Now then, let’s look into the hints in order. First, regarding the habitat of the Tempest Dragon... according to this book, they have been confirmed all over the Demon Realm, but they do not exist in the Human Realm at all.
That meant Hint 1 pointed to the Demon Realm—specifically, the region where the sender of the letter lived.
Hint 2 was "not in the four directions," and the book it was tucked into covered the geography of the Demon Realm. Since "the four directions" likely referred to the cardinal points of the compass, "not in the four directions" would place the sender right in the Central Demon Realm.
Of course, the central region of the vast Demon Realm was still quite large, so I couldn't narrow it down much further with just that.
The next hint was "not the sky, but the earth," found in a book about land-dwelling Monsters. I assumed this simply meant a creature that lived on the ground rather than in the air... or perhaps it meant they didn't live in high-altitude spots like mountains.
Hint 4 was "not the forest, but the wasteland." There is a Great Forest located near Yugfressia in the heart of the Demon Realm, so this probably meant the sender was elsewhere. Since that Great Forest covers nearly half of the central territory, the search area was finally starting to shrink.
Then came Hint 5: "not up, but down." The book it was in was a novel titled Stairs. That implied the destination wasn't some high tower, but somewhere deep... perhaps they were someone who lived underground?
As for Hint 6, "not left or right, but behind"... the book featured various types of architecture. I didn't quite get this one. Maybe it was something I would only understand once I reached the site? For now, I moved on to the next one.
Next was "neither red nor white." The book was about wine. Wait, did that mean...? Neither red nor white wine... which left Roze Wine. Roze... I recognized that name.
She was one of Kuro's Family who guarded a Dungeon in the Forbidden Land at the center of the Demon Realm. If I remembered correctly, she was a special Slime.
The pieces finally clicked into place. The letter had come from Roze-san. She had probably heard about me from the others and wanted to meet. And according to what I heard from Alice and the rest, Roze-san couldn't actually speak.
Alice had mentioned that she "worked hard to write it," so she likely used some kind of reference material while drafting the letter. That explained why the phrasing was so stiff and awkward in places.
Continuing that logic, Hint 8 said, "The attendant holds the key to open the door." The book was about Maid Studies, which undoubtedly pointed to Ein-san.
Hint 9 stated that the location of the attendant and the sender were different. To enter Roze-san's domain, I needed a key, and Ein-san was the one holding it. So, I just had to collect it from her and then head to the Dungeon in the Forbidden Land.
With the mystery solved, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Just as Hint 10 suggested, I decided to find something Sweet to bring as a gift before heading out to see her.
I traveled to Kuro's castle and found Ein-san almost immediately.
"Ah, Kaito-sama. Welcome. It was a pleasure seeing you at the recent Maid Olympia."
"Oh, no, the pleasure was mine. I had a great time."
"What can I do for you today?"
"Actually, I received a letter..."
I showed the letter from Roze-san to Ein-san and explained how I had puzzled it out. Ein-san nodded in understanding.
"I see. It was only a matter of time before she took an interest in you, Kaito-sama. I understand the situation perfectly. Please, take this."
"Is this... a Magic Crystal?"
"Yes. Take it to the gate that serves as the entrance to the Dungeon in the Forbidden Land. On the back of the gate, you will find a Magic Circle. Present the crystal there, and you will be teleported to Roze's side."
Ah, that explained Hint 6. "Not left or right, but behind" meant the back of the dungeon's entrance.
"I understand. Thank you. By the way, what's Roze-san like?"
"If I were to compare her to the members of our family you already know... I would say Razulia is probably the closest in spirit. She is a very innocent, bright child. Since she cannot speak, she expresses her emotions by moving around."
That sounded pretty adorable. I found myself looking forward to the meeting. I had heard she was a Slime, but apparently a "special" one. I wondered how she differed from the slimes I had seen before. Between that and the mystery itself, I was eager to go see her for myself.
Serious-senpai Defrosting
???: "Alright, she's almost thawed. I'll leave the rest to you."
Doctor M: "Leave it to me! My Beloved Child is a cure for all ailments, so it'll be fine!!"
Serious-senpai (Defrosting): "!?!?"