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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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After a pleasant rest, we resumed our journey to Dragon Mountain.
We had a long way to go and couldn’t afford to linger.
Doom Land was largely undeveloped.
Most demons lived in tribes, and there were few settlements that could be considered cities.
The largest organized groups were the beastkin of the Great Western Forest, the Dragonkin of Dragon Mountain, and the demons residing in the Demon Lord’s castle.
I hadn’t been this knowledgeable about demon affairs before, but having nothing else to do during our journey, I asked Camilla, and she readily shared her knowledge.
She seemed to have a good grasp of the overall situation, perhaps due to her fondness for reading in the library.
Her explanations were surprisingly insightful.
“By the way, Camilla, have you ever seen an elf?”
“Yes. Elven envoys have visited the Demon Lord’s castle a few times.”
While elves were a familiar name to humans, they were practically mythical creatures.
Most elves lived in Alfheim, a land beyond the Great Western Forest. Since the trade routes to Alfheim were controlled by Walter Leonhart, one of the Four Heavenly Kings and the ruler of the forest, sightings of elves outside their territory were rare.
But their beauty was legendary, often the subject of tales told by bards and gossipmongers.
Though I doubted many of them had actually seen an elf.
“I heard elves are real assholes.”
“What do you mean by ‘assholes’?”
“Um… arrogant and punchable?”
“In that case, you’re right. Elves tend to look down on other races.”
One of the most surprising things I learned in this world was that elves hated humans.
Well, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
If I were an elf, I would also be disgusted by creepy humans constantly trying to get a glimpse of elven women.
The empire had fallen because of that obsession, so it wasn’t surprising that elves loathed humans.
They also seemed to have a bit of a superiority complex, believing themselves to be above other races.
“Anyway, let’s get back to the topic of the exchange.”
“Is there anything else you’d like to know?”
“How many demon races will be attending?”
Camilla frowned slightly in thought, then began listing them.
“Demons, imps, Dragonkin, succubi, harpies, lamias, undead, Centaurs, beastkin, merfolk, slimes…”
Practically everyone.
If my identity is revealed there, I’ll be in trouble.
I would have to wear my mask at all times in Dragon Mountain.
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On the second day of our journey,
We encountered a trio of hyena beastkin highway robbers.
The robbers, characterized by their mottled brown and black fur, consisted of a fat one, a skinny one, and one of average build. Judging by their similar facial features, they were likely brothers.
“Kehehe! Hand over your money if you don’t want to die!”
It was almost nostalgic to encounter such stereotypical robbers.
I stepped forward, representing our group.
“Who are you?”
The hyena beastkin exchanged glances, then struck dramatic poses.
“We are the notorious criminals who make even crying children fall silent!”
“The lone hyenas, searching for prey!”
“The Blue Tri-Star!”
They didn’t look particularly notorious, lonely, or blue, but they pointed their weapons at us.
“What should we do?”
As I was pondering the best way to handle them, Ozma drew her Hellfire Katana.
“What’s there to think about? Just kill them.”
Whoosh!
Black flames flickered along the katana’s jet-black blade.
The robbers flinched, then, as if realizing they couldn’t show weakness, the middle one blustered,
“There are three of us and only two of you! We’ll win if we work together!”
They seemed to have disregarded Camilla.
While not entirely inaccurate, I corrected their assumption.
“I’m not fighting either.”
The middle one grinned triumphantly.
“Then it’s three against one! We win!”
They were surprisingly stupid.
I said to Ozma,
“Focus on using magic. You need practice applying it in combat.”
“Alright.”
Ozma flexed her free hand.
The fight began.
“URAAAA!”
The large one in the back swung his crude greatsword.
While his attack was clumsy and unskilled, the sheer weight of the weapon made it dangerous.
Ozma effortlessly deflected the blow and then unleashed the spell she had been preparing.
“Paralyze.”
A simple second-tier spell that temporarily paralyzed the target.
An electric current surged through the conductive greatsword, shocking the large hyena and immobilizing him.
Having dealt with one, Ozma quickly deflected a thrown dagger with her katana.
The skinny one had thrown the dagger. His form was practiced; he was clearly experienced.
The gleaming blade of the dagger suggested it was coated with poison.
“Ha!”
Ozma, channeling mana into her feet to enhance her jump, leaped into the air, her back to the sun.
The skinny one, looking up, instinctively shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight. That momentary lapse in concentration proved fatal.
Slash!
“GAAAAH! My arm! My aaaaarm!”
Just a reminder, the capital of Nepal is Kathmandu.
With two of them incapacitated, the remaining one, presumably the leader, shouted in rage,
“You bastards! How dare you hurt my brothers!”
Ozma, cleaning her bloodstained blade, said dryly,
“You shouldn’t have tried to rob us.”
“Shut up!”
The average-sized hyena, his eyes bloodshot, threw down his weapon and charged at Ozma, driven by rage.
He was fast, having fully transformed into his beast form, but Ozma’s reflexes were sharp enough to deflect arrows at point-blank range.
“Grrrr!”
The hyena lunged, its jaws wide open, aiming for Ozma’s throat, but—
“Bind.”
A green ring materialized in mid-air, snapping the hyena’s jaws shut. Then, Ozma’s Hellfire Katana, wreathed in flames, engulfed the beast.
Thud!
The hyena, unable to resist, collapsed onto the ground, charred and lifeless.
A rather pathetic end for a would-be robber.
“What will you do? Continue?”
The remaining two robbers, their faces pale with fear, shook their heads and fled.
“Tch, pathetic.”
Ozma sheathed her katana.
A complete victory.
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“You’re quite skilled.”
I praised Ozma for her effective use of magic, especially considering her limited experience.
Ozma blushed and scratched the back of her head.
“R-Really? I still have a lot to learn.”
“This was your first time using magic in actual combat, wasn’t it? You did well. Not many people can remain calm and use magic effectively under pressure.”
Mages generally struggled in close combat. Magic required concentration, which was difficult to maintain in the heat of battle.
But Ozma seemed to have a natural talent for it.
That was why I had suggested she learn magic. Even simple spells, in the right hands, could be deadly weapons.
Ozma, unable to hide her pleasure at my praise, grinned.
She seemed to enjoy compliments.
We still had two days until we reached Dragon Mountain. I would use that time to train her further, focusing on practical application.
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