Chapter 9: Counterattack (1)

After the Demon King left the facility, he continued searching for survivors.

There was a group that triggered the Demon King’s detection magic, surprisingly far from the camp.

“Over there! The Demon King!”

As they moved toward them, Lerajie pointed out a group of demons.

The group was composed of healthy men and women, and the Demon King guessed that they were the ones who had the best physical strength, having come the furthest.

At first, they were horrified upon seeing the corpse monsters, but upon seeing the Demon King and Lerajie, they were relieved, recognizing them as fellow demons.

“…Who are you?”

However, the appearance of Lerajie and the Demon King was clearly different from the ‘camp survivors’ in this area.

One of the survivors asked with confusion.

“This is—”

Lerajie was about to introduce herself freely, but the Demon King stopped her and answered instead.

“We’re people who were hiding nearby.”

“…Ah, do you happen to have any food?”

“I don’t intend to give any.”

“…What?”

“There are people in more urgent need than healthy ones.”

The Demon King speaking politely was something Lerajie was not accustomed to, but on the other hand, his firm boundaries were very much in character.

“…What I want to know is the current situation of the people who escaped the camp. Where are they all?”

“Ah… that’s…”

“If you’re not giving food, then I won’t talk! What does a kid know…?”

While the Demon King and the survivor were talking, one of the demons screamed loudly.

The Demon King, uninterested, looked at him and noticed the ears above his head.

It was a beastman. He must have been struggling to hold back hunger more than others.

The Demon King understood that, but still, he had no intention of taking action.

“You’re brave to talk to someone riding a monster.”

The Demon King responded coldly, and the beastman, instead of challenging him further, hesitated and stepped back.

“If you threaten, I have no reason not to do the same. Where are they all now? If you don’t tell me, I’ll turn you into part of that monster.”

“The camp…! Most of them are in the camp!”

The survivor who had been speaking earlier hurriedly responded.

“Those who escaped… they’re hiding in the nearby forest, but most are still in the camp.”

“…I heard the camp collapsed.”

“We were lucky. The wall was too narrow for all the thousands to escape, and even the ones who did escape, half were caught and killed or taken back to the camp…”

The Demon King nodded as if he understood.

He gestured to Lerajie, pointing at the dog.

Lerajie immediately understood and climbed onto the dog’s back.

“…Are we just leaving like this?”

“There’s no support for those who were lucky.”

The survivors looked at the Demon King with wistful eyes, but he simply turned his head away.

“It was unexpected,” Lerajie cautiously asked.

“What do you mean?”

“That you would just leave the demons of your own world…”

“You can’t lead a nation with just pity.”

The Demon King’s response remained cold.

“We don’t have much. We have to use it wisely for those who truly need it.”

“…I see.”

“Are you worried?”

“If something happens, won’t they blame us?”

“If we go to the camp, they’ll think we did well to save what we had.”

“Ah… Yes, yes?! Where are we going?”

“To the camp.”

“…Eh?! Isn’t that dangerous? The sheriffs could be there, and the supervisors…”

“You seem to have forgotten who’s beside you.”

“Ot.”

At that moment, Lerajie seemed to realize something and nodded.

But from the Demon King’s perspective, he understood her reaction as well.

It was natural for her to have vague fear, as there would be no good memories of that place.

“You’re planning to blow up the camp with the bad people, aren’t you?”

“…Where would your friends be?”

“Ah.”

However, this remark was a bit hard to forgive.

In fact, Lerajie’s friends were likely to be beside Mitae.

Although the Demon King didn’t know where Mitae was, unless they were a fool, they wouldn’t be keeping prisoners openly in the camp.

They must have been kept in some separate, special place.

So, even if the camp were destroyed, her friends wouldn’t die.

But the idea of killing all the demons in the camp by blowing it up, that was something the Demon King couldn’t tolerate.

So, he used her friends as an example so that Lerajie would understand.

“You need to study more.”

“…Yes…”

Lerazier tapped her own head as if blaming herself.

Perhaps it was due to an obsession with being of some meaningful help, as she deeply pondered.

“…Demon King, how do you plan to attack the prison camp? For now… it’s certain there will be many people there, right?”

“The demon kind, and the enemies, too.”

“Then perhaps some brilliant strategy worthy of the Demon King…? Or should I come up with a plan…?”

“We’ll go straight in.”

“…? Pardon?”

Since that damn warden arrived, there had been no peace for the prison supervisors.

Especially the head of the supervisors, the prison camp warden, had been relentless.

Under the guise of “thanks,” he would rummage through everything, flip documents, and even barge into

workplaces.

Those in white didn’t know the hardships of the grimy fieldwork.

They had no idea that some of the iron ore we mined here ended up in their weapons and armor.

Incompetent, lazy, with no passion and no blessing from the Hero—those demons squeezed every bit of effort out of us.

They had no idea how tough it was to mine 270 tons of iron ore.

Thus, the warden actually felt better after the situation unfolded.

That damn Mita, the inspector.

How much trouble it was to deal with her insane personality.

The collapse of the prison camp wasn’t Mita’s fault, and seeing her suffer gave the warden a sense of justice.

“Is everything repaired?”

“Yes, Warden.”

The broken magic barrier was fixed, and even the demon kind had been somewhat managed.

Many supervisors had died in the process, but the responsibility was clearly Mita’s.

“Good, good. We’ve gotten past this.”

While grinning,

A massive fireball suddenly struck the newly repaired magic barrier, collapsing it again.
“…?”

In the aftermath of the attack, the warden and the supervisors were tossed to the ground.

Struggling through the thick smoke, the warden tried to identify the source of the attack.

It was Lerazier.

This mage had the distinction of destroying the prison’s wall twice.

As time passed, a young boy emerged from the smoke.

He held a sword in his right hand and a magic rune in his left—an elegant boy.

“Who…!”

Before the warden could say anything,

The boy lifted the warden, beheaded him, and finished the job.

The surrounding supervisors were not spared either.

Once the area was cleared, the Demon King gave orders to the demon and the dog following behind.

“Lerazier!”

“Yes! Demon King!”

“ “…Yes! I’ll handle the magic!”

“This is the escape route for the demons. You and the dog stay and guard it.”

“Magic is prohibited as it’s hard to control firepower. The dog can handle it alone.”

“Ah… Yes.”

“If things get dangerous, call for me. I’ll come back immediately.”

“Huh? What about you, Demon King?”

“I’m going to pass judgment.”

When the wall collapsed, an emergency bell rang in the prison.

At the signal, the girl, boy, and dog began their attack on the prison.

The Demon King had ordered Lerazier to refrain from using magic, but

Lerazier had no intention of obeying that order.

“…The problem is that the firepower is so strong, it’s killing the demons, right?”

More than anything, this prison was a place of hatred for Lerazier, and it might even be a place where she had friends.

Lerazier pointed her finger toward the sky.

And, just like before, she unleashed fire.

Her magic illuminated the high sky with a brilliant burst of light.

Everyone in the prison saw the flames.

“This way! Everyone, escape here! This time, we can make it out!”

Starting with the lucky demons nearby, another grand escape from the prison began.

“Leave in an orderly fashion! Everyone can make it out!”

But this time, the situation was different.

Unlike before, when everyone gathered in one place, now they were scattered across the prison, and new methods were required.

This was especially significant for the Demon King.

In a situation where demons and enemies were mixed, indiscriminate use of power was not an option.

Instead, the Demon King gripped his sword and boldly pierced the center of the prison.

It was a way to reveal his presence and draw the enemies in.

The boy holding the sword slowly walked toward the collapsed wall, clearly an intruder.

“That’s him! He broke the wall!”

As enemies poured out from every building in the prison, the Demon King slowly assessed the situation.

The slave traders and the inspector weren’t here.

Only the supervisors were present.

As expected, this place was a dead end. There were no friends of Lerazier here.

Then, we must make our presence known.

The Demon King adjusted his grip on his sword.

When the supervisors rushed in recklessly, thinking it was just one boy, the Demon King aimed his sword at them.

Most of them couldn’t even land a single blow on the Demon King.

Amidst the wave of guards, the Demon King’s movements were graceful, as if they were enjoying the very wave itself.

Out of dozens of swords, not a single one could touch the Demon King.

Every time the Demon King’s sword was swung, it rapidly shortened the lives of the guards.

As the first wave of guards fell, the second group quickly halted in their tracks.

Staying still was actually a favor for the Demon King.

Using magic, the swords scattered on the ground were levitated, enchanted, and infused with necromantic magic, sending them flying toward the guards.

The guards tried to avoid the swords, but the attacks tracked them like snakes, and none of them survived.

The one-sided massacre continued until the Demon King suddenly lost the sword in their hand.

The sword shattered into pieces the moment it hit the ground.

It wasn’t an actual sword; it had been a magical construct, a crystalline sword imbued with magic by the Demon King.

“…I wish the boy’s body would grow faster.”

Once again expressing an unusual regret, the Demon King created a new sword.

They scanned the surroundings once more.

Thanks to Leraegie’s brilliant display, many demons from the prison were escaping in large numbers.

The guards, who were supposed to stop them, were already gone.

But the Demon King did not feel this was all.

Closing their eyes, the Demon King cast a detection spell.

Among the hundreds of people mixed together in this place, it would require great focus to find only the ones they were searching for.

“…Have they hidden like insects?”

The Demon King must have seen the guards die in groups due to just a single boy.

The remaining guards, instead of confronting the boy, chose to burrow into the buildings and hide.

Some even took a few demons hostage, likely preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.

“You are hastening your own deaths.”

The Demon King began to find each one and personally take care of them.

Mercy did not exist for these guards.

Two guards had taken children as hostages and were holed up in a room.

“Where the hell did that monster come from?!”

“I don’t know! Just be quiet! Do you want us to get caught?!”

Just then, a knock echoed on the door.

“It’s me! It’s me! Let me in!”

Hearing the familiar voice of a guard, the two opened the door immediately.

“Hurry up and get in! Don’t let him notice…”

However, the familiar voice belonged to a guard who was no longer alive.

Empty eyes and lifeless skin.

The deep wound on the throat was a clear sign that they were already a corpse.

“…It’s me… open the door…”

“Zombies! Aaaaah!” Zombies?

The zombies, remembering their swordsmanship from life, swung their swords at their old comrades.

One or two could have been dealt with, but soon several zombies swarmed into the room and butchered the two guards horrifically.

The zombies then turned their attention to the children.

The children, terrified that they might meet the same fate as the guards, screamed in fear.

But the zombies showed no interest in the children and exited the room.

Soon after, a boy entered the room.

“Come out. You are free now.”

The children, unable to adapt to the sudden turn of events, stared blankly at the boy.

Perhaps they couldn’t understand that a boy of their age was giving orders.

“Quickly.”

But when the Demon King gave a slight smile and spoke, the children immediately left the building.

In the end, they were still just children.

“You… weren’t you the girl who almost got executed?”

Someone spoke to Leraegie, who was working hard to help demons escape at the exit.

“Ah… yes! That’s me!”

“…You finally escaped and helped us. Thank you!”

“Ah…”

Leraegie stared blankly into the air, caught off guard by the unexpected gratitude.

But soon, something clicked, and she grabbed the person.

“Since you recognize me, do you know where my friends are? The ones who were with me back then…!”

“Ah… well…”

Leraegie trembled as she awaited the answer.