NOVEL WEB Chapter 20
■ Four Heavenly Kings Dorothea □
The large tent where Dorothea stayed was located in the deepest part of the Demon King’s Army’s base.
There was one peculiar thing about the tent she stayed in: despite being the place where the supreme commander resided, there was not a single guard stationed around it.
However, that was somewhat expected.
The entrance to her tent was guarded by none other than Cerberus, the hellhound.
“Grrrrrr-”
As we approached, Cerberus, who had been lying on the ground with its belly down, seemed to recognize my scent from a previous encounter and suddenly stood up, growling threateningly.
“Why is it acting like this all of a sudden?”
Dorothea’s adjutant, unaware of the circumstances, tried to calm the agitated creature, but the more he tried, the more fiercely Cerberus bared its teeth.
A tense situation.
Just as I was preparing to use magic, sensing that the creature might pounce at any moment, a languid voice came from inside the tent.
“Toto, stop.”
At that, Cerberus, which had been about to lunge at me, whimpered and sat back down on the ground.
Only then did the centaur adjutant, looking relieved, clear his throat at the entrance and called out toward the tent.
“Lady Dorothea! A guest has arrived from the Demon King’s Castle!”
A reply came immediately from inside.
“Come in.”
With the superior’s permission, the centaur adjutant glanced at us.
“Please go in.”
Following her cautiously inside, the lavishly decorated interior of the tent, unlike what one would expect on a battlefield, came into view.
The tent was luxuriously adorned with various animal hides, silk, and carpets, reminiscent of a Mongolian ger.
And there sat Dorothea, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, covered only with a white sheet, sitting on a bed lined with wolf fur.
Living naked in such a cold region would normally be a sure way to freeze to death, but perhaps due to her abilities, the inside of the tent was as warm as if a boiler had been turned on.
Having just woken up, the witch, who looked like a young girl, with disheveled red hair, spoke.
“What brings you to me? I don’t recognize your face.”
I stiffened with tension and replied in a voice different from my usual one.
“I am Partarth, a lich from the newly established foreign unit directly under the Demon King. By the Demon King’s order, I have been tasked with assisting Lady Dorothea in withdrawing the remaining troops from the eastern front to the rear.”
Dorothea tilted her head.
“A lich? You don’t smell rotten for one.”
“I always carry deodorant with me.”
As it was an expected question, I pulled out a prepared item from my pocket.
It was a well-known fabric deodorant brand from the kingdom, F○reeze.
“Ah, if that’s the case.”
Dorothea, who seemed to understand immediately upon seeing the item, scratched her nose and said.
“Well, if you’re directly under the Demon King, you must have considerable skills. As the supreme commander, let me say this: welcome to the eastern front, Partarth. From today, you will work under me and get the chance to annihilate those vile humans.”
“It is an honor to serve the renowned Witch of the West.”
As I said this and knelt on one knee, Dorothea snorted and asked.
“So, what’s your magic level?”
I replied, lying flat on the ground.
“I am of the 5th hierarchy.”
Although it was a disguised identity, this level of skill was nothing to scoff at anywhere.
Perhaps thinking the same, Dorothea also showed a slightly surprised expression.
“You must have studied a lot in your previous life.”
“I only studied magic books.”
Just as there are only 17 grand mages capable of casting Hexa Spells across the entire continent, mages of the 5th hierarchy, the stage before that, are also very rare.
Considering that a single mage can change the tide of war, they are truly the elite among elites.
Knowing this, the scantily clad girl covered her mouth and giggled.
“Pfft… That’s an interesting thing to say. If just glancing at a few magic books could get you to the 5th hierarchy, the world would be crawling with mages by now, wouldn’t it?”
“But boasting about my knowledge in front of someone as exceptional as Lady Dorothea would be like showing off wrinkles in front of a silkworm, wouldn’t it?”
I flattered her and slightly raised my head.
The beautiful girl, whose slim body was clearly visible under the sheet covering her upper body, looked down at me with interest.
The Witch of the West, Dorothea Gale.
Rumored to be loved by the spirit of fire, she was a witch born with naturally red hair and red eyes.
Because of her fiery appearance, some even considered her to be the incarnation of a salamander.
She quietly observed my masked face and then smirked.
“I value capable individuals. I’m not sure if you can meet my strict selection criteria, but you’ve made a good first impression.”
Saying this, she crossed her long legs seductively and, resting her chin on one hand, asked.
“So, is that all the message the Demon King wanted to convey to me? I feel like there should be one more.”
It was then that I remembered the last request the Demon King had made and added belatedly.
“Lady Dorothea, it’s been a while since the Demon King last saw your face. He asked that you visit the Demon King’s Castle when you have time.”
“Of course.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing.”
Dorothea waved her hand dismissively and pointed to the centaur adjutant beside her.
“From now on, my adjutant Eva will guide you to where you’ll stay. After that, you can manage on your own.”
“…Are you not assigning me any tasks?”
Dorothea bared her sharp fangs and smirked.
“Quite the cheeky talk. I’ll work you until you’re groaning in pain, so stay low for now. That’s the tradition of this land.”
As Dorothea gestured to dismiss the guest, the centaur adjutant Eva, who had been waiting nearby, spoke.
“Then please follow me. I’ll show you where you’ll stay for the time being.”
I carefully rose from my prostrate position and slightly bowed my head to Dorothea in front of me.
“Yawn~”
But her interest seemed to have already shifted away from me, as she lazily yawned and lay back down on the wolf-fur-covered bed.
Then, burying her face in the white pillow, she began to sleep deeply again, so there was no more chance to speak.
‘It seems I’ll have to give up for today.’
“Please go ahead.”
“Yes.”
Although I had been curious about what she had been doing on the eastern front and had intended to ask more, I regretfully decided to wait for another opportunity and quietly left Dorothea’s tent.
The place Eva guided us to was a staff tent not far from Dorothea’s.
Since it was made with fabric twice as thick as the tents used by ordinary soldiers, it was quite effective at blocking the cold winds of the Vulcan Mountains.
In the center of the tent, a fire had been lit in a dug-out pit, and as we entered, the air inside felt quite warm, as if it had been burning for a long time.
Eva, who had brought a few simple blankets, apologized.
“We tried to make it as comfortable as possible, but this is all we can offer. Our situation isn’t very generous, so you’ll have to share this tent.”
Camilla, hearing this, shook her head.
“I’m fine with that. As a maid, I anticipated such conditions.”
Eva then looked relieved and patted her chest.
“That’s good to hear.”
She placed the blankets she was holding on the nearby bed and, as she was leaving the tent, said.
“Then, since you must be tired from the long flight, please rest inside. I’ll come to call you when dinner is ready.”
“Thank you.”
Although we had only met a few hours ago, she seemed like a very good person.
Well, someone of her caliber must be needed to handle Dorothea’s hysterics.
I nodded in understanding and sat on my assigned bed.
It was hard and cold.
Unlike the typical goose-feather mattresses, it felt like it was made by hardening mud and sand.
Still, it was better than sleeping on the bare ground, so I covered myself with a blanket and lay down on the bed, hoping to catch some sleep until dinner, when suddenly a black shadow loomed over me.
Wondering what was happening, I slightly opened one eye to see Camilla looking down at me with her usual stoic expression.
“What’s the matter?”
Camilla then spoke in a serious tone.
“Please provide the sex education you promised earlier.”
“What? Here?”
“Isn’t now the only time we have?”
“Even so…”
I couldn’t help but show a flustered expression at Camilla’s untimely request.
But Camilla, as if not allowing any refusal, firmly took my hand and placed it on her chest.
Thump-
“They say the beginning is half the battle. It might turn out better than you expect.”