Chapter 600 – Return from Beriondora

Setting our course eastward and then turning south, we began our return journey to Vinesdora, the royal capital of Silvatoria.

The day of the decisive battle wasn’t far off, and we needed to devise countermeasures based on the information we had obtained.

Given these circumstances, we couldn’t linger too long on our return trip—it seemed we would only stop by to inform them of our safety.

“If I were to be greedy, I would have liked to conduct continuous infiltration and obtain information about the castle’s internal structure and the enemy’s strategies,” I said, tilting my teacup and draining its contents. Old Sigmund responded with a wry smile.

“No, no. From a situation where we knew nothing and could only speculate, we’ve learned this much without losing any personnel. That’s a sufficient achievement.”

Hmm. Several hints about the abilities of the high-ranking demons, the enemy’s scale and types, and Beriondora transformed into a mobile fortress—these would likely be the key points to report.

“That’s true. If they suspected familiars had infiltrated… they might later come up with the idea to feed us false information once they discovered us,” Rosemary said. “The fact that we were cut off before that happened means we avoided being misled, in a way.”

Right. Considering that kind of trickery, the fact that Seeker’s communication was cut off at that point might actually have been a stroke of luck.

This wasn’t just about Seeker. When using Caduceus for intelligence gathering, we also had to be cautious of false information.

Claudia nodded at those words.

“In that case, even if Seeker becomes operational again later, we’ll need to be skeptical of their conversations.”

“If communication improves with distance, it might still serve to detect Beriondora’s approach… We’ll have to proceed carefully to avoid falling into the enemy’s traps while taking action.”

For now, we had to be satisfied with obtaining the minimum necessary information. If we had known about the nature of that precognitive ability, we might have been able to gather more intelligence by ruling out options like reconnaissance-in-force or sabotage from the start… but that’s just hindsight.

“Would you like more tea?”

As I was pondering all this, Grace offered me another cup of tea for my empty teacup.

“Thank you. I’ll have another cup, then.”

When I replied, Grace gave me a quiet smile.

“The pastries are ready too.”

Just at the right moment, Ashley and Marlene came over cheerfully, carrying bowls filled with freshly baked treats.

“Hmm. I’ll take some of those too.”

“Here you go.”

Listening to Irmhild’s lute playing, I nibbled on the fragrant baked goods and washed them down with tea. I lightly petted Lindwurm, Lavigne, Corulis, Belius, Alpha, and the others who had gathered nearby, regaining my composure and shifting my thoughts in a positive direction.

Hmm. For some reason, the animal group had invaded the bridge. It was a bit cramped, but perhaps there hadn’t been time to accommodate them elsewhere during our escape. Well, it was fine.

“Even though we were on the back foot this time, the training we all did shouldn’t go to waste.”

“That’s right. The knights of the Demon-Slaying Knight Order are well-trained, and the day of the decisive battle is in winter.”

“Training is preparation—it never betrays you. This time, the conditions just didn’t align perfectly, that’s all.”

Perhaps out of consideration for the knights’ feelings, Princess Stephania and the others were having that conversation. Ah, yes. They were probably trying to prevent a drop in morale after seeing things like the floating castle and Valros.

They certainly gave the impression of understanding their soldiers’ hearts. The knights of the Demon-Slaying Knight Order nodded quietly at Princess Stephania’s words.

“Then, once we return, it’s back to training.”

“Indeed. When Theodore-dono rushed to our aid, it was truly stirring.”

As Elliot spoke, Weltes, who was monitoring the surroundings via the monitor, responded, and the other knights nodded with determined expressions. Hmm. It seemed morale wouldn’t drop among the Demon-Slaying Knight Order.

“So… what was your impression after fighting him?”

Forset asked with a serious expression.

“He’s strong… That ability is dangerous, but his personal martial arts are also considerable. If I hadn’t had prior knowledge of Halbaronis Martial Arts, those soft techniques would have been even more difficult to handle.”

I honestly shared my impressions. His strength was one thing, but among the information we gained, the brighter side was that we understood his way of thinking and personality a bit more clearly.

“Conversely, we gained certainty that he won’t do anything unnecessary. He wants to avoid depleting his forces and is thinking about what comes after victory, so he won’t play around by burning towns or attacking villages on a whim while passing by in Beriondora. I believe he’ll deploy just the necessary forces where they’re needed.”

Even though they’re a group of demons, the fact that they’re organized is somewhat reassuring. Though, feeling reassured that the enemy is organized might be ironic.

It’s a bitter irony, but perhaps the departure of Gardinis and others has strengthened their unity.

“That… might be true. That’s precisely why I keenly felt that even if we could talk, we couldn’t persuade him to change his mind.”

Forset shook his head as he said this, then lifted his face with a resolute expression. After smiling at Sion and the others, who looked worried, he turned to me and said.

“‘Not wasting sacrifices’ is our line. Everyone’s feelings are with us. This time, we must stop Valros.”

Right. That might form the foundation of Valros’s firm will, but it shouldn’t disrupt Forset’s resolve.

“We’ll do our best too.”

“I’m glad, Lord Forset.”

“In that case, I’ll paint what we saw today…”

Sion and the others seemed relieved to see Forset smile. Sigritta’s paintings were quite useful in various ways—after all, we could see the faces of persons of interest.

But… not stopping so as not to waste the lives he’s taken, huh?

He was the type who sympathized more with the leaders who went outside than with the Halbaronis people who remained underground. On top of that, it seems he viewed the misgovernment and chaos of the Baharzard Kingdom at that time negatively.

Being held back by circumstances beyond his control, gaining power, going outside, and trying to accomplish something—in that regard, we might have some similarities. Was that why he tried to recruit me?

If he knew about magical power circulation, he would realize I’m something derived from the Moon Folk. For him, that might evoke a sense of camaraderie… to some extent. Even if not, he does have coexistence with humans in sight.

But from my perspective, that’s an unwelcome viewpoint.

His envisioned governance by immortal demons, protection for the weak, coexistence between demons and humans through the utilization of criminals as food sources… I can understand those ideas if I set aside personal feelings, but I just can’t agree with them.

The people around who become sacrifices, and his envisioned immortal rulers… their hearts can’t remain eternally unchanged. Eventually, it will collapse.

Hearing Claudia’s thoughts and seeing the demons we’ve fought so far… that’s what I think.

“Can you beat him?”

“That…”

I pondered Old Sigmund’s question. I pondered, but no answer came. However, it wasn’t that I couldn’t see a path to victory.

“—I don’t know. He’s not an opponent I can confidently say I can defeat, but that doesn’t mean I intend to lose either.”

If we’re talking about chances of victory, they exist for both sides, regardless of advantages or disadvantages.

For now, using what we’ve learned this time to devise countermeasures—that’s probably our future policy.