Chapter 159
Chapter 159. Nostalgic Castle
Well, it’s Zilbagias, back at the Demon Lord Castle after a day of being jolted around in a skeleton carriage from the Reiju Territory.
The journey was quite comfortable. I got to relax with Liliana and Leila, and Viene brought along a board game, so boredom was definitely not an issue.
It was a simple game where you roll dice and move your pieces, and even inexperienced players like Leila and Garunya could easily join in and have fun. Ignoring the fact that the events upon landing on certain spaces were quite gruesome, it turned out to be pretty entertaining.
But I couldn’t help but laugh as Liliana, who only needed to spit out the dice, pummeled Viene mercilessly with her absurd luck.
“Isn’t it a bit too simple of a game for a Night Elf?”
When I casually asked, Viene, half in tears from being beaten by Liliana, replied:
“Most Night Elves can adjust the dice rolls, so cheating and sabotage is the main attraction, you know?”
“…You didn’t adjust the rolls?”
If she had cheated, she could’ve fought back against Liliana.
“I… I’m just not good at cheating…”
…It dawned on me. She probably thought she could win against other races with her well-practiced board game skills, only to get smacked down by her nemesis, the High Elf (who had zero experience)…
Well, teary-eyed Viene was the cutest I had ever seen. Watching the Night Elf struggle was strangely entertaining.
And so, we arrived at the Demon Lord Castle.
As we got off at the outer carriage station, the three goofballs stared slack-jawed up at the castle walls saying, “Whoa…,” “So big…,” and “This is His Majesty the Demon Lord’s castle…”
They seemed completely overwhelmed by the scale of the Demon Lord Castle. Well, since it was carved out of a rocky mountain, it’s probably the largest building in the world.
“What, is this your first time here?”
“Of course it is!”
“We’re just minor nobodies with no business here…”
“When we go to war, we usually just head straight to the front lines…”
Starting today, they’ll be living here, their eyes sparkling with excitement.
But, I suspect… their rooms probably aren’t ready yet, so they’ll be lodging in the town for a while…
Well, I won’t rain on their parade, so I’ll keep that to myself for now.
Plus, once we’re inside the Demon Lord Castle, they won’t even be able to see it. They’ll get a better view in the town and can enjoy the tourist vibe.
I left the luggage to the servants—thank goodness I’m royalty—and went around informing acquaintances of my return.
First up, while I wasn’t keen on it, the Night Elf residential area.
“Welcome back, Your Highness.”
Welcoming me with a deep bow was Sidarl, who was solidifying his status as a key figure in the Night Elf community.
“While I was away, was there anything unusual?”
“Recently, there haven’t been any significant movements on the various fronts. It seems large reinforcements from the Holy Church have arrived in the Defteros Kingdom, but we are maintaining a stalemate.”
Sidarl smirked maliciously, probably imagining them chewing through their meager rations right about now.
“I see…”
I nodded solemnly while sipping on milk tea loaded with honey.
“Fortunately, it seems there haven’t been any severe injuries that would trouble Your Highness.”
“That’s good to hear.”
—No, that’s not good. While it’s a relief that no one had to suffer in order to be treated, I actually want the Night Elves to drop like flies. Specifically, around 500 trillion or so.
Since there were no wounded to attend to, I indulged in tea and took my leave. I carried Liliana and passed through the Night Elf residential area, where the residents were now respectfully bowing their heads to me, having gotten to know me quite well.
And those same residents were being chased by a bunch of curious Night Elf children (most of them older than me).
…Only the children, who haven’t been completely absorbed into this cruel worldview, can be spared. If I instill some new ethics into them, there’s a possibility we could coexist.
Maybe.
—Next, I made my way deep into the underground of the Demon Lord Castle.
“Zilkuuuuuuun!! I missed you sooooo much!!”
In an earth-shaking charge that made me instinctively pull back, I was greeted by Enma, the Undead King.
“O-oh… I’m back…”
“Welcome back!”
With a smile that you’d want to frame and title “The Best Smile Ever,” Enma beamed at me, while Claire, who popped in late, looked quite exasperated, suggesting that this was probably a special expression prepared for today…
“It felt like this past month was the longest ever for me!”
Enma squirmed happily, and Claire let out a sound that could either be a sigh or an acknowledgment.
“Maybe that’s because you were marking the days on a calendar while counting down to Prince’s return, Master.”
She maintained a serious face, but her eyes were cold.
“Not long ago, you were saying things like, ‘With eternal life, my sense of time becomes fuzzy, and a year passes in the blink of an eye!'”
“Stop saying unnecessary things!”
Enma flicked Claire on the forehead with astonishing speed, while Claire dodged it just as fast. Whoa, these guys’ physical abilities… I shouldn’t underestimate them…!!
“So, how was it? The Reiju Tribe’s territory?”
“Umm… Well, various things happened, but…”
As tea was brought over before I even had a chance to refuse, I hesitated about what to say.
“I did hear something about you breaking a horn…”
“Nguh!”
Tea almost spewed out of my mouth. Well, with a month’s time, news travels fast, and that was on the very first day.
While nibbling on some tea snacks, we engaged in some light chatter. Naturally, it turned into a story about how I snapped the horn of some cocky guy from my own race. It was just a tiny chip off the tip, and I clarified that it had already been repaired.
On the flip side, it seemed like Enma and the others had nothing particularly noteworthy to report.
“Well, I guess I’ve made some progress; I can now endure sunlight for about five seconds.”
Well, there’s a change. It seems like they’ve managed to hang on for a few more seconds than last time!!!
While it might seem trivial, for them, who literally have forever, a few seconds can add up significantly. After a year, that could be several tens of seconds—if they keep making progress over dozens or hundreds of years, they’ll keep gaining resistance—
“Or perhaps they might break through the wall and attain total resistance,” Antendeixis muttered quietly.
That’s terrifying stuff.
While sipping my tea, I casually observed Enma—but, as expected, I couldn’t find the location of her true body. It seemed like she was still deploying multiple layers of spells to defend her soul.
I unconsciously turned to look at Claire, seeking help.
“…”
She turned her face away in rejection. …Hmmm, it seems the day I can break through the wall is still far off.
Feeling a little queasy, I left the Undead King’s stronghold and made my way to the upper levels of the Demon Lord Castle.
At this hour, the Demon Lord shouldn’t be too busy.
“Welcome back, Zilbagias-sama.”
I was greeted by my usual devilish butler.
“How is Father?”
“He’s been busy with paperwork, but it should be around the time he’s taking a break.”
“I thought so.”
As I nodded solemnly, the goat-faced devil chuckled and smirked.
“Right this way, please.”
I was led to the office, which I was now used to.
“Oh, you’re back, Zilbagias.”
As usual, the Demon Lord was buried under a mountain of paperwork, taking a moment to sip on some milk tea.
“Long time no see, Father.”
“Indeed. Didn’t I tell you to stop breaking horns?”
And the very first thing he did was hit me with a preemptive strike.
“Well… um, that was… they started it…”
The Demon Lord stared at me intently, but then broke into a smile.
“I’m joking. I was informed of the details from Platy’s letter. …Well, let’s just say it was beyond your control.”
He chuckled, “Hoo-hoo,” then gestured for me to sit.
“Would you like something to drink?”
He lifted a teacup slightly.
“No, um, I’m feeling a bit queasy.”
“Ah, I see. It looks like you were treated to quite the feast wherever you went. Just be careful of poison.”
“Understood.”
I nodded while stroking the magical ring on my right hand that detects poison.
“So how was it? Platy’s homeland?”
“Well… I’d say, the civilization of my mother’s clan was surprisingly advanced. Conversely, my grandmother’s clan was quite the unusual bunch. I even inspected human farms and found some retainers who underwent various training…”
The Demon Lord seemed to listen intently, nodding along, deeply seated in his chair and looking quite relaxed.
“…So, Father. I need to have a serious discussion with you.”
I adjusted my posture, gauging for the right moment.
“Hmm. Let’s hear it.”
Noticing the shift in atmosphere, the Demon Lord straightened up with a dignified look.
Licking my lips, I dove right in.
“Could you lend me a rather remote area in your domain?”
—Preferably somewhere that can only be accessed by dragon.
A place far from human settlement.
