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Chapter 15: The Sage Returns to the Royal Capital
ăHaving fulfilled our purpose, we returned to the royal capital using transfer magic.\năThe undead we had gathered in the small country would be guided and brought back by the demons under my command.\năI planned to store them in a warehouse until we had the opportunity to use them.
âWell then, Iâll leave it to you! Donât let them die easily!â
ăLuciana waved her hand as she saw the troops off.\năIn front of her was a carriage being pulled by a demon.
ăMultiple cloth bags were placed in the back of the carriage.\năThey were just about the size of a human.\năThey wriggled occasionally, but not because the carriage was swaying.
ăInside the cloth bags were the leaders from the small country, whom Luciana had charmed.\năWe drew out the information they had, and were able to confirm which country gave military support to the small country. Now, we must impose some kind of sanctions on them.
âOho, this is amazing! It really is a city of demons.â
ăHenry admired the streets of the royal capital.\năHis current appearance had changed dramatically.\năHe washed his entire body in the castle bathhouse before we left the small countryâs capital, and changed from his filthy prisonerâs uniform to a military uniform.\năHis overgrown hair was now tied back and his beard was neatly shaved.\năThe change from his shabby appearance made him look five years younger.
âHave you ever been to the royal capital before?â I asked Henry out of curiosity.
âWhen I was a mercenary, back when I was just a snot-nosed rookie. Iâd just come from the countryside and was amazed by the glitz and glamour of the city.â
ăHenry spoke nostalgically.\năHe must be seeing the former royal city in his mindâs eye.\năIt was something that would never return.
âWell, I donât mind the scenery now. Itâs not too bad.â
âThatâs quite a lukewarm response. This land has been destroyed by demons, remember? Doesnât that spur your righteous indignation?â
ăLuciana asked Henry.\năIt was an intrusive and unreserved question, aimed at determining Henryâs personality.\năPerhaps she wanted to hear his true thoughts on the matter.
ăWhether he knew that he was being tested or not, Henry laughed as he fiddled with his bow.
âItâs a dog-eat-dog world, you know? Iâm not going to get angry about the demonsâ slaughter. I donât care about humanity to begin with. Those who kill will kill, and those who get killed will be killed. Thatâs all.â
âOh, my. Your thoughts are quite clear.â
âIf they werenât, I wouldnât have joined the Immortal Demon Lord. Isnât that right?â
ăHenry had put it plainly.\năHe wasnât deceiving her, it was just his honest opinion.
ăThere was no sense of racial discrimination in him.\năInstead, I should say, I could find glimpses of his disdain and resignation towards human beings through every word of his.\năHe must have gone through many different experiences during his time as a mercenary and soldier.\năPerhaps it was because of those circumstances that he had no qualms joining the Demon Lordâs Army.
âPfft, I canât argue with that.â
ăLuciana laughed when she heard Henryâs assertion.\năI didnât see any negative emotions in her reaction.\năHearing the answer he just gave, she seemed to have accepted Henry in her own way.
ăItâs a wonderful thing to reach mutual understanding and accept each other.\năIt sounds easy but is surprisingly difficult.\năAt least within the Demon Lordâs Army, I wanted to create an environment where such things could come naturally.
ăI called out to the two of them when the time was right.
âFollow me. Let me show you the castle.â
âAh, letâs go.â
âIâm sorry! I talked too much.â
ăThe three of us walked into the castle.\năOn the way, Henry looked up.\năHe gazed at the Demon Lordâs castle, which had a dark red sheen to it.\năBlue flames flickered here and there.\năHenry squinted his eyes to observe the whole picture.
âEven so, it has quite the appearance. Is it the Bossâs taste?â
âIt wasnât me. It was remodeled by the one I left in charge during my absence.â
ăIt was originally a chalk-colored castle, but it now looked ominous.\năIt was the proud work of Grom.\năHe wanted to emphasize a Demon Lordâs character to the fullest extent.\năSince there was no reason to restore it to its original state, I left it untouched.
ăI moved through the castle while leading Henry.\năI headed straight to the audience room and stopped in front of the door.
âWeâre here.â
âWhatâs in there?â
âThe person I spoke of before, the one I entrusted the castle to, is waiting inside. He is my right-hand man. Iâd like you to meet him first.â
ăAs I explained, I opened the door.\năAlmost at the same time, a huge body popped out of the room.
âAhh, Demon LordâŠ! I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival!
ăGrom was delighted. \năHe ran to me at a tremendous speed and almost slid down to his knees. \năIt was such a sophisticated move that I wondered how many times he had practiced it.
ăI made the kneeling Grom stand as I looked around the room.\năThe floor, walls, and ceiling of the audience room were all polished to a shine.\năSo much so that, as I approached, I could see the reflection of my face.
ăGromâs other two arms carried a broom and a rag.\năHe must have been sweeping the place thoroughly in anticipation of my return.\năCome to think of it, he was also polishing the throne when I came to call him about his progress.\năIâm not sure, but perhaps he likes to clean.
âOh my, to attack and bring down the country in such a short period of time, it shows your wonderful skills. This Grom is deeply moâŠveâŠâ
ăThe garrulous Grom abruptly turned stiff when he saw Henry.\năDropping his broom and rag, Grom clung to me as he questioned.
âW-w-w-what does this mean? Why is there a human here?â
âCalm down. Iâll explain from the start.â
ăAs I calmed Grom down, I explained the situation.\năAs for how things turned out this way, it was not so difficult to explain.\năI just told him the gist of what had happened.
ââThatâs how I won the one-on-one battle and brought him into the Demon Lordâs army. As far as his abilities are concerned, thereâs nothing to criticize, so donât worry about it.â
ââ I-I seeâŠâ
ăGrom replied evasively.\năHenry, on the other hand, greeted him in a light tone.
âNice to meet you.â
ăAt that moment, Grom emitted miasma from his entire body.\năThe flames in his eye sockets grew with rage as he pointed his finger at Henry.
âDonât think too highly of yourself, human. If you donât want to recklessly shorten that fleeting life of yours, donât talk to me casually.â
âHey, Boss. He suddenly changed completely.â
âDonât worry about it. Itâs just a regular greeting of his.â
ăLuciana replied on my behalf.\năHenry nodded repeatedly in understanding.
âHaha⊠I see. So thatâs why the Boss has a hard time.â\nâWhat do you mean? To begin with, who is this Boss that you speak of? Youâre not talking about the Demon Lord, are youâŠ?â
ăWhile Grom glared at him as if he was about to attack, Henry whistled and shrugged his shoulders.\năHe seemed to be enjoying Gromâs reaction.\năIf he were an ordinary person, Gromâs bloodlust would be enough to stop his heart, but Henry shrugged it off with a nonchalant expression.\năIt can be said that he had extraordinary courage.
ăOn the other hand, Grom would not act up beyond a reasonable amount, so long as my eyes were on him.\năIt didnât matter if Henry was a human, he was one of my subordinates who I had personally recruited.\năGrom understood that he canât be rough with Henry.
ăDespite the emotional words that left his mouth, Grom was still able to behave logically.\năHe would never behave recklessly, to the point that I would have to intervene.\năHe understood me better than anyone else.\năThatâs why I trusted him.
âWell, letâs have a shooting contest. Whoever wins gets to call themselves the better subordinate. Howâs that?â
ââVery well. Youâll soon regret opposing me. You can bark all you want now.â
ăBefore I knew it, their conversation had reached a strange compromise.\năHenry walked out of the audience chamber with his bow in hand.\năGrom followed, bowing before he closed the door.\năLuciana and I were left in the room.
âGeez, theyâre both such kids. Even I feel embarrassed to watch.â
ăLuciana let out a sigh of dismay.
ăI had a feeling that she and Grom had similar exchanges on a daily basis.\năWould that be a good thing to point out?\năI was at a loss.
âHm? Demon Lord, whatâs wrong?â
âItâs nothing.â
ăApparently, she was unaware of it.\năLooking at Luciana, who tilted her head in puzzlement, I chose to keep my mouth shut.\n
Hasr: Sorry for the delayed update, the editor had some irl issues. Chapter 16 should be out in a few hours.