Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Otherworld Demon King Survival Guide.

Episode 171: The Reason The Orcs Moved (3)

For the next two days, I dedicated myself to organizing the dungeon system, dividing the work, and creating a schedule that included work orders.

With the single-minded intention of efficiently operating the dungeon by properly organizing the system, I carried out all these tasks.

It might take more time, but for now, this was sufficient. After all, systems weren’t something that could be completed in just a few days.

After roughly setting up the framework…

“Let’s go.”

We embarked on an expedition.

What Buril had informed us of was nothing more than a suspicion—a simple word that monsters were coming this way. However, for me, living here, this was a matter to be taken seriously.

In other words, I was a lord, and this area was my domain. If something suspicious happened in the domain, it was my duty to check it out.

I hoped it was not some damn angel again. I really hoped not. If an angel appeared and the monsters were fleeing, it would mean an angel has truly been unsealed.

—Click, click, click.

This time, the troops I led included a fully armed goblin squad, a pixie squad, an imp squad, and Sharan, Vanessa, Lilriel, and Ruby.

This should be an appropriate selection of personnel.

Vanessa was a skilled fighter, and Ruby was a research mage. I hadn’t seen her abilities since recruiting her, so this was an opportunity to observe. I brought Lilriel just in case there might be something like an angel.

“Shasha.”

And Sharan was my reliable bodyguard.

The dungeon was being guarded by Serinu and Lumica, Imsoong, and the nuns, remaining pixies, imps, and kobolds. That should be enough. I told them to be as careful as possible, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

Even if the hobgoblins were there, they wouldn’t be able to oppose the remaining forces even if they revolted. Reika was also a skilled fighter. With Serinu and Lumica there as well, there’s no need to worry.

“Buril, report anything you see immediately as we move.”

“Keuk. Understood, Master.”

We had grown accustomed to marching by now, continuing our advance towards what once was the sweet home of the orcs.

The journey itself was unremarkable.

“It doesn’t seem like there are any monsters. Perhaps we were overly concerned.”

Vanessa, standing beside me, shared her observation.

“That might be true. But we still need to verify. If there’s anything out there, we need to identify it to develop a countermeasure.”

“…You’re thorough.”

“Thoroughness is what keeps us alive in this world.”

Vanessa gave me an intense look.

“It’s not just my life that’s at stake. Not only my beloved subordinates but also my elite troops.

And even Vanessa’s life is on the line. As a ruler, it’s my duty to prepare meticulously to save everyone.“

“Hmph.”

With that, Vanessa blushed and looked away.

“Why is that?”

“It seems you do care about your subordinates.”

“Of course, I do. They may be subordinates, but they are my family. Who would willingly put their family in danger?”

“…Family.”

The word seemed to trigger a realization in Vanessa.

“Really… Human commanders probably don’t care for their subordinates to that extent…”

“Not all, but many do care, don’t they?”

“…”

Vanessa shook her head.

“You. I thought you were just an evil being… But the more I observe, that doesn’t seem to be the case. You truly are a unique demon.”

“Oh! Have you finally recognized my true value!”

Even though Vanessa had been humiliated by me, she was now fully following me!

“Quiet! Even if I’ve reconsidered, the fact that you’re a vile being who rapes women hasn’t changed!”

“That’s true, too.”

That was a fact.

Nevertheless, it seemed Vanessa was beginning to view me slightly more favorably, so I decided to share more of my thoughts.

“But what can I do? If I have to protect my family, that’s the fastest way to gain power.”

“There are slower paths to choose from! Honor is supposed to be…!”

“It’s not possible.”

“Not possible!”

“If I did such things, my family would be in danger. So, absolutely not.”

“Khh…!”

“Growing for my family. That is my honor. If it’s for the sake of protecting my subordinates, I can do any such evil deeds.”

“…”

At that point, Vanessa closed her mouth. She looked unconvinced, but the gaze she sent me wasn’t overly aggressive.

“…I understand. If that’s your belief, I have nothing more to say.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Reika had completely fallen for me, and now it seemed Vanessa’s turn had come. Naturally, staying together and becoming intimate naturally breeds affection.

Whether it’s Reika or Vanessa, they were quite confused by the way I treated my subordinates like family. They’re confused because they viewed it favorably.

That’s how they gradually came to see me in a positive light.

And so, we continued marching.

“Huff, huff.”

Walking along, it seemed Ruby was falling behind a bit, so I went over to her side.

“Lady Ruby. Are you tired?”

“Huh? Oh, no. Not really…”

The still timid mage, Ruby.

“Lady Ruby.”

“Kyaa?!”

When I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, she was startled and blushed. How cute.

“Your reaction is really cute.”

“Cu, cu, cu, cute…”

Just throwing out a comment like that made her visibly blush and her heartbeat quicken. She was really an easy woman. Anyway, let’s have a conversation.

“Anyway, Lady Ruby. Don’t you have any guesses? Like the reason the monsters are fleeing. Being in research, you might know a lot.”

“We, well… This unexplored territory hasn’t been much explored… So, there’s not much I can say…”

“Then, could you tell me about this unexplored territory?”

“If there’s anything I know…”

Ruby began to explain.

Being a mage, when she starts explaining, she speaks quite clearly and deliberately.

“Hmm.”

Rugged mountains and jungle-like terrain. Monsters abound. It’s a place that had things to gain by visiting but was not quite suitable for full-scale development.

Developing such a place would entail enormous costs, and even if developed, its potential return on investment remains uncertain. Yet, it’s a place where one might occasionally stumble upon rare materials during explorations.

This was the local mages’ view of the region.

“Well, it’s a harsh land.”

Truly, it’s a cursed land.

I was fine with it because I was a demon.

“It’s very harsh… but there’s a lot to research… I like that.”

“Hehehe, is that so?”

“Yes…”

Ruby seemed quite intrigued by this place. She enjoyed it when I played along.

“Ah, but, Lady Ruby. Any progress with dark magic?”

“Ah… Yes… It seems fine.”

Originally a mage, Ruby had become proficient in offensive dark magic. Perhaps she’s the most powerful in terms of magical prowess?

“Have you become unable to use the magic you originally practiced?”

“Yes… But I wasn’t good at it to begin with… So, this is actually better.”

“Hehehe, is that so?”

After receiving my magical power, she developed a knack for dark magic. Ah, but there’s also something about undead in the dark magic book.

Should I teach her next time?

“Lady Ruby. Do you know anything more about the angel rumor?”

“That, what I mentioned last time is all… It’s all rumors I heard… I’m sorry, I don’t know anything more…”

“It’s alright. Ah. But where did you hear these rumors?”

“At, at the mage tower…”

The mage tower?

Before I could inquire further, Vanessa interjected.

“To the west of the barony, there’s a small mage tower. You said you’re from there.”

“Yes…”

“You came here for research purposes.”

“Ye, yes…”

Ruby arrived in this area to conduct a personal study on monsters or plants, their ecology and effects, and then joined us upon hearing that scouts were seeking a mage.

Let’s move on from that.

“Lady Ruby. Please, tell me about the rumor again.”

“Yes…”

Ruby nodded and began to explain once more.

“It’s a rumor that’s been circulating around the mage tower. There’s talk of an angel from the Goddess Religion appearing near the capital… I heard about it before coming to the barony. Oh, but it’s not an old rumor… Still, since the Goddess Nation isn’t far from the capital, they said an announcement might be made soon…”

To summarize the story again:

“Hmm.”

The rumor was that an angel appeared near the capital.

People believed this angel was associated with the Goddess Religion. Since nuns of the Goddess Religion, like Reika and Irene, thought Lilriel was a real angel, this was likely.

The angels described by the Goddess Religion seemed similar to those from the High Heavens. Anyway, the Goddess Religion was a major religion, akin to the Vatican, with its own nation.

The Goddess Nation was a neutral, religious state.

It was governed by an empress who worshiped the Goddess, and there was supposed to be a saintess as well. If an angel had descended, it would naturally go there, and if the Goddess Nation made contact with the angels, a major announcement would be expected soon.

The rumor’s authenticity was still unclear.

“This is not good.”

It suggested there was a high possibility that the angels would collaborate not only with human kingdoms but also with the religious state. An angel joining forces with a central religious state? That’s truly disastrous.

“Th, this is just a rumor… It’s doubtful whether an angel really appeared…”

“Lilriel is right here, isn’t she?”

As I pointed at Lilriel, who was walking behind us with a sulky face, she came over to Ruby and said,

“Are you doubting the existence of the great High Heavens and me? It seems you can’t see my form with your inferior eyes!”

“No, that’s not what I meant! Lady Lilriel…!”

In front of me, Lilriel was scolding her junior?

“Th, this!”

Vanessa, unable to contain her anger, was on the verge of intervening. This was a common scene in the women’s internal affairs. Lilriel was constantly being scolded and sent to do the laundry, only to turn around and scold Ruby for not doing it, and then she ended up being punished by Reika for the scolding.

What a complete mess.

“Lady Vanessa. Deal with this already.”

“Understood!”

Vanessa promptly seized Lilriel by the ear.

“Aack!”

“If you continue to harass Ruby, I’ll report you to Reika, Lilriel! We’re living together; do you really want to keep acting this way just because you’re an angel?”

“Khh…! Well, I have my grievances too! You always saddle me with the laundry!”

“It’s only because you keep bullying Ruby!”

Watching them, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Huff.”

As I walked, I pondered.

‘It would be beneficial to learn more about this rumor.’

Our confinement to this jungle severely restricted the information we could access. If only I could transform, I’d go gather information myself. But that was not feasible yet, was it?

Ah, and the distance was vast. Who knows what could transpire in the time it took to travel back and forth.

It’s quite unfortunate.

The demons could open a portal to send me out, but wasn’t there something like that? A warp gate would be incredibly useful.

Or having a spy who could gather information would be ideal. A spy who ventured into the human world on my command, collected information, and returned. Perhaps I should consider abducting a woman, brainwashing her, and training her as such a spy?

I was so desperate for sources of information that I was contemplating this.

In any case.

We continued our march.

“Master. Keuk! We’ve reached the orc settlement!”

“Ah. Right.”

We had arrived at the orc settlement.

The orc tribe was utterly devastated. Humans had demolished everything and set it ablaze. All that remained were charred fragments of orc bones. Finding little of value, we set up a temporary campsite here and spent the night.

And then came the next day.

We marched even further. If there was something out there, we’d have to go further to find it. If the orc tribe decided to move, they wouldn’t have done so haphazardly. They definitely went farther.

As we continued our search, we encountered a variety of monsters. There seemed to be an abundance of monsters in this area.

“Keuk! Keureuk!”

“Gyusat-sat!”

Moreover, we observed goblins and kobolds fighting each other.

“Keuk? Master. What are those guys doing?”

“Indeed.”

The goblins and kobolds, having been pushed out of their territories… Had they been forced this far and were now fighting among themselves for territory?

That was our guess, though it seemed a bit far-fetched.

“Buril, deal with both of them. Beat them up and tie them up.”

“Keuk! Make them subordinates?”

“Hehehe, yes! And grab a gift for Gyuil as a bonus!”

“Keurureuk! Understood!”

—Keryaaaak!

There was a brief commotion, but we quickly subdued them and made them our subordinates.

As we advanced again.

“Shasha? Master? I found a strange trace.”

This time, Sharan had found something and informed me. Looking in the direction Sharan pointed.

“Hmm?”

What is this?

“What’s this? Lady Vanessa? Ruby. No. Everyone, come here. Do you recognize this trace?”

I asked my subordinates.

“…I don’t know.”

They all admitted their ignorance.

“Keukkeuk. I also don’t know.”

“Lady Ruby? What about you?”

“Uh, umm… I also don’t really… Oh, but it kind of looks like the trail of a snake crawling…”

A snake?

Examining the trace again.

It definitely resembled the trail left by a snake. Such a trail stretched far into the distance.

“But it’s quite large, isn’t it?”

Could this be some anaconda?

It was a huge trail, akin to that of a giant anaconda. It seemed as though a plump, well-fed snake had been slithering around here.

“A giant snake?”

Has a monster similar to a giant snake appeared?

Was that the reason everyone fled?

If a really big snake appeared, fleeing would indeed make sense.