Ryan told me to do whatever I wanted because he was afraid I would return to Wassenberg.
But? Even so.
How could you nod without asking or questioning me when I suddenly said, "Let's catch a monster. To catch one, let's go to Guintz first."
Even to Revan?
I walked over and snatched the wanted poster for the demon 'Ratan' from Ryan's hand.
“Brother, look here!”
And I said to Revan, pointing to the map drawn on the wanted poster.
"If you look closely, the last stop was Tauber, and before that, Delmen, and before that, Dorf. Doesn't it seem like the demons are continuing to descend?"
“Oh, so if you go further down from the last haunt, you’ll be in Guintz?”
"Yes."
“...”
Revan remained silent. He'll think I'm an idiot. It's a line of reasoning that even a genius like him wouldn't be able to accept.
I can't read the devil's mind, so how can I know whether he's going up or down, left or right?
I know it's a stupid excuse, but I can't help it. I can't claim to know the future.
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“...”
But as expected!
Revan nodded obediently and said to Ryan, "That kid's smart..." Ryan agreed, and the two soon began chatting about how delicious Guintz's food was.
Gulp.
I swallowed and looked ahead.
'I'm sure. There really is something.'
Just then, I saw Jean's carriage coming in.
What kind of strategy meeting did Ryan and Revan have with me? What did they say to deserve this reaction?
I can’t ask outright because I’m afraid I’ll just get in trouble for no reason...
“Good morning, everyone! ...Huh? Why are you so pale?”
When Jean arrived, he greeted me brightly and then tilted his head at me.
Revan and Ryan looked back at me.
"Ah..."
I swallowed my discomfort and smiled.
“It’s nothing! Let’s go!”
The intelligent, speaking demon, 'Ratan', is captured in Guintz around this time.
'I became the youngest person to become a wealthy person when I was twelve. It was probably in the fall of that year.'
So, roughly this is the right time.
Ratan, who had been running wild, killing everyone in Guintz, was unable to subdue him even with knights dispatched by the imperial court, so a request for assistance was made to Wassenberg.
Of course, our father couldn't help us with his bare hands. He only accepted their request for assistance after demanding numerous favors from the royal family.
The father sent the first and fourth, and Ratan, who was badly wounded by the lightning of the eldest brother, surrendered.
'And only after subduing him did I learn of Ratan's shocking identity...'
"Huh? This might be useful?" Judging this, the eldest brother reported to the royal family that Ratan had been lost, then secretly captured him and kept him for a long time.
So, before returning, Ratan was 'held captive' in our house without anyone knowing.
This time?
I'll find Ratan first.
Before it even starts to run wild.
That way, the royal family won't have to hand over their interests to Wassenberg, and people who would otherwise die at Ratan's hands can be saved.
'And I could try using Ratan too.'
Just like my eldest brother did.
But not in a bad way, but in a good way.
“Bunny, what do you want to eat? I heard the mince pies here are really good.”
“Heh heh. Hey, do you have any choices? We’re rich now, so let’s order everything, everything.”
This is Guintz, a small territory in the central region just before crossing over to the southern part of the continent.
The biggest restaurant in Guintz.
I stared at Ryan and Revan, who were sitting in front of me and giggling while looking at the restaurant menu.
Jean drove all the way to Guintz for six hours to drop us off and then go back, and I spent the whole ride trying to figure out what these two men were thinking, thinking my head was going to fall off.
He came here because I told him to go to Guintz without any reason, and he still doesn't ask me anything else.
Why is that?
‘...Yes. I thought about it for six hours and still couldn’t come up with an answer, so what’s the point of thinking about it any longer?’
Let's think about Ratan again.
'I hope it's not too late.'
Ratan "started running wild" sometime this summer or fall, though I don't know the exact date.
So I felt a little uneasy.
I wonder if I can afford to eat now...
“The meal is here.”
The moment the food I ordered arrived on the table, I forgot everything.
Steaming gratin, roast beef and mince pies, warm, fluffy bread, paella...
'Let's eat first.'
By the way, this place, Guintz, is known as the land of taste. I couldn't resist.
The intelligent demon, Ratan.
It is a 'possession demon'.
Of course, it was classified like that after catching Ratan and finding out its identity...
Nobody knows now.
“Why did you bring that out and swing it around so that people get scared and then fall down?”
Revan asked. Ryan, who was swinging his sword with its sheath, laughed.
“Man. Since we’re here to catch the demon, shouldn’t we prepare?”
And then he glances down at me.
'Wow, I'm going crazy.'
After eating, we found a place to stay.
And then I went out to a nearby house to go for a walk alone, but unfortunately, Ryan and Revan followed me out...
“No, but if you’re going to catch a monster, shouldn’t you try going to a mountain or something?”
"Agreed. It's a huge thing, made of rattan or coal. If it's really here, the only place it can hide is in the mountains, right?"
It's a very valid reasoning.
But it's not that big of a difference.
Maybe now.
“That’s right, Dad!”
But now that I had to separate the two men, I spoke quickly.
“Go to the mountains and look for monsters!”
"...you?"
“I can’t go with you because I’m just a nuisance. I’ll just go for a walk.”
"Then I guess I should go for a walk too. I'll go to the mountains to digest some food, you know."
“Oh, me too.”
“...”
Oh my...
I swallowed a sigh.
'I really don't have time!'
I had no choice but to walk. I had to search nearby first.
Ratan. I'd actually only heard about that demon before returning, but I'd never actually seen it.
But since we know the identity, we can definitely recognize it.
Ratan, that is...
'I said Prince!'
He is a Prince.
Prince of the Demon Kingdom, not some figurative expression.
Literally a Prince.
So I was confident that if I came to Guintz in advance and looked at the people, I would be able to recognize him well enough.
Clearly, with an aristocratic appearance, unique speech, gestures, etc.
But, when I think about having to look at the faces of the hundreds of people in the Guintz Estate one by one...
'It's complicated.'
Look around.
A few villagers are passing by.
Nothing special.
“Sseuup.”
This isn't it. It'll take too long this way.
‘I have to ask people...’
It might be a good idea to ask if they've seen a 17-year-old male with unusual looks, blond hair, and blue eyes.
The only problem is Ryan and Revan following behind me...
'How do I separate these people?'
At this point, no one knows that Ratan is not a demon but a 17-year-old male human.
So I couldn't let Ryan and Revan see me out of the blue, looking for a blonde guy whose face I didn't even know.
Somehow, I can get rid of the two men following me.
Or, I could go around looking at the faces of the Guintz people one by one with my halibut eyes.
One of the two had to be done!
Well, it would be really nice if, by some miracle, Ratan would shout out, "I am a Prince!" but of course that won't happen...
“Hey, do these people know who I am and do this? I am a Prince!”
“...”
?
??
But? Even so.
How could you nod without asking or questioning me when I suddenly said, "Let's catch a monster. To catch one, let's go to Guintz first."
Even to Revan?
I walked over and snatched the wanted poster for the demon 'Ratan' from Ryan's hand.
“Brother, look here!”
And I said to Revan, pointing to the map drawn on the wanted poster.
"If you look closely, the last stop was Tauber, and before that, Delmen, and before that, Dorf. Doesn't it seem like the demons are continuing to descend?"
“Oh, so if you go further down from the last haunt, you’ll be in Guintz?”
"Yes."
“...”
Revan remained silent. He'll think I'm an idiot. It's a line of reasoning that even a genius like him wouldn't be able to accept.
I can't read the devil's mind, so how can I know whether he's going up or down, left or right?
I know it's a stupid excuse, but I can't help it. I can't claim to know the future.
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“...”
But as expected!
Revan nodded obediently and said to Ryan, "That kid's smart..." Ryan agreed, and the two soon began chatting about how delicious Guintz's food was.
Gulp.
I swallowed and looked ahead.
'I'm sure. There really is something.'
Just then, I saw Jean's carriage coming in.
What kind of strategy meeting did Ryan and Revan have with me? What did they say to deserve this reaction?
I can’t ask outright because I’m afraid I’ll just get in trouble for no reason...
“Good morning, everyone! ...Huh? Why are you so pale?”
When Jean arrived, he greeted me brightly and then tilted his head at me.
Revan and Ryan looked back at me.
"Ah..."
I swallowed my discomfort and smiled.
“It’s nothing! Let’s go!”
***
The intelligent, speaking demon, 'Ratan', is captured in Guintz around this time.
'I became the youngest person to become a wealthy person when I was twelve. It was probably in the fall of that year.'
So, roughly this is the right time.
Ratan, who had been running wild, killing everyone in Guintz, was unable to subdue him even with knights dispatched by the imperial court, so a request for assistance was made to Wassenberg.
Of course, our father couldn't help us with his bare hands. He only accepted their request for assistance after demanding numerous favors from the royal family.
The father sent the first and fourth, and Ratan, who was badly wounded by the lightning of the eldest brother, surrendered.
'And only after subduing him did I learn of Ratan's shocking identity...'
"Huh? This might be useful?" Judging this, the eldest brother reported to the royal family that Ratan had been lost, then secretly captured him and kept him for a long time.
So, before returning, Ratan was 'held captive' in our house without anyone knowing.
This time?
I'll find Ratan first.
Before it even starts to run wild.
That way, the royal family won't have to hand over their interests to Wassenberg, and people who would otherwise die at Ratan's hands can be saved.
'And I could try using Ratan too.'
Just like my eldest brother did.
But not in a bad way, but in a good way.
“Bunny, what do you want to eat? I heard the mince pies here are really good.”
“Heh heh. Hey, do you have any choices? We’re rich now, so let’s order everything, everything.”
This is Guintz, a small territory in the central region just before crossing over to the southern part of the continent.
The biggest restaurant in Guintz.
I stared at Ryan and Revan, who were sitting in front of me and giggling while looking at the restaurant menu.
Jean drove all the way to Guintz for six hours to drop us off and then go back, and I spent the whole ride trying to figure out what these two men were thinking, thinking my head was going to fall off.
He came here because I told him to go to Guintz without any reason, and he still doesn't ask me anything else.
Why is that?
‘...Yes. I thought about it for six hours and still couldn’t come up with an answer, so what’s the point of thinking about it any longer?’
Let's think about Ratan again.
'I hope it's not too late.'
Ratan "started running wild" sometime this summer or fall, though I don't know the exact date.
So I felt a little uneasy.
I wonder if I can afford to eat now...
“The meal is here.”
The moment the food I ordered arrived on the table, I forgot everything.
Steaming gratin, roast beef and mince pies, warm, fluffy bread, paella...
'Let's eat first.'
By the way, this place, Guintz, is known as the land of taste. I couldn't resist.
***
The intelligent demon, Ratan.
It is a 'possession demon'.
Of course, it was classified like that after catching Ratan and finding out its identity...
Nobody knows now.
“Why did you bring that out and swing it around so that people get scared and then fall down?”
Revan asked. Ryan, who was swinging his sword with its sheath, laughed.
“Man. Since we’re here to catch the demon, shouldn’t we prepare?”
And then he glances down at me.
'Wow, I'm going crazy.'
After eating, we found a place to stay.
And then I went out to a nearby house to go for a walk alone, but unfortunately, Ryan and Revan followed me out...
“No, but if you’re going to catch a monster, shouldn’t you try going to a mountain or something?”
"Agreed. It's a huge thing, made of rattan or coal. If it's really here, the only place it can hide is in the mountains, right?"
It's a very valid reasoning.
But it's not that big of a difference.
Maybe now.
“That’s right, Dad!”
But now that I had to separate the two men, I spoke quickly.
“Go to the mountains and look for monsters!”
"...you?"
“I can’t go with you because I’m just a nuisance. I’ll just go for a walk.”
"Then I guess I should go for a walk too. I'll go to the mountains to digest some food, you know."
“Oh, me too.”
“...”
Oh my...
I swallowed a sigh.
'I really don't have time!'
I had no choice but to walk. I had to search nearby first.
Ratan. I'd actually only heard about that demon before returning, but I'd never actually seen it.
But since we know the identity, we can definitely recognize it.
Ratan, that is...
'I said Prince!'
He is a Prince.
Prince of the Demon Kingdom, not some figurative expression.
Literally a Prince.
So I was confident that if I came to Guintz in advance and looked at the people, I would be able to recognize him well enough.
Clearly, with an aristocratic appearance, unique speech, gestures, etc.
But, when I think about having to look at the faces of the hundreds of people in the Guintz Estate one by one...
'It's complicated.'
Look around.
A few villagers are passing by.
Nothing special.
“Sseuup.”
This isn't it. It'll take too long this way.
‘I have to ask people...’
It might be a good idea to ask if they've seen a 17-year-old male with unusual looks, blond hair, and blue eyes.
The only problem is Ryan and Revan following behind me...
'How do I separate these people?'
At this point, no one knows that Ratan is not a demon but a 17-year-old male human.
So I couldn't let Ryan and Revan see me out of the blue, looking for a blonde guy whose face I didn't even know.
Somehow, I can get rid of the two men following me.
Or, I could go around looking at the faces of the Guintz people one by one with my halibut eyes.
One of the two had to be done!
Well, it would be really nice if, by some miracle, Ratan would shout out, "I am a Prince!" but of course that won't happen...
“Hey, do these people know who I am and do this? I am a Prince!”
“...”
?
??
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