Chapter 86

With the possibility of a massive monster outbreak looming, the city of Lastock has been in a state of turmoil since the day after Rondal and the others returned from Volzard. Lastock, a town that came into being fifteen years ago due to a large-scale development project, is separated from the Forest of Demons by a large river, and as a result, most households are not prepared for monster attacks. If we were to be hit by a massive outbreak in this state, the damage would be catastrophic.

The first thing Camilla did was to set up shelters for the townspeople. Reinforcing each and every household would take far too much time, so she decided to reinforce buildings that could accommodate large numbers of people and use them as shelters.

The barracks where our classmates were housed are sturdy enough to be used as shelters as they are. In addition, schools, churches, and auditoriums have been selected as shelters, and not only the guards but also adventurers and the townspeople are working together to reinforce them. While reinforcing the buildings, they are also bringing in food from grain warehouses.

Despite the sudden and large-scale nature of the situation, the scene is not one of chaos. This is because there are knights overseeing the work at each site, checking on progress and giving precise instructions on what to do next.

"Fred, does this plan seem to be following Camilla's strategy?"

"That's right... She hasn't slept much since the news arrived..."

Since Rondal and the others returned from Volzard, Camilla has been working almost without rest, except for short naps, to formulate plans and issue new instructions based on progress reports. Camilla serves as the brain, the knights as the nerves transmitting information, and the adventurers and residents as the hands and feet carrying out the work. It's as if the entire city of Lastock is functioning as a single organism.

"Klaus is impressive, but Camilla seems to be on a whole different level."

"Indeed, a true leader... Compared to Camilla, the other royals are trash..."

Given her practical skills and her unwavering concern for the knights and residents, it's no wonder she commands such respect. Honestly, if we had been treated fairly, I think our classmates would have cooperated with Camilla voluntarily.

After observing the progress of the reinforcement work until midday, I returned to Volzard. When I visited the temporary quarters of the guard, the teachers were conducting the final checks on the letters they had written.

Our demands are as follows: an official apology from the Kingdom of Reisenburg, a total of 70 million hert in compensation for the families of the deceased and those inconvenienced by us, and our return to our original world. If these demands are accepted, we will assist in the succession of the Fourth Prince. If they are rejected, we will interfere with Lastock's preparations for the outbreak.

Although it pains me to see the people of Lastock working so hard, if Camilla accepts our demands, we will cooperate in return. All the teachers agreed with the content of the letter, and Mr. Oda sealed the envelope.

"Kokubu, deliver this letter to Princess Camilla without letting the Second Prince's faction, or the First Prince's faction, or the King's faction find out, and bring back her reply."

"Understood, it will likely be a late-night meeting, so perhaps by tomorrow morning..."

"No, we will be waiting here tonight, so please come back even if it's late."

"Understood."

After receiving the letter, I returned to Lastock. I thought about visiting the guard's mess hall, but given the current tension, I decided against it. For lunch, I'll just sneak some food from the Lastock garrison as usual.

The main force in the reinforcement work is the earth mages. They focus on reinforcing the entrances, windows, and first-floor walls of the buildings selected as shelters. It seems that the buildings in this world are generally built using earth magic, with earth applied to wooden frames and hardened using magic. The better the earth mage, the more earth they can harden at once, and the stronger the hardened earth will be.

"Reinhardt, how strong can the hardened earth be?"

"Generally, in construction, a skilled craftsman can achieve the strength of natural stone, while a beginner can only make it solid but weak."

"Can it be made stronger than iron?"

"Many of the armor makers are earth mages, but when making swords and spears, they start by carefully selecting the materials."

"I see, so there are limits with just any old earth."

"Indeed, there are specialists who focus on selecting materials."

It's amazing how much work goes into making a single sword... Wait, what about the weapons Reinhardt and the others use? They can form them by imagining them, but they don't even know what materials they're made of... Well, I'll just have to accept that.

After completing the reinforcement of the shelters, the workers are now being assigned to the riverbank to prepare the embankments. Until now, the riverbank on the Lastock side had only a drawbridge connecting the road and a few docks for fishing boats, mostly left in its natural state. They are digging into the riverbank, piling up the excavated earth to create embankments. In a sense, they are adding a natural moat to the river and building a wall.

"Just harden it enough so it doesn't collapse; if we wait for the final hardening, we won't finish in time."

"What's wrong? We're running out of core materials, bring them quickly!"

As the workers who completed the shelter reinforcement gathered, I thought the work would proceed smoothly, but it seems we are short on materials. Unlike the shelter reinforcement, the embankment work covers a wide area, and the earth magic hardening can't keep up, so they need to build a wooden frame first before piling up the earth. Without the core materials, they can't pile up the earth, and without the earth, they can't dig.

"Hey, what's the status of the core materials?"

"They were used for the shelter reinforcement, and the inventory is running low."

"Then, do we need to go logging?"

"Another group has already been sent, but they haven't returned yet."

"Damn... We were doing so well..."

As dusk approached, some of the workers, with nothing to do, started chatting. If this continues, the work will come to a complete halt.

Moving to the garrison's office, I found Camilla holding her head. She would look at documents, then stand up and look down at the training ground from the window. From the office window, you can see the training ground and the garrison gate, but the group Camilla was waiting for, who went to log, hasn't returned yet. When I asked Alt to scout, the loggers were still on their way to Lastock and would take some time to arrive.

"So, even Camilla can't get everything to go according to plan, huh?"

"Yes, but perhaps the shelter reinforcement work progressed faster than expected."

"Oh, right... The work progressed unexpectedly, and now we're short on materials... Large-scale projects are really difficult."

"Exactly. In war, if the supply lines are cut, you can't fight. In construction, you need to manage materials, personnel, and ensure they have food and rest."

"What will Camilla do next?"

"Perhaps we can see the qualities of a leader in how they handle such situations."

Camilla, with her arms crossed, stared intently out the window, then nodded as if making a decision and shouted out the window.

"Clemens! End today's work except for the lumber team! Tell them the work will continue tomorrow, so they should get plenty of rest!"

"Understood!"

There was still some time before sunset, but Camilla decisively decided to end the work.

"What do you think, Reinhardt?"

"It's a good decision. Without materials, the work can't progress. Continuing aimlessly will only increase fatigue."

Camilla closed the window, returned to her desk, and resumed checking the schedule. Surprisingly, even her secretary and guards were dispatched to the site, leaving Camilla alone in the office. The door was left open for those who needed to report.

Camilla was comparing the schedule with a list of materials, frowning. Even if she sent out fast horses for reinforcements, with no aid coming from anywhere, it was clear that the materials would run out. While wood could be logged, nails and bolts couldn't be prepared immediately.

"At best, if the shelters are somehow completed, the embankments won't be finished in time..."

After the knights supervising the site finished their reports, they all requested the same thing: more materials. Metal fasteners were needed to connect the pieces of wood, and while earth mages could harden them as a substitute, this would increase the mages' workload and ultimately delay the project.

"Princess Camilla, the embankment work can't progress as it is."

"We need more wood, but it's overwhelmingly insufficient."

"Should we increase the logging team?"

"Will reinforcements come from the capital?"

All the suggestions were valid, but Camilla was well aware of the situation. Increasing the logging team would reduce the number of workers on the project, and without materials, the work couldn't progress. In the end, Camilla could only slightly increase the number of loggers.

During the process, she only ate a sandwich and continued to listen to reports and formulate countermeasures. Eventually, Camilla was left alone in the office. Occasionally, she pressed her temples with her left hand, perhaps feeling a slight headache. But I have my own job to do.

I asked Bastien to keep watch in the hallway, and had Reinhardt as my bodyguard, with Fred ready to restrain Camilla if she got out of hand. With Reinhardt by my side, I emerged from the shadow world and stood in front of her desk, but Camilla didn't notice and continued writing.

Suddenly, she stopped and her gaze casually caught mine.

"Who... who are you..."

Fred's sword was placed against her throat, and she stopped moving.

"Please be quiet. I don't want to resort to violence..."

Honestly, I was a bit nervous in front of Camilla, but I tried to act composed.

"So, you're the one from before..."

"Indeed, you remember me..."

"Damn... So I failed from the start..."

Camilla threw the pen she was holding onto the desk. It seemed she had no intention of fighting, so I had Fred lower his sword.

"Right, let's get to the point... our..."

"I understand. I know your demands..."

Camilla slowly stood up, walked around the desk, and faced me, then suddenly took off her jacket.

"Huh? What...?"

Caught off guard by her unexpected action, I froze as Camilla knelt on the floor and bowed deeply.

"Wh-what are you doing..."

"O-Oh Demon King, do with me as you will... Just please, don't harm the people..."

"What... what are you talking about..."

"Is it... not possible? So, all the women in Lastock... no, all the women in Reisenburg will be raped until they are broken..."

"Wait, that's not true!"

Camilla's eyes, when she looked up at me, were lifeless.

"I see... Not now, not in this deserted place, but in front of the knights... no, in front of the gathered people, you will defile me... and your army will impregnate me until I am with child... Ah!"

I couldn't help but slap her on the head.

"Listen! No one is demanding that!"

"But... the Demon King's demands..."

"Shut up! Put your jacket back on and sit down!"

I waited on the sofa until Camilla finished putting her jacket back on.

"Alright, what do you want from me..."

"Trying to act tough now won't help."

"Ugh... So this is the Demon King, slowly breaking my spirit..."

"Hey, why do you keep calling me the Demon King?"

"Because you are the summoner, of course."

"Huh? Don't summoners summon heroes?"

"Hmm, so you only know the hero stories that are passed down among the people?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Demon King is the result of a summoner's transformation."

"Huh?"

"The fairy tales passed down among the people are fabricated stories created by the royal family, not the truth."

Camilla told me the true story of the hero and the Demon King, as known to the royal family. Long ago, in what is now the demon-ruled southern continent, there was a single kingdom. This kingdom had been at war with a kingdom connected by a narrow peninsula for a long time, and during the reign of one king, Reisenburg was on the brink of destruction. At that time, the first hero summoning was performed.

The summoned hero wielded vast magical power and controlled multiple elements, repelling the army of the southern kingdom. Up to this point, the hero had performed admirably. However, as the hero achieved more victories, he became arrogant and began making various demands. Gold, status, fame, and women. The hero took any woman he liked, regardless of whether she was engaged or married, and raped her relentlessly, using his inhuman strength. Not only that, he would heal the women with healing magic and then rape them again until they were broken, toying with their minds until they were mentally shattered.

"The Reisenburg royal family decided to exile him and even attempted to assassinate him, but the hero fled to the southern continent."

Camilla said this with a tone of disgust. The southern continent was ruled by the exiled hero, who became the Demon King and controlled demons. The Demon King then extended his vengeful hand to Reisenburg, and the royal family, in a desperate situation, performed another hero summoning.

"But that summoning only increased the number of Demon Kings to two. The royal family, in a desperate attempt, incited the second Demon King, who was making strange noises and ravaging women, to fight the first Demon King."

Perhaps due to a mutual hatred, the Demon Kings fought to the death, and the first Demon King, with more experience, emerged victorious. However, the first Demon King, exhausted from the battle with the second Demon King, was targeted by a Reisenburg knight who had been lying in wait and was ultimately defeated. The battle left an abnormal amount of magical energy in the southern continent, transforming it into a land ruled by demons. The aftermath of the outbreak from the southern continent is now the Forest of Demons.

From this experience, the Reisenburg royal family banned summoning as a forbidden art and suppressed it thoroughly, fabricating the hero and Demon King stories in the same way. However, the fact that the summoner possesses vast magical power, even if they become a Demon King, is true, and the ritual for summoning a hero as a last resort in times of crisis has been passed down in the royal family.

"I independently researched and modified the summoning ritual to disperse the magical power that would normally concentrate on one male, by increasing the number of participants, lowering their age, and removing the gender restriction. The result was you."

"So that's why you called us potential Demon Kings?"

"Y-You, how do you know the contents of the letter to Volzard... But it must be true, think back to when you were summoned."

"Huh? Ah... Funayama..."

Immediately after being summoned, Funayama had confronted Camilla and even demanded a night's entertainment. If Funayama had gained cheat abilities, he would have acted like the Demon King Camilla described. That's why Camilla used Funayama as an example and didn't care if he died.

"Even if I specify a manageable age for summoning, there's a risk that they will become uncontrollable as they grow. That's why I bound them with subservience bracelets and instilled loyalty to Reisenburg."

The weak hero, Takayama, was given good treatment and a girl named Shelia to keep him under control, but if he had mentioned a harem, he would have been eliminated... Takayama was lucky. After a pause, Camilla looked at me, then at Reinhardt, and finally at Fred, who was ready to restrain her at any moment, before sighing.

"But despite all the preparations, I stumbled at the first step. I never expected that a failure like you would be the Demon King..."

Hmm... The Demon King Camilla is talking about and the one mentioned in Volzard seem different, but it might be advantageous for negotiations, so I'll leave it uncorrected.

"So, Demon King, what are your demands? As I said, do with me as you will, but if you harm the people... I will do whatever it takes to kill you."

"Can you? Last time, when I rescued my friends, I was a bit careless and got skewered, but I won't make the same mistake again."

"Damn... Paul said he skewered you... He said he gutted you..."

"Even I can feel pain. Want to try the pain of being skewered by a sword?"

"So, if the people can be saved, I will endure any pain, any humiliation."

"Alright, here are our demands."

I took out the letter from my shadow storage and slid it across the table to Camilla. She took the envelope, swallowed hard, and then cut it open.

"This is..."

Camilla quickly scanned the letter, let out a small gasp of surprise, and then read it through twice slowly.

"You've even investigated the royal family's internal affairs... The escape wasn't orchestrated by the Second Prince's faction, then..."

"Actually, there was a plan to negotiate directly with the king, but with that king..."

"You know about my brothers, Alphonse and Bernst?"

"Of course..."

"So, you want me to take control of the real power?"

I nodded silently. Camilla seemed to be desperately thinking as she pretended to reread the letter.

"Unfortunately, I cannot accept these demands."

Camilla, after closing her eyes for a moment, looked at me with a determined gaze and said firmly.

"That's unfortunate. I also care about the people of Lastock..."

"Wait, wait, I can apologize as much as you want. As I said, I will willingly offer my body if you want. The compensation... I will do my best to pay, even if not all at once. But... the return spell does not exist. Returning to your original world... is impossible."

"Huh..."