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The investigation into the pirate ship, or rather the last territory of the kingdom, has concluded.

The individuals inside the pirate ship were securely restrained via compulsion and sleep magic, and we managed to gather various materials from a room presumed to be the captain’s quarters.

“I found the princess’s diary.”

“A woman who writes a diary? That’s nice.”

Through the diary, which is thought to have been written by the golden-bearded princess of the fallen kingdom, I quickly confirmed its contents, revealing how this royal family has behaved over the past several years.

“The king’s brother sided with the Empire and became the Duke of Anari Principality.”

“…Did he betray his brother?”

“Essentially, yes. Truly a human-like action, isn’t it?”

“Rather than human-like… isn’t that guy weird?”

Rosmas responded with a somewhat favorable view towards humans rather than the elven perspective.

It felt somehow gratifying since it seemed like he was concerned about Lucius, the human, and the party members.

“Indeed, among humans, there are often beasts that are less than human. Some wear the mask of humanity yet act inhumanely.”

While the Demon King’s Army used derogatory terms for such people, it felt awkward to mention it directly to this party.

‘They used to talk openly when it was just the men.’

There are certainly many things to be mindful of, making it a bit tricky at times, but given that there are many women present, it seems necessary to refine our language.

“So does Lucius.”

“But sometimes, in the face of power, even brothers can be ruthless. This isn’t just a human thing. Especially if you’re the leader of a group, particularly in a position like ‘king’.”

“But the kingdom has been demoted to a principality, right?”

“It seems preferable to be a peacefully living principality under the Empire rather than a kingdom on the brink of ruin. There’s definitely a feeling of that. And…”

If the contents of the diary are true.

“After becoming a principality, Anari Principality seems to have evolved towards something more Belselphia-like.”

“Huh?”

“In those several years of rapid development after transforming from a nautical kingdom, the technology and culture level has elevated. Here, there’s a mention in the diary of something called ‘Magical Revolution’.”

“Oh, I know that.”

Yan raised his hand.

“I heard that a very talented alchemist assists the duke. I believe his name is…”

“[Endymion].”

That certainly sounds like an alchemist’s name.

“If a single genius has the capability and resources to encompass the entire principality, a technological revolution can easily be initiated. When humans become more comfortable, they tend to forget their former lives. How about you all stay at the inn outside the Bride Ship?”

“…We could stay, but it would be quite inconvenient, right?”

“Same here. It seems the principality enjoys a comfortable life through the Magical Revolution, in a manner similar to how you do in the rooms of the Bride Ship.”

Looking through some of the diary’s contents, I found:

“On the ship, it’s quite difficult to go to the bathroom. Yet on land, facilities like toilets and septic tanks can clean it up well. Apparently, it’s said that they don’t even throw waste onto the street.”

“…The quality of life would certainly differ.”

“Hygenically, it’s much better too.”

“Right? But it seems there are quite a few of these improvements. You’ll see for yourself when you go to the Dragon Lift, but the principality seems to have undergone significant changes due to… ”

I turned to an illustrated section in the diary.

“Due to the influence of the Demon King, ‘Endymion’.”

“…The Demon King, is it the one we know?”

“Well, it could be the Magic King, or from the perspective of the fallen royal family, perhaps the worst entity who elevated some insignificant man to the position of duke. It practically seems the duke is in a puppet-like situation. Things like this are hardly something knights would write about.”

I picked up an item that Droniel had brought from the storeroom.

“A Magic Rifle. Insert a magic stone into the magazine, aim ahead, pull the trigger, and a magic missile launches. This device allows even those unable to use magic to perform ‘attack magic’; I wonder how long this has existed?”

“It emerged after the transformation to a principality. Some shied away, saying it was technology used by the Demon Race, but its performance can’t be denied.”

Yan fiddled with his shoulder.

“Among demons, there were those who shot lead bullets instead of mana. When we went to investigate Lucius’s village back then, we were attacked by Death Knights. They shot us with lead bullets from their rifles, scattering lead everywhere.”

The Death Knights… with shotguns?

‘How cool is that?’

Death Knights riding a Skeleton Horse while shooting a shotgun.

“Huh?”

I feel like I’ve heard something like this before.

– “A Death Knight doesn’t necessarily have to carry a great sword, right? Even if they do have a sword, there are times when long-distance attacks are needed.”

Who was that?

One of the two, but my memory is hazy.

“Were you hurt, Yan?”

“Thanks to the Blessing of the Moon Goddess, I didn’t suffer even a scratch. However… those who didn’t receive the blessing sustained significant injuries. I apologize, Lucius, for bringing up painful memories.”

“It’s alright. They must have gone to a better place. More importantly… if a rifle like this exists, it will definitely be dangerous. Without the Blessing of the Moon Goddess, we’d be completely vulnerable.”

Lucius held the rifle with both hands.

His small frame and holding the rifle with both hands made him look a bit off.

Specifically…

“Lucius. Give that to me.”

“Here you go.”

Lucius handed the rifle to me immediately.

As soon as I received it, I channeled mana into the rifle to understand its internal structure, holding the rifle with one hand and aimed it towards the sea.

“Master?”

“Fire.”

Click.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

A tremendous amount of mana poured out from the rifle.

What should have been magic bullets loaded in the magazine shot forward like a flash.

To describe it, it felt like the breath of a dragon.

“Ha, with one hand…?”

“If my strength and core power are strong enough, I can manage easily. I also amplified my body with mana.”

“If you hold it with two hands, wouldn’t it be less burdensome?”

“Sometimes you need to maintain this posture, even if it is burdensome.”

There are various phrases, like show-off or cool, but in the Demon World, they call this ‘kandi’.

‘I can’t resist a one-handed rifle.’

For a typical human, the recoil would heavily strain their muscles, but if you enhance your body with the power of mana, you can shoot even with one hand.

It’s not just the bullets but also the beam-like aspect due to the mana I poured inside the rifle.

“I can’t use this anymore.”

I tossed the rifle into the sea.

One might say it’s a waste, but the rifle’s interior overheated due to excessive mana concentration…

BOOM!!

A large explosion erupted underwater, causing the pirate ship to sway violently.

“How can you not withstand even a single shot? Ugh.”

“…Ahem.”

Lucius cleared his throat and stared nostalgically at the now exploded rifle.

“Oh, sorry. You must have wanted to shoot at least once.”

“No, it’s alright. It’s the rifle’s fault for not being able to handle a single shot of my master’s power.”

“That’s true.”

Its durability isn’t exactly impressive.

Of course, it was a miscalculation for me to channel immense mana into a rifle designed for shooting magic bullets, but still, it should at least withstand that much to be a proper rifle.

“I’ll prepare a stronger rifle next time. One that can withstand your power.”

“Yeah, sure. If it can withstand my power, you can shoot to your heart’s content later on. But first, to get something like that…”

We need a ship.

“We need to go to the Dragon Lift, but here’s a question for everyone.”

I had grasped the situation aboard the ship.

The people still lay unconscious, so I couldn’t ask specific inquiries, but through the diary and other materials, we managed to piece together most of their situation.

“This is the end of the fallen royal family. We could sink the ship here and kill them all, or we could help them and aid in the restoration of the royal family.”

“Why? They’re pirates. It seems they… have likely killed many people.”

“Moreover, the items they plundered are from the regular army. Witch. No matter how much they claim to be descendants of the royal family, helping them…”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Just because these people have committed evil deeds, we can’t assume the principality side is righteous either.”

Good and evil cannot be hastily defined.

“So here’s what we’ll do. There are practically no visible ships nearby, and we don’t know the principality’s situation, right? Thus, it might be a bit of a gamble, but we’ll land without any backup.”

Initially, the plan was to seize a ship and dock, but given the current circumstances, it seems the moment we dock, we’d be captured and interrogated.

“Let’s teleport to the principality, buy a ship, and then travel.”

“…Buying a ship will require a considerable amount of money, though.”

“We have money here.”

I pointed to the bottom of the ship.

“If we just leave enough money to survive… Ah, how bothersome.”

“Ugh, ugh…”

Slowly, consciousness began to return.

The golden-bearded princess, or rather the last princess of the kingdom.

“Where is this…?”

“Are you coming to your senses?”

“…Ah?! Who are you…?!”

Tied to the mast of the ship, the princess wriggled and attempted to free herself, but the magical restraints held her firmly, preventing any movement.

“It’s no use, princess of the kingdom.”

“How do you know my identity…?”

“I found your diary.”

I levitated several volumes of the princess’s diary with mana.

“A sorceress…?”

“A witch. And also a Kraken summoner.”

“The one who attacked our ship…!”

“Attacking a pirate ship isn’t necessarily wrong. What do you think will happen if we hand you over to the principality?”

“W-what…?”

The princess’s expression turned pale in an instant.

“D-Don’t! Are you trying to make me the Demon King’s woman?!”

“What?”

“…The principality’s Demon King, Endymion, is targeting me. The royal treasure, the Anari Stick…”

“This one?”

I pulled out the Replica.

“…Huh?”

“How did you manage your royal treasures? To put such a barrier over this sword inside.”

“…Why?”

“That’s because…”

I aimed the Replica at the princess.

“I won’t tell you.”

Slip.

“Now, let’s discuss. Will we align ourselves with the princess, or hand her over to the principality? Lucius, what do you want to do?”

“You said it yourself, Master. Good and evil aren’t clear-cut. Therefore…”

Lucius turned his gaze toward the Dragon Lift in the distance.

“I want to observe the Dragon Lift and then decide. Which option might better contribute to the peace of the world…”

“Excellent choice. 20 points for Bel.”

“…….”

A smile spread across Lucius’s face.

Praise is truly wonderful.

 

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