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Chapter

297. The Thoughts of the Dead

“Listen! It turns out Zil-kun is being exiled!”

Huh?

In front of the ghostly Claire, Enma was fuming.

In the deepest part of Demon Lord Castle’s underground, it was time for the regular evening report. Apparently, Zilbagias was ambushed by his brother Emelgias, retaliated in a fit of rage, accidentally killed him, and received an exile sentence.

It seems there’s a grace period of a month, but, reportedly, even the high elf’s pet has run away, making the whole situation even worse.

“Just one year… No matter how much he tries to pass for human, it’s gonna be tough.”

“Yeah, I think so too. Just being able to take human form isn’t enough to make him strong.”

Zilbagias had mastered the magic of transformation—he had once disguised himself as a human to deceive an old beastman sword saint—but the dark faction hunting of the Holy Church isn’t something you can escape with just a change of appearance.

“Demon Lord Goldgias, useless!”

With a loud bang, Enma slammed his fist on the conference table.

“I thought he was a demon who understood things! Stuck in precedent! So rigid like a barbarian! Living so long, his brain must be growing mold! He should just switch out his body already!”

Despite being in the most secure, soundproof, and top-secret meeting room, Enma didn’t hold back at all. Claire nodded in agreement.

“Oh, I’m so worried about Zil-kun…”

With her hand on her cheek, Enma wiggled and writhed in agony.

“But Master, if the prince dies, we can finally welcome him as a comrade, right?”

“Well, I don’t mind dying, but the problem is how he dies.”

Enma replied seriously.

“What if those Holy Church folks kill him and destroy his soul with holy attributes…?”

“… Should I make a summoning device specifically for the prince?”

“I already prepared one! It can call him twenty times a second at maximum output, directly connected to the ley lines!”

“Isn’t that better than yours, Master?!”

“Of course! Unlike me, Zil-kun can’t just project his spirit out!”

If they don’t secure his soul quickly, it could wear down in the spirit world… Enma thought.

“The prince’s ego, that sharp reason of his, if it gets lost! I can’t stand it!”

“Indeed.”

“Anyway, I think I can summon him right after he dies, but if he’s too badly damaged, it won’t matter… I can only pray he dies nicely.”

“What a total mess for the prince…”

A mess—was that because he was exiled for merely retaliating against his brother, or was his fate after death already sealed…?

Holding back her twisted thoughts, Claire asked.

“… So, what really happened? You called Emelgias too, right?”

“Well, here’s the thing. Emelgias, his subordinates, and even the dragons didn’t respond at all.”

Enma raised an eyebrow dramatically.

“This… Zil-kun is doing something, isn’t he?”

There’s no way the souls of magical strong demons and dragons could vanish so easily.

“… It seems like they’ve secured their souls,” Claire commented.

“Did he sense me, or is it because the situation is what it is, that the Demon Lord had me summon them and didn’t want to have them testify through necromancy? In any case, depending on which is true, the story changes, but I think I’ll just leave it be.”

Enma chuckled.

“Who knows, Zil-kun might have something scandalous going on.”

“Oh? You think his exile might be justified, huh?”

“Well, even so, exile is too much! A reprimand would have sufficed! What if Zil-kun’s soul gets damaged?!”

They had returned to the same topic.

“Darn it! If only my research on sunlight resistance had been completed, I could have gone with him…!”

“Even if you’re fine with sunlight, won’t they sniff you out in the alliance area?”

“Oh right…! Everything in this world is getting in our way!”

Enma exaggeratedly pretended to cry, but Claire thought with a cool heart that “we” meant Enma and Zilbagias, and she probably didn’t count as one of them.

“Ugh…”

After a good long lamenting session, Enma exhaled a huge sigh. It’s a struggle to fill a body with air just to make such an effort. Since undead don’t express movement or emotion unless they consciously do so, Enma’s emotional displays tended to be rather exaggerated.

“Claire, aren’t you a bit cold in your reactions?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. When talking to living people, that’s just how I roll…”

Caught off guard, Claire offered a forced smile. Now, as a spirit, her expressions were instantly visible, but having grown accustomed to acting human in an autonomous district, her exaggerated emotions returned to a more natural state.

…There was also the matter of trying not to show too much emotion in front of Enma.

“Aah. I’m sorry to trouble you. Is there any indication that my cover might be blown?”

“Your body is perfect, so it’s fine. The tavern we frequent has spiced dishes that keep the beastmen away.”

“That’s good to hear. I wonder if there’s a way to make spiced dishes popular across the whole alliance area?”

“Isn’t that a bit too roundabout?”

Even if there’s all the time in the world, isn’t that just too much patience?

“The alliance will probably fall before that happens.”

“That’s true. Well, as long as you’re not inconvenienced, that’s good. But dealing with drunks must be tough, right?”

Enma slightly expressed distaste. Perhaps due to past experiences, it was known he disliked crude folks.

“I’ve gotten used to it.”

Shrugging, Claire responded nonchalantly.

In fact, dealing with drunks — the Tafuman types — was quite fun.

Rather, it was the emptiness after returning to the castle and being alone that she dreaded. When she took off the stomach part, pulled out her stomach, tossed out the contents, and washed it, that was when she felt death most acutely.

After that, she chatted lightly with Enma, and the regular report came to an end.

“Ah, by the way. It seems Zil-kun headed to Evaroti. I think he’s probably handling things in the autonomous district, but if you see him, please send my regards. I really want to greet him before I leave!”

“Sure, got it. …Well then, see you tomorrow.”

Diving into the gates of the spirit world and being tugged by the gentle force of the simple summoning device, she returned to Evaroti.

“……..”

Reassociating with her own body, Claire rose from the bed. She stared at the simple summons undead at her bedside—the skull lit with blue magical power.

“…I’m home, Alexander.”

She poked it lightly to shut it down.

—Just playing around.

Using the summoning device wasn’t satisfying, so she thought to use the name of a childhood friend from her long-lost hometown.

Of course, it was a bone of a human she didn’t know and who was entirely different from her childhood friend.

But she thought it wouldn’t hurt to have someone to say “welcome home” to.

So, what should I do? There’s no drinking party today, so for now, let’s go read a book in the library, and just as she stepped out of her room—

“…Oh?”

Noticing a figure walking toward her in the hallway.

“Hey.”

Waving casually was none other than Zilbagias himself.

His cheerful smile did not resemble that of a tragic prince facing exile at all, making Claire almost chuckle in her chest.

As usual, he had the White Dragon Leila with him, but the high elf dog was nowhere to be seen. They always acted as a set, making the absence feel very strange.

“Greetings, Prince! How does it feel to be exiled?”

“Well, surprisingly, this sense of liberation might become addictive.”

Zilbagias grinned confidently. This was a question that might have earned a rude awakening from other demon princes, yet he responded effortlessly this way.

He’s definitely different from others, Claire thought.

“How about we chat while I replenish some magic?”

There was no reason to decline.

“Sure!”

Entering the library, Claire took hold of Zilbagias’s hand, going along with the flow.

 

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