Chapter 124
Chapter 124: The Villages of the Territory
After departing from the Demon Lord Castle and taking breaks every few hours, a half day passed—
“Oh, we’ve entered the Reiju Territory,” Sophia said, looking up from her leisurely reading to gaze out the window.
The sign imbued with magical energy by the roadside quickly vanished from sight.
Such signs were installed at various critical points on the main roads within the Demon Lord’s territory. They were robust signs that were difficult to weather due to being reinforced by magic, and the special patterns sealed within them helped the skeletal horses recognize their destination.
Having learned necromancy from Enma, I began to understand these circumstances. It was due to this magical assistance that the skeletal horses, with lower intelligence and self-awareness than ordinary horses, could almost autonomously navigate the main roads.
As for the styles imbued in the skeletal horses, I had picked up a bit of knowledge, as you never know when it might come in handy…
“Still, a road reinforced with magic and the magical signposts… This is just the kind of thing you’d expect from a powerful magical race,” a voice mused.
Is this the place? Is this good? Pat, pat…
“Ohooo~~~”
As I admired the scenery while stroking Antendeixis (in his illusion form), I noticed that the landscape gradually changed since entering the Reiju Territory.
In the previously barren land directly governed by the Demon Lord, it was mostly desolate, featuring scattered Beastman villages, ruins of towns once inhabited by humans, ancient uninhabited fortresses, unspoiled forests, and withered plateaus.
In contrast, the Reiju Territory was dotted with well-maintained fields and villages made up of uniformly designed houses, making it look distinctly “civilized.”
—The Reiju Territory had a significant feature that other demon lands lacked.
It was the abundance of humans.
When we stopped at a particular village for a break, I became acutely aware of this fact.
The reality of the existence of humans in the Reiju Territory—
“Welcome, Your Highness the Grand Duchess,” a sturdy, fortress-like village, encircled by wooden walls, greeted us with what seemed to be a Beastman of the White Tiger Tribe.
They must have been informed of our arrival beforehand; warm drinks and light snacks were prepared for us, creating a somewhat outdoor tea party atmosphere.
“Come to think of it, this is Zilbagias’ first experience with a ranch like this,” Platy said, taking a hearty gulp of tea while seemingly remembering it suddenly.
…Ranch.
“As you know, the Reiju Territory is the largest production area of humans in the Demon Lord’s lands.”
Production area…
“These kinds of ranches are scattered throughout, allowing for efficient breeding and rearing.”
Breeding… rearing…
“Alexander! Control yourself! Keep it together here!!”
What are you even saying, Antendeixis?
I was… calm…
This was all common knowledge by now, wasn’t it? It’s too late for panic… right?
“…What’s wrong, Zilbagias? You’re shaking quite a bit.”
Platy looked at me curiously with a perplexed expression.
Not good.
“I’m… I’m just a bit stiff from sitting the whole time,” I managed to smile despite my face twitching.
“I was just shaking out the tension in my muscles.”
“I-I see…”
Alright, I managed to cover it up.
“Well, this will be a valuable experience for you as you prepare to govern the Demon Lord Kingdom in the future. Shall we go for a look?”
“Oh, it would be the utmost honor for the young prince to join in the inspection. Now, let’s prepare to welcome you—”
And just like that, against my will, it turned into a tour.
—In the center of the village, in the square.
Despite it being midnight, rows of humans were bowing down.
There must have been around 200 or 300 of them… mostly women, children, and just a handful of young men.
No, the only elderly man was the one scrubbing his head against the ground at the front.
All of them wore faded blue clothing that matched precisely, looking almost like prisoner garb—no, it was actually worse than that.
The high walls surrounding the village appeared to serve as a defense against monsters, but the spikes were designed to face inward.
“They are well-trained, I see,” Platy remarked, impressed by how quickly preparations were made despite the unannounced nature of this tour and the fact that it was in the middle of the night.
“…What is the population of this village?”
Thinking it suspicious to stay silent, I casually asked a safe question.
“The village’s? About 50 people.”
The Beastman in charge replied. …But there are at least 200 people here?
“Oh, for the humans? Currently, there are about 500, including infants.”
Heads…
“Control yourself!!!”
I took a deep breath and exhaled gently.
“50 is how many of you there are?”
“Yes.”
“Just that little number managing ten times that many?”
“Yes. Only obedient ones are here, so it’s quite easy. After all, we’ve been thinning out the rebellious ones for over 100 years.”
The person in charge proudly stroked his pointed, cat-like beard.
Over 100 years… my head felt dizzy.
The territory of the Reiju Clan absorbed a small human kingdom. The descendants of those people—this is their fate—
The bowing humans did not make a single move, seemingly fearful of standing out—even the young children not yet in their teens…!
“When was the last time you whipped them for training?”
Before I could even ask, the person in charge began to speak freely.
He explained that the males used for breeding are rotated to different villages every six months to prevent rebellion and ensure that the bloodline doesn’t become too close.
In general, only those with superior physical abilities are kept, and those who lose the competition are shipped off as substitutes for teleportation spells. Once females reach physical maturity, they are actively bred, giving birth at a high pace. Those who meet the required number of births can live out their old age without being shipped off, but most are sent off before reaching a certain age.
Only a handful of elderly are kept as the village’s leaders.
“There used to be more elderly, but they were too inconvenient as substitutes for teleportation spells, so we’ve gradually reduced their numbers.”
I saw the elderly person at the front flinch at Platy’s words.
—It seems the ranch’s inhabitants are diligent in agricultural work beyond just breeding. It appears they are somewhat self-sufficient. “As long as I can produce my own food, I’m better than livestock,” the person in charge laughed.
As for clothing, farming tools, and other products, they seem to be produced in another human village. Some groups of superior slaves, who inherited the skills of the artisans from the former kingdom, still exist, and they—appear to still be allowed to live with some dignity as humans.
But that’s simply a comparison to the ranch…
“Be careful!”
As we were escorted away with smiles from the Beastmen, we set off again.
“How was it? Zilbagias?”
Platy asked me with a smile, sitting next to me.
“It was very enlightening,” I replied, feeling numb and detached.
“It has been very… informative for considering the future governance of the Demon Lord Kingdom.”
“That’s wonderful to hear.”
Platy seemed satisfied.
…Ah yes, it was all very informative.
Very much so.
And so, with a rigid smile still plastered on my face, we swayed in the carriage for a few more hours—
Eventually, the carriage reached the heart of the Reiju Tribe.
Was this once the capital of the human kingdom? A clean, civilized city lined with stone houses.
Though there were many Beastmen and Night Elves who seemed to be servants, there were evidently far more demons.
This was the first time I had seen so many demons together outside of the Demon Lord Castle—
“We’re meeting with the clan,” Platy said, and the carriage stopped in front of a mansion in the central part of the town.
As Platy placed her hand on the door, she turned back and smiled slyly at me.
“Are you ready, Zilbagias?”
“—Yes.”
Now, just what kind of folks are the Reiju Tribe?
No matter how irritating they might be, bring it on.
I can hit them without holding back now. Let’s show those demon folk what’s what—
With a dark resolve in my chest, I stepped out of the carriage.
“Oh!”
“Is that the young prince!!”
“Hey, you guys! Get him!!!”
Suddenly, demon youths with sticks charged at me.
Already?!!
I braced myself—but the youths immediately spread out with their sticks raised up.
My eyes widened in disbelief.
At the end of the sticks, cloth was tied—
And the spread-out white fabric had boldly written—
“Welcome!! Prince Zilbagias!!”
It was inscribed in demon script. The youths holding the sticks were wearing bright smiles.
…A welcoming banner.
