NOVEL WEB Chapter 88 - Side Story: Schlie Letziano 3 (Part 1)
Side Story: Schlie Letziano 3 (Part 1)
After talking to Meg and witnessing her contract with the Wind Spirit, I left the guild and headed straight to the meeting place with the Don. The thought that I might be keeping the Don waiting quickened my pace. I’d given my contracted spirit, Nephry, plenty of magic power, and I was flying through the air. Flying… wasn’t quite the right word. Maybe “riding the wind” was closer to the truth.
Normally, I’d choose a different method of travel, but my desire to start the investigation as soon as possible, and the fact that I was keeping the Don waiting, spurred me on. It’s strange, how I’m looking forward to this expedition with the Don, my heart racing like a child’s. I was even surprised at myself.
I arrived at the port, our meeting place, landed in a secluded spot, and immediately asked Nephry to search for the Don. It seemed that he had already arrived. I hurried towards him.
“Don, I apologize for the delay.”
“Oh, Schlie, it’s alright for you to leave?”
“Yes. She woke up a little later than I’d expected, but it’s not a problem. I explained everything to her.”
“I see. Well then, let’s head out immediately.”
The Don is a bit impatient. Our reunion was brief, and we quickly moved on to the task at hand. Well, we go way back, so it wasn’t a problem for me.
And so, we boarded a liner bound for Nanrei.
It takes two full days to reach Nanrei, even on this high-speed liner. And then, another three days to reach my homeland, the Elven Village, after transferring to another ship. If the investigation didn’t take that long, we should be able to return to the guild on schedule.
It seems like I’ll have some time to kill until we reach Nanrei. I was thinking about organizing my thoughts, when the Don called for me. It was rare for him to want to talk, as he usually preferred to spend his time alone. It must be something important. I readily agreed and went to his room.
“…I figured I should tell you a bit about that request of mine.”
“! Are you… sure about that?”
The moment I sat down, the Don said blurted out completely unexpected. The content of that request he’d taken on twenty years ago, the one he’d stubbornly refused to tell us about, he’s going to reveal it now?
“Yeah. I got the client’s permission before you arrived. And they’re also going to go tell the others at the guild the same thing.”
“The client… ? Don, just who is this client of yours?”
I’d always been curious about his client and the content of their request. If someone was making a direct request to him, they must be from a powerful nation or…
“It’s Ash. Well, you’ve probably already guessed, haven’t you?”
“…As I thought, the Demon King.”
That’s right. It was either the king of a powerful nation or Zahariash, the Demon King. But we hadn’t been sure, so it was a relief to have it confirmed. …Hmm? He’d said that the client was also going to the guild?
“…He’s probably causing quite a stir.”
“Probably. He seemed eager to head there as soon as we spoke. And I bet he’s forgotten a few things. Kron was hurrying to get things ready, but… he’s probably just gone there without contacting anyone.”
I chuckled, imagining the scene. Demon Kings have this aura, this presence, that forces everyone, not just demons, but even demi-humans, to submit. No demon can disobey a Demon King, and intelligent demons, the demonfolk and demi-humans, are drawn to their power. And unless they consciously suppress it, their pressure affects everyone around them. If he left in a hurry, he might have forgotten to suppress it.
If that was the case, our guild members, mostly demi-humans, would be forced to bow their heads the moment they saw the Demon King. Those who aren’t affected by their power would prostrate themselves, so they’re probably all lying on the ground. I had mixed feelings, picturing the scene.
By the way, I’m not a demi-human, and I have a certain degree of power, so I’d probably just bow my head slightly. Carter too. Meg, who’s also not a demi-human, she’s still young, so if she’s exposed to that pressure, she might be frightened and prostrate herself. I felt a surge of murderous intent.
“You have a scary look on your face, Schlie. You must be thinking about Meg and feeling angry at Ash.”
“…You see right through me, Don. It’s exactly as you said.”
“You especially hate Ash.”
“I don’t harbor any ill feelings anymore. I don’t have any positive feelings either. And I have no intention of doing anything about it now. And I’ve accepted his apology, haven’t I?”
“…But deep down, you still hate him, don’t you?”
I couldn’t deny it. During that war, I’d lost many friends, my only remaining family member, and my own body was defiled, as I was sold as a plaything because of my beauty. I’d probably never forget it. Even if I tried to reconcile with the Demon King, it would just exhaust me mentally.
That being said, I couldn’t bring myself to hate him. It couldn’t be helped. The damage caused was too great to just dismiss with those words, but he wasn’t truly at fault.
The position of Demon King is not necessarily hereditary, but rather a system in which the strongest are chosen. This is because Demon Kings are creatures that cannot have children.
To be more accurate, it wasn’t that they couldn’t have children, but they were the least fertile of all living beings, and unless the Demon King was the mother, the mother wouldn’t be able to handle it.
The current Demon King had been chosen when he was still young, because he was a dragon demi-human, said to be the strongest species in the world.
His parents had realized early on that their child would become the Demon King, and so, they’d raised him with care, wanting him to be a good ruler. They’d wanted him to be a kind child.
Thanks to their efforts, the Demon King had grown up to be a kind person. But the previous Demon King had died from an illness earlier than expected, and their child had become the Demon King before even reaching adulthood.
Those chosen to be the Demon King grow stronger with age. It was the first time in history that someone had been chosen before reaching adulthood, and as a result, he gained unprecedented power. However, his pacifistic nature backfired, and he was overwhelmed by his own power, another unprecedented event.
And because of this, his unrestrained magic power had run rampant, causing monsters to rampage, demonfolk to become increasingly belligerent, and so the war had begun.
He wasn’t at fault. It was understandable that those who adored him thought so, but those who had suffered directly couldn’t simply forgive and forget.
“That’s why I decided to bring just you. Of course, it also makes sense since we’re going to the Elven Village, but…”
“I appreciate your consideration.”
I’d pledged my loyalty to the Don, who had brought that terrible war to an end. And the Demon King was his best friend. I still had my reservations, but I truly didn’t harbor any ill feelings towards him. He’d considered all of this and then decided to be considerate of me. I was grateful.
“And it’s probably not going to be what you’re worried about.”
“Eh?”
“About Meg. She probably won’t be affected by the Demon King’s pressure.”
“What do you mean by…”
Not affected by his pressure? Before I could even voice my question, I realized the answer.
“D-Don’t tell me… that’s… impossible!”
“If she’s not affected, it’ll be definite proof. And to confirm that, Ash will probably visit the guild without suppressing his pressure. And I’m pretty sure it’s a bingo.”
That’s impossible. What kind of miracle would it take for that to happen!?
“That child, Meg… is a child who shares the Demon King’s blood.”