༺ Aunty Loves Her Niece! (2) ༻
Midnight.
A mage from the Walpurgis family arrived.
It was Brigitte’s oldest sister, Friede.
“I will open a portal to the guard encampment near Pandemonium’s border.”
The White Mage, Friede, calmly explained the location of the portal. It was too risky to open one directly inside Pandemonium, the land of demons, she said.
“Gate.”
As the mage lightly uttered an incantation, a wavering portal gate appeared before my eyes.
Beyond it, the kingdom’s flag and soldiers were visible; they must be the border guards near Ordor Kingdom.
Cariote spoke.
“What about the way back?”
“Use this Gate Scroll. The Junk Mansion’s coordinates have been inscribed on it so you should be able to open a gate to return from wherever you are. But it’ll only work once.”
A magic scroll.
A very expensive item.
Having said that, the White Mage passed the scroll to Cariote and then turned her eyes to the horned demon, Astarosa.
“And this is?”
“My younger sister.”
Though Cariote had answered without hesitation, Friede seemed to have trouble grasping the idea of a demon being her sister.
Then she looked at her own sister, Brigitte, as if she had something to say, but turned away in the end and spoke.
“The gate will soon close so you should hurry.”
I see.
Better hurry up, then.
“Dad, come back safely…!”
As I was about to pass through the gate, Naru hugged my leg.
It was about 23 minutes after midnight.
Though it was past her bedtime, Naru came to see me off, rubbing at her sleepy eyes.
“Thanks, I’ll be back.”
Voooom—
I waved to those who were staying back and walked into the gate.
Myself, Cariote, Astarosa, and finally, Cecily.
With this unusual group of members, the journey to Pandemonium had started.
“Who’s there?! This is a military station of Ordor Kingdom! Identify yourself!”
Shing— Clack—
Immediately after coming out of the gate, spears and swords were pointed at me.
Ordor’s soldiers.
“Calm yourselves. We have a kid here.”
* * *
“I am Guardman, the commander of this company guarding the border. You can just call Commander. It’s an honor to be seeing you again, Judas.”
The commander of the company invited us to his office and treated us as guests. He seemed to know me but I didn’t recall any middle-aged man named Guardman.
Everyone in armor and helmets looked the same.
“During the war with Pandemonium, I was part of the battle on the Plains of Karchen. I witnessed you in action from afar. You were amazing then.”
Plains of Karchen… That was where Queen and the Penitent Swordsman, Alcatraz, went head-to-head in a battle of death. That fight was indeed kind of amazing.
As I reminisced, Cariote asked the commander.
“We are looking to enter Pandemonium. Will you open the borders?”
“… To the land of darkness?”
The commander raised his brows at the unexpected question.
Then his expression turned serious, and after a look around, he asked quietly so that only we could hear.
“Is there some kind of problem? Such as the rumors of the Demon King’s revival being true? Is it also why King Ordor commanded soldiers to be stationed at the border?”
The King was the one who stationed them?
It may be from when I spread fliers to summon the Thief Lords.
I decided to give a simple answer to settle the commander’s concerns.
“There isn’t going to be another war. We just have some business to see to. We’ll also find out what the situation is there so don’t worry.”
“I see. And who is this demon?”
The commander finally asked about Astarosa.
He wasn’t exactly showing caution, likely because he encountered many demons during his duties.
Though he didn’t seem to know she was one of the three pillars, 「The Witch of Obsession, Astarosa」.
Cariote spoke.
“She is my sister.”
“Is that so? It sounds like a complicated situation.”
Thunk— Creeeeeak—
“Commander, I’ve brought some local herbal tea for the guests.”
Just then, the door to the office opened and revealed a woman. She was lightly equipped like a soldier in the rear, but the horns on her forehead and the tail coming out from behind were eye-catching.
Her hair was short like Cariote’s.
Must be a female soldier for the border area, I was thinking, when—
“… Demon?”
Clank—
Cariote placed a hand on the dagger at her waist.
When she did that, the female soldier who had brought tea for us was taken aback by that force and shrieked, so Commander Guardman quickly stopped Cariote.
“I-Isabella is a surrenderer!”
A surrenderer.
There were many of them.
Come to think of it, there were quite a few demons that were part of this encampment. Though called demons, they were basically humans with horns.
“I see.”
With suspicion still in her eyes, Cariote released her dagger.
No longer threatened, the female soldier let out a sigh and looked at us; then her tail stiffened when she saw Astarosa.
“You are…!”
“A demon who surrendered and is now protecting the borders of a human kingdom. You’re more like a traitor to the Demon King. I should bring judgment upon you as his loyal general—”
Before she continued, Astarosa glanced at me and Cariote then shut her mouth. She was well aware of her current position.
“This tea is better than expected. What is it made of? I, Cecily Von Ragdoll, have never tasted such a tea.”
Right then, Cecily asked while sipping on her tea.
The female soldier looked at Cecily in confusion as if wondering why a child was here, then responded.
“It’s made from the lunatic herb that grows in Pandemonium across the border. It grows in the moonlight, hence the clean aftertaste.”
“To think that Pandemonium has such good tea leaves. I wasn’t looking forward to this trip but it’s not all that bad, it seems.”
Swoosh—
As Cecily appreciated the tea, Cariote got up from her seat.
Then gathering her things, she spoke.
“Enough talking, we should cross the border.”
Good idea.
To that, the commander responded, “There is a secret route used by our scouts to enter Pandemonium. I will take you there.”
We climbed to the top of the city wall.
Torches were lit equidistant from each other along the walls and soldiers were standing watch. The direction they were watching was completely engulfed in darkness; it was darkness itself.
Would I feel the same kind of chill looking out towards a dimmed North Korea from the guard post of the South?
“As you would know, Judas, beyond these walls is Pandemonium territory. Please be careful. I’ll let down this rope.”
Shhrrrr—
We climbed down the rope to the base of the wall and finally crossed the border.
* * *
“We learned in school that all demons were evil but she was very good at making tea. It seems that not all demons are bad.”
Cecily said this quietly as we walked in the dark.
She must have been restless after 10 minutes of silence.
I gave a bit of insight regarding that.
“Well, propaganda is common during wars to portray the opponent as evil.”
“… Propaganda?”
Maybe it was too difficult a word for Cecily.
I simplified things.
“Not all demons are evil. It’s only that Pandemonium’s barren and insufferable environment makes people desolate, so they generally become bad.”
If Pandemonium were to be described in a single phrase, it’d be ‘survival of the fittest’.
Perhaps finding my explanation difficult, Cecily scrunched her face.
But then she spoke as if she caught one thing.
“The Head Maid Belora said no one bad can make good tea. That soldier was a demon but she must be a good person.”
But Cariote spoke to Cecily sternly.
“All demons should die. A good demon is a dead one. Cecily, do not sympathize with them. They will crush and plunder you.”
It was a harsh statement.
Hearing this, Astarosa snorted but didn’t argue.
Was it because we were now approaching a forest?
━Grrrrr—
━Garrrrr….
There were many animal sounds coming from the woods.
They seemed to have already noticed our presence.
Pause.
Astarosa halted.
“How much do you guys know about Pandemonium? Hey, kid, what does your school teach about it?”
“That it’s a country where bad demons live?”
“Well, that’s half-right. The bad ones do live here. But Pandemonium isn’t a country; it’s just land.”
What does she mean that it’s just land and not a country?
As Cecily and I couldn’t understand, Astarosa kindly explained.
“There’s no actual king in Pandemonium. No one wants to be a subject so it’s just everyone constantly against each other.”
Everyone fighting against everyone….
That wasn’t what I knew.
Cariote spoke.
“I’ve fought against the forces of Pandemonium. They operated as an army and invaded nearby countries. Were you not one of them?”
“That was only possible because of our king. Sabernak brought together all those who were scattered and formed a nation. Of course, everything has now gone back to what it was.”
I see.
She was saying that this distinguished figure, Sabernak, appointed himself as the Demon King and brought ‘order’ to Pandemonium.
The problem was that he used that to invade other nations.
But I understand now.
A barren land like Pandemonium had no other means for resources except by invading other kingdoms.
As I pondered this, Astarosa spoke while gazing at the tree’s scratch marks.
“Isn’t it interesting that this perilous land once held the most prosperous city and made history? Anyway, we’re now entering into the territory of the Beast King.”
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