episode_0031

It came to me quite suddenly, almost as a warning.

“Starting tomorrow, we’re going to war. With the Empire. Not just some far-off place like usual, but an all-out war.”

“Ah, an all-out war is going on… …Whew! Whoosh whoosh! Abel? Did I hear that right!?”

No, it’s just a notification.

I heard Leah, who lived as a commoner and a warrior, say something so grand and unrealistic as “I’m going to the market tomorrow” at dinner, and I slurred my red wine (or grape juice, to be exact. To be exact, only Abel had red wine) that I was drinking.

Abel, who had been patting my back to calm me down, thought for a moment and then confirmed the truth with a calm expression on his face.

“Yeah. Probably me and Hira. It hasn’t even been a few weeks since we were dispatched to the Ken Tribe, but I’m sorry, but Mino and Pave, who were just promoted to the Four Heavenly Kings. The leader of the succubi – you know him from last time, right? And Han. All the named people are going to go, and in addition to that, all the troops below that have been verified will probably go.”

“Why on earth?!”

“The reason I was called by the goddess was because of that story. Now it’s time to ‘suck it up for the last time’ so I’m going to sweep it all away.”

My face automatically frowned.

Right now, I’m a member of the Demon King’s army, so I have nothing to say, but that girl treated human life as a lump of organic matter that couldn’t crawl no matter how she was treated, and it made me suffocate.

“Well… I guess there’s nothing we can do. Reduce civilian casualties as much as possible.”

In the first place, Abel is doing this because of me, so he has no right to talk about morality or anything.

“But isn’t one person missing? Galvein. Isn’t Galvein a named person? In fact, he’s probably named more than anyone else.”

“Ah, right. But in good conscience, haven’t you been worrying about Galvein for too long? Even though he’s a rich guy, he can’t even come out of his bones. That’s why I gave him a vacation this time… He should rest even at times like this.”

Abel, who was also pricked by his conscience, quickly added the rest of his speech, then grumbled and brought up the main topic.

“You don’t have to worry about safety. This time, I’ve ‘definitely’ casted defensive magic.”

“That’s for sure. Even if someone passes by and touches it, it will break down into particles smaller than mana…”

“That was a mistake. I used a 9th circle defensive magic this time.”

He says it calmly as if it’s nothing, but that magic tower, that is, a magician of the 9th circle level, can only be cast by a magician. Of course, Galvein must have had a hard time casting it. Even if Abel casts the defensive magic himself several times, the range of enemies recognized is wide, and the moment they are recognized as enemies, they are given a ticket straight to the underworld.

I once again praise Galvein’s abilities. Could it be that the Demon King’s army is returning thanks to Galvein…?

“Then only Galvein and I are left in the castle…”

“If you want, I can leave a few more. Since the other troops didn’t have much meaning from the time I left, I’m taking them for show purposes.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m not that shameless. I’ll wait.”

To be honest, I feel regretful, but since you’re working so hard because of me, I should know that I’m full too.

I hate waiting, but I hate it so much that I can’t stand it.

I tried to keep my head down and mashed the carrots in the Amen stew with a fork, thinking that if I saw Abel’s face one more time he would tell me not to go.

*****

A day passed, and the Demon King’s Castle was truly empty, except for one Galvein.

Galvein is so quiet that he only does research, so he’s practically completely alone.

I didn’t know until then, but I really hate being alone. …Why didn’t I know, it seems pretty bad.

“Why are you saying that right next to me… I’m busy…”

Oh, right. I was crouching in the corner of Galvein’s lab.

“Sorry, but if we don’t do this, Gabriel will probably catch us right away… and we’ll go back to the days of the warrior party…”

“The elf you made into rags with your sword came back to life from the grave? We call that OCD, what the hell is wrong with you- Ughhh.”

To be honest, I humbly accepted the insult because I had been stuck next to him long enough to get annoyed. Of course, Galvein didn’t seem to think so and started rushing out.

So I went to see what he was going to get…

“Candy? Isn’t candy expensive?”

“After eating this, I didn’t say anything just now. I’m sure I saw the Demon King buy a book called ‘The Relationship Between Good Words and Plant Magic’ last time. I don’t have the heart to read a book that destroys basic common sense theories.”

“Wow… I thought you knew. I guess I’ll forget about this―”

well.

Candy is delicious.

“Ah, but what did you say earlier, Galvein? You suddenly lost your memory for 5 minutes.”

When I saw Galvein’s relaxed expression, I thought, well… he really hates pseudoscience and magic… Actually, I didn’t intend to tell him even if he didn’t give me candy, I was just teasing him.

“Damn it, I packed my bags, where the hell did my bag go!”

“Looking for that?”

I licked a few more large round candies that Galvein had squeezed into my mouth to keep me quiet – they were about the size of a fully open palm of a grown man. If I ate all of them, I’d die from sugar overload. – and pointed to a bag that looked so black magic-like that I guessed I was right.

“Ah, there it was.”

“But why are you packing your bags?”

“I’m going to the ruins.”

“Relics? That warehouse-like thing our ancestors built?”

“Yeah, that’s what you think. Then, until I get back, don’t cause any trouble and stay quiet.”

“…”

If I go all the way to Galvein, will I really be left alone in this vast Demon King’s Castle?

“Why do you have such a chewed-out expression?”

“No? I’m fine.”

“…”

Galvein’s face crumpled.

Of course, in reality, he’s a rich guy so his facial bones wouldn’t be wrinkled, but if you listen to the sigh that goes deep into the abyss, if he had facial muscles, they would definitely be wrinkled.

“Follow me.”

“Huh, huh?”

“I had to take you anyway for your safety. The reason the Demon King left you in the Demon King’s Castle was because he assumed I was with him. Of course, you have to keep the fact that I’m going on an expedition a secret.”

“…! Let’s go, let’s go! Should I pack? I’ll bring it right away!”

“No need. I already took care of yours. Stay still, I’m out of my mind.”

“Yeah!”

‘What, I’m not raising a golden retriever that likes humans…’

Galvein pressed his skull against his temples as he felt a pain. This guy I saw during my time as a warrior was definitely more mature, cheerful, and didn’t have any anxiety when left alone, but why did he become so annoying? Those psychopaths abandoned a person.

“Well, it’s not someone else, but this guy, so I’m sure the Demon King will say it’s okay…”

“…?”

Something, when you said Demon King, it felt like you were calling someone else instead of Abel. Is it just my imagination?

I must be mistaken.

I quickly buried my thoughts and chased after Galvein. Partly because I was afraid that he might change his mind.

*****

“But what’s that whistle?”

In Galvein’s hand was a whistle. The whistle was made of a scarlet gem, and had designs carved on both sides, making it look quite expensive.

“It’s an artifact.”

Galvein cut his words short and blew his whistle.

And static.

“?”

“Uh…what did you do…?”

Seriously, no magic happened!

I thought I was mistaken so I looked again, but again, nothing happened!

Galvein felt that I was glancing at him and started making excuses belatedly.

“So, this is, if you blow the whistle, the train will come… You know, I’m Richie.”

In an instant, my gaze towards Galvein turned cold.

“How have you been writing so far…?”

“Someone else called it.”

Why on earth is it that you’re so good at using 9th circle level magic, but you’re missing a screw here?

Hmm, now that I think about it, when I think back to my days as a warrior, when I cleared the dungeon he had prepared, I accidentally forgot to put away the administrator’s manual, and Bell picked it up at the entrance, so I cleared it too easily, knowing the dungeon’s structure, the types of monsters, their numbers, the magic they use, and even the day’s menu. It’s late, but should I thank him for giving me the experience?

“Then who blew this last time?”

“The Demon King. He often used to say it was convenient.”

Having heard that far, I blew the whistle on Galvein’s hand without hesitation.

-Wheww!

With a clear sound of wind, a steampunk-like steam locomotive came flying through the space and stopped in front of the two.

“Wow…Wowhhh…?! This is awesome!”

“…Get on quickly.”

Galvein dragged me inside. Even the inside was incredibly luxurious!

“This… This huge earthworm? What should I call this long thing? Is it like a ghost? A golem? ”

“It’s a train. And we’re not alone, so keep your voices down. Please. I feel like I’m going to die from being beaten…”

Dragging and dragging, Galvein finally managed to grab my arm, who was happily wandering around, and drag me into the guest room.

“Wow… The scenery outside passes by so quickly!”

“…Is this your first time seeing a train?”

“I guess, originally he was a commoner… and after that, in the warrior party, um… how should I put it. There was a lot of support, but I never used it, right?”

“Even so, you should have money to ride the train. Even if you were a beggar in the beginning, didn’t you receive support when I backed down a few times?”

“Ena’s makeup costs, Bell’s elixir and magic tool costs, Gabriel’s cathedral donations, Lena’s vegetable costs, Samoeun’s seedling management costs, Soo’s employment costs and additional costs… I was really a sucker.”

“…”

What was so good about those bitches that they spread it around like that?

“Eat it.”

Galvein stuffed snacks into my mouth. It certainly felt a little better to have some sugar in it.

“Don’t think about that and just chat about trivial things. It’ll take some time to get there anyway. Things like whether that guy Mino and the former King of Dogs are doing well-”

“But can I tell you that? It seems like a personal matter.”

“Ah.”

It was just pure curiosity, but it seems it was a fatal blow to Galvein.

I had a feeling that Galvein would soon be reading a book about the relationship between good words and plant magic, perhaps led by Mino rather than Abel.

It was almost a certainty.