Chapter 1

"Interesting!"

The moment he found out that the person standing in front of us was Josak, Adalbert's face lit with joy.

He's swinging his hand in which he was holding a big sword. He's so excited that he could attack the group in front at any moment.

"This is good, we can settle the match that was left undecided sometime ago!"

"Stop, Adalbert! If you do that Murata will...."

The pain in my left hand suddenly increased and I crouched down on the hard soil. The light crimson colored ring was eating into my little finger.

"Your majesty"

Conrad got down on his knees and with his hands rubbed the finger I was gripping.

"...Its fine, I'm alright. I know the reason behind it"

This means that Yelshi has gotten closer. It might be Yelshi himself who is manipulating this, it belongs to his mother after all, and he might have invoked a curse or something. If it gets worse, I begin to think that I'll have to cut down my finger. But right now the pain isn't unbearable.

"If I grip it tightly like this, it feels better. More importantly, stop Adalbert. If they are attacked liked that, I don't know what will happen to Murata"

"Hey, what's wrong Maou, noticing the color I thought it was a ring, but is that a curse stone?"

However fortunately, looks like Adalberts attention has been drawn by my finger. He raised the heavy sword to his shoulder like a fishing rod and started looking down. He still hasn't rushed to the enemy line.

"Did you get it from someone? If youre going to beg for something in any case then instead of begging for something as useless as this at least beg for something useful. Something like insect repellent or a draft to pass through"

"Shut up! Yuuri, you can't take it off?"

When I thought that the setting sun had been blocked, it was Wolfram who was peeking. I can't have even him worry about me. He himself is carrying that ominous sack.

"I can't get it off, but I'm alright. This is not the time to wor...ry about it."

I raised my face and focused on the group right in front of us.

I felt like it was even harder to see than before, although I remember the anxiety from my just recovered eyesight, I immediately understood it was due to the darkness in the surroundings. The sun had approached the horizon, the heavens are turning vermilion and the ground is turning grey.

The person with the same color as that sky is on a horse right in front of us. It's Gurrier Josak. Although I thought that he had lost his life because of me, that sadness was overcome in the worst form.

The Emperor of Seisakoku Yelshi had mounted on a white horse aligned near him. He has the same hair, same eyes and same face as the king of Shou Shimaron Saralegui who is beside me.

And at their feet was my friend who had been thrown like a piece of rag cloth.

It's Murata Ken.

"...Murata?"

Of course even if I whisper, it won't reach him.

"Murataaa!"

Even when I screamed, there wasn't any sign of movement. He was lying on the dried ground just like that he doesn't even twitch a bit. Even though, he was moving a little while ago. Only the wind carrying sand is caressing his dusty hair.

"Murata, it couldnt be, such a thing...."

"Calm down Yuuri. His Eminence is alive. Theres no way they would kill their hostage so easily"

"...hostage?"

"That's right."

At nearly the same time as Conrad nodded, in a clear boy's voice Saralegui was talking to his younger twin brother. Although his tone is not at all impressive, it's not like my bewildered undignified distraught tone either. It was the voice of a king that doesn't lose his calm.

"Yelshi."

If I peek from diagonally below, although I wouldn't say that he's enjoying himself but those were the eyes that did not show even a little despair even when he's in a predicament.

"Speak up, Yelshi, using such underhanded methods, what do you wish to gain? Oh little brother, I wonder if you're sad, was it that you can't understand Shimaron accent well. Then I'll say it for you in Seisakoku language. Listen Yelshi, what is it that you desire?"

Following that Saralegui questioned him in Seisakoku language which we couldn't understand.

"Exchange"

And then Yelshi answered in common language. That's right he can speak common language. Although one could say that he's not fluent.

"Exchange with this man. The King of Shou Shimaron and the Maou of Shin Makoku"

"Yuuri and I?"

"That's right Sara. You and Yuuri"

The moment Yelshi took my name, the pain in my little finger became more intense. Rather than calling it pain, it was a strong numbness which ran from my arm to my spine. When I thought that passing through my cervical vertebrae it had reached to the back of my head, along with it a symptom I'm not used to appeared.

Along with the surge of pain and numbness, the voice that I had just heard now came flowing in.

"In exchange for this double black, I want Saralegui and the Maou of Shin Makoku"

What...?

"To the mazoku, Shou Shimaron is as good as an enemy. So Saralegui is immediately going to back out. But, what will the Maou do? Even if your subordinates will stop you, what will the Maou himself do? I don't believe this kind and foolish man will sacrifice this double black for his sake"

This isn't the first time that a person's voice is echoing deep inside my chest. I've experienced it so many times up till now. But I feel that it's different this time around. The words are not coming from deep within myself but they are being transmitted along with the pain from outside. What is this rough bad feeling irritating the surface of my skin.

"If you had fallen into our hands without causing so much trouble yesterday, we could have ended this without having much trouble"

Is he talking about the fire?

On the other hand my real hearing is catching Saralegui's questions.

"In other words you want to trap Yuuri and me in Seisakoku and make Shou Shimaron and Shin Makoku to follow you?"

Without even replying, Yelshi smiled. As if his big brother is arching his pale lips and smiling with the same face.

"Obediently playing the part of a dim-witted younger brother, you surprised me and Yuuri"

"Hey, don't count me together with...you."

Yelshi's voice echoes along with the pain.

"It's much more simpler than signing a treaty. And I've heard that among the mazoku the special ones are given special treatment...."

I held my head with both my arms. I plunge my fingers into my hair, the ring touched near to my ear. As if it's serving as a sound collector, the voice comes from there and resonates directly in my bones.

"Even though originally, the extremist group that didn't wish for diplomatic relations with Shimaron was supposed to abduct you. Since they let you slip through and escape that time, I had to lend them my hand. I don't know by what coincidence it overlapped but you really have good luck."

I lost the power in my knees and ended up collapsing on my back. Lord Weller's arm was there as if he had predicted it. My back touched the body warmth that I was used to.

"...Then...in that case, even the ones who targeted Sara on the execution ground, even the living dead army that attacked in the underground, everything was his instigation. Even the plight after running off into the underground passageway... and because of that..."

When I raised my face, there was man with orange hair in my line of sight. But those emotionless eyes, looking past here are facing the void. They are not looking at the sky or at the sand or even at me.

At his feet Murata has been rolled up. It couldn't be helped that I was anxious whether he was hurt or not.

"Everything happened because of him... it turned out like this..."

Saralegui whispered yes, that's right. This was not a thought transmitted over the ring but his real voice.

"You're more of a bad child then I though."

They're truly brothers.

I'll give you time till the sun goes down.

After saying that in a tone similar to his brother, Yelshi disappeared in the middle of the army. Although I can't see clearly from here, there seems to be something like a camp at the center. Even though I looked straining my just recovered eyes, since the soldiers standing in front are a hindrance and I cannot confirm.

"Being among a group of the dead, if it was me, I'd refuse to spend even a second there."

While seeing off the back of the young Emperor of Seisakoku, Adalbert sheathe his sword.

"Firstly, won't it be stinking. I'm curious about him too. He has some nerve to stand in such a place and be the leader."

Even after Yelshi has left, Josak was in front of the group. Maybe he's keeping a watch so that Murata can't escape.

What in the world might he be thinking about, even I and Conrad don't know that. No, before that I couldn't even affirm whether he's the real Josak or not from a faraway place. Rather he seemed to be fake. Just like twins that are often spotted among the Shinzoku, how good would it be if he just had the same looks as Gurrier Josak and inside was a completely different personality.

May the man whose doing such things to Murata not be Josak.

Although that is what I want to pray for, there's exists another fear at a corner of my head.

If that man is not Gurrier Josak, then the Josak that I know is in the middle of the underground passageway... When I tried to deny those dreadful memories, I closed my eyes tightly and shook my head.

This is not the time to be grief stricken. Just think about rescuing Murata right now.

"Although I'm talking as if the army of the dead does not exist, but aren't there walking bones in Shin Makoku? Isn't it not much different than that?"

"It's completely different. The kohi are living. They don't just walk, there are some that even fly. That's their species. They have curtailed all the parts that need to be curtailed, that's their simple yet stylish body. Look carefully, they're not similar at all. Aren't those guys are clearly a dead body in their last stage of decomposition."

"Is that so? I think they're the same."

"They are clearly different."

If you look at it like that then the kotsuhizoku and the kotsuchizoku do have some cute points. When they find a good graveyard they become infatuation with it and start digging, properly burying the lower half from their pelvis with taking a half body bath, and they leisurely get entranced too, when they're really surprised their skull becomes detached, and falls on the floor just like that. At such times the kohi are an unexpectedly cute group. For loving rare animals, they're just irresistible.

And compared to that how is the resurrected army. When you think that they are carrying weapons with those thin arms that could break off, aren't they attacking us living beings. Furthermore without resting in peace after having their arms or legs cut, they even need to be hit on their head.

Even with just a little rotten meat and flesh remaining, to have become such disgusting things.

"Our kohi move on their own will, but isn't the resurrected army being manipulated?"

"That's right. His, Yelshi's mother, she did seem to have such powers."

"When you say Yelshi's mother... isn't she a mother to you too Sara."

"Biologically. But the previous ruler of Seisakoku was the woman who abandoned me."

"...That's most probably because she must have had some dire circumstances."

There was no proof even to oppose him, I just evaded it with vague words. I couldn't possibly say that I had seen it in my dream.

"It's fine. Yelshi obtained mother's country from mother, and I went along with father and obtained his country, each one inherited their own."

"If you think of it, you two are the world's best celeb twins."

"What's celeb? Is it that thing that's on a fish's back?"

Even if he pretends to be cute and tilts his head, he won't be able to make a pass on me now.

"That's right, somehow looks like last night's fire was also Yelshi's doing."

"How did you know that?"

"That's because he thought it to be so."

I thrusted the light crimson colored stone in front of my face. Due to the little evening sunlight it was not its original color, it was turning into a color which looked liked white had been printed vermilion.

"Maybe in undulations to his feelings, this ring gets tighter. And I think along with that it's transmitting his thoughts to me. In fact now that this pain has stopped his words don't flow. Even though I couldn't hear it at all the last time, but this time around I could understand it, which means that either I've started remembering Seisakoku language or at that time Yelshi......"

"What's that convenient product?"

He raised his eyebrows, while still keeping his lovely mouth open, Saralegui grabbed my finger.

"I've never heard of such an enjoyable mechanism. Let me borrow it for a while Yuuri. Even I want to peek into Yelshi's heart."

"Ow ow, it hurts! Hey, wait Sara, don't be so forceful."

"I said let me borrow it."

With the strong power that doesn't suite such slenderness, he even pulled the skin around my finger. To add to it his pointed nails eat into my skin. The nails of a king who had a sheltered upbringing, seem to grow longer even if left neglected for just a few days.

Before Conrad and Wolfram could step in and stop him, I somehow managed to pull back my arm with my own strength.

"Spare me. Since its tight to begin with, it won't come off so easily, will it!?"

"You don't want to take it off? You don't want to return it, hmmm. So you were just acting that you disliked it so much."

"I'll return it properly to you later. Having cut it into two equal parts that is."

For the time being, I had no intentions of returning it to its original owner. More than confronting them friends or foes like this, this ring can be pretty useful. Even if it's accompanied by some pain, if I can read what's deep within Yelshi's heart then nothing is better than that.

Even if I say that, until Yelshi reveals his feelings and I make contact with him, this is nothing more than an annoying accessory. It didn't even read his thoughts.

Without any plan, without even the wisdom to take measures, being extremely perplexed I hugged my knees above the sand.

"...If it's same as a game, then the zombie group must be weak against fire, right."

Wolfram who was standing next to me folded his knees. And soon the emerald green eyes were sparkling close to me. His fire techniques are magnificent. By controlling a fire beast effectively, he could burn down only the dead.

"Don't do it."

But if I think about the nature of the locality, I couldn't let him do something unreasonable.

"Why are you stopping me."

"Didn't you say that magic doesn't work in the land of the Shinzoku."

"But.."

"Even if you have Gunter's protector, how can I let you do such a reckless thing!"

"Boys! Enough of your playing around."

Hazel Graves returned. She ran her horse through the east and west and had confirmed the scope of the enemy from the sides.

"Shouldn't you decide something which must be decided."

She nimbly jumped down from her horse. If I judge from her smile less look, the reconnaissance results must have not been optimistic at all.

"Even if it's just a rough plan, I want you to tell me. Are you going to run away or are you going to strike."

"Basically, run away."

"That's the safest plan. Then next, are you going to snatch the hostage and run away or it's a pity but just like this..."

"We don't have a choice there."

"Are you serious?"

Conrad, who hadn't interjected, raised one eyebrow slightly. The one with the scar, it was his right eyebrow. Hazel without even looking at him deepened the wrinkles near her mouth.

"It's such a coincidence. Even I have never chosen to abandon my comrades."

"I'm glad."

I patted my chest.

"Although I do have that option."

I didn't want to tut thinking it's someone elses problem. Adalbert was insisting on exchanging at least one round.

"I won't ask you not to run away, but if you're going to run away swiftly anyways let's take those guys by surprise and retreat while they are kicking about. We can just save that double black later after merging with the other search parties. If you like it, you can get this old lady and the many living people here involved too. I can't think that you'd expect me to be a helper though."

"I refuse that plan too. I'm worried about Murata's body till we can attack them again. It shouldn't be a problem if he as healthy as me, but with that weakened condition, can I even leave him like that for even a day."

Adalbert snorted lightly and erased the sand painting he was drawing with his toes.

"Well, whether it's rescuing or fleeing I don't side with either. For now if I just get to cross swords with Gurrier."

"You can't, if I leave it to you, you're quite capable of letting him die."

"I think its unnatural to show any mercy to a traitor."

"Whether he has betrayed us or not is still..."

"Even after that?"

He points at the group in front. Without any room for justification, I clogged at my words.

"Hey, let me do it. Hasn't it turned into something interesting this time for that bastard who harshly calls others traitors. I'd really love to hear from him what it feels like. By using..."

He tapped on the long sword he wore on his waist.

"This."

Although this is frustrating, what Adalbert is said was right. It's difficult to defend the man who hurt Murata and is leading the enemy. Furthermore, even though I thought that he had lost his life because of me, the happiness of our reunion has vanished in a moment.

Come to think of it, a little while ago I was in a similar situation.

A precious friend, who had disappeared, appeared in front of my eyes wearing a military uniform I'm not used to, and of all things as the enemy warrior. Even at that time I thought that he had been brainwashed, and I desperately tried to convince me that he was being manipulated. Lord Weller affiliated himself with Dai Shimaron on his own will and put on that brown and yellow colored military uniform.

If even Josak is the same then....

Conrad is here. So to speak, currently he's in a truce agreement with us, at least he's not hostility towards us. Isn't even Josak limited to such a thing.

I bit my lips. The smell of rust spreads rapidly in my mouth.

"I really can't allow you. Unfortunately that's not what needs to be done immediately."

If I twist half my body and look back, the equestrian people who followed us from behind, were together at a distance of seven horses. It was evidently the feel of wait and watch.

"The only one who can stop those guys is you."

"What?"

Adalbert's voice is clearly filled with dissatisfaction.

"At least they will do something even if they receive a word from you. Since you are their savior."

"As if I care."

"It's not that you care. You're the savior of the people from the desert. Since you have already taken up that status, fulfill it till the very end."

Although the man who was like a migratory bird carrying a mermaid, looked at my face and said something, he worried from around three seconds and then shut his mouth.

Since it couldn't be helped, he raised his heavy hip and turned his enviable body back. The equestrian people who confirmed his appearance, rode their horses till they got very close to us.

"Alright, listen up you rascals!"

His voice was such that it resonated throughout the field.

"It couldn't be that you guys have forgotten that I did you a favor by feeding you delicious rice!"

There was no reaction from the equestrian people. Although I can't see clearly in the twilight, under the food that had been avoiding sand there must have been making a puzzled expression.

"Alright, remember, the dinner you enjoyed that day. The sand mice pot that everyone encircled."

This is starting to sound like the words of a graduation ceremony.

"We danced till morning, the huge bon fire... wait, they don't understand my words."

"I'll translate it for you. After all you let me ride behind you up till a while ago right?"

Without even waiting for an answer Saralegui started translating Adalbert's common language into Seisakoku language. Keeping both his hands near his mouth he shouts.

Although we didn't have the slightest idea of what he's saying, it's way longer than the lines before translation. Hazel who was well versed in Seisakoku language smiled.

"Oh my, oh my."

"Is he saying something strange? Is he badmouthing me?"

"He's not really slandering anyone, he's saying something interesting indeed. Should I translate it for you. Listen carefully my friends, the savior is saying this."

If I rely on Hazel Graves Translation Theater then, Saralegui made a megaphone with his slender fingers and looks like this is what he's speaking.

"Alright, listen carefully. The savior is saying this. My brethren, you must not hurt this group. I am... ah, this is not the savior but ME."

He pats his chest several times.

"This is about me. I am the double of Seisakoku's Emperor Yelshi! I am the double. That person on the horse right there is Seisakoku's Emperor Yelshi himself. That's why it's useless even if you kidnap me, since the real one is there."

Adalbert, who is the savior, was also bewildered.

"...Hey, I wasn't speaking for that long."

"It's alright, just leave it to me. And the savior is also saying this. Although the one who is here is just a humble double, but since he's a comrade who has sat at the dinner table, he's already as good as a friend to the equestrian people. You must not hurt him no matter what."

It was such a good talk for our circumstance that I could raise my voice in admiration. He did well to come up with such a believable thing in an instant. It must be the talent of a certain species.

The equestrian people glanced at each other and after nodding their heads raised some doubts.

"Yomosue."

"Yomosue."

"Mermaid."

Without any translation, what I could understand was only the last word. Maybe it was the same with Adalbert, he dropped his shoulders in dismay.

"...Is food and mermaid the only thing they're interested in."

Saralegui bending his pale lips makes a beautiful smile.

"But isn't the mermaid a symbol of the savior? The mermaid and you are the same thing. They are asking why the savior is not holding the mermaid."

Even during that time the equestrian people's calls were getting violent.

"Mermaid"

"Mermaid"

"Maidmer"

"Youre being too noisy!"

Adalbert imposingly threw a tantrum and shook the fist he was gripping.

"Didn't I come to your village since I was the God who protects mermaids! If you keep on causing trouble like this then my mermaid will spout out fire!"

"Ehh!"

I wasn't the only one who was surprised. Even Wolfram is making a face that he was caught by surprise.

Will spout fire...

My yearning for a mermaid along with a fragile image crumbled away.

However thanks to this super translation, an explanation which you can even call a hoax, from here on the equestrian people targeting Saralegui will come to a conclusion. Exactly because they had believed that Saralegui was Yelshi, they had thought of kidnapping him and demanding for ransom.

If he's a mere double then they have no use for him.