We found ourselves thrown into prison, but we decided to focus on resting our bodies for the ti being. Our main focus was to heighten our fighting spirit, allowing our wounds to heal while we regained our strength.
Since Mika and I were mostly unhard, we observed the condition of our comrades in the other cells. Almost everyone bore swollen bruises, the marks of beatings, fangs, and claws. Nevertheless, aside from a few deep wounds, their bodies were already exhibiting signs of recovery. Everyone should be grateful for the strength of their healing powers as demons.
My attention shifted towards Lappy, who lay sleeping, exhausted and still showing traces of tears. I gently arranged her disheveled hair, yet her cheeks remained red and swollen. She must have been struck by that mysterious demon. How dare he strike an innocent child… If I have the chance, I will put an end to his life.
“Once again, we’ve been rescued. Your strength is truly exceptional… How did you beco so powerful?” Tigar said.
“Since we started fighting together, we’ve only been saved by you. How shaful,” Zald added.
Tigar expressed his admiration, while Zald spoke with a self-deprecating tone. My strength ca from enduring Georg’s torturous training, pushing myself through self-disciplined practice to survive and avert death. Additionally, the intense martial arts training instilled in by Alexander, though brief, played a significant role. My current strength was by no ans a product of innate talent.
If others were to do the sa… Well, perhaps Georg’s training would be too much. Nonetheless, I could teach them about self-discipline and martial arts training. If they desired, I would gladly impart my knowledge whenever ti permitted.
And Zald, you ntioned that you’re always receiving help, but that’s not entirely true. Although everyone was initially cautious, the mbers of the Demon Squad eventually accepted as one of their own. Their acceptance has been a trendous source of comfort for my ntal well-being. So please, don’t belittle yourself in that way.
While I was pondering how to convey my feelings, a commotion erupted from the floor below. Curious, I strained my ears and realized that the new demons had awakened and seed to be causing a ruckus.
“Grrrrrrrr! Release ! Let out!”
“Aaaaaah! My, my balls! Ahhhhh!”
“All I taste is blood in my mouth… That scorpion bastard—I’ll definitely kill him the next ti we et!”
“He’s my target. If you steal him from , I’ll kill you, you bastard.”
“What was that? You’re just a lowly leech insect of a demon talking big. If you think you can kill , go ahead and try, you weakling.”
“…Swallow my spit, you dim-witted lizard.”
“Kikikikiki! Fight! It’s a fight!”
“Let’s bet on who will win!”
From the floor below, it seed that those demons were causing quite a commotion. They were shouting and making a fuss. While making noise alone wouldn’t be much of a concern, it appeared that they had actually started fighting for real. It was likely the crocodile demon and the mysterious looking demon who had struck Lappy. It turned out the latter was a leech demon. The sounds of their intense battle and the strong vibrations reached our floor from below.
Did these guys have no sense of companionship? It reminded of the rookie battles in the Battle Beast Tournant. Despite sharing the sa circumstances as fellow beasts, they would kill each other as enemies. The demons downstairs were the sa, refusing to cooperate and instead willing to devour each other. Truly, they were no different from animals.
The strength of a demon lies in his ability to harness the powers of various creatures through human intelligence. If they couldn’t do that, they were nothing more than strange-looking humanoid beings. Don’t they realize that?
“You lot! What’s all the noise about? Quiet down!”
“Shut up! We’re in the middle of sothing important, so don’t get in our way!”
“If you want us to be quiet, why don’t you force us? If you can, that is! Gyahahaha!”
Despite the guards’ attempts to silence the commotion, the demons not only refused to comply but even provoked them. Just as the guards were about to take disciplinary action to change their attitude, the door leading outside swung open.
A group of about ten Imperial soldiers entered through the door I had passed through with Marcellus a while ago. I recognized two of them. One was Marcellus, and the other was Decius.
“The demons on the first floor have been granted their release. Cease the fighting imdiately. I repeat, since their release has been granted, cease the fighting,”
One of the Imperial soldiers announced.
Upon hearing this, the demons montarily fell silent before erupting into cheers. Even the fighting crocodile demon and leech demon seed to quiet down, clicking their tongues at each other. It seed that they prioritized leaving rather than engaging in combat with unpleasant opponents.
The new demons continued to clamor as they made their way outside. Once they had all left, the door closed, bringing a sense of tranquility back to the prison.
It appeared that all the Imperial soldiers who entered through the door, except for Marcellus and Decius, had escorted the demons outside. On the other hand, the two of them ascended the stairs and approached us. Perhaps they were here to release us as well?
“It seems like everyone went through a tough ti. Are your injuries… already healed?”
“As expected of a demon, I suppose? Anyway, here you go. It’s a little gift I brought.”
Decius reached into a large bag he had slung over his shoulder and put sothing into the cell. I knew exactly what it was. It was… dried fruits!
I was tempted to pounce on them right away, but I held myself back and gently shook Lappy to wake her up. Lappy rubbed her eyes and slowly opened them. Then, as if rembering sothing, she trembled and clung to .
Surely, the leech demon had been very frightening for her. I let her to do as she pleased and then turned my gaze towards Mika. It seed like the latter understood my intention before he handed the gift Decius had brought.
“…”
“…Big Brother, what’s this?” Lappy asked.
“It’s dried fruit. Sweet and delicious, you know.”
I handed the dried fruit gift to Lappy. At first, she didn’t know what it was. However, after sniffing it a few tis, she seed to notice its delightful aroma. Lappy cautiously brought it to her mouth.
And what do you think? Lappy’s eyes widened at first, and she froze for a mont. After that brief mont passed, she eagerly began devouring the dried fruits. In no ti, she had finished all the dried fruits distributed to our cell.
I wanted to eat so too…! But looking at Lappy’s contented sleeping face, now full and drifting back to sleep, I couldn’t bring myself to be angry. I suppose I’ll forgive her for today.
“Listen, everyone. I want to talk about how we’re going to resolve today’s brawl,” Marcellus said.
Following that, Marcellus started explaining. It appeared that the new demons had already been released and taken outside. To prevent a repeat of the sa situation, to maintain discipline among the soldiers, and to keep us and the new demons separated, we would remain in prison.
Upon hearing the news, so of the demon squad mbers wore discontented expressions on their faces. It was only natural. Clearly, the ones to bla were Karelvo and those demons who instigated the whole incident. Yet, here we were, being punished and locked up in prison, our already limited freedom taken away. Their reactions were understandable.
“Well, hold on a mont. It’s not all bad. In exchange for imposing restrictions on you, there are two conditions.” Marcellus said.
Marcellus spoke of two conditions. The first was that we would be allowed free movent within the second floor of the prison we were currently held in. The second was that our als would be the sa as those given to the prisoner of war.
While Tigar and the others seed puzzled about how receiving the sa treatnt as prisoners of war was a good thing, Mika and I, who had been present during the interrogation, fully understood. The captured woman had demanded lavish als in return for answering questions. So, the fact that we would receive the sa als ant our own als would beco more luxurious.
“The headquarters recognizes and values your military strength. So it’s only natural,” Marcellus said.
“What are you talking about? I heard that the discussion about the als was initiated by you, vice commander.” Decius interjected
“What?! Who told you that?” Marcellus asked.
“I have a fellow countryman among the guards assigned by the headquarters.”
It seed that Marcellus had made efforts to improve our treatnt, even if just slightly. He had tried to keep it a secret, but it was exposed by Decius.
“A-anyway! That’s the situation! And of course, if you attempt to escape from the prison or venture to other floors without authorization, you will face punishnt, so be careful,” Marcellus continued.
“Just rember that freedom is only granted on this floor. Keep that in mind, alright?”
We nodded in agreent with Marcellus and Decius’ warnings. We didn’t want to let go of the small freedoms and luxuries we had gained. At that mont, there was no trace of dissatisfaction on anyone’s face.
After finishing their explanations, Marcellus and Decius began unlocking the doors of our cells one by one. This ant that we could now freely move between the cells.
“Alright, that should do it. Oh, Mika and Mr. Scorpion, sorry to bother you, but we’re heading for the interrogation of the captive prisoner. Can you co with us?” Marcellus requested.
“As of this ti, I will also accompany you as the scribe. You can count on in case of any need,” Decius added.
…Just when I thought we had gained our freedom, it seed there was work to be done imdiately. Mika and I shook our heads in exasperation, then stood up. Leaving Lappy, who was still asleep; in the care of our comrades, the two of us made our way to the underground cells with Marcellus and Decius.
*************
TN: There has been a misunderstanding on my part about Marcellus; I always thought that Marcellus held the rank of captain and Decius vice-captain, but from previous chapters it seems that Marcellus should be called vice commander or vice-captain(Fuku Taichou). His commander is that arrogant guy who appeared in previous chapters. Sorry for this minor mistake, and I will fix it in the chapters where it has been ntioned; so this mistake may not be relevant to all readers.
Reviews
All reviews (0)