Chapter 20

Creeping up behind the gatekeeper, I struck the back of his neck with the edge of my hand.

This is a common scene in movies and manga, but if you infuse it with magic, knocking someone out is a piece of cake.

--In other words, it doesn't have to be a hand strike.

On the other hand, Lilith, being a succubus, was bashing the gatekeeper's head with a hearty thwack.

The gatekeeper was foaming at the mouth and lying on the ground, pitiful indeed.

I felt sympathy, but I had no time to care for him.

If I have the chance later, I'll cast a healing spell, but what I needed now was the body of Alistair, the captain of the White Rose Knights.

We opened the gate and entered the tower.

On the first floor of the tower, as expected, it was the guard post.

A few tables and chairs were set up, and the guards were chatting there.

Of course, it was during their duty, so no one was drinking, but some were playing card games, and others were sleeping on the table.

In short, there was no tension at all.

"Well, that's to be expected..."

I muttered.

The noble being confined here was unlikely to escape from the inside unless in an extraordinary situation, and there was no worry of an attack from the outside.

It would be unreasonable to expect them to maintain tension.

Moreover, they probably never even imagined an attack by the "demon race."

Even now, despite our presence, they looked bewildered.

By the way, I was a strange magician wearing a skull mask, and Lilith was a succubus with brown skin.

Despite this, it took the guards a few seconds to shout,

"Demons!!"

I had already finished chanting the spell before their cry.

*Deep Hypnosis*

This spell takes a bit of time to cast but is a hypnotic spell that affects a wide area. Humans without magic would fall asleep without any resistance.

In fact, everyone except those who were already sleeping collapsed on the spot.

I couldn't help but laugh a little at the sight of the one who had been dozing, waking up to the sound of the others collapsing.

"Hmm, it seems this spell doesn't work on those who are already asleep."

It was a good case study.

I said this and then struck the guard who had just woken up with the edge of my hand.

"Foolish guard. If you had pretended to be asleep, you wouldn't have suffered."

Lilith said this, turned to me, and chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

I asked.

Lilith's smile widened as she replied.

"Because, Lord Ike, you told me to hold back, but you don't hold back at all."

"......"

I remained silent.

(......I am holding back, though.)

From an outsider's perspective, my restraint seems like an incredible amount of force.

It seems I have no right to criticize others.

--I'll be more careful in the future.

In any case, I needed to secure Alistair quickly.

I forcibly woke one of the sleeping guards and interrogated him to find out where Alistair, the captain of the White Rose Knights, was being confined.

Apparently, he was being held on the top floor.

"The captain of the White Rose Knights seems to be a VIP."

"He must be of high rank among the nobles."

It seems that, whether in this world or in the modern world, the rich prefer higher places.

"Since we know the location, can I just kill this one quickly?"

Lilith asked.

"Hey, Lilith, I told you not to shed unnecessary blood..."

"Come on, it's a joke. A witty demon joke. I was just thinking that if we threaten him, he might give us the key to the top floor. Oh? This one fainted?"

The poor guard had fainted.

Lilith suggested, "Should I splash some water on him to wake him up?" but I shook my head.

I thought it was unnecessary.

I walked to the top floor and approached the room where Alistair was likely being confined.

As expected, the room was locked, but it wasn't a very strong lock.

A demon could break it with brute force, and a human with nimble fingers could easily unlock it.

"Well, there's no need for that. I can just use the *Unlock* spell."

I cast the spell as I said this.

*Click*—

The door opened.

I entered the room and bowed respectfully.

I am a demon, and the other is human, so there's no need to be overly polite, but if showing respect can smooth things over, it's a cheap price to pay.

Raising my head, I looked at the person who seemed to be the captain of the White Rose Knights.

"......"

--What?

The captain of the knights wasn't there.

Instead, there was a woman who appeared to be Alistair's maid.

A blonde woman in her early twenties, with her hair neatly tied up, wearing a negligee.

Or perhaps she was a lover or mistress that Alistair had brought in.

Despite being confined, he seemed to be quite active, I thought with a light sarcasm, but she took a dagger from a table by the bed and pointed it at me.

"Rude one! Know that I am Alistair Rottenmayer, the captain of the White Rose Knights!"

"......"

Her words made me realize that the captain of the White Rose Knights was a woman.

(......Really?)

I was speechless.

I had a similar feeling when I met the Demon King, but perhaps I have a tendency to encounter women in difficult situations.

--However, unlike with the Demon King, there's no reason for me to fear this woman.

I adjusted my expression under the mask and bowed again.

"I apologize for the sudden intrusion. I am Ike, the captain of the 7th Army of the Demon King's army, the Undead Legion."

"Undead Legion!?"

Her expression clearly changed when she heard those words.

Of course, it would.

The one who had defeated her knights and inflicted the humiliation of defeat was standing right in front of her. She must have wanted to stab me in the heart with that dagger immediately.

However, she trembled as soon as she heard my words.

Perhaps the fear from the previous battle was still lingering, or perhaps she was terrified by my strange appearance.

Still, she questioned me without trembling, which was a testament to her role as the leader of the knights. It's no wonder she's the captain, even as a woman.

"You are from the Demon King's army!? Why are you here! I will repay the debt from the other day, right here and now!"

She said this and, with all her strength, thrust the dagger at me.

She clearly knew how to handle a weapon.

If she had managed to stab me with that dagger, it would have been a fatal wound.

--If she had managed to stab me, that is.

She may be the leader of the knights, but her sword skills are not impressive.

She must come from a great noble family or have some other reason.

In any case, it's clear that she wasn't chosen based on her sword skills.

I concentrated magic in my palm and grabbed the dagger, breaking it with my bare hands.

Alistair, seeing this, gasped in shock.

Perhaps her last hope was shattered, she collapsed on the spot and bowed her head.

The scene of a beautiful woman being overwhelmed by despair was quite picturesque.

I would have liked to watch it for a while, but unfortunately, I didn't have the time.

Someone might have gone to the city to seek help.

I wanted to extract information from her as quickly as possible.

(......Sigh)

I muttered in my heart and decided to act more like a demon for the first time in a while.

I grabbed Alistair's chin and forced her to stand up.

I pushed her against the wall and said in a low voice,

"Wasn't it you who attacked the city I was in charge of the other day?"

She tried to resist but quickly gave up.

After all, she had already introduced herself as the captain of the White Rose Knights, so there was no point in pretending now.

"......What of it, you monster!"

"Brave girl. I'm not blaming you for the attack."

I paused and continued, "I just need to confirm something."

"When you attacked, human soldiers appeared from a secret passage I created. Who told you about that passage?"

"......"

She answered with silence.

Of course. I didn't expect such a proud girl to give in so easily.

Lilith, who was standing to the side, suggested,

"Lord Ike, if you want to torture her, leave it to me. I haven't seen a human writhing in pain in a while, and I'd love to break her fingers one by one."

Her tone was neither a joke nor serious, but if I allowed it, she would do it without hesitation. That's the kind of girl she is.

I have said it many times, but my heart is that of a human.

I wanted to avoid such rough methods.

So I placed my hand on the wall next to her,

*Bang*—

a demon-style wall slam.

With a loud noise, a large hole was punched through the wall next to her.

Seeing this, she, for the first time,

"......Ah"

distorted her face.

However, she still didn't give in, which was impressive.

But I didn't miss the moment when her attention was focused on her face.

*Read Mind*

I immediately cast the spell.

This spell forces the target to reveal their inner thoughts to the caster.

However, it's not a complete mind-reading. If the conversation isn't skillfully guided, the desired information won't be extracted.

I started the conversation assuming she wouldn't talk.

First, I asked a casual question to gauge her reaction.

"You became the captain of the knights at a young age. How did you do it? Did you charm a powerful person with your beauty?"

"......"

She glared at me fiercely.

Apparently, that wasn't the case. She was denying it from the bottom of her heart.

"Then, was it because of your family's influence?"

"......"

It seemed to be the case.

"I see. The captain of the White Rose Knights is traditionally a daughter of a noble family of at least a count. So, you're just a figurehead, then?"

Hearing this, Alistair gasped, "......What!" She seemed shaken by the fact that her thoughts were read.

"---You, strange magician! You can read minds!"

She seemed to remember that I was a high-ranking magician and tried to resist.

However, the more she resisted, the more desperate she became, the more it worked in my favor.

The more she tried not to think about it, the louder her thoughts became and the more they reached me.

"Let's get back to the topic. Was the one who told you about the secret passage a demon or a human?"

Her answer was, "My glorious White Rose Knights would never seek help from demons!"

Well, that's understandable.

No fool would approach a human in the form of a demon to give them a plan. They would either send a proxy or use a disguise spell.

I changed my approach.

"You must have received a map of the secret passage when you attacked. Do you still have it?"

"......"

"Hmm, it seems you still have it."

"......Grr"

Alistair's face contorted.

It seemed I didn't need to use the *Read Mind* spell after all. Her expression was proof enough that she still had the map.

Moreover, she was surprisingly honest. Her gaze was directed at a drawer of a chest by the bedside.

I released Alistair and walked to the chest, opening each drawer one by one.

The map was in the third drawer. It seemed all important documents were stored there.

I decided to take everything, whether it would be useful or not.

Alistair watched silently, looking regretful.

She must have been shown the stark difference in strength, and with Lilith standing by, she was like a frog frozen by a snake, unable to move.

After collecting the map, I called Lilith over.

"What is it? Are you going to show us being all lovey-dovey in front of a human?"

I completely ignored Lilith's joke.

"We're leaving. I couldn't use a teleportation spell to get here because I've never been here before, but we can use it to go back. There's no need to walk all the way back."

"That would have been fun, though."

"I hate walking."

Why should I walk when I'm reincarnated as a magician?

Lilith said, "That's a shame," and placed her hand on my shoulder.

Now, all that's left is to return to Ivalice, but the problem was Alistair, who was in a daze.

She had been defeated in battle, confined as a result, and now threatened by her enemy, with important documents stolen.

I had taken her broken dagger to prevent her from harming herself, but perhaps I should say something to her.

--I should say something.

I might not meet this girl again, but if she died, it would affect my dreams.

Before teleporting, I carefully chose my words and spoke to her back.

"......Yeah, well, I know it's strange for me, your enemy, to say this, but don't dwell too much on the loss. No general wins 100 battles out of 100. The important thing is to stand at the last moment. You just need to win when it counts."

In my previous world, there were many men who lost repeatedly but won at crucial moments and gained the world.

In Japan, Oda Nobunaga lost many times but won at key moments and gained the world.

Another famous example is Liu Bang from the Han Dynasty, who lost 72 times but won the world with just one victory.

--Explaining this to someone from another world probably wouldn't work.

But anyone who has been in battle should understand that victory and defeat depend not only on strength but also on luck.

I added,

"Don't do anything foolish. If you're going to die, use that feeling to strike back at me."

I left these words and teleported.

I don't know if my words reached Alistair, but after we teleported, Lilith smiled wryly.

"Lord Ike is truly kind. You're almost like a human."

She said this as a comment.

I wanted to say, "I am aware," but my current position only allowed me to remain silent.