READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 34
Chapter 34. Real Combat Format
――This child is truly interesting.
While thrusting her spear, Grand Duchess Platiphia Reiju thought.
Of course, I’m talking about my child, Zilbagias. With a face that looked like he had been entrusted with the life of a lord in a deadly situation, he was desperately trying to fend off the spear.
This is a training session in a real combat format, not actual combat. Yet, this fighting spirit!
This child is always like this――
Platiphia thought.
Zilbagias had been quite strong-willed since he was a baby, but despite being of the demon race, he was rather calm and typically quiet.
However, when it comes to battles, he transforms. The same goes for his sparring sessions with Sophia. The deadly fights with soldiers are the same. This current training is no different.
No matter how fierce the fighting spirit of a demon race child, they wouldn’t go this far. To simply call it stubbornness is far too inadequate.
His future dream is to surpass his father, Goldgias. I find myself pondering where his fighting spirit truly comes from――
It’s certain that Zilbagias is being raised specially. Only those I can trust are allowed to interact with him to avoid any strange influence on his personality.
However, that also deprives him of opportunities to clash with and challenge children his own age. Suffering grievances from older kids may teach him to control his emotions through experience. Opinions about Zilbagias’s upbringing are mixed; even among family members, there are those who still advocate for raising him like an ordinary child.
Their points are somewhat valid.
But in Zilbagias’s case, it’s unnecessary, Platiphia thought.
This child is special. He seems to have been born to become a demon lord.
“Truly a born warrior!! A natural―― No, it’s as if he knew how to fight even before he was born!”
As the former chief of the Olgi tribe, Oalrug commented.
He is clearly different from children of his age. His attitude when challenging battles, his mindset is different.
No matter how stubborn a child is, they still act like cowards during training. They may think they are being serious, but it shows in their demeanor. They are not ‘desperate’ at all. Every single action doesn’t exert their full capabilities.
Why is that? Because they don’t know true defeat. They are still unaware of how miserable and cruel true defeat can be.
Yet―― Zilbagias seems to act as if he knows it.
(A mysterious child)
For example, look―― the tip of Platiphia’s spear lightly grazed Zilbagias’s side.
If the wound had been a bit deeper, his insides might have spilled out. It must have hurt a lot. This is training. An ordinary child would have flipped over and started crying without a doubt.
But Zilbagias only contorted his face and did not stop moving. Instead, he desperately leaned his body, trying to counteract Platiphia’s further attacks, striking back with the butt of his spear.
What an impressive maneuver. Regardless of whether he cries or screams, in real combat, the enemy would relentlessly pursue―― Zilbagias understands that. The spirit to endure the pain and the fighting spirit not to stop countering are commendable. However, regrettably――
“Too soft.”
His movements are still soft. Grabbing the approaching spear’s butt with one hand, Platiphia yanked it hard.
Zilbagias made a “Ah!” face, losing his balance. Platiphia mercilessly swept his legs with the spear she was swinging with one hand.
And to the toppled Zilbagias――
She thrust the gleaming spear into him.
His eyes widened as he forcibly rolled to dodge the tip. Splendid. Had he taken it directly, it would have been a fatal injury to his abdomen.
However, he could not completely avoid it. The blade scraped against his back.
“――Gaaah!!”
Unable to hold back, Zilbagias screamed. Garunya, the attendant watching from a distance, gasped. Apparently, it seems he has injured his spine. He couldn’t move any further despite his struggles.
He barely avoided a fatal wound, but that injury was deadly on the battlefield.
……It was truly unbearable to see my cute child suffer excessively. As Platiphia relaxed her stance to walk over and heal him――
Zilbagias glared at her with bloodshot eyes and suddenly released a powerful magical force. It enveloped Platiphia like a spider’s web――
“――[Teleportation]”
Even at this point, he still hasn’t lost his fighting spirit. Platiphia inwardly admired him.
But, how unfortunate that spell won’t reach――.
With a sound like a leather cord snapping, the teleportation spell was canceled. Platiphia quickly expanded a shell of magic and closed her mind.
Even with the magical bond of blood shared between them, and the curse of the wound she had inflicted, Zilbagias’s current magic power was not enough to penetrate this defense.
“Well done, Zilbagias.”
Yet, his spirit deserves praise. It was Platiphia who commanded him to resist with all his might.
If only Zilbagias had grown more and acquired greater magical power. Or if his opponent were not Platiphia but someone much weaker.
That counterattack might have succeeded, leaving his enemy to fall to the wounds they had inflicted, and Zilbagias would have returned to battle fully restored.
“Curses are convenient, but they rarely work against those of equal strength or greater. If you protect yourself with a magical barrier and close your mind, most curses can be reflected back.”
As I explained to him, Zilbagias, while blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, hung his head in disappointment.
“Now, it must hurt. I’ll heal you――[Teleportation]”
Yet again, the sound of leather snapping echoed.
“Zilbagias…”
Platiphia couldn’t help but feel exasperated.
Zilbagias had nullified the teleportation spell.
Gasping for breath, with bloodshot eyes and heaving shoulders, Zilbagias was a mess. His body was dotted with multiple spear wounds, blue blood oozed from his side, and the injury on his back exposed bone. His lower half seemed to have lost sensation.
And yet―― Is he still trying to resist?
“Zilbagias. If you leave that wound untreated, it may cause issues later.”
Platiphia spoke softly, trying to soothe him.
“It might affect your future. You wouldn’t want that either, right? Zilbagias, at this point, you’ve faced ‘defeat.’ Accept it. No matter how much you struggle, the situation won’t improve. …Or should I wait until you lose consciousness from blood loss?”
……A sound like gritting teeth seemed to echo. Perhaps in his rage, Zilbagias’s face turned an ominous shade, and blood gushed from all his wounds. Platiphia began to feel anxious, thinking this might truly be dire, but after a moment, Zilbagias seemed to give up, slumping his shoulders in defeat.
The magical barrier around him evaporated easily.
“[Teleportation]”
This time, there was no resistance. She transferred all of Zilbagias’s wounds to the old man, who had been sitting behind him.
“……Huh!? Ahhhee!!”
The elderly man, bound by chains, jolted and let out a pathetic scream as he toppled over. Blood gushed from all over him. The old man, bubbling blood and rolling his eyes back, soon went silent. Had he fainted from the pain, or had he succumbed to his injuries?
……He showed no signs of breathing. It seemed he was dead.
Upon seeing this, the other human slaves burst into tears like a flame had been lit. They were all young individuals――their wails were grating.
“Silence them.”
I commanded my attendants to gag them. I mentally noted to do this from the start next time.
“Still, really, old people are useless…”
I couldn’t help but sigh. I had hoped at least for one more use. In the Reiju tribe’s territory, many human slaves lived, including old ones.
Young women were used for breeding, and young men for labor. The sickly and elderly are typically disposed of in the demon lord kingdom, but the Reiju tribe keeps them alive.
As long as they are healthy, they can be used for teleportation spells――but keeping the old ones alive requires food, and transporting treatment materials from the territory is a hassle.
After all—does an old man who can only be used once truly hold any value? Well, we could use him only for serious or fatal injuries, but wouldn’t it be more efficient to kill the old man and use that slot to raise a child? I will have Sophia calculate cost-effectiveness again.
Platiphia belonged to the new generation of demon races.
Not solely focused on fighting, she herself had also received a high level of education――
Then, suddenly realizing, she saw Zilbagias, uninjured, standing up and glaring at the corpse of the old man.
As if that corpse were a testament to his own humiliation. He looked tormented by anger and regret.
“Zilbagias.”
When she called out, he turned his face directly toward her.
An expression of hatred that seemed unimaginable aimed at a parent.
A shiver ran down her spine. It felt terrifying. Yet――more than that, it was favorable.
At this moment, it wouldn’t do to tentatively glance at her expression or show signs of fear.
An overwhelming fighting spirit that can only be described as fierce. Without this, one could not surpass all the other demon lords to become a demon king.
Zilbagias must become a demon king.
To reclaim the unjustly tarnished glory of the Reiju tribe. To make the demon lord’s women, who have harassed them in every conceivable way, understand.
“Do you hate me?”
Before she realized it, Platiphia had asked.
Zilbagias did not answer. His face had turned into a mask of forced neutrality, as if he was suppressing his hatred and anger.
“It’s fine to hate me. It’s fine to curse me. You can resent me, Zilbagias.”
――He suddenly looked up, as if surprised.
“Everything is to make you stronger. If it can help, I’ll do anything.”
……So.
“I’ll continue. The movements you made earlier weren’t bad, but they were soft. You need to do it like this.”
She twisted her body, demonstrating the technique of striking back with the spear’s butt.
“You lacked enough twisting at your waist. Give it a try.”
For the first time, Zilbagias appeared to remember that this was training, showing a confused expression.
But soon he began to follow Platiphia’s movements. Striving to master everything. Trying desperately to grow stronger.
“Yes, that move. Remember it. …Alright, let’s have another match.”
“……Yes, Mother.”
He resumed the training.
At this point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a life-or-death match.
It was an unbearably intense fight. Zilbagias was putting forth all his strength.
The soldiers in the training grounds gasped in astonishment at the ferocity of this training, but suddenly, murmurs spread through the space.
Looking over, there stood the Demon Lord――Goldgias.
“Your Majesty!”
Platiphia halted, adjusting her stance.
Meanwhile, the bloodied Zilbagias was kneeling on the ground.
“Why are you here――”
Covered in sweat and dust, Platiphia almost became self-conscious about her appearance but managed to smile wryly.
――Somehow, she had become infected by the demon lord’s women.
At this moment, she was a demon race warrior. What did she have to be ashamed of.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she boldly met Goldgias’s gaze.
The stern-faced demon lord seemed to smile slightly.
“……I heard that Platiph has been conducting some extraordinary training. I came to observe.”
“It’s an honor, Your Majesty.”
Next, the demon lord’s gaze shifted toward Zilbagias.
“Zilbagias. You are diligently honing your skills. Keep it up.”
With that, Goldgias flipped his cloak and left the training ground.
“……Yes, Father.”
While still kneeling, Zilbagias replied in a deep voice that resonated from the depths of the earth.
“Now, let’s continue, Zilbagias.”
Platiphia took her stance once more.
――Because there are still plenty of healing slaves left.