374. Onwards to the Kingdom of Ardezia

I fly alongside the Holy Dragon Seraphim over the deep blue ocean.

“Gru~u~o”

I call out to Lilyxila, the long-haired maiden riding on Seraphim’s back.
She seems to have understood my intentions and simply turned to me and nodded.

“Ask away”

Since I don’t have〖Telepathy〗, the only way for me to communicate with them is through someone else who has〖Telepathy〗, like Lilyxila.

Say, Lilyxila.
Don’t you think it would spout trouble if someone sees this little group of ours?

“…… Ah yes, about that. Once we make it past the ocean, the Holy Land of Lialm will just be nearby. When the mainland becomes visible, we shall temporarily part ways. I’ll lend you a map so you can make your way to the Royal Capital of Ardezia ahead of us”

Oh right.
Lilyxila said that she’d clear any misunderstandings about me, but I’m sure that’ll take time.
If I just stick with her all the time without letting her prepare, no matter how much she begs for the country, it probably wouldn’t work out.

“Before we separate, I should tell you a few things about the demon lord. It is Rank A…… and is probably lower ranked than you. If things go smoothly, you might not even have a hard time against it. Although, this is all just speculation on my part”

…… Hmm.
I’m grateful for this information.
But, on what grounds is that information based on?

“It’s just my thoughts based on the demon lord’s movements. It is steadily raising its level by sacrificing humans in a human palace. My assumptions are based on the fact that it’s hiding its presence from me, the Saint, while raising its level at a safe spot”

Gaining levels at a safe spot, huh.
She makes a point though. If it was stronger than Lilyxila or Eldia, then it doesn’t really need to level up in such a roundabout way.

“Keep in mind that these are all just assumptions. If its purpose was only to increase its level, then the method it’s using is too extraneous. We don’t know if it gives him some form of merit…… or it could perhaps just be the demon king’s personality”

Yeah, like I said…… roundabout.
Surely, there are other more efficient ways to increase levels than just killing strong individuals by pretending to be the royal family.

“Although, I can’t really make assumptions about the demon king’s personality since I’ve never met him, and we also don’t know what its skills are, so our guesses would go on forever. We can be sure that it has〖Human Transformation〗and〖Nekomata〗, but on the other hand, we can also not be sure of it since we don’t have confirmation”

I remember the Manticore had the〖Nekomata〗skill, which helped it counter against the huge MP consumption for〖Human Transformation〗.
And apparently, Nightmare has that skill too.
It’s possible that its pretending to be the royal princess with〖Human Transformation〗, and for it to maintain its human form for a long duration, it either has〖Nekomata〗like Lilyxila said, or a large amount of MP like me, an Ouroboros.

Still, I didn’t know she knows about the〖Nekomata〗skill.
I guess this goes to show that she not only worked hard to raise her skill levels to the max, but she even broadened her knowledge around many skills as a whole.

“Another thing is…… I find it strange that the demon lord was able to successfully replace the princess without anyone’s knowing. This is just another guess of mine, but I think there could be someone among the palace grounds who is supporting the demon king and has joined hands with them”

…… So you’re saying that there could be more than one enemy in hiding.
Even if we beat the demon king, we can’t let our guard down yet, it seems.

…… But, all these uncertainties are only making me doubt the information about the demon king being Rank A and lower level than me.

“I will catch up with you to Ardezia once your battle against the demon king is nearing its end. If you think the demon king is too much for you to handle, then I would appreciate it if you could find a way to lure it out of the royal palace. Once it’s been known to the public that a monster, the Demon King, has taken control of the royal family, I will take drastic action that ignores the restrictions of the two countries”

So the Saint will only join the fight against the Demon King if it escapes from me or if I withdraw from it and lead it outside under the pretense of “There’s a monster inside the royal castle!”.

How long will it take you to catch up to us in Ardezia, exactly?

“If left alone, the Demon King will surely gain more power as time passes. If possible, I’d like to start our mission right now or sooner…… but, even just crossing the border to another country is a bit troublesome on my end. I can’t let the Demon King find out about my plans and if I cross the border without following the proper procedures, I’ll only catch his attention and he’ll start to get wary. But, if Seraphim flies from my homeland to Ardezia without rest…… we can reach the royal capital in two, no, three days”

Seraphim expresses a face of dissatisfaction.
And Lilyxila, who is riding atop Seraphim’s back, cannot see the face she’s making.

Still…… three days, huh.
With my speed, I could arrive in Ardezia in just half a day.
So, assuming the first day is when I start flying to Ardezia, and the third day is when our mission begins, we’re basically free on the second day.

I could use〖Human Transformation〗and take a stroll around the royal city on that day, gathering information and whatnot.
Maybe we could even stumble upon rumors about the Demon King or something.
Before our mission starts, I’d like to get as much intel as I can. Who knows, maybe I could even confirm if Lilyxila’s information is accurate or not.

The only things I know about the Demon King so far are from what Lilyxila told me.
It won’t hurt to assume that Lilyxila possibly made up that whole story about the Demon King just to plot me into working for her.

Upon thinking that, Lilyxila turns and stares at me.
She might’ve picked up my thoughts again.

Ball Rabbit tower commence……
My thoughts are now once again filled with towers of Ball Rabbits stacked up high in the sky.

Then, after a long flight over a blue horizon, there is finally land seen in the distance.
An Adam-less, free of Adam land.
It’s the Holy Land of Lialm.

Lilyxila commands Seraphim to stay hovering in the air.
I turn around and hover in front of them as well, facing Seraphim.
Alo receives the map that Lilyxila hands over to us which shows the way to the royal kingdom of Ardezia, and from there, we part ways.