NOVEL WEB Chapter 275
Chapter 275: Position and Role
Claire trudged back to the Evaroti Royal Castle.
As usual, the cat-like beastman soldiers stood guard at the castle gate.
Their pitch-black military uniforms indicated that, despite being low-ranking, they were soldiers of the Demon Lord’s army. Although there were hardly any passersby around the castle, if they were to be seen in a slovenly state, it would affect the reputation of the Demon Lord’s forces. The beastman soldiers donned menacing claws and maintained a rigid posture to avoid being looked down upon.
“……”
One of the beastman soldiers glanced at Claire’s face and then returned his gaze to the front. While they probably weren’t informed about Claire’s true identity, she was allowed to enter the castle without any issues since she possessed a letter signed by Zilbagias, indicating her official position.
Recently, though, most of the guards had memorized her face, so they no longer required her to present the letter every time.
“—It seems Ryan Village has been attacked by a large magical beast.”
Claire said casually as she passed by.
“Huh?”
“…I just heard it from the people in the Autonomous District.”
“Ah, I see…”
The guard looked perplexed, clearly not expecting to be spoken to.
If she were merely a human, he might have just ignored her, but she was a human holding an identification signed by someone of higher status, which put him in a tough spot.
Also, hearing about a village in the Autonomous District being attacked by a magical beast only served to confuse further. So what if it happened?
“……”
Claire nodded as if to say she understood and proceeded into the castle.
She headed towards the central area, passing through with her familiar face.
This area was inhabited by the officials responsible for managing the Autonomous District. Most of them were well aware of Claire’s true identity.
For example—
“Lord Porkun.”
She called out to a robust purple-skinned officer.
“What is it, Lady Claire?”
Porkun, who was writing at his desk, didn’t stop working, merely glanced up with a raised eyebrow.
Porkun was a Viscount. Normally, it wouldn’t be someone like Claire, a former human now undead, addressing him, but thanks to being a favorite of Zilbagias, he at least showed her a minimal level of courtesy.
“I heard from the people in the Autonomous District that Ryan Village has been attacked by what seems to be a Manticore. Apparently, there have been catastrophic damages.”
“What?!”
At that, Porkun stopped writing.
“A Manticore… I’m not very familiar with magical beasts from this world, but how does it compare to the Asurabear?”
“From what I know only through books, it’s a magical beast that ranks almost at the top of the forest’s ecosystem and is said to even prey upon Asurabears.”
“That’s…”
Porkun made a troubled face.
“The prince will likely be furious again.”
A small sigh escaped him. The conflict with the Izanis tribe was widely known among the castle staff.
“Yes… The guards are said to be heading for rescue.”
“…No matter how many weak-souled individuals gather, it’s just asking to die, isn’t it?”
Given how many casualties there were from the Asurabear, Porkun looked exasperated.
“Yes, I think so too.”
“The prince will be disappointed again…”
He shook his head with a sigh—and returned to his paperwork.
“Is that all, Lady Claire?”
“…Yes. Um, Lord Porkun, is there anything you as an official can do…?”
“Do, what do you mean?”
Porkun tilted his head cutely, looking quite adorable with his puzzled expression.
“No… I mean, using the castle’s military forces to fend off or eradicate the beast… since the people of the Autonomous District are like the prince’s property.”
“…Hmm. At least if the beast approaches the city walls of Evaroti and there are damages in the urban area, we might deploy the castle’s defensive forces…”
Porkun pondered.
“It’s not our job to defend a village that the people of the Autonomous District set up by themselves. At the very least, it’s not a situation that warrants using the castle’s forces by our judgment. And if the guards willingly go off to die, we have neither the duty nor the right to stop them.”
“…I see.”
Despite being called a tyrannical demon, his answer was surprisingly bureaucratic.
“However, if it’s a large magical beast, the demon folk may take action. I’ll confirm with the guards later and submit a report, but how about making a report under your name ahead of time, Lady Claire?”
—That was a careful attitude typical of an official. If Claire’s information turned out to be false, and the demons set out hunting upon hearing the report only to be disappointed, the anger might be directed at Porkun.
So, he implied that if she wanted to set the demons in motion, she should take on the risk herself.
“I’ll do that.”
Claire nodded and hurried towards the demon’s living quarters.
“……”
Porkun watched her with a somewhat suspicious gaze but said nothing and returned to his work silently.
—The comfortable area atop the royal castle was utilized as the living quarters for demons, including the retired Marquis Veteranos.
“What do you want?”
There, at the entrance to that area, Claire was stopped by a guard from the Night Elf soldiers.
“I have a report to make to the demon folk.”
“Only those with permission may enter this living area. Do you have a letter?”
The stiff-faced soldier asked with a straight face.
The Night Elves would no doubt know about Claire’s identity. They would also be aware that she was a favorite of Zilbagias.
However, even someone like Claire could not freely enter certain areas within the castle. One of those rare places was the demon living quarters.
In this area lived demons from multiple clans, except for the Reiju tribe—those who were acquaintances of Marquis Veteranos and retired, personnel sent from the Izanis tribe, Vernas tribe, and Korvto tribe—so for security and espionage reasons, only their servants and Night Elf soldiers were permitted inside.
Ironically, while Claire should be able to enter Zilbagias’s private room freely, it was unfortunately located independently atop the castle, separate from the demon living quarters.
Then there was Claire’s identity to consider. Many demons tended to shun sentient higher undead. No matter how much of a favorite she was to Zilbagias, the reactions of other demons towards Claire were unpredictable, which meant they couldn’t just invite her in.
It would be a different story if Zilbagias had informed them beforehand, but such a notification was non-existent. It was only natural for the guarding personnel to request documents of some sort…
“……”
Claire opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She could have insisted it was per Zilbagias’s order, but she couldn’t come up with an explanation as to why ‘an enemy of humanity’ would do such a thing.
“As you know, I am an operative disguised as a citizen in the Autonomous District, gathering information.”
“I know that, but…”
“I received information just now that Ryan Village was attacked by what seems to be a large magical beast, a Manticore—”
As Claire spoke, the Night Elf soldiers exchanged blank looks.
“———”
“……”
They moved their lips slightly, and something passed between them. Claire lacked the skills to read lips, so she couldn’t understand the content.
“Is that the report you wish to make…?”
“Yes. The prince… also urged the demon folk for assistance against the magical beast—”
Just as she was about to say this, a sound of footsteps came from behind.
The Night Elf soldiers straightened up and saluted, so Claire took a step back and bowed deeply.
—A green-haired demon was entering the living quarters. Of all people, it was a liaison from the Izanis tribe.
While the Izanis tribe staff working in the Evaroti Royal Castle seemed unnaturally cramped during Zilbagias’s stay, they were otherwise free during his absence, as long as they weren’t bothered by Marquis Veteranos and his companions.
“…Um, well.”
After the Izanis figure disappeared from view, a Night Elf soldier finally spoke up.
“At this point, what we can report to Marquis Veteranos is that ‘Zilbagias-sama is close to the Undead operative Claire, and it is highly probable that Ryan Village was attacked by a magical beast thought to be a Manticore.’ We cannot say more until we confirm with the guard captain.”
…What a vague statement. It’s not to say it is meaningless, but if asked whether this would prompt the demons to charge out of the castle wielding spears… that’s a mystery. The Night Elves would likely remain on standby until they confirmed things.
Even confirmed, by that time, it would likely be too late…
“Thank you, I’ll go with that. I don’t want to incur the prince’s wrath.”
Claire forced a smile and expressed her gratitude. Emphasizing her relationship with Zilbagias was the best she could do for now.
“……”
The Night Elf soldier nodded, albeit with a still stiff expression. Like the demons, Night Elves were generally negative towards the undead.
Although it was often thought that the savage Night Elves would have a good compatibility with necromancy, in reality, there were religious aspects that were at odds.
The Night Elves toy with life, but only until their prey breathes their last. For them, the souls of the killed prey are offerings to the dark gods, and summoning the souls of the deceased to use them is the act of stealing the offerings—something that might anger the dark gods.
When Enma joined the Demon Lord Kingdom, it was heard that the Night Elves opposed it to the very end. Now, they casually use skeleton carriages and such, but that was because the creator was Enma, and since the one supplying the magic power was the demons themselves, they reasoned that the anger of the gods wouldn’t reach them.
Thus, even now, they seem to have a tendency to avoid engaging with the undead willingly; Claire had noticed this when she mentioned extracting testimonies from the souls of Ryan Village, judging by their faces as they seemed to want to cover their long ears.
“Well then…”
After a bow, Claire left the area in a dejected manner. The Night Elves of the Evaroti Royal Castle, which was mostly made up of Sidarl faction members under Zilbagias’s influence, were at least somewhat conversational. Speaking to Night Elves in the Demon Lord’s castle often resulted in being completely ignored…
Leaving the demon living quarters, she walked down the hallway aimlessly.
“…Oh dear.”
Then she bumped into someone unpleasant.
A beautiful woman wrapped in an extravagant dress, as if she could head straight to a night party.
Yavka Cheesuina, a pure-blooded vampire and a viscount of the Demon Lord Kingdom.