Volume 8 Chapter 19 Devil's Dinner
As I was returning, still reeling from the terrible ordeal, I asked Sur.
"Hey, El said something about being the 'daughter of devil Bael' or something, but is Bael a devil? I mean, what's the difference between a demon and a devil?"
"Ah, it's simply a matter of noble class or not."
Sur said as we walked quickly down the corridor.
"The noble class of demons is called devil. If it's a king, it's called the Demon King. That's all there is to it."
"Is that so? Like... there are witches who make contracts with devils, and that kind of thing, right?"
I asked, relying on my vague knowledge from my past life, and Sur was surprised, saying "You're quite knowledgeable!"
"Yes, a human woman who dedicates her body and soul to a devil is called a witch. My mother was one too. That way, even though she's human, she can wield a devil's magic."
"Ah, so it's not that they use magic themselves, but rather borrow it, right?"
"That's right. If a human tries to use magic like a demon or devil, they'll die from divine punishment or other reasons."
I nodded in understanding. It's true that if you carve runes all over your body, humans will die from intense pain and shock, even without divine punishment.
As we were having this conversation, we returned to the guest room and opened the door.
Everyone was facing us, and we ended up making awkward eye contact, which startled me a bit.
"Whoa, where is everyone going?"
"Ah... Wade-kun, and Sur-san, perfect timing..."
"One of the servants came to tell us that dinner is ready and we should head to the dining room."
Ice and Philia explained, and I relaxed, saying "Ah, perfect timing indeed."
When we arrived at the dining room, Lord Bael was waiting for us at the far end of the room, his arms wide open.
"You're welcome, honored guests!"
He always had an otherworldly aura about him. The 3-headed devil Bael, with a cat's head on the left, a frog's head on the right, and a man's face with a hawk-like nose in the center.
The 2 kids were sitting in a row, with El and Cabby in that order. El wasn't exactly sitting, but rather placed on the cushion on top of the table.
The meal was unexpectedly lavish, unlike what I had imagined.
There was a whole roasted bird that looked like a turkey, beautifully arranged sausages, and pickled vegetables that sparkled like candles.
Considering we were in a hellish situation, it didn't feel out of place even with such a bizarre meal. Yesterday, we had made do with preserved food from our backpacks, so this was a welcome change.
"Shall we dig in, then!"
Following Bael's lead, we began our meal.
Mmm, it's delicious. Just a normal, delicious meal. There's nothing particularly special about it. Since there's nothing special, I started thinking about what's to come.
From Lord Bael, I had obtained crucial information ―― that El was creating the fog. There were also other bits of information, such as 'resentment from the people' and 'fog to keep the people from escaping'.
However, the point that Mudi and I were concerned about――that there might be another reason for the fog's appearance――remained unresolved. Something was still present in this territory.
...I'll just ask them directly. I steeled myself and asked Bael and El.
"Excuse me, Your Excellency Lord Bael, and Lady El. I'm going to ask something impertinent..."
"What is it? Please, go ahead and ask."
"Yes, please..."
I took a deep breath. I was going to push forward.
"The fog sorcery I saw earlier seemed like it wasn't just Lady El's doing. I know it's a rude question, but can Lady El dispel the fog?"
"What? It's not just El's doing? El, confirm that."
"Yes, Father... Ah, I see. That's true."
When I heard those words, we were convinced once again.
"This is... Hmm, something is interfering. It's like a parasitic sorcery is crawling around inside my fog sorcery..."
"Then, can the fog be dispelled?"
"I'm afraid not... I apologize, Wade-sama. Your departure tomorrow morning might be difficult..."
"No, thank you for your understanding, Lady El."
I carefully watched El, then exchanged glances with my friends. It seems we'll need to investigate the villages again tomorrow.
I turned my attention back to Bael and the others, but to my surprise, El the frog and Cabby the cat were nowhere to be found. Instead, Bael's face was bright red with anger, his expression twisted in Wrath.
Huh? Is someone interfering with his daughter's sorcery, making him this angry?
"...What impertinence, what audacity, what disrespect!"
Bael, in a rage, raised his fist high. He brought it down with force onto the long table, shattering the dishes and plates.
I reflexively jumped back, dodging something. What just happened? Why did the meal turn into a mess? When I used my Ajna Chakra to investigate, I realized that numerous small cannons had sprouted from the table.
―――These small cannons destroyed all the food I thought cannons would be visible throughout the castle, but this is Bael's sorcery!
Without even noticing me, Bael let out a furious cry.
"How dare you shame me in front of the guests! It must be one of those foolish commoners! Unforgivable! Unforgivable! Unforgivable!"
The cat and frog on Bael's shoulders were intimidating, with the cat going "Shaa!" and the frog croaking "Ribbit!"
"Fine If it's come to this, I'll bombard all the villages with cannonballs! And then, I'll send out my troops! Until now, I've been lenient with a 10% tax on agricultural products, but from now on, it'll be 20%!"
Wait, was the tax rate really 10% of all agricultural products until now? There's no one around to retort. Bael stood up, turned his head, and glared.
"You, maid! You were one of the people I brought from the villages, weren't you?"
"Y-yes... P-please, Your Excellency, calm down..."
"I'll start with you, and turn all the servants I brought from the villages into cannon fodder! Load them up! Prepare for launch!"
Thud, the maid was swallowed up by a massive cannon that emerged from the castle. When I looked around, I saw that half of the servants waiting in the room had been bound and loaded into the cannons.
"Oh, Your Excellency! Your Excellency, please forgive us, please forgive us!" "Please spare us, Your Excellency!" "Just don't turn us into cannonballs! Please spare us from that!"
"Shut up, you're noisy! You people are just foolish commoners, and you're the beacon of war for me! Take aim, ok."
"Help us! Help us, dear guests!" "It really hurts to die from being turned into cannonballs! We hate it!" "Please calm down, Your Excellency Bael-sama! Your Excellency! Please calm down!"
The servants who were turned into cannonballs let out pitiful screams. With a snap, the roof above us opened with a loud noise. We were left stunned, unable to do anything.
Bael let out a loud shout. Smoke burst out from his eagle-like nose.
"FIREEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
The servant cannons all fired at once. The servants were launched with incredible force, and the smoke rising from the cannons was eerily quiet, as if it had reversed the chaos.
Then, the roof closed again, and Bael stood up. He slowly approached the window and gazed outside. Below him, multiple villages were visible, covered in snow―――
Right after, those villages erupted into fierce flames.
"Marvelous..."
With a satisfied expression, Bael stroked his Kaiser beard and gazed at the burning villages. Small human figures, likely demon villagers, were running around in the villages, and the houses were sending up thick smoke.
Our party was left speechless, Sur had a terrible scowl, and Mudi and Philia were bursting into laughter.
The 3 of us, Ice, Clay, and I, exchanged glances with each other. There were no words. There was nothing to say. We had simply made up our minds.
The devil had to be killed. It was outside the bounds of Ragnarok, and all that.
After enjoying the burning villages, Bael turned to us with a cheerful smile.
"I apologize for the great trouble I've caused, esteemed guests."
With a gesture like an old gentleman, Bael bowed.
"I think it will be difficult to depart tomorrow, but I'll make sure to prepare everything for the day after tomorrow, so please, take your time and rest in this castle for one more day."
"Ah, yeah..."
I nodded vaguely, deciding to leave at night.
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