NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23
Chapter 23. Be Proud
Well then, I’m Zilbagias, the demon lord prince, ordered to kill the captured human men with my own hands.
So, this day has finally come.
The day I had feared.
I was surprisingly calm, perhaps because I had steeled myself when I made a pact with Antendeixis.
But contrary to that resolve, my whole body felt like it was burning, and the sweat on my forehead felt strangely cold.
The men glared at me.
They had likely been treated poorly since becoming prisoners of the demon lord army. Their bodies were covered in small scratches, and they probably hadn’t eaten anything decent.
Bound and surrounded by demons, knight elves, and beastmen, they had been dragged right to the center of the training grounds. …It was clear that a grim fate awaited them.
However, even in such dire circumstances, they had not lost their fighting spirit. If they weren’t chained up, they might even be ready to rush at me with their bare hands.
Just common soldiers, you say? Nonsense. If these aren’t heroes, then who could possibly be called a hero…?
“I’ve picked some lively ones,” Oalrug said while patting my shoulder with his spear.
“Zilbagias, take this.”
Platy handed me an obsidian knife, infused with strong magic. It was sturdier and sharper than any cheap metal knife.
“I too, was given a stone knife on my first hunt with my father and took down my prey. With the bones of my first catch, I crafted my first spear. That has been a tradition among demonkind since ancient times…”
Oalrug narrowed his eyes nostalgically as he spoke of the spear he still kept displayed in his room.
Holding the knife, I stood frozen in place.
Everyone in the training grounds had stopped their work and was now watching me intently.
“Is this some sort of coming-of-age ceremony?”
“Ah, I remember doing that at around his age as well.”
“I hear he’s actually five years old.”
“Huh? He’s way too big!”
The demons, beastmen, and knight elves murmured to each other.
“When it was my turn, I faced forest elves.”
“Oh, that sounds nice. I had to deal with a runaway ogre instead.”
“I was forced to kill an enemy tribe’s soldier without even knowing what was going on.”
“I faced humans.”
They were laughing and sharing stories, transcending the boundaries of their races.
“You were so determined to behead him even though it was your first time.”
“Ah, I remember that, but I couldn’t cut through the bones and ended up tearing up.”
“Stop bringing up such old stories…!”
“I wonder how this prince will kill them?”
Piercing gazes, hundreds of them, were fixed on me.
“…So, is it true?”
Moistening my parched mouth, I asked.
“Do I just need to kill all of them?”
“Do as you like. Slice their throats, stab their hearts. How you handle your prey shows who you are.”
“I see. Then I’ll consider them my prey.”
It was entirely up to me what to do.
There were five of them.
“—Unchain them all.”
I ordered the knight elf behind the prisoners.
“…All of them? At once?”
“Yeah.”
The knight elf looked as if he wanted to say I was being unreasonable, but he began releasing the captives.
“Zilbagias! A group of humans is tough!”
Oalrug warned from behind, but I didn’t care.
“Garunya.”
Instead, I called over my newly appointed beastman subordinate.
“Yes!”
“Don’t intervene. If any of them survive, bring them back to the border alive.”
“Understood! …Huh?”
“If you’re fighting against the prince of demons, a reward is only fair, right?”
I looked at the men who had just been freed from their restraints.
—If possible, I wanted to send them all back alive.
Noble soldiers who didn’t beg for their lives even in desperate situations, standing firm.
I didn’t want to uselessly let these courageous men die.
Yet, no matter how much I wished for it, that was not something I could allow in this public situation. I couldn’t show behavior unbefitting of a demon lord prince.
I understood painfully well my own worth and position. Even if I risked my life to save these five men right here, it wouldn’t shake the demon lord kingdom.
On the other hand, if I continued to be a proper prince, my blade would one day reach the demon lord, and I could bring down this mighty nation.
So, what I could do was this:
Set up a situation resembling a hunt rather than a duel, and prepare a ‘reward’ in case of an emergency. That was all.
Of course, I had no intention of quietly letting myself be killed.
“‘If you’re going to kill regardless, isn’t that simply self-satisfaction?’”
Antendeixis teased.
“‘Killing without suffering is mercy,’” he added.
Maybe that was true.
“‘Killing them without suffering is truly charitable.’”
No, that’s wrong.
If I were in their position…
I would wish to fight back, to struggle, rather than be struck down without resistance.
Killing without suffering is mercy? Don’t mess with me.
That kind of arrogant mercy can go to hell…!!
“Don’t take it personally, humans.”
With the knife held reverse grip, I addressed the men.
“I’ll be using a knife, but you five are unarmed. Do what you must.”
It’s not as if they were amateurs, but rather trained soldiers. Just relying on my fighting skills alone would be a grave mistake, not to mention the risk of being overwhelmed and having the knife taken from me.
“…If we kill you…”
One of the men growled.
“Will we be able to go home alive?”
“Probably.”
I loosened my stance for a moment and declared to the onlookers.
“If by some mistake, these pitiful humans manage to kill me—I’ll send them home with the treatment of national guests! If they take the head of a demon lord prince, that would be recognized as heroism. Don’t you think so?”
As I spoke in a deliberately mocking tone, the spectators began to laugh and whistled in derision.
Platy, watching me, maintained a composed expression, but I could see the tension in her hand gripping the fan. Oalrug had a rather serious expression, likely thinking this was madness. Garunya looked bewildered, caught between the order to “use himself as a shield” and “don’t interfere.”
“—So, that’s how it is. Now, let’s see the pride of us demonkind in action.”
“Heh, I don’t have high hopes for that.”
One of them spat dismissively.
“You said you were a demon lord prince?”
A more seasoned soldier stared at me with gleaming eyes.
“That’s right. If you take my head, you’ll earn a big achievement. Listen well, my name is—”
That’s right, I—
“—I am Zilbagias.”
Born into this detested name.
“—Child of Demon Lord Goldgias, Demon Lord Prince Zilbagias!”
The soldiers took their combat stance.
“[Oh gods of light, protect us!]”
“[Abominable words, receive the cleansing light!]”
“[May the curses of the wicked stay far from us!]”
They chanted their incantations, quickly forming a line.
The weak barrier of magic surrounding the soldiers intertwined, forming a stronger shield.
I felt a surge of emotions within me.
What’s so common about these soldiers? They’re all top-tier!
It was enough to bring me to tears, their exceptional teamwork. This was how humans fought.
Typically, they would wield a sword in their right hand and shield in their left, forming formations that complemented each other. It wasn’t about individual strength but rather the resilience of the group, rigorously trained among human soldiers.
—I wanted them to win.
But I couldn’t lose.
I had no intention of dying.
I wouldn’t even ask for forgiveness.
“—Let me be your feast!”
Stepping over them, I aimed to defeat the demon lord.
“‘Death to the creatures of darkness!’”
The soldiers responded in unison.
Words were no longer necessary.
It was time to hunt or be hunted. The battle for life had begun.