Bribed by the Demon Lord Right Before the Ending

■ Mountain Reconnaissance □

The reason Dorothea called me was for reconnaissance in the mountainous area.

Until now, whenever the supreme commander insisted on patrolling alone, subordinates would strongly dissuade them from doing so. However, with my transfer, the number of high-level mages has been reduced to just two, and it seems she thought it was worth attempting now.

She rode on her pet dog Toto, while I borrowed the back of Centaur Eva.

Because climbing mountains is such arduous work and there weren’t enough spots for everyone to ride, Camilla, who would only be a burden if she followed, decided to stay behind at the base.

And thus, without warning, we began our climb early in the morning.

“Hooook- Hooook-”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m… fine.”

Not only were we ascending steep slopes, but the snow was piled up to our knees, making it extremely exhausting.

Despite carrying me as dead weight on her back, Eva climbed the mountain silently without any complaints.

When I asked her if she was okay out of concern, she only repeated that she was fine.

It had to be done to maintain the marching speed.

After about an hour of silently heading upward in this manner…

We finally reached the Obu ridge of the Vulcan Mountain range.

“Let’s take a short rest here.”

Having conquered the highest peak visible from the base, and with the vast snowy landscape stretching before us, Dorothea dismounted from her pet dog Toto and said those words.

Upon seeing this, I immediately jumped off Eva’s back.

To check on her condition after the strenuous climb.

“Are you alright? Would you like some cool water?”

“…I’d appreciate that.”

Apparently, she didn’t have much strength left to speak, as Eva simply sat down directly on the snowfield after saying this.

Actually, that wasn’t a good move.

Because the remaining body heat could easily be lost into the snow.

But since it’s impossible to tell someone who’s utterly exhausted not to sit and rest, I chose not to comment on her action and quietly got to work.

I filled the kettle I took out of my backpack with snow and dug a hole in the ground to light a fire on dry soil.

Since the surroundings were covered in snow, if we could make a fire, securing drinking water wouldn’t be too difficult.

In case of urgency, we could even eat the snow raw without boiling it.

This wasn’t modern snow contaminated by various pollutants.

While waiting for the water to boil in the kettle, I asked Eva to stretch her legs while sitting.

Naturally, Eva tilted her head and asked why, and I confidently replied,

“To reward you for the hard work of climbing the mountain—I’ll give you a massage.”

Apparently finding it quite an appealing suggestion, Eva entrusted herself to me without much hesitation.

‘Alright…’

The first place to touch would be the hind legs.

Horses, compared to humans, don’t have particularly great stamina. They have the disadvantage of their legs tiring quickly if overworked.

That’s why regular rest is not optional but essential when embarking on long-distance travel on horseback.

Recalling my past experiences of riding horses, I pressed firmly on her sturdy leg muscles with my thumbs.

“Ah!”

At this, the long tail attached to her rear end stood straight up.

Twitch! Twitch!

Moreover, her sleek brown coat shimmering with moisture started to tremble slightly.

I loosened my grip slightly and asked her,

“Does it hurt anywhere?”

Shaking her head, Eva responded in a melting voice,

“No, not at all. It feels surprisingly good. I didn’t realize there was a knot there.”

“Legs are muscles used daily, so they’re naturally prone to fatigue. You might have become accustomed to the pain and failed to notice it.”

In the case of Centaurs, they possess robust bodies weighing close to 400~500kg, along with a human upper body.

In this state, their relatively thin four legs bear the entire load of the body.

It’s natural for the muscles to frequently tense up.

The meridian massage that started from the thighs gradually moved down to the calves.

Judging from how well-maintained they were, her fur glistened with luster.

This was evidence of good health.

With one hand, I kneaded her thigh, while with the other, I gently caressed her calf.

Initially shy, Eva—who had been suppressing moans by covering her mouth—now began openly emitting groans.

“Haaang! Ah! Aaaah!”

Her voice was so seductive that if you closed your eyes and listened, you might think someone had turned on a pornographic video.

However, I was truly giving her a massage with pure intentions, so I earnestly massaged her hind legs with all my heart.

After alternating between her four legs for about ten minutes, Eva collapsed forward, unable to endure any longer.

Judging by her condition, it seemed pushing further would be unreasonable, so I decided to conclude here.

“Here’s some warm water for you.”

“…Thank you.”

Perhaps still under the influence of the meridian massage, Eva’s trembling hands barely managed to hold the cup I offered with both of hers.

As she sipped the warm water, I turned my head to see what Dorothea was up to.

There she was, leaning against Cerberus Toto, watching me and Eva with an expression of keen interest.

As our eyes met, she wiggled her fingers and said,

“This is fun. Keep going.”

“…Do you mean the massage?”

Dorothea nodded with a mischievous grin.

“I’ve known Eva for quite a while, but today is the first time I’ve seen her lose her composure to this extent.”

It was clearly intended to tease her subordinate.

This must mean that Eva and Dorothea are also close friends privately, but I had no intention of prying deeper into their relationship.

Since I was trying to keep my identity hidden, I didn’t want to raise unnecessary suspicions.

“That kind of teasing should stop. It’s sexual harassment.”

Meanwhile, judging by the fact that her brief rest had somewhat improved her physical condition, Eva scolded Dorothea as she rose from the snowfield.

“Would you like to try walking a bit?”

At my suggestion, Eva tentatively walked on the snowfield with a skeptical expression, then turned her head in surprise.

“My legs feel as light as feathers!”

Seeing her joyful reaction made me feel the effort I put into the massage was worthwhile.

Perhaps sensing the mood, Dorothea, who had remained silent like a scarecrow during the massage, shrugged her shoulders upon hearing our conversation, then abruptly stood up and mounted Cerberus again.

“We’ve rested enough. Let’s get moving again.”

“Yes!”

Prompted by her, Eva and I quickly prepared to set off again.

Though we had momentarily forgotten, we had only reached halfway to our destination.

[[#]] We finally arrived at the summit of the Vulcan Mountains about three hours later.

Looking around, there were no more ridges or peaks left to climb.

We had truly reached the very top.

Because of the steep incline, I had dismounted from Eva’s back earlier and climbed on foot, which gave me a renewed sense of accomplishment.

Thanks to the clear weather today, the world seen from this expansive view was indeed vast and beautiful.

Lost in the sight of the snowy expanse, I turned my head as Dorothea approached and pointed to a certain spot.

“That’s where the army of humans is stationed in the castle.”

Following her gaze, I turned my head.

Sure enough, a black fortress was situated in a large valley, as she indicated.

This was the stronghold of the Hamburg family, which had never been breached since its construction.

Immediately afterward, Dorothea turned around and pointed in the direction from which we had ascended the mountain.

Though it was quite far away and not clearly visible, it was undoubtedly the Demon King’s Army encampment we had left early in the morning.

“And this is the border line dividing the human kingdom of Oz (OZ) and the Demon Tribe territory of Doom Land (DOOM LAND).”

Dorothea said this while looking at me standing beside her.

“During the few months I’ve been assigned as the supreme commander here, I’ve tried every possible way to push this borderline further north, but all attempts have failed.”

She asked,

“Partarth, if you were in charge, how would you attack the humans from this land?”

Listening to her words, I looked at the distant black fortress.

Impregnable.

From the perspective of the Demon Tribe, it was a fortress that evoked that term.

Even during the human-demon war five years ago, the kingdom forces managed to hold onto this fortress until the end, allowing for a temporary ceasefire with the Demon Tribe.

This was both a strategic chokepoint and one of the last bastions of the kingdom forces.

If this were breached, it would be like a highway leading straight to the capital, Oz, leaving no room for anything but desperation.

Once upon a time, I was the one defending this fortress against the Demon Tribe, and an amusing idea from back then suddenly came to mind.

“What about triggering an avalanche?”

“…What?”

Upon hearing my answer, Dorothea’s eyes widened significantly.