We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Rest and Departure
The City of the Dead.
The city that everyone imagined to be terrifying, however, surprised those who visited.
“Is this really that infamous Necropolis…?”
Eh?!
Infamous?
I’ve never heard that before!
As someone muttered, the ruler of this place felt sad, saying it’s like my home.
But the scenery that spread out before my eyes was not ominous or eerie; it was a perfectly ordinary and well-maintained cityscape.
“Welcome back, Elnea.”
“I’m back. …Wait a minute. Don’t say it like this is my home you’re returning to.”
“However, by order of His Majesty, we were instructed to defend it until Elnea-dono’s return.”
“As I thought, that person wants me to…”
“Straight for Demon Lord, aren’t you.”
“Hey, don’t say that!”
I silenced Ruilala’s smug face and greeted the commander of the Black Winged Demon Race.
The commander was someone I knew, and had somehow become friends with Ruiseine.
I acknowledged their past hardships and bowed my head, asking for their continued support. Then, I introduced Meduria and explained the circumstances.
While we were occupied, the people who had evacuated here with us were looking around the city with curiosity.
I thought the city’s structure was the same as other demon race cities. Apparently, they were interested because undead used to live here.
However, perhaps they were still afraid of the undead, as the people looking around with curiosity didn’t venture beyond my line of sight.
It seems they thought they were safe if they were near me.
“…So, I’d like to ask you to protect these people here for a while.”
“I understand the situation. However, I have also been ordered not to allow anyone other than those involved into the city…”
“By the Demon Lord?”
“Precisely.”
“But I have control over this city, right? Which request is higher, the ruler’s or the Demon Lord’s?”
“Elnea-kun, you’re good at causing trouble for people.”
“No, no, Ruilala. This needs to be clarified. Otherwise, problems will arise in the future.”
“You mean?”
“In other words. Until now, the Black Winged Demon Race has defended this city under the Giant Demon Lord’s orders. But with my arrival, they were able to complete their mission, right? So what happens from now on?”
“Even though Elnea-kun has arrived, you won’t be staying forever, so they will likely continue their mission to defend the city. Until His Majesty issues a withdrawal order.”
“As I thought. But, wouldn’t that become complicated?”
“What would?”
“Should a problem arise with the people I’ve brought in later, would my status be prioritized, or the Demon Lord’s orders?”
“The orders of the Ruler of the Necropolis, or the Demon Lord’s orders. But the Black Winged Demon Race unit is the Emperor’s direct guard, so I believe he would prioritize His Majesty’s orders without hesitation.”
“Then, if I, as the ruler, told the Black Winged Demon Race to leave, what would happen?”
“That would be…. The ruler says to leave. But they must defend the city by His Majesty’s order. Hmm…”
“In that case, despite them continuing to guard the city for me, they would have to oppose me to carry out the Demon Lord’s orders, wouldn’t they?”
“It’s a contradiction, isn’t it? To continue His Majesty’s orders, they would have to eliminate Elnea-kun, who is making unreasonable demands.”
“Yes, exactly!”
“Certainly, that would be troublesome.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t make such a demand. But, we’ve identified the fundamental problem, haven’t we?”
Up until now, the Black Winged Demon Race had simply followed the Giant Demon Lord’s orders. But I arrived.
Meduria, who was delegated the authority regarding the Necropolis, is staying here. Furthermore, refugees are being accepted. In such a situation, they wouldn’t know how to deal with the issues of each other’s positions that I just mentioned.
Therefore, the first thing to do is to clarify the positions of the people being protected in the city and the Black Winged Demon Race.
“I want the Black Winged Demon Race to continue defending this city. Of course, only until the Giant Demon Lord issues a withdrawal order. And, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like you to shelter these people I’ve permitted into the city. Meduria and the others will live on their own. Meduria and the others will not bother the Black Winged Demon Race. The Black Winged Demon Race will protect the people living within the city as part of the city. However, if they cause trouble for the Black Winged Demon Race, they may be expelled. If Meduria and the others don’t want to be kicked out, they must live in an orderly manner. How about that?”
“You’re saying that the Black Winged defense force can prioritize His Majesty’s orders over those of her acting lord?”
“That’s right. Meduria and the others will not interfere with the defense force’s activities. The Black Winged Demon Race will continue to defend the Necropolis according to the Demon Lord’s orders. However, if their mission execution is hindered, they can be expelled even by Meduria, who has been delegated authority by me. The absolute priority is the orders of the Black Winged Demon Race, and Meduria’s activities are under their protection.”
“We who have been saved have no objections to that.”
Meduria immediately agreed to my proposal. The Black Winged Demon Race also accepted my proposal without any issues.
With this, our respective positions have become clear.
If anyone expresses dissatisfaction, they will be kicked out of the Necropolis without question. Neither I, Meduria, nor the Black Winged Demon Race are so kind as to shelter unreasonable people.
“We have sufficient food stockpiles. We will provide food until Meduria-dono and her group can become self-sufficient.”
“Thank you.”
And so, we were also provided with food by the Black Winged Demon Race for dinner tonight.
It was a modest celebration for my arrival, and the demon race members were in high spirits.
The sense of security that their safety was ensured, and the exhaustion from the long journey, had made everyone’s faces relax.
At my request, plenty of food was also distributed to the slaves. Although we couldn’t celebrate at the same table, joyous voices echoed from different places.
At the dinner party involving representatives of the Black Winged Demon Race, discussions were also held about where Meduria and her group would live.
The Necropolis is truly a “city,” different in scale from a village or town. The undead have been purified, and now there are countless empty residences built on vast land.
If they were to live scattered throughout this vast city, it would be difficult for the Black Winged Demon Race, who are responsible for its defense.
As a result of the discussion, Meduria, the acting lord, was assigned a grand mansion in the central part of the city. She will live there with her retainers and many slaves.
The other demon race members were also instructed to live only in the surrounding areas.
For food self-sufficiency, they need to cultivate farmland and raise livestock.
Those responsibilities were entrusted to Meduria and the Black Winged Demon Race.
“That’s good. For a while, I was worried about what would happen, but it seems like everything will be wrapped up nicely.”
“I think everything will be concluded once Elnea-kun becomes the Demon Lord.”
“That’s just you and the Demon Lord’s schemes concluding!”
“Hahaha, it’s just your imagination.”
“It’s definitely NOT imagination!”
After dinner, as I was about to enter a building of my choice to rest, Ruilala, as expected, followed me.
Speaking of which, I hadn’t decided on a place for Ruilala to rest.
Or rather, if you’re a subordinate of the Giant Demon Lord, I’d prefer you go to the barracks where the Black Winged Demon Race members are staying.
I don’t want you to disturb my long-awaited peace.
I tried to drive Ruilala out by saying goodnight, but she wouldn’t leave.
“It’s fine, let’s sleep together tonight, okay? We’ve both been through a lot, let’s have a celebratory night.”
“No! Absolutely not!”
“As they say, ‘even a ‘no’ can mean ‘yes”.”
“That’s not the ‘no’ I mean! I will absolutely not sleep with Ruilala!”
However, my rejection did not work on Ruilala.
Ruilala, who stuck to me like glue, followed me all the way to my bed.
And as we bickered with “Go away” and “It’s fine,” Ruilala and I both fell asleep.
The next morning.
As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I rolled over.
A bed after a long time. A warm futon.
And then, a soft, squishy sensation.
Ah, how wonderful.
I buried my face in the soft object with a sweet scent and indulged in deep sleep.
A drowsy sweetness that seduces people. Yet, it also held the fresh crispness of nature.
Yes. It was like…
Like what?
With a gasp, I awoke.
I brought the soft object I was burying my face in into my hand, and felt it squish. Then, I sat up abruptly.
“Good morning.”
“G-good morning… Ares-san.”
The wonderful object was Ares’s chest!
Oh, what in the world.
Last night, I slept with Ruilala reluctantly, but when I woke up this morning, it was Ares.
Where did Ruilala go?
I looked around, but Ruilala was nowhere in the room.
“Ares-san, it’s been a while.”
“Indeed. It has been a while. Were you well?”
“I managed. But I had a lot of trouble without you.”
Ruilala?
I can’t see her, but she’ll probably be fine, right?
Worrying is useless.
As I exchanged conversation with Ares, we left the building. Then, in the garden, Ruilala was hanging upside down from a tree…
No, I didn’t see anything!
“He’s cruel, isn’t he, Elnea-kun?”
No, it’s not my fault, I replied in my mind to the mysterious voice that came from nowhere, and passed by with Ares.
I took a walk with Ares in the early morning city.
As we had reunited after a long time, we reported our recent circumstances to each other.
Ugh… It seems like terrifying things are happening on their end. I need to go back soon, or someone will get impatient. Or rather, Mistral and Ruiseine are desperately trying to hold back a rampaging girl.
I’m sorry…
As I walked with Ares, I took in the scenery.
It was a beautiful cityscape, unlike a place where undead used to live.
Although I only stayed in the Necropolis for a few days, I was happy to see the familiar scenery.
Am I starving?
For ordinary cityscapes and peaceful days.
As we walked, we arrived in front of Meduria’s mansion.
Even though it was early morning the day after our arrival, I could see people cleaning the mansion.
Despite the fatigue from the long journey until yesterday, their expressions were somewhat bright.
As I greeted the people cleaning, I entered the mansion.
Are the demon race members still sound asleep due to the long-awaited peace? The people busy moving around are all slaves.
The buildings are undamaged, as they were when the undead lived here, but they are dusty because they haven’t been used. That’s why they are cleaning in a hurry.
I thought I might be disturbing them, but the person who had business with me appeared.
Meduria came down the stairs on the second floor.
“Good morning. What brings you here so early? Oh? Ruilala-sama has transformed into a female form?”
“Ah, Meduria-san. Good morning. This is Ares-san.”
“I didn’t see him until yesterday. This is troubling, Elnea-dono already has a close female companion.”
“Fufufu, there’s no room for you there?”
“Um, please don’t start a catfight here.”
The two alluring women were sparking from early in the morning.
Ares clung to my arm without hesitation and smiled triumphantly.
Meduria tried to seduce me with her seductive gaze and gestures.
I hurried to appease them both.
“Hahaha. I’ll have to report this to the other brides.”
“Kuh, Ruilala. You’ve escaped from there already.”
“No, Elnea-kun is truly terrible.”
“No, no, Ares-san is the one who tied you up!”
“But you didn’t help me.”
“…It’s your imagination.”
Just as I thought it would escalate into another chaotic situation with Ruilala’s safe escape,
The morning play seemed to be over.
Meduria stopped her seductive gaze towards me and got down to business, saying, “So, what is your business?”
She is probably an excellent lord originally. She clearly separates play from work and can quickly adopt the necessary demeanor.
Now, sensing that my early morning visit means important business, she realized.
“Yes, actually. I’m planning to depart.”
“You just arrived yesterday, and you’re leaving already?”
Meduria seemed to have realized that I wouldn’t be staying long when I delegated my authority to her. However, she seemed surprised, as she hadn’t expected me to leave so soon.
“Yes. I have important matters to attend to.”
“Is that so? It will be lonely without Elnea-dono and Ruilala-sama, but please leave the management of this place to me.”
“Please do. I’ll come visit again when things settle down.”
“We will always be waiting.”
We exchanged farewells.
It was hard to leave, but I don’t have time to rest leisurely. If I want to relax, it will be after solving this problem.
Now that Ares has returned, I will return to my covert journey. And I will defeat Gillar as soon as possible and regain peaceful days.
“Ah, that’s right.”
An idea struck me, and I had Ares retrieve a single thread from a mysterious space.
I handed the retrieved thread to Meduria.
“A thread?”
Meduria seemed confused, as if she didn’t understand the value of the thread, and stared at the thread, which was about the length of her hair, with curiosity.
“That is the thread of the Thousand-Handed Spider.”
“What?!”
Startled by my abrupt statement, Meduria almost dropped the thread.
“I’m giving you that thread, Meduria-san. It’s said to be a thread that even the Demon Lord can rarely obtain.”
“C-can I really accept such a thing?”
“Yes. If you are ever in financial trouble, please sell it.”
“No, I could never sell such a precious item.”
Meduria stared intently at the thread I had given her.
The thread of the Thousand-Handed Spider is apparently a top-quality thread that trades for a high price even in short lengths. But I couldn’t possibly tell her that Ares possessed large quantities of it in a mysterious space.
In the end, I had received a large amount of thread from Teruru, the Thousand-Handed Spider, with whom I had become friends.
“Meduria-san, please take care of things here. And if possible, please be kind to the slaves.”
“Understood. I, Meduria, will carry on Elnea-dono’s will.”
Thus, I quickly left the Necropolis.
A stealth journey that felt like returning to square one.
But from here, I will make a comeback. I will definitely defeat Gillar. And I will also thwart the schemes of the Giant Demon Lord and Ruilala!
Ruilala and I, after saying goodbye to the Black Winged Demon Race members, left the Necropolis.
