87 - The Misunderstandings Continue
Many of the demon race were infuriated by the actions of the Laurel Kingdom army that had invaded Nordende. The Laurel Kingdom army showed no mercy, even to children. If found, they were killed. Only women were left alive. But even for those spared, what awaited them were days of hell. Ravishment that continued until the perpetrator grew bored. And once one man grew bored, another would take his place and continue. Person after person. The only way to be released from that hell was to die.
The demon race were not simply watching the situation in silence. They launched numerous attacks on the Laurel Kingdom army in an attempt to liberate the captured women. Some women were saved as a result, but many warriors were sacrificed for that cause. Considering the survival of their species and tribes, was such action correct? Not a few people wondered. However, most of those who thought so were not the ones affected. Such advice did not reach those whose wives or daughters were captured.
"At any rate, we must flee before we are discovered."
If a battle broke out and comrades were captured, they would only sink deeper into the quagmire. To avoid that, they had no choice but to flee before it happened. Dracul King's opinion was something anyone could understand without needing to think deeply about it.
"The problem is where to flee."
"Is the east not an option?"
"You are surely aware of the state of the war in this land. Around the area past the mountains, vigilance is being maintained that is different from the usual."
The Laurel Kingdom was not the only enemy. The nations located past the mountains to the east, or rather, all the human race nations, viewed the demon race as enemies. If discovered, the result would be the same.
"...It is the same everywhere, then."
"Yes. In that case, would it not be better to remain hidden within Nordende?"
"Can we escape that way..."
He felt unable to deny his subordinate's suggestion. Following the invasion of the Laurel Kingdom army, Nordende had become a dangerous place, but it was not necessarily the case that the entire territory was in such a state. To suppress all of Nordende, a considerable force would have to be stationed there.
"The Laurel Kingdom army is rebuilding the forts that were destroyed. They seem to be making them larger in scale than before, which I believe suggests a posture for a long-term war."
"...I see."
The suppression of all of Nordende was not something that could be carried out rapidly. Would this information serve as a source of relief? Dracul King believed not. Rather than the immediate crisis, the demon race would surely be cornered in the end.
"...I believe we should unite once more."
"Are you speaking of the Demon King's Army?"
"The Demon King's Army is one thing, but I mean under a new Demon King."
"...True. I believe that is how it should be."
Dracul King thought it would be difficult. A few species or tribes could cooperate. However, that only happened when interests and opinions aligned. It was different from the Demon King's Army.
"I intend to send messengers to each tribe."
"And what content do you intend to send?"
He knew the answer without asking. Still, by daring to ask, Dracul King intended to convey his dissatisfaction to his subordinate.
"...That they should gather under the King."
An answer almost exactly as expected. The fact that he vaguely phrased "under whose" leadership was a result of sensing Dracul King's dissatisfaction.
"If that King refers to me, it is useless."
"Why is that?"
"Why should other kings submit to me? There is no reason they must do so."
"The former Demon King was able to do it! Why should there be anything we cannot do as King!?"
This was the cause. Why could he not be the Demon King? Why was the king of his own species or tribe not the Demon King? Other demon race thought the same.
"Leo spent a long time persuading the other kings. He did not demand that they obey him. He gathered their agreement. At first."
Dracul King was one of those who had agreed with the former Demon King Leo's ideas. He had not sworn fealty. Leo himself, as the Demon King, had forgotten that. Developing a desire for power had been the mistake.
"...Then we shall also take our time."
"Rather than doing that, focus on dealing with the current problem. There is no guarantee that the Laurel Kingdom army will not come to this land."
"...I will continue the search for a new base. I will also investigate the movements of the Laurel Kingdom army and strengthen the surrounding defenses."
"Yes, please do. I'm counting on you."
"Yes, sir."
With a look of anxiety remaining on his face, the subordinate left. Seeing this, a feeling of regret welled up in Dracul King's chest. He wondered if his choice had been a mistake. Uniting the demon race was not easy. The person with the capacity to do so had vanished once Leo, the former Demon King, lost it. Ray, whom he had hoped for as a combat commander capable of opposing the Laurel Kingdom army, could not be found. Even if he were found, there was no guarantee he would cooperate. Dracul King could think of no way to break the current situation.
(What should I do? As the king of the Vampio race, what must I do now?)
The answer to this question was also not something he could come up with immediately. If he could, he would not be agonizing like this. Thus, Dracul King spent his days in anguish, unable to find a clue to the solution. Every day was simply time passing by.
◇◇◇
If one were to try and find a piece of good news for the demon race in their dire situation, there was one. The fact that the demon race were not the only ones infuriated by the actions of the invasion force. Sieg, the commander-in-chief of the Laurel Kingdom army, was also deeply angry at his own army's atrocious behavior.
"I ordered them to turn back immediately!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The messenger knight trembled, being shouted at by Sieg.
" 'Yes, sir' is not the answer! I am asking why the unit has still not returned!"
Upon learning of the invasion force's atrocities, Sieg had immediately issued an order to turn back. However, even after more than half a month, no sign of their return had been reported.
"...T-The Hero..."
"What about the Hero!? He has no command authority!"
"That is true, but it seems they are unwilling to obey the return order, and they cannot possibly leave the Hero alone on the spot..."
The reason the unit had not returned was Fumiya. He had no intention of stopping the invasion until he achieved a result satisfactory to himself.
"They should just leave him behind."
"Huh?"
"If the Hero is the only one disobeying orders, they should leave him and the others should return."
"But, no matter how much of a Hero he is, alone he..."
There was no way he could win if the demon race attacked in swarms. The Laurel Kingdom army would lose precious combat power. Because the commander of the invasion force thought so too, he was unable to carry out Sieg's order.
"He is committing a violation of military orders. He is in a position to be judged by a court-martial. There is no need to be considerate of such a person."
"...Are you serious?"
"I do not joke about such things."
No matter who the opponent was—though the King was, of course, an exception—he had no intention of showing mercy to those who did not follow military discipline. In the first place, Sieg had no desire to rely on the Hero in wars with other nations. He could accept it as a given even if the Hero died.
"Will it be alright without confirming with the royal capital?"
"It is unnecessary. His Majesty should understand."
"...Understood."
Though anxiety remained, he could not utter words that doubted the King's understanding.
"Now, return at once."
"Yes, sir."
To deliver the order to return even if it meant leaving the Hero behind, the knight left the tent. For him, it was a heavy task. It was obvious that he would be complained to by the commander and the Hero.
"...Is there a need to go that far?"
Once the messenger knight had left, another subordinate raised a question. He considered Sieg's reaction to be excessive.
"Do you believe that atrocities are permissible if the opponent is a demon?"
"It is a difficult question to answer, but I think it is questionable that our allies are being punished for it."
In other words, he believed it was permissible if the opponent were a demon. However, this thought was not a special one. It was a consciousness common to most humans.
"Then, what if the same thing were done in a war with another nation?"
"That... I think it would become a problem."
"The Laurel Kingdom army will be rumored to be a vicious and atrocious army that exhausts every possible ravishment on the people of defeated nations."
"No, surely not to that extent."
There was no way such terrible rumors would spread. The subordinate knight thought so.
"There is a possibility it will go that far. If that spreads, there will be no nation, no, no town, that will surrender. We will have to fight in every single battle until the opponent is completely annihilated."
"...Are you fearing the enemy's schemes?"
Finally, the knight understood the reason for Sieg's reaction, which had seemed excessive.
"Other nations must be watching this war. Not because it is a war with demons. But because they know that once this is over, our nation will begin to move."
"Yes. I believe so."
"We must focus not only on the battle before us, but also on the next battle. The battles from then on are the true battles. Do not lose sight of the objective."
A struggle for hegemony over the continent. That was the original war for the Laurel Kingdom. The war with the demon race was to prevent that from being hindered.
"Is what we should hurry not the destruction of the demon race, but the preparations to move to the next war?"
After reducing the demon race's power to a certain extent, they would block the exits of Nordende to prevent a counterattack, and repeat periodic invasions within a reasonable range to prevent them from recovering their strength. Even if they were to bring the demon race to extinction, that would be after the path to hegemony was clear. That was still a story for much later.
"It is absurd to sacrifice allies just to obtain demon race women. I almost want to dispose of not only the Hero, but all the knights who sympathized with him."
"...That is true."
"Moreover, the original objective has not been achieved."
"The original objective, sir?"
"...To lure out the Demon King."
It was true that he had thought of luring them out, but the target was not the Demon King. Sieg did not reveal the truth. There was no certain evidence that Ray, who had been the commander of the Immortal Legion, was alive. The fact that he did not appear even with the Hero as bait further lowered the possibility of survival.
"Is he alive?"
"There should be no custom among demons of committing suicide because they lost a war."
"True."
"...We will find out eventually. There is no need to rush that either."
Geel was tracking Ray's whereabouts. If he were truly alive, he would surely find him someday. Even if not, he would undoubtedly move in some form. That was how Sieg thought. That thought was correct. Ray had already begun to move.
◇◇◇
Leaving the garrison, Ray headed toward the capital of the Laurel Kingdom. On the way, he did not do things like avoiding the highway to stay out of sight. He proceeded boldly along the highway and stopped at towns normally. There was a reason he dared to take such a risk. It was an experiment with a magic tool.
(...So far, there is no sign of being noticed at all.)
Sitting in a chair at a dining table, Ray observed the surroundings.
(Ah, it's perfect. Even the shop staff haven't noticed.)
(Shut up. I just failed the adjustment a little.)
The magic tool Ray was experimenting with had a concealment effect. It was a magic tool he had been crafting since the time he lived in the royal castle while hiding his identity.
(If I loosen it, it won't result in being completely obvious this time, right?)
(It's fine. Ordinary commoners don't know my face.)
While saying this, Ray continued adjusting the magic tool. The goal was an effect where, even if one's existence was recognized, they wouldn't care and it wouldn't remain in their memory. He finished the adjustment in a way that weakened the output. Now, it was time to observe again.
(...The reaction of those around me hasn't changed. The staff... huh?)
(It's the same!)
(Wait a minute. Is it still too strong?)
The experiment with the magic tool was for Cecil's sake. He knew that Cecil's physical strength would not hold up if they only traveled by camping outdoors. To move around here and there in the future, he had to solve that. This was one of the methods.
(Alright, how about this?)
After finishing the adjustment again, Ray peeked at the surroundings. There was no change in the surroundings.
(...Listen.)
At this point, Kamui noticed something.
(What?)
(Did you turn off your own magic?)
(...I forgot.)
Ray could use concealment magic. It was the kind used by the Vampio race, who excelled in stealth capabilities. He had it active at all times.
(Idiot. Complete idiot.)
(It's been a while since I've turned off concealment in a place with people. It can't be helped if I forgot, right?)
(No, I don't think so.)
(...I'll turn it off. Before that.)
Re-adjusting the magic tool. After strengthening the effect, he consciously turned off his own magic.
(Now, this time for sure.)
The surroundings did not change. This was good. There weren't many customers who paid attention to other tables. Unless Ray were a beauty to the point of causing surprise.
The problem was the staff. The staff should be paying attention to each table.
(...Huh?)
(Failed again!?)
(No, not yet. There's a possibility that staff member is just a useless employee.)
(What's with this 'useless employee'?)
(Well, just watch.)
Ray stared at the staff member. After waiting for a while, the staff member's gaze turned toward Ray. Immediately, Ray raised one hand to appeal his existence.
(See, look!)
The staff member, noticing Ray's signal, approached. He could attract attention when he had business, and otherwise, he wouldn't let them notice even if they looked his way. It was an almost perfect adjustment.
(Aren't I amazing? Now, what should I order? It's been a while since I've had dining hall food. I'm looking forward to it.)
(...Hey. As I thought, wasn't it a failure?)
(Eh? That can't be...)
The staff member, who should have been coming toward him, went back. He didn't just go back. He started talking about something with a man who seemed to be the owner. From the way he glanced at Ray occasionally, it was clear he noticed his existence. Then, why did he go back?
(...Maybe there was someone who knew my face.)
(What?)
(Rather than knowing, was I on a wanted list?)
(Hey?)
The staff member and the man who seemed to be the owner were shifting their gaze back and forth between a piece of paper and Ray. Thinking about what for, the conclusion was that they were comparing them. Most likely with a sketch.
(...I'm running. Running at full speed.)
Ray stood up and ran toward the exit. The staff member and the owner looked flustered by this, but that was all they could do. There was no way they could catch up to Ray running at full speed. The experiment with the magic tool was a great success. But Ray learned that there was a problem before that.
◇◇◇
Why was something like a sketch of Ray's face spread? In reality, it wasn't spread. It was only distributed to very limited towns and villages. It wasn't just Ray's misfortune that he hit one of those limited towns. There was a proper reason.
"There was a man from the wanted poster!? No way!?"
The one surprised by the report that Ray had been found was Geel. Geel was the one who had placed the wanted posters.
"It is true. He was definitely the man from the sketch, a boy? Anyway, he was the spitting image."
"What was the hair color?"
"I heard the hair color was brown."
"Brown... then, what about the woman who was with him?"
Hair could be dyed. Just because it wasn't white didn't mean it was a different person. If Cecil were with him, it was undoubtedly Ray.
"He was alone."
"Alone?"
"Yes."
"...I see."
Cecil should have been accompanying him. Geel found it surprising that his own thought had been wrong.
"Since he noticed they were looking at the sketch and fled in a panic, I believe there is no mistake."
"...He fled, did he?"
Ray had noticed the search. In that case, the possibility of him stopping at towns or villages in the future was low. The search had become difficult again.
"I had them search the town, but he has not been found so far."
"I figured as much. Understood. Ah, this is a reward."
Geel pressed silver coins into the hand of the official who had reported, as a reward. He didn't intend it as a bribe. Searching for Ray was not the official's original job. Since he had made him do it, he simply gave him a reward.
"Thank you very much."
The official accepted it without hesitation. He would have accepted it without hesitation even if it were a bribe. Having obtained extra income, the official left the scene with a satisfied look on his face.
"That's enough."
Once that figure was out of sight, Geel spoke the signal word. In response, the one who appeared was Sera. Since Sera, a member of the Vampio race, was there, he thought the official would be surprised, so she had been hiding.
"Was he alive?"
They had let him escape, but his survival was confirmed. However, that provided no harvest.
"Yeah, though we already knew that."
Because he was alive, Geel and the others were searching for him.
"What do we do now?"
"That is the dilemma. Now, where is he trying to go?"
Where was Ray trying to go that led him to stop at the town? That was completely unknown. Without that, they could not chase him.
"Why not do some questioning in nearby towns?"
"...I wonder."
"If you show the sketch, there might be someone who remembers."
"It would be good if there were. If not..."
From here on, the possibility of Ray stopping at towns was low. Geel thought that no sighting information would be obtained in the towns in the direction of travel. Then, as for whether there was sighting information in the opposite direction, he thought that was also doubtful. Geel did not understand the reason why Ray stopped at the town.
"There is no point in thinking about that. There is nothing to do but confirm."
"True. But if we get the direction of travel wrong, we'll drift apart again."
"...The possibility he is heading for the 'Forest of Bewilderment'. The possibility he is heading for Nordende is also high. But we came from the 'Forest of Bewilderment'."
Sera believed there was a high possibility he was now heading for the 'Forest of Bewilderment'. This was the first sighting information of Ray. She believed it was because they had come from Nordende, the direction where they had not yet distributed the wanted posters.
"As a possibility, that side is higher, but the problem is why he went out of his way to stop at a town... though it seems the little lady wasn't there."
At the beginning of the search, they had thought that if Cecil were accompanying him, Ray might stop at towns to secure food and such. However, there was no sighting information of Cecil. Despite that, why did Ray go out of his way to stop at a town even at the risk of danger? Geel feared it was some kind of scheme.
"Is it not to avoid danger?"
"The little lady could just procure things herself. Officially, there is no reason for her to be pursued."
"...It is a waste of time just to worry. North or South. We just choose one and move."
No conclusion would come from thinking. If so, action was all that remained.
"Demons surprisingly don't use their heads, do they?"
"What did you say!?"
"And they're short-tempered. Sera. You won't be able to win a fight like that."
"............"
They were actually losing. Sera did not know the latest information, but if she did, she would have become even more depressed.
"Well, if I have to choose one, it's probably South. Back to the 'Forest of Bewilderment' then."
This judgment was correct, but also a great mistake. Ray was heading toward the royal capital. The 'Forest of Bewilderment' was correct as a direction of travel, and Ray intended to stop there. However, just because the direction of travel was correct didn't mean they would meet. Neither Geel nor Sera knew all of the abilities Ray possessed. Even for Sera of the Vampio race, they did not know that capturing Ray was difficult. The truly correct answer was to head for Nordende and reach the garrison in the mountains. If they knew the fact that the Laurel Kingdom army's mobile force and the Immortal Legion had fought, there was a possibility they would think of it as a search location. And if they actually reached it, Cecil would be there. They only had to wait for Ray's return there. By deciding the route was South, the misunderstandings between the two and Ray continued.