Chapter 173 : Shortcut (2)
Shortcut (2)
"What do you intend to do with the master of the sword?"
Banaseus, who always found it difficult to read the Demon King Zard's thoughts, cautiously asked.
He had spent a considerable amount of time by the Demon King's side, observing him, but even so, it was still hard to know what he was thinking.
"I told you. I'm seeing if he's suitable as a trading partner."
"And by that you mean...?"
"First, I'll see if he can reach this place intact."
The place where the Demon King Zard resided was the very heart of the demon realm, pandemonium.
And at the center of Pandemonium stood the "Fortress of the Withered One."
"In order for the guy to get here, he'll have to move while avoiding the eyes of other demonkin."
"That would make sense. But didn't you say there's a dragon with him?"
"Yes, there's a young dragon. Of course, I also set up a barrier to keep out that dragon."
Banaseus couldn't tell when Zard had pulled that off, but if it was the Demon King, such things couldn't have been too difficult.
Banaseus thought that the 'trial' prepared by the Demon King was unlikely to be just that.
"The routes are limited, so it won't be too difficult. And besides, to greet him, I've already sent twelve demonkin of the count rank and three of the marquis rank."
"Twelve counts... and three marquises? Isn't—that's a bit much, isn't it?!"
"If he's the master of the sword, he should be able to break through at least that much."
Banaseus did not like the master of the sword.
No matter how strong he became, he was only human, after all—how powerful could he truly be?
And yet, to send twelve demonkin of the count rank, and three of the marquis rank at that.
'Could it be he never intended to negotiate from the start?'
It made Banaseus think as much. Twelve count-ranked demonkin could reduce a human kingdom to ashes overnight.
Moreover, demonkin of the marquis rank were simply on a completely different level.
The greatest fighters in the entire demon realm were being mobilized just to gauge the ability of a single human.
'It's over.'
Banaseus shook his head.
No matter how strong the master of the sword was, there was no way he could break through the demon realm's top forces to reach this place.
'Yes, it would be impossible—under ordinary circumstances.'
But Zard was highly evaluating the hidden potential of the master of the sword. Even Zard, who had once thought of joining hands with gods, was—at least this once—willing to gamble.
'How will you overcome this situation?'
Zard was looking forward to seeing how the master of the sword would handle facing the absolute elite of the demon realm.
But contrary to the Demon King's expectations, the master of the sword himself wasn't even thinking about how to resolve the situation.
* * *
"Hmph, the master of the sword, he says."
Melburn Gerbellia clicked his tongue at the order passed down from the Demon King.
He'd heard rumors about the master of the sword, but Melburn hadn't given them much thought.
Even if the guy had been chosen by the Divine Sword, he was still just a mere human.
'The Demon King also said I could just put up a decent fight if that was enough.'
Melburn was also a demonkin of the count rank, but the role assigned to him was simply to manage the barrier and report if the master of the sword tried to escape.
'Should I just catch him myself?'
According to the Demon King, the master of the sword was likely within the domain of Gerbellia.
In that case, pre-empting the others and taking out the master of the sword himself didn't sound like a bad idea.
"I can't keep ruling this backwater forever."
Gerbellia was an ancient house even in the demon realm, but Melburn hated this domain.
It was so far from Pandemonium, the demon realm capital, that he couldn't fully display his abilities.
'If I make an achievement this time, maybe I can ask to have the Gerbellia domain relocated.'
The master of the sword was holding as many as five of the Seven Swords Under Heaven, so if Melburn captured him, he'd surely receive an appropriate reward.
After all, Zard was a ruler without precedent even in the demon realm.
'Good, that's the plan.'
Unlike the other count-ranked demonkin, who'd received heavier orders, melburn already simmered with dissatisfaction.
It felt as if he'd been told he was inferior to the other counts.
"Pilio! Pilio, where are you?!"
Finishing his thoughts, melburn immediately shouted for his butler, pilio.
He fully intended to gather his soldiers to hunt down the master of the sword.
"... Huh?"
But for some reason, pilio didn't respond.
As a diligent butler who knew full well how foul-tempered Melburn could be, pilio was always nearby, ready to come running at the slightest call.
"Tch! Maybe I've been going too easy on him lately."
Melburn clicked his tongue and shook his head.
He'd doted on him for getting work done swiftly, but now this was the result.
Determined to give Pilio a small punishment for the first time in a while, he opened the door. The wide corridor greeted him.
Unlike the domain residents filled with paupers, melburn's mansion was nothing short of dazzling splendor.
"Something's off."
Admiring the lavish hallway, melburn sensed something strange.
Simply put, it was too quiet.
Not only did nobody come running at the sound of his voice, not even a single breath could be heard.
Considering how many servants lived in his mansion, it was a clearly abnormal scene.
"Pilio! Debolin!"
He called the names of his retainers one after another, but nobody answered.
Melburn grew even more irritated.
"What are these fools even...!"
"They're doing their best fighting for you, of course."
"...?"
At the unfamiliar voice, he turned his head and saw a black-haired man standing there.
A human at that. As far as Melburn knew, there was only one human who would currently be in the demon realm.
"Y-you... the master of the sword?! Why are you here?!"
"Why else? I came to see you."
Clay loosened his shoulders and clenched his fists.
When facing demonkin, it was often easier to use his fists instead of his sword—especially in situations where he couldn't kill, but needed to beat the opponent enough.
'Is he insane?'
Melburn was dumbfounded at Clay's words.
Looking around, he saw there were no companions. The guy had come alone.
Alone, facing someone of count rank among the demonkin.
"Heh, hehehe! Foolish brat! Well, it's actually a good thing. I was about to come find you myself—saves me the trouble!"
How strong could some young human possibly be?
In fact, the aura coming from his body wasn't that impressive—at best, what humans would call a Swordmaster.
With strength like that, melburn could easily subdue him...
WHAM!
"Gah?!"
Before he could even finish thinking, melburn's body went flying, smashing through a wall.
'What? What just happened?'
He'd never even seen Clay's attack.
It was impossible. With the power Clay had, there was no way the speed could have been like that.
"Ugh!"
Steadying his reeling vision and raising his head, he now saw a completely different Clay from a moment ago.
From the red engravings spreading across Clay's body, immense holy power was pouring out.
"Don't worry. I'm not planning on hitting you with any holy power."
Clay, looking at the count-ranked demonkin, simply raised his fists.
"Can't have you dying, after all."
"...!"
As he flashed a chilling smile, for the first time in his life, melburn felt true terror.
* * *
"Ah, Lord Melburn. Where are you off to?"
"Hm. I have something to report to the Demon King, so I need to visit Pandemonium."
The demonkin who'd been guarding Gerbellia's barrier eyed the sudden appearance of Melburn with suspicion.
The Melburn he knew wasn't the type to move around so proactively, no matter what happened.
"Pandemonium... did you say?"
"What, are you saying the lord of Gerbellia's not allowed to visit Pandemonium?"
"N-no sir! It's just that... it doesn't seem right to leave your domain unattended only a day after receiving the Demon King's order..."
Melburn smirked crookedly at the demonkin, who was bowing and apologizing.
"Normally, I'd punish you for your insolence, but today I'm in a good mood, so I'll let it pass."
He's in a good mood?
The demonkin watched Melburn with puzzled eyes, but when Melburn gestured behind him, he finally noticed the people standing there.
'One looks like a human...'
As he watched them carefully, melburn clicked his tongue and explained further.
"Yes, they're the arrogant trespassers who invaded the demon realm. They're the companions of the master of the sword, as the Demon King commanded."
"Ah, these ones! Did you capture them yourself, my lord?"
"Who else would have? But it's a pity I let the master of the sword slip away."
"That—that's not true! Capturing even his companions is a huge feat!"
The demonkin repeatedly expressed admiration as he looked at the captives behind Melburn.
If he had captured the master of the sword's companions, it made sense that Melburn would go to Pandemonium. The Melburn he knew wasn't the type to keep quiet if he had earned some credit.
'A human and a demonkin? Was there a traitor with them? And...'
The demonkin guarding the barrier checked over each captive and then his eyes widened.
"One of them... looks like a dragon..."
"A dragon, you say?"
"N-nevermind. Of course someone of your level could capture a dragon, Lord Melburn!"
Knowing Melburn's nasty temper, the demonkin scrambled to cover for himself.
It was true that a count-ranked demonkin could contend with a dragon, but among counts, melburn was actually on the weaker side.
There's no way he could subdue a dragon like that.
'Has he gotten stronger all of a sudden?'
The thought crossed his mind, but he let it go.
Since the captives were obviously completely caught, there was no need for suspicion.
"My apologies for holding you up! I'll open the barrier at once!"
"Yes, I don't intend to leave the domain for long either—carry on."
"Yes, sir!"
The demonkin guarding the barrier watched as Melburn and his soldiers commenced moving the outsiders who had invaded the demon realm. None doubted Melburn's actions.
Krrrhung!
A massive transport wagon pulled by a monster began carrying Melburn and the master of the sword's captured companions.
With the justification that they shouldn't escape, melburn rode in the transport with a single soldier.
"Melburn is being awfully proactive today, isn't he?"
"Well, subduing those lot would take someone of Melburn's level. Imagine if that dragon went berserk."
"True enough."
The other demonkin escorting the wagon thought Melburn was being a bit odd, but did not suspect anything serious.
And with that, the wagon rumbled away, swiftly heading toward Pandemonium.
"Very nice. Good job."
"Yes, sir."
Once the wagon left Gerbellia's domain, the "soldier" riding with Melburn grinned and slapped him on the shoulder.
Normally, melburn would have twisted the soldier's hand and yelled, but now he only laughed sheepishly, like a docile puppy.
"... I can't believe you actually used this kind of shortcut."
Watching this scene, Sehenz clicked his tongue.
"Thanks to you, it should be a comfy ride."
The demonkin soldier—actually me, using Polymorph to take on the guise of a soldier—grinned and slapped Melburn's shoulder again.
"Let's work to keep it that way, shall we? You know what happens if you try anything funny, right?"
"O-of course."
Melburn flinched every time my hand touched him.
He pressed a trembling hand to his chest and asked warily,
"S-so, if I do as you say, you'll take it out of my body, right?"
"Of course. The master of the sword doesn't lie about that stuff."
At the moment, a significant amount of Divine Blood was inside Melburn's body, in the form of beads.
The only reason he was still fine with that inside his body was that I'd wrapped it in my own magic power like a shell.
I packed the Divine Blood densely into a round sphere of magic and stuffed it right into Melburn's mouth.
"Of course, if you try anything stupid... you know what'll happen, don't you?"
"O-of course, sir."
If I removed the magic shell around the Divine Blood, it would disperse into his body.
And I didn't need to bother explaining what would happen then.
"At this point, I really can't tell who the real devil is anymore."
Rutia shivered as she watched me.