Suspicious White Liquid
The city of Verokia.
It had been famous as a food-producing region since ancient times. A great river ran nearby, and the climate caused the perennial grasses to die off each winter, their remains enriching the soil until the land became extraordinarily fertile.
The river also made trade by boat convenient, and the surrounding area teemed with monsters that yielded all manner of useful byproducts beyond mere wheat. The entire city, as a result, was said to be wealthy.
That wealth had been used to gather idle freeloaders into something useful — the Adventurers' Guild. In a pinch, it made for a fine military force.
And because it sits so far to the rear, it barely ever sees monster invasions. Most of the allied army's food supply comes from here, doesn't it?
From our perspective, it was the number-one city that needed to be taken. But it wasn't something you could casually touch. Several fortresses stood along the roads leading to it, and the White Knight Order was garrisoned there.
The particularly strong among our kind had no interest in invasion, which left lower Demon Kings like me dying off one after another for various reasons.
"You want that city, don't you."
At my words, his thoughts trembled with something like disbelief.
The Fifty-Sixth Demon King, Urk Heizen. A green mass of a creature who had remodeled his own body into an orc's in order to command an army of greenskins.
"That's a secret!"
Urk Heizen muttered in that rude tone of his. It wasn't that he was declining to press charges — it was closer to a promise that he would kill me himself someday.
That relationship was only natural. He was far stronger than I was.
A lowly monster who'd been scraping by with prairie raids, wearing that crude shell… but I endured it. Patience was something I did better than anyone.
The good thing about conversing through thoughts was that you could speak no matter how far apart you were — and you could transmit the information sitting inside your head.
That aside… a rock-brained idiot actually understood my perfect plan? Impressive.
"Right?"
The plan I'd sent him was simple: I would hand him this city, and in exchange, he would eliminate the hero party. With my abilities, opening the city gates would be trivial.
"Huh?"
Damn, his instincts are annoyingly sharp.
"Wow…"
This idiot really is stupid. Still hasn't grasped his place. He actually thinks he can win. Against Sloan! I barely managed to swallow a laugh and pressed on.
"Listen. You're short on food right now, aren't you? Orcs and goblins breed too fast, and they eat so much that the upkeep alone is enough to break your back."
Even though greenskins were a race of overwhelming productivity, the reason only a select few of their kind were recruited into armies was the supply problem.
They ate too damn much. Goblins were somewhat manageable, but an orc or an ogre could demolish a cartload of provisions in three days flat.
"So! I'm offering to help. This city is yours! Every golden wheat field — all of it yours! In exchange, create an opportunity to eliminate the hero! That's all I need."
Idiot. Being the smartest among our kind is a miserable thing. Am I the only one who understands how serious this is?
He still believed he could beat Sloan. The fool! Eleven of us were already dead!
And not a single one of them had possessed a unique ability.
Has he forgotten that the more Demon Kings the hero kills, the stronger she becomes? Pathetic.
Then again, without arrogance, you couldn't call yourself one of the "Seventy-Two Evils that Disorder the World." In a way, it was very Demon King of him.
"Thanks."
I severed the connection. Haa… his thoughts are so violent they leave me mentally exhausted. That simple-minded brute. If you're going to be suspicious, at least follow through all the way.
"Vally! Get over here already! We just got a new mission!"
"Ah — yes, coming!"
That he was struggling with supply issues was common knowledge. His forces were large, but they were always starving.
If he took this place, an army of tens of thousands could swell into hundreds of thousands. That might even trigger a shift in the hierarchy among Demon Kings that had never happened before.
Of course, he would die to Sloan. Horribly.
The only one who would profit from this war was me — Vallitics.
That said, Sloan didn't seem to have a proper grasp of her own strength.
"Die! You filthy monster!"
Her sword stroke sheared through a strangely shaped plant. It was a Laplacidon — a man-eating weed that even armed farmers could handle without much trouble.
For reasons I couldn't fathom, Sloan had picked a quest from the Adventurers' Guild board to exterminate these plants. She could have chosen something with a bit more difficulty.
You really think you can grow from something like this?
Sure, it was probably fun. Nothing restored your self-esteem quite like bullying something weaker than yourself.
But still… she was the hero. And the reward for this didn't look like it would amount to much.
Urk Heizen won't arrive for a few more days… so it should be fine.
Nothing would change from doing this. Still, calling it a waste of time wasn't wrong.
"Whoa! It's huge!"
Unexpectedly, the giant man-eating plant we encountered at the end was fairly threatening. Judging by how long it must have lived, it was the size of a tree. You had to wonder whether it even counted as a plant anymore.
A pattern resembling human facial features marked the middle of its stalk, twitching and shifting as if it possessed a will of its own.
But in the end, a plant was a plant. Meaning? It couldn't move from that spot — and it burned beautifully.
"Think this one grows fruit too?"
"Fruit that forms after eating people doesn't sound very appetizing. Probably full of poison. Eat it and you'll get divine punishment."
"Yeah, I figured."
Ah. Those vines it was whipping around were pretty vicious. They lashed out like scourges — hard enough that a solid hit might strip the flesh right off your bones. But if you just thought about it for a second, it was the kind of thing you could kill without much trouble.
"All riiight! Time to have some fun! This one's gonna feel great to cut!"
—Fssshwooom!
Something sharp split the air and buried itself in the man-eating plant.
No matter how tough something was, a sharp enough projectile would tear through it. A gaping hole opened right where the plant's face seemed to be.
"Huh?!"
"What are you doing, Sloan… There's no need to waste time on something like that."
The hero blinked several times, then nodded as if she understood.
She probably hadn't noticed, but Elisa's arrow had struck with far greater force than before. Dramatically greater.
Impressive… she's packing serious power into those shots now. She always had a knack for hitting weak points, but now she's throwing technique into the mix too?
The plant was so tall you had to crane your neck to look up at it, so I hadn't caught it at first — but Elisa had loosed two arrows in a single draw.
One flew on an early timing and sank into the plant's lower half, right where the roots — a plant's natural weak point — would be.
Then one to the face. That finished it.
I didn't even see the first shot. What kind of rapid-fire skill is that…
I'd offered only a little mockery and advice, and she'd grown this fast. Truly, a party member chosen by the hero.
"Great! Mission's done! Let's head back!"
"Aaaargh! Finally! I'm dying over here! Why do we even have to do this crap?! So annoying!"
"Calm down. This is all part of how we get stronger."
Does Sloan believe she'll grow stronger just by traveling? She still doesn't know how a hero actually gets stronger.
She might have heard all sorts of things when the Goddess chose her. That whore loved sticking her nose where it didn't belong.
"…Vally."
"Hwah?! Y-yes?!"
I'd been thinking about the hero when a presence suddenly registered behind me. I didn't even need to turn around to know who it was…
"How was I just now?"
"Ah — truly magnificent. As expected, your archery—"
"Too plain."
"Umm… then what exactly should I be praising?"
Why is this woman suddenly like this? She's acting like a dog begging for compliments.
"Dress it up more. You get pretty colorful when you're insulting me."
"What am I supposed to praise…"
"Hurry up."
Too close.
Elisa had pressed in until her nose was nearly buried in the back of my head, murmuring against me. Her rough breathing hit my hair. Don't do this… what did I even do wrong.
What am I supposed to compliment?
She shot well. That was basically it, wasn't it? It wasn't like she'd taken down some great enemy.
I decided to wing it. If this went on any longer, she was going to glue herself to me entirely.
"The beautiful Lady Elisa's archery has improved tremendously. No matter how strong an enemy might be, if they become your foe, they will never sleep soundly again for the rest of their lives — for they must live in fear of an arrow that could arrive at any moment."
"Pff—"
She laughed? She just laughed. Did I wing it too hard? If she punches me, it's going to hurt like hell. Archers are strong, you know.
"Did you just call me beautiful? Ha. Seriously. You little flirt. These days, saying that kind of thing to a woman is dangerous."
"…Pardon?"
"Never mind."
Something feels off. Is it just me? I let it slide and moved on. The moment I caught my breath, Lylie stepped in front of me and blocked my path.
"You've worked hard!"
"…Thank you."
"Um, so… isn't it terribly hot today? I packed a drink. Would you like some?"
Lylie had almost no presence even within the party, and she rarely opened her mouth, so I'd barely ever spoken with her.
A drink, out of nowhere? Well… I should at least accept the gesture.
"All right."
"Here you go!"
She fumbled around and pulled a round glass bottle from her robes. A potion? But the liquid inside was white.
"I cast a preservation spell on it, so it's nice and cold! Just give me the bottle back when you're done…"
"I'll… enjoy it, then."
I uncorked the bottle, and the smell of milk wafted out. Didn't seem like a regular drink.
The taste wasn't any different from milk, either. Still, it was hot out, so this worked out fine.
"Eheheheh… y-you're drinking it so well."
"?"
"I-if you ever want more, just say the word. I'll always have some ready."
She rested a hand atop her chest as she murmured.
There's something here I don't understand.
…It's probably just my imagination.