Chapter 480
Chapter 480: A Parent’s Heart Unrecognized by the Child
In the upper living quarters of the Demon Lord Castle――
“Milady! Milady—!!”
Viene, the Night Elf maid, is running!!
She dashed at full speed to Grand Duchess Platiphia’s room, banging on the door—no, pounding on it!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!
“I’m coming in now!!”
Oh my, what a lack of decorum! Entering without waiting for a response from a noble!
But it couldn’t be helped—within the Grand Duchess’s room, an overwhelming aroma filled the air.
And—an altar! Foreboding yet magnificent! Occupying most of the spacious private quarters of the Grand Duchess!
Offerings to the dark gods, bones, pelts, and horns stacked up as cursed objects!
“Ah… Viene. What brings you here?”
The demon woman was kneeling before the altar, praying with undivided concentration.
It was then that Grand Duchess Platiphia noticed Viene and lifted her gaze.
This had been the routine lately. Lost in prayer day and night, Platiphia wouldn’t easily be distracted by minor disturbances. With no response to the knocking, the servants could only enter without permission.
“Milady!”
Viene shouted, heart racing.
“The withdrawal support for the spies we planned earlier has been completed! One of my kin has returned with information from Zilbagias-sama!!”
“!!”
Platiphia’s eyes widened in shock, her form shaking.
“—Speak!!”
Next came an otherworldly acceleration as Platiphia grabbed Viene’s shoulder tightly.
“Guaaaaah!”
A cry escaped as Viene felt her shoulder bones creak under the pressure.
“To get straight to the conclusion! You’ve been quite the hero!!”
“Hero!?”
What does that mean!?
Certainly, it couldn’t be a compliment for a convicted banished criminal!!
“The humans are having an internal conflict! War broke out between the Kaizaan Empire and the Hamilton Principality! Somehow, it seems the prince crashed the party there!!”
“!!??”
Platiphia was perplexed!
“Why!?”
“I have no idea!!”
Viene was equally bewildered.
“So what happened next?!”
“The exact results are unclear, but! Hundreds of them, including commanders, the heroic priest of the Holy Church, and even priests, have been defeated! And, remarkably, it appears the Emperor of the Kaizaan Empire has also been slain!!”
“What did you say!?”
I don’t know the extent of this Kaizaan Empire, but…taking down a king is quite something, right!?
“Is that for certain?!”
“As for the Emperor, the information is highly credible! Word has spread even among the allied regions, and intelligence operatives from various areas caught wind of it, despite the chaos of their escape! It must have been something remarkable!!”
“And what happened after that!? What about that child!?”
“It seems he escaped, riding on a White Dragon!!”
“So… he’s safe!! He’s safe, right!!?”
“Yes! As far as the information currently available goes!!”
With her shoulders screaming in pain, Viene shouted with sweat rolling down her face.
“…………Haa~~~”
Platiphia exhaled a long, thin breath.
“Is that so…”
Gradually, the force from her fingers, digging into Viene’s shoulder, relaxed.
“You did well to report this. You may step back now.”
“Y-Yes…”
“【Teleport】”
Snapping back to herself, Platiphia became aware of Viene’s shoulder’s condition and switched it with the teleportation spell. Grimacing at the unexpected pain, Platiphia muttered.
“Ah, Milady…”
“I’m easier to treat than you, so it’s fine.”
In terms of treatment.
“I’ll drop by the medical room later, for the first time in a while.”
Having been preoccupied with prayer lately, she figured she’d check on her subordinates and, perhaps, leave them with a nearly-dead substitute if they’re around.
“Thank you very much…!”
Viene bowed repeatedly and left the room.
Alone again, Platiphia turned back to face the altar.
“…Oh, dark gods! Thank you… thank you…”
For the moment, she offered her gratitude for her son’s safety.
“Kaizaan Empire… was it?”
She muttered, looking up.
Since Platiphia is known as one of the studious types among the demon race (she once found a 【Knowledge Demon】 while searching for a familiar via 【Guidance】), she remembered countries near the front lines.
However, the Kaizaan Empire didn’t ring a bell. That likely meant it was a country far removed from the front lines.
“Hm, let’s see…”
She rummaged through the bookshelves in the room.
—Ah, found it. A map of the continent. Spreading it out on the writing desk—
“Well! It’s quite a big nation, isn’t it?”
It’s incomparable to the Demon Lord Kingdom, but among allied nations, it’s one of the largest. With the emperor heading to the front lines himself, she thought it might be just a glorified small nation, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. But why is the emperor on the front lines? …Well, who cares!
“How amazing! How amazing, Zilbagias!!”
If he has indeed taken down the leader of such a great nation, it would normally be a significant military achievement worthy of a promotion! Taking into account that Zilbagias is currently a banished criminal, he might not receive proper recognition…
However, she had secured the Demon Lord’s promise that “If one returns unscathed from a banishment, that would be an unparalleled achievement,” so there’s a glimmer of hope!
“Ah, Zilbagias… you continue to exceed my expectations…”
I don’t know why he charged in alone, but if he managed to take the emperor’s head, it must have been an extraordinary opportunity.
Normally, a banished criminal isolated and unsupported wouldn’t recklessly storm an enemy base. Logically, since he can use transformation magic, it would make sense to sneak away and hide, but—he tossed that common sense aside and shattered it with a laugh.
Or maybe, if Zilbagias returns safely.
Comparing him to previous banned convicts who had charge headfirst at the allied army only to be slain, there might be some who would sneer and say, “Zilbagias didn’t fight openly, he merely ran around in the alliance zone.”
But if he dared to challenge a major country’s army and snatched a general’s head, surely no one would be able to jabber about such sneering remarks.
“Zilbagias… you are quite the character…”
Tracing her finger over the Kaizaan Empire on the map, Platiphia’s expression turned bittersweet.
“Impressive, but… that’s a bit reckless! You’re all alone, you know? Be more cautious…!!”
While she’s 100% cheering for him…!!
Though some risks are unavoidable when aiming to become Demon Lord…!!
“There has to be a limit to how far you can take this!”
That was a cry of the soul. She was thrilled by her son’s accomplishments. However, now that he has made a name for himself like no other, she only hopes he’ll hide away quietly…!
“To have killed hundreds, including the Hero and priest… after such a rampage, the Holy Church must be searching for him earnestly…”
It’s truly an incredible achievement, truly outstanding!! But!!
“Geez…!!”
In frustration at her inability to do anything from afar, Platiphia felt like stomping her feet in annoyance.
Logically, there’s no need to take such reckless actions any further, but—
I just don’t know!! Zilbagias constantly goes beyond Platiphia’s imagination.
“I can’t just sit here.”
Platiphia spun around to face the altar.
“I must… I must offer more sacrifices…!”
Glaring at the massive pile of skulls—
At the human ones.
“…Maybe I should offer more than just farmed humans or slaves, something of higher quality…”
For example—heroes, priests, sword saints.
“—Maybe I should head to the front lines myself for the first time in ages?”
She chuckled softly.
Platiphia is also a warrior of the demon race. Her son’s exploits stirred her blood—
“…Just kidding.”
—That said, she’s in a position where she can’t easily embark on a battlefield anymore. A Grand Duchess with no prospects for further promotion.
“Ah, Zilbagias. Where are you now…?”
Still looking at the altar, Platiphia murmured.
Her worry for her son ran deep. But alongside that, there was also a swell of excitement.
That kid is amazing!! That kid is truly amazing…!!
So please,
“Come back unscathed…!!”
Kneeling, she began to pray earnestly.
“May disaster befall all who wish harm upon that child!”
The magic swirling around her rose like countless arms.
As if trying to pull down the calamities that threaten her beloved child—
†††
Later.
“Um… Milady…”
Viene returned, looking incredibly awkward.
“About Zilbagias-sama… it seems there’s a possibility he might have been poisoned during that big scuffle… and he ended up wounded in the end…”
Reporting with trepidation.
…Poison.
…Poison!?
“——!!! #$@$%@?$!?!!!?!”
Platiphia let out a scream of unnameable horror, gripping Viene by the nape of her neck and shaking her vigorously.
The full power of a Grand Duchess thrown around caused Viene to fracture her neck, nearly losing her life—but that’s a different story.
――――――――――
The character design for Virosa has been revealed!! It has also been RT’d on Twitter, and it’s been uploaded on the news notes! Please take a look!!
And it seems volume 2 is already lined up in some stores. Thank you to everyone who purchased it; I truly, truly appreciate it!! Some of you may have already noticed on Twitter and such, but this time, quite the popular voice actor, Nobunaga Shimazaki, wrote a recommendation on the band!! Thank you so much!! Furthermore, there’s even a key visual for the comic adaptation on the back of the band…!?
Please, do check out the book! Thank you very much!!
