“Doulgas, are you there?”

The city clock tower. It was the second tallest building after the royal castle. From there, the entire royal capital could be seen.

Douglas was on the top floor.

I spoke to Douglas while sat on the edge and gazed at the sky.

“What happened? Have you uncovered the location of the demon king, yet?”

Douglas looked back at me and asked.

“No, I do not have a single clue towards that matter. Hence, I want to speak to you.”

I sat next to Douglas.

“Is that so? Well, unfortunately, I don’t know anything. The wars of the ancient times happened before I was born. I have no idea where the demon king is sealed.”

“Regardless… if we were to talk about it, it might jog your memories?”

“Gahaha, perhaps. But, if that’s indeed the case, I would’ve gone to you immediately. Is that the reason why you came all the way here?”

“Yes. My apologies for bothering you, Douglas. Not to mention, I am also in the mood to stare at the city.”

“Well, if you say so, it’s no problem.”

Douglas turned around once again.

“The wind feels nice.”

“That’s right, it’s getting colder. This has been my favorite spot ever since I found the royal capital.”

It was only natural for Douglas to say so.

How many years had it been since I had a panoramic view of the royal capital.

Ever since I became the saint, I had never seen it again.

The town still had claw marks which indicated that the demon invasion had indeed taken place. Everyone’s anxiety still ran deep.

But… regardless, they were doing their best to recover.

It might be a good thing for humans to try to stand up as many times as they wanted even if they were about to be crushed.

When I saw that scenery, I somehow felt that way.

“Oh, there’s a bird on your shoulder, Douglas.”

When I turned, I saw a small bird perched on his shoulder.

Douglas brought his fingers close to the little bird’s mouth.

“When I come here to rest, they often come. It tickles, I dislike it.”

Although he said that, Douglas didn’t seem uncomfortable.

On the contrary, there was a faint smile hanging on his mouth.

Perhaps feeling completely at ease, the little bird didn’t even try to escape when Douglas tried to touch it.

“Fufu, it seems to trust you. I do not believe it will hurt you.”

“Is that so? The bird just wanted to rest, and I happened to be here. It’s convenient for him.”

Is Douglas shy?

While scratching his cheek, Douglas replied with that.

I wasn’t the small bird, so I couldn’t know it’s perspective. However, if I were to consider its feelings, I felt that my guess wasn’t too far off.

There was no way to confirm it, though. Birds didn’t speak, after all.

…Hmm?

Wait…

“A bird’s perspective…?”

“What’s wrong, Eliane?”

Douglas looked at my face.

“…I may have been narrowminded until now. I never tried to look beyond myself.”

That may have been due to the time limit of two weeks.

However, by looking over the royal capital and considering the feelings of the bird, a different perspective came to me.

“…What if I were to think from the customs, perspective, and values of a demon?”

“What are you blabbering about?”

Douglas tilted his head, perhaps not understanding what I was getting at.

“I heard from Claude. The archdemon, Baldur, sat on the throne where His Majesty the King was originally sitting and refused to vacate it for long periods of time…”

…I heard that was his routine before attacking Philip and the others.

“What? That’s because the dude had a sovereignty complex…”

“Maybe that is correct. However, what if there were other reasons? Other reasons for him to refuse to leave that spot?”

I might had been grasping at straws.

Baldur was trying to conquer the world. It was because he aspired for a bigger world, something that was much more vast than the narrow Demon Realm.

Even so, was there a need for him to stay cooped up upon such a small throne?

“Could it be, that Baldur was afraid of something? That there was something there, something that he needed to protect… oh!”

“Did you notice it, too, Douglas?”

Douglas was also taken aback.

“There’s something in the throne room!”

“Yes, but we do not know for sure. However, this is something worth investigating.”

I slowly stood up.

“The investigation is also at a standstill. I shall inform Claude so that we may examine the throne.”

“Hmm, that might be a good idea. But, Eliane, shouldn’t I come with you? If there’s something there, it might be dangerous…”

“No, Douglas, please guard the royal capital. If anything happens, contact me using telepathy immediately. The barrier is still up, but the effect has been diminishing. There is no saying when the demons will attack.”

“Okay, good luck to you.”

With that said, Douglas held out his fist.

I didn’t comprehend it at first, but in the end, I decided to also hold out my fist to match him.

“Leave it to me. I shall also be depending on you, Douglas.”

“Sure.”

When I did so, I felt that our hearts were deeply connected…

…The friendship between men, was that how it felt?

After parting with Douglas, I returned to the royal castle once again.

---

***T/N: I really really dislike it whenever the Author spoonfed Eliane with solutions…

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