Chapter 185
Chapter 185. Battle Scars
“—Sorry to disturb you during your rest, Your Highness.”
After the sun had risen a little, Zilbagias was called by Veteranos and stepped into the training ground.
“It’s fine. I wasn’t asleep yet.”
“That’s good to hear. I wanted to gather your opinion.”
Seeing Zilbagias respond with a serious face, Veteranos seemed a bit relieved.
Normally, the demon race would be asleep by now, but perhaps due to the excitement of war, demons could be seen chatting with their comrades in the Demon Lord Army’s encampment.
However—on the first day, with many fortresses having fallen and the war moving favorably, there was still a somewhat heavy atmosphere hanging in the air.
The reason was obvious.
It was due to the bodies lined up in a corner of the training ground.
Not the bodies of insignificant beastmen or ogre soldiers, but those of demon warriors.
“These are the ones we successfully discovered and recovered. Many others are still unaccounted for.”
As he gazed at the corpses, Veteranos spoke regretfully.
“If they do not return, it will result in unprecedented tragedy for the Reiju Tribe.”
The Reiju Tribe has the ability to turn injuries into ‘nonexistent’ if the target is present. Among the demon races, their low mortality rate stands out. Throughout the history of the Demon Lord Kingdom, they had never suffered significant losses.
“…Close to one in ten of the four hundred are missing—this is unheard of. Combined with the casualties from the fortress assaults, the number of dead will surely increase… What on earth happened on the battlefield…?”
While Veteranos lamented, Zilbagias approached the bodies and examined their wounds.
Cuts and stab wounds—each burned and charred.
“Was it holy attribute?”
While lightly stroking his own neck.
“Yes. Strangely enough, there were not signs of intense fighting at the location where they were found. If they were all taken out by surprise, that is quite a threat.”
Veteranos, knowing that results are everything on the battlefield, did not waste words regarding cowardice at this point.
“I’ve heard you also engaged the enemy’s elite unit and wiped them out. What kind of opponents were they? Were the heroes particularly skilled?”
The seasoned warrior observed Zilbagias with a quiet gaze.
“I don’t know.”
Zilbagias replied immediately.
“Huh? You don’t know?”
Veteranos repeated in surprise. Zilbagias stared back at him with a serious expression.
“All the enemy units were tough. The heroes, of course, the priests, sword saints, and sorcerers as well. However, it was my first time fighting a hero. I can’t determine if they were particularly strong compared to others.”
“Ah… I see.”
Veteranos found himself left speechless.
“…But I was thinking,”
Zilbagias crouched down and began to gesture as if measuring something with fingers over several corpses.
“Look at this.”
Zilbagias drew his sword. Now that he mentioned it, Veteranos recalled he had heard that he was using the hero’s holy sword.
Then, Zilbagias placed the blade against several stab wounds, and Veteranos quickly grasped what he meant to say.
“They all have different shapes. This one is thicker than Your Highness’s sword, and this one is thinner…”
The stab wounds clearly showed the shape of the blade. It was evident that they bore marks from different swords.
“These must have been inflicted by multiple heroes or sword saints blessed by them.”
With distant eyes, Zilbagias said.
“My unit was also wiped out by a sword saint’s preemptive strike. I managed to survive, but these people… could not. That’s how it likely was.”
“I see… We need to be cautious.”
Perhaps the Evaroti defense force specialized in such tactics. Underestimating them as a small nation proved to be a mistake. The royal capital, which had ample preparation time, turned out to be anything but safe…
It remained a mystery whether the hero who took these individuals down was part of the unit that clashed with the prince, or whether they were still alive or had died in battle.
In the end, it was akin to not knowing anything, but…
“This has been helpful. Thank you for your time, Your Highness.”
“If this is sufficient. Then I’ll take my leave, Commander.”
Zilbagias stood up straight and returned to the tent. He was young—almost juvenile—but still so composed. One had to wonder if Platiphia raised him harshly, or if the shock of his subordinates’ deaths still lingered…
In any case, it was admirable that he didn’t express it outwardly.
“Ha…”
Veteranos sighed. If those still unaccounted for truly did not return… he would inevitably be held responsible.
“What a drag.”
He lamented under the blue sky, realizing he wasn’t suited to be a commander after all.
†††
— Just like yesterday, Zilbagias entered the tent, nodding to Virosa, who was on guard in sword saint mode.
“…………”
He sat down on the bed.
He remained still, staring blankly at the side table. The light meal brought some time ago was untouched and had completely cooled.
“It was a good call to switch swords.”
An illusion of Antendeixis appeared next to him with a light laugh.
“…………”
Zilbagias nodded silently. As Antendeixis observed him, he reminisced about the sacrilegious slaughter in the city.
— Though Zilbagias usually favored a spear, when it came to taking out those people, he used the swords of the heroes he had obtained rather than Adamas.
There were also dwarf-made swords, but they were not as well-crafted as Adamas, making it easier to handle without complications. He simply had to swing them attached to the bones of the fallen soldiers.
(Truly, it was well done…)
Antendeixis also provided full support. In the city, they used various methods, focusing on leaving no evidence and ensuring no witnesses returned alive.
Zilbagias established the taboos of [Spear Work], while Antendeixis designated [Escape] as a taboo, making a surprising hunting slaughter of those who had let their guard down, thinking of him as merely the demon lord’s prince. Switching swords made it look like the work of multiple units, sticking the bones to the bottoms of their boots to disguise their footprints.
Afterwards, even when matters escalated, he sought out those who were lurking around, outlawing [Stealth] and [Silence], as well as [Escape]. More than once, he managed to draw out and take down the Night Elf Soldiers nearby. After killing them, he summoned their souls and interrogated them, but it seemed that although they heard the sounds of battle, they had not witnessed the betrayal.
— Yes, every one he killed had their soul extinguished.
Not just the Night Elves, but the demons as well.
(Honestly, it’s hard to believe that Enma would carelessly resurrect the demons…)
Culturally and religiously, demons show a strong aversion to becoming undead. To avoid increasing anti-undead sentiment, Enma would likely refrain from touching the demon race. Zilbagias had personally declared he would be resurrected if he died, but those words likely carried a significant weight.
(Even if he were to resurrect a demon and extract information… saying that publicly would be impossible.)
If it were found out that he toyed with the souls of demons, his position would take a severe hit; thus, he could only remain silent.
Nevertheless, there was a risk of Enma getting a hold of his weakness, making it better to keep secrets.
That’s why he extinguished all their souls and used them to sustain his taboos.
If they were struck by high-output holy attribute attacks, their souls could also be harmed and damaged. That’s why Enma also used shell spells to protect his soul. Even if the souls of the Night Elves completely vanished, the threat of heroes would only increase, but it shouldn’t raise any suspicion…
(Still, taking down 40 of them in one night was the limit.)
The number of demons Zilbagias had dealt with.
He had skipped over larger groups and ended up only managing to take down the few who were wandering about aimlessly.
(Nevertheless, it does lessen the fighting power of the Demon Lord Kingdom.)
Thus—
Antendeixis gazed at Zilbagias’s profile.
So—don’t look so down.
Yet he couldn’t say such a thing. Offering hollow comfort was inappropriate because the war wasn’t over yet.
If he regained his humanity now, he would truly shatter this time—
“…Well, it’s completely cold now. You’ve been moving around so much that you must eat something or it might interfere with tomorrow.”
He pointed to the cold light meal on the table, but the reaction was dull.
“…………”
Finally, Antendeixis let out a secret sigh and materialized instead of remaining an illusion.
“Here, say ‘aaah.’”
He held a plate and brought it to Zilbagias’s mouth with a fork pierced into a sausage.
“…………”
However, the demon lord remained unmoving.
“…You must eat, or your body won’t hold up.”
Antendeixis had a parasitic existence. If anything, he likely knew the host’s body better than the host himself.
No matter how strong his demon power, if nutrients were drained from the flesh, he wouldn’t be able to move.
“Come on.”
So, he shoved the food into his mouth. Afraid it would fall as soon as he let go, he grabbed his jaw to help him chew.
“…………”
Eventually, Zilbagias resigned himself and slowly began to chew on his own.
Antendeixis dutifully brought food to the mouth of the downcast Zilbagias and fed him.
“…Good. You ate properly. Would you like some water?”
Zilbagias nodded slowly. His belly full, he felt slightly more positive, Antendeixis thought.
He drank water by himself, slowly swallowing sip by sip, as if still in the midst of a battlefield.
“Open your mouth. Let me clean it out.”
Doing this to prevent tooth decay, he picked out food particles with a toothpick. If left to his own devices, Zilbagias likely wouldn’t bother.
“…………”
With a thud, Zilbagias lay down on the bed, still wearing his boots.
“Honestly, can’t you take them off properly?”
Antendeixis chuckled and reached for the boots—but then, he noticed the protective magic imbued in the shoelaces.
The protective magic from Ouil’s mother and sister.
“…………”
Silently, Antendeixis untied them and removed the boots.
He then sat at Zilbagias’s bedside and rested his head on his knees.
“This should be more comfortable.”
There was no response, but Zilbagias shifted slightly, readjusting his position.
“…………”
He closed his eyes, remaining perfectly still.
He wasn’t sleeping.
…He couldn’t possibly sleep.
But even so, he focused on lying down and resting.
A warrior needed rest.
…It was a fleeting tranquility to prepare for the next battle.
