The Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Lilia
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Recap of previous chapter:
Ssulal: “Just as I thought we separated on a good note, he got NTR’d. I won’t forgive the one who is responsible.”
Chapter 049 – Kalar’s Settlement [A]
—Leonhart’s vacation, the third day. In the central region of the continent:
There was a shadow of a person who walked through the green earth.
It was a tall blonde man with a pair of red eyes, wearing a set of black clothing. His appearance looked like that of a human, but the presence he exuded and power hidden inside of him was far greater than that of a human.
“Fuhn, Fu~hn…gulp, gulp.”
It was Majin Leonhart.
It had been the third day since he left Maou Castle. The meadow was flat and easy to travel, and the dirt felt soft and springy, so he moved a little faster than usual. He walked with light steps, and ate food out of his bag and drank from the bottle in his hand as he traveled.
It was rare for Leonhart to be in this kind of good mood. If his subordinates who knew him well saw him like this, they would think that he found a strong opponent, and would immediately seek shelter so as to not get caught in the resulting combat.
But for the current Leonhart, it wasn’t that his battle hungry switch turned on and he got excited. He was, without a doubt, feeling like his normal self.
Therefore, it was a rare occurrence. He simply felt merry about his current situation.
He was like a kid who went on a picnic, and was leisurely enjoying nature for the first time. So much so that they might have a light skip in their step as well.
The reason was, as expected,
“It sure is quiet here…”
Leonhart said as he took out another parcel of food out of his bag. He carefully unwrapped it and took a bite, then commented,
“I’m grateful for the vacation… I’m also grateful to have one even as a Majin… Oh, this curry macarolo sure tastes good.” 1
Fully relaxed and far from anyone who would remember his offhanded words, he carelessly spoke like one of his fellow majin and once again repeated his thoughts.
—In other words, Majin Leonhart was fully understanding and relishing the benefits of his vacation.
Although Leonhart first intended to go to his initial destination, roam about for a bit, and then quickly return with something useful, once he actually began his journey, he became addicted to his time alone.
Normally, Leonhart held important positions as one of the Four Elite Majins and the Demon Army Officer. With that position, he was always busy and surrounded by people. He would accompany his superior, the maou, or his fellow majin, or would be accompanied by his subordinates in the army, not to mention his apostles and any other demons that requested his assistance or opinion.
There were always other people’s eyes watching every move he made, and because of his prestige, he always needed to consider what effect his actions might have on others.
It wasn’t that he hated that. Leonhart was by nature a pretty reasonable guy, and such things were just part of the job. Although being a majin meant that many people were always watching him, it also meant that most of his actions were rarely questioned. Although he had a hard time sometimes, he wasn’t dissatisfied about it. In fact, when comparing his current life to his past, Leonhart was quite satisfied with his daily life.
However, once he was released from such responsibilities and the eyes that watched him,
“It sure feels relaxing…”
He realized that there was definitely an aspect of life that he could only have during such periods of complete liberation. At first, the idea of letting everything go was scary, but now, it made him feel unexpectedly good.
He could do anything he wanted without worrying about people’s thoughts about him.
Leonhart thought back. When was the last time I had such time alone like this?
Perhaps it was more than 300 years ago. It was when Leonhart was still a human, and it was before he took the position as a king, so it must have been during his childhood.
He remembered the times he often went out with sword in hand to the outskirts of the settlement. Although most of the time it was to hunt for food or train to become stronger, it was during that period when he felt the most free and adventurous.
His current situation reminded him of those long gone days, and,
“—Oh.”
Leonhart interrupted his own meandering thoughts as he finally reached the top of the hill he was climbing and saw the sprawling view before him.
After climbing the hills, he could see that across the large expanse of grassland lay a massive, deep green forest. It was so large and dense that it stretched across the horizon. And further beyond the forest, the thing that rose in the center of that was,
“…So that’s the Rising Dragon Mountain.”
The highest mountain in the world, the Rising Dragon Mountain.
It was the destination of Leonhart. This was what he had come all the way for.
As Leonhart stood and took in the view of his destination, which was finally in sight, he felt nothing but pure admiration.
…As I expected, it sure is huge…
Of course, it wasn’t his first time seeing the mountain itself. He had seen its shadowed form many times from a distance when he led expeditions with the Demon Army.
After all, the Rising Dragon Mountain was so big, it was impossible to miss. Even from a distance, its identity was unmistakable. No matter how many times Leonhart had seen it in passing, as he stood and looked at it, the height made the mountain feel unreal.
Even as Leonhart tilted his head upwards and tried to see its summit from such a distance away,
“—“
He couldn’t see it.
It was because clouds gathered and covered the entire mountain from about midway up the mountain to the peak. Some of the clouds on the lower levels would move and expose parts of the mountain from time to time, but the peak was completely obscured from vision.
The Rising Dragon Mountain existed through the clouds that covered the continent. And its summit existed above the clouds.
Therefore, he couldn’t see it. If he actually wanted to, he had no choice but to climb it.
However, it made Leonhart think. In all these years that he’d been alive, he had never heard of anyone managing to climb to the top of this Rising Dragon Mountain yet.
He often heard news of adventurers setting off on journeys to challenge that, but it seemed like none of them had succeeded so far. And so, he had decided,
I want to see the top of this mountain that had never been reached by any human, thought Leonhart.
And as he actually looked at the mountain, the thought that ran through his mind was as expected of a majin—
…I can’t be patient after all.
According to what he heard, there were many dangerous demons living on that mountain. There were also dragons among them, along with many lost treasures that slumbered there.
There were so many other rumors, each more outlandish than the last, so it was hard to tell whether they were lies or truth.
Leonhart was very interested in all of them, especially regarding the idea that many dangerous demons and dragons lurked there. He tried not to get his hopes up too high, because it was very difficult to find any foe that could make him satisfied in battle, but the harsh environment of the mountain made him think that there might be a possibility.
And even without the thrill of battle, there was something else he would be rewarded with. It was something that every man longed for — being the first in the world to accomplish an achievement thought to be unachievable.
It was impossible for a man to not challenge it.
Therefore, Leonhart marched forwards to the mountain.
—To reach the summit of the Rising Dragon Mountain, an impossible task that nobody has ever accomplished — he moved to challenge such an achievement.
Meanwhile, around that time.
In the large forest region at the foot of Rising Dragon Mountain.
This region didn’t belong to any nation of humankind. Yet there was a certain settlement there, deep in the woods.
Near the fast flowing river that wound its way through the thick woods, there was a town built along it.
“…”
A shadow of a woman could be seen standing at the entrance. The moment her figure appeared at the gate, the inhabitants of the settlement all stopped what they were doing and greeted her.
The people there were all good-looking women, but were not human. They were the members of a race with long ears and crystals on their forehead.
This was a settlement of a demi-human species — the kalar.
“—Ah, Kesselring-sama!”
“Welcome back, Kesselring-sama!”
“Thank you for your hard work in combat against humans!”
“…Uhm.”
The woman, Kesselring, responded to the words of her brethren who welcomed her by nodding lightly. She did not stop to say anything in return, instead asking,
“…My apologies, I have to go right away. Can you let me through?”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
As the kalar women heard Kesselring’s words, they immediately opened a path for her. Even as Kesselring passed through the opened path,
“Kyaa! Kesselring-sama-! Please look over here-!”
“Thank you for your hard work-!”
“As long as Kesselring-sama is still here, our settlement will be safe!”
This time as well, voices that praised Kesselring as she returned from the battle were heard from both sides, one after another. Their cheers wouldn’t stop, but for anyone aware of her identity, it was to be expected.
She was the King of the Nights. Kesselring was known as the strongest woman among the Kalar.
Kesselring, who had been given a hero’s welcome in the Kalar’s Settlement, was the most reliable person in the fight against humans, and her mature beauty also made the girls in the settlement long for her.
“…”
However, she coldly answered their cheers with nothing more than a slightly raised hand. Kesselring seemed to be in a subdued mood, completely opposite from the excited cheering that surrounded her. Moreover, she reacted in quite a restrained and straightforward way, making her response seem more obligatory instead of appreciative.
However, the people there were used to this response. Kesselring passed through the crowd and went to a certain location without leaking out so much as a sigh.
Her destination was located deep in the kalar’s settlement. It was a big building that was located a little far from the relatively busy center area.
Despite being surrounded by kalar women several times, Kesselring eventually arrived there in a timely manner. She opened the entrance of the gate, then as she proceeded further, none of the other kalar women dared to follow her inside. She closed the gate, and spoke,
“…It’s me.”
“—!”
She knocked the door twice as she called out. Then, after somewhat panicked sounds and frantic footsteps were heard inside,
“We-welcome back, Kesselring-sama.”
A kalar girl with glasses came out with a hurried breath. She was a little shorter compared to Kesselring, who was quite tall by female standards, and although her body was that of an adult, she still carried some baby fat on her face, and gave off the impression of a much younger person.
Although Kesselring’s eyebrow twitched slightly when she heard the girl’s greetings,
“…I’m home.”
She replied normally after a short pause. At that moment, Kesselring exhaled, and much of the tension left her body.
“Alright then, Kesselring-sama. please go inside.”
“…”
Kesselring was invited into the building as the girl closed the door behind her.
Inside was a room with just enough space to fit all its furnishing without being too cramped. It had a kitchen, a bed, a cupboard, and other items necessary for daily life. However, on top of that, there were also office desks and many documents were piled on them.
As Kesselring gave a sidelong glance at the unorganized piles of papers, the girl twitched slightly and spoke nervously,
“Ahaha… I’m sorry for the mess…”
“…I don’t mind.”
To the girl who gave a light smile along with a heartfelt apology, Kesselring told her not to worry about it. After all, this was the mansion used by the settlement chief of the kalar. The chief of kalar worked and lived in this place. Therefore, it didn’t matter even if the documents were scattered a little.
As Kesselring looked away from the documents, she saw a table that had been placed near the doorway, and a chair behind it. This desk sat a little lower than the other ones, and was meant for reception purposes, so there were no documents on the desk. However, there was almost no trace of it being used, probably because there were barely any visitors from outside. At the very least, it had never been used by unfamiliar people.
So I guess it should be fine, thought Kesselring, and she sat down in that lower seat. But just as she sat down, there was a person who immediately spoke up.
“Ah, Kesselring-sama. That’s the lower seat. Please sit at this higher seat—”
“…”
The girl said that and offered her the higher seat. Her action finally made Kesselring sigh and look directly at the girl.
After a breath, she closed her eyes and folded her hands over her lap, as if settling even more firmly into her lower seat.
“…That’s no longer my seat.”
“…Bu-but—”
“No buts.”
“Uh…”
The girl was aware of the implications behind what Kesselring had said, but she still felt uncomfortable. Even as the girl winced and shifted her feet, Kesselring opened her eyes again and looked into the girl’s eyes. She spoke gently, but firmly:
“…I am no longer the chief of kalar. I have lost the right to sit in that seat. The only one who may occupy the higher seat is the chief of kalar, and it is none other than you, Pale.”
“…Uh.”
Indeed. The current chief of Kalar’s Settlement — wasn’t the highly exalted King of the Nights, Kesselring.
The trembling girl in front of her, Pale Kalar, was,
“Yo-you are very strict, as usual… Kesselring-sama…”
The current chief of the Kalar.
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