Chapter 3

The final battle between Demon King Rannu and Demon King Beria.

To be honest, by the previous stage, Demon King Rannu's defeat was almost certain, leaving only Rannu Castle as the last stronghold.

As expected, Rannu ended up losing.

Thanks to this, I was freed from the enslavement magic, but because I was at the front line of the defense, my wings were burned off by Demon King Beria, and I lost them.

That's why I don't have wings.

If only I could say, "Thanks for everything, Wings... but from now on, it's a peaceful era, and we don't need wings anymore..." But of course, reality isn't that kind.

It's a minor thing to lose in exchange for freedom, but I still feel a bit disappointed.

If only Demon King Rannu had surrendered sooner.

No, if he had, the enslavement magic wouldn't have been lifted.

He should have committed seppuku and died, saying something like, "My subordinates are not to blame; I wish to end this battle with my life."

But he was a man who acted as if he were the Demon King, so he probably wouldn't have done something so honorable.

Well, it's no use dwelling on it. My wings will grow back eventually... I think.

I do have a regeneration ability, after all.

But because the one who burned my wings was one of the top twelve Demon Kings, it's hard to say when they'll grow back.

With a normal opponent, they would have regrown by now... damn, Beria.

Oops, I let my negative feelings show.

I should try to think positively about the future.

Considering that I survived the battle with the Demon King and everything else is fine except for my wings, I should consider myself lucky.

Sure, I would have preferred to be completely unharmed...

But my body is still intact.

It's just that a part of it is missing.

Thinking about it that way, it's not as bad as it seems... I think.

By the way, even though I'm now a damaged good, I'm actually the oldest gargoyle.

Gargoyles are relatively easy to produce if you have the materials, so there's a lot of turnover among the members.

I'm amazed that I've managed to survive this long.

I've even fought ancient dragons in the past.

That's ridiculous... I'm a gargoyle.

Still, I somehow managed to survive.

The arrogant ones who left me behind are relatively new, having been created not long ago.

But... but...

(Oops, there I go again, I shouldn't.)

The future is more important than the past.

From now on, I need to think about the future.

First and foremost, the most important thing to consider for my future actions is...

(I need to secure food first.)

It's a practical problem, but it can't be helped.

It would be a cruel irony to starve to death after finally being freed.

I didn't have to think about this before.

My body is made of both minerals and organic parts, so I get hungry.

The enslavement magic has its drawbacks, but it also has benefits.

It prevents hunger.

While enslaved, my master and I were connected, and energy that served as a substitute for food was automatically sent to me.

Now that the connection is severed, I need to eat to survive.

By the way, the enslavement magic cannot be cast on the same target twice.

Once you've been subjected to it, you develop some resistance to the same type of magic.

For enslavement magic, this means you become less susceptible to mental magic, which is true for all races.

That's why I won't be affected by mental magic now.

Once you're under the influence of enslavement magic, it can only be removed if the caster dies or the master voluntarily releases you, so the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.

Now that I get hungry, I need to think about how to obtain food.

The first option is to hunt and eat monsters in the nearby forest.

Some monsters are poisonous, but they can generally be eaten if prepared properly.

I remember eating them with the alchemist who created me, long ago.

He taught me language, alchemy, magic, and various other things in the short year I spent with him.

He didn't teach me cooking, though...

If the goal is just to satisfy my hunger, that's fine. I have a resistance to poison, so I should be able to manage.

Eating raw meat might take some courage, but I have no choice.

The second option is to go to the nearest town and eat at a restaurant.

This way, I can eat something proper even though I can't cook.

However, I don't have any money, so I'd need to do some day labor first.

If I could easily cross the mountains, this would be the best option, but I was abandoned by my comrades.

Without wings, I'd have to walk, and it would take me at least five days to reach the town of Phara.

Going without food for that long would be tough.

The last option is to raid the food supplies of Demon King Beria's army.

Yeah, it's a bold move, but it's not impossible.

However, I'm well-known to Beria, so there's a risk of being caught.

Fighting Beria in my current state would be dangerous.

(I could try to ask her army for employment, but...)

Most races that are immune to enslavement magic, like griffins and giants, are hired as soldiers.

Those who were employed by Demon King Rannu and survived are likely being recruited by Demon King Beria.

Some cruel Demon Kings don't tolerate defiance, but she doesn't engage in unnecessary killing.

She uses what she can.

Of course, not everyone asks for employment.

The gargoyles who abandoned me, for example, refused to rejoin her ranks.

It's possible for gargoyles to be hired.

Our combat abilities aren't particularly high, but we can fly, which is rare, so we're treated well as spies.

I can't fly, but my combat abilities are far superior to the average gargoyle, so there's a good chance I could be hired.

Lower races like slimes and goblins, on the other hand, generally receive poor treatment if hired.

They're not useful in combat and can't be enslaved, so they need to eat, which costs money.

Personally, I think goblins, with their dexterous hands and decent intelligence, could be useful for support roles.

But worrying about others is pointless.

I don't want to be bound again.

If the employment contract is temporary, I can endure it.

It doesn't have the same level of compulsion as enslavement magic.

I can leave once I've saved some money.

So, signing an employment contract isn't necessarily a bad idea.

But I have a big problem.

(Will she forgive me?)

I did a lot of things at the defense line.

She probably knows I was under the influence of enslavement magic, given the lack of life in my eyes.

What did I do? Well...

I grabbed her long, silky silver hair, spun her around, and used centrifugal force to slam her into the wall.

Then I used earth magic to create stone needles and pierced her stomach.

As a distraction, I spat mud into her mouth, creating a thick mud mask on her beautiful face.

Yeah... even I think it's pretty bad.

Looking closely, I can see some of Beria's hair caught in my claws.

I should keep it carefully, maybe use a preservation spell to prevent it from deteriorating.

Demon King hair is rare.

I did a few other things like that.

I lost my wings too, so it's mutual...

(Will she really... forgive me?)

I'm losing confidence.

I didn't kill anyone, and the large-scale magic was stopped.

Her regenerative abilities as a vampire quickly healed the wound in her stomach, so she shouldn't have any lasting injuries.

Still, I did something inappropriate to a beautiful woman.

I hope she forgives me, but if she doesn't, there's a risk she might attack me.

How should I greet her?

Should I pretend it wasn't an attack and try to make small talk?

"Hey, how did you like my special mud pack, Your Majesty? Your skin looks even more beautiful now, and your pores are all clean!"

(No... that's a declaration of war.)

So, an employment contract is out of the question.

If I could just say, "I deeply, deeply, like the sea, repent," it would be fine.

But no matter how much I apologize, it won't matter if she doesn't accept it.

Poor me...

After considering everything, I've decided on my future plan.

I'll head to the town of Phara.

I'll hunt and eat monsters along the way to secure food.

Once I reach the town, I'll look for work to earn money and eat properly.

I'll save some money for the future, even if I don't plan to settle there.

I chose to go to the town not just for food, but also for human interaction.

I'm not a loner, but not talking to anyone for a while would be tough.

I don't want to live in seclusion in the mountains before I've even started anything.

I'll go with this plan, even though it's a bit rough.

To Phara, a day's flight or a five-day walk.

Even if I don't encounter any monsters and can't find food, I can survive for five days with just water.

I can use water magic.

I can replenish my water supply at the cost of magic power, but it's not a significant drain for drinking water.

In the worst case, I could use magic to strengthen my body and run at full speed to reach the town in a day.

But running at full speed as a gargoyle on the ground would be quite noticeable, so I'd rather not.

Now that I've decided on my plan, there's no point in lingering near the castle.

I don't want to get involved in any more trouble, so I'll head to the town.

Note: The image of gargoyles can vary, so here's some additional information:

The protagonist gargoyle is made of both organic parts and minerals (explained in later chapters).

*At first glance, they look like stone statues, but they are not purely inorganic, so they have appetites and other biological needs.