Volume 8 Chapter 17 The Scenery Clay Saw
"Once again, it's great that you're safe, Clay."
"Haha, this is quite a greeting. Did you worry about me?"
"That's ridiculous. I didn't worry about you at all."
"That's a relief. You seem to be doing great, and that's all that matters."
"Hahahah!"
Clay and I laughed and lightly bumped fists. We understood each other with just this exchange. Everything was going smoothly, no problems at all.
"Well, let's share some information then."
"Yeah, let's hear your story first, Wade-kun."
I told Clay, and everyone present, in a loud voice that could be heard by all, about what had happened to me in Nilfheim.
About how I was attacked in the first village. How the villagers had skills that were hard to believe. How they kept their secrets until death. How the villager, whose mind I tried to read, was killed.
About how I met up with Mudi and the others this morning. How the fog covered the entire region, and we couldn't leave. How the sorcery was cast by Bael's daughter, the ruler of this land.
Clay and Sur listened to my story, nodding along. Occasionally, Clay would glance at Sur, and Sur would nod in response.
When I finished, Clay said, "Yeah, got it." Then he started talking, "Now, let's hear my story."
"I, along with Sur-san, also landed safely, just like you guys did with magic."
"Like Typhon's giantization?"
"Yeah. Since it responds to blood, it can receive us anywhere, so we were able to land safely."
I think Typhon is really convenient. Being able to dig through dungeons is probably only possible with a party or someone like Clay's Typhon.
"After that, we saw this castle in the distance, so we headed towards it. On the way, we met 3 groups of Demons."
"Three groups... 3 groups, huh?"
"Yeah."
Clay said with a cheerful smile, but his eyes were clouded. Ah, it seems like he's hiding something.
"The first group was a bunch of 5 guys. They were pretty rough, you know. We were cautious, but they ambushed us right after we passed by, so we wiped them out."
"Ah."
It's kinda understandable that the bad guys wouldn't have a good impression, right?
"The next ones we met were some innocent-looking villagers. They told us that the road ahead was dangerous, so we should turn back and take a different route. But it was a trap. We got attacked by a giant ice tree monster."
"Ahh..."
"So, after we defeated the ice tree monster and turned back, we found those innocent-looking villagers hiding, and when we asked them what was going on, they attacked us. Of course, we wiped them out."
"That's right. Revenge is a duty."
If you're looked down on, you'll get killed, and if you can't do anything, you'll get taken advantage of forever. It's the same on the surface too.
"The last ones we met were a couple. They asked us to take care of their baby for a bit, and even though I was suspicious, I didn't think they were opponents we could lose to, so I accepted."
"Ah."
"When the baby exploded and the couple started laughing maniacally, even I lost my expression. I managed to defend myself with a small Typhon, but when I looked, the baby was chatting and laughing fluently too."
"No way, that's disgusting. I hate babies that chat and laugh like that."
"When I tortured them for information, it turned out that the baby was actually a demon with a long history, and the old man was just using sorcery to look young. We wiped them out, but it was pointless."
"I see..."
Clay's eyes were dead. When Ice saw that, she looked at him with pitiful eyes, and Mudi and Philia were bursting into laughter. The masters were amazing.
I patted Clay's shoulder and sympathized with him.
"It was tough for both of us, huh..."
"The only thing that's saving me is that Wade-kun had a similar experience... I thought I was getting special treatment because I showed off my Typhon in the castle, but it was just a lesson."
Clay seemed to have had a tough time too. Sur, who was sitting next to him, was talking about how Nilfheim was his hometown, and he looked like he was smiling bitterly.
Clay let out a heavy sigh, looking really disgusted, and said...
"As Mudi-san said, in this hellhole, we should abandon all kindness. There's no value in being kind to demons. They're worse than human scum."
"Yeah... Humans who are like scum are actually a bit better, you know..."
It's better that they don't deceive us. We can attack them without hesitation. It's a pain to pretend to be cute at first and then show their true nature, but it's necessary.
"That's good. The kids are getting used to hell quickly."
"They're still green, Mudi~. They can't let their guard down yet."
"Mudi and Philia are totally poisoned, so it's no use."
When I said something bitter, Mudi and Philia chimed in, saying, "You don't get it, hell trash!" "You're too kind, too kind!" It's infuriating.
As we were talking, Sur said,
"I've returned to Nilfheim after a long time, and it's surprising how harsh it is here. It's different from my understanding."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, I'm from the Demon King's city, so there's a minimum level of security with the Demon King's army stationed there. At least, not everyone is like this."
So, it's not all bad, I suppose. But if I think of this as the lowest level, it's a bit of a relief. From now on, it'll be better, I suppose.
However, Sur continued,
"The essence remains the same. What's in Nilfheim is just pleasure. All demons and devils recognize others as means to satisfy their own pleasure."
"Haha... That's why they die, I suppose. But can they be revived? And in a different place, too?"
"Basically, if you're unlucky, you'll become a sl*ve. If you're lucky, you'll die and be freed."
"This world is like trash..."
"My parents had over ten sl*ves, but their treatment was cruel. They all had a cleverness that would make them bite their tongues and die instantly if they were restrained."
"Don't you think demons are weaker than we thought? Don't they have hearts that would be affected by cruel treatment or something?"
"You're saying that, but it's not like we'll be treated kindly in hell or anything..."
"They're overdoing it."
Sur lowered his eyebrows and waved his hand sideways with a bitter smile. It's like this, demon-like. What an amazing demon. I, who was a scrawny dog in Slum, look like I'm slacking off.
"Demons are such existences, so it's better to think about the problem of Demon King Castle from now on."
"What's the problem with Demon King Castle?"
"Yes. We need to leave this region and head towards Demon King Castle, but even if we reach the city below, we can't enter the castle right away."
Sur spoke. I, Ice, and Clay listened, while Mudi and Philia raised their shoulders.
"Demon King Castle is protected by a total of ten seals. Unless all the seals are released, we can't invade. If we can release just one seal, it would be easy for powerful people like you."
We exchanged glances at Sur's words.
"Release just one?"
"That's right. The seals will be released simultaneously, and the path to Demon King Castle will open. And, the seals can be operated by anyone who climbs the management tower."
We furrowed our brows upon hearing that. As the representative, I asked Sur.
"That's, the seals and the protection, I was expecting that. But, if we hear that, it means..."
"Yes. As you're concerned, it's meaningless to break through the management tower and release the seals just once to invade Demon King Castle. We need to keep defending the tower we've taken down."
"..."
I tilted my head, thinking. Ice turned around, and I saw that he had lowered his eyebrows.
"Sorry, Wade-kun... I think we can deploy my 'Ice Army' to defend when you attack, but it's not like I can keep using it, since my magical power won't last..."
"I understand. Thanks, Ice. So, it's not about military power, but about having the right personnel. And we can't trust just anyone in Nilfheim, either."
When it comes to a battle of army units, it's hard to believe that Ice can handle it alone. What Ice can do is temporarily repel an enemy army that doesn't have a high-level gold-ranked enemy.
But, to be honest, it's an incredible story if we can do that. If it's like when I slaughtered Sieg's vanguard and had a clear view, it would be a different story, but in a city battle, I can't win against an army.
I, along with Clay, are good at breaking through, but we're bad at defense. It's impossible for me to defend all ten of our strongholds.
It's probably impossible even with 2 strongholds. Even with one stronghold, if there's a sneaky guy who can create a diversion, it's suspicious. They'll probably escape and seal off the area.
"No way... what can we do... ugh..."
Although I have a hunch that it might be possible if I think really hard, I won't say it's absolutely impossible, but for now, it's tough. This is just talking about one stronghold.
But Ice won't let that happen. If we have someone like me who can counter breakthrough tactics, then at least one stronghold is guaranteed. With the same strategy, we can defend multiple strongholds.
So... what we need is someone to cover our weaknesses, a trustworthy ally.
I've got an idea of what we need, and I look up.
"I get it, Sur. We can't do anything about it now, but let's think about it."
"Thank you, Wade-sama."
"But that's a story for later. Let's start by dealing with the problem in front of us."
When I call out to Sur and everyone else, they all nod. The strategy meeting has begun.
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