Chapter 2 - Meeting in the Demon Territory

I sat in my seat and listened as the carriage headed north. A board is struck on the window to make me unable to see what is happening outside. However, the shaking has become stronger for a while, probably because we have entered the lands in the north where the road was not well maintained. You can hear the footsteps of the soldiers and the horses as the carriage advances. The number of escort soldiers is around 20, with infantry and cavalry. It’s more of a watchdog than an escort, though. It has been more than 10 days since I left the Imperial Capital. I get off the carriage every few hours to eat and take a break. The food was decent, albeit supervised by the soldiers. “It would be a problem if you died before arriving at the Demon Territory.” They said. I watched the soldiers during the breaks. For now, it’s impossible to escape because cavalry is mixed in with the soldiers. If I ran away, the cavalry would chase after me, and the rest would go to the surrounding villages and highways. That was what they told me during the breaks. If I ran away, it was inevitablthatI me to be caught immediately. “That’s why I didn’t want to get involved with the Duke’s family.” I intended to cut all ties with the Duke’s family. I worked as a civil officer for several years. I changed to my mother’s surname and took the exam normally, and was hired. At work, I have been in charge of organizing documents and repairing items. In the empire, civil officers are jobs for those who “couldn’t even be adventurers, military officers, or soldiers.” Others looked down on me, and my salary was low, but it was a good time. I was able to utilize my [Alchemy] skills at work, too. “This skill was convenient for repairing items.” I reconfirmed my skill. “[Alchemy]” Purifies, synthesizes, and processes substances. By combining materials, I can also create new materials and items. It also has an appraisal ability as a characteristic of alchemy. There were many broken items in the warehouse at my workplace. It was my job to manage and check it. I’ve been doing paperwork and repairing items with my [Alchemy] skill while looking at the materials. It was fun, and during that time, I forgot that I was from the Duke’s house. But ── “The Duke still couldn’t let me go.” So he sent me out as a hostage to the Demon Territory. I’m also prepared to escape. A board is struck on the window of the carriage, and the door is locked, but it’s possible to escape with my skill. “Activate [Alchemy]” I activated my skill, and the spoon hidden in my pocket was deformed. This is my [Alchemy] skill. I can create new things by using materials such as metal. When I was eating, I sneaked a spoon or fork while the soldier wasn’t looking. If I have a metal product, I can process it into something else. I can even Make a key and open the carriage door. “But the problem is beyond that…” It’s impossible to bypass the surveillance of 20 soldiers. If I want to escape, I would have a better chance after arriving at the Demon Territory. The soldiers probably won’t come into the Demon Territory because they are afraid of the demons. When I arrive at the Demon Territory, I should be handed over from an Imperial soldier to a subordinate of the Demon Lord. If I want to run away, that’s the time. The Demon Lord doesn’t even know that I can use [Alchemy]. I can take advantage of that. “I can’t die here. I haven’t done enough alchemy yet.” It’s an unnecessary skill for the empire, but not for me. It’s a skill that I was born with. What’s wrong with wanting to master it? Even before I became a civilian, I visited the alchemist’s workshop several times, but I was denied entry because the Duke’s family was pulling strings behind the scenes. That damn dad was so sick that I hated being in public. So while working as a civilian, I was saving money all the time to open my workshop someday. I intended to make an item that was so convenient that it would change the world. The houses and facilities of the Empire are rugged. The rooms were full of crevices in the civilian dormitory. It took a month to get permission to repair a broken window. The war-like Empire doesn’t care about anything else at all. It should be easier to live if we spend money on the people in addition to strengthening our own strength. “If I could survive this ──” I will make items that are extremely convenient for my life using [Alchemy] Then, I will live a comfortable life in a place other than the Empire. I won’t let the Empire use any of my items. Or rather, such a country should be destroyed. Someday I will use [Alchemy] and make a world where strength is meaningless ── “──W-we will soon reach the border with the Demon Territory. Be wary and vigilant!” The carriage stopped, and a soldier shouted. It seems that we have arrived at the destination. As I waited, the carriage door opened with soldiers standing around it. “Come here, Thor Regus.” “I can walk alone.” Shaking off the soldier’s hand, I got off the carriage. Finally, I went out to a large empty lot. When I stretched and looked around, I saw a black forest in the immediate vicinity. The road stops here. At the end of the road to the north, the forest extends from the west to the east. That forest should be the border between the Human World and the Demon Territory. “Is the Demon Territory on the other side of that forest?” “…” The soldiers did not answer. Everyone is staring at the forest with a tense face. “Shoot the signal arrow, they should come and fetch him.” “── Hah!” One of the soldiers held a bow and shot an arrow with a red cloth tied on it, directly above. I wonder if that is the signal for “The hostage is here”. Time passed for a while. The soldiers are tightly packed around me. Eventually, figures appeared from the forest. ” Gururu” Four minotaurs appeared. A demi-human with an ox-head. As I read in a book, they have a cow-like head. They were 2 meters tall and had a buff body. So that’s a minotaur, it’s my first time seeing one. “──── The savage demi-humans came out.” The soldiers trembled while watching the minotaurs. “Are you serious?” I involuntarily spoke. The minotaurs didn’t look savage at all. They have no weapons. They held their hands above their head to reduce the tension. Every time an imperial soldier whispered at the minotaurs, he looked down sadly. “They don’t look savage in my eyes at all.” “Chi.” “Shut up. You’re just a sacrifice!” The soldiers did not answer. It seemed that they were pushing the role of who would talk to the Minotaur to each other. “……Enough” I pushed the soldiers away and stepped forward. To escape, I need to catch the opponent off guard. To do that, their first impression of me needs to be good. “My name is Thor Regus from the Dolgarian Empire.” I gave my name to the minotaurs. “Thank you for welcoming us? I’m sorry, I don’t know what to do from now on. I would be happy if I could talk to the representative.” “── You, talking without permission …” “Then, do you want to take turns?” When I whispered, the soldiers reluctantly stepped back. “… I’m sorry. I’m coming immediately.” Suddenly, I heard a voice from behind the minotaurs. From behind, a petite figure appeared. Her long silver hair swayed as she slowly moved forward. “Welcome to the Demon Territory, Thor Regus-sam.” What appeared was a girl in maid'sid outfit. She has white skin and long silver hair tied with a ribbon. Pointy ears popped out from between her hair. Is she an elf? “I have been ordered to serve as your guide. My name is Mabel Refrain. I welcomed you in the name of Her Majesty, Demon Lor. “Thank you for welcoming me. My name is Thor Regus.” The elf girl, who called herself Mabel, bowed deeply. The minotaurs also did the same. I returned the greetings like an aristocrat. In response, the elf girl Mabel and the minotaurs also bowed again. They were polite. It didn’t look like they had come to pick up hostages or sacrifices. “──I must be dreaming. He’s approaching demi-humans without weapons.” ──Is he crazy? The other party is under the control of the Demon Lord.” “── I guess he gave up. He’s not going to live long anyway.” Behind me, the soldiers were trembling. Everyone is holding their sword in their sheath, ready to be drawn out anytime. “They’re welcoming us over there. Do your work as an escort.” The soldiers looked at me. “── You don’t know anything. Elves are magic users who can blow away a few people with a single blow.” “── Minotaurs have superhuman strength. They can easily squeeze a person’s head.” “── I can’t communicate with those savage guys over there. How do I even get closer… ” ──They muttered in a whisper so that the people of the Demon Territory couldn’t hear them. “You’re saying that they are savage???” These guys locked me in a carriage ── Except for meals and toilets, I didn’t get to go outside── And now they’re trying to hand me over to someone they’re scared of themselves. ── Moreover, they won’t even listen to me. At least the people of the Demon Territory listened to me. “My companions have been rude to you. I apologize in their stead.” I stepped forward a few steps. “I am the eldest son of Duke Regas of the Dolgarian Empire, Thor Regus. At the behest of His Majesty the Emperor, I will join the Demon Territory. I don’t know anything about your country’s rules, so please excuse me for my rudeness.” The elf girl’s hands wrapped around my hand. It was a cool, smooth hand. She opened her violet eyes and nodded, “It’s the first time I’ve received such a greeting from the empire!” She smiles gently at me. “Thank you for coming to the far north to our Demon Territory, Thor-sama. Let’s get along well from now on.” “Yeah, that would be great.” I decided to take a look at the situation for the time being. The forbiddens were turned into a metal block by [Alchemy], and are in my left and right pockets. I can always use it anytime and run away. “Th-Thor Regus. As a messenger, sign the documents!” I heard a tense voice from behind. Looking back, the captain was beckoning me with documents beside the carriage. Am I the messenger? I guess they can’t call me a hostage in front of the Demon Lord’s people. I returned to the captain and quickly signed the paperwork. “Get a signature from that creator, too.” “From Mabel Refrain-san?” “… Why can you touch that creature?” The captain had a deep blue face. “Don’t you know the power of magic used by elves? Why can you easily approach that creature?” “Isn’t there a treaty with the Demon Lord?” “Can you believe what the creatures of the Demon Territory say?” “I would believe them more than the subordinate of a parent who kidnapped his child.” The captain did not reply to my words. He silently pushed the documents onto me. I couldn’t help it, so I gave the document to Mabel Refrain, and she was happy to sign it. “This completes the delivery of the messenger.” Mabel bowed deeply to me . “From here, we will enter the forest. I think it will be difficult to walk as you are not used to it, so we have prepared assistants. If necessary, they can carry you.” As she clapped her hands, large figures emerged from behind the trees. There were four minotaurs. A total of 8 people, including those who were here before. They formed a huge wall behind the elf girl. “H-Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii!” The captain pulled the papers out of my hand, “This completes the delivery of Thor Regus! May the treaty between our Dolgarian Empire and the Demon Territory be kept forever!” “Please excuse us! “” The soldiers rushed away from the people of the Demon Territory.