Chapter 57 - Volume 4 (1/2)

Volume 4, Chapter 8: I turned 11 years old, Part 2

“……What do you mean?”

The old Daemon mage- Royal Magician Geas- murmured with a hoarse voice, staring at the Forest of Demons While floating in the air with air magic.

Several months have passed since the [Black Princess Killian]’s army, which had proceeded ahead of the main troops, had disappeared.

Before them, there was an issue with the various chieftains and their troops going missing. Since the Daemons couldn’t command them because of their wills, they changed their course halfway and went on to attack the human towns, but encountered the human armies along the way and got annihilated, so that had been predicted somewhat.

When they lost contact with Killian, Geas thought that since it was that cunning woman who plotted against the Daemon King and tried to propagate the mood of rebellion, she would have hit another human nation by herself.

Black Princess Killian’s army numbered around 700,000.

With their forced-march advance, even those wild ones would have surely headed out for a sortie, but with so many troops there would definitely still be traces of their passage in the forest. Geas sent a few subordinates down Killian’s trail, secretly intending to come in contact with her.

However, the signs abruptly disappeared, and there weren’t any signs of damage to the human nations either, so said the report by his subordinates that participated in the search.

After Geas thoroughly searched the place he was led to, he finally found traces of battle in the forest near where the tracks disappeared.

He hadn’t noticed since they were too unnatural.

He might not even have noticed at all had he not found [Stone Statues] scattered around in that place.

For a battle involving 250,000 troops, the traces of battle were far too localized, as if a small force had trampled them one-sidedly. But that couldn’t be.

The most unnatural thing of all, was that there was no trace of the bodies anywhere.

Were Killian’s Daemons all turned into food for the monsters? But then, he didn’t know why Killian’s forces had disappeared.

To begin with, he couldn’t imagine a force of 250,000 losing.

In comparison, even if the hero and the saint were together, it would have been impossible to defeat a combined force of 250,000 Daemons and magic beasts.

“……Damn, it was a precious chance,”

Geas slipped into the words of his previous life, unlike the elderly manner he’d always adopted.

For decades…… no, ever since he had been born into this world over a hundred years ago, he had looked forward to that opportunity, and it was supposed to have come into his hands.

Although he was hindered by the 【Demon Beast] that appeared at its own convenience, he still held on to his last hope, but even after he had planned for the entirety of the Daemon King’s Army to take the field……

“…muu”

Geas noticed someone flying towards him.

Even in the Daemon King’s Army, only the Daemons who had devil bird blood could fly, so the person who was approaching Geas and using 【Concealment], that would have learned the 【Flying Magic] created by Geas, could only be his disciple.

“…Did you find anything?”

What appeared was a dark-skinned Daemon youth.

His magic power was comparatively bigger than that of the other disciples, but because he’d been flying daily, the youth’s glossy skin seemed to have lost its color.

“Geas-sama……, in the woods to the west… armed humans… I found some”

“……Really?”

Maybe it was his exhaustion, but the youth reported as if he was out of breath and Geas didn’t thank the youth, instead pausing slightly as he gave a curt reply.

“The forest in the west…? You should go and rest…”

“No… I am fine”

Geas stared at the youth who tried to get behind him as the youth shook his head at his master’s orders…

“When I told you to [Rest]… [Blazing Arrow]…”

“…!?”

Geas released the fire magic with a single chant, and the Daemon youth caught the blow that would normally have downed him in a single hit, as his face distorted into that of a beast.

“As expected, you have been possessed!”

As Geas shouted out while flying downwards, the burning Daemon youth pursued at a terrifying speed, despite him being on fire.

“You even forgot the magic that I taught! [Magic power that governs all creation, devour mine enemy!]”

Geas invoked the magic, and the [Jaws] that were born of magic power kept the Daemon youth at bay for a moment as it bit at him.

What had happened to the Daemon youth…?

Without even the time to think about it, Geas saw a shadow with bat wings over where the Daemon youth disappeared.

He probably didn’t see it truly and only saw the appearance on the surface.

A beautiful girl with bat wings, floating in the sky.

“…Who are you?”

At Geas’ question, the silver-haired girl wearing a purple dress smiled bewitchingly and replied in a melodious voice.

“I came to play.”

“…Wha”

In the next moment, Geas had already been cut down from behind.

If the blow had pierced the defensive magic, he would have received a fatal injury in that instant he failed to dodge.

When had she gotten behind him? …… No, since when did he think that that girl was in front of him?

Geas looked at the girl who was licking the blood off her long, black claw.

“Vampire?!”

A legendary monster that weren’t accepted in the Daemon King’s Army…… 【Vampire].

The vampires that thirsted for blood, and would treat their comrades as [Food] were unacceptable existences even in the Daemon King’s territory.

Besides, that overwhelming feeling… that ominous presence… that beauty…… Considering the power that she showed just now, she was clearly a [Greater Vampire] that was past a certain age.

Geas feared that all of his disciples had already had their blood sucked dry.

There were still several hours before the morning would come and the power of a vampire would wane.

“……tch”

Geas clicked his tongue and resolved himself.

Why, though, in this sort of place, had a [Greater Vampire] that had the power to suppress even the Daemon King appeared? Was the disappearance of the Daemon King’s Army because she ate them all?

But no, no matter how ancient the vampire, it shouldn’t have been possible to fight Killian without injury.