Chapter 2: 2

Chapter 2: Escape from Gordia

　The dimly lit cellar, built under the livestock barn, was filled with the smell of livestock droppings and stagnant air.
　Elisabeth and the others grumbled, but we had to put up with it.
　There was no safer place in the whole of the Demon Continent.
　The air was filled with grumpiness as they exhaled, then suddenly we heard footsteps from above, and it instantly became tensed.
　The prince and Princess Lu lifted their hips to take up their blades. Ekaterina holds her wand, but I reach out to block it. Magic is dangerous in this small space.
　The footsteps stopped just above us, stepping twice, once, three times. After the signal, a board on the ceiling was slowly removed, and the faces of a little girl and her mother peeked through the gap.

“Michelle-san, Sailor.”

　With a sigh of relief, I invite them in.
　They’re among those who were brought to the Demon Continent as slaves after their homeland was destroyed by the Demon King’s army.
　They’re also our collaborators.
　When we first infiltrated this continent, we had no information.
　We didn’t know the name of the continent, let alone a map. We didn’t even know what the Demon King looked like or where he was.
　We just went to the site to gather information. It was a reckless plan on my part. It was the only way to get the job done, so we had no choice, but the people who supported us in this overly reckless plan were the people who had been brought here as slaves.
　They provided us with a hiding place and shared their food with us. They also gathered information about the Demon King.
Information about the Demon King’s actions and the information about his cowering in the temple were brought to us by them. Without the cooperation of these people, we wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Demon King.

“I’m sorry for being late. This isn’t much.”

　Michelle-san offers me a bag. Inside was a canteen filled with water and bread.
　We were hungry and thirsty. Everyone jumped at the food and quenched their thirst.
　Little Sailor looked greedily at the others as they ate their food, but she swallowed her words and kept her mouth shut.

“I’m not that hungry, so lets share.”

　I was hungry too, but I broke the bread in half and offered it to Sailor.
　The girl was delighted and her mother apologized, but this food originally belonged to the both of them.
　We both ate slowly.

“Won’t there be a magic ship?”
　
　After finishing the bread, I asked Michelle -san. There was a large harbor just east of this city where a magical ship built by the Demon King was anchored.
　Here in Gordia, between the Demon Continent and the Axis Continent, where we live, there is an incredibly large expanse of water.
　There are many storms and currents that block the way, making it impossible for ordinary sailing ships to navigate. There have been sailors who have left many times in the past, but none had ever returned.
　However, Zergis, using some kind of mystical magic, created a ship that runs on magic, crossed the storm-battered ocean, and even invaded our continent of Axis.
　In order to return to our country, we need to stow away on the magic ship, but because of the daytime commotion, it’s been put on high alert and its departure was postponed. We could no longer leave this place.

“Yes, the ship’s departure has been postponed. I don’t know when it’ll resume.”

　Michelle-san’s words pained the prince.

“Damn it, we don’t have time to be stranded here.”

　I wanted to point out that he was the cause of this, but I held back desperately.
　I couldn’t begin to point out other people’s failures. I’ve made a few mistakes before I came here. Thanks to that, my engagement was broken off, but anyway, there was no point in defeating the Demon King if I didn’t return to my country.
　I told myself to find a way forward. The question is when will the magic ship leave.
　Perhaps, the Demon King’s death hasn’t spread yet.
　To avoid confusion, the Demon King’s death will be hidden. The current alarm should be in the name of searching for the rebels who caused the explosion.
　But what will happen after this is impossible to read. It is possible that the high alert will be lifted to conceal the Demon King’s death, or that his death will be made public and a thorough hunt for the assassins will be launched.

“When will Thomas-san be back?”

　Michelle-san’s husband, Thomas-san, worked at the port.
It was Thomas-san who snuck into the cargo hold, found us hiding, and brought us to this hideout.
　Originally from a family of knights, he was in charge of supervising the laborers and had access to a lot of information.

“He’ll be back by nightfall, you’ll have to wait until then.”

　I wanted information about what was going on out there so badly that I had to choke it down. I had to be patient.
　When I looked down, little Sailor had finished her bread and was touching her left arm with her right hand. On the tip of her finger was a worm-like scar. It was a whip mark.
　There are many children on the demon continent. The demons dare to bring captives, giving priority to couples with children who are not in the labor force.
　They might be thinking of raising them and using them as slaves, but if anything, they are using them as tools of governance.
　If a slave rebels, the demons whip their child in their place.
　If a slave is injured and dies, they lose his labor, so by beating the child, they bind their hearts.
　At first glance, this seems like a good method, but it’s not.
　There’s no one who isn’t upset at the sight of a child being beaten. For now they still follow obediently for the sake of their children, but their hearts aren’t broken, even though they are treated as slaves. In fact, many are helping us.
　Unable to clearly see the injury, I looked over at Elisabeth.
Recognized as a saint by the Salvationist Church, she is a healer, a person with the power to heal and cure wounds. Her power is so great that she can connect severed arms and even revive lost organs. It is a marvelous power that makes her worthy of being called a saint.
　However, when she saw Sailor’s injury, Elisabeth did not even think of healing her, let alone moving a muscle.
　If the prince had a small injury, she would’ve healed him immediately, but she didn’t care about other people’s injuries.
　Even during life-threatening battles, she tended to ignore the rest of her companions, with the ratio of healing clearly skewed towards the prince. Of course, if her companions told her, she would heal them, but the other two were not pleased with her attitude of doing nothing unless told.
　And this attitude, I would say, is not at all saint-like.
　There are many healers in the world who heal wounds, but her healing skills were outstanding. That’s why she’s recognized as a saint, and that is why she came along on this trip, but she seems to have misunderstood her position.
　When a rich or influential nobleman is injured or sick, she immediately offers to heal him without charge, but when a mother with a sick child on our journey tearfully asks for help, she refuses, and when people who have lost their homes and villages to the Demon king’s army are injured, she passes by them with impunity. What would the healing Son of Salvation, the guru of the Salvationists who once healed the poor, say if he saw them?

“I’ll put some medicine on your wounds.”

　I take out a home-made wound dressing and apply it to the wound on Sailor’s arm and other minor scratches I found.
　My hand touches her body, and she twists around, perhaps itching. I pretend to apply the medicine while tickling her body and touching her armpits and back, which made her cackle and smile.
　I stopped immediately because I couldn’t have her make too much noise while we were hiding, but it was comforting to see a child’s smile.
　But I am still angry with Elisabeth. This kind of thing is supposed to be the role of a saint.
　Of course, I’m not saying that she should heal everybody’s wounds like the Healing Son. It would be problematic if she did.
　But if she wants to be recognized as a saint and take the place of the prince’s fiancée, this was not the way to go.
　Kings and powerful men are in the popularity business. It is important to take advantage, but sometimes it is necessary to take a loss to make a name for yourself.
　Above all, what is a saint if she does not heal the person in front of her?
　While inwardly lashing out at Elisabeth, I smile at Sailor and play a little.

　If I had flowers, I could make her a wreath or something like that, but since there were no such thoughtful things around, I could only make her a woven straw crown or a poor doll.
　Even so, Sailor was pleased with her toys and smiles at me. Once again, it was a heartwarming sight.

　At sunset, Thomas-san returned.
　Although he was emaciated from the hard labor, he still had a fearless look on his face. Thomas-san checked with the prince as soon as he returned.

“Prince, if I may….”
“Yes, I killed the Demon King.”

We showed him the severed head.

“Ooh-ohh!”

Thomas-san shed tears when he saw the Demon King’s head.
　He had succeeded in defeating the Demon King, which had been his long-cherished dream, and he must have felt that all the hardships and suffering he had endured up to this point had been cleared away.

“I must return to my country and tell them of the Demon King’s death. Can’t we somehow get the magic ship moving? You work there, don’t you?”

　The prince said, but it was impossible at any price. The slaves mainly dealt with manual labor. There was no way they could know how to operate the magic ship.

“I know. Please leave everything to me.”

　Yet Thomas-san undertook to do so. Did he have a way?

“Thomas-san. Excuse me, can you procure some salt? I need to salt the head”
　It was awkward to ask such a thing, but if I didn’t do it, the neck would rot. It had to be salted to prevent spoilage.

“I understand,” he said, “I will bring a tub along with me for your convenience. Is there anything else you need?”

　Thomas-san asked, and the three women stepped forward.

“Hey, can we get some more food?　I’d be happy with fruit, if possible.”

“I want a hot water bath. I haven’t been able to get enough of it recently.”

“I want perfume. I’ve run out of the one I’m using.”

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　The women were saying the impossible with their mouths. It was embarrassing to listen to them.
　If they went outside, they would be whipped as slaves.
　Slaves couldn’t shop casually, so they had no choice but to steal from the store. Of course, if they were caught stealing, they would either be flogged to death or killed.
　I looked at the prince to plead with him to stop them, but he didn’t.
　It’s his duty to admonish and guide these women, but the prince was drunk on his own heroism.
　His drunken mind couldn’t see the world around him, and his supreme mission was to defeat his enemies in the most fashionable way possible.
　Even in his duel with the Demon King, he insisted on a head-on duel, and at one point he was attacked so hard I thought he was dead.
　Elisabeth’s healing saved his life in time, but he could have won the battle more surely if he had stood up to the Demon King in a smart way.
　As royalty, we understand the need to look good, but this battle was not just about an individual, it was about the survival of a kingdom, and if things went badly, the survival of the entire human race. It wasn’t the time to bring up such things as justice and chivalry. They could be added later.
　Besides, the prince looked down on Thomas-san and his men lightly, or rather, he looked down on all of them. He was a hero and they were slaves. His attitude that they were inferior people from a destroyed country was oozing out. This attitude was conveyed to the other three, and it was exacerbating their selfishness.

　It was an impossible request, but Thomas-san accepted it, and he really did procure the goods.
　Not only the salt and tub I had requested, but also two small citrus fruits and a small bottle of perfume. He also delivered a tub full of hot water.
　I can’t imagine how much trouble it must have been to get these things, but the three women complained that the fruit were sour, that they did not like the aroma of the perfume, and that the amount of hot water was too little.
　As night fell, Thomas-san assured us that he would do something about the magic ship by tomorrow.
　Thomas-san’s determined eyes, Michelle-san’s kind smile, and Sailor’s innocent smile was the last I saw of the three of them.
　We spent the night together, watching over each other, but at dawn, the prince’s voice woke me from my slumber.

“Romelia. We’re in trouble.”

　The voice made me jump out of bed immediately. I quickly braced myself and looked around.
　Around me, the prince and the other three looked anxious. Something had happened.

“What’s wrong?!”

“It’s terrible,” he said, “ They took my armor.

“They used magic on us, and we all fell asleep.”

　The prince and Ekaterina spoke in hushed tones. Elisabeth, who was on guard duty, looks away, saying it wasn’t her fault.

“Let’s get out of here now.”

　It was a natural conclusion, but I hesitated.

“Wait a minute, the only things that were stolen are the prince’s sword and armor.”

　Princess Lu’s armor and Ekaterina’s staff are still intact. The head of the Demon King, which was pickled in salt, wasn’t taken either.

“Those three betrayed us.”

“I didn’t trust him from the start.”

　Indeed, I too was wary of betrayal.
　In a hard and harsh environment, humanity is easily deprived. I’ve seen plenty of people betray each other for the slightest reward or the peace of mind that comes with not being flogged for a day.
　But this is different. Maybe.

“I’m all for action. But we must first assess the situation.”

　I ask Ekaterina to cast an colorless spell on me and leave the hiding place.
　There were no enemies in sight. If we had been betrayed, the area around us should already be crawling with demons.
　I urge Princess Lu, who had her blade ready to slay all enemies if there were any, to put it away. We were in the middle of enemy territory. If we slay one, they will all come. The only thing to do is to move so as not to be found.
　We hear some commotion coming from the main street. I use hand signals to communicate that we should go see the cause, and we move in one mass. The colorless magic makes us invisible, but it can’t muffle sound, making some of the conditions for its use being that we can’t move fast. However, it is an indispensable magic for infiltration operations. Without this magic, we wouldn’t have been able to assassinate the Demon King.
　When we passed through a back road and came out to the main street, we found a crowd of people there. Demon passersby and those who had been forced to carry their belongings as slaves all gathered to see the cause of the commotion.
　At the center of the commotion, soldiers of the demon king’s army wielded their spears and urged the crowd to disperse. In the center of the soldiers, from beneath a crude piece of cloth, one could see the limbs of a fallen human being. Although his face was not visible, the man was wearing the armor and sword used by the prince.

“What the hell is this supposed to mean?”

　The prince was stunned, he just couldn’t understand.

“It’s Thomas-san. He was the decoy.”

　The high alert wouldn’t be lifted until the intruder was found, and the magic ship will not depart. In other words, if the intruder was found and killed, the high alert will be lifted.
　The prince’s flashy armor was often witnessed by many of the demon king’s army at that time. That’s why Thomas-san stole the armor from the prince and used it as a decoy.
　The soldiers brought in a cart and placed the dead body on it like a piece of luggage to be put away.
　For a moment the cloth shifted and I saw the face of a young woman and the hands of a little girl.
　I couldn’t bare to see it and looked away.
　Naturally, those involved in the plot to assassinate the Demon King would be punished. Rather than be tortured and killed, the three of them worked together and met the same end.
　I blamed myself for yesterday, wondering why I had not anticipated this at the time, why I had not noticed the look of determination on Thomas-sans’ face. But no matter how much I blamed myself, the three of them would never return.
　Suddenly, there was a scream, and a large number of the demon king’s army arrived at the scene. One after another, they seized the enslaved people.

“What the hell are they doing!”

“The humans tried to start an uprising. They’re holding them as dangerous elements.”

“What will happen to them after this?”

“I don’t know. Worst-case scenario, they might be executed.”

　Since they’re already integrated into the workforce, they won’t kill everyone, but they may execute some of them as an example. In addition, they will be treated more harshly in the future.

“What the hell! Then we have to help them.”

　The prince was indignant when he sees the women and children being captured and whipped. But I stopped him.

“No, don’t do that!”

　A few soldiers we might be able to defeat, but not all of them. Besides, if we did, Thomas-san’s sacrifice would be in vain.

“Now that the cause has been eliminated, there will be no reason to remain on high alert. This may allow the magic ship to set sail. We must board it now.”

　Perhaps if we miss this one, there’ll be no next.

“But we have to help them. They’ll kill them.”

“I know, but bringing the Demon King’s death back to the country is our number one priority.”

It’s not enough to just defeat the Demon King. We must bring the news of his defeat back to our country, let the invading army know about it, and shatter their will to fight. Only then would it be meaningful.
　This information is worth more than hundreds of lives. It will stop the progress of the Demon Lord’s army, and it’ll be the signal for a counterattack. More lives will be saved. This is information that must be delivered at any cost.
　Besides, we knew this would happen sooner or later.
　If word spread that humans had defeated the Demon King, of course the movement to view slaves as dangerous would spread, and they would be punished. The people who helped us knew this, but they still helped us.
　When I made the decision to abandon them, the others looked down on me, thinking what a cold woman I was. But no matter what they thought, my decision remained the same.
　Proceeding without looking back, we crept into the cargo of the magic ship.
　With a hollow, horn-like sound, it departed, just as expected.
　I stared out through the gaps in the planks and continued to look at the demon continent moving away from me, until I could no longer see it.
　I’ll be back, I promise.
　My clenched fist was bleeding as my nails dug into it, but I felt no pain.
More firmly than this fist, I vowed to rescue them.

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