Chapter 133
Chapter 133. The Old Warrior Moves
“—What?! The Dios family’s kid broke his horn?!”
The old warrior was furious. He resolved that the tyrannical prince must be rectified. The old warrior knew nothing of politics. He was just a fighter—swinging his spear and living a carefree life hunting.
However, he was exceptionally sensitive to youngsters who disrupted traditions. He heard that the young prince went wild at a welcome banquet and broke the horn of a Dios family man. Moreover, he used a human sword instead of the spear that was the pride of the demon race.
“I won’t forgive this! As one who inherits the blood of the Demon Lord, this is an unforgivable act!!”
Having caught wind of this the next day, he set out from home before sunset, traversing fields and mountains, arriving at the base of the Reiju Tribe after a long journey.
Though it had been a while since he visited this land, compared to the cleanly dressed townsfolk, the old warrior draped in fur and shouldering an obsidian spear appeared distinctly shabby.
“—The youth of today are slack!”
Spying on the young men and women clad in splendid noble clothes, chatting cheerfully as they walked, the old warrior’s rage flared once more.
“Hey, you! What’s with that weak-looking face?!”
“Whoa! It’s the fossil grandpa, run away!”
As young people gasped and fled upon seeing the spear raised by the old warrior, he angrily shouted after them.
“Wait! I’ll beat that slacking spirit into you!”
Though he chased after them, the youngsters were too fast. Not only were they young, but also their magical prowess enhanced their physical abilities.
The old warrior, on the other hand, was part of the ‘old demon race’ and lacked magical power, having not contracted with demons before the first Demon Lord opened the Dark Portal. With age weakening his body, he couldn’t catch up at all.
“Ugh… ugh… they sure can run away…!”
In no time, he lost sight of them, gasping as he clung to his spear and gave up the chase.
“…To think they wouldn’t even face me head-on, an old man, and would flee at the sight of me… what has happened to today’s youth?”
His anger faded into pity as he sighed.
Today’s youth were indeed slacking, and it filled the old warrior with a sense of crisis.
The old warrior was among the oldest of the demon race who remembered the old ways in the ‘sanctuary.’ At almost 300 years of age, he had seen much.
Led by the first Demon Lord, the demon race escaped the ‘sanctuary’ and acquired fertile lands, indeed becoming prosperous. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this prosperity was rotting the demon race.
The old demon race lived by battle and hunting. Compared to their current life, it was poorer, but they lived each day more earnestly and desperately. The light in their eyes and expressions were different.
But look at this! This tidy town! The next generation of demons walking the streets!
They superficially appear well-kept while genuinely flaunting slack, foolish faces…!
“Ugh, I can’t forgive this, I cannot!”
As the old warrior roared in the middle of the streets, the city-bred demons, as well as the servant beastmen and night elves, avoided him as if he were a hazardous object.
—Indeed, the demon race had become prosperous. Contracting with demons has made them stronger.
But has the demon race truly become ‘strong’?
The old warrior was skeptical.
While the Demon Lord’s army may seem undefeated in battle, it was to be expected when fighting the feeble human race. Losing would be truly strange.
Meeting with easy victories, the entire demon race must be slacking off.
And the epitome of this sloth was the prince in question. Who would have thought he’d abandon his spear for a sword? He must be an arrogant brat whose magical power has only inflated.
“I’ll correct his very nature!”
Renewed in spirit, he resumed his strides.
“Hey! Where’s the prince?!”
Yet, the old warrior didn’t know exactly where the prince was, so he asked a nearby young man.
“Whoa?! You’re talking about that Zilbagias, right?”
“Zilbagias! Ah, that’s right, that’s his name!”
The young man gave a vigorous nod, though his expression said, “Is this guy alright?”
“…If it’s the prince, he should be at the chief’s house. If you head to the training grounds, you’d catch him since he’s been training!”
“Got it! Thanks, young man!”
With a thwack on the young man’s back, the old warrior stomped off. The young man, making a face that indicated his disgust at the not-so-clean old warrior, took off his jacket and hurried away.
As he made his way toward the chief’s house, the old warrior noticed a crowd moving in the same direction he intended to go, with some retreating, looking rather pale while exchanging words with their companions.
“—That’s dangerous!”
“—That prince is a monster!”
“—No amount of lives would be enough for that one!”
Eavesdropping on their conversation, the retreating folks were discussing such things.
“…Has the prince done something again!? I can’t forgive this!!”
The old warrior was enraged. An image of a spoiled and tyrannical prince formed in his mind.
He knew the character and reign of the first Demon Lord well. That man was the epitome among the demon race, a superb warrior, and the king of demons.
The current Demon Lord is also quite remarkable, but he felt almost too neat compared to the first. While a child is not necessarily superior to their parent, he felt the harshness of the world pressing upon him.
But if that grandson turned out to be an utter fool, then that was another story.
A rambunctious brat, who prefers human weapons over spears, could not possibly be a good prince.
“Ugh, it comes to this…!!”
He would take his waning life and ensure the prince straightened up! For the sake of the late Demon Lord, Raougius…! Clenching his spear anew, the old warrior renewed his determination.
Finally, he reached the chief’s house.
At the training grounds, a crowd had gathered.
“Make way, make way!”
He pushed through the throng and emerged at the front—
“W-What is that?!”
He was astounded.
—There were two individuals fighting in a blood-soaked clash at the training grounds.
One—a woman, sprouting translucent arms from her back, skillfully wielding three spears as she unleashed a flurry of devastating blows. Her face was so beautifully crafted it sent shivers down one’s spine, but there was not a shred of relaxation in her expression as she fought, drenched in sweat and her hair a tangled mess.
The other—a boy, swinging a bizarrely long spear, valiantly countering the relentless barrage. With a face similar to the woman’s and silver hair, he too showed no signs of ease, wearing a fierce expression as he fought desperately.
Clang! Clash! The sounds of blades colliding echoed intensely, and the tremendous power of each strike reached even the distant onlookers. The spectators realized they could only watch from afar because the battle was too intense for anyone to get closer.
Then, he belatedly noticed that just near the two battling was a pile of three demon youths, white-eyed and frothing at the mouth, lying on top of each other, completely out of it.
(That’s… I believe those are the weaklings from the Ouil family…)
Albar or Amber or some name like that.
(And… that girl over there is Platiphia!?)
He recognized the familiar beautiful face. The pride of the Reiju Tribe, a woman of talent and prowess wedded to the current Demon Lord—Platiphia. —So that boy must be the prince in question!
“Hey, what are they doing?!”
“Whoa… Is that… an old man?”
The young man, who had been watching the battle with bated breath, was surprised when addressed, his expression shifting to one of “Oh no, I’ve run into a troublesome guy.”
“What’s going on!? What are they doing?!”
“They say it’s a real-combat training. Apparently, they’ve been at it nonstop since evening, it’s really something…”
Training that looks like this?! Even if they could recover from injuries, one can’t possibly have enough human substitutes, the old warrior thought in shock.
“Ugg…!”
The prince, Zilbagias, groaned painfully. The onlookers gasped in horror.
Looking closer, he saw Platiphia’s spear piercing through the prince’s abdomen!
“Ugh… No, no!”
Even as he spat blood from the wound—he realized the spearhead was a sword—the prince swung his weapon, but Platiphia ruthlessly deflected it and then decisively lunged.
“Gah…!”
Spitting blood, organs spilling forth from the wound, the prince collapsed.
“Wha…?!”
The old warrior was left speechless by the brutal fatal injury, but just then, he was further dumbfounded by a strange sound cutting through the air.
To his shock, a limbless woman crawled toward the prince on all fours and began licking his wounds.
Moreover, he could hear a fizzing sound—the wound, the fatal wound, was healing!
“What is that woman?!”
“Don’t you know, old man? She’s the prince’s pet high elf.”
“Pet?!”
High elf?!
Wait, now that he thought about it, he vaguely recalled rumors about one of them being kept, hearing it had been born recently and wondering if it had already become all seduced… but never expected this.
“Ugh, ohh. You saved me, Liliana.”
The prince, fully healed, stood up and patted the high elf’s head.
“Woof!”
With a little wiggle of her tail and delighted undulating ears, the high elf looked ecstatic. It was a truly bizarre sight…
“Why is that high elf acting like a dog…?”
“…I’ve heard it got its ego destroyed by the prince’s magic and now believes itself to be a dog…”
The young man quietly explained to the old warrior who muttered in disbelief. “It’s a shame, even as an enemy…”
“By the way, old man, did you come to see the prince too? It’s said he’s quite something, far exceeding expectations.”
The young man’s words reminded the old warrior of his original intention.
He intended to clobber that prince, who seemed to have a twisted nature and set him straight.
“Alright then, is mother fine for treatment?”
“Hehe, I can still go on!”
“As expected of mother. Then, one more!”
Once again, the mother and son took up their stances, resuming their blood-soaked practice.
“…”
That fighting style…
Even in the old days of the demon race, such ferocity was rarely seen…
Using a weapon with a sword as the spearhead instead of traditional ones… It irked him…
But they were strong… Strength is justice… And if he looked closely, their magical power was insane…
If he ever challenged them, he surely wouldn’t last even a few seconds—
“—Today, my back is a little sore.”
Muttering this to no one in particular, the old warrior rubbed his back and turned away.
—Old warriors know when to withdraw.
Leaving behind the young man, who wore a face that seemed to say, “What’s wrong with this guy?”, the old warrior departed the scene.
“Hmmm… The youth today…”
He muttered as he walked, uncertain.
But that prince’s prowess was worth witnessing.
“…Perhaps, the future of the demon race isn’t so grim after all.”
Feeling slightly uplifted, the old warrior began his stride back home.
