Chapter 251
Chapter 251. Failure and Exploration
“Not good. Even if we can prevent external interference, we can’t protect the original setup in the 【Hunting Grounds】.”
“If there were a type of trap that activates automatically upon detecting Claire’s betrayal, that would be the end for us…”
“Can’t we block it with forbidden magic?”
“The target is too ambiguous. If we could specifically recognize ‘what kind of setup there is,’ we might be able to interfere before it activates. But targeting something vague like ‘something that’s inconvenient for us, though we can’t pinpoint exactly what it is’ would drastically reduce the efficacy of the magic.”
“Hmm…”
Zilbagias and Antendeixis began discussing what countermeasures Enma was implementing against the enchanted rocket, mixing in specific terms from necromancy.
“…”
Leila could only watch this, tormented by her sense of helplessness. She was grasping the basics of necromancy, but it was merely introductory theory, and she couldn’t grasp more advanced concepts.
She wanted to help but knew that interrupting them would only hinder their discussion. It was wiser to remain silent.
“Kun?”
Liliana nuzzled against Leila’s thigh. Perhaps she sensed Leila’s gloomy expression and was trying to cheer her up.
“Thank you…”
As she gently ran her fingers through Liliana’s hair, her thoughts drifted.
—Claire, a childhood friend of Zilbagias, or rather, ‘Alexander.’
For a while now, Leila had seen her repeatedly in Evaroti Royal Castle, crossing paths with her: when Alexander was replenishing his magical power, when she was quietly reading in the library, or when she was asking officials something—
The unranked undead Claire was disliked by the residents of the Demon Lord Kingdom. Even though she was known as Zilbagias’s ‘favorite,’ the higher demons underestimated Claire’s power, and the Night Elves, who worshipped the dark gods, inevitably showed contempt for the undead, who defied the laws of death.
Ironically, the ones who responded most normally to her were the lowly hobgoblins.
Claire, who seemed to dislike goblins, might have softened toward the hobgoblins because of such circumstances. She often complained, “Those guys are really missing out based on their looks.”
Yet, when she shared information collected from the bars about the Autonomous District with Alexander—
As Alexander had said, she appeared genuinely happy… though Claire herself would likely never admit it, she didn’t seem to wish for the destruction of humanity at all.
She couldn’t reveal her ‘true self.’
She had to navigate around those watching her, trying to get by.
…It felt reminiscent of her past when she had been trapped in a dragon’s cave. Gradually cornered, like being strangled with a silken thread, unable to breathe freely—no, perhaps she was better off now, simply being able to breathe.
That thought only came because she was happy now.
Her current days with Alexander—this dazzling happiness washed away her dark past.
But Claire was absent of that. …There was light so close by.
Yet she didn’t even know it…
“Honestly, I think it might be safer to just leave it be.”
Once, on the way back from Evaroti to the Demon Lord Castle, when Alexander, exhausted, dozed off on Leila’s back, Antendeixis had said so through 【Kizuna】.
“The risk of things being revealed outweighs the information we could gain by making Claire an ally. That’s what I think… I really think so, but…”
Even so, it wasn’t as simple as saying to just wipe them out.
“I can’t say that… not with this child…”
If someone could so easily ‘cut things off,’ they likely wouldn’t have formed a contract with Antendeixis in the first place…
Even while acting cruelly, he wouldn’t disregard the hardships falling upon himself, continuously searching for the optimal answer. Carefully weighing every option, through trial and error, only at the very end, when he truly found no other choice—would he finally decide to discard it.
“I’ve let many die. I’ve killed hundreds.”
Alexander’s words came flooding back.
“But—that doesn’t justify continuing to let others die from now on.”
Those eyes that held a strong will.
If—if he could save even just one more person, he wouldn’t hesitate, even if it meant enduring pain equivalent to a thousand deaths.
Alexander was that kind of person.
…A beloved person.
“…”
Leila sighed softly.
If possible, she didn’t want Alexander to suffer. She wanted him to be at peace.
But… he wasn’t the type to avert his eyes from sacrifices for the sake of his own peace. That trait was incredibly appealing… Watching Alexander struggling to save people, Leila felt overwhelmed with both anguish and affection.
And—perhaps, Antendeixis shared that feeling as well.
If you talked to him, you’d understand. No matter how villainous he acted, or even how depraved he was.
Antendeixis truly cared for Alexander and cherished him…
Still, what Alexander desired was power. Therefore, Antendeixis dragged Alexander down the path of depravity, continually granting him strength and affirming his suffering. That was nothing but Alexander’s wish.
“Ugh…!”
Rubbing his hair messily, Alexander hastily scribbled on his notebook, trying to organize his thoughts.
Would the end of this suffering… lead to the salvation he desired, or perhaps…
A final mercy after exhausting all options…?
“…”
Leila once again let out a small sigh, releasing the swirling murk from deep within her gut.
Her breath mixed with light magic, popping and crackling. Thanks to the memories inherited from her father, Faravgi, she could fly and even use ancestral light magic. She could even unleash her breath at will—though it was unexpected that she could even do so in her human form; as far as her father knew, no such dragon existed.
But, even if she could do that, what good would it do?
In the realm of necromancy, Leila was powerless. Engaging directly was far too incompatible. With her overly strong light magic, she could only destroy…
A soft touch on her shoulder.
“Don’t overthink it too much.”
The translucent Barbara said with a smile.
“There’s something for everyone, after all.”
She too must have experienced the feeling of helplessness. While trying to encourage her, that smile was laced with bitterness. A spirit is the soul’s true form. Unlike the undead clinging to a body, it was difficult for her to put on a facade.
“…Yes.”
Appreciating her thoughtfulness, Leila awkwardly smiled back. Yet, she had no intention of stopping her efforts to think of something for Alexander.
“…In moderation, okay?”
Barbara, who seemed to have grasped her intent at a glance, let out a wry smile and smoothly possessed the body that was set aside in the corner of the underground laboratory, rising to her feet.
Barbara’s fifth trial body.
It was the same height as Barbara’s original self, containing muscles even as an undead, and most notably, its skin was blue.
There was a reason for that: this body was made from “the flesh of Zilbagias.”
While Alexander had struggled primarily ethically to procure “materials” for creating undead, through treating the citizens of the Autonomous District, he came up with the idea: “Oh right! I can grow limbs as much as I want! I can become the material myself!”
When he started joyfully cutting off his own limbs, even Leila couldn’t help but feel a sense of madness. Liliana was also disturbed, going, “Wow!? Wow!? (Did he go insane?),” while Barbara was utterly taken aback.
Nevertheless, the body crafted from the finest material, the bones and flesh of a marquess-level demon, was a cut above the previous prototypes in terms of performance.
“…”
Without vocal cords, Barbara silently drew her rapier and began tracing forms.
Her movements were powerful. However, even from a novice’s perspective like Leila’s—it was hard to say they were refined.
While the body’s performance had improved, it was only in relation to “compared to before.” Either the completion hadn’t yet reached a satisfactory level, or Barbara’s skill in manipulating her body was lacking.
According to Alexander and Barbara, it was a case of “both.” They were still very much in the development stages.
As a side note, Leila had also offered to provide “materials.” Unfortunately, dragon bones and flesh didn’t quite mesh well with Barbara, leading to it being dismissed—however, they concluded that scales might be usable as defensive parts to enhance magical resistance.
Alexander bounced ideas back and forth with Antendeixis.
Barbara diligently practiced forms to improve her skills.
“Kun…”
Neither Liliana nor Leila knew what to do.
While gently petting Liliana, who looked somewhat forlorn, Leila began to review the knowledge passed down from her father.
Maybe, just maybe, it could be of some help.
There might be hints to break through the current deadlock.
Having attempted this many times, she still didn’t stop her thoughts. Right in front of her, Alexander was suffering this much; how could she not pour her own efforts into it…
(…I’m sorry)
And even while desperately thinking, she quietly apologized in the back of her mind.
She had once said to Alexander, “I want to share your suffering…”
(I’m sorry)
She felt she could not do it. As she poured all her effort for Alexander, Leila—
Certainly was happy.
Turning suffering into power was Alexander. Not even feeling her suffering and continuing to bring forth her power was Leila.
A lovestruck girl is strong.
A girl who knows love—is frighteningly strong.
