Chapter 199

Chapter 199

< Evade the Hero and Flee! 199 #23. Policy Meant for My Dream! (6) >

#6 Their circumstance: Ria el Nermia’s circumstance

I was packing my bag. Although not that large, the bag still swallowed up a surprising amount of luggage once I pushed everything down with all my strength.

“Spare clothing and underwear, and then… food and water…”

I checked and re-checked the luggage while consulting the list of things I wrote earlier. The trip was supposed to be a lengthy one. It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious, right?

Yes, preparing thoroughly is probably the wisest since no one knows what might happen. Riiiight. For instance…

“Ria!”

Bang!

My old classmate, currently the demon king’s lackey despite being a human hero, kicked open my door and invaded my room! Yes, things like this are a real possibility!

“Bind him.”

“Kuwaaahk?! H-hey, hold up!”

I used the preinstalled magic circle in front of my door to bind the hero. Metal chains shooting out from the floor wrapped around his body, causing my old classmate to cry out in despair.

“You’re running away alone?! Alone?!?!”

“Ng? But, don’t you have plenty of prior records of escaping by yourself? And now that I’ve looked at you, isn’t this eerily similar to how I was so viciously tied up by your blinded-by-food self all those years ago? Ah, ahhh~… I was so sad back then. How could you tie up a weak young girl and even put cuffs on her… This is your punishment for back then.”

“H-hey, wait a second! Didn’t that happen, like, a decade ago or something?! Just how long are you going to bite my head for that?!”

Of course I couldn’t forget it. He dared to put handcuffs on a woman, nay, a young and impressionable girl like me, after all! Having said that, I could have forgiven the hero since the circumstances back then were pretty extreme.

…If only he had cuffed me in a ‘normal’ manner, that is!

He slapped six cuffs on my slender wrists and seven of them on my ankles! That feeling of utter helplessness as my legs got tightly bound, and I couldn’t do anything other than count the rising number of cuffs! I’ll probably remember that feeling right up until my final breath!

“You have done something cruel to a frail young girl back then.”

“A frail… girl?”

The hero muttered as if he was doubting his hearing. He wasn’t acting but being genuine just then. So, I…!

Grit!

…I gritted my teeth and hurled several choice magic spells in Swinn’s way.

Not stopping there…!

“C-r-u-s-h him!”

“Kkuweeek?!”

I threw a nearby book at him and activated another spell simultaneously. It was a spell to explosively increase the weight of an object. I even used a magic stone for it, so the book’s increased weight should be heavier than a massive boulder.

“S-save me…!”

“Aren’t you a hero? A symbol of invincibility? I know you won’t die from this, so behave yourself. And don’t make a ruckus, either.”

Snap!

I snapped my fingers and made his screams inaudible.

“I was right. My skills have gotten better lately.”

This wasn’t any ordinary silence magic. The space itself had been partitioned off, preventing any and all noise from entering or leaving. It wasn’t as simple as using magical energy to block out sounds. No, this technique was incomparably more advanced.

I was told that my getting more familiar with this technique would eventually grant me the best-possible shield that’s capable of blocking out not just sounds but vision, light and all types of magic, too!

‘He… really can’t use magic, right?’

Funnily enough, it was the instructor who taught me about this technique.

The original agreement was for him to release me right after Belegrea’s enthronement ceremony, but there was simply too much work. So, the instructor asked me to be more patient until we could find someone from the demon race to take over my job.

I had to wonder if he was lying to keep me here. But I had to nod my head in acceptance when he pulled out a Geass Roll, which he repeatedly said that he didn’t have many left.

If I’m being honest, it’s not like I don’t believe the instructor’s explanations, but…

I’ve been partnering with the victim – a Great Devil – of the scam contract induced by that Geass Roll for such a long while that it became natural for me to remain sceptical.

Shockingly, though, the instructor kept his words. Not only that, he even taught me a few new magic techniques while saying that they were compensation for my working for free all this time. One of them happened to be this space-manipulating magic.

What an out-of-the-box magic technique this was. So much so that I found it hard to believe that my instructor couldn’t use magic at all. Not even someone with a master’s degree in magic could have thought up this technique, I’d imagine.

“If it’s the instructor, then it’s totally possible, right? He’s definitely capable of smacking me in the back of the head with, ‘I was an archmage all along!’ or something like that…”

My hands shoving luggage inside the bag sped up faster and faster.

The instructor said, “Using teleportation magic to separately transfer a person’s body and head might be a useful way to attack, don’t you think?” during his explanation. He also mentioned that… “If you use the space-manipulation magic I taught you just now to set coordinates near the enemy’s throat, wouldn’t their head separate from their body the moment they try to move?”

Scary.

To think that he was creating a mass murder magic spell using an unimaginable method! What’s even scarier was that… his suggestion seemed to be so, so very efficient, too!

As an example, let’s say that a group of magicians cut off the space horizontally in a straight line right in the middle of an intense battlefield. What would happen if the enemy soldiers and cavalry charged straight in without realising anything?

The moment they come into contact with the space, their upper and lower torsos would be cleanly split in half.

If this idea could be implemented in reality, it’d be the arrival of one of the most effective sure-kill trap magic in existence.

“I knew it. I need to run away as soon as possible.”

I gotta bounce right now when the instructor was allowing me to leave. Otherwise, who knows what’s in store for me later!

I finished shoving luggage inside my bag, then pulled out a few magic stones from my pocket. I had stashed them away during my work for a rainy day.

“Here, a gift from me.”

Was it because I had completely blocked out all sounds? I couldn’t hear the sounds of the magic stones landing on the spot right in front of the hero’s face. Well, I still couldn’t hear his screaming even after another book was placed on him, so I guess that makes sense!

“Well, then. This is goodbye.”

Since you’re my classmate and all, I shall pray to the Goddess of Benevolence that you avoid the fate of getting beaten up by the metal bat.

I left those words behind – even though Swinn couldn’t hear me – and headed to where my instructor was.

Knock, knock!

“Are you in, sir?”

I cautiously knocked on his office door. It felt like my pounding heart was right next to my ears.

But, from this moment on… This long, accursed sojourn into the demon continent is over!

“Instructor?”

Knock, knock, knock!

Strangely, though, the instructor did not respond to all the knocks on his door.

“C-can it be?”

Did I… get scammed again? Could it be that the instructor was trying a new dastardly scheme to keep me here!

-That human is fully capable of doing that! Hurry up and run! It’s not too late, Ria!

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

Ah, aaaah! Can it be? No, it can’t!

“Are you looking for our noble king? His Majesty is currently at the demon king’s throne to oversee his duties, miss.”

Just as I stood there shuddering while imagining all sorts of worst possible situations in my head… A priest walking past stopped, tilted his head at me, then kindly informed me of where the instructor was.

Oh. That’s a relief. The instructor was merely doing his job, wasn’t he!

-Do not be fooled, master! That man will never work!

Mm… That’s a very convincing take on the matter. However, isn’t it possible that the instructor has no choice but to work now that I’m leaving?

-No! This is definitely another scheme to entrap you once more, master!

You could be right. However…

“…What if he uses the pretext of not coming to speak to him before leaving to capture me?”

-That’s also a possibility.

Mm, mm…

An image of a massive giant nodding contemplatively away popped up in my mind.

If my instructor had indeed concocted this trap, then avoiding it would be impossible for me. In that case, I had to be courageous like last time and face it head-on!

And so, I headed to the second-most sacred area in the Demon God’s temple after the Demon God’s altar – the chamber of the demon king’s throne, that only the one chosen by the Demon God herself could occupy!

And then…

“Will you do it?”

The moment I entered the throne chamber, the instructor asked me that. That question forced my brain to analyse the current situation faster than I had done in my entire life.

In the chamber were the priests of the Demon God’s temple and the archbishop, the king of the demon world Belegrea, and for some reason, Alice prostrating on the floor!

“Nope.”

With that simple reply, I was able to return to the human continent safe and sound.

***

“…And that is the current situation of the demon continent, oh, the great king.”

Belegrea finished her report in an extremely business-like voice. The New Tribe Movement had been going on for only a few months now, yet she had almost become a living zombie.

“As expected of you, oh great king!”

The archbishop completely ignored Belegrea’s current status and simply expressed his awe at the contents of her report.

“Indeed, as expected of Demon God’s plan!”

“Let us exalt our great, noble Demon God!”

Priests began exalting and praying to the Demon God.

It had only been a few months since its implementation – but the New Tribe Movement’s results thus far have been more pronounced than expected.

I used a dignified voice to reassign this achievement to the other folks around me. “It’s all because you have been adhering to the Demon God’s will so well.”

If I’m being honest here, then sure, I might be the one who came up with this plan, but these folks were responsible for bringing it to life in the first place. If the results exceeded my expectations, then it simply meant that these guys worked their butts off to make it possible.

“No, sire! We are merely the Demon God’s servants! We simply followed her noble will as it’s only a matter of course! If it wasn’t for your strength, oh great king, we probably would have been still charmed and lost to the fake one’s lies! All this is thanks to your guidance, oh our great king!”

A demon passionately prostrated on the floor and began singing my praises. This particular dude showed up around two months ago proclaiming to be the real apostle of the demon god, and tried to take my head at the same time. Although, he’s now my most loyal subordinate these days!

“Our magnanimous Demon God has spoken thus. You had been charmed by the false one’s seductive voice, that’s all. And the Demon God blames herself for not caring for you better while you were blinded by the false voice.”

“N-no, that can’t be! It’s all my fault for being such an idiot, sire! Our great, noble Demon God always protects us, the demon race! It’s my fault for falling to the evil scheme when our noble Demon God briefly looked away to check up on other demons!”

Unlike the initial impression, this demon had become a lot more docile. He broke through the defences like the hero and entered the Demon God’s temple, then even managed to crash into my room when I was entertaining my dear daughter. His scary aura made my little girl break down and cry

. Kkokko got enraged by that and fired off its breath, but this dude managed to survive the direct hit. That scene even made me go, “Well, I might really die here at this rate!” back then!

Ah, of course, there’s no need to worry. The dangerous Demon God’s apostle was ably dealt with by the metal bat, so there’s no need to panic here.

His crime of making my daughter cry was unforgivable, though, so I gave him a month-long moral education at the hands of the metal bat – which eventually led to the birth of a docile subordinate as you see here. What a useful addition to the team he was since he made monitoring the hero much more convenient for me. And surprisingly, he was pretty good with the administrative work, too.

Ah, aaah, oh dear great Demon God! Please send us more punks like this one!

…That’s what I’d like to pray with if I was a praying type.

Even if the Demon God couldn’t hear my prayers, I was in the Demon God’s temple. So… maybe there’s a chance that she could hear me now?

-If that was possible, Demon God would’ve tried to kill you first thing first, master?

-Uh-huh! The noble wish of the great Demon God is the continued peace of the demon race and the demon continent’s protection! And I simultaneously carry out both of those tasks, so why would the great Demon God try to kill me!

-Wow, you’ve completely become the Demon God’s apostle, haven’t you! This is a betrayal, you know!

-Betrayal? Who did I betray?

-What do you mean, who?! You betrayed the great Goddess, Arcadia, that’s who!

Uh-huh! How dare a mere creation demand worship from her creator!

While I was failing to see the need to retort to the metal bat’s completely ridiculous claims…

“Next up on the agenda is… To bring to life the system of governance as declared by our noble king, the suitable candidate is…”

Just as Belegrea reached that part, I got up from my throne and declared loudly. “My daughter, Alice, shall be appointed to the position of the Minister of Agriculture!”

“Ng? Dad, what’s that?” My daughter looked up at me while tilting her head.

…Too cute. Too fatally cute!

“Mm… Simply put, my dear daughter, you can do whatever you want with all the farming in the demon continent.”

“Inscrutable are the king’s favour! Your Majesty!”

Plop!

The way my daughter prostrated on the ground oh-so-perfectly was rather similar to the historical dramas I watched in the past.

“Dear daughter? Where did you even learn to do that…?”

“Ng? Big sis told me to do this earlier, though?”

-Hey, you…

-Euiinng? But I saw such a scene in your memories, master?

Dammit! She stole another look at my memories while I was distracted, didn’t she!

“Dear daughter, there’s no need to do that.”

“Ng? Really?”

“Yes.”

“Mm… Ah! Dad! Let me do one more thing!”

“What one more thing do you speak of, child?”

“Minister of Chicken Department!”

“There is no department like that, but… since you want it, we shall have to create it, now shan’t we!”

“Inscrutable are the king’s favour! Your Majesty!”

When my daughter prostrated quickly once more, all I could do was chuckle hollowly. Since she’s so adorable, let’s brush it aside this one time.

Belegrea urgently asked me. “B-but, sire? Will this really be alright?”

“Yes. The actual work will be done by other demons, after all.”

What we needed now was someone to fill the position – the first position of a ‘government minister’ in history. And by getting this position, my dear daughter will finally enjoy the dignity of a chieftain of a tribe!

No other demon would dare to look down on my little girl during tribal conferences now that I’ve done this! Of course, if some chieftain dared to look down on her, I’d have thrown them into jail with all sorts of trumped-up charges!

“Well, then. Sire, it’s time to select the Minister of Economy and Finance. My recommendations are…”

Knock, knock!

Even before Belegrea could finish her sentence, sounds of knocking reached us and Ria stepped through the doorway.

Mm. Good timing.

“Will you do it?”

“Nope.”

Tsk. She doesn’t even know what it is, but to offer such a quick response… How lamentable that is.

“I’ll be leaving now, sire.”

“I see. Take care.”

I nodded once, and Ria replied with a slight nod of her own, then quickly left the room without even a single glance back.

Well, that’s too bad. She had been a fairly useful… no, a very useful talent up until now.

“May I continue, sire?”

“Of course.”

If I’m being honest, these ministerial positions were going to be filled by those folks Belegrea recommended to me. We were simply selecting people who’d take responsibility when things go sideways, after all. With the sole exception of my daughter, all these ministers were basically meat shields.

And so, while listening to Belegrea diligently yap on and on, I began pondering what I should do to entertain my daughter this evening.

…Without realising that yet another threat had reached my side in the meantime.

#7 Their circumstance: Ria el Nermia’s circumstance

“Hah-ah…”

A relieved sigh jumped out of my mouth.

I leaned my back against the nearby wall to prop myself up instead of my shaking legs. Without this solid wall’s support, I’d have plopped down on my butt by now.

“No, not yet… It’s not over yet.”

That’s right, it wasn’t over yet.

I bit down hard on my lip. While tasting the blood pooling inside my mouth, I clenched the magic stone inside my pocket.

I’ve managed to overcome the biggest obstacle. But the next hurdle happened to be the disciple our instructor had personally raised. One who happened to resemble the instructor the most!

“I will… definitely… escape from you, Mirua.”

While thinking about one more tall mountain I had to overcome for the sake of my perfect getaway, I stoked the burning flames of my will to escape.