Me, a priest? How could that be!

Chapter 82 Cute

"Actually, my strength is too weak, and I am not suitable for such a great feat as defeating the Demon King at the moment."

That's what Charlotte said.

This is a fact.

Ultimately, besides Eris's secret guidance, the reason he teamed up with Yūken Hibiki was also to quickly level up.

For an ordinary adventurer to reach level 20 and leave the starting town of Axel, it would take at least 3 to 5 years, and even longer for advanced professions.

Aside from the "breeding" method passed down through generations of the Crimson Demon Clan, the only other way to level up is to go to areas with higher-level monsters and be fed experience packs by high-level adventurers.

The two methods are similar in their effectiveness.

"Yes..."

Claire nodded in deep agreement.

Defeating the Demon King is a very serious and difficult task; otherwise, with so many powerful figures in this world, they wouldn't be unable to deal with even a mere Demon King's military officer.

"Besides, I think even if we don't go to fight the Demon King, they'll still attack us on their own, won't they?"

"Ugh!!"

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became somewhat heavy.

Alice's little face showed a hint of self-blame and helplessness, making her truly endearing.

"Well then, let's leave the formalities of our first meeting and the pleasantries of our second meeting here." Claire took the initiative to end the friendly meeting and said seriously, "The capital is in a very dangerous situation right now, and that's precisely why we need your help."

"I heard that a high-ranking officer of the Demon King's army has appeared. Are you sure?"

"Sure."

Claire then recounted the current situation in the capital.

The Demon King's army attacked a month ago. At first, they thought it was just an ordinary attack, no different from usual. But they gradually discovered that the Demon King's army had become organized and disciplined, unlike before when they were like a disorganized mess.

They then sent people to gather intelligence and discovered that there were Demon King's army officers on the battlefield.

"The strangest thing is that for the past month, the Demon King's army has only allowed people to come in, but not to leave, as if they are searching for something. If it continues like this, it won't be a problem, but we have no idea when they will launch an attack."

"Has it been like this for a month?"

"Yes."

It's quite possible that the other side never intended to attack at all. Perhaps they were just stalling, giving Axel's Headless Horseman ample time to investigate, while simultaneously creating chaos.

"And that is why the Kingdom's Knights have been unable to go out and provide support for so long. I'm sorry."

"...It's okay."

Since their name is "Kingdom Knights," their first priority should naturally be protecting the royal family, who represent the kingdom. So Alice, stop looking so apologetic.

Charlotte smiled kindly at her.

Alice blushed instantly, as if to hide her shyness, and turned her head away from him, but then secretly glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

So cute.

"Speaking of which, I recall that the Demon King's army has been attacking various parts of the kingdom. They clearly planned this. However, under normal circumstances, no Demon King's army officers have appeared. Does Your Majesty know which towns have seen Demon King's army officers appear?"

"Of course I know that... It started with Brech City, then the capital, and then Axel... I'm sorry, I haven't found a pattern either."

Claire shook her head.

Mikami Hibiki and the others also began to ponder.

But they probably can't find it, because they're missing a crucial piece of information.

—The Demon King's army officers also appeared in Alcanredia, the hot spring and water city.

Brescia is the headquarters of the Church of Eris, Alcanredia is the headquarters of the Church of Axis, the capital is the main base of mankind, and even Axel is a crucial starting village, from which many powerful adventurers have set out.

Looking at it this way...

The reason why the old man went to the meeting has been found.

"Mr. Charlotte, have you discovered something?" Claire asked, seeing him deep in thought. "If you have discovered anything, please tell us, thank you."

"Well, I guess so."

Charlotte told them the real reason why the Headless Horseman went to Axel.

"You mean... the light that inexplicably appeared in the sky above Axel some time ago caught the attention of the Demon King's army, but they were worried that their purpose would be exposed, so they went to great lengths to have all the Demon King's troops launch an attack to cover up their purpose, and even sent Demon King's army officers for this purpose?"

Claire frowned slightly.

If it weren't for Charlotte's glorious achievements in defeating the Demon King's army officers, she might have already begun to doubt that Charlotte was talking nonsense. How could the target be a mere beginner town?

But if not, why send Demon King's army officers there? And why not allow the Royal Knights to provide support?

The more I think about it, the more problems I see.

Claire rubbed her temples, feeling extremely exhausted from working all day. Not only did she have to assist in managing the affairs of the capital, but she also had to continuously defend against attacks from the Demon King's army. Her mind was completely muddled.

"Mr. Charlotte, since you've been in Axel all this time, do you know what the Demon King's army is looking for?"

"have no idea."

A resolute and unequivocal answer.

Charlotte agreed to keep Aqua's secret for Mikami Hibiki, and the latter paid a high price for it, even though Charlotte hadn't asked him to do so.

—The goddess has descended to the mortal realm.

The impact of this event is different from anything before, and the way Charlotte and Hibiki Hayate say it versus Aqua saying it herself are completely different things. The former will be taken seriously, while the latter will only be seen as a crazy woman.

Claire is very smart.

She quickly realized the problem.

"But if you defeat the Demon King's army officers, it will definitely attract the Demon King's attention, wouldn't that mean—"

"That's right, that's why we came here!"

With Aqua's safety at stake, Mitsurugi Kyouya suddenly became energized. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "As long as we can defeat the Demon King's army officers who attacked the capital, Axel will be safe!"

"……is that so?"

Claire looked at Charlotte blankly and saw him secretly shaking his head at her, clearly indicating that this was not the case.

However, it's a good thing that Miken Hibiki is motivated. The royal capital does hope to take this opportunity to defeat the Demon King's military officers, which will at least attract some of the Demon King's attention.

"So, Miss Claire, please tell me, who exactly are those Demon King's army officers who have been appearing near the capital?"

"Well..."

Her expression suddenly turned ugly.

Just as the identity of the person was about to be revealed, a sudden burst of blaring bells shattered the silence, much like the kind of broadcasts Axel occasionally gave to announce urgent missions.

[Demon King's Army Attack Alert! Demon King's Army Attack Alert! Knights, please deploy immediately! To maintain order in the town, all adventurers are requested to be on guard and prevent monsters from entering. Furthermore, Demon King's Army officers have also appeared; high-level adventurers are requested to provide assistance! Repeat! Repeat!! Demon King's Army Attack Alert! Demon King's Army Attack Alert!]

They arrived at just the right time.