Volume 8 Chapter 18 The Fog's Daughter
As a result of the meeting, we decided to go meet the "Fog's Sorcery-using Lord Bael's Daughter" who's supposed to know one of the reasons we can't leave this place.
Since it's no use going with everyone, we decided to choose 2 people to go. The ones chosen were me and Sur.
The reason Sur was chosen is because he's handsome. The other side is the daughter of Bael, after all. As the daughter of a devil, a handsome man would be effective. I'm the muscle backing him up.
...Still, I don't have high hopes for her, being the daughter of a frog and all. It's a matter of degree, but it's better not to expect too much.
Thinking that, I asked Sur a question while walking down the corridor.
"Do demons revive? Is the Demon King different?"
"No, they will revive eventually. It's just that demons take a very long time."
"I see."
Sur started talking, understanding my intention.
"It's probably a question with the intention of 'if they revive, then defeating the Demon King would be meaningless,' but the answer is that 'strong demons take a long time to revive.'"
"Ah, I get it. So, it means that 'demons as strong as the Demon King won't revive for hundreds of years after being killed, so killing them can prevent their invasion for a while'?"
"That's right."
I nodded in agreement after getting Sur's confirmation.
If that's the case, then Lord Bael here might be the same. On the other hand, killing those weak demons on the outskirts wouldn't mean much, since they'd just revive right away.
I nodded in understanding and continued walking, following Ice's guidance. Ice already had a grasp of the castle's structure. Ice is all-knowing.
We walked through the cold, stone corridor, climbed the spiral staircase connected to the castle walls, and gazed at the cannons lined up on the castle walls. And finally, we arrived at the Fog's Daughter's room.
"Is this it?"
"It seems so."
The bird perched on the doorknob, and flapping its wings, so this must be the place. This bird is so cute. Ice must have installed it.
"So, who's going first?"
"..."
I remained silent, gesturing for Sur to go ahead. Sur looked at me with an "oh, really?" expression.
"Shouldn't Wade-sama go?"
"No, I'm in charge of emergency support. And I'm married. It's better if Sur, the handsome guide, goes."
"Why don't you want to go?"
"...You can imagine."
It's like a flower that doesn't bloom.
Or rather, when I reported to the 3 of them about Ridge's marriage, my stomach was churning. No matter how beautiful she is, I don't want to raise any flags.
"Ah...I understand. Then, I'll go."
"Yeah, handsome guy!"
"I'm not happy about it."
Sur, the brown-haired, handsome guy, knocked 4 times. Then, with an over-the-top performance, he said:
"I apologize for the intrusion. I am Sur, invited as a guest tonight. I've heard rumors about you, beautiful lady, and I've come to meet you."
"Perfect...it's a perfect fairy tale prince line..."
"Wade-sama, please be quiet."
I got a lot of hate for pushing the role onto him, and the reaction towards me was mixed. I laughed dryly.
Then, a gentle voice replied, "Please come in..." It was a lovely, bell-like voice. I felt a sense of anticipation, and we opened the door.
What we found inside was―――a small, cushion-sized frog sitting on the desk, wearing a dress.
...It's way more frog-like than I thought...
I had imagined a girl with frog-like features, but Lord Bael's daughter was so frog-like that if she weren't wearing a dress, I'd mistake her for a regular frog.
What kind of species is she? Lord Bael's head was like a Japanese fire belly newt, but this one looked more like an American green tree frog. She was a bit cute, with a rounded body. More like a pet than a girl.
Sur gulped, his face pale. Sur, what's wrong with you...
Sur walked elegantly forward, knelt down in front of the desk, and extended his hand. Then, he spoke in a smooth tone.
"It's an honor to meet you, lady. May I know your name?"
"You're a gentleman, aren't you? I'm El, the daughter of Lord Devil Bael. And you are, Sur-san?"
"Ah, Lady El."
The atmosphere in the room starts to feel heavy. I can't help but be impressed by his smooth talk. What a charming guy. I decide to keep my distance from him, especially since I have 3 wives already.
"And who might you be?"
When asked for my name, I approach her and bow.
"I'm Wade. I'm just an escort."
"Wade-sama?"
Sur's gaze is piercing.
"Sorry about that... Lady El, do you know about the plan to dispel the fog tomorrow?"
When I bring up the main topic, Lady El waves her small hand and says, "I've heard about it from my father."
"I apologize, but it's not a problem to enter, but to leave, I'll have to dispel the magic or for me to die."
The word "die" comes out so easily, and I'm taken aback. Instead, Sur asks the question.
"Cabby-dono said that the situation around here is unstable, right?"
"Yes, the foolish people are refusing to pay their taxes. It's been going on for a while, but since Father recently said, 'I've found something I want to buy, so I'll raise the tax rate!' there have been frequent attacks."
It's not an escape, it's an attack. And El even casually calls them foolish people. I wonder how far they'll go, demon or not.
"By the way, what does Lord-sama want?"
"A high-quality bow for hunting humans~desuwa."
What a ridiculous request.
"Cabby also wants to buy the same thing, and I asked for it too, but was rejected, saying that a girl shouldn't be doing something like hunting humans."
It's not just girls who shouldn't be hunting humans. That's just wrong, isn't it? I mean, riding a horse around that area and shooting demons with a bow?...
The lack of morals in the demon world... I shudder at the thought, but Sur returns a smile, saying "Is that so?" El's green cheeks turn red as she says, "Well, it's a beautiful smile."
"So, I set up a fog barrier to prevent anyone from running away. That way, the foolish commoners will have no choice but to pay their taxes, right?"
Ribbit, El laughed (?) and Sur praised her, saying "You're very clever, aren't you?"
"But, Sur-sama?"
El jumped and landed on the palm of Sur's tanned hand.
"You, handsome guy~. You look strong too~. Hey, if you're willing, would you like to come to my room tonight...?"
"..."
Sur looked at me and sent a "help me" signal. I thought, "What am I supposed to do with this huge physical difference?" and sent a rescue signal.
"I'm sorry, lady. Sur is an important figure in our team, and we can't just lend him out so easily. Sorry, but maybe some other time."
"Is that so...sorry~."
El jumped from Sur's hand to mine. I stiffened up, startled.
"Then, Wade-sama. You're fine too~. Tonight, without fail, my egg will..."
"I have 3 wives in this area, and each one of them can take down this castle alone."
"...Gosh, that's unbelievable~."
El jumped back onto the couch. We bowed and left the room quickly, expressionless.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)