“Learn your place. We’re the ones asking the questions here.”

By admitting they were connected to the people who tried to kill me, these guys had cemented their status as enemies. I might have grown indifferent about being driven out of the Demon Forest while living with my master, but being nearly killed? That’s not something you forget easily.

“So, this brooch really is a tracker, huh?”

First, I needed confirmation. If all I had to do was get rid of it, that would simplify things.

“...Tracker? What’s that?”

Oh, come on. They didn’t even understand the concept?

“You’re using this brooch to track our location, aren’t you?”

Frustrated, I tried to keep my composure as Rio picked up the questioning.

“...”

The black-cloaked figure said nothing, but the lack of denial was telling. This brooch, handed to me by the Third Princess, was clearly the culprit.

Now that I thought about it, maybe this was the item the guards in Zain were talking about when they accused me of theft.

“What’s your real reason for summoning us? You lied about a Demon King attacking, didn’t you?”

“And the part about defeating the Demon King letting us return home—that’s a lie too, isn’t it?”

“From what I’ve heard, the so-called Demon King is just the ruler of a nation of demons. Killing him wouldn’t get us home.”

While staying in Zain, I hadn’t heard a single mention of the Demon King or summoned heroes. Were these concepts even widely known? Did ordinary citizens know about them? These guys weren’t ordinary, but how much did they know?

“The... Demon King...?”

Wait. That’s what confuses them?

From what my master told me, the Demon King does exist, but only as a title for the ruler of the demon nation. Whether people outside that nation knew or believed in his existence was another matter.

Or maybe the explanation we got during the summoning was just ridiculously sloppy.

The man’s face contorted with confusion before abruptly hardening into resolve.

“Regardless of what you believe, our only orders were to confirm how you traveled the distance from Zain to here in two days. We’re not to harm you further, and I have nothing else to say.”

“So, killing us wasn’t part of the plan this time?”

Did that mean they weren’t even told the full story? They might just be pawns following orders without understanding the bigger picture.

“There were better ways to ask us, you know,” Rio said, her tone sharp with indignation.

“Exactly. If you’d dressed like normal people instead of skulking around in black, we wouldn’t have been this cautious.”

“Hmph.”

The man sulked, clearly unwilling to cooperate further. It seemed pointless to press him any more. Unless some kind of interrogation skill suddenly appeared in my arsenal, I wasn’t going to get much out of him.

“What now?” Rio asked, seeing me lost in thought, rubbing my chin.

“Well, they’re not going to talk, so we might as well get rid of them,” I said with a shrug.

“Just leaving them here while we sleep is out of the question,” Rio said, crossing her arms.

“How about dumping them in the lobby with a sign that says, ‘Violent intruders—handle with care’?”

“Haha!”

While we spoke, I noticed the faint buildup of magic from one of the men.

“Trying something, huh?”

Before he could finish whatever he was planning, I delivered a swift kick to his gut, knocking the wind out of him.

“Magic won’t work while I’m here,” I said, glaring down at him.

Disrupting their focus was enough to stop their magic, but it was frustrating not having a way to completely neutralize it. I’d looked for magic-sealing tools in Zain, but those weren’t the kind of thing you’d find in a general store. Developing a new spell for that might be worth a shot.

“Hey!”

Rio jabbed me in the side, pulling me out of my musings. Her arms were crossed, and her pout made it clear she wasn’t impressed.

“Sorry, sorry,” I said sheepishly. Right—focus on the task at hand.

“Honestly…”

Even when she’s annoyed, she’s adorable.

“This brooch,” I said, holding it up. “Maybe we should deliver it right back to the Third Princess.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

Leaving it behind somewhere would be easy, but it wouldn’t send the right message. Besides, it would feel like running away.

“If this thing tracks us, then let’s return it—with a little extra flair.”

Rio’s eyes widened, but then a mischievous grin spread across her face.

“Haha! You’re right. Let’s make sure it’s a delivery they’ll never forget.”

We nodded at each other, our resolve set.

“What’s... ‘extra flair’ supposed to mean?”

The tied-up man muttered something, but we ignored him. Our plan was already in motion.