Chapter 154
If Astharoth’s words were true… no, it was highly likely that they were.
She had shown Nahun all the logs of food supplies and even mentioned that he could inspect the warehouses if necessary.
Having checked with his own eyes, the amounts of food that came in from headquarters and the amounts that were dispatched to each army in response to supply requests were transparently recorded, leaving no room for suspicion.
Since the supply logs were routinely checked by the commander-in-chief’s main unit, the potential for manipulation was low. Nahun sighed after examining all the documents.
‘Didn’t she say that other Demon Kings were also keeping an eye on things?’
Citri and Gremony had mentioned it, and Ersha had also spoken about it. The repercussions were spreading even to allies like her.
“Didn’t you investigate who might have stolen them?”
“I did a rough investigation. But I can’t say I did a thorough search.”
“…Then why didn’t you send a separate contact?”
“To be honest, I was indeed concerned about you all. I can’t deny that I took advantage of the situation as well.”
When Nahun glared intensely at her, Astharoth raised her hands slightly in a placating gesture.
“I’m sorry. I’ll apologize for this too. So please don’t glare at me like that.”
“Regardless, it’s true that you ignored the first supply request. That’s why the situation has come to this.”
“I won’t deny that. I apologize once again.”
Astharoth said this while slightly bowing her head as if to show her regret.
Knowing how humiliating it was for a Demon King to bow their head to aid from another faction, Nahun couldn’t help but accept it despite his sigh.
“Is there no speculation at all?”
“Well… there are several factions keeping an eye on Seere von Debata recently.”
“Is it to the extent that it’s hard to fathom?”
“It could be, or it might not be. It’s also possible that this was not done by a Demon King affiliated with the Third Army.”
“…What do you mean?”
At Nahun’s inquiry, Astharoth sighed lightly. Then she cautiously spoke to him.
“What I’m about to say is mostly speculation.”
“Is there any need to speak of uncertain matters?”
“I’m just saying we should keep all possibilities open. Believe it or not, that’s up to you. I’m merely informing you of my deductions.”
Nahun furrowed his brow slightly but did not push back further, waiting for her to continue.
“After learning that you have no connections with Agreas, I found it puzzling why you all were at the forefront.”
“…That makes sense.”
He had thought that they had been placed in the vanguard to showcase their strengths because of connections to Agreas. Now that he knew that wasn’t the case, Astharoth must have also found that reason puzzling.
“So I could think of one more possibility. Honestly, I don’t quite understand it myself, but it made some sense.”
“And what is that?”
“Agreas von Dio is keeping an eye on Seere von Debata.”
At Astharoth’s speculation, Nahun felt as if he had been struck hard on the head. It wasn’t completely out of the blue for him, as there had been a few occasions when Agreas had shown awareness of him since their eyes had met at the banquet.
However, he never expected Agreas to employ such a vile method. To cut off supplies was something one would anticipate from someone like Basago.
‘That foolish Demon King?’
Agreas was only slightly better than Glashalavras, but he too was a Demon King intoxicated by his own power. That power was so formidable that it placed him in the second-highest rank.
In fact, one could almost call him “Lucky Glashalavras.” But for someone like her to utilize Seere as a front in a covert action, while cutting off supplies?
“…Could it be Agreas’s doing?”
“Oh, indeed. There was a reason why Seere von Debata has shown such rapid growth. Her mentor must be quite exceptional.”
“Spare me the insincere praise. I don’t need words without meaning.”
“You seem skeptical despite openly expressing your admiration.”
Astharoth picked one of the scrolls from the pile on her desk and unfurled it before Nahun.
“This is the current supply route for the Third Army.”
“…Is it alright to be showing me something like this?”
“Wouldn’t that make you trust my words a little more?”
Seeing Astharoth’s compliant demeanor, Nahun narrowed his eyes.
“You seem to be trying unusually hard to gain my trust.”
Astharoth, as if anticipating his thoughts, simply explained to him.
“I’ve heard some news about you. I heard you defeated Barbatos?”
“……”
Nahun sighed lightly at how that information had spread.
“And the explosion that occurred in the capital of the Piast Kingdom… it wouldn’t have been Seere von Debata’s doing, would it? It must have been your doing?”
“What an excellent novelist you are.”
“Are you refusing to answer?”
Nahun decided to change his mind. He resolved not to show any signs of the embers to this woman. It was better to avoid revealing any firm answers to such a Demon King.
‘I knew they were strong and also strategic.’
It was beyond his expectations. Given that she was aware of the encounter with Barbatos, her information-gathering abilities seemed quite considerable. He wondered how a Demon King from the 28th layer had planted a spy on the 15th layer.
“Well, it’s like this. As you can see, there are three supply routes, and here are the routes going to Heidelbear, where the Debata faction currently stands.”
Astharoth said this while pointing at the three paths with her feather quill.
“With three routes, not a single one arrived?”
“That’s correct. Therefore, it’s almost certain that something was siphoned off internally. And… as one would expect, it’s highly likely this was orchestrated by the main base, which knows all the supply routes.”
“Where is the last known location of the supply teams?”
“The last report came from….”
She circled an area with her quill.
“Each route has different reporting dates, so it isn’t precise, but they likely disappeared around this vicinity.”
“These locations…”
“Did you catch on?”
Astharoth directed her quill toward the small side roads near the route where the supplies had disappeared.
“They all vanished in places with many side paths. And if you trace those paths…”
The quill drew a long line along the side roads. And generally, those paths connected to the frontline position of Agreas, the commander of the Demon World Alliance Forces.
“And so I concluded. Agreas von Dio is keeping an eye on you. The reason is…”
Astharoth looked at Nahun. As if reading something, she then withdrew her gaze and spoke.
“It seems you don’t know precisely.”
“That’s right. But it’s clear that this is not something Agreas would typically think of.”
“I agree.”
Astharoth said simply.
“Agreas isn’t that bright.”
“…A harsh evaluation.”
“You seem to share a similar sentiment.”
…It was indeed the truth.
Nahun knew that Agreas von Dio had the ability to pull such tricks, but he would not have such a character. So this likely meant…
“Someone is behind this.”
“That seems plausible. If we consider individuals who could give such advice to Agreas…”
The list of candidates narrowed down significantly. Samygina from the same Patrician faction, Basago, and of course…
“…Beelzebub.”
“It’s also suspicious that he left Agreas in charge of the commander’s position.”
Beelzebub von Deus. If it were his doing, it would roughly explain the situation. There were reasonable grounds for wanting to check Seere, and above all, Ersha had stated that he would likely have noticed his presence.
‘There’s plenty of reason to keep an eye on this side, and there’s also a reason to deliberately let Seere shine.’
It seemed Belzebut was the shadow behind Seere’s promotion and the current incidents. After contemplating how to respond, Nahun spoke as if he had made a decision in his mind.
“…For now, I will take the supplies.”
“I doubt you can move all the supplies alone.”
“That’s an unfounded concern. I can move them. And one more thing…”
Nahun quietly warned Astharoth.
“Making us your enemies won’t turn out to be a good choice.”
“…That’s chilling. I appreciate the advice.”
“The supplies?”
“I’ll guide you when you go to the warehouses. However, the headquarters only provided a limited quantity of supplies, so there won’t be many left.”
“Then are you unwilling to give me at least your share? After all, the initial mistake was on your end.”
“If that serves as an apology, I’d gladly do so.”
Astharoth smoothly granted permission, and Nahun nodded without pressing further. She wrote out her decree and handed it to him. As Nahun received it and left the camp, he said.
“I’ll take three times the amount.”
“……”
After Nahun left, Astharoth chuckled softly and murmured.
“That seems a bit excessive.”
Leaving Astharoth’s tent and heading towards the supply depot, Nahun handed Astharoth’s decree to the supply officer.
“Please wait a moment.”
The supply officers groaned under the weight as they transported heavy boxes of supplies outside. Observing this reminded Nahun of his memories during his part-time job loading and unloading goods, filling him with a strange feeling.
He felt an urge to help, but such rashness could tarnish Seere von Debata’s dignity. Nahun refrained from acting impulsively and waited for the soldiers to manage their tasks, and after they moved everything outside, they said.
“It’s three times the amount.”
“Thank you. You’ve worked hard.”
“However… how do you plan to move this? It seems you came alone…”
“It’s simple.”
Nahun suddenly summoned his magic power. Seeing the soldiers’ astonished expressions as he wielded magic, he hastened to finish the task.
He extended his magically imbued hand to the right.
“Gate.”
『Līmen』
Suddenly, space was distorted, and a mysterious passage opened.
“You can take it right away.”
“W-What is this…?!”
“I appreciate the supplies. If you need more in the future, I won’t transport them by cart.”
After all, if they were transported by cart, they would be siphoned off midway again. Nahun lifted the boxes of supplies that the soldiers had struggled with moments ago.
“The quantity is substantial, so I’ll need to make a few trips. I hope you understand.”
“Y-Yes…”
They watched in awe as Nahun moved through space, transporting the supplies, and in an instant, he had moved all of the supplies for two rounds.
#
After moving all the supplies, Nahun communicated with Celestia to confirm that everything had been moved to the warehouse. With the food issue resolved in one go, Celestia looked at him in disbelief.
“…What was that strange magic earlier, Lord Nahun?”
“Strange magic?”
“That… you moved back and forth through that passage and brought all these over.”
“That? It’s ancient magic.”
Upon hearing the term ancient magic, Celestia seemed curious but also somewhat understanding.
“Such magic existed, huh.”
“Has Seere returned?”
“Yes, she has returned after completing the capture of the supply points…”
Just as Celestia was about to share the news about Seere’s return, a cloud of dust suddenly stirred from afar. Hearing a large thumping sound, she focused closely and saw someone with flowing white hair galloping toward them in a not-so-dignified manner.
“…Seere?”
“Teacher!!!”
Crash!!
Receiving Seere’s sudden charge head-on, Nahun stumbled and fell. Although he wasn’t overpowered by strength, he was caught off guard and had difficulty responding. Regardless of Nahun falling or not, Seere rubbed her face affectionately against his stomach.
“Ahhh~♪ It’s the Teacher….”
“Seere, please! You’re getting dirt all over me.”
“I refuse! I want to stay like this a bit longer.”
Sniffing and burying her face further in, Nahun felt a little flustered and hurriedly pushed her head away.
“Let’s not do that…”
“I missed you.”
Seeing Seere smile and playfully plead, Nahun couldn’t help but respond with an air of acceptance.
“Let’s at least get up. We can’t lay on the dirt ground.”
“Okay.”
Seere stepped aside, and Nahun brushed the dirt off his back and stood up. While he was getting up, Seere was taken aback and exclaimed at the supplies he had brought.
“Wait! Did you bring these, Teacher?”
“Yes.”
“How did you bring them??”
Seere looked at Nahun with surprise, her wide eyes reminiscent of her astonished expressions from before, causing Nahun to unintentionally tense up a bit.
“I met with Astharoth.”
“…What did she say?”
“…She?”
As the derogatory term slipped from Seere’s mouth, Nahun felt slightly uneasy. Observing Nahun’s reaction, Seere continued with a puzzled tone.
“She’s the Demon King who refused our supply request, so isn’t it fine to speak ill of her?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Don’t tell me you were fond of that Demon King!?”
“No way! Why do you always think in such directions?”
As Nahun protested loudly, Seere pouted her lips as if sulking.
“I-I’m just worried. Since you are so impressive, there must be many people interested in you…”
“…That hasn’t happened. More importantly, I have something to discuss with you, so it’s fortunate.”
“Yes?”
Nahun conveyed all the events and deductions he had encountered to Seere. As Celestia was there, she would overhear too, but he didn’t mind.
“Beelzebub, huh…”
“There’s a high probability, indeed.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“For now, the supply issue has been resolved, and once we conquer Heidelbear, our task will be done, so I don’t think it will be a big problem.”
“Sounds a bit unjust.”
“However, it can’t be helped. We don’t have any physical evidence, and pressing Agreas with mere suspicions will yield no good result.”
After all, the other party was the second-ranking Demon King. It might be possible for Nahun to engage in a show of force alone, but that wouldn’t provide a fundamental solution. Furthermore, Agreas had only acted as an agent, with the real mastermind suspected to be Beelzebub, making any action ineffective.
Seere expressed her discontent.
“So, for now, we have to endure?”
“Yes, at least for the time being. But I’m not saying you’ll have to endure forever.”
“Yes?”
“This matter must be recorded as a debt. In due time…”
Nahun gently stroked Seere’s head. It was to soothe her gloomy expression. Whether it had an effect, Seere’s previously irritated face visibly relaxed.
“When the time comes, we will repay that debt. They say the revenge of a sovereign takes ten years, yet is never late, right?”
“Yes.”
Of course, Nahun had no intention of letting things slide without action. There was no point in openly exercising force against Agreas, so he wouldn’t engage in that.
But he had actions of another kind in mind. Nahun was aware that the situations of the First and Second Armies were not favorable.
“Seere, focus on the conquest of Heidelbear.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have something to do.”
Thus, Nahun planned to use that situation to create a rapid retreat of the Demon World. After all, Seere’s mission was to end with the conquest of Heidelbear, and it should conclude there. There was no benefit in engaging in further battles.
Having accomplished a notable feat and succeeded in lessening the forces of the Celestial Realm… it was about time for Nahun to return to the Demon World. To do so, the First and Second Armies needed to sustain greater losses and retreat rapidly.
If that occurred, naturally, the qualities and reputation of the commander, Agreas, would suffer. Although it wouldn’t be direct revenge, it would be a small form of it.
“You also have an assignment, right? While you’re conquering Heidelbear, I’ll take care of other matters.”
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“By the way, isn’t my assignment failing…?”
“What do you mean?”
“You conquered the royal capital, didn’t you? Because of that, it has affected here and, in a sense, I’ve effectively received your help.”
If her assignment ended in failure, Seere would be unable to go out with Nahun. Seeing her sulk over that fact, Nahun said to her.
“I haven’t helped you at all.”
“…What?”
“I mentioned I would prevent the Celestial Forces from moving, didn’t I? Because of that, I happened to handle things along the way… and it was you who utilized the shifted circumstances, right?”
Naturally, Nahun had intended to conquer the royal capital from the beginning. But he cleverly twisted his words for Seere’s sake, and realizing this, she chuckled lightly.
“Is that how it goes?”
“Exactly. So your assignment isn’t over.”
“…Thank you.”
“It seems I haven’t done much after all. Celestia, make sure to help Seere well.”
“Ah, yes!”
Nahun looked at Seere.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll finish up quickly too.”
“Just don’t rush. Stay calm and be thorough.”
“Yes!”
Nahun smiled lightly, distorted space beside him, and before departing, he gently patted Seere on the head and set off.
‘I need to devise a situation that will lead to the swift retreat of the Demon World, while simultaneously weakening the forces of the Celestial Realm appropriately.’
That way, when he returned to the Demon World, Seere would have the stage to shine. To achieve that, the first destination he headed towards was the battlefield where the First Army was clashing with the Spirit Kings.
