Chapter 628 - Exterminating Ants in Engrio ⑥
I rapidly deactivated the bowl's lid and immediately switched to a wall of Light. This way, I could stay inside the bowl while fighting enemies coming from above.
DOGOO!
We were jolted from below. Was it a Stone Pillar?
Several of us, including myself, bumped our heads against the Light ceiling with a thud.
The impact nearly dislodged the lid of the Light wall I had just made.
"Above!"
As a follow-up, several lightning bolts struck down.
Everyone hurriedly covered their heads. Although we managed to reflect them, the impact sent the lid flying.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, FLASH!
One bolt that came a moment late was a direct hit. It fell right on Will as she stood up.
"Ugh. That was quite intense."
She was standing, but staggering.
It was a good thing I had cast Magic Reflection on everyone to counter charms, as it reflected the bolt, but it must have been incredibly painful. While the elemental effect of the lightning can be blocked, the physical impact is unavoidable. It probably felt like being struck in the head with a club. Honestly, I'm impressed she's even standing.
"Wilhelmina, nice guts!"
Henry-sama praised her. Eleanor-sama shook her head from side to side.
"Come on!"
She was taunting the sky, but her footing was unsteady. She was getting too carried away. Hurriedly, I pressed my palm against Will—making sure not to be reflected by her Magic Reflection—and cast Defend and Shield. It would still hurt, but she’d be tougher; even if she took a hit from some physical mass now, she shouldn't get any lumps or bruises.
"Uwaaaaaaaa!"
Lightning bolts rained down. Every single one hit Will. She was being completely targeted.
Reflecting them upwards was fine, but because the targeting was loose, I ended up taking collateral damage from the ones coming down. I scrambled to dodge.
"Cocytus!"
Eleanor-sama launched a counterattack. It seemed Will's perseverance paid off, and the enemy's location had been identified. We had rolled dice beforehand to decide who would be the decoy. Since we couldn't hide our presence, someone had to draw fire. Those capable of using high-level magic for counterattacks were exempt, but in the end, Will drew the short straw. I thought she would use throwing knives to divert the lightning, but I never expected her to use her own body as bait.
Five massive pillars of ice flew toward a section of the cliff.
"Jeanne!"
"Yes!"
Aiming ahead of the flying ice, I fired an Overflow with eight-shot reflectors. The ice pillars, which were supposed to be accelerating, seemed to lose speed—perhaps Cocytus had been deactivated. As their trajectory shifted downward, the pillars of white light flew past them.
Suddenly, the light vanished mid-air.
"There! They're hidden with Camouflage!"
Everyone attacked at once. Magic and arrows were all mixed together. Cocytus, Holy, Wind Cutter, Clump Stone, silver arrows. I wondered if any of them had landed a decisive blow...
"For mere humans, you're not half bad."
A voice echoed from nowhere... and it sounded like a woman's voice.
"Everyone, pay attention to your surroundings. The enemy is using Loud to amplify their voice and utilizing the cliff's echoes. I can't tell where they are at all. We don't know where the next attack will come from."
Even Eleanor-sama had cast Loud on herself and was shouting toward the cliff. Because of that, Eleanor-sama's voice also echoed back. She was likely trying to counter the effect. In other words, the Demon Race member was still at the original location where they cast Camouflage. Eleanor-sama's performance was a code directed at her allies.
"Ahahaha! Auntie! You're working hard!"
Eleanor-sama, treated as an "auntie" by the mysterious voice, didn't seem particularly angry. Perhaps it was because she wasn't called a "grandma"?
Oops, her gaze just got sharp. Heaven preserve us, heaven preserve us.
The Camouflage faded, and the cliff face transformed into a cave entrance.
Standing beside the entrance was a single member of the Demon Race. Fundamentally, she was the same as Keira or Difodor. Except for her purplish face and neck, she was covered in black fur. Judging by the swell of her chest, she was likely female. The differences were the two long, twisted horns growing from her head. And the wings. The wings weren't the bat-like wings of the Demon Race we'd seen so far, but those of a Dragonewt. They were pitch black and glossy. She had those wings folded against her back, just like a Dragonewt. In her right hand was a pitch-black one-handed sword. In her left, she held a large round shield. This was the first time I'd seen a Demon Race member with a shield. She was about Will's height, so she was much taller than the average human woman.
"Are you the ones? The ones who've been going around defeating my high-ranking Demon Race comrades lately?"
Her red eyes seemed to glow. This one might be a battle maniac.
"What do you intend to do with that information?"
Eleanor-sama remained cautious. She likely had no intention of giving away information easily.
"Now, don't be so stiff. It's not like I'm going to eat you or anything."
She's not an Ogre, so being eaten would be unbearable. Besides, even Ogres don't seem to eat people because they like it.
"Are you seeking revenge?"
"Revenge? Ahahaha, no, no. That's irrelevant. They lost because they were weak, right? I just like strong people. So, I just wanted to meet you."
Though she was laughing and the corners of her mouth were turned up, her large eyes were wide open and not laughing at all. She was no different from the Wetlands Priestess or Eleanor-sama when they got serious. A complete battle maniac.
"How about it? Shall we both sheathe our swords and have a drink?"
It was Henry-sama. His bad habit had surfaced again. The two Engrio priests looked at Henry-sama in shock. They were about to say something, but Harris-sama silenced them with a look.
"Oh my, are you trying to get a woman drunk so you can attack her? That's not very admirable."
She laughed, "Ahaha."
"No, no. We have indeed defeated several high-ranking Demon Race members. However, we do not do things like getting people drunk to attack them. Battle is battle, a banquet is a banquet. If you wish, I can even swear an oath to the Goddess we worship."
"To a Goddess, huh. I don't swear oaths to Goddesses."
"Then how about you swear an oath to the Demon Lord?"
At the mention of the Demon Lord, the Demon Race woman's expression changed.
"You, don't you dare speak of the Demon Lord so lightly. It's disrespectful for a mere human."
She pulled her right leg back. If she raised her sword and shield now, she'd be in a combat stance.
"It is true that we are nothing more than the 'mere humans' you speak of, but I and my wife beside me fought and defeated the Demon Lord who was resurrected two cycles ago, along with our companions. We even spoke with him for a short time. We know in our own way what kind of existence the Demon Lord is. In a sense, we pay him respect as the ultimate adversary. We do not mock him."
She looked stunned.
"You defeated the Demon Lord who was resurrected two cycles ago? You? Are you perhaps the one from Sertoria..."
"I am Henry, the former King of Sertoria, and..."
"I am his wife, Eleanor. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Even the battle maniac was left speechless.
The Demon Race woman accepted Henry-sama's invitation. The humans swore to their Goddess—Will swore to the god she believed in—and the Demon Race woman swore to the Demon Lord that they would not harm each other during the banquet, and a temporary non-aggression pact was formed.
"I should also introduce Harrison here. Harrison, along with seven companions, defeated the Demon Lord who was resurrected most recently."
Henry-sama spoke with the casualness of a hunting buddy talking about a big catch.
"No, my own power was of little consequence. It was thanks to people like James-dono and Roberts-dono."
Seeing Bishop Harrison's humble attitude, the battle maniac's eyes changed.
"You... you fought the most recent Demon Lord."
"Even if you say we fought him, there were seven of us who faced him directly. If you include the process leading up to that, I wonder if the number reaches tens or hundreds of thousands."
"I don't care about that. If you put it that way, then I and my subordinates have also fought against heroes."
"That is quite true."
They seemed quite frank with each other. Even as a battle maniac, she might be close to the Wetlands Priestess.
First, they toasted each other with a drink. It was alcohol from Finis. The Demon Race woman choked on it, so I hurriedly offered her some wine.
"This is better."
"Then, I shall give this to you as it is."
When I handed her the water skin, she gulped it down.
She let out a long breath, and when I brought out some Highway Cookies, she started munching on them, seemingly having taken a liking to them.
"So, how was it? Was the Demon Lord strong?"
She asked Bishop Harrison while eating and drinking.
"I perceived him to be a terrifyingly powerful individual."
"I bet, I bet."
"It was only by the seven of us each making our moves and seizing openings that we were finally able to win; it was a paper-thin margin from total annihilation."
"I bet, I bet."
She replied cheerfully. She also said that in a one-on-one fight, she wouldn't lose to a human. Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama likely had no objections to that point, as they said nothing.
"And so, we of the Demon Race are that strong. And yet, why do you humans keep challenging us like this? Do you want to fight?"
She finally got to the main point. Was she perhaps intending to negotiate?
"It is to improve our food situation. Hunting the magical beasts in the forest would be a great help."
"I haven't exactly banned entry. If hunters come, I just leave them be."
"With the insects around, it's too dangerous for hunters to enter. Bees, ants, and spiders are particularly dangerous. And then there are the humanoid monsters that attack humans on sight... Orcs and Ogres are like that too. If it becomes a national extermination effort, your comrades will come out, and in the end, it leads to war."
"That can't be helped since they're weak. Besides, you're making plenty of fields, aren't you? You're grazing animals all over the place, aren't you? Is that still not enough?"
"Apparently so. I am not a person of the nation that includes this forest, so I am not privy to the details."
"Basically, humans increase too much. You're in heat all year round, always rutting and making kids."
"Since we were born as such creatures, there is little we can do about that."
"You should just have more wars and kill each other."
"We do not have wars for the purpose of killing each other."
"You're selfish. Cutting down the forest trees to clear land and turn it all into fields."
"I hear there are no plans to clear this forest."
"Then things are fine as they are, aren't they?"
"However, as it is, it's too dangerous for hunters to enter."
It was a circular argument. There was likely no point of compromise. Negotiation was impossible since no one present had the authority to make such decisions.
"Then, shall we decide this with a one-on-one duel?"
The Demon Race woman tapped the hilt of her sword. Seeing her looking so happy, maybe it would have been better if the talks had just broken down?
I thought they would say, "Fine, let's do it," but I was wrong.
Because Falstaff-san said he would check with King Seldic. This was likely because if anything happened to Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, or Bishop Harrison, it would become a diplomatic issue.
When Falstaff-san sent the letter, King Seldic was in the middle of flooding the ants. Despite that, he came flying over.
"How are things over there?"
"There are excellent people there even without me, so it should be fine."
He dismissed it easily. It was likely because he had a lineup of people who could be called hero candidates. He trusted his subordinates that much, and he had confidence in the preparations he'd made.
King Seldic's view was that there was no need for a duel.
"What would a duel achieve? If we win, will you recognize this forest as belonging to humans forever?"
King Seldic looked at the Demon Race woman with his usual faint smile. No matter how you looked at it, he didn't seem to be afraid of a duel.
"Forever is impossible. Because when I'm resurrected, I'll come back to take it."
"We do not resurrect. The conditions are too different."
"That can't be helped since humans were born that way."
"If the conditions are made equal, I will accept the duel. If you lose here, you will hand over this forest to the humans from now on. Never think of occupying it again."
Only then, he said, would a duel have value.
Well, it felt like the logic held up.
"I'm not exactly occupying it."
"Then, you will not interfere with our hunting?"
"I won't. However, if humans enter the territory of the Orcs or Ogres in the central part, a territorial dispute will occur."
"We will simply invade."
"Then that's where the battle is. Even if you win the duel, you'll just kill the Orcs anyway, won't you?"
"If they don't complain about what we do, we won't kill them. In exchange, even if you encounter Orcs in the forest, do not let them attack."
This was incredible. He intended to achieve true coexistence and co-prosperity.
"Are you serious about this?"
"Yes. If a dispute occurs, I will interrogate the parties involved. And if the human side is at fault, I will punish them. Those who kill Orcs will face the death penalty. Those who injure them will face an equivalent sentence of execution. Those who insult them will be exiled. However, I demand the same treatment for your Demon Race. You should be able to do that."
"I suppose so. I could do that."
After that, King Seldic offered an equivalent exchange of human-made products like alcohol and preserved food for game. In other words, trade would begin. When religions are different, is it really this easy to come to terms with the Demon Race?
"What will you do if the Demon Lord is resurrected? We'll follow the Demon Lord's orders and attack your villages and towns."
"At that time, we will rise to the challenge. Let us fight fairly and squarely, without lingering grudges."
So cool! Just like the warriors of Finis. Are people who worship the God of War always this clean-cut?
"But, it's no good."
The Demon Race woman spread her arms and shrugged. She didn't look sad. She was laughing happily.
"Why is that?"
I couldn't help but speak up and interject.
"Little girl, you don't know why?"
"I don't!"
"Because I'm a member of the Demon Race."
No way... if you say things like that, true coexistence and co-prosperity can never be realized!
"Bishop Jeanne, that is enough."
When I tried to argue further, King Seldic stopped me.
"Fight and win. The victor takes all. The loser loses. That is all there is to it, isn't it?"
"That's right. Exactly. You understand, don't you?"
"Then, instead of a duel, I must subjugate you here and now."
"I suppose so. But you know, if you're going to do it, bring an army and attack. I'll kill every last one of you."
She grinned.
"It's a breakdown in negotiations, then."
"I guess so."
With a speed faster than the eye could follow, King Seldic drew the sword at his waist, but the Demon Race woman vanished instantly. It wasn't the Teleport used by the Demon Race we'd fought so far. No magic circle appeared on the ground. She chanted a short-range Teleport, just like a human would use, without any vocalization. Everyone looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Her voice alone could be heard from afar, wherever she had gone.
"That was a pity."
Henry-sama muttered.
"Which are you referring to?"
King Seldic seemed amused.
"Both."
After answering King Seldic's question, Henry-sama looked away.