Chapter 308
Chapter 308: A Fool’s Struggle
“—Please stop, Nephradia-sama!!”
Within the Demon Lord Castle. Clad in hunting clothes and clutching a bag, Nephradia was about to storm out of her quarters in anger, with the Izanis-aligned Night Elves hot on her heels.
“Please! Please reconsider…!”
“Shut up!”
Nephradia forcefully brushed aside the Night Elves clinging to her.
“Please! Please reconsider, I beg of you…!”
An elderly Night Elf fell to the ground before her, but Nephradia only furrowed her brow deeper.
“This is all your fault! Get out of my way!”
Nephradia’s tone had never been so coarse, but ever since Emelgias died, things had been terrible.
First, she had been demoted from Duchess to Countess. A full three ranks! While her magic had significantly weakened, this was also a punishment for Emelgias’s blunders.
The furious protests from the Reiju Tribe over the decree against Zilbagias, coupled with the Izanis Tribe’s desire to prevent any further harm to their kin, kept the Demon Lord quite busy.
“A Count? With that level of magic, you’ll be lucky to be a Viscount.”
Platiphia’s mocking words fueled Nephradia’s fury, yet she couldn’t retort since it was true that her magic had diminished so drastically.
(Ah, everything is so infuriating! That foolish son of mine, those Night Elves that pulled the trigger on this chaos! All of them worthless trash…!)
Having lost her son, her magic, and her noble title, Nephradia had become a sort of invincible being at this point. She had nothing left to lose, so nothing scared her anymore.
A thick, murky resentment swirled within her, searching for an outlet.
Thus, driven by her emotions, she decided to move. She would show that despicable Platiphia and that detestable Zilbagias! I’d drag them down to the depths…!
“Get out of my way! I’ll kill you if you obstruct me any further!”
Brandishing her portable magical spear, she pushed through the Night Elves and strode toward the dragon launch site. A bronze-scaled dragon awaited her.
“Please, make it easy on me…”
The Bronze Dragon bent low for her to mount.
Having lost four dragons due to the Emelgias incident, the Green Dragons, who had close ties with the Izanis Tribe, were no longer responding to her requests.
It was utterly infuriating for a flying lizard. Nephradia had no choice but to procure a dragon herself. Though not of the highest rank, she had hired a Bronze Dragon known for its great riding comfort.
For Nephradia, who was now demoted and assured of a pay cut, this was still a painful expense…
— But she had no regrets.
“Go! To the border!”
“Understood…”
With a voice like metal creaking, the dragon replied tersely as it took off.
Eastward. Destination: the border, the front line.
(Hmph… indeed, the ride is decent…)
Despite its rough appearance, it was smooth and comfortable. Satisfied with the Bronze Dragon’s flight for now, she continued onward. Normally, she would have used wind magic to assist her flight, but with her current magic…
“Grghh…”
Clenching her teeth too tightly, blue veins bulged on her jaw and forehead. Nephradia no longer bore the expression of sanity—
After flying for several hours and pausing for a brief rest in the Izanis territory of Defteross, she pressed on until she finally reached the front line.
“Hehehe…!!”
Having breached the allied area. She flew directly above a human city in broad daylight. Below, the lower beings were in an uproar at the sudden appearance of a dragon.
“Ahahaha, ahahahaha!!”
As she circled the dragon, Nephradia dumped the contents of her much-cared-for bag.
What fluttered down were… a plethora of flyers.
These were crafted by mobilizing hobgoblins, proclaiming, “Demon Lord’s Prince No. 7 Zilbagias was exiled from the Demon Lord Kingdom and now hides while wandering the allied territories with the White Dragon!” — written in the human language.
Once scattered in the frontline city, this information would spread like wildfire across the allied territories. Its credibility might be questioned, but the fact that demons were always squabbling among themselves was well known, as was the fierce infighting among the demon princes.
If it could be interpreted as the work of forces wanting to further corner the exiled prince, the alliance would take action. No matter how skilled of spies they brought along, or how agile the dragon’s mobility was, once the hunting of demon princes began, Zilbagias would surely find himself cornered…!!
However.
Such actions would be unbearable for the Night Elves. If the hunting of dark beings targeting Zilbagias intensified, even the agents already infiltrated would be caught in the crossfire.
The Izanis-aligned Night Elves sensed Nephradia’s strange behavior (hiring hobgoblins) moments before it was too late and tried to hold her back—but as you can see, the outcome was catastrophic.
“Hahaha! Let’s see how long you can survive while being hunted by the Holy Church, Zilbagias! And Platiphia… your son will also die in disgrace! Ahah, ahhahaha…!!”
Nephradia cackled as she watched the humans below grab the flyers.
Meanwhile, the Bronze Dragon under her appeared to wear an expression of “I’ve gotten involved with a dangerous person” but quickly shifted to a blank stare of, “I saw nothing, I heard nothing…”
Flapping its wings, the Bronze Dragon hurriedly retreated back to the Demon Lord Kingdom—
“Ahhahaha! Ahahaha—!!”
Only the sound of her deranged laughter echoed endlessly across the azure sky…
†††
— In a certain human city.
A modestly-sized stone city surrounded on all sides by stone walls. The roads were well-maintained, and here and there, merchants, local residents, and a forest elf brigade could be spotted.
This meant there were quite a few passersby and visitors.
The city gatekeepers vigilantly kept their eyes peeled. Among them, a combination of human soldiers, beastman hunters, and a hero and priest for flushing out dark beings was present.
From the end of the road, two young figures were spotted approaching.
One was a tanned young man with brown hair. The other was a fair-skinned young girl.
The girl was almost empty-handed, but the young man was carrying an impressively large load. Yet, he walked steadily, clearly indicating he was well-trained even from a distance.
“Not a face I recognize.”
The gatekeeper naturally called out to the newcomers blending in with the crowd.
“Just to be safe, I’d like you to touch this.”
The waiting priest gently conjured a silver light. A radiant glow of the holy attribute—
“Ah, thank you for your hard work.”
But the young man smiled brightly, manifesting silver light in his own hand.
“Oh, a comrade then.”
The priest relaxed his shoulders, releasing his own holy attribute.
“I suspected you had strong magic here. …Are you a priest?”
“No, I’m a hero.”
The young man replied while giving his belt a little bounce. Hanging proudly from his waist was a shining holy sword. The young girl was also equipped with a sturdy dagger, presumably for self-defense.
“I’m on a long vacation for the first time in years…”
The young man’s gaze momentarily drifted far away. Despite his cheerful demeanor, a shadowy emotion flickered in his eyes, exuding an air of tension.
“………”
The gatekeepers were taken aback by that “real” energy.
The priest also felt a sense of humility. He was one of the members of the Holy Church in this city, contributing to flushing out dark beings at the gate for years, but had only a handful of experiences in battles against demon lords.
(How can someone so young…)
He realized saying “comrade” was quite presumptuous. This demeanor surely hinted he had survived many fierce battles…
“What brings you two to this city?”
The priest regained his composure and continued the questioning in accordance with the rules.
“We just stopped by on our journey and plan to stay for a day or so. Afterwards, we’re heading north towards the Tritus Principality.”
“Wasn’t this supposed to be a vacation?”
The Tritus Principality. Rumored to become the next frontline if Arena Kingdom fell.
“I may have some acquaintances there. Specifically, the wife and daughter of an acquaintance…”
The young man’s smile darkened again.
“I-I see… understood…”
The priest decided not to pry any further.
“Could I get your names?”
“I’m Alexander. This is Leilaine.”
“Alexander and Leilaine… appreciate your cooperation.”
The priest finished recording and took a step back to allow them passage.
“Welcome to the city of Sugusar! It’s not much of a city, but please relax during your stay.”
“Thank you. May the blessings of the light gods be upon you.”
With warm smiles, the two proceeded into the city without further incident—
