Thieves of the Mine (1)
“Hrrghhh…….”
Neromeltia streaked through the sky faster than a hawk diving for prey. The dwarves she towed along with Levitation magic had turned a sickly blue. Their fear of the dizzying heights had faded—not because they had grown accustomed to flight, but because the violent maneuvers had left them so nauseated that no other thoughts could form. Whenever they dared glance at the distant ground, terror surged, yet they could not even look forward to see where they were headed. They could only hang their heads and emit strange groans.
They would not have been reduced to such a wretched state if Neromeltia had avoided sudden turns. Even a leisurely pace would have spared them much suffering. But she had no leisure to consider their plight.
“Teleportation!”
Ziiing!!
“Uwaaaargh!!!”
“Hiiiiiik!!!”
The eighth-tier spatial magic, Teleportation, had already been cast three times. While monitoring the display from Berco’s Golden Wing, Neromeltia used it whenever she could pinpoint a reliable direction, sparing herself the flight time. Each unannounced shift sent the dwarves into shrieking panic.
“I see them over there. I’ll set you down here. Walk the rest of the way. You’ll be safe.”
“Thank you!! Hrrgh!! Thank you!!!”
Spotting the dust cloud raised by the advancing Humian army, Neromeltia decided to release the dwarves early so she could face the battlefield alone. By the time they arrived on foot, the fight would already be over. Whether they understood her consideration or not, the dwarves were overcome with gratitude at the prospect of being returned to solid ground and poured out tearful thanks to the Demon Lord.
Kuuuoooooo!!!!
With a thunderous roar of mana-field emission, the Humian army advanced. Roughly three hundred single-seat Scavenger vehicles carried them, built for mobility. A few multi-passenger transports hauling slave cages were present as well, but their numbers were small. With two Humians operating each vehicle, the total force barely exceeded three hundred.
The Mackenzie Mine was not easily found even when its location was known. Its entrance was cunningly concealed, and opening it required considerable effort. Yet the enemy was the Humians, whose magic-engineering had brought ruin to Terraris. Neromeltia had spent a thousand years in the Underworld and possessed no way of gauging how far their technology had advanced. With so many unknowns, she could not afford the slightest carelessness.
What if they had developed the means to peer inside the Decastras Mountains? What if they could detect living signatures? What if they could read the flow of mana? The mine’s concealment would become useless, and even if the dwarves repelled three hundred invaders, a report to their main force could reach Esteronan. The matter would spiral beyond control. Neromeltia had to stop them here.
“Halt!! Stop at once!!!”
Kuuuoooo…… Fshhhk!
At the lead soldier’s command, the entire Humian force hunting dwarves came to a synchronized stop. Their numbers were large, so a considerable gap existed between the vanguard and the middle-to-rear ranks. The combined roar of three hundred Scavengers’ mana fields should have drowned out most sounds, yet the order reached every soldier with perfect clarity. They evidently possessed communication devices capable of transmitting commands without voice or communication magic.
Following the order from the lead Humian—who was clearly the commander—the Scavengers ceased emitting their mana fields and settled onto the ground, venting internal heat as they powered down. Even without knowing their internal structure, it was obvious they were products of sophisticated engineering.
“Yahoo! Lucky us! It’s a Demonia!!”
“Centurion, sir!! I’m about to burst!!”
“Whoa!! Look at those breasts!!! I wanna squeeze ’em!!”
The Humian soldiers spewed vulgar remarks. Standing before them was Neromeltia. She remained motionless, quietly regarding the force of over three hundred. Some soldiers wondered why the Demonia woman showed no fear, but they quickly dismissed it as terror freezing her in place and let their eyes gleam with lust.
“Control yourselves! Any slaves we capture today must be delivered intact! You know how strict the main force has become about slave management after the poor hauls lately.”
“Still, a little touch wouldn’t hurt, right?! I’ve got the shakes just thinking about grabbing that lewd ass!”
“There are three hundred and forty of you. You planning to fondle her to death? I’ll put in a strong request to the commander to see if we can raise you lot as the unit’s personal playthings. Just wait patiently!”
“Uhyaa!! As expected of the Centurion!! Thank you!!!”
The soldiers continued their crude banter. The commander maintained a veneer of propriety while treating the foreign woman as an object. To Neromeltia, they were all irredeemable scum. The Demon Lord’s lips curved in a faint smile—so slight, yet breathtakingly beautiful. The Humians failed to realize that this smile was one of contempt for insects.
“Your commander supposedly refrains from touching slaves himself so he can offer them to Esteronan. Do you really think he’ll hand over a sex slave he finally found after three years?”
“Huh…?”
In an instant, the entire Humian force froze. The words sounded like ordinary conversation, yet their content was something that should never have been possible. How could an unfamiliar Demonia woman know such intimate details about their main force? It was information even fellow soldiers would miss without sharp ears. Yet this foreign woman mentioned it casually, as if it were common knowledge.
They had no way of knowing that Neromeltia had already encountered Humians once before and overheard their careless boasts. Nor could they imagine that those same Humians had all met miserable deaths—an outcome unthinkable for the rulers of the Astaris continent.
“Y-you! Who the hell are you!!!”
The centurion, who had instinctively retreated behind his men in fright, shouted with forced bravado. Unlike the decurion she had met previously, this centurion possessed at least some sense. Sensing something ominous from Neromeltia, he quickly tried to place his soldiers between them for safety. Seeing their commander’s sudden agitation, the soldiers raised their weapons and aimed at her.
“Haa. Why are you Humians all exactly the same? The moment you meet someone, you start spouting filth…… Just thinking about how many more vulgar remarks I’ll have to endure while dealing with you makes me dizzy already.”
“I asked who you are!!!”
Believing himself sufficiently protected, the centurion tried to pressure Neromeltia with volume. But the Demon Lord, possessed of serene authority and overwhelming power, did not even bother to scoff at the Humian’s empty bluster. Crushing them would be no more trouble than squashing ants that had crawled onto her food. The only difference was that these ants filled her with boundless rage—rage the pitiful Humians could not even perceive.
“What use is knowing this one’s name to the likes of you? From this moment on, I shall punish every last one of you filthy Humians. Scream in misery and meet your deaths.”