Chapter 36.1

Lydis the Bride and the Vessel of the Goddess 1 (11)

Astaroth spined his words in a relaxed tone of voice.

“…We have been out of touch with the human race since the great war of the past. It is partly because we lost the great war and partly because that was the wish of Lucis, the King at that time. Since then, the King has continued to maintain the boundary that separates the human world from ours. Gilbert, too, has the reputation of being a reclusive Prince who is still a virgin, but he has the power to maintain the barrier  at all times.”

“Astaroth, you don’t need to insert unnecessary information.”

“That’s right. Astaroth, Gilbert is about to have his first night with Lydith, so you shouldn’t say too much.”

Glancing at Gilbert-sama, Ria said, “mad at me for protecting my lovely nephew.”

I was full after my soup and fish, so I reached for the glass filled with a clear liquid with fruit floating in it  and took a sip.

I wondered if it was water, the liquid itself had no taste, but it smelled sweet with the added flavor of the fruit.

The first sip refreshed my palate.

“Seven goddesses and seven human Kings. The king of non-humans at the center of the world. That’s what Chuzel-sama told me. Does that mean that the world has not become a separate entity, but that a barrier has been placed over the land of the demons to hide their appearance?”

“Yes. Lydith, you’ve been listening to me a lot, you’re great. You told me before that the flora and fauna of your country are no different from the ones here. Even now, this country is still in the same place as your world. It is in the middle of the seven kingdoms in a circle. However, thanks to the barrier, you cannot see or touch it. If you try to get close to it, you will end up wandering around in the deep forest.”

Astaroth’s story reminded me of something.

Noir had once told me that there was a deep forest that even adventurers could not enter.

Once you enter, there is little chance of escaping, and it is called the Forest of the Lost.

It is a vast, deep forest on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Evandia, just beyond the wasteland where there were no Cities or anything else.

I have only heard about it and have never seen it, but I guess the land of the demon tribe was at the center of it.

Even Noir, who has a wealth of knowledge, had no idea that it was the land of the demons. He said, “I only saw it from a distance, but it looked like an unpleasant place.”

“Perhaps…. that forest is rumored to be the Forest of the Lost.”

“The Lost Forest, yes, that’s right. In the past, there were people who came close to it, but now it is said to be a dangerous place. I don’t seem to sense any sign of humans. Isn’t that right, Gilbert?”

Astaroth asked Gilbert-sama and he nodded.

“It’s been quiet lately, right? That was, until Clive forced the barrier  open from the outside.”

“In our country I don’t know about the rest of the world, but the story of the great war a thousand years ago and the demon people has become a folktale, just like Elvisa-sama’s existence. The Royal family will have kept records, and my Ducal family is the second most powerful and closest family to the royal family, so I knew it was true.”

It was a long time ago. They have forgotten about us, but we have lived for a long time and we remember. After we were confined within the barriers, we were divided into two factions, the moderate and the hardline, and there were several conflicts. The moderates were those who didn’t want to fight with humans and were afraid of humans, and the hardliners were those who claimed that they were better than humans.”

Astaroth glanced at Ria. Then he said, “The werewolves are the hard-liners, but Ria held them down.”

The werewolf tribe certainly seemed suited to conflict. There were all kinds of people among the demon tribe, and I am sure that Mercuris and the other members of the werebutterfly tribe were not suited for fighting.

Not everyone can fight with weapons, and only a few of the people living in the city are looking for a fight.

“Ria-sama wanted to bring down the barrier because that is what the werewolf tribe wanted?”

It is said that the werewolves other than Ria were extinguished in the war against Yule when Aria died. In response to my question, Ria shook her head, saying, “No.”

“Not long ago I was going to obliterate the barrier and bring the humans under my control. Now that Aria is gone, I have nothing left to protect and I don’t have to put up with them anymore. I, like the rest of the werewolf tribe, had always thought of the humans as a lower race to be ruled by us.”

“Now you don’t?”

“I don’t want… Lydith-san to hate me, and I’ll go along with Gilbert’s wishes.” Ria mumbled his words.

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