Chapter 394
394 – Champion? Or Ordinary Person?
Having finished gathering information in Alban, I leave for the Great Alban Mine on the steel horses, still in my humanised state, with Aro and the nightmare. Once we’re close, I release my humanisation and let the steel horses go free.
From here on, the priority is raising Aro and the others’ levels…and also, somehow or other, increasing our allies to form an anti-Demon Lord force. Up to now, I’ve avoided using [Fake Life] out of a personal sense of distaste for it, but… I might not be restrict myself like that any more. The scale of the enemy this time is far beyond anything I’ve fought up to now.
It’s not like I’m not hesitant over this plan of action. I saw a girl, Luon, in a state of it being unclear whether she even had her sense of self after her skills were taken away. Probably, in Alban, the same thing is repeating over and over.
That slime is endlessly producing more victims, just to delay things from coming to a head. It probably doesn’t care about the eventual collapse of the princess’s status. It won’t at all feel like there’s more it need to have accomplished with it.
Volk will end up the same. I haven’t known him for long, but I don’t dislike him. He’s a weirdo who came swinging at me the moment he saw me, and there are times I have doubts whether he really understands what I tell him, but he can be surprisingly caring. He has a firm grasp on his own heart, and is altogether a pleasant guy.
At this rate, Volk will probably die. Tomorrow, during the party, the lives of the adventurers as well as all the techniques they’ve developed over their lives will become the Demon Lords experience and skills. Knowing that, I am letting him go to die.
『You really are troublesome, you know?』
My partner’s thoughts fly into my mind. Glancing at her, I see her staring at me in exasperation.
『If you’re going to overthink this so much, then you should just hurry up and attack. No matter how many small fry there are, it doesn’t matter. All you have to do is draw out the problem enemy and kill it with that suspicious woman.』
Don’t say it so simply… Is what I’d like to reply, but her words aren’t completely empty of logic. No matter how many C+ rank subordinates there are, it’ll be cute compared to the abyss nest. The Three Knights too… If Aro and the others struggle, they can join forces with Volk who should also be there, and should be able to at least buy time against them.
As long as I could pull out the problem Demon Lord, it should be killable through the combination of Lilixira and the seraphim. Of course, I’d also attack. If that still wouldn’t be enough, Lilixira has her last resort, her second spirit servant, the Magic Beast King Beelzebub.
But… All the same, that line of thought is stacking ideals on ideals. In reality, I doubt things would go so well. There are too many uncertain elements, and I’d be putting Aro and the others in danger.
I want nothing more than to charge into that castle and beat up the slime right away. But I wouldn’t be the only one in danger. Not only would Aro and the others likely die, If I were to lose, there probably wouldn’t be anyone who could stop the Demon Lord. Were I to recklessly charge in, the chances are high that the Saint would get caught up and also die. If that happened, this world would truly fall into that slime’s hands. The number of people who would be affected is far too many.
『You’re getting too worked up over this, partner.』
My partner shakes her head and lets out a deep sigh.
As we draw closer to the mine, I see a dragon perched on one of the peaks and glaring down at us. I recognise that radiant white dragon. She’s one of Lilixira’s spirit servants, the seraphim who is the [Holy Dragon of the Salvation Country]. There’s no sign of Lilixira… Which means the seraphim’s come here as her messenger.
I suppose this means Lilixira has already arrived in Alban. In other words, all the preparations are in order for me to attack tomorrow and expose and bring down the Demon Lord. However… Sorry, but in the current situation, the chance of victory is too slim.
『So you’ve come, evil dragon. The Saint has already arrived in the royal capital of Alban. I came to inform you of that.』
The seraphim faces me and calls out with [Telepathy]. As I thought, she’s acting as the Saint’s messenger. It seems [Spirit Servant] functions even over long distances. Such a convenient skill.
『Tomorrow, the princess of Ardesia is inviting adventurers into the castle. Using that, the Holy Knight Alphiss will infiltrate the castle. As the princess, who’s location within the palace is usually unknown, is certain to appear in the parlour, this is a good opportunity. The risk of them slipping away and losing the chance to kill them is much reduced. The Saint said to leave the fine details to you, evil dragon.』
The seraphim informs me in a high-handed manner. Her master, Lilixira, isn’t, but why are both the Holy Knight Alphiss, and the Holy Dragon Seraphim so haughty? I suppose as the ouroboros is an evil dragon that toys with life and death, my existence might not be easy to accept for those who claim to follow sacred texts. Well, it’s hard to imagine Alphiss or the seraphim would take any actions on their own that go against their master’s objective. It’s not a very good feeling, but… As long as it doesn’t present an obstacle to our cooperation, I don’t care right now.
More importantly… I need to firmly refuse the seraphim’s, Lilixira’s, proposal. I close my eyes and bow my head.
『…Mu, what is it, evil dragon?』
Sorry, but on that topic… There are some new circumstances, so would you mind-
…I’m about to ask if they would mind delaying, but then all of a sudden, I realise with horror the source of the sense of discomfort I’ve been feeling.
No, pl-please wait a moment!
『Wh-what is it?』
I look down and desperately think. From what the seraphim said about using the invitation to adventurers to attack, I finally remembered. The swordswoman Miria was with, Meltia, was rejoicing over being invited to the princess’s party. I hadn’t thought much about it. Soon after there was the fight with Thermal, so I completely forgot.
I was fixated on the idea that the slime was only after the experience and skills of the strong, and so would find any low-level individuals mixed in to be a bother, and as a result only the primary targets would be invited. But I should have thought a bit more about Volk’s remark that 『an attendant is permitted』.
There’s a high chance that Miria will go to the princess’s party as Meltia’s attendant.
Miria…was with a swordswoman by the name of Meltia. Meltia was ecstatic about being invited by the princess. It is likely that Miria will go to the castle as her attendant. Once that happens, she probably won’t return alive.
No, Miria was suddenly attacked by Thermal. I don’t know if she’ll readily go into the stronghold of such a person. She collapsed today, so she might play it safe and stay behind.
However… However… I have a bad feeling about this. With such a bad coincidence already present, I can’t imagine that she would avoid going at the last moment.
『It appears there’s something concerning you…』
The seraphim watches me searchingly. [Telepathy] that sends the user’s thoughts, and reads the thoughts of the target. If I let my guard down, my inner thoughts can be read. For that matter, it seems likely that a part of my thoughts have already been read.
N-no, at the party of adventurers tomorrow… A girl I know might be going, so I was feeling uneasy.
Sending that thought, I look away.
『…I see.』
The suspicion disappears from the seraphim’s eyes. From that look… It matches the information she read from me, so she judged it wasn’t a lie. I’ve somehow managed to outmanoeuvre [Telepathy].
…Or rather, I made the mistake of outmaneuvering it. If I hide my motives from the seraphim, the Saint’s group will just be charging into enemy territory with incomplete information. That could have an affect on their lives or their mission. Getting their cooperation through trickery is insincere.
However, however… I know all that, but after that, I say nothing more to the seraphim. Eventually, she kicks off the mountain and flies towards Alban. I watch her leave in a daze.
Feelings of guilt rush in once my inaction becomes irreparable. The scale of this case is too big. That was why I didn’t want to mix in my personal feelings… And yet why, how did it come to this? If I had realised Miria might get caught up sooner, I could have persuaded her there and then. Even if that was impossible, I could have abducted her to stop her from going through force.
As I stare listlessly in the direction the seraphim flew, a mocking cry of “gaa” comes from my neighbour dragon to my left. I turn to face her. Her fearless laughing face is oddly comforting.
『Isn’t it okay? It’s obvious that they’d cast us aside the moment we failed and only see us as convenient war potential. I don’t see it as anything so depressing. Worrying about victims, or who to cast away, doesn’t suit you. Aren’t you overstretching yourself to show off?』
But I can’t exactly… If we were to attack with our current strength, I wouldn’t be able to break through without borrowing Aro and the others’ help. But I can’t bring them into such a dangerous place…
“If dragon-god-sama is going, then I’ll go too no matter where!”
Aro shouts while looking hard at me. The nightmare also tilts her mask face in exasperation then spits out a thread and moves to my partner’s head. She doesn’t like cooperating with me, but if my partner’s going, then she’ll go too it seems. The treant, who had come rushing out of the mine at some point, bends its trunk as though to puff out its chest.
T-treant-san!? B-but, treant-san, your speed is fatally slow, and more than anything, you can’t hide your appearance, so just getting close to the royal capital is difficult…
『Of course, I shall also do my utmost, master-dono.”
Treant-san spoke!? It’s finally putting to use the [Telepathy] that I thought would eternally stay unused after it learnt it on that island. I, my partner, and the nightmare all look at treant-san in amazement. Perhaps shy, it turns away and pretends to be a simple tree.
Aro doesn’t seem particularly surprised, and only looks at the treant with interest. Treant-san might have been having secret conversations with Aro. Though I don’t understand why it would go out of its way to hide it.
“Gaah!”
As I stare at the treant, my partner lightly rams into my jaw from below. Oww! Wh-what was that for…!?
『See, you’re looking a lot better already. You were going on and on about nonsense and getting depressed all by yourself. Weren’t you just trying to carry more than you had to?』
P-partner…!
I make my resolution. If I don’t act tomorrow, I’d definitely regret abandoning Miria, Volk, and all the people that I don’t know. I knew from that start that it’s better to recklessly try and fail to save people than to do nothing. Tomorrow, I’ll settle things with the slime once and for all.
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