Kuro no Maou

Moderately resting after meal, the time he thought for secluding in laboratory, the room of door was knocked.

「Oi Simon, you in there?」

That voice was, without a doubt, of Kurono.

This building was a storage-shed-like place, but long ago, though small, it was used as a dormitory.

However, only Simon uses this place, thanks to her sister, furthermore there was no supervisor, so any person, not only Kurono, can enter from the entranceway.

During daytime only his room and laboratory were locked, so it was natural for the visitors, only Kurono, to knock the door.

Though it was a visit without appointment, Simon opened the door gleefully as though he was waiting for Kurono.

「Hi, Onii-san, so you came from Dakia already――」

Simon, who knew about Kurono’s quest, said those words, but seeing Kurono with an unexpected being present, his body went stiff with the eyes opened wide.

「Eh, huh, is he......」

He stared at the person standing beside Kurono.

A slender elite cadet with red hair and golden eyes, considerably well-ordered, but there wasn’t something conspicuous in particular.

Still Simon, even without having any relationship with people in school, knew about him.

「Prince Wilhart!?」

To Simon who guessed his name and status correctly, Wilhart took a bold pose by folding his arms and replied.

「Fuahahahaha, indeed, we are the son of――」

「Ah, I became friends with Wil just before, so I thought that we shall talk together, was it a bother?」

Hearing Kurono’s words that seemed like ‘My friend is with me, so can we talk together? ’, Simon took an even bigger shock.

(Eh, what are you saying Onii-san, he is from royalty, and you’re even calling him by a nickname Wil, how can you be so frank if you met him just before!?)

He wanted to ask lots of things, but he didn’t want to give bad treatment to a person from royalty, though a student, so Simon while trembling with fear,

「No, not like I hate it......well, umm, how about coming in first?」

Invited third prince, who for some reason appeared with Kurono, inside his room.

.

.

.

Simon’s room, which seemed to be originally a double room, had three men sitting on floor facing each other.

「Fumu, We too have heard your name, Simon Friedrich Bardiel, but it is more famous as legendary man, rather than a person from 4 great nobles」

With the tea given by Simon in one hand, Wilhart said as such.

「Legendary man?」

Just by hearing, Simon blushed, turned away and didn’t even tried to reply.

「Kurono, you came to Spada just now, so it’s natural that you don’t know, actually Simon――」

Though it was a roundabout tone again, but Kurono lend an ear to Wil, who told carefully and politely, hearing all that Kurono learned the details as to why Simon was called the legendary man.

Since the start of Royal Spada Academy, he is the only person who got perfect scores in written examinations and a great zero in practical examination, furthermore it continued for three whole years.

「Simon......」

The results of examination, were just like as Simon told before, a failure, so it was hard for him to praise him saying he was a genius to gain perfect scores in written examination.

Rather, when Kurono tried to think about the figure of Simon trying hard to use a martial skill he can’t use under the watch of many people, he couldn’t help but feel sad.

「I don’t want to talk about that」

「No, sorry」

Having said that to with a pained expression, he could only agree to it.

「However, this is truly mysterious, Kurono, who says he’s just a normal adventurer, and the legendary man Simon, are this much intimate friends」

「No, well Simon too is an adventurer, and many other things?」

「Eh, Yeah, that’s right, many other things had happened!」

Kurono was told by guild to not make this case of massacre public.

Of course, it wasn’t like they would be arrested by Spada army immediately, but it was an information which would definitely increase the anxiety and panic in the hearts of Spada’s population, so Kurono and Simon both were restraining themselves.

But however,

「Fumu, it wouldn’t be good to make light of us, with our power, we can understand any matter as if we had seen it with our eyes, that’s right, with the help of this Secret Network. In other words, we had already known about the fact that you both are ‘survivors of Alsace’」

Wilhart hit the bullseye about the circumstances of Simon and Kurono.

「......Why do you know about it?」

「Just a simple deduction」

What the heck is secret network, nobody tried to retort this.

「――You said just before that you came from Daedalus, and, I have heard from rumours that Simon, during temporary leave, went to Daedalus. Furthermore, this information is surely confidential, but I have heard about a group of adventurers fighting in Alsace village in Daedalus against an army called Crusaders」

Apparently, this prince Wilhart knew considerable amount of information, Kurono grasped that.

Indeed, if he knew about the matter of Alsace, then it would be easy to guess that Kurono came from Daedalus and had participated in the emergency quest.

「I read the report, made by the testimony of surviving adventurers, about the fight in Alsace village, it seemed just too much absurd and nonsensical, so I thought it was a complete exaggeration, but――」

There, Wil used his index finger to fix his monocle, then continued.

「――Kurono, if you say had gone through all that, then I cannot say those are absurd nonsensical things」

The people who know the fight of Alsace, except the crusaders, were only 4 people.

Some hundred or so adventurers, fought against an army reaching thousands in numbers, dealt great losses to them, and fought a fierce battle, this sure can be said an absurd nonsensical story.

Let alone, Kurono and『Element Master』, even Simon were only rank 1 adventurers at that time, so it was only natural that their testimony was doubtful.

Even so the reason they didn’t conclude it as a lie was maybe because they gave face to Simon and his family, Bardiel.

At the same time, the messenger sent by Adventurers’ Guild, and Spada army had known about the internal affairs of Daedalus, so they knew that battle of Alsace ‘existed’.

However, Wilhart had seen the true strength of Kurono before his very own eyes, when he was cornered in a dire situation by a rank 5 situation.

No, he had only seen him fight against goblins, but thinking about the situation when he would’ve fought the Wrath-Pun his strength becomes obvious, and there was even more no reason to doubt after seeing the cut off arm of Wrath-Pun.

「We have increased vigilance starting from Spada fort in Galahad, for fighting against the mysterious army called Crusaders which destroyed Daedalus, however――」

Turning over his red mantle, Wilhart said.

「I still cannot get rid of this bad feeling, crusaders just suddenly appeared, we don’t know about their internal affairs, in others it’s an unknown enemy. However they don’t accept your information, you , who have experienced a fight against them, just because you are of low rank. There I think this, that the hero who saved me from my dilemma, you , Nightmare Berserker Kurono, I have seen your power and have no reason to doubt it. At least, I, Wilhart Tristan Spada will believe you」

「In other words, Wil you want to know the fight with crusaders in more details?」

Indeed! You guessed right, Wilhart shouts with a satisfied expression.

Kurono hesitated a little bit.

The incident of Alsace was not something to be told to someone wanting to know out of curiosity.

However, Wilhart is one of those who knows somewhat information about crusaders, and feels danger regarding them.

And more than anything, he is the second prince of Spada, if things went right, then vigilance can be increased.

That was something that Kurono, even after raising his ranks, would not be able to do.

「Alright」

In the end, Kurono gave his answer.

The time he hesitated was about the time it takes to drink tea in a breath.

Is Simon fine with it? He sent a stare asking the question, but it seemed like he understood the advantages Kurono had thought, the only problem would be on emotional levels for Kurono.

No, it might be more painful for Simon, who lost his beloved Susu.

「I get it, I will listen with caution!」

And Kurono spilled it, about how adventurers repelled the army called crusaders in a countryside village called Alsace, and also how those adventurers were killed.