We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 441

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

Among demons, slaves, and those who dwell in the mountains.

I continue my southward descent, making full use of spatial jumps.

There are no well-maintained roads in the forbidden territory, which is permanently uninhabited. At times, I used animal trails, and in dense forests, I leaped from tree to tree. I also ran through grasslands with a sense of exhilaration.

I took breaks along the way, several times.

When I found a spot with pleasant sunlight, I sat down and replenished my depleted dragon energy through meditation.

During breaks, Ares-chan would manifest, sit on my lap, and eat her favorite purple sweet potato.

After three days of traversing the vast forbidden territory, the air suddenly changed.

From the dense, natural air, like the breath of a great forest, it shifted to a slightly murky presence with a hint of a lived-in smell.

Apparently, I had exited the forbidden territory.

However, the change was only in the quality of the air; the appearance hadn’t changed much. Or rather, since there was no clear demarcation like a checkpoint or border line, the nature of the forbidden territory and the regions to the south were seamlessly connected.

I stopped for a moment and tried to sense the surrounding presence.

My vigilance, wondering if a demon or someone else was nearby, ended up being futile.

It seems that not many demons live near the forbidden territory. Even when I searched for their presence, I couldn’t detect any settlements.

“Well then, which way should I head?”

“That way, that way!”

I moved to the top of a hill covered in short grass and confirmed the direction I should head. Ares-chan pointed to the southwest, so I resumed my movement in that direction.

The territory south of the forbidden land, where Demon Lord Kusharilla of the north had relocated and the Giant Demon Lord had begun to make his move.

According to Ruilala’s story, this region would soon become a lawless zone due to the absence of a ruler, transforming into a chaotic world.

Either someone would be chosen as Demon Lord, or it would be designated as a forbidden territory directly managed by a ruler. Or, perhaps, one of the Primogenitor Race would claim it as their territory.

In any case, until it was placed under someone’s control, it would be a harsh world of the survival of the fittest, devoid of law and order.

I had entered this land bracing myself for a terrifying situation that would require constant vigilance.

However, it seemed that its proximity to the forbidden territory had an effect. I couldn’t sense any demons fighting, nor were monsters and magic beasts rampant.

A little disappointed, I proceeded, still reading the widespread presences.

Since it was an unknown land, I could easily get lost if I let my guard down. Without Ares-chan’s guidance, I might have stumbled at the very first step.

While traveling, I silently thanked Ares-chan, who had merged with me. Then, I felt her gentle warmth within me.

As I continued to move, I began to see occasional narrow paths that looked like they were used by people. Following these paths and sensing their presence, I could detect places where people seemed to gather, like villages, in some areas.

As it was a frontier region, there didn’t seem to be any large towns or cities yet. Each village consisted of perhaps twenty to thirty people at most, with a few individuals possessing stronger presences. The rest had a few to more than a few presences. I presumed the stronger presences were demons, and the others were humans.

In the Demon Race’s Country, humans are treated worse than slaves. It seems that other races are also treated as slaves if captured by demons, but those with low ability and weak life force, like humans, are particularly treated as expendables. They are treated harshly as expendables and replenished when they die.

In large cities and towns, slave markets are held, where humans are traded for less than the price of high-quality ingredients.

There are professions called “human hunters” and “slave hunters,” who raid hidden villages of humans or invade countries ruled by other races to capture slaves.

When I heard this from Ruilala, I felt strong indignation and disgust towards the demons. But this is the Demon Race, and this is their society.

It’s easy to feel that enslaving humans or other races is unacceptable. But when asked if I could do anything about it, I could only remain silent.

Advocating for the liberation of slaves would be a mistake.

No matter how much I struggled alone, I could only save a limited number of people I could see. Even so, I don’t believe it has meaning if even a small number of people are saved. Limited activities would only result in giving false hope to those who are not saved. The hope that “we might be saved too” would turn into irreparable despair when they learn they cannot be saved.

If one were to lament the slavery system in the Demon Race’s Country, they would have to become a Demon Lord and raise the banner of slave liberation.

But is liberation only for one’s own country? Are you going to ignore the situations in other countries because they are outside your scope? There are other races besides demons that treat humans and weaker races as slaves. Such as the Divine Race and the Winged Tribe. Would you pick a fight with these races as well?

I cannot do such a thing, nor do I possess the capacity or destiny for it.

Intervening half-heartedly is, in the end, the same as saving only the people I see, for my own convenience and self-satisfaction.

That’s why I decided from the beginning not to interfere with the slavery system in the Demon Race’s Country.

That is my approach to demons, having decided that I will never become a Demon Lord.

It is not up to me to object to the slavery system and rise up. That is surely the role of the people who grew up in the Demon Race’s Country.

It may be cruel, but that is the world.

I am not the center of the world; I am an insignificant existence. This is something Elder Sleigsta and others have repeatedly told me, but I realized it thoroughly in the forbidden territory.

My level of activity is ordinary. That is daily life. People who have gone through tens of thousands of times more hardship and experience than me are people like Nazaria and others, like Micheila and the witches.

I have my role and my limitations, and so do Micheila and the others. And likewise, demons and enslaved people have theirs. Within that, all I can do now is hope that someone will emerge who will object to the slavery system and stand up.

I take care to avoid the detected demon settlements as much as possible, carefully moving towards the location indicated by Ares-chan.

Where are we going?

The destination is not a place. I was looking for a certain person.

I was told the general location, but I have no sense of direction in this land. In times like these, I have to rely entirely on Ares-chan’s ability to read nature as a Spirit Tree Spirit.

Occasionally, I detect groups of demons traveling on the road. If it’s one or two, they usually have a considerable presence. When they are in groups, they have the presence of lower-class demons. Perhaps they are travelers, caravans, or groups of human hunters.

To avoid being detected, I would observe them and slip away stealthily.

I can’t afford to stand out.

If I draw attention here, it would be pointless to have temporarily hidden myself in the forbidden territory.

And so, two more days passed.

There was still a lot of nature, and the presence of demons was sparse. However, I had already passed by two large towns.

Finally, it felt like I had truly stepped into the depths of the Demon Race’s Country.

Last year, when I traveled through the sky on Nemiah’s and Lily’s backs, I saw many cities and towns below that were far more developed and prosperous than the human race’s countries. I might be heading towards such regions now.

So, what about the person I’m looking for?

I was about to complain, asking how much further I had to go to meet them.

“Found you, found you!”

Ares-chan muttered in my mind.

Following her, I cautiously searched for their presence.

I found them easily.

In the depths of the mountains, I detected a single presence. There was no presence of demons, let alone humans, in the vicinity, so I immediately knew it was the person I was looking for.

“Alright, let’s go.”

After finishing my break, I resumed my movement.

I killed my presence more than ever before and proceeded cautiously.

As I entered the mountainous area where the target person was, I prepared for a series of spatial jumps. I would jump once, then check if my presence had been detected. Once confirmed it was safe, I would close the distance again with another spatial jump.

Heheheh.

Take this surprise attack!

Thanks to my cautious approach, the target person was relaxing in the mountains without noticing me.

I approached until I could see the target’s back through the gaps in the trees.

And then, I closed the distance in an instant!

“Wha-!?”

I patted the back of the well-dressed individual.

A shiver, not just down my spine but throughout my entire body, struck me. I hurriedly used my full power spatial jump to put distance between us.

“GYAAAAAH-!”

And then, I was the one who screamed! The moment I felt a terrifying presence descend from above me. The surroundings where I had been standing just a moment before exploded, trees fell, and earth and rocks flew.

“…”

The sheer power of it caused me to fall on my rear at my destination after the spatial jump.

“…Ah, it’s Elnea-kun.”

The person who had unleashed a terrifying killing intent and caused the explosion behind them looked at me, sitting on my rear in surprise in the distance, and broke into a smile.

“You can’t do that, attacking my back.”

“Y-, yes…”

“I just got flustered, thinking I was caught off guard.”

“S-, sorry…”

“Pranks are bad, you know. I almost attacked Elnea-kun.”

“I was trying to surprise you…”

“You should choose your opponent more carefully.”

“You’re right.”

“If it were me or His Majesty, you might be forgiven with a laugh, but with Charlotte-sama, terrifying punishment awaits.”

“I don’t want to imagine it!”

“Right?!”

I stood up and approached the target person again, this time on foot. And then, we shook hands in a reunion after a long time.

“Ruilala, it’s been a while.”

“Oh, Elnea-kun. It’s been a while. Were you a little later than scheduled?”

“I’m sorry. A lot happened in the forbidden territory.”

“That sounds like you, Elnea-kun.”

“Is that so…?”

“Still, your stealth skills seem to have improved.”

“Yeah. I learned it in the forbidden territory.”

“I see. That must be one of those ‘lot of things’.”

“Something like that.”

From the beginning, my plan was to meet up with Ruilala like this after leaving the forbidden territory.

Still, my playful urge to surprise Ruilala was a failure. I never expected such a reaction to an ambush. But then again, it’s natural. For Ruilala and demons, who live in a world of survival of the fittest, being ambushed is fatal. Reacting instinctively is natural. If they didn’t, they would die. I feel a bit of regret. But it’s unfair… It’s unfair that I get attacked by Ruilala if I’m careless, but I can’t play a prank on them.

Feeling somewhat unfulfilled, we rejoiced in our reunion. As we celebrated, I surveyed our surroundings.

A huge crater had formed in the mountainous area, and the surrounding mountains had suffered landslides and mudslides. It was fortunate that there was no one else within the detectable range of presences. If this commotion had been discovered, with our attempts at stealth, it would have been a disaster. Also, I was reminded anew that Ruilala should remain a swordsmanship fanatic. Without a sword in hand, the results are terrifying.

After a brief greeting and chat, we refocused. Ruilala, confirming that I was ready, began to move.

“Well then, shall we go and assassinate Gillar!”

And so, Ruilala said to me with a smile as if the fun was about to begin.