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When we caught up with Takatoshi, who had gone ahead of us, the decisive battle with the Demon Lord was already over. I had believed the Demon Lord to be strong. Strong enough that several heroes would be needed in the fight. That miscalculation, along with the unexpected growth of the heroes, our tools, seemed like a favorable situation for us, who had been controlling things from behind the scenes.

“You finally did it.”
“I defeated the Demon Lord. You understand what that means, don’t you, princess?”

Takatoshi replied to my words of praise with a tone rougher than ever. He had single-handedly taken down the king of the Demon Tribe, a major military force. This meant that we, the royal family, couldn’t act carelessly anymore. That didn’t mean we were powerless either.

At worst, we could destroy the inner structure and keep only the outer shell intact.

But I never disliked competent tools. If someone worked as effectively as he had this time, I was willing to overlook a bit of rudeness. No matter how hard anyone tried, they couldn’t oppose royalty.

“Of course. I promise I will improve how you’re treated once we’re back at Fraus.
That is only if you continue to use your strength for us.”
“You catch on quick.”

If that was enough to make him happy, then Takatoshi was just that simple. Or perhaps he was just being careful not to provoke my anger. Either way, I needed to proclaim Fraus’ victory.

This would lower the morale of the Nigel army—or rather, their citizens in general—and raise ours. If we displayed the head of the Demon Lord, no one could call it a lie.

“Platoon commander. Take this head and report to the entire army. Tell them that we, the army of Fraus, have defeated Nigel’s queen and won this war. All that’s left is hunting down the remnants of the Demon Tribe.”
“Understood!”
“And don’t forget to tell them that it was Takatoshi who defeated her.”
“Of course!”

I ordered the platoon commander, who had arrived with some of the heroes serving as guards, to leave the rest of us here. Only the heroes, Soter, and I remained. Judging by Takatoshi’s state, I knew he might say something rash. If he didn’t act as a hero in front of the people, then he could cause unnecessary tension.

“I, Soter, along with the heroes, the servants, and Tokichi, will now enter the Nigel royal castle. The rest of you are to remain outside and guard the premises, do not allow anyone else to enter.”

After I gave the orders, I entered the castle with a few others, including Soter. The castle’s exterior was decent, but the interior was noticeably inferior to Fraus’. It was, after all, a demon tribe’s castle.

I instructed the heroes who had come with me not to speak carelessly and to be ready for anything unexpected.

While castles weren’t identical, they typically followed a common pattern. Nigel’s castle was no exception. So just by walking around, we could find a few unnatural things.

At the center of the large castle, we came across a space we couldn’t enter. That meant some sort of magic tool was here.

“Tokichi, is there a Magic Tool here?”
“I-It seems like it.”

A painting of a faceless figure hung in the hallway. He was adorned with various ornaments, yet the ring on his finger lacked the jewel it was meant to hold. Beside the painting rested a single gemstone I had never seen before. It was likely the key to the spirit’s room.

“It appears we can open it.”
“Let me try.”

Tokichi picked up the gem and inserted it into the ring on the painting. As he worked, I quietly stepped back, ready to use the heroes as shields. There was no way I was going to stand by while something this suspicious was unfolding.

Everything about it felt off. The fact that Tokichi could activate it only made it more likely that this Magic Tool had some hidden mechanism. Would something trigger when the path opened? Or was this just an invitation to step into a trap?

It was hard to believe the queen would’ve knowingly left the gem behind like this.

But then, the gemstone in Tokichi’s hand was absorbed into the painting, and the hallway wall shifted aside to reveal a hidden passage. Nothing happened. Did that mean the danger was lying in wait further ahead?

“Let’s go.”

I had Takatoshi take the lead and followed close behind, illuminating the path. The corridor was so dark that, without magic light, I wouldn’t have been able to see even my own hands. It was likely that the spirit of darkness resided here and required such a dark setting. What a troublesome fellow.

The path continued in a straight line. Without hesitation, we walked down it and soon reached the innermost room. The magic tool used to contain the spirit was the same type we used in Fraus. A spirit should’ve been inside, faintly glowing… But when we arrived, there was nothing inside the tool.

Instead, a girl stood in front of it. Beside her, a glowing light, clearly a spirit, floated in the air.

“Finally… But to be honest, you came here sooner than I expected. Why so? Queen Kafix seemed pretty tough.”

The girl in front of the Magic Tool spoke in a calm, high-pitched voice, as though she had expected our arrival. Judging by her words, she must have been the one who lured us in. As the light shone on her, it revealed her features, which were similar to those of an elf.

At the very least, she lacked any Demon Tribe traits. But this posed the question of why she was here. Why was she trying to steal the spirit? If I remember correctly, Viridis had also lost its spirit. Was this girl a thief sent from the Elven nation?

But if that were the case, why invite us in?

“Who are you?!”
“I’m Finis. I am God’s gofer and have also inherited a bit of his power.”

The girl, who called herself Finis, bowed.