LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 47
Chapter 47. A Fun Excursion
A few days after rescuing Liliana.
Just as Platy had planned, I was headed out to eliminate some runaway goblin soldiers.
Our destination was an abandoned fortress located two days’ travel by carriage south of the Demon Lord Castle.
I’d received reports from the local residents (a weak tribe of beastmen) that goblins might be multiplying in large numbers.
“The purpose of this exercise is to experience land travel, achieve tactical objectives, and return safely with my forces.”
In other words, it was just a little squad activity. Though calling it a ‘game’ might be too light-hearted.
While we could’ve flown with a dragon and been there in just a few hours, we’re opting for a normal squad procedure this time (as a Demon Lord’s Prince) and moving by carriage.
The forces accompanying me mainly consisted of my attendants, including Sophia and Garunya, as well as the knight elf scouts.
They were the ones I had treated in exchange for a deal with Sidarl.
“—Limited private troop formation and information provision, I see?”
Sidarl received my proposed compensation with surprise. He apparently expected me to ask for more.
“It’s not that easy. In terms of private troop formation, you might end up putting lives at risk.”
“If we think of the lives we couldn’t save without Your Highness’s assistance, that seems fair enough. However, regarding the information from the intelligence unit, wouldn’t it normally be possible to request a report based on Your Highness’s status…?”
Is that fine? Sidarl asked diligently. It’s not valuable enough to be a payment for treatment, though.
“That’s fine. I want to hear the raw voices from the field.”
Indeed, reading reports would give me detailed information obtained from intelligence, but they didn’t mention how such information was obtained.
What I wanted to learn wasn’t the intelligence behind the alliances but rather the network through which that intelligence flowed.
“In that case—among those I would like to ask for treatment from Your Highness this time, there’s an operative. You should be able to obtain everything you desire from him.”
That was precisely the field voice I was looking for. Wonderful. Things were looking good.
So, the knight elves I treated consisted of three individuals.
A mortally wounded young scout (female) with her stomach cut open, a scout (male) who had been stabbed in the chest and was unconscious, and an operative (male) whose leg was nearly severed.
Particularly, the operative was a powerful man with magic comparable to demons, evident at first glance.
I didn’t want to treat this guy… I slightly regretted my easy promise. He would undoubtedly bring disaster to the alliance once he returned to the field.
This operative would ordinarily have priority for treatment among the Reiju tribe; however, due to recent movements at the front, it seemed that many others were injured as well.
There were severely injured individuals who would die if not treated immediately and a man whose leg would lose its value as an operative if it rotted but wasn’t in danger of death. The knight elf leadership faced a difficult decision on whom to prioritize.
That’s when I extended a helping hand—
“To His Highness Zilbagias, my heartfelt gratitude and loyalty.”
The knight elves, who had received treatment and were now spirited, knelt before me and bowed their heads.
They had witnessed me endure wounds through a teleportation spell, spitting blood and losing limbs, and the fact that a prince of demons went out of his way to help them seemed to touch their hearts, demonstrating sincerity far beyond mere formality for knight elves.
—A persistent strategist, not to be underestimated, but also quite loyal.
Platy’s voice echoed in my mind. I felt quite conflicted.
Still… the knight elves were the ones who killed my mother in my previous life…
Anyway, I departed the Demon Lord Castle with such forces in tow.
This time, Platy was staying back at the Demon Lord Castle. Due to the recent movements at the front, she needed to be on standby for emergencies.
“Just so you know, I’ve assigned separate personnel for monitoring and security. Still, don’t overthink it; just do what you want,” she added.
It would be my first trip away from Platy while under surveillance. It had been a while since leaving the Demon Lord Castle, since going to the Dark Portal…
We raced down the night road, which stretched almost straight, ignoring the terrain.
“This carriage is quite comfortable,” I remarked as if it was my first time riding in one, gazing out of the window.
Regrettably, it was more pleasant than any carriage I had ridden in my previous life. The sway was nearly nonexistent.
“From what I’ve read in human literature, I thought it would be much bumpier.”
“This is a special model distinct from human carriages,” Sophia nodded knowingly, sitting across from me.
“Did you notice that there was a metal box between the passenger cabin and the wheels?”
“Is there some mechanism in there?”
“Yes. Inside, there are specially processed skeletons that absorb and control shocks.”
“……”
I fidgeted restlessly. While the ride was nice, I suddenly felt uncomfortable.
“By the way, it’s an invention of the Undead King named Enma.”
That guy…
Furthermore, the creatures pulling the carriage weren’t even live horses, but skeleton horses. They were securely covered with black leather and shade cloth to prevent purification when exposed to sunlight.
While they had the weakness of slowing down during the day, skeleton horses could keep moving tirelessly as long as they were provided with dark magic. Their extraordinary transport capability supported the logistics of the Demon Lord Army.
“And this road was developed by the Korvto tribe. Unlike ordinary cobblestone roads, it has almost no seams or bumps, resulting in even less shake.”
The roads around here were reportedly made through magical means by the Korvto tribe, proficient in earth attributes. The road, compacted with earth and stones through magic, was extraordinarily smooth and possessed magic resistance. Although it needed upkeep every few years with supplemental magic, it greatly contributed to enhancing the Demon Lord Army’s transport capabilities.
And even with such good condition, it would still take two days for the carriage to reach the fortress. Quite a distance.
“Ku-oon.”
A light touch against my lap.
Liliana in a one-piece dress had laid down and snuggled up to me. I had brought her along as a recovery support for this exercise.
Unlike the human race slaves requiring constant care, she was reportedly much easier to handle by the attendants. As I scratched behind her pointed ears, she purred and rubbed her head against me.
However, her limbs had still been severed and reinforced with metal joints.
This was due to her wounds being burned and adhering together; regrowing her limbs would require surgical procedures involving cutting them off.
And at present, Liliana would cry in fear upon seeing such blades. Additionally, the knight elves had expressed concerns that if she were to regenerate her limbs, there could be catastrophic damage through magic if she ever regained her will.
Given that, I felt sorry for Liliana, but her limbs would stay this way for the foreseeable future.
Well, I’d make sure to take good care of her, so she wasn’t inconvenienced as a dog.
“Listen closely, everyone. Treat her with utmost care. If, by any chance, my relationship with her worsens, we might lose the chance for miraculous benefits,” I emphasized.
Due to my warning, the attendants treated Liliana kindly. Even the knight elves appeared to frown slightly but held back their disdain.
—Thanks to that, I managed to conduct training for the past few days without sacrificing any human slaves.
However, whether that meant the human slaves were “saved” was another story—only their treatment was consumed elsewhere.
At most, they were allowed to live a few extra days.
“I might be losing out on forbidden powers since I’m no longer sacrificing myself.”
Antende even began to make such remarks.
He had a point.
But thanks to the many fewer lives I had consumed, the backup slaves’ turn might be delayed just enough that when the Demon Lord Kingdom eventually fell, some might be saved.
It was also true that I was missing out on forbidden powers—well, let’s just call it acceptable.
After all, the chances to gain power would come in abundance from here on out—
While pondering such matters, I stroked Liliana’s head, gazing at the night view of the Demon Lord Kingdom flowing past outside the crystal glass window.
Suddenly, I felt a gaze upon me.
Looking opposite, I saw Garunya sitting next to Sophia, staring at Liliana intently.
She was fixedly staring.
With a serious expression, yet her tail wagged side to side. She was gripping her maid outfit’s skirt tightly.
“…Oh.”
Garunya’s eyes met mine, making her quickly avert her gaze.
“Garunya, come here too.”
As I beckoned her, Garunya moved over awkwardly.
I reached out to scratch her throat, and she immediately closed her eyes, purring and vibrating her throat.
“You’re looking quite the part,” Antende teased.
“With a High Elf on my left and a pure white fluffy cat on my right, talk about having flowers in both hands.”
—Moreover, Sophia, sitting across from me, was giving me an exceedingly cold stare.
“…I feel just like a prince, right?”
I tried to make a jest with a grin.
“I don’t know.”
With a huff, Sophia pulled out an incredibly thick book from her bosom and began reading.
Since the journey was dull, I thought about learning some spells, but this time wasn’t so bad either.
I completely forgot about my previous discomfort, relaxing against the backrest while enjoying the feeling of both hands.