The Second Request
After meeting the Hero and my former comrades in the underground prison, the two-day holiday passed by quickly.
Yesterday, due to the aftereffects of drinking too much, I was holed up in my room all day.
The villagers kept plying me with alcohol under the guise of a party, and when I opened my eyes, it was already lunchtime.
Therefore, Camilla's sex education, which was originally supposed to start yesterday, was also postponed.
Fortunately, Camilla had drunk herself silly in the village just like me, so she didn't complain about it.
After resting well like that for a day, I recovered my condition today.
As soon as I finished breakfast at the restaurant, I was summoned by the Demon King-nim.
"Welcome."
Naturally, I had relaxed, thinking I was meeting him 1:1 as usual, but the moment I entered, the sight before me made me straighten my back immediately.
Inside the office, a person I'd never seen before was sitting on the sofa.
2
"Grrrrrr…."
Despite sitting, he was a Beastkin with an overwhelming physique, much larger than a normal person standing.
Because of his sheer size, the teacup in his hand looked like a toy.
The Demon King-nim, who was sitting opposite him, stood up and introduced him briefly.
"Make your introductions. Kaldraash. This is Walter Leonhart, the Beast Heart King, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of our army."
The moment I heard the name, I couldn't help but be surprised.
The Demon King's right-hand man, Walter.
Because he was a Demon who was more famously known by that name among humans.
He commands all the Beastkin of the Great Western Forest, the undisputed second-in-command of the Demon King's army.
As I awkwardly approached and extended my hand, Walter briefly placed the teacup in his hand on the table and accepted my handshake.
"It's nice to meet you. Archmage Kaldraash. Feel free to call me Walter."
"Ah, yes. Walter."
When I called him by his name comfortably as he requested, Walter cleared his throat with a "Kuhum!" and nodded satisfactorily.
"We were just talking about you. Come here and sit."
As instructed by the Demon King-nim, I sat in the remaining spot on the sofa.
Then, Seneca, the Chief Steward, naturally placed an elegant teacup in front of me as well.
A red liquid trickled down from the pointed spout of the teapot he held.
While I was momentarily distracted by the beautiful sight, the Demon King-nim explained why Walter was here.
"Yesterday, when I sent a message requesting just two wyverns from the Great Forest for your Eastern Front deployment, Walter himself showed up with the wyverns."
Walter, listening to the story from the side, nodded and chimed in.
"I heard the protagonist whose name the other guys have heard until their ears fell off was at the Demon King's Castle, so I came out of curiosity."
"Other guys?"
Then the Demon King-nim gave a wry smile and explained instead.
"I'm talking about Mephisto and Dorothea, the Four Heavenly Kings."
"Ah…."
During the year I spent with the Hero, I had personally fought two out of the four Heavenly Kings.
One was Mephisto, who had overwhelmingly pushed the Hero, and the other was Dorothea, with whom I constantly clashed in a rivalrous manner.
Since both of them had experienced being thoroughly beaten by me in magic battles, they probably complained a bit.
Walter, holding his teacup again, shrugged and said jokingly.
"I've known those guys for quite a long time, but you're the first one they've complained about being angry and annoyed with. What kind of magic did you use to get such a reaction?"
Hearing that, I shrugged.
"I didn't do anything special. They just had bad compatibility with me."
"Kuhuhu… I like that confidence. It makes me want to fight you myself."
Slurp- Slurp-
Perhaps because his cat-like tongue couldn't handle hot things, the sight of the menacing-looking Walter licking his black tea with his tongue was honestly a bit much to watch.
Seeing that, I pretended not to look and turned my gaze to the Demon King-nim, who, as if understanding my feelings, naturally changed the subject.
"Anyway, the reason I summoned you is none other than what we discussed the day before yesterday. You probably expected it since you came, right?"
"Yes. I've already finished all the preparations to leave."
"Then there's no need for lengthy talk. This is my second official request. From this moment, you are dispatched to the Eastern Front to assist Dorothea, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, in safely retreating the Demon King's army to our territory."
"I accept the order."
As I stood up from the sofa and knelt on one knee, performing the courtesy of a subordinate to a lord, the Demon King-nim nodded with a satisfied expression.
"The wyvern you'll be riding will be tethered in the stables within the castle. It will likely be a long flight, so it would be good to take care of any business on the ground beforehand."
"Thank you for the advice. Then, I shall take my leave."
Saying that, I bowed deeply to the two of them and was about to leave the office first when the Demon King-nim suddenly called out to me.
"Ah, Kaldraash. Before you go, I have one more request."
"Yes?"
"Could you please convey my regards to Dorothea? It's been quite a while since we last saw each other, so tell her to return to the Demon King's Castle when she has time."
"If it's something like that, then it's not particularly difficult."
I told the Demon King-nim in a way that reassured him, and this time, I really left the office.
Heading straight to the stables within the castle with Camilla, who was waiting outside, I saw two wyverns, brought by the Four Heavenly King Walter, tied side-by-side to a tree near the entrance.
Originally, wild wyverns were impossible to tame, so they could only be used as mounts if raised personally from a young age. For this reason, wyverns were treated as strategic assets in most countries.
As I approached, the wyvern, perhaps feeling wary, let out a pterosaur-like cry of "Kkieeeeeek!"
It was truly an incredible decibel level.
Feeling like my eardrums might bleed, I instinctively covered my ears with both hands. A Demon soldier, rushing out of the stables, handed me something.
"Oh my! Mage-nim! Earplugs are essential if you're going to ride a wyvern! They have such loud voices that if these beasts cry out, you can tell someone is approaching even from 100 meters away!"
I glared resentfully at the soldier for not telling me sooner and quickly put on the earplugs.
"Kkieeeeeek!"
Ah, that's better.
It was still noisy, but the noise was just barely tolerable.
As I fiddled with the earplugs with a satisfied expression, the Demon soldier handed earplugs to Camilla as well and kindly explained how to handle the wyverns.
To summarize his words, riding a wyvern is similar to riding a horse, so the control method isn't drastically different, but the key point was that if you slipped up even slightly, you'd inevitably die, so you had to stay tense at all times.
Anyway, it was quite useful information, so after thanking the Demon soldier, we grabbed the reins of the wyverns tied to the tree.
The creatures, initially so wary, became docile as if nothing had happened once the soldier gave them horse meat to eat.
It seems all beasts are the same in being friendly towards those who feed them.
"Oof."
I climbed onto the wyvern's back and kicked its side.
The wyvern then let out an unpleasant cry of "Kkieeeeeek!" and flapped its wings vigorously.
In just a few seconds, the massive body, which seemed incapable of flight, lifted off with powerful wing beats.
I exchanged glances with Camilla beside me, then turned the wyvern's head eastward.
As I mentioned before, the Eastern Front is the main battlefield between humans and demons.
The two armies were fighting back and forth along the snow-covered ridges of the Vulcan Mountains, a land where much blood had flowed during the Human-Demon War five years ago.
Just as Dorothea, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, was responsible for all the forces in this area, the defense of the Vulcan Mountains on the kingdom's side was entrusted to the Hamburg Margrave, the father of Rachel, a warrior from the Hero's party.
The Hamburg family, having taken root in these harsh Vulcan Mountains for generations, had essentially taken it upon themselves to act as a bulwark defending humanity.
"Hooook… Have we finally arrived."
The cold air that filled my lungs with every breath made me feel the reality of being back in the Vulcan Mountains.
I looked down at the ground while mounted on the wyvern.
Arriving after a long flight of about 5 hours, the Demon King's army encampment on the Eastern Front looked quite rugged from above.
This was also partly due to the capricious weather of the Vulcan Mountains.
In an extreme environment where temperatures always hovered below freezing, rendering the concept of four seasons meaningless, the preferred items were those that were light, sturdy, and durable.
And most such items were not aesthetically pleasing.
As the wyvern, bearing the mark of the Demon King's army on its wings, carefully landed in the clearing, soldiers who had been guarding the surrounding area rushed over.
Among them, the most noticeable were the Centaurs, a type of Demon that looked like a mixture of human and horse.
"You're someone I haven't seen before, what business brings you to this remote place?"
I jumped off the wyvern's saddle, handed the reins to another soldier, and confidently walked forward.
Then, placing a hand on my chest, I said.
"I am Patraash, a Lich belonging to the Demon King's Castle. I am here to meet Dorothea-nim, the Commander-in-Chief here, by the order of Demon King Nero-nim."
The Centaur then tilted her head with a peculiar expression.
It seemed like a reaction caused by the unfamiliar name, Patraash.
But she soon nodded in acceptance and said.
"If that's the case, it's fortunate. I am Dorothea-nim's Adjutant, so I will guide you personally."
Things seem to be going smoothly.
Since the other party offered their help first, there was no need to refuse, so we decided to follow her obediently.
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