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Chapter 106 Demon Army in the Forestia City
The corpses of the monsters scattered throughout the town were neatly cleaned up by the next day, and now the reconstruction of the damaged streets has begun.
"It must have been a beautiful town here."
"Yes, it was the Forest Capital, Forestia. It's known for its resorts and it is also a famous tourist destination. I always wanted to visit at least once, but I never expected to come like this..."
Passing by an Elven girl crying in front of a burned-down house, Mel-chan explained with a somber expression.
There must have been many people who lost their families in this attack, just like the girl crying now. I understood the pain of suddenly losing your family all too well. However, this was the result of a natural outbreak of monsters. It must have been tough when there was no clear target for one's hatred...
"..."
Beato tugged at my sleeve even though I didn't think I was making a scary face.
"You looked sad."
"..."
In place of the silent Beato, Toka informed me. I see, she's telling me to cheer up.
"Thanks, Beato. I'll be okay. Now, let's go to Leah's camp."
There were many things I wanted to ask her. Why was she in this town, and what was the current situation in Colcute, among other things.
***
We arrived at the camp of the demon army, situated in a clearing in the forest a little away from the entrance. There were many tents pitched, and traces of campfires were scattered around.
I conveyed to a nearby soldier that I had business with Leah, and he graciously guided us. Many soldiers seemed to have been mobilized for reconstruction efforts, as there were only a few left.
We were led to a tent that looked like a large cabin at the far end and were called inside.
"Leah-sama, we have guests. Would you like to meet them?"
"I don't mind. Let them in."
That was Leah's voice. With permission granted, we entered, and a soldier with orange hair tied back welcomed us.
"Oh, guests! So, you're the ones."
"Yeah, that's us. We came right away, hope it wasn't too much trouble."
"Not at all. I'm the one who should apologize for the lack of hospitality. Please, make yourselves comfortable."
It was so much easier when Toka handled the conversation. Elders were indeed reliable.
In the middle of the tent, there was a long table and many chairs. It gave off the impression of a command tent rather than a living space.
"Well then, have a seat without reservation."
"Excuse us..."
Compared to the friendly Toka, my facial muscles were bland. And pretending to be a man, lowering my voice, probably made me seem even less friendly...
As I took a seat, Beato snugly nestled beside me. It became her usual spot. She might end up sitting on my lap at some point. Mel-chan and Toka took their seats as well, and we briefly introduced ourselves.
I used the name Kirio, but the reaction was just mild surprise at the somewhat unusual name for a man.
"Now, it doesn't seem like you've come seeking help with a problem. What brings you here?"
"To be honest, there are several things I want to confirm with you. Kirio, please help me out."
"Huh, m-me!?"
"It can't be helped. I haven't asked the questions you want answers to."
"Well, sure..."
It would have been better to tell Toka everything in advance and have her handle the conversation. I wanted to stop pretending to be a man...
"Um, so... first, why is Leah-san in this town?"
"That's right. Even if it's a neighboring country, the elf country is a different country. Just having the demon army is bad in a lot of ways, so why are you in the capital?"
Nice follow-up, Mel-chan.
"Our stationing here is an order from Seatham-sama."
Seatham... Taltus's father and the King of the demons who dislikes conflicts.
"In the previous battle, due to the rampage of some demon forces, there were many casualties in both the regular army and the non-human forces. Seatham-sama, feeling regretful and fearing a further deterioration of relations, proposed a joint military exercise with the neighboring country, Harnest."
I see, so they wanted to restore friendly relations.
"So, a few days ago, we arrived in this town and were preparing, but... as you know, yesterday's trouble might lead to the cancellation of the exercise. We might all return to our home country like this."
Yesterday's trouble... the incident where a large horde of monsters attacked the town, right?
"Is something like that common around here?"
"No, it's not common at all. Maybe once every few decades, there might be a small-scale incident like that. Places where monsters are frequently seen are far from this town."
It felt a bit too coincidental, didn't it? Such a rare case happened just when the Demon Army was there, almost like it was orchestrated. Of course, I wasn't suspecting Leah-san or anything.
"But the people in the town are grateful to the members of the Demon Army, right? You did achieve the goal of preventing a deterioration in relations, didn't you?"
"That's true... Of course, we can't be completely happy, but it's a silver lining in our misfortune."
That's right; there were benefits for the demon side.
"Now, suspiciously enough... Hey, Leah-san. Has anyone from the Taltus army returned to Corcut?"
"One person returned about a month ago. Rugolf-sama. ...Is there something about that?"
Rugolf, huh? If I recall correctly...
"...【Domination】."
That's right, he's a user of 【Domination】. It's a Gift that allowed him to summon monsters and control them freely in battle. This is getting a bit too suspicious.
"Domination? Kirio-sama, something seems off. Is there anything on your mind?"
"No... it's just my imagination..."
I'll keep quiet about it for now with Leah-san. I'll casually brush it off and steer the conversation in a different direction.
"...By the way, there's something I've been curious about. How is Taltus currently treated in Corcut?"
Nice one, Mel-chan. She cut straight to the point on something I didn't want to ask directly.
"Well, I don't understand the exact meaning of the question, but is he currently stationed in the royal capital, Diete?"
"Stationed... Does that mean occupying and taking over the kingdom!?"
Oops, that might have been too direct.
"Mel-chan, calm down a bit."
"Ah... I'm sorry. I just..."
I wanted to observe the situation a bit more before pressing further, so there's no use blaming her.
"Destroyed the kingdom...? The story I heard is completely different. What's going on?"
Leah-san seemed incredibly shocked. Her originally pale face was now even paler.
"Is that story true...? Please tell me more."
Considering her reaction, it seemed likely that there had been information manipulation from Taltus' side. He hadn't explicitly stated the full details of the incident so far. If that was the case, there was no need to hide anything. I spilled all the beans about Taltus's misdeeds, including Rugolf's Gift.
"Is that so...? Then, what about the incident with the fellow comrade? It wasn't just the rampage of a few individuals..."
Now, how will Leah-san respond? With her strong sense of justice and loyalty, she might become our ally—
"No, I can't simply accept your words at face value. I'm not doubting you, but I want to be cautious and confirm things with my own eyes and ears before making a judgment."
Well, that makes sense. We suddenly appeared, and she didn't know anything about us. Without evidence, she wouldn't just believe our words.
"Wise decision. But how do you plan to confirm things?"
"Rugolf-sama is in the homeland. I'll inquire about him. If things are not as you say, then all is good. If it is, appropriate measures will be taken."
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