Chapter 344: Castle, PRAISE (2)
Chapter 344: Castle, PRAISE (2)
"Do you know where Phrase is?"
I decided to accept her request and was preparing to leave when Aela called and said.
"No. I don't know anything in particular. "Seeing you say that, it seems like there's something there, right?"
"Okay. We also learned a little bit. I don't know how helpful it will be, but it's still better than nothing."
It is inevitable that the information is a bit lacking.
Because it's beyond the wire.
People who have been there in person ask, 'Why did you go beyond that? I don't want to arouse suspicion that I'm a spy, so I keep my mouth shut, and it's also very difficult to dispatch informants.
Therefore, much of the information Aila brought was based on research from her old records rather than her vivid experiences.
"Praise is a city that fell into the hands of the Demon King's army at the beginning of the war. "Do you know when this war started?"
"I heard it was about a hundred years ago."
"That's right. You understand well, right? There are many people among commoners who don't know much about it. ... Ah. Sorry. "I didn't mean to ignore it."
"Are you okay. Continue."
"But. Even though he knew my identity, he kept talking to me, so I guess he's not the type of person to dwell on things like that. So to continue, a few months after the start of the war. While mankind was losing their senses, bickering among themselves and delaying responsibility, dozens of cities were occupied. One of those cities is Praise."
"So you're saying there are dozens of similar cities?"
"That's right. However, the reason why Phrase is especially special is that it was designated as a direct command of the Demon King's Army executives immediately after it fell. So Fraze was not looted or destroyed."
"Direct territory? Why do you do that?"
"Well. Didn't he need at least a toy? I don't know either. Anyway, thanks to that, it is said that the people who lived in Phrase at that time are still living as they were."
"Humans, Ira."
"In the meantime, generations may have changed several times, and many demons may have migrated and settled down, but at least they didn't completely drive out the existing residents."
"Then it wouldn't be noticeable if there were about three more humans there."
"That's good news. But you never know. It's a city that hasn't had proper exchanges for a very long time. "This is all I was able to research."
"No. "This is valuable enough information."
I thanked her for the information and sent her away.
It is a city that has been under the control of the demons for decades, especially the executives of the demon king's army.
This time too, it seemed like it would be a pretty fun, no, complicated request.
I packed a little more supplies just in case.
◆
A hundred years is a long time.
The war with the Demon King's army has not yet been a hundred years old, but it has been so long that a hundred years will not be far away.
It was enough time for even the demons, who were a long-lived species compared to humans, to forget the heat of war and fight inertically, unless they were quite high-ranking figures.
Against this background, it would be cruel to call it sloth just because there was a hole in the wire surveillance.
Thanks to this, we were able to cross the front line and hide in the Devil's army, so it was a good thing for us.
– Tap, tap, tap.
The person who rules there is either a human or a demon lord. The land was always there.
The same goes for the unmanaged land being uneven and uncomfortable to run on.
This could be a little different.
Still, the two horses given by Keren, who was both a prince and a knight, were able to run on the road without major problems despite the poor road conditions.
Why two?
That's because Asil didn't know how to ride a horse.
"I know. I told you to learn something in advance. There was also a special lecture at the academy, why didn't you listen?"
"Well, back then, I didn't know I could ride a horse! ... !!!"
Asil, who had been talking on the horse while he was running, bit his tongue and let out a silent scream.
For reference, Asil was riding the same horse as Flora, behind her.
Although I know how to ride a horse, it is true that my horsemanship skills are lower than that of Flora, who grew up as a royal.
It was quite funny to see Asil, the tallest of the three of us, holding on to the waist of Flora, the shortest, and hugging her tightly.
Still, it was worth holding on so desperately, and I was able to arrive safely without incident until I arrived at Fraze.
"Wow..."
As soon as Asil got off, he leaned against a nearby tree and started retching.
It seems that "Fighting talent" Does not affect the vibrations felt while riding a horse.
Well, just because a fighter is a job that involves moving the body, it would be too much of an interpretation to say that fighting talent affects the overall movement of the body.
"Goodbye~"
Flora was saying goodbye to the horse she had ridden all the way, patting its bottom.
Our role is to sneak in as scouts. It was not possible to ride a horse conspicuously.
No, the bigger problem was that there was no one to take care of the words rather than other people's gaze.
But you can't tie it up outside the dangerous city.
Although it is near the same front line, the monsters encountered on this side of the front line are much stronger than those near the front line on the human side.
To put it simply, it's like the difference between the late part 1 and the early part 2 of an RPG.
Actually, the story of WM is not divided that way, but you can roughly understand it that way.
Rather than keeping them in a dangerous place like this, it would be better for the horses to let them out.
They say that they are trained horses, so if you let them go, they will find where they will go on their own. It's not even a pigeon, it's something like that? I don't know.
So everyone finished their work.
"I don't see anything particularly strange?"
Asil said, peeking at Fraze Castle from afar.
Anyone who saw him climbing up a tree and hiding among the leaves to spy on the castle looked suspicious.
I was in the same situation.
"I thought it was the territory of the Demon King's army, so I thought there were corpses hanging on the castle walls and that there was an ominous aura, but it's not much different."
"What. Did you want to see something like that?"
"No. "It's not something I wanted to see."
"Then that's a relief. Do you feel anything?"
One of the characteristics of a spirit. He shows deep aversion to the demon king's magic.
Although it was not as strong as a complete spirit, Asil could feel discomfort if the demon king's magic power was felt nearby.
Asil closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated her mind, then shook her head.
"I don't know. It's not that I don't feel anything, but there are so many that I can't tell them apart."
"Well, it could be because it is the territory of the Demon King's army. "How about Flora?"
"Yes..."
Flora stared intently at the fist-sized crystal ball in his hand.
Inside, there was a dark blue fog like the night sky and many star-like lights floating around.
They say it's something magical that only wizards of a higher level can recognize, but I, who am not a wizard, couldn't recognize it.
To me, it didn't look like anything more than just a piece of the pretty night sky. What on earth are you looking at?
Flora, who had been looking into the crystal ball for about a minute, shook her head like Asil.
"I don't think there is one around here. Still, I know it's somewhere around this city. And you know what, my panties are showing."
So, it's true that it's near the city, but it's not around here. It seems to be a structure that can be felt if you get close enough.
... What. But what did you just say?
"Huh? Panties? Are you okay?"
"They say the buttocks are torn."
"Hip? ... Uh. It's real."
Asil turned around and looked at the pants she was wearing, and was surprised to see that there was a hole in her buttocks.
"Did it tear in the middle of the horse ride? I liked it, but it was a shame. Soira, can you lend me some clothes?"
"I only have a skirt. Are you okay?"
"All you have is a skirt? "You have inventory, so why do you keep such things?"
"Taste."
"Write. "I have nothing to say."
Although Asil grumbled, she took off her pants and changed into a skirt.
Since these are short pants that show all of your thighs, you could just wear them and put a skirt on top like underpants. It looks like the thought didn't reach that point.
"... Huh?"
Asil was rubbing her legs hesitantly, saying that her crotch felt empty.
"Flora. But how did you know my pants were torn? "You were in front of me."
"..."
"Hey, Flora?"
Flora did not answer her question, but kept her smiling face and put her crystal ball in her bag.
After listening to it, I'm curious too.
What on earth did I see in that bead?
I want to see what Flora saw.
"Even if I stay here like this, nothing will change. Shall we go in?"
"Uh. Flora? "How did you know?"
We left the shade of the trees and headed toward Fraze Castle.
Asil, who was following along and asking questions, seemed to get a little nervous when she got close enough to see the facial features of the guard guarding the castle gate.
"Calm down. "You just have to go in normally."
"Oh, okay."
Even though he said that, he looked nervous.
After trying hard to calm him down a bit, I headed towards the castle gate.
"Adventurer? This is another rare guest. "Don't make a fuss, we're the ones who are bothering you."
"Yes, yes."
"... What are you doing? "Aren't you going in?"
"Yes, yes... Yes? Is it the end?"
"Why, is there something suspicious?"
"No, no. "I'll go in."
"Okay. "Go in quickly."
– Tuk.
The guard tapped his buttocks with the back of his hand.
It wasn't even a massage, it was just a tap that made me wonder if my hand had touched it by accident.
In reality, this alone would be sexual harassment, but in this world, it can be easily overlooked.
So, it meant that it passed very normally.
"Huh?"
Asil, who was very nervous, instead let out a voice of absurdity.
Why. What did you expect?