Chapter 233
Chapter 233. Transport Mission
“—So, the damned Undead King is tagging along, which means you can’t come with us… Sorry…”
“Kieeeh!”
Barbara (in her ghost form) let out a strange cry.
This time, Barbara was supposed to accompany us to Evaroti as a rapier. Naturally, it was to check whether Sebastian was any kind of relative and if any other relatives were still alive.
However—
“Well, it can’t be helped. It would be bad if they figured out my existence.”
Barbara shrugged, regaining her composure with the rationality unique to high-ranking undead.
With Enma nearby, it was far too dangerous to bring Barbara along now. I can’t detect undead who keep still without emitting thoughts, but Enma might be able to. If that was the case, it would be bad.
—Jil-kun, who is this woman?
If I was asked that… No way, I don’t even want to imagine it. So I decided to leave Barbara behind.
In the closet of the room, all by herself.
“I’m going to be gone for a few days. Sorry…”
“Don’t worry, just take it easy. There’s no rush.”
Barbara smiled slyly like she used to.
“I used to say that living was lucky enough… But now? Well, I’ll probably do some image training in preparation for the coming days.”
Once Barbara’s body is completed—well, more like once a decent prototype is finished—I’d let her roam freely at the necromancy research facility.
Even so, it wouldn’t change the fact that Barbara would be lonely, and I felt a growing sense of guilt. Moreover, if she were no longer lonely, it would mean there were more dead, which makes me wonder if I should welcome it…
—I sometimes think that it might have been better not to call Barbara and just leave her quietly with Father and Brother “over there.”
But when asked if that was “happiness,” I wouldn’t know.
If it were the other way around and I were in her position, I would choose to fight back against the Demon Lord’s army, even if it meant becoming a skeleton, instead of peacefully sleeping. Surely, Barbara feels the same way.
So, I won’t say anything more. I believe that producing results is the greatest and only way to repay her.
By the way, since I plan to stay in Evaroti for a few days this time, I’ll be bringing Liliana along. It’s a pretext so I can train seriously with the local Virosa, and also to ensure she remains safe if there are any injuries…
Honestly, if there are dying residents in the autonomous district, I intend to whimsically (which is important) offer treatment under the guise of securing labor.
“The existence of the Teleportation Spell will finally be properly revealed to our allied nations.”
Antendeixis said this as if amused.
Yeah… what’s so annoying is that the demon race isn’t hiding the existence of the Teleportation Spell…
Simply put, up until now, no one among those who encountered the Reiju Tribe and survived made it back to share any information…
“Are you taking the dog with you too?”
“Yeah. We can’t just exhaust the local humans.”
When I naturally tried to carry Liliana, the Night Elves looked a bit anxious.
However, they didn’t strongly oppose. That’s because Evaroti was no longer the frontline.
The Sauroe Tribe, the maternal side of the 5th Demon Prince, was making progress in sweeping up and subjugating the eastern part of the Defteros Kingdom, pushing the frontline up to the borders.
The chances of Liliana being reclaimed once she visits the autonomous district were nearly zero.
Once the Sauroe Tribe completely pacifies the former royal territory, they will temporarily halt their advance until the next target of invasion is decided. Right now, I’m sure representatives from neighboring countries are arguing heatedly about which nation will take on the next battlefield…
There’s nothing I can do now.
I can only stabilize the Evaroti Autonomous District a little and prepare to accept a large number of prisoners.
That’s about all.
†††
“Hey, Jil-kun. The weather is nice again tonight.”
When I arrived at the dragon arrival area, “Enma” was already waiting.
I turned around.
—With Claire’s face.
The smile was exactly like Enma’s. Claire wouldn’t… make such a despicable face…!
I reflexively thought, “I’ll kill you,” but they were both already dead.
“Hey, Enma. You don’t look out of place at all.”
You being you. I took a step forward and smiled brightly at her. From behind, I could hear Leila hurriedly undressing—this was all to hide her intentions.
“What’s going on with Claire?”
“To say she’s sleeping might be misleading, but that’s the gist of it. She’s in a dreamlike state with lowered consciousness. Otherwise, two souls in one body would cause confusion.”
…I understand the confusion part. That’s why I made sure the soul in Barbara’s prototype only had the bare minimum of ego. Some nameless soul…
“I see…”
Undead shouldn’t sleep. I wonder what kind of dream Claire is having now.
“Kuuhn…”
Liliana peeked out from my feet, causing Enma to recoil in surprise.
“W-why is the dog here…?”
Huh? Don’t casually call Liliana a dog, or I might just obliterate you.
“This time, we plan to stay on-site for a few days, but I’ll continue the training. I can’t just exhaust the humans, so I decided to take her along for treatment.”
“Oh, I see… You’re quite the stoic, Jil-kun…”
As Enma hurriedly distanced herself from Liliana, who was sniffing around, it would have been a moment to cheer her on if this wasn’t Claire’s body…
“Well, I won’t eat her, so don’t worry.”
“Ha, haha… If Claire comes out okay, I’d be glad too.”
Enma smiled awkwardly. Tch, so are you okay with just Claire being destroyed if bitten by Liliana? I’ll find your weaknesses someday, so watch your back…
“How about that?”
Leila returned to her dragon form, her voice more metallic than usual, bending down to make it easier to mount. I got on with Liliana (safety gear attached), while Enma jumped on me from behind.
“Hehe…”
Enma was letting out a creepy laugh right behind my neck, but since it was Claire’s voice, my head was about to explode.
Leila… I’m sorry. You’ve ended up with something like this… Since I initiated it, it’s completely my fault…
—”No, it’s fine. I’m totally okay, though—”
Through the reins, I felt Leila’s helpless feelings. My frustration, contempt, and disgust towards the Undead King who took over my childhood friend seemed to resonate with her.
Feeling guilty for imposing such dirty emotions on Leila made her sad, completing a spiral of despair.
Enough already! This is pointless!!
Let’s think of something fun instead. There are plenty of injured people in the autonomous district; I wonder how much treatment I can provide during this visit?
I hope the locals are managing well. I hope the trio of inter-species bureaucrats isn’t causing any trouble? The vampires seem to be moving in as well… Ah, once Claire becomes stationed, we’ll be able to get local information through Enma without any delay.
That sounds good. I should suggest to Enma to send me something like the Evaroti Daily Report while flying.
“Well then, I’m off.”
I waved lightly to Garunya and Viene as they came to see me off.
Leila spread her wings and soared gracefully into the night sky.
