The Demon King Seems to Conquer the World

I finished explaining the details of the strategy.

“I see. Understood. Let’s abandon Mital.” (Kien)

Kien said.

“Oyaji-dono! Are you serious? Mital is the city where we were born and raised!” (Liao)

“It doesn’t matter. We can rebuild the city. If we lose, the Shanti’s country will be destroyed. Considering that, it’s a cheap sacrifice.” (Kien)

‘That’s true. It’s not like we have to leave in a week or anything. It’s a relief that the old man understands.’

“It would be wise to transport the furniture to the royal capital. There’s an empty warehouse in the port, belonging to the Temper Household. But it would be safer to deal with the Boff Household first, especially since we can use the overland route.” (Yuri)

‘We can’t safely pass through the territory between the royal territory and the Rube Household because the Boff Household controls it. Ships always have the risk of sinking, and for Kien, relying on them for transport isn’t trustworthy. Operating a ship requires specialized skills, and it’s not feasible to rely solely on trusted General household people.’

“Regardless of who they are, handing over family heirlooms to sailors would be unsettling, especially considering we have to pass along the Boff Household’s coast.” (Yuri)

“We’ll send a messenger today. There are still 10000 Hou Household’s troops in the capital. Kien-dono, please don’t mobilize the army until we receive word. Oron might not show up.” (Yuri)

“Understood. I’ll be ready to move immediately upon receiving word.” (Kien)

‘Good. This conversation is moving quickly.’

“Well then, let’s end things here for today.” (Yuri)

***

As the two left, I said…

“Summon Dolla.” (Yuri)

“Is that okay?” (Myaro)

Myaro asked.

“Sure. We can’t avoid talking about it.” (Yuri)

I nodded, and Myaro sent someone to fetch Dolla. Technically, it might be more accurate to say they were going to release Dolla from the prison since he had been in custody since the day before yesterday.

According to what I had heard, after the assassination and uprising, Dolla charged into the royal castle. He didn’t kill the Second Army, which was once so influential, but hhe reportedly beat up a few people in his push to storm the castle.

As a student of the school of Knights, Dolla was thrown into the prison.

After a few days when the intense chaos settled down, Galla received a report saying, “Your son is in detention.” Galla then released Dolla from the prison, where he was informed, “Carol and Yuri have already escaped to the Hou Household’s territory,” so he headed towards the Hou Household. Galla strictly advised against going, so Dolla couldn’t even borrow horses or birds from her family, and he had to run to Karakumo on foot.

On the way to Karakumo, there was a place where Carol was taking a temporary rest. At that time, Carol was probably still staying there while the family home was undergoing renovations. Naturally, the Hou Household’s soldiers were patrolling the area from a distance, so no one could get close to it at that time, and passersby were either arrested without any questions or asked to take a detour.

Dolla arrived there and was questioned by the soldiers, and he openly stated that he was the son of a high-ranking royal guard. To the soldiers of the Hou Household at that time, the royal guards were nothing but enemies. The soldiers faithfully carried out their duties, and Dolla was once again arrested. This time he was sent to the Karakumo’s prison.

Meanwhile, I was heading north to capture the capital, but someone informed me through the prison bars that Dolla was a friend of mine from the same cohort. I immediately sent an order saying he wasn’t a threat and should be released. Thanks to that, Dolla was released from prison.

Then, it seemed he asked, “Where is Her Highness Carol?”

By that time, Carol had been transferred to my parent’s house, and the lower ranks didn’t even know her whereabouts, so they honestly couldn’t tell her. Feeling that this situation was getting nowhere, Dolla decided to look for me first. Apparently, he was very energetic. The Hou Household’s personnel who dealt with him thought it would be bad if they admitted he was in the royal capital, so they cleverly told him I was in Suomi. Dolla headed to Suomi, but it was a lie from the start, so of course I wasn’t there. Even if he went to the Hou Company and asked, the employees naturally wouldn’t know my current whereabouts.

Dolla returned to Karakumo and settled in to wait for me, but before long, he received news that the royal capital had fallen. When he returned to the capital, due to various misunderstandings, he was suspected of being a remnant of the Second Army and was once again imprisoned. Within a few days, the misunderstanding was cleared up, and a representative went to Galla to apologize, saying, “Sorry, we mistakenly imprisoned your son.” However, Galla replied, “Leave him as he is. Being imprisoned three times in less than a month, my son must be losing his mind.”

Thinking that or not, he simply sent a message through someone, saying, “He seems to want to meet you, so please arrange for his release when convenient.”

While waiting and drinking tea for a while,

“Wait a moment! Please wait!” (??)

A woman’s voice was heard from the corridor, and the door was suddenly pushed open.

“Yuri, you…!” (Dolla)

Dolla seems quite upset.

“What’s wrong, Dolla? Take a seat.” (Yuri)

“What’s wrong?! Where is Her Highness Carol?” (Dolla)

“I’m protecting her.” (Yuri)

‘He’s really worked up, but I’m not sure what he’s unhappy about.’

“I heard she was poisoned. Was that a lie?” (Dolla)

“No, it wasn’t. She was poisoned, but she’s alive.” (Yuri)

“Is it nothing serious then? Is she just resting?” (Dolla)

Dolla seemed genuinely concerned.

“It’s not nothing. The Queen died from drinking half a glass of it, it was a lethal poison. Carol took a sip. Her digestive system is damaged, and she can only consume a thin porridge-like substance. Luckily, her kidneys are functioning, but…” (Yuri)

‘If the kidneys fail, they can’t filter impurities from the bloodstream. Of course, dialysis isn’t an option, so the toxins accumulate in the blood. While the placenta acts as a barrier to toxins in the mother’s bloodstream, it’s not completely foolproof, as issues like teratogenicity demonstrate. If the fetus had died, it might have resulted in a miscarriage. So, while she’s alive, the potential effects of the poison on the fetus were a concern.

Toxins that exhibit strong teratogenicity or fetal toxicity often are synthetic chemicals not found in nature. I’m not an expert, but perhaps toxins naturally occurring in the environment have been encountered by the human body throughout evolution, so it’s learned to block them at the placental barrier.’

“Can you say it more simply? Is she safe or not?” (Dolla)

‘Even if I say her digestive system is damaged, Dolla might not grasp it.’

“She’s bedridden. Unable to take a step from her bed.” (Yuri)

“What did you say…?” (Dolla)

“We don’t know if she’ll live or die. And she can’t eat much porridge.” (Yuri)

As I said this, Dolla couldn’t contain his anger and walked up to me. He raised his fist and struck my cheek. A powerful impact struck my head, and I tumbled off the chair.

“You were with her, why couldn’t you protect her?!” (Dolla)

Dolla accused me.

‘There’s a lot to explain, but I want to say…’

I stood up, closed the distance to Dolla, and kicked her in the groin with all my might. It should have been an avoidable attack, but Dolla didn’t dodge.

“Oof!” (Dolla)

Without missing a beat, I kicked him in the abdomen.

Dolla fell violently onto the floor, engulfing the chair where the Rube family and their child had been sitting earlier.

“Don’t mess around. So who did you protect during that incident?” (Yuri)

“What do you mean—” (Dolla)

“I’m asking who you protected. I did my best to protect Carol… even though it turned out like that. What did you protect? Weren’t you just running around in confusion?” (Yuri)

“I wasn’t even there! I was trying to head to the royal castle!” (Dolla)

‘Do you think you could have made the judgment not to let her drink from the poisoned cup out of danger? That’s impossible.’

“What about Telor?” (Yuri)

“What…?” (Dolla)

When I mentioned Telor, a thought that hadn’t occurred to him until now seemed to strike Dolla like a bolt from the blue. Come to think of it, he looked like he had no idea.

“You still haven’t seen her? Read this.” (Yuri)

I handed him the paper I had shown to the Rube Household earlier. It was the contract exchanged between the Witches and the Crusaders. In the fourth clause, Telor was specifically mentioned. They knew about the blonde Shan woman they had missed in the previous war.

I waited a long time for Dolla to finish reading.

“How is Telor-dono?” (Dolla)

Dolla said with a serious expression.

“Now you’re suddenly interested? How nice.” (Yuri)

“Tell me quickly.” (Dolla)

As I expected, he was indeed concerned.

“She’s already been handed over. Taken across the sea by a spy of the Kuran. I wonder what kind of fate she’s facing right now.” (Yuri)

“What…?! Damn it!” (Dolla)

Dolla, foolishly, turned on his heel and tried to rush out.

‘What’s running out going to accomplish?’

“It’s a lie. She’s here in this royal castle.” (Yuri)

I said, sitting back in the chair.

‘My cheek hurts. It feels like my tooth might be loose. Hopefully, it won’t fall out.’

“…Huh?” (Dolla)

Dolla looked dazed as he spoke.

“Telor was attacked by a separate unit of the Second Army that same night. After that, she was detained in the royal castle. While you were leisurely getting caught…” (Yuri)

“Why did you lie?” (Dolla)

“What were you planning to do by rushing out? Break through Kilghina territory, cross into the Kuran’s territory, and find Telor’s whereabouts? Even though you can’t speak Telor language?” (Yuri)

“Why were you lying?!” (Dolla)

‘Don’t shout.’

“Do you even have the right to say something to me?” (Yuri)

I retorted, leaving Dolla speechless.

“If it was so important to you to rush out, why didn’t you protect her? In reality, I was the one who actually protected her. Even though that wasn’t my intention for attacking the royal capital.” (Yuri)

‘But if I hadn’t attacked, Terl would have been sold off. According to the information obtained through the torturing of the spy, it seems that the handover was supposed to be completed before the Crusaders attacked. If I had left her alone, she might have really ended up across the sea by now.’

“Why couldn’t you protect her, huh? Convenient words, aren’t they? Anyone can say anything from the sidelines.” (Yuri)

“Sidelines…?” (Dolla)

“You’re probably thinking that. At that time, it was impossible for anyone to predict Telor would be attacked, so even if you went to save Carol, it would have been impossible to help Telor by sending bird troops there on the spot.” (Yuri)

“…” (Dolla)

Dolla remained silent, just as I had expected.

“Yet, here’s what you’re saying to me, “Yuri, you have the ability, so you should have sensed it somehow and stopped Carol from drinking the poison before it happened. You should have been able to do that. Even though I can’t imagine it myself.” (Yuri)

“…” (Dolla)

Dolla still didn’t respond, as if he had something on his mind.

“Good for you, Dolla. Despite doing nothing, Telor came out of it without a scratch. Meanwhile, my wife can’t even leave her bed and can’t even eat porridge properly.” (Yuri)

As I said this, anger welled up in me, and I felt like slamming the table. But I stopped just in time. It would have been just taking it out on him.

I didn’t care about Terl at all, so I didn’t even think about helping her. It was just a matter of “Oh, she’s here” after I got the royal castle. It was just an excuse to vent frustration.

“…I’m sorry. Maybe I don’t have the right to blame you.,” (Dolla)

Dolla apologized sincerely.

A chill ran down my spine.

‘That’s not it. I don’t want you to apologize.’

But Dolla didn’t say anything more. It seemed like he didn’t want to blame me anymore.

‘How boring…’

“…Forget it. Go visit Telor. I’ll tell you where Carol is too. Go see them. And don’t bring any food as a gift or anything.” (Yuri)

“Got it.” (Dolla)

“Lead him there.” (Yurim)

I said to the woman who brought Dolla.

“I-I will guide him.” (Dolla)

She said with a frightened expression and led Dolla away. The two of them left the room.

—

“Yuri, the way you spoke to him was harsh… Poor Dolla.” (Myaro)

Myaro said.

“Poor thing? He punched me hard.” (Yuri)

I said while rubbing my cheek. It still hurt.

“You kicked him in a sensitive area too.” (Myaro)

“I didn’t hit him too hard to cause damage.” (Yuri)

‘It might hurt for a while. As long as the balls aren’t crushed, it’s okay, but once a tooth is broken, it can’t be fixed. Dentures are made from teeth extracted from corpses, which is very unsettling.’

“I see. I don’t quite understand.” (Myaro)

‘Well, I’m just unlucky. If you’re unlucky, you won’t understand.’

“More importantly, we need to pay the purchase price for the imported firearms to the Hou Company. Otherwise, somebody is going to touch Lilica’s butt again.” (Yuri)

‘Of course, the firearms will be bought with national funds, including shipping costs. The accounting will be a hassle, but if we don’t do it quickly, I feel a bit sorry for Lilica.’

“You’re kind to women, Yuri-kun…” (Myaro)

Myaro said, seeming to read my thoughts.

“What do you say to a man who burned Witch to death?” (Yuri)

‘He’s famous around town for being merciless, even towards women.’

“You really are soft on the women in your family, aren’t you?” (Myaro)

Myaro spoke again.

‘I feel like I’m being accused of something.’

“I don’t think I’m particularly soft… There’s no need to get angry, and I won’t hit them…” (Yuri)

‘Well, Carol did slap me once. But that was ages ago, so it’s probably water under the bridge.’

“If you’re thinking of marrying Carol, I don’t think it would be a good idea to be sweet.” (Myaro)

“What, just because I mentioned ‘wife’ earlier?” (Yuri)

“N-no, not like that… But you shouldn’t be too lenient. If Lilica were a man, you wouldn’t say such things, right?” (Myaro)

‘If Lilica were a man? Wait… what? Are we assuming that if Lilica were a man and went to borrow money, some old guy would try to touch him? That’s scary. It’s a whole different level of seriousness, not just a joke.’

“You should. It’s quite terrifying for a man to be approached by another man. The folks at the school seem to have a serious misunderstanding.” (Yuri)

‘I’ll stand up for them there. That’s just too much.’

“No, I mean… what if the other person was a woman instead of a man?” (Myaro)

“Ah, what if an old woman were to force me to do something about it…I’m sure, well, I feel like I should do something about it myself.” (Yuri)

“I didn’t mean that by being an old woman…but that’s not how you should respond, right?” (Myaro)

“Sure.” (Yuri)

‘Yeah, I would have to handle that yourself.’

“So basically, you’re soft on women, right?” (Myaro)

“Well… Men and women have different standards of chastity.” (Yuri)

“That’s not what I meant… Oh, forget it. Bringing up Lilica was a mistake.” (Myaro)

‘I don’t get it.’

“What?” (Yuri)

“If you’re not interested, it’s better not to be kind. That’s all. Ugh.” (Myaro)

Myaro said that, sounding a bit irritated, then left the room.

‘She’s been angry since the incident with Luida… I wonder what’s up.’

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