I doubt I'll be so lucky to see the armies of my mother coming to such a remote region. I mean, this town is quite small; nowhere near the size of what I saw from the demon palace window. There's absolutely no reason for her to strike such a place in retaliation for being invaded by the human armies. But if she really did, I don't know what I would do.

I look down at Senka and hug her tight. I lower my mouth to her ear and whisper as quietly as possible. The bard isn't around right now, but I still don't want to risk anything. "What should we do if the demon queen strikes this region?"

"That's up to you. You have a deadline for returning to the castle, not returning to her side." She's right. I doubt she'd lose against the humans here, so I don't think I'll have to rally to her side at that time. I should just run away with the current party to keep up appearances. After all, I still want to attend the magic academy at the capital. "I doubt she will, though. There are many better transportation network points in this world where she could strike. And the thing is, she will most likely not come herself." Yeah, why did I think she would?

"K-Kuroeh?" Yes, that's how Kamii calls me now. She knows that I converse with Senka, but I don't think she's aware of the fact that the doll I'm hugging is alive. I turn to look at her and find that she's giving me an expression that's filled with a hint of jealousy. Oh my, how cute. But there's also unease in her eyes. Our hectic surroundings are denoting that something bad is going on.

"Everything is alright, Kamii-chan." I pet her hair. "I am here for you." She snuggles into my side.

We're standing in the adventurer's guild, where many people have gathered on the bequest of the guild master. Even Rolan and Luna are here, although they supposedly already retired to their quarters. I spot another person I didn't expect to see: The Saint of Luminosity, Arcelia Crux. She notices me and gives me a saintly smile. At least I think it was directed at me, since her eyes are closed, so I can't tell who she's looking at. I return the smile anyway. Secretly, I wonder how strong she is. If the spirit spear I threw earlier is considered a low-level spell, and she's one of only twelve light mages, then she must be able to cast the highest level ones.

"The news was brought by the sole survivor of the Alliance army. He was tortured for several days and sent through the old transportation network with the message that there would be swift retaliation." Ingrid is standing on a podium and speaking to the people gathered. I can see those who were present during the raid and a lot more I haven't seen before. "I don't think the demon army will hit us here, but just in case, I want everyone to prepare for an attack."

"The Alliance army numbered half a million... and they were completely wiped out?"

"If half a million soldiers couldn't win, what can this little town hope to achieve?"

"Why would the demon lord attack Hovsgaerden? We're only a small town far from the capital."

"There's no hope for survival if they really come here..."

Whispers among the people grow louder as Ingrid scratches her head with a complicated expression. She seems to share their sentiment, but she also has to fulfill her duty.

"I'm not telling you to stand up to the demon army if they come. I want you to speak to the townsfolk and tell them to prepare their belongings. In case the demon army does show up anywhere near here, we'll evacuate towards the capital." That makes a lot more sense.

"But the capital is a thousand and four hundred leagues from here. That's a journey of nearly thirty days!"

"If the demon army were on our heels, it would turn into a death march."

That far away, huh? It's about the distance between Tokyo and Nara. I wouldn't ever have dreamed of walking that distance in my previous life, but my new body doesn't seem to tire, so I could try it now.

"Therefore, nobody is to leave the city on requests that take longer than a day. We have to wait until the attack on anywhere within the dominion of man has been confirmed before we can lift the state of emergency. This has been agreed on with the mayor, and the city watch is also on high alert. There will be increased patrols, and we were asked to help out with scouting the surroundings." I think the situation is slowly sinking in because a blanket of despair is gradually descending on the people in the hall. I hear people still whisper about the half a million dead and how impossible it would be to fight the demons. I guess that was a pretty big army by human standards, huh? "This is a request from the Guild. Everyone here is aware that we aren't a strict organization like the military, so these aren't orders. Think of this as a request with the survival of our people as payment. Dismissed."

Way to go to motivate them. Some regained their composure, but others look like they want to run away as quickly as possible. Well, cowards are useless anyway, so it'd be better if they weren't around when the situation turns dire. Those are the ones most likely to mess up a formation or to give themselves in to betrayal.

"The Alliance army had half a million soldiers?" I turn to Gram and ask. His expression is one of determination rather than fear, and while he's not relaxed, he doesn't look like one to run away. Rolan, Luna, and even the bard are the same.

"Yes, that was the first expedition in two decades. I was still a little boy when I heard that Emperor Lucianus IV personally led an army to the Demon Continent. Back then, everyone was paying attention to the progress reports." Considering the fact that there had to be another expedition, he obviously failed back then. "His army was routed, and he perished, but he killed the previous demon lord in the final battle. He brought more than three hundred thousand troops, although the war was fought differently then."

Then it makes a lot of sense that losing almost twice as many came as such a shock. And the demon lord didn't even die this time.

"A year later, the current demon lord came to power and sent an army through the old transportation network to punish the humans for the expedition. As a result, the Khurut Sultanate bore the full brunt of their invasion." The bard takes over the recounting of the tale. "The sultanate has never been in the alliance but was attacked nonetheless. It showed how indiscriminate the demons are and that they view all humans as their enemies."

Why do I have the feeling Maou-mama just messed up the transportation spell's destination and decided to roll with it anyway? For some reason, I think that's very likely what happened. The image of her sticking out a tongue with a mischievous laugh makes me want to bop her over the head.

"Miss Marcott, I heard that you wish to accept my offer for a seat at the Royal Academy as soon as possible. Along with Miss Sigint, of course." Arcelia approaches us. Kamii hides behind my back upon seeing her. Don't tell me the church here persecutes cursed people? Well, she has her eyes closed, but I'm sure she noticed the little girl behind me already. No reaction from her, so no need to worry for now. "Because of this disturbance, I am expected to return to the capital right away. If you want to, you may travel with me."

It makes sense that one of the only twelve light mages and someone called a saint would have to be in the capital city during such a time of crisis. Even then, it'd still take a month to return, right? I can't make this decision so quickly, so I turn to the other party members.

"You should go, we'll come after things have calmed down around here." Rolan is the one to respond to my gaze. No, that's not what I wanted to hear. But I guess it was to be expected. He can't just leave this town, now that it might be in danger. And if he doesn't leave, neither will his party. I just joined them this morning, so getting separated now kind of defeats the purpose. Maybe I can score some points with selflessness here.

"I will stay here with you until the state of emergency has been lifted." And maybe I can do the Cemetery Dungeon Clearing in the meantime since it's within the city's boundaries. "I am now a member of your group, after all, Rolan."

Hm, I think Luna looks a little disappointed that I'm not leaving now. You have no faith in your boyfriend, do you? Rolan sighs in resignation and turns to Arcelia with an expression that basically asks, "what can I do?"

"I understand your sentiment, Miss Marcott. I shall await your arrival at a later point, then." From within her robe, she takes out a sealed scroll of paper. "This is a written recommendation, signed with my personal seal. You only need to show this to the headmaster, and you will receive all the promised benefits, once your aptitude is verified once again." So I'll have to do the elemental affinity test again. I doubt it's going to change until then, so I should be fine. "Miss Sigint, here is one for you. You will have to pass an aptitude test as well as a practical test, as I am led to believe that you already have experience with magic." What a difference in treatment right there. Well, this academy seems to be a meritocracy after all. "I wish you all well. Under the guidance of the Lady of Brilliance we shall meet again." So that's like a common phrase used by believers of her religion instead of a farewell, huh?

"So, what do we do now, leader?" Gram asks after Arcelia walks away.

"We don't have any belongings to pack, and there's still the request we'll have to continue tomorrow, so things don't really change for us."

"I would like to try the Annual Cemetery Dungeon Clearing request." Before Rolan can disband the party for the day, I speak with a definitive voice. He looks at me strangely for a moment before realizing what I just said.

"Wait, isn't that a pretty dangerous one?" Rolan turns to look at Gram.

"The missy said she can use light magic now, and that it should be easy... Well, she did throw a spear of light and made that hole over there." The big man points at the wall where I threw the Ohnd Spyd spell as a test. I hope the owners of the houses beyond won't come to complain and ask for compensation.

"What do you think, big man?" Oh, he's considering it.

"I heard that the undead are really slow, so..." Even he's considering it now!

So it was decided that we would try it out and descend into the dungeon under the town cemetery. It was obvious that Kamii wouldn't leave my side, and I carried Senka with me, so we're still making a very out-of-place sight. Especially since Kamii is wearing her new outfit, which is utterly unfit for combat. I don't have any gear myself, but it's similar to Luna, who's a mage, and only carries a staff. But I don't even have a staff.

Well, let's see what these undead are like. Gram is our front line, and the bard is carrying a crossbow, but I don't know how useful it'll be against skeletons or zombies. Especially since it's so slow in reloading. I wouldn't mind seeing one of those scenes where he gets surrounded and fumbles his reload, then gets eaten alive. Ah, but that would make for a bad start for my party career.

The underground dungeon is made up of the mausoleum of the city's founder, which is needlessly big, and a rather large natural cave system. Inside the caves, when you look up, you can see limbs sticking out from the ceiling. That's the result of those buried above coming back to life, in a way, and burrowing downwards to get into the cavity below. There are some holes from where the moonlight can fall in, but it's far from enough to see in the dark. I have night vision, and so does Kamii, so we have no troubles. I feel like Senka has it, too, although I wouldn't have an explanation for why she does. The bard is carrying a torch, and the Gram's enchanted shield apparently has a flashlight function, which illuminates the ground in front of him in a bluish-white cone.

"Uurhhh..." Yep, that's the sound of a zombie's breath. I also hear clattering bones, which denote the presence of skeletons. A year is more than enough to reduce a human corpse to that in nature. Well, the inside of my body can do that within minutes. Gram points his shield in the direction of the sound, and there's a half-decomposed zombie. It smells awful, but at the same time I don't mind it too much. Must be because of this body. Now, time to test the low-level spell Sivalta. I should make it look like it takes some effort, and chant it out loud as I did with the spirit spear spell.

"Sivalta!" I lift my one free arm - since the other is carrying Senka - and speak the incantation loudly. Wait, isn't this doll-like girl I'm holding also an undead of some sort?

Oops, too late. My chant echoes through the cave systems, and a holy light gathers above me before spreading out in all directions in a wave. The illuminated surroundings show us that a considerable number of undead have already encircled us, but the moment the wave hits them, their eyes begin to glow and their bodies burn away in holy fire. The smoke each one of them leaves behind is ethereal and bright, disappearing in an immaterial gust of wind. I feel like I hear whispers of gratitude in them. That was really effective!

Senka was unaffected, so it's alright. Phew...

We exit the dungeon only minutes later. I'm unsatisfied. That one Sivalta was enough to clear the entire dungeon. What's with the efficiency of my spells, oi? Gram and the bard are looking at me like I'm a prodigy or something. Kamii doesn't seem to understand how amazing it was, so she keeps clinging to me as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. She didn't even really notice that we were surrounded by the undead and that if my spell had failed, the humans would have been in a pretty bad spot. I didn't even have a chance to test out Senka's abilities or teach Kamii about myself.

When we return to the tavern, I'm told that Rolan and Luna have taken a room for themselves. Normies should- enough of this. In either case, that means Kamii, Senka and I have the room I shared with Luna before to ourselves. How convenient.

"How convenient." Senka says as she stretches her body the moment the door closes behind us. Kamii looks at her with big eyes while hiding behind me. If you do this too much, it'll become your defining character trait, you know.

"Kamii-chan, Onee-san has something to tell you."

"Kuroeh?" Ahhh, if you say my name like that and look at me with those eyes, I can't help but cuddle you!

"Um, you see... I am not what I seem to be." I separate from her and look her deep in the eyes. I can see confusion in them as she looks me up and down. "I am not a human. I am a demon. I... am... a... Crawling Chaos." She doesn't seem to comprehend my confession. I think I know a way to make her understand without also making her lose some SAN points in the process.

My right hand morphs into the same crab claw that she has. Seeing it, she stumbles backward in shock, but I catch her with my other hand. I revert the transformation and turn my entire arm into its original appearance - that of tentacles wound together into a vaguely humanoid limb. They unwind and wiggle individually, to show that they're not just a trick of the light.

"I've seen enough hentai to-"

"Shut up, Senka." I transform it back into my human arm. From inside my palm, I take out the survival knife that was included in my starter kit. I press it into my other palm, and it disappears in a slight ripple, without leaving a wound. "What do you think, Kamii-chan?"

"Kuroeh... is not... a human?"

"That is right." I spared her my actual face... I'll leave that for eventually™.

"But... Kuroeh is... still Kuroeh." Oh, what a sweet child. She understands, no matter what I am, I was the one who saved her, the one who's been kind to her. Well, it's only been one day, but I'm sure I gave her more warmth in this one day than she experienced in a long time. She hugs me tightly, and I return the gesture.

"Worked out perfectly, didn't it?" Senka comments as she watches us.

"Jealous?" I smirk at her, and she rolls her eyes. Yeah, that's better for our relationship. Senka isn't a child after all, even if she looks like one. We can talk eye to eye, although she sometimes loses me with statements that seem to be directed at somebody invisible watching us.

"What... is that?" Kamii points at Senka and sounds a little scared. Ah, so you aren't afraid of me, but of that creepy-cute doll, huh? I look at the one in question with a triumphant expression.

"I think that's only because your horror is of the kind that isn't simple to grasp. People don't shut down their minds when they see ghosts or living dolls, after all. They only scream or run away." Always an explanation, huh?

"That is Senka; she is a friend."

"Friend...?" It's hard to accept, right?

"Yes, but this is a secret between the three of us. Can you keep it a secret, Kamii-chan?" I look her in the eyes intently. I see no hesitation or fear in them, as she returns the gaze. She nods in response. Good girl. I pet her hair.

One big thing out of the way.