Chapter 54 – Interlude: From the Ruined Capital of the North

—The North. The ruined capital of Beriondora.

The remnants and wreckage of a kingdom that fell in the war against Demons long ago.

A burned city. Gouged earth. A collapsed castle.

All that remained was rubble. Ash piled atop it. And only the silent bones of the people who had perished.

Long had it been since any visitors came to this Cursed Land, and when its name was spoken, it was always with Fear and resentment toward the Demons.

In the midst of such a desolate ruin, in what was once likely a bustling square, stood the shadow of a single man.

A tall man with a rugged face and sharp eyes.

One might say his features were well-formed, but the confident smirk plastered on his lips gave others a rather ferocious impression.

“—You’ve come.”

The man narrowed his eyes contentedly and muttered. As if responding to his voice, figures began to appear here and there throughout the ruined city. Among them were some with purple skin and horns. Though some looked no different from humans… every single one who appeared here was, without exception, a Demon.

“You brat. You dare summon us?”

“Valros. Who do you think you are?”

A voice came from one corner of the ruins. Though the tone was hostile, the Demon called Valros paid it no mind, closing his eyes and deepening his smile.

“It’s an urgent matter.”

“If you say that, it must be something quite serious, then?”

“If this turns out to be a waste of time… you know what’ll happen, right?”

Hearing this, Valros shrugged his shoulders.

“Depending on the circumstances—we may have no choice but to alter our plans.”

“Stop putting on airs and just say it already?”

Another voice. This time, a woman’s.

“Not everyone’s here yet, are they?”

“You mean Mustra? That one probably has no intention of attending such gatherings anyway.”

“Hmm… Then let’s get to the main topic.”

Valros paused briefly, then erased the smile from his expression and spoke.

“The regular communications from Linette, who was infiltrating Termwills, have ceased.”

At Valros’s words, the Demons fell silent for a moment.

“…Linette?”

A Demon with a look of confusion asked such a thing.

“A young female Demon. She was well-versed in human Techniques. We had her infiltrate the Great Labyrinth to search for a way to break the Seal.”

“Is that really so important as to warrant summoning us? Perhaps she’s simply delayed?”

“No, most likely, she was caught by the humans and defeated.”

“Indeed. At worst, I believe she was defeated by the humans. She was quite capable in that regard, after all.”

Valros dismissed the optimistic view and agreed with the assessment that Linette had been defeated, but several Demons, including the one who had voiced the defeat theory, exchanged glances and laughed. Among them were those who had earlier expressed dissatisfaction with Valros’s summons.

“Is something—amusing?”

“How can we not laugh? The reason you called us here is for something so trivial.”

“Exactly. It’s just one lowly underling biting the dust.”

Saying this, they laughed again, failing to notice the dangerous edge in Valros’s voice. Glaring at them, Valros frowned with displeasure.

—Fools.

Valros thought.

Admittedly, in terms of pure combat ability, Linette was likely inferior to those gathered here.

Linette herself was aware of her own shortcomings and had a somewhat warped perspective. It seemed she didn’t hold much goodwill toward Valros from that angle.

Linette’s resentment toward Valros probably stemmed from the typical Demon pride, but the reverse—that is, Valros’s view of Linette—was a different story. His evaluation of her was by no means low.

“You said if Linette dies, the plan changes?”

“As I said earlier, that woman was clever. She was knowledgeable about human Summoning Magic, Barriers, and the Teleportation Technique. She was necessary personnel for opening the path to the Moonlight Temple.”

Among Demons, who tended to be embodiments of violence, Linette was somewhat different. Valros considered her, including her skills and knowledge, a rare and valuable presence.

At the very least, compared to those who failed to grasp her rarity or what her death signified, she was far more capable and useful.

Thus, Valros held Linette in high regard. Though from Linette’s perspective, being “highly regarded” or “evaluated” might have already been taken as arrogance.

“So, what do we do? If we can’t enter the Moonlight Temple, won’t our plans fall apart?”

“We’ll have someone take over the research results she sent. If things go well, we might achieve some degree of success. In any case—we need more information regarding the Seal on the Moonlight Temple and Linette’s fate. We’ll have to send someone else into Termwills.”

Selecting personnel for that purpose was the reason Valros had called this gathering.

“You want us to clean up after some little girl? Why don’t you go yourself?”

The one who said this was one of those who had complained about Valros’s summons. Perhaps because of the mocking tone, those who had laughed about Linette also let out chuckles. But—however.

“O—gah!?”

A muffled scream and the sound of shattering stone echoed.

Valros had stepped in with ferocious speed, grabbed the Demon’s face, and slammed him into the ground. Though his actions relied purely on brute force, that simple motion alone held enough power to crack the earth.

“Don’t chirp so much. It makes me want to Smash you.”

Saying this, Valros slammed him into the ground carelessly. Again and again. Over and over. The Demon’s limbs flailed like a Doll’s, and with each impact, the ground shattered, causing the surrounding terrain to collapse and cave in.

The reason these independent Demons, albeit for a purpose, centered around Valros—was simply because Valros was strong.

The one having a terrible time was the Demon whose face was being gripped. At first, he resisted somewhat out of pride, but soon he couldn’t endure it anymore and let out a plea that sounded like a scream.

“S-stop, please.”

“Then learn your place.”

Tossing aside the barely-breathing Demon, Valros swept his gaze over the surroundings once more.

He had likely intended this as a warning to the others. The relaxed atmosphere that had been present among those laughing earlier was now nowhere to be found.

Valros himself was usually more gentlemanly. Given that he was entrusted with a leadership role, after all. Only—today, he was in a somewhat foul mood, and one of the Demons who held a grudge against him had misjudged the line where he could provoke without consequence. That was all.

“As you know, I cannot move from here yet. Others likely have similar circumstances… Is there anyone with free hands who can head to Termwills?”

“I’ll go.”

The one who stepped forward was a Demon with blazing red eyes.

“…Zevion, is it?”

Valros frowned.

Of all people, it was Zevion, the battle maniac, who had volunteered. If there was no way to break the Barrier, Zevion was the type to suggest a forced breakthrough. Even without that, considering how Zevion might think and act upon learning of Linette’s defeat left Valros uneasy.

If possible, Valros’s honest wish was to entrust this to someone else. But there was no one else available. One could say Zevion had free hands precisely because he only ever thought about fighting.

Still, now that he had volunteered, Valros hoped he would exercise some restraint.

“…Are you taking him along?”

Pointing at the Demon who had just been caught by Valros, Zevion asked.

“I don’t mind, but… will he be of any use? That is.”

“If he follows strength, he won’t defy us again. Neither you nor me.”

“Is that so?”

Valros recalled the other Demon’s disgraceful state and smiled wryly.

Well, perhaps the combination of a battle maniac and a cunning mind would balance things out to some degree. After all, even if he gave detailed orders, he couldn’t expect these Demons, who only followed strength, to obey faithfully. In that sense, Linette truly had been an irreplaceable asset. Despite her emotions, she had a logical, methodical side.

“Any other points to note?”

“Among the research results Linette left behind are Magical Tools for infiltrating Termwills. Use them to gather information. Those tools aren’t easy to come by either. Use them carefully.”

“…Understood.”

“Also—she said that even if you can slip through the outer Barrier, you cannot handle some of the inner ones… meaning those in the Labyrinth Depths and inside the Royal Castle. Keep that firmly in mind.”

“Very well.”

Zevion grinned fearlessly, grabbed the still-fallen Demon by the scruff of his neck, slung him over his shoulder, and turned away.