“We have returned, Your Majesty.”
The Demon King was sitting on his throne as Crowell and Graun knelt before him and bowed their heads.
The Demon King rested his elbow on the armrest, his head on his hand, then sighed deeply. “Let’s hear your report.”
“As one might expect from a student I taught the fundamentals myself, Lady Mil has refined her sword skills significantly during the short time she has been adventuring.”
“Um...Crowell...” Graun said quietly.
Crowell cleared her throat. “My apologies. After tracking down Lady Mil, we fought against her in the fortress town of Algram, but she escaped us. Thus ends my report.”
The Demon King pressed his fingers against his brow and shook his head.
“I was however able to carry out Your Majesty’s orders,” Crowell added. “At one point I successfully apprehended Lady Mil by grabbing her arm.”
“I’m terribly sorry!” Graun cried, hanging his head when he saw the clear disappointment on the Demon King’s face. “It all happened under my watch!”
“Tell me, Crowell.”
“Sire?”
“Why are you supporting Mil? Is it because you empathize with her given how she’s been treated? Explain yourself.”
“Sire... There is always but one thing on my mind. I wish for order and prosperity for you and your forces.”
“And is apprehending Mil not part of that?”
“Forgive me for being so bold, Sire, but I assume you are aware of the changing attitudes among the lords of the various territories.”
“Yes, I’m aware. It’s not just the Heavenly Four; all of them have designs on my throne.”
The Demon King reigned over a number of territories, each under the control of a demonkin lord. Although these lords were ostensibly loyal to the Demon King, those in control of the larger territories with great military might harbored secret ambitions of becoming king themselves.
Crowell continued, “It is my understanding that Lady Mil was abducted for the sake of bolstering your forces and thus alleviating their fears of a coup d’état. Has this goal not already been fulfilled?”
After Mil had been abducted by the Demon King, she’d used her goddess’s priestess powers to awaken skills in almost every soldier in his army. Whenever she hadn’t done so, it was only because of the soldier’s lack of potential.
“Are you saying I’d be better off letting her escape?”
“If the alternative is that her powers might be used by another.”
“By a demonkin lord...?”
“I was thinking of the Heavenly Four.”
The Heavenly Four, like all demonkin, obeyed the Demon King because he was stronger than all four of them. Demonkin existed in a hierarchy with the strong at the top and the weak at the bottom. Their obedience was simply a product of their inferiority to the Demon King.
However, if one of them obtained Mil and her powers, the relationship might be reversed, prompting the Heavenly Four to rebel against the Demon King.
“Crowell, do you think that’s likely?”
“In my opinion, it would be overly optimistic to consider it unlikely.”
If Mil was kept close, she was more likely to fall into the wrong hands. She was like a volatile substance, too dangerous to mix with the Demon King’s forces.
“In other words, securing Mil will eliminate the possibility of a rebellion,” the Demon King said.
“But Sire—”
“Be silent. That’s an order. Bring Mil back to me. Tell the Heavenly Four to do the same.”
“The Heavenly Four as well...Sire?”
“That’s right. But keep a close eye on them. If someone tries to claim Mil for themselves, immediately declare them a traitor. It will serve as a lesson. Now is the time to demonstrate my authority.”
Mil could be useful for an internal purge. If the Heavenly Four were considering a coup, this was one way to expose their plan. But it was a double-edged sword. The Demon King could only guess how far the Heavenly Four and the demonkin lords might have gone in plotting a rebellion.
Regardless, any command from the Demon King to his subordinates was absolute.
“As you command, Sire.”
Crowell and Graun each placed a hand on their chest as a salute.
Meanwhile, just outside the throne room door, an ogre with sharp tusks protruding from his cloak was listening.
“I see... This could be an opportunity. If I were to prove that the rest of the Heavenly Four are plotting a rebellion, then I’d ascend to become the Demon King’s right hand. I’d be well positioned to take his place when he finally falls.”
With a sinister grin, the robed ogre—Grood—quietly walked away.
✧✧✧
“Mister fish! You’re so fast!”
Mil’s party had arrived at an eastern lake after hearing of a great fish that served as the lake’s guardian. What they found there exceeded their expectations. The fish was a monster big enough to swallow a human whole.
Mil had succeeded in hooking the guardian fish, but ended up riding on its back when she tried to pull it in.
“Mil! Th-That’s dangerous!” Yulia cried out in concern from the edge of the lake.
But Mil wasn’t about to stop. She felt a new sense of freedom as she was carried swiftly through the water. The water pressure hurt a little, but that just added a little spice.
“Looks like Mil’s having fun,” Kuro said. “Are you going to ride it, Mary?”
“I’ll pass! But what about the fish right here? They’re about to burn.”
The three on the shore were around a campfire, roasting and eating the fish they’d caught so far. Naturally, there were some for Mil too, but she was so determined to catch the lake guardian that riding on its back had taken priority over her appetite.
It was several days since they’d left the fortress town. Mil had been abstaining from forbidden magic the whole time, and just as Mary predicted, she’d turned back to normal. Mil was a little disappointed, but she didn’t want to worry Yulia. She told herself that, from that point on, she’d avoid using forbidden magic unless it was really necessary.
“This feels so nice. Oh?”
As the fish dove underwater and pulled Mil along, a large opening came into view. It looked like a cavern near the bottom of the lake.
Mil let go of the fish and swam back up to the others.
“Had enough, Mil?” Kuro asked.
“Yep! But listen to this! There’s a cavern down there.”
Bursting with excitement, Mil’s mind had quickly filled up with the possibility of treasure deep within the cavern. No adventurer could pass something like this up.
Mary threw Mil a towel. “Dry yourself off before you catch a cold.”
“Thanks! Achoo!” A sudden chill wind left Mil shivering and sneezing.
“Are you okay, Mil?” Yulia asked. “Why not change your clothes?”
“Good idea. Oh, is the fish done yet?”
Mil sat down near the campfire, where Yulia helped her out of her wet things.
“There’s still some left, though they’re a little burnt,” Kuro said. “Now tell us, how wide was that cavern?”
“I dunno.”
“Are you sure it’s not just a small cave?” Mary said. “I’m assuming you only caught a glimpse of it while riding the fish.”
She had a point. But Mil wasn’t about to give up that easily.
“We’ll find out for sure when we go down there and check it out! Yulia, do you have any magic for swimming underwater?” Mil asked between big bites of fish.
“Hmm... I have a spell for moving us around inside a bubble.”
“Then it’s decided!” As soon as Mil finished her fish, she stood up.
“Wait a moment!” Mary said. “What if there are dangerous monsters in the water? We can’t fight underwater, can we?”
“It’ll be fine! We’ll just run away in that case!”
Mary sighed in disbelief. “Really... You’re nothing but trouble.”
“There’s no talking Mil out of something once she makes up her mind,” Kuro agreed.
“Here goes. Bubble barrier!”
Once Yulia had created a bubble around the whole party, they jumped into the lake.
Mil wondered what adventures awaited them. The way ahead might lead to suffering and defeat, but she’d gone too far to turn back. She was finally exploring a world she could only dream of from within the confines of castles.
Mil wasn’t ready to end her journey just yet. Nor was she going to pass up any exciting detours along the way.