After the three of us finished eating, we camped there for the night before departing the next day on our carriage.
We were headed for Sabnacâs castle to the north.
Thatâs where our merchant would be.
As I repeated this again, Jeanne asked me a question.
âNow that I think about it, itâs the first time Iâll be visiting that castle.â
âWell, you joined us after that event.â
âYes. From what I heard, you abandoned the castle but took its people.â
âExactly. I had very few people back then. It seemed like the simpler thing to do, rather than worry about maintaining the place.â
âYou were always very wise, Demon King.â
âThank you.â
I said, and then Eve joined the conversation.
âOur Demon King always makes the right decision. However, I do wonder why this merchant went to such a place. What if he is an enemy spy?â
âIt is possible. We must consider every possibility.â
While the castle was abandoned, it was still an important area, strategically speaking.
Perhaps he was only disguised as a merchant, and was sent to investigate.
âSo, is he an enemy?â
âI donât know. Thatâs why we are here. To find out.â
âThatâs true. Weâll be arriving soon. Should we just enter like this? Or should we hide the carriage and sneak inside?â
âLetâs go like this. The Ashtaroth coat of arms should be displayed proudly. If this merchant is a spy, then perhaps his reaction will give something away.â
âVery good, master.â
Eve took out the coat of arms and stuck it on to the roof of the carriage.
The mark of the Ashtaroth army glimmered.
Jeanne said that it looked fashionable and bold. She seemed very excited.
I watched her talk giddily about it from the corner of my eye as we approached the old castle.
The castle itself had been torn down, but the town around it was mostly intact.
But Sabnac was not the kind of Demon King who cared about the development of his town, and the buildings were quite shabby.
âIt is a great difference compared to the stone buildings in your town.â
Jeanne exclaimed. And it was quite true.
A lot of them looked like they would topple over at any minute.
âBuildings do not last long once the residents abandon it.â
Eve said. And she was a professional when it came to building management.
This place was what people meant when they said âghost town.â
It had the kind of atmosphere where you would not be surprised if some undead started to walk towards you.
âNow that I think about it, my first journey with you involved getting attacked by zombies. That was also a battle within a town.â
âWell, I think itâs safe to say that that wonât happen this time.â
Still, it did seem like the kind of place where zombies would lurk.
It almost made me feel defensive, but that wasnât exactly a bad thing.
It was because I used the âDetectionâ spell, that I was able to see that there was a hostile person close by.
In the shadow of a building that was dozens of meters away. A red aura.
That always meant an enemy lifeform.
And there were about ten of them.
As I investigated further, I realized that the shapes were humanoid.
When I told the others about this, Eve looked serious, and Jeanneâs hand immediately went to her sword.
The Legendary Rebuilding of a World by a Realist Demon King