Ch.175Short Break (5)

*

Though no winter is ever easy, this one was particularly cold and harsh.

Perhaps it was because there were so few humans to share body heat in this forest, or perhaps it was the desolation brought by the knowledge that the human world had already fallen into chaos.

Whatever the cause, the bitter wind cutting sharply between the fallen trees was undeniably real as it sliced against my skin.

Such a cold winter forest was hardly an ideal place for camping.

If Alice hadn’t been with me, I might have caught countless colds by now.

In that respect, this small ruin where we were currently camping was actually quite a decent spot.

People often distinguish between sleeping in a dwelling and sleeping rough by the presence or absence of a roof, but in my experience, walls were even more important than roofs.

Even these crumbling stone walls of the ruins made a significant difference compared to having nothing at all.

Thanks to the stone walls blocking the wind, I sat more comfortably by the campfire that warmed our surroundings.

The sun hadn’t even fully set, yet here I was sitting with my backside on the ground and my back against the wall. For me right now, even this simple rest felt quite blissful.

Plus, I had Silvia beside me, quietly holding my hand.

However, this moment wasn’t entirely warm and cozy.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere was as cold and chilly as the biting winter wind.

The source of this frigid mood was the demon boy sitting across the campfire.

“One thing’s for certain—there are no signs of battle,” Alice said firmly to the boy after returning from scouting the area.

Her tone was dry, far from warm comfort, simply conveying obvious facts—but sometimes such directness can be more helpful.

Especially in bewildering situations like this one.

“Right, if the Demon Lord or his subordinates had ransacked the place, it wouldn’t be this intact,” Silvia added.

“I understand you’re worried, but nothing serious probably happened. For now, eat this and keep your strength up,” I said, pointing to the wild boar leg roasting at the edge of the campfire.

The boy nodded silently but remained motionless, sitting still in his place.

His lack of energy was understandable.

We had already spent a couple of hours thoroughly searching the area, but there was no trace of his demon companions anywhere.

The chopped firewood they had been preparing, the rotten food filling the large cauldron they had been cooking in—

There were plenty of signs that demons had been living here, but not a single one of them was to be seen.

It was as if they had collectively vanished into thin air.

Silvia pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.

“Boy, you said you left this place for about a week, right?”

“…Yes. I was trading with humans for necessary supplies.”

“You left the forest and returned in a week? Is that possible?”

“It’s barely possible if you know the way.”

“What were you trying to get?”

“Bombs, to breach the walls of the Demon Lord’s castle. But the human kingdom was already in such chaos that it was impossible to get anything.”

“I see.”

Silvia nodded and continued.

“We couldn’t find any footprints suggesting someone moved away.”

“…Ha, did they all just shoot up into the sky?”

“Well, that’s possible, but I think they simply left a long time ago.”

“What?”

“Unlike muddy ground, footprints on grass and soil become difficult to detect after three or four days. We’re not hawks—human eyesight has its limits, and I imagine demons do too.”

The boy growled, “…What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying the demons left this place right after you went away. In such a hurry that they even left food in the cauldron.”

“Where to?”

“Well, either they fled…”

“We don’t flee!” the boy shouted, cutting off Silvia’s words.

He hunched down as if ready to pounce, like a wild animal threatening a human, but neither Silvia nor Alice—not even I—felt the slightest bit threatened by him.

Silvia calmly continued, “Or they went to the Demon Lord.”

“…!”

The boy’s face showed shock, as if suddenly realizing something.

Silvia looked down at him and said, “I don’t know if they went to surrender or to fight, but maybe they had a reason to move while you were gone.”

“…Such foolish…”

“You seem to have some idea?”

“…Tch.”

The boy bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, then grabbed his horns as if trying to tear them off, hanging his head.

There was clearly something going on, but he didn’t seem likely to share it with us, having only just met.

The uncomfortable atmosphere lingered for quite some time.

I silently watched him, then slowly got up and walked toward the campfire.

I picked up the well-roasted wild boar leg and held it out to the boy.

“Just eat this for now. You need something in your stomach to keep your strength up.”

“…I’m not hungry.”

“Eat it anyway. It’ll burn if we leave it any longer.”

“Damn it, I said I don’t need—mmph!”

I forcibly stuffed the meat into his mouth as he was shouting.

The boy thrashed his head in resistance, but subduing someone with a smaller build than mine wasn’t particularly difficult.

After always being subdued by Silvia, I found that being on this side was definitely quicker and more convenient.

The boy stared at me with an incredulous expression, his mouth full of meat.

Looking down at him, I said, “I’m not going to pry into your situation, and I’m not at all curious about what you’re thinking. But if you want to find your companions that badly, eat first. Eat and regain your strength.”

“…”

“When you’re hungry, you only think depressing thoughts. Speaking from experience.”

The boy glared at me for a while before slowly moving his lips, beginning to chew the meat filling his mouth.

Perhaps because I had stuffed in such a large piece, greasy juices dripped from his lips with each movement.

I smiled and slowly returned to my seat.

Silvia looked at me and mouthed, “Well done.”

Alice, who had kept her distance for fear her holy power might harm the demon boy, slowly spoke.

“By the way, where might the Demon Lord’s castle be? The trees are all fallen so the area is quite visible, but I still don’t see anything resembling a castle.”

“…That’s right. Silvia, is the Demon Lord’s castle still far away?”

“Hmm… Sorry, I honestly don’t know. I only remember the direction, but by my estimation, we should be almost there…”

At that moment, the boy, having swallowed the mouthful of meat, wiped his lips with his sleeve and said:

“This is it.”

“What?”

“This ruin is the Demon Lord’s castle.”

*

We had already arrived at the Demon Lord’s castle.

More precisely, we were lighting our campfire among the remains of the castle walls.

Silvia looked around briefly and confirmed the boy’s statement was true.

The vague structure of the castle that remained in her memory was apparently visible among the ruins.

It was difficult to understand.

Silvia and her companions hadn’t destroyed the castle in the past, so why were only ruins remaining now?

And why, while the castle wall ruins were visible, was there nothing where the castle itself should be?

Nothing made sense.

After looking around briefly, Silvia asked Alice:

“…Can you sense anything? With your holy power, you can track dense demonic energy, right?”

“This entire area is surrounded by dense demonic energy. It’s difficult to distinguish anything within it.”

“…Damn, we shouldn’t be looking for demons—the castle itself has disappeared, leaving only the walls.”

I looked back and forth between Silvia and Alice, asking:

“Then… the Demon Lord?”

“He’s hiding. Until he recovers.”

Alice said, clutching her chest.

“Did he run away… How annoying, buying time with cheap tricks…”

“No, he wouldn’t have fled elsewhere. He would have just hidden himself while leaving the castle. He probably used magic to conceal the castle.”

Alice looked at me and asked:

“…Magic, can you track it?”

“No, I can’t sense anything… It should be quite powerful magic to hide an entire castle, but I don’t feel any flow of magical energy around here…”

“Damn it.”

“Even Sister Maria said she couldn’t interpret the Demon Lord’s magic. Maybe it’s something different from magic…”

I suddenly stopped speaking and froze in place.

Among the confusion in my mind, a thin thread seemed to flicker with a faint light, barely visible yet somehow perceptible.

“…”

“Ash?”

“Wait, both of you, don’t talk to me for a moment.”

“…?”

“Different, different, different?”

Something seemed to be coming together.

It seemed visible yet invisible at the same time.

Like struggling to recall a long-forgotten friend’s name, one letter at a time.

I narrowed my brow, trying desperately not to lose whatever was forming in my mind.

The Demon Lord’s magic.

The inconceivable magic that could hide an entire castle.

Magic that no one, not even Sister Maria who understood demons, could comprehend.

I had definitely heard of something similar before.

“An entire castle…”

Yes, I had definitely heard it before.

Hiding an entire castle.

An entire castle.

“In a single night…”

Building an entire castle in a single night.

The great mage Malice.

But he definitely wasn’t a mage.

“Different from magic?”

“…”

The two remained silent, watching me.

Even the sound of them swallowing was distracting, my senses had become so heightened.

Not just that—the sound of blinking eyes, their gazes, even their thoughts seemed to irritate me as all my senses were on high alert.

Using all those senses, I tried to grasp this small clue that had emerged in my mind.

And finally,

I caught that thin, shimmering silver thread.

That thread as fine and shimmering as fox fur.

I spoke softly:

“…Pia.”

“Yes, you found it.”

Pia, who had appeared without warning, pointed her finger into the empty air.

Following her finger, I could see something like a transparent, rippling canopy against the burning red sunset—very subtle, but definitely visible.

Pia said:

“That’s right, it’s spirits, Ash.”

“…Ha, haha.”

“The Demon Lord is a spirit sorcerer.”

.