After receiving the information from the Death-Eating Bird, we went back to the Baskervilles' mansion by horse-drawn carriage as we had done before.
It seems that Aeris and Nagisa had already returned when we got back to the mansion, and they greeted us at the entrance.
From there on, it was the same as usual. A classic turn of events.
We had dinner, took a bath, and finally went to bed. Of course, the nightly battle has begun.
"So... Do you mean that something is going on in the Maafern kingdom? That someone called 'His Eminence' is working in the dark?"
At the end of the night's fighting.
After I summarized the information I had gotten from Polaris and Lin Hua, Aeris tilted her head and asked this question.
There are three of us in the king-size bed, me, Aeris, and Nagisa.
Urza and Levienna are not here. Since I don't have enough energy to have physical contact with four women every day, these days I often ask two women at a time to take turns to be my partner for the night. Today, Nagisa and Aeris were on duty, and the other two were sleeping in the other room.
Nagisa, who had just been doing a strenuous workout, was sleeping soundly next to me. Meanwhile, Aeris and I were sorting out the information we had gathered together.
"...Yeah, I'm also wondering why the scum nobleman in the neighboring country have been kidnapping children in this country. Even so, the neighbor is a shady country. They might be up to something."
I added, looking up into Aeris's face.
I want to say that... But actually, what I am looking up at are her two hills.
Currently, I am lying with my head on Aeris's thigh. This is what is called "lap pillow".
I want to look Aeris's face with my head resting on the best pillow... but I can't see her face because of her ridiculously huge chest.
A completely naked girl was giving me a lap pillow, an experience I could not have imagined in my previous life.
"As I don't know much about religious matters, I would like to ask for the wisdom of Aeris. Do you have any idea who this 'His Eminence' is? I'm sure he's a religious official, given the name."
"Well... Do you know about the 'Valmet religion (バルメット教)', Zenon-sama?"
"...I think I've heard of it, but I'm not sure."
The word "Valmet" seems to have appeared in the game... but I don't think it was an important word.
I think I heard such a word in a line spoken by an NPC.
"Valmet Maafern, also known as the 'Creator King', was the first king of the Maafern Kingdom. He is worshipped as the Creator God in the neighboring country, and he is regarded as a living god who has the blood of the Creator God in his veins."
"Hmm... 'Creator King', huh?"
I guess it is not an unusual story.
Christian and Buddha are said to have existed, and the Japanese imperial family has reigned as descendants of Amaterasu.
It is common for historical figures to be worshipped as gods, and for people claiming to be descendants of gods to be rulers.
"You know that the neighboring countries have a very strict class system... The descendants of the Creator God are the royalty, and the descendants of the 'Apostles' who served the Creator God are the nobility. The royalty and nobility have the right to rule over the people, but they have the duty to guide the people to the right path."
"For all that, I don't hear good things about the nobility in that country. I hear that those in power are taxing and oppressing the people?"
"It seems so... But I don't think that country used to be such a place..."
Aeris's face clouded as if she was remembering something.
"Almost ten years ago, my father took me to the Maafern Kingdom. Our country, which worships the goddess who created the world, and this country, which worships the Creator God, have different religions, but... when the previous leader, Raifit Jaro-sama (ライフィット・ジャロ), was here, royalty and nobles understood their position correctly, and their mission was to help the weak. That country has changed since the 'Guru (導師)' took over."
"Is this 'Guru (導師)' different from a king...?"
"A 'Guru (導師)' is a priest in charge of organizing doctrines and preaching the faith, much like a cardinal in our country."
"Cardinal... the head of a religion. You mean, like 'His Eminence'?"
"It's possible. The previous Guru was close to my father and known as a man of character, but since the current Guru took over, the arrogance of those in power has only increased. I don't want to speak ill of a man I've never met, but honestly, the current Guru, Rudagana-sama, would probably be tempting the nobles to do evil."
"Rudagana... is that the name of the current Guru?"
I've never heard that name before.
Yes, I'm sure I've never heard it before, but I don't know why. It felt strange, as if a strand of my memory had been plucked.
I repeat the name to find out what it is that is so strange that it sticks with me.
"Rudagana... Rudanaga... Ru-da-ga-na... Hmm?"
As I repeat the name, the feeling of discomfort becomes stronger and stronger.
As I search my memory, I see a man in my mind.
"Rudanaga...no, Rujanaga! One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King Army, 'Rujanaga the Snake God Priest!"
At last, I succeeded in finding the source of the discomfort.
It was the name of the enemy character who appeared in the game - the boss character who had been the most difficult enemy for Leon the Brave.
Rujanaga, the Snake God Priest.
One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King Army. In other words, he is a boss character in the same position as the evil swordsman Shinya Kushinagi. While Shinya was an excellent swordsman who wielded a nightmarish sword, Rujanaga was an enemy who specialized in magic.
His fighting ability was not so high. Compared to Shinya, Rujanaga might be called weak.
However, Rujanaga was the only one among the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King Army who was good at scheming and plotting, and he always did things that I did not like.
He takes people who are close to the hero as hostages, turns unrelated people into monsters with evil methods, and even uses monster (Mamono) that specialize in raping women to attack the heroine. He is one of the most hated characters among all the characters in [DunBrave].
While 'Zenon Baskerville', another hated character, has a strong following among a certain segment of the population and plays a leading role in thin books... none of the players liked Rujanaga.
"Rujanaga has also tried to manipulate those in power to start civil wars and civil unrest...perhaps he is also behind the turmoil and revolution in the Maafern kingdom?"
"Zenon-sama...?"
Aeris looks doubtful as I mumble... but I'm so deep in my thoughts that I don't even care about that.
The additional scenario featuring the Maafern Kingdom—'Jade Tombstone'—is set in the timeline after the overthrow of the Demon King.
Rujanaga, one of the fourth heavenly king, should have been defeated by Leon at that time, but it is possible that the plot that Rujanaga had been working on might have bloomed over time.
Rujanaga disguised himself as a human being and took on the role of 'Rudanaga the Guru' to gain power.
It is possible that Rujanaga was trying to cause a civil war in the form of a revolution by getting the royalty and the nobility to oppress the people.
By creating a civil war, he may have been trying to get people to kill each other and possibly even to spark chaos in the neighboring Slayers Kingdom.
"If my guess is right... if Rujanaga is defeated at this point, can I prevent a civil war from breaking out?”
If so, it would prevent the 'Jade Tombstone' scenario from being triggered. I may be able to avert the death of Shakuna, the princess, and even bring in her as a collaborator, since she carries the bloodline of the hero.
Moreover, defeating Rujanaga would prevent many tragedies that he might cause in the future.
"...Let's go to Maafern Kingdom."
I've been thinking about it... and I've come to that conclusion.
There are disadvantages to leaving the Slayers Kingdom, but there are even greater advantages.
If Rujanaga, the brain of the Four Heavenly Kings, can be defeated, the power of the Demon King will be greatly reduced.
If I can get in touch with Shakuna Maafern, the princess, I may be able to get Shakuna, who is a descendant of the hero, to cooperate with me in defeating the Demon King.
Two birds with one stone. It was well worth leaving the Slayers Kingdom behind and heading for the Maafern Kingdom.
"Geez... Don't ignore me!"
"Ugh!?"
Aeris said sultryly and hugged me with her knees.
My face is pressed against the two large breasts, and my breathing is choked. The soft flesh that perfectly shaped and wrapped around my face is so... I mean, what does she eat that makes them so soft yet so nice fat?
I am amazed at the mystery of life, or rather, the mystery of women.
"...I'm right here beside you. Did you forget?"
"Mnght...?"
This time, the attack is on the lower half of the body. It seems that Nagisa, who had been down, has gotten up.
I don't dare to describe the details of the attack, but it is a hard attack on the lower part of the body.
It seems that there is an enemy that I must defeat before going to the Maafern Kingdom.
Confronted with a beautiful, huge, and difficult foe I enter the second round of the night battle.
