losing.

 The fangs of the cryptids would not easily pierce the armor of the steel machines.

 However, it would be difficult for the bullets fired by the steel machines to break through the scales of the cryptids. The scene at the end of a clash between the two races couldn’t even be imagined.

 “Balmung-dono, the result was……”

 “I don’t know. Their clash created a storm of dust and sand, and I couldn’t see anything. I immediately gave the order to withdraw from the scene. And it’s a good thing we made it back to our home base safely, but something strange happened late last night.”

 It’s dawn now.

 It must have been just a few hours ago.

“This territory was being attacked at the same time by the cryptids and steel machine monsters.”

“……Both?! That means the two races have allied!”

 “No, that’s not it. I’m sorry if I misled you, but the cryptid tribe has been repeatedly attacking this base, and we’ve received reports that the other Human Special Zones were attacked by steel machine monsters.”

 “────”

 “The situation is serious. We have our hands full defending our home base here with all of our might. The operation to rescue the remaining people in the Human Special Zones scattered throughout the Schultz Federation has also been significantly delayed.”

 A brief period of silence.

 As everyone in the communications room stared, Jeanne cleared her throat.

 “Eight days.”

 Her voice sounded strangled.

 “It will be painful, but please endure for eight more days. We will rush in with as many vehicles as the Urza Humanity Rebellion Resistance has.”

 Loud noise.

 The commanders behind Jeanne stood up all at once, but Jeanne, the commander, did not move in the slightest.

 “……Jeanne-dono, I’m sorry to doubt your kindness, but is that really possible?”

 “I will plan it now.”

 “…………”

 “I’ll contact you tomorrow at the same time. We will have a meeting then.”

 “I understand.”

 The call hung up.

 In the communications room that became suddenly quiet, Jeanne let out a deep breath.

 “Commander Maxim.”

 “Yes!”

 A middle-aged mercenary shuffled his shoes and straightened his back.

 “You heard correctly. We have three days to prepare from today. We leave the imperial capital in four days. Moreover, it’s possible to travel to the Western Federation in four days, right?”

 “……Counterclockwise.”

 “Yes. There are many obstacles, but I have my own way of doing things.”

 The Knight of Holy Light tightened his mouth.

 Then he turned back to Kai, Rinne, and Reirin.

 “Leaving you three on standby would be undesirable. There will be an emergency meeting……Well, I’ll meet you in six hours in the garage behind the government palace building.”

 Rattle……

 Rattle rattle, pebbles roll down the road. This was a game of chasing after the rolling pebbles and kicking them to send them flying away.

 “Hey hey Kai, what’s counterclockwise?”

 Government palace, in the back──

 In the grounds where well-maintained military vehicles were lined up, Rinne, who had been kicking pebbles, turned around.

 “I don’t think it’s possible for me to fly to the cryptid territory even if I did it alone. I think it’s even more impossible with human cars.”

 “It’s impossible if we take the same route as before. That’s why we’re making a counterclockwise rotation.”

 “?”

 “Counterclockwise, I mean. We’ve been through the four federations in the order of Northern Urza, Eastern Io, Southern Yurun and Western Schultz.”

 Finding a pebble, Kai crouched down on the ground.

 With the tip of the stone, he drew a square world map and drew a large clockwise course.

 “But this time it’s different. We’re heading directly from Northern Urza to Western Schultz.”

 “Ah, I see!”

 “So we’re not going to Eastern Io……”

 It was Reirin who interrupted.

 She was lazily lying on the roof of the car.

 “I thought I could breathe the air of my hometown forest for the first time in a while……”

 The territory of the sidhes was to the east.

 Reirin’s hometown, the elf forest, would not be passed on the next route.

 “But Kai. Is the road safe?” 

 “It’s probably extremely dangerous.”

 “Hm?”

 “Northern Urza is still devil territory. Humans have only regained the imperial capital, and if they go out of it, the devils will naturally attack. The same thing happened in the Devil’s Graveyard, right?

 Except for the imperial capital, most humans still lived in the Human Special Zones.

 This was partly because they had been accustomed to living underground for decades, but also because it was extremely dangerous to walk on ground other than the imperial capital.

 “When you came to Eastern Io, how did you get past the demons?”

 “By negotiating with the devils. It was with the Succubus Princess.

 “Hmm……”

 “I’ll be honest with you now, but it would be convenient for the devils if the humans, sidhes, and holy ghosts waged war on and crushed each other.”

 “It’s just like the devils. That cunning behavior.”

 Reirin did a rising handspring from on top of the car.

 “That means, once again. This time she wants us to miss the route to the west.”

 “Ah, I don’t think we need to negotiate. Because Hinemarill had her mind set a long time ago.”

 Before the transfer to the imperial capital──

 Succubus Princess Hinemarill persistently asked about the cryptid tribe. Especially about the details of the fight with the hero Rath=IE.

 “The devils welcome the cryptids and we humans crushing each other. I think that Hinemarill person is telling the other demons that by now.

 “……Mmm. It’s convenient but also irritating. To the devils, we are good familiars, aren’t we?” (TL: “Mmm” as in the aggressive or irritated one)

 “We’ll also benefit. The sidhes want to defeat the cryptids, right?”

 “……Mm.”

 Reirin kept silent.

 Why did the elf shrine maiden follow Kai and his friends? It was for revenge.

 Alfreyja, the hero of the sidhes, was attacked by the rasterizer and disappeared. This was because the one who was controlling it was the cryptid’s Rath=IE.

 “……Then I agree with what you said.”

 With a hand to the back of her head, Reirin reluctantly sat down in place.

 The fight against the cryptids would result in helping the devils. It might not be completely convincing deep down.

 “Whatever. I’m a freeloader now. If that is your decision, I will follow it...Wait, Jeanne is not here yet? It’s almost noon.”

 Reirin pointed to the rising sun.

 Six hours later at noon, that was the meeting time Jeanne herself had specified.

 “We’re waiting for you……” 

 “You slept soundly on the bed in my room a while ago. I mean, you were sleeping in my bed with Rinne.”

 Kai, who had his bed stolen, was short of sleep.

 On the other hand, Rinne and Reirin, who had been sleeping all day, were filled with energy.

 After waiting for a while──

 It was an hour later that Jeanne arrived with the commander. However, Jeanne’s eyes had completely hollowed, and dark circles had formed around them.

 “Wow, what’s wrong with your face, Jeannya?”

 “Mhmm. I think she’s about to collapse. Don’t overwork your body so much. It will shorten your life.”

 “……I want to take a rest too.”

 Jeanne sighed heavily.

 Her slumped sounders were a testament to the exhaustion from the meeting she just had.

 “As expected, the meeting was long and difficult, but I managed to convince the stubborn old leaders. In four days, we’ll leave for Western Schultz. We will have our revenge on the cryptids.”

 “We can do that right now.”

 “……I wish we could, but if we rush out, we’ll be annihilated. We should prepare carefully.”

 That’s what Jeanne said.

 Probably to tell the commander behind her. Even a mercenary who excelled in fighting demons had no experience fighting cryptids.

 “This is Captain Gregory. He’ll accompany us on our expedition in four days. I’m the commander, but he’s more experienced in organizing his subordinates. So──”

 “────Emergency!”

 “Is there anyone out there, I’m asking for help!”

 The shouts of mercenaries.

 They were shouts that came from the front side of the building.

 “Security squad?!”

 From the back to the front of the government palace.

 Kai, Rinne, Reirin. Then Jeanne and the captain rushed to the front of the building.

 “Corporal Charles, Corporal Philman! What’s going on?!”

 Captain Gregory raised his voice in front of two of his men.

 Two mercenaries, a man and a woman, came running out of breath to the front of the entrance. They supported a girl on their shoulders.

 ──A petite girl with black hair.

 She was not wearing the military attire of the Humanity Rebellion Resistance, but rather the civilian clothes of a Human Special Zone resident. There weren’t any signs of wounds, but she was listless and exhausted.

 “Senior Soldier Charles, is she a civilian?

 “Yes! Captain Gregory, this girl is a resident of ‘Neo Portland.’ She seemed to have escaped to the imperial capital alone!”

 “……Escaped?”

 Kai muttered to himself before anyone else could.

 Neo Portland was one of the Human Special Zones in the Urza Federation. In the canonical history that Kai knew, he remembered it as a city abundant in nature located far away from this imperial capital.

 That was──

 “The devil army!”

 “Neo Portland was being attacked by a swarm of higher-ranked demons and demonic beasts!”

 “……Devils…?!”

 The captain raised his voice.

 “Absurd. Those who lost Dark Empress Vanessa starting to move openly……no, in the first place, if that happened, the headquarters should have been contacted!”

 “……It was captured.”

 A hoarse voice from the girl with black hair.

 “The people in Neo Portland……They are all trapped in the illusory enchantment of the succubus……”

 “We’ll talk later. I think we should go to the infirmary first and get the girl some medical attention.”

 Jeanne pointed to the government palace.

 “We’ll get you medical care while listening to what you have to say. Everyone, go into the building──”

“Wait, Jeanne.”

 Jeanne was about to talk up to the dark-haired girl, but Kai quietly restrained her.

 “Don’t move. You should stay away from the black-haired girl.”

 “Kai?”

 “The succubus illusory enchantment has the ability to infect. If the other party is a higher level devil, it is even more dangerous to touch the infected person. Brainwashing could be transmitted.

 From upstairs, Kai stared down at the girl.

 Escaping from the attack site──

 Even in the case that she was lucky to have escaped so far, the possibility that it was a “moving trap” from the devil’s side could not be ruled out.

 ……Was it a devil attack in the first place?

 ……It was natural that the captain was surprised. There was no reason to attack in this situation.

 Right now Rinne and I are here. The demons should hesitate as the two who defeated Dark Empress Vanessa had returned to the Urza Federation.

 And yet, they invaded so boldly?

 That’s what bothered me.

 “Jeanne, let me make the decision here. And as for the girl, sorry, but don’t climb the stairs. Instead, I’ll call a physician from the doctor’s office instead.”

 “You dare speak to the weak like that!”

 The senior soldier who supported the girl’s shoulder became indignant.

“This girl was desperately fleeing from Neo Portland. She’s in bad shape both physically and mentally. She should rest as soon as possible!”

 “Jeanne-sama, we can’t abandon this girl. Please act tolerantly!

 The entrance to the government palace──

 Hearing the commotion, the mercenaries in the building rushed out one after another. We were flooded by the sound of dozens of people’s footsteps behind our backs.

 “……Kai.”

 “Jeanne, come down.”

 He whispered secretly to the Knight of Holy Light. (TL: I think this “whispering secretly” refers to the line above, while the line below is what Kai says to the senior soldiers)

 “I have something to ask the two senior soldiers, you and the other. Are the words that protect the child really your own words?

 “What. What do you mean?”

 “Are you trying to play us for fools……!”

 “If you touched the child, it is possible that you are under some kind of illusory enchantment. That is what I am saying.”

 The government palace was home to the Urza Humanity Rebellion Resistance.

 If a person affected by an illusory enchantment got mixed up in there, a mass infection of the illusory enchantment would occur immediately and cause a panic.

 That’s why Kai kept the black-haired girl and the two mercenaries here.

 ……There was a record of this in the canonical history.

 ……But that’s not all I’m concerned about.

 Report of a devil attack.

 I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with that in itself.

 “You’re wearing perfume very carefully. Even though you desperately escaped from the Human Special Zone, you still had time for it.”

 To the black-haired girl──

 Kai aimed the tip of the Drake Nail.

 “Jeanne, did you notice?”

 “Eh……ah!”

 The commander in men’s clothing suddenly raised his face.

 This way was downwind. Perfume scent probably felt “normal” to Jeanne since she was a girl, so she didn’t notice anything strange.

 But that’s exactly where Kai’s suspicions began from.

 “It’s not wrong to pretend to be human and wear perfume. But if you escaped from the Human Special Zone, then it’s the wrong choice. Even if you look like a human, your heart is not human. You didn’t understand the state of mind of people running away.”

 “────”

 “You’re a succubus, aren’t you?”

 Perfume was the only blunder.

 The correct answer was not to use perfume, but that was also the “incorrect answer.”

 Rinne and Reirin were behind Kai. If the body odor had not been masked with perfume, the two people with the best sense of smell would have been the first to detect her true identity.

 ……The perfume was necessary anyway.

 ……For measures against Rinne and Reirin.

 So there was a new question.

 Why did the devil know there was a sidhe and a mixed race like Rinne? There was no possibility other than being told by Succubus Princess Hinemarill.

 “It’s you, Hinemarill.”

 “……Aha.”

 The black-haired girl laughed.

 Breaking through the back of her clothes, the lacquer black wings spread widely.

 “Ahahahaha! You’re skilled, well done!”

 The black miasma emanating from her entire body──

 In the misty smoke, the black-haired girl transformed into a succubus.

 She became a devil with the beauty of a girl.

 She had light blue hair and golden eyes. She lavishly exposed her slender yet bewitching glamorous body, and had earrings in her ears.

 “Ahーthat was fun.”

 At the feet of the Succubus Princess, who laughed for a while, two senior soldiers fell to the ground.

 This was a typical symptom of those affected by the illusory enchantment.

 Extreme mental fatigue caused them to lose consciousness and collapse. The root of this, the Succubus Princess, no longer paid attention to the fallen humans.

 “Oh? Vanessa’s castle has become a base for humans now.”

 The succubus looked upstairs.

 She licked while surveying the government palace and the mercenaries who had rushed in. (TL: The full nuance is hard to phrase. It’s more like licking while surveying to think about her goals or something, like she’s licking in anticipation while evaluating the enemy in preparation to crush them)

 Who would be the next prey──

 Under such a gaze, the soldiers holding guns screamed.

 “Devil invasion?!”

 “Do you want to call the group?! Captain, permission to fire!”

 Ten guards with guns at the ready.

 The muzzles of the guns were pointed at her plump body. (TL: So much for being described as slender)

 “Shoot──”

 “Wait, captain.”

 Jeanne’s hand blocked the muzzle of the captain’s gun.

 “Don’t shoot.”

 “Jeanne-sama?!”

 “……What is this conduct?”

 Jeanne, looked down at the devil who invaded the imperial capital, exuding clear anger. If it had been anyone other than Succubus Princess Hinemarill, she would have allowed him to fire without hesitation.

 The reason she didn’t──

 This was because this devil was a hero-class monster, second only to the Dark Empress.

 The plump body and suspicious smile that lured humans was just a mask to hide her cruel nature. Fighting this monster would turn the imperial capital into scorched earth again.

 “The imperial capital belongs to humans. You, a devil, cannot enter──”

 “There’s no need to be so formal? I didn’t come just to play.”

 Downstairs, the Succubus Princess winked one eye at me affectionately.

 “I would never play dumb. Are you going to do as Jeanne says? No devils are allowed here. That should be the rule.”

 One step, then another step.

 As he walked down the stairs, Kai stared at Hinemarill below him.

 Why are you here──

 Before dawn, she was the one who transferred them from the Devil’s Graveyard. In that respect, rather than being unconnected, Kai and the others were the ones who had been given a favor.

 However, this intrusion was a completely different question.

 It was a clear “violation of territory.”

 “……Devils threatening humans in the imperial capital Urzak. Do you know what that means?”

 “You don’t have to look so scary; I just stroked the back of the mercenary’s neck a little. It’s not my fault; it’s just that these mercenaries are weak.”

 “One more thing. It’s about Neo Portland.”

 “Oh? You look like you already understand, don’t you?”

 Hinemarill suggestively lifted her glossy lips.

 “I haven’t attacked. The previous attack report was a lie. I don’t know any of the human hideouts in the first place. The mercenaries with the illusory enchantment just talked to me.”

 “……In short, you’re making up reasons to approach here?”

 Kai’s discomfort was correct.

 There was no advantage for the devils to attack the Human Special Zones here and now. Hinemarill seduced the two men and made up a lie to enter the government palace.

 “Jeanne, can you get the back just in case?”

 “I can do it in a few minutes, commander──”

 Jeanne whispered to the commander next to her.

 The captain ran to the communication room inside the government palace. It would be easy to tell by checking with the Neo Portland soldiers.

 “So? Hinemarill, what are you up to again?”

 “Hmー. It’s not that big of a deal. Can you think of it?

 The Succubus Princess raised her gaze.

 She observed the towering government palace as she looked up at it.

 “I’m not really interested in this building anymore, but I thought I’d break in and surprise you while you’re here. Isn’t it exciting when one’s true identity is exposed?”

 “For me? It would be a great inconvenience.”

 “That’s the reaction I wanted to see.”

 The demon girl giggled.

 “So, I thought I’d ask you while I’m at it. This is the second one.” (TL: second question)

 “……What?”

 “You said you were going west. When are you going?”

 The Succubus Princess pointed to the west with her gorgeous and delicate arm.

 The eyes of the gun-holding mercenaries were concentrated there.

 “……in a few days.”

 “More details. What road are you going to take?”

 “We’ll decide. But I can’t answer if the purpose is to spy on us.”

 “Oh, that’s a misunderstanding.”

 Hinemarill smiled happily back.

 Her amused look was directed at Rinne and Reirin standing behind Kai.

 “Didn’t I say I’d help you?”

 “What? That should have been talked about. You’re not going to interfere with our expedition──

 Up until Jeanne said that.

 Jeanne finally came to the reason for the smile Princess Hinemarill exuded.

 “……No way. Are you saying there’s a different meaning from ‘not interfering with the human rebels heading west?’”

 “You’re right. That’s what I came to tell you.”

 The Succubus Princess’ gaze that felt like it was like her licking in preparation for her prey returned to Kai. (TL: Again with this nuance about licking…)

 “It’s a good time to crush the cryptids. I’ll prepare a special elite. So let’s go west together?

 “What did you say?”

 The silent elf shrine maiden spat out, unable to hold back.

 “Are you following because you think it’s the right time to bury the cryptids? That’s too good to be true!”

 “Fufu.” (TL: like some sort of small amused laugh)

 “Grr, what’s funny?”

 “What’s funny is that you have a great mouth for someone with such a poor figure. All the nutrients from your chest must have gone into your mouth.”

 “What’s wrong with a flat chest?!”

 “Ahaha. Now that I’ve had the satisfaction of teasing a stupid species, I think I’ll leave it at that. If there are any more than this, I’m going to want to thoroughly seduce the mercenaries.”

 The jet-black wings flapped.

 A wind was created that caused pebbles to roll with a rattling sound, and the body of the Succubus Princess slowly floated into the sky.

 She looked down at Kai, who was looking up, happily.

 “Bye, then. I’ll see you soon.”

 Boom, the sound of the air bursting.

 Leaving a black mist in the air, the Succubus Princess disappeared as if she was melting.

 “…………Disappeared?”

 “Jeanne-sama!”

 Captain Gregory emerged from the building shortly after that.

 “I was able to contact the squad stationed in Neo Portland. The Human Special Zone is safe. They said they haven’t seen a single devil since the Dark Empress was defeated.

 “Is it possible that the squad communications officer is suffering from an illusory enchantment?

 “I find it unlikely.”

 The commander had three photos in his hands.

 “These are local photos of Neo Portland. The communications room, the base of the Humanity Rebellion Resistance squad, and the streets of the Special Human Zone are all completely undamaged.

 “……In other words, it was a one-man play of the Succubus Princess? That’s really annoying.”

 Jeanne signs heavily.

 But there were some who had more serious looks. These were the mercenaries who were listening to the current conversation in the background.

 “Excuse me, Jeanne-sama.”

 “What.”

 “Those……words left behind by the devil just now, are they true……?”

 The new recruit, who was probably still in his teens, spoke nervously.

 “Our expedition is to defeat the cryptids. That’s what it sounded like to us when the devil entered here.”

“That’s probably right.”

 “What! Wh, what are you going to do?!”

 “……That’s one more headache. Can you give me some time to think about it?”

 The Knight of Holy Light slowly shook his head.

 And.

 “Kai, what do you think?”

 Only Rinne and Reirin, who had excellent hearing, and Kai himself could hear the whisper.

 “The devils are not the same as the holy ghosts or the sidhes.”

 “……I think so too.”

 It was not uncommon for other races to come “on board” to defeat the cryptids.

 The sidhe Reirin here was a good example. Rikugen Kyoko, who came with the southern commander Balmung, was a hero of the holy ghost race.

 But what about the devils?

 “They must hate humans as much as we hate them.”

 There was a grudge against humans for defeating Dark Empress Vanessa and taking back the imperial capital Urzak. The devil race must still have a clear anger towards humans.

 Following us──

 I don’t think it has exactly the same meaning as the holy ghosts and the sidhes. This was because the possibility of human assassins pretending to defeat the cryptids could not be ruled out.

 ……Succubus Princess Hinemarill.

 ……What kind of trick is that? It wasn’t just an impulse, was it?

 That’s why I’m wary.

 The proposal that the devils would follow on the new start to the west could not be taken in stride by Kai.

 “Jeanne-sama, it’s about time for our next meeting.”

 “I know.”

 Jeanne turned around.

 “Kai, I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to move around today. Rinne and Reirin, please.”

 “Yes…………oh, by the way Jeanne.”

 He stopped the commander as she was about to walk away.

 “Can I borrow a car?”

 “Where are you going?”

 “We’ll stay here for a few more days. In the meantime, there’s a place I want to see.”

(TL: Hello everyone, yes I’m not dead. Finally got a good idea of how to integrate translation work into my college schedule, so I think I’ve settled on a good pace. Like I’ve said before though, don’t expect me to translate anywhere near as fast as I was going over the summer. I’m going at 0.4* the speed I was over summer, and that’s with me having to pull massive catch-up days sometimes. I’ll see if I can bump up the speed a little bit, but I’d rather chip a bit away at two series as opposed to doing the equivalent amount for one series, as I translate faster when I see that I have “less” remaining for my current work. Anyway, see you in the next part. Still a lot to get through in this series, and my time estimate for finishing this series by next spring is looking pretty unlikely.)