“Ms. Michelle, the magic ships are still not sailing?” I asked about the status of the magic ships.
The magic ships created by the Demon King for periodic sea routes were docked at the great harbor of this city.
Between the demon-inhabited continent of Goldia and our continent of Axis, there is a vast ocean. In the past, sailors have sailed there, but they have found nothing and returned home. But through some mysterious magic, the demon king Zelgius built magically powered ships that crossed the stormy seas and invaded our continent of Axis.
We had used Ekaterina’s colorless magic to sneak onto the magical ship and set foot on the Demon Continent.
Of course, we’d have to sneak onto the magic ship again to return home. But after today’s riot, security was on high alert and the ships’ departures were delayed. We couldn’t even go outside now.
“Yes, the trip has been postponed. I don’t know when it will start again,” Michelle replied.
“Damn it, I don’t have time to be stuck here,” the prince cursed when he heard Michelle’s words.
I desperately stopped myself from pointing out that he was the reason for this situation. Blaming others wouldn’t help. We had failed several times before coming here because of this, and our relationship with the prince had deteriorated. I had to forget the past and think of solutions for the present.
“Calm down. Let’s wait and see,” I told everyone. Since we didn’t have any information from the outside, this was just speculation, but the death of Demon King Zelgius probably hadn’t spread among the demons yet.
In order to prevent chaos, they would likely conceal the Demon King’s death for the time being. The heightened security now was probably under the pretext of searching for the rebels who caused the temple explosion and assassinated the Demon King.
But what would happen next was anyone’s guess. They might lift the tight security to hide the Demon King’s death, or they might announce it publicly and thoroughly hunt down the assassins.
“When will Thomas be back?” I asked about the return of Michelle’s husband, Thomas.
Thomas worked at the port. He had discovered us hidden in the cargo of the magical ship and hid us in this shelter. Though he had once been a knight, he now oversaw slaves. If he returned, he might know about the situation in the city and the harbor.
“I think my husband will return soon. Please wait until he does,” Michelle said.
I was eager for information but could only be patient.
When I looked down, little Sela had finished her bread and was stroking her left hand. There was a thin red mark under her index finger, probably a whip scar.
The demons preferred to capture families with children as slaves from the lands they destroyed. They probably intended to raise the children as slaves as well. But to be blunt, they used the children as tools to control the parents. If the slaves rebelled, the demons would whip the child instead of the parent. If a slave died, they would lose manpower, so they used the beating of the children to keep the parents in line.
It seemed clever at first, but it was a bad move.
No one who saw their child being whipped would not resent it. They might obey for the sake of the child, but their hearts would not be subjugated even if they were enslaved. In fact, many helped us.
“Sela, are you okay?” I bent down to examine the wound. She blinked at the painful scar, then looked at Elizabeth.
Recognized as the Saintess of the Church of Salvation, Elizabeth had the power known as “Healing Hands” to heal injuries. She was worthy to be called a Saintess , with extraordinary powers that far surpassed those of her peers. She could reattach severed arms and even regenerate lost organs. It was an amazing power befitting a Saintess .
But even though she saw Sela’s injury, Elizabeth didn’t seem inclined to heal her.
Anger flared in me for a moment, but I knew it would be useless to express it and gave up.
She would immediately tend to the prince’s slightest wound, but was utterly indifferent to the injuries of others.
Even when we were risking our lives in battle, her priority was clearly to heal the heroes and ignore the other companions. Of course, if asked directly, Elizabeth would obey. But she wouldn’t act unless asked first. Princess Lu and Ekaterina were also very unhappy with this aspect of Elizabeth. And I hated it too, although I’m one to talk.
“Sela, you’re hurt. Let me put some ointment on it,” I said mockingly to Elizabeth, then took out my own medicine and applied it to the wound on Sela’s arm, treating her other minor injuries as well.
When I touched her, she seemed embarrassed and squirmed.
It was cute, so after applying the medicine, I tickled Sela’s body, stroking under her arms and back. Sela giggled, so I stopped immediately, as we had to stay quiet. But seeing the child’s smiling face calmed me as well.
But I was still angry with Elizabeth. Wasn’t it the duty of a Saintess to heal people?
According to legend, the first healing arts were given by the gods to the original Healing Saint, who used these miraculous techniques to save people suffering from disease and injury.
After the Healing Saint died, his disciples, who had learned his healing skills, established the Church of Salvation with him as its founding saint and spread his teachings and healing techniques.
Elizabeth was the Saintess who carried on these traditions. Of course, she didn’t have to heal everyone like the Healing Saint. But if she wanted to be recognized as a Saintess and become the prince’s future bride, she would have to reconsider her actions.
Kings and rulers also needed the support of the people. While tangible benefits were important, sometimes reputation had to take precedence, even at a loss. Most importantly, refusing to heal the wounded before her eyes was hardly worthy of a Saintess .
While I fumed at Elizabeth, I smiled at Sela and played with her for a while. We could have made flower crowns if there were flowers, but we were not fortunate enough to have them here. I could only use straw and grass that fell from the livestock barn above to weave rough grass crowns and dolls.
Still, Sela smiled happily at the dolls. It was comforting to see the child’s expression.
Soon after nightfall, Thomas returned.
Despite his exhaustion from hard labor, Thomas still looked robust. As soon as he returned, he asked the prince.
“Prince Henry, could it be that the Demon King…?”
Seeing the tight security around him, Thomas had probably guessed the situation.
“Yes, I defeated the Demon King,” the prince said, taking the severed head of the Demon King out of a bag to show him.
“Ohh!”
Seeing the head of his hated nemesis, Thomas wept.
The long-desired subjugation of the Demon King had been achieved. This was the moment their suffering had been rewarded.
“We must return to our homeland and announce the Demon King’s death. Can you operate the magic ship? You work at the harbor, right?”
Although the prince said this, it was of course impossible. The slaves only did simple manual labor. Thomas couldn’t possibly know how to operate the magic ship.
“I understand. I will find a way,” Thomas replied, seeming to have a method in mind.
“Prince, do you have any further orders?”
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To fulfill the prince’s dream of defeating the demon king, it seemed Thomas would do anything.
“Thomas, I’m sorry, but could you get me some salt? I need to preserve this head with salt,” I reluctantly asked. The head would rot at this rate. To bring it home, it needed to be preserved in salt to prevent decomposition.
“Understood. I’ll also bring a wooden barrel. Do you need anything else?” Thomas asked. Elizabeth, Ekaterina and Princess Lu spoke in turn.
“Um, could you get some more food? Fruit would be best.”
“I want a hot bath. I haven’t been able to wash properly lately.”
“I want some perfume. I used up what I had before.”
In unison, the women made unreasonable demands. Although Thomas agreed, I felt very uncomfortable.
Once they left, Thomas and the others were just slaves. Of course, slaves couldn’t just buy things. They could only steal. If a slave was caught stealing, it wouldn’t end well. We shouldn’t make such unreasonable demands on them.
I looked at Prince Henry, hoping he would stop this, but he didn’t intervene.
It was the prince’s responsibility to advise and guide the women. But the prince was drunk with being a hero. His drunken mind couldn’t see anything around him. How cool he looked when he defeated the enemy had become his main concern.
When we fought the decisive battle with the Demon King, I had also suggested an ambush, but the prince insisted on a frontal duel. As a result, he was struck with a near-fatal blow.
Although Elizabeth’s healing saved his life in time, being cowardly is fine as long as you act according to the situation and achieve victory without taking risks.
Although I understand the Prince’s need to keep up appearances as a royal, this battle was not just for the individual, but for the entire kingdom, or perhaps even for the survival of all mankind. Now was not the time to talk about justice and chivalry. Those things could be embellished later.
Besides, the prince looks down on, no, despises Thomas and the others. He sees himself as the hero and them as mere slaves. His attitude shows that he sees them as inferior people from a destroyed nation. And this is transmitted to Elizabeth’s mind, making her even more arrogant.
But Thomas did not refuse the unreasonable demands of Elizabeth and the others. Instead, he brought buckets of water, salt, perfume, fruit, and hot water for Michelle and Sela to bathe in.
I cannot imagine the effort it took to prepare all this. Yet the three did not complain that the fruit was too sour, the perfume was unpleasant, or the hot water was not enough.
“Prince, I may have an idea about the magic ship,” Thomas said, and the prince’s face lit up.
“Really?”
“Yes, the magic ship can sail tomorrow. Please rest well today. Also, to celebrate the defeat of the demon king, I brought some wine. Please share it with your companions.”
Thomas held out the bottle of wine and the cups.
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