Chapter 572 - Chapter 12: The Ice Vice-Demon Lord
How can one see through Camouflage? Actually, it's simple. You just have to actually charge into that scenery.
When we descended and entered the forest, it was a forest itself. We flew among the tree trunks at high speed for a while, but it didn't change.
There are ponds here and there in the forest. There are also very small streams, which well up before you know it and vanish before you know it. It should snow in winter. Such water must be flowing as groundwater.
Next, we ascended. Appearances can be deceived, but light cannot. As long as there are sunny spots and shadows, the light from above is real. If it's not Camouflage, we have to confirm where we were teleported to.
When we ascended to the upper edge of the cliff, the scenery changed. The depression became the rocky surface of a volcano.
When I checked the position, we had come out on the south side of the crater we entered. The lake was on the north side. We had traversed the underground from north to south.
After joining up with our allies, the bee Revenants, we moved to the monitoring base and joined the monitoring team.
Since Matilda was there, I decided to have her help me take off the anti-gas suit. The Priestess used a technique to produce water in a basin, and we added soap to make soapy water. Soaking a sponge and saturating it with soapy water, Matilda scrubbed the slit on my back, and the Elf Adhesive came off. The women went inside the Camouflage Eleanor-sama had cast and put on Green Marble.
The monitoring location was made near a small stream flowing through the forest by the lake, and the summit of the extinct volcano can be seen from the shade of the trees. As usual, we've dug a hole, so we can eat safely.
「In other words, the Vice-Demon Lord is breeding bugs in that wide basin, using them as food for the frogs in the underground lake, and using the frogs as food for the Amphisbaenas.」
「Likely so.」
Eleanor-sama answered Eowyn-sama's question.
「What is the plan from now on?」
「If we exterminate the bugs, the frogs will die out, and eventually, the Amphisbaenas will also die out. To that end, and to lure out the Vice-Demon Lord, I think burning down the forest we found in the depression would be the quickest way, but I suppose that won't do.」
The forest was probably made by the Vice-Demon Lord. It's too unnatural.
However, just as we're doing the recovery operation in the Northeastern Forest, even if a forest is made by a Vice-Demon Lord, once spirits, humans, and planted trees grow into a forest, it's a forest. It would be an injustice to burn it down after it has grown so well.
「Indeed. That would be unforgivable.」
Eowyn-sama stated firmly. He's truly the Crown Prince of a nation that turned against its lord to protect the Dryad's Forest.
「That's fine, let's do it. Let's do it.」
Um, both of them are saying they won't do it, right? What is a Priestess serving the Goddess saying?
Due to the Priestess's proposal, we ended up seeing a truly strange sight.
Thick, pitch-black smoke is billowing out from the desolate mountainside. Occasionally, sparks are dancing. Fortunately, the wind is calm. Surely, it's the Goddess's protection. Thanks to that, the smoke is rising into the sky like a large signal fire.
「Will they come?」
The scale is small for a forest fire.
「I don't know. But listen, if we don't do something, they won't come. Let's just try it; if they come, they come, and if they don't, they don't. Isn't that fine?」
It's exactly as the Priestess says. For now, if we don't try something, we can't do anything.
「It's clearly unnatural. Perhaps they will come to see what's happening in a different sense.」
It's also as Eleanor-sama says. There's no way to compare it to the volcanic smoke. It can only be thought that someone is burning something. Of course, it's not bugs, frogs, or Amphisbaenas. No matter how you look at it, it's a human.
「Let's go inside for now. I think it's fine to leave it like this for the time being.」
The saucer slowly sank into the ground.
When we entered the mountainside, another strange sight met our eyes.
Grass that had been cut was piled high on an unmanned saucer and was being burned. Next to the saucer was a plate made of Wind Barrier piled high with tree branches and grass, and branches and grass were also piled high. The branches and grass were floating up on their own and jumping into the blazing fire themselves.
At the very edge of the Camouflage, a grand bonfire was being held. In a kiln, it's usually built with stones so air can be sent from below. That way, it burns well while emitting white smoke. On the other hand, the saucer has no holes. As a result, it doesn't burn very well and emits black smoke.
The ones manipulating the saucer and plate were the Medioland soldiers... I mean, mercenaries, riding in the saucer manipulated by Harold-sama, who had hidden his presence. The ones feeding the kindling were three clones of the Priestess who had hidden their presence. Since they're ghosts, they don't get burned. On the plate was a Simple Teleportation Magic Circle, and tree branches and grass were flying in one after another from the base.
It was the Priestess's idea. She didn't actually say to burn down the forest. In short, we just had to make it look like a fire had started. The Priestess said that when she saw the forest, she remembered when she saw the lava of an active volcano, and thought that if lava erupted, this forest would catch fire.
The active volcano is further east, and between it and the extinct volcano, there are low-lying areas with hot spring ponds and geysers. Even if lava erupted, it wouldn't climb up the mountainside to this point. Therefore, if we made smoke rise like a signal fire, the Vice-Demon Lord might come to see what's happening.
This idea was praised by the delinquent old men and put into practice.
The signal fire operation continued for a while. So far, there's no change. Perhaps because the fire is being burned at a height unrelated to them, the bugs that likely live in the forest aren't even approaching.
Even though kindling is being sent one after another, there's a limit. There's a limit to the number of times the Teleportation Circle can be used, and the people watching are getting hungry. The preparations we started in the afternoon took more time than expected, and even though the sun is high in summer, it's already dinner time. Is it about time to stop? Just as I thought that...
「Something's coming. Something incredible.」
What the Priestess is looking at is the exit of the cave connected to the underground lake. It's too far for Sense Living, so I hurriedly cast Sight.
「That person in the dark brown clothes, right?」
He's likely an old man. His gray beard reaches down to his chest. He's wearing ordinary brown plain clothes and has a black belt tied at his waist. He doesn't have anything that looks like a weapon. He has the feel of a very ordinary farmer. However, I recall the Demon Lord was sitting on the throne empty-handed and took out something like a black staff from nowhere. I can't let my guard down.
「Yeah. He's not human. In fact, he's incredibly powerful.」
The Priestess has fought demons in the Northern Gram wetlands. Even if they were underlings, they were high-level demons. I can feel through our merger that the Priestess is tense.
(Ah! He's gone!)
He suddenly disappeared from sight. But that feeling...
「H-He appeared!」
The Priestess suddenly recoiled. That meant I recoiled too, and I involuntarily took one, two steps back. Since we're hiding our presence and have Mute cast, we shouldn't be found out, but I wish she'd be a bit more calm.
The old man who was supposed to be at the cave exit suddenly appeared on the plate carrying the pasture. It must be Teleport. Among the executive-class demons we've fought so far, there were no Teleport users.
「Is he the Vice-Demon Lord?」
I'd like to cast Sense Living, but if I use magic poorly, I'll be detected. If I use it, I have to finish him.
「His aura is similar to the Demon Lord's. He must be the Vice-Demon Lord.」
It was Eleanor-sama. She had two opportunities to speak with the Demon Lord, and the first time she fought and won as a comrade of Henry-sama.
「If that's the 'Vice', then the Demon Lord is even stronger, right?」
「Maybe. Good luck.」
A clone is right nearby. Can't we communicate somehow? If possible, I want to gather as much information as possible. If she can at least talk and draw his attention... a surprise attack might be decided when we decide to fight. Right now, three saucers with their presence hidden are floating around the bonfire... I mean, the Vice-Demon Lord. The first is Harold-sama's saucer, with the two Crown Princes, Gwyn-sama and Eowyn-sama, and Harrison-san on board. The second is Wilson-san's medium-sized saucer, with the saucer user and plate user for the bonfire, along with five priests from the monster extermination team. The third is Eleanor-sama's saucer, with Henry-sama, Bonnie, and Will, along with me merged with the Priestess. The Eleanor team's role is diversion, and the moment I fire the Light, everyone is supposed to attack at once. However, to see how the opponent acts, the Priestess's clone will talk, and we'll change our actions based on the content. By the way, Price-sama, Harris-sama, and Sianya are in charge of defending the base. Matilda, with her silver mace, is also joined here.
「Is someone there? What on earth are you doing?」
The person thought to be the Vice-Demon Lord spoke up. The clone has already stopped the work of feeding kindling into the fire. Judging from the dialogue, it seems he can't see the clone that has vanished.
(It's fine not to show yourself, so please have the Priestess respond through the clone.)
(Eh? Me?)
Of course. Who else would deal with him in this situation?
(I'll tell you what to say.)
(G-Got it.)
The Priestess is completely freaked out by the old man's overwhelming strength, but since she came this far of her own will, I'll have her do her best.
「I'm... I'm burning a fire and making smoke.」
The clone remains vanished. However, I can tell. She changed her location after saying it.
「Why do you do such a thing?」
He turned toward the direction of the voice and asked further. Of course, the Priestess is in a completely different place from where the old man turned.
「To call out the Ice Vice-Demon Lord. Are you him?」
The old man is made to turn in another direction again.
「You are a ghost. I will not harm you, so could you show yourself?」
When the Priestess looked at Eleanor-sama, she was nodding.
「R-Really? You won't do anything?」
「I won't. I am a demon. I do not use holy magic. See, I have no weapons or anything. Rest assured.」
The old man spread both hands and showed his palms toward the direction of the voice.
「G-Got it.」
The Priestess showed herself. In the air slightly above and in front of the old man. However, only one of her; one is above and diagonally behind the old man to the right, and another is below and diagonally to the left.
「Fumu. Quite a young woman. Well, shall we talk a bit?」
The old man, saying so, cleared the kindling from the plate, folded the Simple Teleportation Magic Circle in half to make space, and sat down cross-legged right there.
They introduced themselves to each other. The Priestess introduced herself as a priestess from the White Island, and the old man introduced himself as the Ice Vice-Demon Lord. It was a bullseye.
「Why did you come all this way from the White Island? Surely you didn't come to see me.」
「I came to see you.」
Fumu, he tilted his head.
「Did you come to subjugate me? I haven't appeared on the White Island lately.」
「You sent Amphisbaenas. They've increased so much it's a nuisance.」
「Amphisbaena? What on earth is that?」
「The two-headed snakes.」
「Ah, so that's what you call them. But they still remained? I messed up.」
What's that? What on earth does that mean?
What was understood from the conversation between the Priestess and the Vice-Demon Lord was that the Vice-Demon Lord had retired from the Demon Lord's army. Partly due to his age, he apparently got tired of it.
「I too have been struggling to be strong ever since I was born. But, you see, since I started struggling with humans, I've grown disgusted with fighting them. As a priestess, you must know. We are unchanging. Even if we are defeated in battle with them, we revive. But they die. Because they are weak, they die quickly. Moreover, it's not just battles with us; they die in large numbers from plague, famine, and war.」
Compared to demons, humans have shorter lifespans and are weak in various ways, so they die quickly. That is a fact.
「However, because their numbers increase quickly, no matter how many you kill, they don't decrease. We are demons, so we are always struggling, but we don't kill each other. They not only struggle with us but even kill their own kind, unnecessarily kill monsters and animals, and even go so far as to destroy forests, calling it 'agriculture'. They are the vermin of this world. I've exterminated quite a few, but I'm bored. It's better to just not get involved rather than exterminate them. That's what I thought.」
What a thing to say. It's as if he moved because there were too many rats or cockroaches.
The fact that the one in front of him is a ghost... specifically a clone, but still... might also be related. She was originally human, but at this point, she's on that side. If you say so, she is.
Of course, there are certainly parts of the Vice-Demon Lord's argument that can't be denied. But humans are living their lives as best they can. There are some whose thoughts are incomprehensible, but basically, they're doing their best so that they and their families don't have trouble eating.
It's true that they drink until they're tipsy, eat only luxurious meals and get too fat, dress up and wear makeup with luxurious clothes and accessories, and use various things that can be taken from nature for hobbies like music, painting, and crafts. If asked if it's essential for living, there are some subtle points. However, because they are weak as individuals, they live as if huddling together. Struggles also occur in a life that is only bleak. I think it's not a waste for living in a group.
「You're saying some outrageous things. I was originally human too, you know.」
The Priestess's clone crossed her arms and turned away with a huff.
「That's right. Sorry, sorry. I said a bit too much.」
He said way too much; it was terrible.
Here, Eleanor-sama took a gamble.
(Hey, right now, humans are on this island.)
「Ah, I know. The lot on the north of this peninsula. You must have come with them. Are you going to build a church? So far they haven't started full-scale logging, but if they do such a thing, I can't be lenient.」
Good. For now, we're barely safe.
(If you'd like, why don't you try talking to the humans once?)
「With humans? Me?」
「Yeah, that's right.」
「And why is that? You can just convey what I've said.」
「Don't say that. It's better to talk directly. Let's have a banquet.」
He made an overtly suspicious face.