Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~ - Chapter 76

Reincarnated Devil’s Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~

Chapter 76   Intersecting thoughts

Late at night on the day Ars and the others arrived in the magical kingdom of Rulans.

In a corner of Rulans Castle, where the blue magic light continued to illuminate the night city, the second prince of this country, Freid Rulans, who had received unsettling reports from the assassin known as the Tokoyami, furrowed his brow.

“What? My brother sensed something, that’s one thing, but adventurers from the Guild sniffing around?”

“It seems so. It appears the first prince, who noticed Your Highness’s movements, has sent a Class S adventurer named Amanda, also known as Mirage, to investigate.”

The second prince didn’t find it particularly surprising that his perennial rival, the first prince, had noticed his movements.

After all, it was only natural to suspect that he, a man of questionable character with a neurotic and puritanical older brother who couldn’t stand any underhanded dealings, would realize that street girls were disappearing one after another under his nose, despite his security measures. If he were in his brother’s position, he could easily come to that conclusion.

But this time, the problem was far more troublesome than the first prince’s intuition.

After all, the adventurers from the Guild who were acting on their behalf were not just some riffraff, but Class S adventurers, the highest rank among humanity.

And above all, the second prince had heard the name of Amanda of Mirage, the top-ranked adventurer.

Three years ago, at the age of twenty-two, she had reached the highest rank of humanity, Class S, despite being a solo adventurer, and gained fame as the “Mirage Gourmet Hunter” after returning from a certain mission.

Indeed, if it was her, she would be perfect for this task.

Because she was a scout, hiding was permissible. Because she was a Class S adventurer, fighting was permissible. Finding traces, fleeing, all conditions served to corner oneself.

“This isn’t good as it is…”

“Yes, indeed. However, I have a suggestion.”

“Go ahead.”

Tokoyami speaks. Why not add that Class S adventurer woman to the second prince’s arsenal in the first place? While frontal combat might be one thing, as an assassin also at the highest rank, he could incapacitate her by surprise, so he suggested.

Hearing this, the second prince twisted his face into an ugly grin, confident in Tokoyami’s victory as his valuable pawn. Or rather, Tokoyami winning meant he could turn the first prince’s strategy against him.

In this situation where everything seemed to work in his favor, he became ecstatic, laughing uproariously as if he had become a god of this world.

“All right, then let’s capture her and see. …Yes. Rumor has it that this Amanda is quite a beauty. If that’s the case, before I obtain Twilight, she’ll serve as a delightful appetizer, won’t she?”

Drowning in the desire presented before him by Tokoyami, the second prince, losing his ability for rational judgment, fantasizes. Which street girl to abduct next, what to do this way or that. He was already incapable of thinking about anything but such trivial matters.

And thus, Tokoyami, confirming that his lord was digging his own grave as planned, vanished once again.

Above all, Tokoyami knew.

If he were to make a blunder by forcibly capturing the trump card of the Adventurer’s Guild, the Class S adventurer, even being the second prince of the magical kingdom, the country wouldn’t be able to shield him.

Furthermore, there were the super warriors and the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy visiting this country.

They had been solving various troubles throughout the day, already becoming famous in the capital, and if, by chance, a Class S adventurer were to be abducted by the hand of a certain assassin, leaving deliberate traces, it would undoubtedly expose the second prince’s actions to public scrutiny. That’s what he thought.

From this, it became clear that, both situationally and in terms of firepower, the second prince, who had arrogantly considered everything to be his possession, was losing everything.

However…

He wouldn’t realize this fact until his final moments.

For that would be the vengeance of Elga, the assassin Tokoyami, who had always competed, acknowledged, and improved alongside her since their youth.

“Wait, Elsa. I will definitely bring you peace.”

In his eyes, murmuring somewhere in the deserted night streets, there was a quiet yet unyielding anger that never faded.

◇

“This seems to be a darker case than I anticipated.”

The scene shifts to a house in the capital of the magical kingdom of Rulans. A beautiful woman, discovering signs of a break-in at the place, sighs and surveys the surroundings.

It appears that the man of the raided house has been killed, and his daughter, who lived with him, seems to have disappeared.

“I was begged and pleaded with by the Guild Master, saying it was a request from a noble, so I foolishly accepted it blinded by the high reward… But this is a bit… troublesome. It might be too much for me to handle alone.”

The beautiful woman, who had taken on a covert request from the Adventurer’s Guild to investigate the disappearance of street girls, mutters to herself. Amanda, the Class S adventurer, speaks.

“Yeah, this is beyond me. I’ve been solo until now, but going against royalty is a whole different story. If I’m going to continue this request, I’ll need to find some powerful help in the city. Otherwise, I’ll have to apologize to the girls in this town and start over.”

Ah, if only Gaius were here at a time like this. Maybe I should have forcefully… taken him down back then.

Muttering such futile thoughts, she suddenly remembers a rumor she heard from fellow adventurers at a tavern in this city.

“I remember hearing about a trio: a giant wearing azure armor, a boy whose eyes shine golden when serious, and as a bonus, a skilled female mage who’s unusually quick to fight and solves numerous troubles. It’s intriguing, especially that giant in azure armor… I remember him.”

Amanda ponders.

If they’re as exceptional as rumored, it might be worth contacting them. She could share the details of this covert request, albeit partially concealed, and if they could recruit capable reinforcements, it would be advantageous.

So, haste was in order.

“It’s still early in the night in this bright capital. Maybe I should go check it out.”

And with that, while offering silent prayers for the raided house and its owner, Amanda sets off.

◇

“I see~. So, those scumbags and Amanda are making their moves. This could be a good stimulus for Ars too.”

In a magically recreated magic castle located somewhere in the great forest of the southern continent, a low-class demon, who had sent out his doppelganger to investigate worldwide, nodded.

It seemed unlikely that he would have a chance to take the stage himself. This time, he agreed that it would be best to credit his subordinate super warriors and his son, the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy, with the achievement.

“Husband, what’s the matter?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s about this side. Hmm! Tonight’s dinner made by Elsa’s mama was awesome!”

“Is that so? That’s good to hear. But… hehe, you’re a strange husband, aren’t you?”

However, at the same time, the low-class demon couldn’t help but think. If his son, who seemed to have lost his determination to settle things once and for all, were to let that scumbag slip through his fingers at the end… well, then…

Well, it was all just speculation. What the future holds is ultimately up to them.

All the low-class demon could do now was watch over his departed son and, at some point, fulfill his promise with his wife.

“Well, that’s for another time… Now then! Let’s watch the grand adventure of our son that I recorded today!”

“Oh, finally! I can’t wait to see which girl Ars will charm today.”

“Hahaha! He’s already charmed thirty-three girls! Our son is quite the troublemaker!”

Watching over such eccentric characters from the shadows, the low-class demon proceeded to play the family video once again today.