Chapter 134
Chapter 134: The Pressure of Succession
Eijivart, like other high-ranking demon nobles, never missed a day of spear training.
‘—As leaders of the tribe, we must be the strongest.’
My grandfather, who took my young self to the training grounds, said this with a stern face.
The Valt family took over as tribe leaders from the previous generation. While most of the clan now supported us, if the successor seemed unreliable, the Dios family would undoubtedly regain momentum.
Thus, I had to continuously prove that I was worthy of being the tribe leader. The current tribe leader, Jijiivart, was one of the strongest among the clan, and the next tribe leader, Zikvart, was also one of the top five spear users.
‘You will become strong too. Let’s go, Eijii!!’
And what was demanded of Eijivart was the same standard of ‘strength.’
Because of that, I had undergone excessively harsh training since childhood. My father and grandfather were strict, and whining was not allowed.
Even when I clung to my mother, begging for help, I was dragged out to the training grounds after being hit. My mother could only watch sadly and didn’t save me.
I was forced to endure grueling training that made me spit up blood, beaten until I lost consciousness, suffered from wounds that were not severe enough to require a teleportation spell, and couldn’t sleep well due to the pain—
—I was lonely.
Surrounded by my family and members of the clan, Eijivart still felt alone.
Looking back now, I think my younger self was quite gloomy and troubled. But that was only natural. While other children my age played outside, I was forced into a harsh life.
However, things improved a lot after my sister was born. Perhaps the unexpectedly born girl was so cute that my grandfather and father, who had been so tense, mellowed just a little.
Eijivart also cherished his sister. While taking care of her, I could stay away from training, and with the birth of someone weaker whom I needed to protect, I felt I had a reason to become stronger.
At first, it was calculated affection, but in truth, my sister was adorable. Most importantly, it was a welcome distraction.
‘To protect my sister’—reminding myself of this, I accumulated tolerances and became able to endure the severe training, forcing myself to remain a worthy existence as the first born of the tribe leader family.
I had that pride.
But then. I felt that the pride I had built up so carefully was crashing down right before me.
“OoOoooAaAaAA!!”
In the training grounds. The fierce roar of a boy who hadn’t even hit puberty yet echoed.
With sparks flying, the prince and the duke’s wife were carrying out a mock battle in a real combat format.
It was a harsh training session where blood and broken bones were commonplace; sometimes even limbs were severed, and fatal injuries were allowed.
The young prince was piling on blood-soaked training that would make most ordinary demons flinch.
In fact, Eijivart was undergoing similar training.
Fighting with real spears, experiencing fatal wounds—it was the harshest training method in the Demon Lord Kingdom. It was combat training, and a magical training to be able to use the teleportation spell even after suffering deep wounds.
However, even though it was the stronghold of the Reiju tribe, the substitutes for teleportation spells—the stock of humans—were limited. There were supplies for shipping to other territories and provisions for the sick and injured, so he couldn’t just waste resources on training.
Twice a week.
That was Eijivart’s frequency for ‘mock combat’ training. In other words, he could consume up to two humans a week for training. Even this was quite generous for a successor of the tribe leader family.
For an ordinary demon without status or connections, this was unthinkable. Once a month, at best. Of course, even those born into notable families wouldn’t undergo such harsh training… like my sister.
“GuGahh… HaAAah.”
Zilbagias collapsed while spitting blood profusely.
“Waaah, waaah!!”
In a flash, a limbless High Elf, who had been on standby, rushed over and began licking to heal him.
That’s right—this was what the prince had.
Somehow, he had tamed the High Elf as a pet, and unlike us, there were no restrictions on healing.
Zilbagias also took care of Platiphia’s wounds in the process, quickly recovering and resuming training with a cheerful face.
To experience a fatal injury and recover completely was one set for Zilbagias, and it seemed he was doing multiple sets every day.
While Eijivart could only do a maximum of two sets a week.
Every day.
“……”
As I came out to the training grounds for my routine practice, I felt like an embarrassingly insignificant existence, and Eijivart couldn’t help but grip his beloved spear tightly.
—What stung the most was…
That I was doing two sets of mock combat training a week.
Up until today, I had thought like that.
In both good and bad ways, I was blessed. Born into the tribe leader family, I could access the supply of humans, allowing me to train twice a week. I had no choice but to endure this training.
To be honest, I would prefer to throw it all away if I could. The day before training was always filled with dread. Even if the teleportation spell could erase wounds perfectly, the memories of pain wouldn’t vanish.
—Who would willingly desire to experience pain?
My grandfather and father, who served as my training partners, would probably say this with a grin: ‘If you don’t like pain, then you must become strong.’
Turn the tables, they said.
The two strongest individuals in the clan.
“……Alright! Then one more!!”
Yet Zilbagias, no matter how much he was wounded and beaten, rose repeatedly with an expression that showed no signs of pain.
Truly unyielding.
My mother, Platiphia, who accompanied him with a smile while being just as battered, was quite something as well.
I could understand Platiphia. She was a well-known talent within the clan, a heroic woman married to the Demon Lord, and, above all, an adult.
But Zilbagias? I couldn’t quite grasp him.
(…How can he look so unfazed?)
He’s five years old. It’s strange.
I couldn’t help but think that. Having spent so long in the demon world, I understood that his age didn’t equate to a normal human, but he was still a child.
Performing the training that I despised, at a scale exponentially denser, with an unfazed expression.
“……”
Eijivart had pride in enduring severe training.
But it seemed that was until today.
“Hey.”
A voice came from behind.
His father, Zikvart, stood there with his arms crossed.
“Father…”
“You saw it too, didn’t you?”
His eyes were sharp, observing the training of the prince and the duchess.
“……Hmm.”
He let out a low hum and tightened his mouth. His father was the type whose expression rarely changed apart from a polite smile, so this was akin to a general person’s “frowning.”
“Quite fearsome, huh?”
Muttering softly while gazing at Zilbagias, Zikvart spoke.
Fearsome—Eijivart couldn’t help but nod silently in agreement.
“While fighting fiercely, they’re launching curses when there’s an opening, resisting too. How many fighters on the front lines could fight at that level…?”
It seemed Platiphia was already an equal warrior to Zikvart before her marriage. Then there was that five-year-old child fighting nearly on equal terms with her…
How much could I withstand against my father…?
No… what was even more terrifying was…
If I were to spar with that prince, what would happen?
“…”
A chill ran down my spine as I thought that all my efforts, all my hardships, might be negated.
My father might be disappointed in me too.
Feeling a sudden wave of fear, I glanced at his expression.
“……Eiji, let me tell you something good.”
As if seeing through my inner thoughts, my father patted my shoulder.
“That one is in a different league. There are those kinds of beings in the world. So don’t worry about it.”
“…………Hah.”
Eijivart was stunned at the words from his father, who was usually so stoic.
“……I too, in my youth, once felt similar. Well, not to this extent, but…”
His father lifted the corners of his mouth slightly, resembling a faint wry smile commonly seen among ordinary people.
“If only you had shown me this training scene before the banquet…”
“Completely.”
Father and son reminisced, thinking such commotion wouldn’t have happened. The training grounds were filled with clan members who had gathered to watch, but they were unable to partake in the exceptionally brutal and high-level training, and it showed no sign of concluding.
If the prince had displayed his combat skills like this, no one would have dared to underestimate him…
“By the way, have you seen Lumia?”
Suddenly, Zikvart shifted his expression and asked.
“Eh? I haven’t seen her yet today. She’s probably in her room?”
“Hmm, I visited her earlier, and she wasn’t there…”
After confirming there were no people nearby, Zikvart leaned in and whispered.
“—Actually, just now, a messenger from the Dios family came.”
…! Eijivart instinctively tensed.
“According to the talk, Germadios, who has regained consciousness—”
His father’s expression darkened visibly.
“—Claims that the situation was instigated by Lumia.”
He wanted to hear the details directly from her, so he asked Eijivart to help find his sister. As Eijivart felt his head pounding with the sudden pressure, he complied.
