Certainly, Ellen was abnormally strong for a single person; however, my physical strength and technique also couldn't be compared to a normal person either. I'm also a supernatural power user.
But, of course, there was a huge difference between Ellen and me. It was only natural for her to think that I would be in danger if I followed her to the Darklands to gain practical experience.
The reason she had told me not to go with her wasn't because she thought I would get in her way but because I might be in danger.
"If you don't go with me, I'll just go alone."
"…?"
In the end, I had to try such a strategy.
"You told me not to go."
You told me not to go because it's dangerous. Why are you suddenly saying that you want to go?
That was what was written on her face.
"I don't know! Anyway, come with me! I'm good at fighting too! I'm not as good as you, but I'm still good enough! I'm going! You know I improved quite a lot, right?"
"…Sigh."
Ellen looked at me in shock when I suddenly said these things. She looked somewhat tired.
"Why all of a sudden?"
It seemed like Ellen also had thought of going there, but she seemed puzzled when I told her that I wanted to go without any hesitation.
"You said there were treasures."
"…Yes."
"So there's money to be earned."
In the end, the only excuse I could come up with was money.
No, I mean, if we found something like some amazing treasure and got some money out of it, it would also help with my organization, and Airi wouldn't have to work so hard. Wasn't that good?
That was why I needed money. Ellen should also have somewhat grasped this.
"…Let's go somewhere safe then; this is not the only vacation we will have."
In the end, she just sighed as if she had given up.
* * *
Ellen reluctantly agreed to it after I told her that I would follow close to her and that I would stay in safe areas.
I insisted on going even though she told me I shouldn't go. I know I was dog scum, but when I heard her reason for going to the Darklands, I also felt like it was worth going there.
Ellen didn't know, but it was actually a lot safer for her to be with me.
I didn't pay much attention to our final exams, so I didn't do anything different even during the exam period—I didn't care about grades.
I found myself in Eleris's store after my classes at Temple were over. I went there with the excuse of delivering the letters. It was right after I wrote a reply to the letter Charlotte gave me.
The area really didn't get monitored at all anymore, so I could go in and out of that place as much as I wanted.
"Eleris."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I heard that adventurers are going to the Darklands. Is that true?"
Ellen seemed quite troubled about taking me with her, but if she didn't take me, it was very likely that she wouldn't get anything out of it.
I had three people with me who were very familiar with the Darklands.
"Ah, it seems like the number of adventurers has been increasing lately. It's probably because of the Darklands."
And the Al Ligar Shopping Street, where Eleris's shop was located, was a gathering place for adventurers of sorts. Even if Eleris didn't know about the situation of the Darklands that well, she couldn't help but know about places where adventures would flock to.
"Are there that many treasures in the Darklands?"
"Hmm… The Allied Forces must have already plundered the Demon King's Castle, but since the Darklands is very large, there should be treasures scattered here and there that the adventurers covet. There are more than can be found in the lands of humans, where the adventurers usually roam, at least."
Originally, adventurers wouldn't go to dangerous places like the Darklands. However, since the Demon World War ended with humanity's victory, they slowly gravitated towards the Darklands.
But her wording was rather strange.
There were many. That didn't mean there were a lot.
"You don't know if there are any treasures left in the Darklands, do you?"
Eleris smiled at my words.
"The land is just too large, so there are many things I don't know. However, since there are a lot of Demon Tribes, wouldn't they all have their own treasures? There should also be some dungeons hidden around."
Eleris said that one person couldn't know everything about the Darklands, and that should be right.
But what did she mean about Demon Tribes?
"Weren't all Demon Tribes destroyed during the Demon World War?"
"Ah, I think I know what you mean."
Eleris seemed to have remembered again that I had little knowledge about the Great War and the Darklands because I lost my memory.
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"The previous Demon King called upon the most powerful Demon Tribes before the Demon World War. However, not all demons had been summoned, so there are still countless Demon Tribes remaining in the Darklands. Each Faction that participated in the war probably left their successors behind as a last resort."
It was true that the Demon King had issued a general mobilization order, but he had not summoned every demon. So, when the Demon King died, the Demon Realm collapsed, but it wasn't completely destroyed.
"There were also some that didn't heed the call. They should be pretty strong."
"…Did you not heed the call?"
"Yes. This was mainly the case for Demon Tribes located on the outskirts of the Demon Realm, far from the influence of the previous Demon King."
That was another thing I didn't know.
Those demons who lived far away from the Demon King and never saw him refused to comply with the order because the Demon King's control on them fell short. They just pretended that they didn't know whether the Demon Realm was facing destruction or not, as they were far away from the War anyway.
"Hmm… So, the Allied Forces basically did something like a focused attack on the Demon King's Castle to capture it, but since a total occupation was impossible, they just withdrew after achieving their goal, right?"
"Yes."
It would cost a huge amount of money and manpower to protect the occupied areas. The human forces, including all of the Allied Forces, just couldn't afford to occupy the entirety of the Darklands.
It was also true that the larger Demon Tribes, including the high-ranking demons of the Darklands, suffered devastating damage and lost a lot of power while trying to counter the humans.
However, in the end, the humans hardly looted any other place in the Darklands other than the Demon King's Castle.
And thus, adventurers were slowly flocking to the place to steal the remaining treasures of the demons who had already lost their power, and such treasures actually existed.
"Why are you suddenly so curious about the Darklands?"
I frowned at Eleris's question.
"We're in need of money."
"Ah… Yes."
Honestly, although we had no urgent need for it, there were a lot of things we needed.
"I'm going to go treasure hunting during my vacation."
"…What?"
Eleris couldn't help but be astonished at my plan on plundering my home country because I needed money.
Yeah, seriously.
Now that I thought about it, it made me look like a real bastard.
From the point of view of adventurers, they were just going out to defeat some evil Demons and bring back some treasure, but if I were to do it, things would be very different.
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It would turn into the crazy situation of the heir to the Demon Realm looting the Darklands.
"If you need treasure, you don't have to go there; I could go alone… Even though I don't exactly know where they are, but…"
Although Ellen was a wall that I couldn't possibly cross, even Ellen couldn't compare to Eleris at that moment.
If my sole goal was to hunt for treasures, I didn't need to go with Ellen; I could just send Eleris to do it for me.
"I'm not going alone."
Of course, treasures were nice and all, but there was something else as well.
"You're not going alone, you say… Are you talking about the kid Loyar was complaining about?"
"Yeah. She wants to gain practical experience."
It was much more important to make Ellen's desire for practical experience as safe as possible.
It was important for me to become stronger, but in order to prepare well for the future, it was far better for Ellen, who had a much higher level of potential than me, to become strong.
Technically speaking, it was better to turn Ellen into a monster than to make myself stronger.
Eleris, who didn't seem to understand the reason behind it all, also seemed unable to comprehend that I was trying to help Ellen build up some practical experience.
Rather, if I were to go there to start the Reconstruction of the Demon Realm, Eleris would understand it even though she would dislike it, but she seemed unable to understand why I would help out my classmate like that.
"It would be dangerous if she went there alone, so I decided to go with her."
"That's… I understand what you're saying, but… It could also be dangerous for Your Highness as well."
"…I know. I can't rule over the Demons in this state."
My Demon Domination ability was sealed while I was disguised as a human using Sarkegaar's ring. I had to return to my original form as a horned Demon to use my ability properly.
Demon Domination itself was a characteristic unique to Arcdemons, so it couldn't be helped. However, Eleris shook her head at my words.
"It would be the same even if you turned back into your true self."
"…What? Why?"
It would be dangerous for me even if I could use Demon Domination?
Why? Didn't that power make demons basically harmless to me?
"Your Highness's power is still weak. If you were to meet an opponent you can't control, they might attack Your Highness."
"That wasn't the case at the Demon King's castle, though?"
I mean, orcs basically jumped forward to protect me.
"…They were the Demon King's soldiers, right? They had already been trained, so there's a high possibility that the demons of the outskirts and unintelligent demons won't recognize Your Highness and that you won't be able to control them."
What?!
I thought I would be invincible in the Darklands!
I had thought I would only be in danger if I sealed Demon Domination on purpose!
"Actually, Your Highness can't rule over demons like Sarkegaar or Loyar either, right?"
…That was right.
They followed me out of loyalty, not because I exercised control over them.
At my level, any demon could easily stab me in the back, and those who didn't know me wouldn't even recognize me.
Even if they knew who I was, I might not get the reaction I wanted.
No matter if I went with my true appearance or as Reinhardt, I would be in danger.
"Eleris."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Is there really only one good thing about being an Archdemon?"
I bought my talents with achievement points. The ability to dominate the demons was still seriously lacking… I couldn't even use it in that state, and I felt really uncomfortable because I was a demon. What was good about any of it?
The Demon King Valier was such a fucking munchkin, so why was I useless?
Did I not have anything because Valier was actually supposed to die or something?
"Hmm… Archdemons have a very long lifespan, Your Highness."
"…I see."
That was a good thing! Yeah!
It was unbelievably good, but it was a long-term advantage, so it didn't really help much with the situation I was in!
The previous Demon King was originally like me, but after living for a long time and training hard, he became strong!
The demons living in the outskirts didn't even heed the previous Demon King's order. There obviously were hostile forces in the Darkland that didn't really care about the Demon King.
Anyway…
I realized I shouldn't go with just Ellen alone. It would be dangerous if it was just us two.
"Eleris, you should integrate yourself into our party as if you were going to the Darklands yourself. You just have to make an excuse; it doesn't have to be anything detailed."
Eleris had already disguised herself as a former adventurer wizard, so we just had to put her in our party.
In the end, my ability to rule over demons couldn't be our insurance.
"You could just pretend to be some kind of eccentric wizard and come protect us in case of an emergency."
"…Ah."
I made Eleris our insurance instead.