Katahane no Riku

“Well, I won′t make it difficult for you. You may calm down.”

While dexterously handling the glass with her single hand, Riku showed a smile.

Riku′s tone of voice was very gentle and her expression was calm. The change was to the point that people like Vrusto who knew how Riku was at the battlefield wouldn′t recognize her.

This made Riku look even scarier.

Mei Asuteroid was trembling while clinging to the wall farthest from the entrance. Riku had lost one of her arms on the battle from a few days ago. For her to be holding a glass of tea, it meant that she would inevitably not be holding her halbeld, which was now right beside to her. If Mei was to run away at full speed right now, perhaps she would be able to get away from Riku, who had her guard lowered. 𝐟𝘳𝑒𝗲𝘸e𝒃𝘯𝒐𝐯e𝚕.c𝒐𝒎

However, she couldn′t do it.

“What′s the matter, Mei Asuteroid? Don′t take it so seriously.”

“Ye-yes.”

Although Mei had answered that to Riku, Mei shrank up her body even more.

Riku′s expression, behavior and tone of voice were all like ones of a mild girl, but all of that was negated by the aura that was overflowing from her. This was the killing intent Riku had been cultivating throughout the battlefields, or perhaps, it was her own personality.

Even though Mei had seen there might have been a possibility for her to run away, she realized that it was impossible in reality. In the instant she gives one step forward to run away, or rather, the instant she seems like she was going to run away, Riku would definitely take her halberd to hand.

That was why Mei was silently curling herself up. And so while fearing what Riku was going to do to her next, what she was going to tell her to do…

“As I said, there is no reason for you to be that much scared. It is not like I am going to be tearing your limbs one by one, you see.”

“Ah, uh, i-i- in that case, what… what am I supposed to tell y-you-nya?”

“…Haa, relax a little. Really, differently from your brother, you have no enthusiasm.”

Riku let out a small sigh.

Even if Mei had been caught by the enemy faction, was there even any reason for her to be scared to that point? Riku knew that Mei was a bit shaken by how she got exposed asking Vrusto to spy on Riku. But even so, she was too scared even for that case. She had a too weak of an attitude.

With Riku putting the glass onto the table, a thud sound was raised. And then, the room fell in silence.

“I will say it one more time: I am not planning on killing the provisional demon lord. That is just the other demons overthinking too much.”

“…Is that true-nya?”

Mei slightly narrowed her eyes. Those eyes were one didn′t believe in what Riku was saying. It was as if they were filled with suspicion.

“Yes, it is the truth. Even if I kill the provisional demon lord, nothing will be solved.”

Putting emphasis onto the [nothing will be solved], Riku opened her hand.(TL note: By saying “opening your hand”, what would be better to use here?)

If it was by Riku′s true feelings, she wanted to kill Charlotte. She wanted to cut Charlotte, who had made her beloved Leivein fall in a state of coma, into pieces.

But right at the current phase of the plan, she mustn′t declare this to the public. Riku understood this very well.

“Now, Mei Asuteroid, I have a question for you. Is the one who uses you the provisional demon lord? Or perhaps Keity? Or could it be that demon called Fiore?”

“Th-that, I can′t say-nya. It′s out of my authority-nya!”

While shaking her head, Mei showed her opposition to the question. At a glance, she was completely scared off, but it seems that she still knew what shouldn′t be talked about.

“I see, that′s a shame.”

While slightly raising the corners of her mouth, Riku once again picked up the glass. Calmly waving it, while looking at her own face reflected at the surface of the tea that was inside it, she firmly declared. 𝒇𝗿𝙚ℯ𝑤ℯ𝑏𝒏𝑜ѵe𝙡.c𝐨ｍ

“In that case, tell your owner this: [Making your moves without evidence is just stupidity]. At least come again after picking up some proofs.”

—-

“I see. And after that, you pulled back, right?”

While hiding her lips with her fan, Fiore spoke with scorn.

Near her feet, Mei was curled up. Fiore had her heart bouncing, thinking that she was now going to hear theirs from Mei, but what she had heard was something that it wasn′t exaggeration to consider an insult to her.

“It seems you were completely done in. Even though she is just a human, for her to be acting so concei…”

Fiore bit her tongue.

They had finally captured a human from royalty and were one step from their desired resurrection of the Demon Lord. However, as to be expected, since they dragged in someone from royalty, it was inevitable that the humans would come with full force in order to take the royalty human back. In those recent years, the demon side had got a slight advantage, but in the end, they were still weak against the demon banning power, and it wouldn′t be weird if their chess table was overturned anytime. Despite how they needed to urgently proceed with the resurrection of the Demon Lord, a factional dispute inside the Demon Lord army sprang up.

Fiore couldn′t imagine even in dreams that she would be under such a situation of extreme instability at lost because of [an outsider that could possibly assassinate the provisional demon lord Charlotte].

“Have you reported this to Charlotte-sama?”

With Fiore asking her that, while still standing, Mei hesitantly nodded. (TL note: Wasn′t she curled up at Fiore′s feet? ??)

“Yes. I went to report her about what happened, and I came here after that.”

“…So that was why you were late to report, right?”

Fiore let out a small sigh.

It was the day before yesterday that Fiore used Charlotte′s name and ordered Mei to draw out information from Riku Barusak′s adjutant. Even though she had made contact with the adjutant at the night of that day, actually only at the night of the next day had she came to report. Fiore was starting to become irritated about the delay, but if she was late became she went to report to Charlotte, it couldn′t be helped.(TL note: I am kind of unsure about the way経由 is used here ->メイにシャルロッテ経由で「リク?バルサックの副官から情報を引き出して来い」と命令したのは、一昨日のことだ<- It gives the feeling that Fiore used Charlotte′s name in order to give Mei the order… But in that case, I think people would phrase it up in another way instead of using経由. From the context, it is most likely that she used Charlotte′s name, but oh well….)

“…Charlotte-sama doesn′t have much sense of danger after all. So once again you put off reporting to me?”(TL note: I am also unsure about this one ->また、報告を後回しにされまして?<-)

“…I am sorry.”

“I don′t mind about this. There is only one day until the meeting though… Now, how should I cook that little girl.”

While lightly fanning herself with her fan, Fiore started to think.

The best method to deal with all this was to kill Riku Barusak. Right now, the pillar of the anti-Charlotte faction was nobody but Riku, who had raised enormous achievements recently. In other words, if she was to die, their unity would crumble. However, Fiore couldn′t think of someone that would be capable of assassinating her.

“I will ask you again. Despite Riku Barusak having lost one of her arms, you couldn′t even get close to her?”

“Y-yes. It is extremely regrettable, but… I couldn′t see any chances of victory…”

Mei must be thinking back about what happened at that time. Having a sudden shaking, her body became even more curled up. Even her face seemed to be getting pale.

Mei′s official position was at the [messenger squad], but most of her jobs were actually shady work like espionage and assassination. Even among those, Mei was the elite of elites; there was nobody superior to her in assassinating big-shot demons. Even Charlotte and Fiore highly valued Mei Asuteroid as an assassin. Someone like Mei had accepted her defeat against Riku Barusak, declaring [she couldn′t do anything against her] just by confronting her.

Fiore could imagine that even if she sent other assassins to Riku Barusak, the same results would happen.

“Is that so.”

Closing her fan, Fiore started to lightly tap it at her own palm.

Unless they poison her, Riku Barusak won′t die. Riku′s side should also be vigilant about that. In that case, the only method of killing her was limited to having her executed with the [crime of revolting against the provisional demon lord Charlotte].

It was well known that Riku Barusak disliked the provisional demon lord Charlotte. However, this was not enough to tie together that Riku was plotting Charlotte′s death. In order to have that, Fiore thought about using Mei and drawing out information from Riku′s adjutant, but…

“It seems that it went contrary to our expectations.”

“…I am very sorry.”

“I am not really angry, you see.”

Without looking to Mei′s direction, Fiore answered in an indifferent manner.

Even though her methods were limited, there were still ways to defeat Riku remaining. When the time comes, Fiore could use her authority and have Riku lose her standing at the meeting. Fiore didn′t think she would lose in an argument against someone that was raised in the battlefield.

But even so, she only had one day remaining until the meeting.

Focusing her mind, Fiore spoke.

“But there might still be unexpected occurrences… Don′t loose up on the vigilance and continuously keep track of Riku Barusak. I will be continuing to gather evidence.”

“Ha!!”

Responding to Fiore full of vigor, Mei was about to open the door and rush out from the room, but suddenly noticing something, she stopped her feet.

“Go quickly, Asuteroid. What are you wasting time for…?”

“Sorry for coming this late at night, Mei Asuteroid′s owner.”

What surfaced from the darkness was a red hair that would stand out even at the night.

From the faint light, a girl that didn′t have one of her arms showed a smile to Fiore.

—–

One day has passed since that certain girl had come to talk to Fiore.

Now, coming back to the scene of the meeting that was thrown into a swirl of chaos.

“I… would like to propose the dismissal of the provisional demon lord Charlotte Demonz.”

The moment Riku′s words became, the meeting became wrapped up in uproar in an instant.

If one was to compare it to something, the turmoil was as if someone had put a nest of bees there. The demons that didn′t know about that sudden explosive declaration… No, even to the ones that knew about it, most of the demons couldn′t hide their agitation and were moving about in confusion.

While Riku was silently hearing all their voices, and Charlotte′s eyes became wide-open and she became petrified.

Riku had been preparing for this in these eight days. Now, it would be the turning point of the match where she would use all her card she had been collecting until now.

“Riku Barusak… What are you thinking.”

“It is just like I had said, provisional demon lord. No, Charlotte Demonz.”

With the newcomer of the meeting to throwing away the honorifics of the provisional demon lord, the repercussions of the meeting increased.

However, there was no hesitation in Riku′s eyes. Imposingly straightening her back, she once again… in order to make Charlotte and the other demons once again understand what she was talking about, she spoke something even more daring.

“I will put an end to her reign right here.”