It Seems That the Demon King Is Among the Members of the Hero’s Party

3. Suspect NO.2 Sorceress Sasha

Let’s talk about magic.

Although it’s been mentioned several times, this world has a power called magic.

It’s not a power that anyone can use; it requires aptitude and talent. Unfortunately, I have the aptitude but lack the talent.

In this case, the talent refers to the fundamental power required to use magic, known as “magical power.”

In game-like terms, it’s MP (Magic Points).

I once asked Mirabel about the principle behind magical power, but it was too specialized and went over my head.

I do know that humans in this world have an organ similar to the heart, which circulates magical power throughout their bodies, just like blood.

Magical power is something that everyone in this world possesses. Whether they have enough of it to be useful in combat or research is what determines their talent.

I also have magical power, although it’s more than the average person. However, I don’t have enough to use magic, so I gave up on it.

Let’s talk about aptitude as well.

Magic is divided into several categories. To be precise, someone with the “fire” attribute can use “Fireball,” but not others. It’s said that aptitude determines which magical attributes and numbers one can use.

There are seven magical attributes: “fire,” “water,” “wind,” “lightning,” “earth,” “holy,” and “dark.”

Aptitude refers to which magical attributes one can use. This is determined at birth and cannot be changed through effort.

The only exception is the “holy” attribute. I’ve heard that those who belong to the church and have faith in God can later develop holy magic.

Since gods like Mirabel exist, I think the church’s gods grant them holy magic.

From this, I believe that there’s some kind of interference involved, as the only way to learn about magical aptitude is through the church’s priests and sisters.

Let’s get back on topic. To use magic, one needs aptitude and talent.

Some people have aptitude but lack magical power, while others have magical power but lack aptitude.

In my case, I can use the “Meteor” spell, which has the “fire” attribute, but I don’t have enough magical power.

When I asked a priest, I thought I was amazing for being able to use Meteor, but I was disappointed to learn that I couldn’t.

Generally, magical aptitude corresponds to one attribute and one spell. Some people can use two fire-attribute spells, but it’s common for one person to have one spell.

However, there are rare cases where someone has aptitude for multiple attributes and magic.

Those who possess aptitude for multiple attributes and the corresponding magical power are called sorcerers.

Our companion, Sasha, is also a sorceress.

───As I parted ways with Eclair and walked down the alley, I started to hear a commotion. Since the noise seemed to be coming from our destination, the tavern, I felt a bad premonition as I entered.

“Woohoo! I won!”

“…………”

The first thing I saw was a short-haired woman, who was about to drink from a wooden mug, triumphantly declaring her victory, and a sturdy man who was lying on the table, motionless.

She was our companion, the sorceress Sasha.

The commotion earlier seemed to be caused by her winning a drinking contest against the sturdy man, despite being a small woman.

“Anyone who thinks they can beat me, come on!”

“I’ll take you on!”

It seems they’re going to have another drinking contest. I think it’s ridiculous to drink so early in the morning, but I guess it’s proof that this town is peaceful.

I saw the men around Sasha, who looked cute, making silly faces at her. They might be thinking that they can take advantage of her, but I know about her exceptional drinking abilities and magical powers, so I’m not worried.

I had something to discuss with her, but it seems like it’ll take a while.

Since I have some free time, let me talk about her. But before that, let’s discuss magical power.

In this world, magical power recovers naturally. There aren’t any convenient items like potions that can restore magical power, unlike in games.

The organs in the body that are similar to the heart work constantly, so if you don’t use magic, your magical power will naturally recover.

The amount of magical power recovered varies from person to person, but even if you exhaust your magical power, you’ll be fully recovered after a night’s sleep.

It’s said that the amount of magical power recovered is proportional to the amount of magical power one possesses. The more magical power you have, the more you’ll recover.

A mage must carefully calculate their magical power recovery rate before going into battle.

Using strong magic consumes a lot of magical power, and the more battles you fight, the more frequently you’ll need to use magic.

To put it bluntly, a mage who exhausts their magical power is useless in battle. Just as one needs to train their body to wield a sword, one needs corresponding knowledge to use magic. Therefore, there are few mages who exhaust their magical power and then try to wield a sword.

Some mages do train their bodies while considering magical power exhaustion, but most of them end up being mediocre. The more time they spend training their bodies, the less they understand magic, and their magical power weakens.

That’s why it’s said that a mage’s greatest enemy is magical power management.

Now, let’s get back to the story about Sarsia.

She’s a heavy drinker. You could say she’s an alcoholic.

I learned about her past from her mentor.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s related to the magical power recovery rate.

Sarsia, who was enthusiastic about magical research in her previous life, used magic until she exhausted her power. The number of times she used magic was countless.

When her magical power was depleted, she couldn’t use magic anymore. She had to wait for it to recover, which made her frustrated that she couldn’t research magic during that time.

As you might have guessed, Sarsia (this woman) converted the alcohol she drank into magical power.

She thought it didn’t have to be alcohol, but as Mirabel said, the organs in the body ultimately produce and recover magical power. The organ that responded most to this was alcohol.

Good or bad, Sarsia was a genius who chose the optimal solution.

After obtaining a way to recover her magical power, Sarsia poured her energy into magical research more than ever before.

When her magical power was depleted, she’d drink alcohol to recover it, and then she’d research magic.

She continued this cycle, ignoring her mentor’s warnings, and eventually became an alcoholic (the current Sarsia).

She’s still researching magic, but now she drinks because she wants to, not to recover her magical power.

It’s a perfect example of putting the cart before the horse.

“Hah! I won! Hehehe!”

Sarsia laughed, clinking her empty wine glass on the table.

She’s also a suspect with a high probability of being the demon king.

As I watched her next challenger approach, I reflected on her misdeeds.

Most of her misdeeds were committed while she was drunk. Unlike Eclair, it didn’t stop at just one or two times, which made her bad drinking habits clear.

The biggest damage was when she used magic while drunk. According to her,

“I drank and had excess magical power.

I got annoyed at the persistent drunkards and lost my temper.”

As a result, the tavern was destroyed. Miraculously, no one died, but many people were injured, and Sarsia was naturally caught.

─── It’s well-known worldwide that the brave party set out on a journey to save the world due to the king’s concerns and the demon king’s threat.

Let’s get to the dirty story. She was caught by the guards, who were told that she was a member of the brave party, and in exchange for treating the injured and paying a large sum of compensation to the victims, they released her. The bail was paid by her.

The guards’ faces when they learned she was a member of the brave party are still unforgettable.

Now, I want to discuss the original purpose with Sarsia, but…

“Bring on the next challenger!”

The scene of her continuing to drink seemed endless, and I let out a sigh.