Chapter 4 – Hey! Are You That Good at Fighting?
After a simple breakfast at the restaurant, I headed to the floating garden in the backyard of the castle as recommended by the maid.
At first, it was said to be a floating garden, so I wondered if it was really floating in the air.
“Like.”
Scary to set foot in the garden, the first thing that comes into sight is a well-maintained garden tree and a flower bed with all kinds of flowers.
When he was famous as a genius wizard in the kingdom, he often saw gardens like this when he was invited to parties.
That must mean that the gardener who manages the roads here has a good skill.
The maid who quietly followed me from behind, like a shadow, at a slight distance, gave a brief explanation about the Floating Garden.
“This garden was created for the recreation of Charlotte, the wife of Tiberius, the second king of the demon king who built the castle. At that time, the flower symbolizing Tiberius’ family was a blue rose, and Charlotte loved her dearly. It is famous for the legend that it filled the flower beds of this floating garden with blue roses.”
I was intrigued by the story, so I stopped walking in the garden and squatted down in front of the flower bed to pick a blue rose.
Perhaps because it had rained the night before, the petals, which had just the right amount of moisture, were shining softly.
‘This is amazing.’
Originally, blue roses cannot exist in the natural world.
This is because rose petals do not contain delphinidin, the pigment that gives them their blue color.
However, the rose I was holding was vivid blue, and that meant that it was an artificially created variety.
What kind of person was the queen at the time to succeed in genetically engineered breeding 800 years ago, without any scientific knowledge?
It was fun just imagining the trial and error she must have gone through in the process of actually improving her, with the result of obsession and madness that did not match the story of a chaste wife told by the maid.
However, when I held the blue rose and split the threads, the maid standing behind seemed to have misunderstood.
“You seem to like that flower, right?”
I nodded and nodded my head appropriately.
“Yes. It’s quite pretty.”
“Then I’ll cut a few flowers and decorate the room.”
Actually, I laughed for another reason, but I didn’t think there was a need to clear up the misunderstanding, so I said yes.
I took some time to see roses on the way, but after walking for another 30 minutes, I was able to look around the entire floating garden without difficulty.
When I turned around and returned to the entrance of the garden, the maid quietly following me asked in a quiet tone.
“What are you going to do now?”
I rubbed her chin at her question.
Going back to the room like this made me feel a bit regretful.
Maou-nim will call me once he finishes his work, so I wonder if he will have time for another hour or two?
“Please guide me to the parade ground as originally planned.”
“…Follow me this way.”
After hearing my answer, she slightly bowed her waist and said so, then she started moving her steps toward the parade ground inside the Demon King’s Castle.
I thought as I followed the maid’s back.
‘I guess the kids here are a bit strong.’
***
The parade ground, which we arrived at after walking about 15 minutes from the floating garden in the backyard of the castle, was not very different from the image we usually imagined.
Scarecrow dolls standing at regular intervals in a huge clearing with grass on the floor, and soldiers beating them with wooden swords and wooden spears.
And the Black Knights, who looked like Death Knights, gathered in the corner of the parade ground and were conducting sparring.
I looked at it from a distance and muttered a plaintive voice.
“There is nothing unexpectedly special.”
Also, all places where people live are the same.
The maid who stood behind me like a shadow must have heard my self-talk, so I twitched her shoulders, but she didn’t say anything in particular to refute.
Even though it must have been a word that hurts pride from the point of view of the demon, seeing that he endured it well, he must have been well educated on etiquette.
Anyway, to be honest, it wasn’t much fun to watch as the demon soldiers beat the scarecrow in line with the instructor’s command.
It’s a body that has participated in the war against the demons a few times, and the time I’ve been rolling in the field is too long to admire things like that now.
However, on the contrary, it was surprisingly fun to see the Death Knights sparring.
Originally, Death Knights were monsters that were born when knights died with strong resentment or regret.
It looks like a skinny skeleton or mummy, but in contrast to that, the massive Zweihender in heavy armor, and the appearance of walking around the battlefield waving a torn cloak has overwhelming majesty.
It was one of the most feared undead by the vanguards because it had an immortal body that would not die unless it was a priest’s turn undead or an attack containing dense mana.
Two such monster scabs were put together in front of their eyes in the name of sparring.
“Geuuuuu!”
“Uuuuu!”
In contrast to the heavy armor they wore, the two Death Knights screamed and swung their swords.
An indiscriminate melee in which humans generously pour grass that would never be allowed during sparring.
Because their bodies recover quickly from injuries anyway, they had no hesitation in cutting each other’s limbs.
You will feel a strange catharsis there.
To be generally known, the Death Knight is an undead that moves only by instinct, but has the characteristic of using the swordsmanship he learned in his lifetime perfectly.
Ironically, in a fight between monsters with immortal bodies that would not die no matter how many times they were cut and physical strength that never got tired, in the end, only the swordsmanship they had in their lifetime would determine victory or defeat.
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
The Zweihander, which had crashed into the air several times with a roar, cracked at one point, and one side split in half and floated through the air.
As a result, the guy who did not miss the gap that was revealed momentarily blew the opponent’s neck without hesitation.
-Thud!
The body on the side holding the broken sword collapsed on the floor as it was, and the Death Knight, who had slashed the opponent’s head in an instant, raised the great sword held high with both hands over his head, as if to finish it off.
“Stop!”
However, the action was stopped by a sudden voice.
“Go back to your place number 5!”
Then, the Death Knight, who seemed to be chopping up to death just before, calmly led the knife and entered her vacant seat.
“Tsk. It’s barbaric.”
It was a headless knight who walked out in front of the Death Knights while clicking his tongue.
In the Temple of Courage, the upper entity of Death Knight, it is a fairy tribe called Dyurahan who is classified as a high-ranking demon.
Dyurahan, who wore a black helmet on his side, glanced down at the body of the Death Knight, who had run away like himself, and turned it over with his feet.
“…”
He has become undead and has little reason left, but a clean cut that proves his outstanding swordsmanship skills during his lifetime.
After confirming that, I picked up the head of the defeated Death Knight rolling on the floor and attached it to the cutting surface.
– An iron spatula! Iron spatula!
Then, the Death Knight, who had not even moved a moment ago, stood up as if nothing had happened and saluted Dyurahan.
When Dyurahan asked to go in with a rough gesture, the guy jumped between his colleagues without looking back.
As a result, the space was naturally emptied, and I thought today’s Death Knights’ sparring was over.
But it seems there are still highlights.
Among the Death Knights who lined up in four columns at the parade ground, a demon with a clean appearance stepped out.
The most distinctive feature is dark purple hair cut from the shoulder area and yellow eyes like a beast.
Although he looks very similar to a human, his corpse-like pale skin and two black horns sticking out from between his hair prove that he is a demon of noble lineage.
“Vanessa, I’d like to ask for a good drill today.”
“Leave it to me. Mr. Ozma.”
It was the time when he was sitting on a stand far away and watching the two people like that.
“Hey there.”
A demon called Ozma, who looked like a parasitic brother, suddenly looked at me and raised his voice.
He didn’t think he’d called me, so he sat there, and the dark-haired demon frowned and called again in a loud voice.
“There, the green cloak sitting on the stand, you! You!”
This time, because he accurately described his extroversion, I knew it was me he was calling.
When I got up from the messy seat, his Demon tribe waved his hand and pointed in front of him.
“Come here. I have something to tell you.”
“…”
I looked at the maid behind me to see if this was okay.
She hesitated a little, then nodded her head.
Is that a high-ranking demon?
I don’t like it very much, but it looks like I have to go.
As I pushed the hat on top of my head deeper and approached the dark-haired demon, he looked at me suspiciously.
“This is the first guy I’ve seen in the castle. Who gave permission to spy on the parade ground?”
Then the maid behind her hurriedly spoke up for her.
“Ozuma-sama, this is an embarrassing statement, but this person is an important guest invited by the Demon King-sama…”
“It’s okay, maybe it’s the face.”
“Yes?”
“Because of how proud he is, I wonder if he dares to wear his hat in front of me, so I want to take a look.”
“I…”
I stopped the maid who was trying to say something with a troubled face with a hand gesture.
Making silly excuses in a situation like this will only backfire.
I took off the hat I was wearing on my head without hesitation.
“Oh-“
After checking my face revealed in full view, Dullahan, who was standing next to the dark-haired demon, shuddered.
The person who gave the order was also quite surprised.
“How could humans be here…No, no way.”
He muttered something to himself, but soon smiled, as if he had guessed something.
“Grand Mage Kaldrash, with your father’s persuasion, betrayed the warrior party and joined our Demon King’s side, and that was true.”
I listened to him and praised my own judgment for taking off my hat obediently and not rebelling as usual.
Somehow, I got the feeling that he was a high-ranking person, and I thought he was the son of the demon king Nero.
I almost got caught by my boss’s son from the first day I left the job.
As I let out a sigh of relief, Ozma, who seemed interested in me in a different way, opened his mouth.
“Even though I’m barely able to get out of the Demon Castle, I’ve heard a lot about the overwhelming prowess you showed against our compatriots through those who participated in the man-horse war five years ago. Won’t you give me a chance to see you for a while?”
Unlike humans who worship the Goddess of Courage among the trio of primitive triads commonly called Trinity, demons who have worshiped the Goddess of Power since time immemorial have respected the strong.
Basically, the reason why the demon king has strong authority among the demons, which is no different from the tribal federation, is because she is the demon chosen by the Goddess herself.
In terms of martial arts, should I say it feels like Cheonma Shingo?
Anyway, it’s a request from my boss’s son, and I can’t refuse it with a single knife, and since I was in the mood to sweat, I decided to accept the offer with pleasure.
“Okay. I’ll deal with you.”
When I accepted the sudden offer of couples, Ozma spoke to me in a friendly manner, unlike his cold first impression.
“What weapon do you use? If you have a particular preference, tell Vanessa here. I’ll prepare anything for you.”
Ozma said that and casually introduced Dyurahan, who stood next to him, but I rejected his offer with a bitter smile.
“I appreciate Ozma-sama’s consideration, but I will use this.”
As I said that, I showed the long wooden stick I had been holding from the beginning.
Ah! Staff!
It’s a great conversation tool.
