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**– Demon Lord’s Castle – Prison –**
A grand banquet, masquerading as a celebration, is being held within the once notorious Demon Lord’s castle. Kelvin’s magical mending has restored the castle’s interior, and Gustav’s laughter can constantly be heard throughout the venue, now repurposed for the party.
With Gustav’s boisterous laughter as their background music, Mudoph and Boga, assigned to guard duty, stand before the prison. Inside, of course, is the survivor captured three days prior. While everyone else is happily celebrating, being assigned guard duty at a time like this feels like drawing the short straw.
“Mudoph, what is that…?”
“A reward from Efil-neesan. Would you like some too, Boga?”
Mudophph, however, wasn’t thinking anything of the sort. He brought out a soft, fluffy white cushion and sat down in the dim, desolate space. Before him were several whole cakes, lovingly prepared by Efil. Aomudo indulged to his heart’s content, his cheeks puffed out in delight. In fact, he was so focused on enjoying his sweets that he felt grateful to Kelvin for assigning him this post.
“I don’t think I need *that* much…”
“Really? You usually eat more.”
“But, you know, meat and vegetables… e-eating a balanced diet is important, right?”
“I have to agree that Dahak is a picky eater. It makes me wonder why he only eats raw vegetables. *Munch munch*.”
“………”
Boga couldn’t retort that Mudoph was the same. Though smaller compared to the mountain of a dragon he once was, Boga still boasted a giant physique even in his human form. His muscles were like rock, his short-cropped hair and sharp gaze alone enough to intimidate anyone. Much like Dahak’s human form, his appearance clearly placed him on that side of things. Yet, Boga lacked confidence in his now compact self. It was as if he had suddenly become a pixie. Those who were once smaller than him were now nearly the same size, and he was terrified deep down. Thus, he couldn’t look Mudoph, who so obviously appeared to be a child, in the eye.
“More importantly, Boga, why don’t you sit here too? The floor here is so rough, it hurts just looking at it.”
“This hardness is just right for me. Fluffy, I can’t settle down. But, thank you…”
“Hmm.”
Still, he didn’t dislike Mudoph or the others at all. He felt a kind of bond with Dahak and Mudoph, who he’d known since Trisen, and he respected Gerard, who often gave him rides for training, as a fellow man. However, it was only after becoming this form that he realized his own timidity. For Boga, this was a significant experience, a hurdle he had to overcome.
“I-is it okay? Can we three guard properly by ourselves?”
“You’re worrying too much. This barrier is a binding spell I learned from the Master, combined with Efil-neesan’s Ice Empress’s Thorns over Glory’s Sanctuary. The prison was strongly reinforced by the Master, and King Gustav regularly re-applies that man’s blood to his head. Worrying is a waste of time. Even Master Gerard and Sister Sera wouldn’t be able to escape in their current state. It’s truly a fortress.”
“A fortress, huh.”
Glancing at Aomudo, who was licking the whipped cream from his lips, Boga peered into the prison again. The survivor stood upright within the prison, bound by three rings, with the ice thorns further constricting him in multiple layers. Gustav’s bright red blood was smeared thickly on his head, looking as if paint had been spilled on him.
“Old man, what is your ability?”
Aomudo pointed at the survivor with an empty spoon and asked.
“Hah! My ability is the Unique Skill ‘Kishikaisei’! Even if I am cut, crushed, burned, or my entire body is annihilated! As long as the Master who bestowed upon me this gift lives! I will return to this world! However, my sense of pain and fear remain the same! The approaching death is infinite! I gained this ability to walk a gray life!”
The survivor answered crisply and clearly, as if his previously vague demeanor was a lie. Though unable to move due to the restraints, he likely would have given a perfect salute if his arms had been free.
“Where are you from? What is your real name? What kind of life have you lived?”
“Hah! I am from the Beast Kingdom Gaun! My name is Nito! In my youth, I visited Traage, fell in love with the sword, and entered a dojo! Afterwards, I devoted myself to swordsmanship and founded a school called Korō-ryū! Though my body is a human manifestation, before my reincarnation! I was originally a beastman!”
“See, he’s revealing himself completely. There’s no need to be afraid.”
“Y-yes…”
Still, Boga looked uneasy. He even checked if the prison bars were intact.
“Phew… Of course, there’s no need for complacency. If anything happens to the rings, I’ll sense it immediately. And to escape, you’d have to pass through the hall where the Master and Efil-neesan are. His sword, his weapon, is also carefully managed. More than anything else—we have Kuro-senpai.”
On the opposite side of the whole cake Aomudo was eating, another mountain of cakes was lined up. From within it, a tiny Kuro peeked out. It seemed he had also been eating cake. Though small in size, this Kuro was a battle-type, concentrating the power of his many doppelgangers.
“K-Kuro-senpai! Then that is reassuring, isn’t it.”
With Kuro’s appearance, Boga finally regained his peace of mind. For the dragonkin like Dahak, Boga, and Mudoph, Kuro was an absolute senpai subordinate. Their trust in him was overwhelming. In fact, Kuro’s transformed dragon form was the admiration of the dragonkin.
“Kuro-senpai believes in Boga’s strength. So, Boga, you have to believe in yourself too.”
“O-oh. I will try to believe in myself!”
“Then, for now, just eat cake. Sweets are essential food for all living creatures.”
“Ooh!”
One way or another, Boga’s timidity seemed to have improved slightly. He began eating cake with gusto and then choked.
“Gulp, gulp!”
“Your esophagus is narrower than when you were a dragon. The only one who can eat like that in human form is Mel-neesan.”
It seemed it would take him a long time to get used to his human form.
“Ugh… O-oh, speaking of which. That sword, aside from Kuro-senpai, was it not… stored?”
“It seems so. Even Master Gerard couldn’t pull the blade from the scabbard, and the scabbard is so sturdy it can’t be destroyed. I heard from the Master that his Appraisal Eye also couldn’t see anything for some reason.”
“W-what if you cut it with a scythe?”
“The Master would never do such a thing to a precious sample. It will probably be handed over to the research team led by Shutra-sama eventually. I’m not sure whether the sword or the scabbard is more important in this case. At worst, if we don’t know, it will become nourishment for Kuro-senpai, so it’s safe.”
“R-right. Then it’s safe.”
For now, as long as Kuro was involved in the process, it seemed to be safe. The dragon’s heart was complex.
“Hmm, more than cake, I prefer rocks— Huh?”
Boga, chewing on his cake, stopped moving.
“…Mudoph.”
“Wait, I have a special strawberry right now.”
“What, what is it…!”
“…?”
Boga pointed at the prison, looking extremely surprised.
