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220 The other side of the Snowy mountain
To go to the Demon territory from the Human territory, you need to cross a mountain.
Both the Human and Demon race set up a fort on the border and glare at each other and if one nonchalantly walks through both will regard you as enemy.
I and the Demon King don’t particularly care, but the Vampire Child will die if she gets involved.
Although I trained her as much as possible in these three years, I don’t think she can win against the frontline elite army corps let alone fight them.
So, we will pass through from Human race territory to the Demon race territory in a peaceful manner.
That is crossing a mountain.
Furthermore, it’s a snowy mountain
A tall mountain is in front of my eyes.
Mountain, rather it’s a mountain range.
I don’t know it’s altitude, but for sure a mountain climber would risk their life climbing it.
I feel that the mountain range is a detour as we climbed.
Hey, this region has a higher risk than the fort in a different sense doesn’t it?
Nah, I’ll probably be okay.
The vampire child won’t die will she?
Are we really okay?
「It’s alright, no problems」
You’re the type who says “It’s okay” about any problem, aren’t you?
Well, if Demon King thinks so, then let’s believe we’re fine.
So! Let’s depart!
Cold.
Come to think of it, isn’t this the first time I’ve felt cold?
I’ve tasted the heat of the middle layer of the Elro Great Labyrinth
That was warm or rather it was hot.
Are spiders cold?
I don’t have a strong image.
There’s an impression of me living in a tropical forest like a jungle, I don’t feel like being in a cold area.
Ah, but the Maou’s face seems to look fine.
Then, we should be fine right?
But, we seem to be not okay.
She’s making a poker-face, trying to be calm.
That reminds me, in the Demon King’s resistance festival, there was no Ice resistance.
It’s useless.
Fuu, compared to me, my counter-measures are perfect.
A cold counter-measure (Clone) has finished a super ultra warm coat overnight.
I wonder what it feels like when worn.
Comfortable warmth anytime, anywhere.
The pile of snow doesn’t matter.
Fufufu, while my companions are suffering in cold, there’s only one person who’s being warm and keeping silent.
Bliss!
The Demon King has an expression of false bravado, the vampire child has a pale-about-to-die face and Mera looks like half of his soul is coming out, and I’m the only one with a grin on my face.
Suffer~ Suffer more!
The suffering of other people is delicious!
「Shiro-chan, you’re enduring quite well, aren’t you?」
Gulp!
T-that’s not true.
「You didn’t wear that coat yesterday right?」
That is, It’s cold so I prepared it.
「Gimme! Give it to me!」
Woah!
What are you doing?!
I desperately defend my coat against the Demon King and we continue along the mountain range.
We arrived at an abandoned village on the way.
Was there a village in such a cold land?
What kind of Masochist lived here?
Or perhaps I should say, they did well to live here.
Ah, was it because they can’t live here that they abandoned it?
「I see.
Here too.」
The Demon King muttered something, but I didn’t hear her real intention.
We spent one night in the abandoned village.
I took a walk inside the village proper when I woke up the next day.
From the atmosphere of the houses, it’s probably been several years since this was abandoned.
I was bothered seeing it small and cozy, it seems it’s too small and cramped for an adult.
The size is perfect for children.
Would this be a children’s’ village?
I searched around for tools
There isn’t a valuable thing left.
Just something terribly primitive stuff.
Could this be a primitive children’s village?
I went out to the village outskirts.
Somehow it had overgrown.
A demon plant-like-system
Something like a bone of a demon can be seen entwined in the ivy.
It looks like a typical field for a village, did they raise this?
Are they stupid?
For now, I ate it to destroy it.
Yup.
Healthy vegetables.
I want a dressing.
Though I don’t hate mayonnaise, I prefer salad dressing.
To the Mayonnaise people of the country, I’m sorry.
Green perilla dressing is my favorite.
Though, I’ve never eaten it before.
I invest my energy in my clone.
I haven’t increased my clones these days.
The energy maintenance cost has become so large that making a new one is really hard.
If I eat more, the Demon King would be like 「Food expenses, food expenses」, so I hold myself back.
I can eat about twenty people’s portions easily.
After that, I drink sake the next day to recover the energy that is split.
Sake is great after all.
Indeed, it is the best medicine.
I recover energy with just a drink.
Since the Demon King woke up, the snowy mountains conquest resumes.
And we continued to walk on a world of ice and rocks where few demons exist.
At that time, there was a shadow coming from the sky.
After taking a little distance, a dragon landed on the ground
It was a beautiful dragon with ice scales covering it’s whole body.
It’s different from the earth dragon, it’s an existence called an Ice dragon.
It’s strong.
I observed the Ice dragon using the Evil Eye of Analysis, the one I developed as a substitute to Appraisal.
I developed the Evil Eye of analysis to judge the strength of my enemies.
The Evil Eye can roughly estimate the amount of energy of an opponent’s soul.
Even if the soul has a lot of energy, they can still be weak and vice versa.
So, in the end it can’t rough estimate.
But, since soul and strength relative to the system is comparatively close, the value of this Evil Eye is worth it.
I used my Evil Eye of Analysis to measure the strength of the dragon, it’s approximately twice as strong as Alaba.
A dragon with a considerable strength.
Compared to the earth dragon on the lower layer of Elro Great Labyrinth it’s inferior, but it can be considered as a high-ranking among the demons inhabiting in this world.
The Ice dragon is talking telepathically with the Demon King.
Let’s eavesdrop.
[What is it, Origin Taratect?]
[I don’t have any business in particular.
Just passing through.
Did you not hear from Gyurie?]
[Fumu.
I haven’t heard anything]
[Ah, then.
I want you to do nothing and let us pass gently]
[I’ll do as you say and won’t do anything.
I don’t want to get in trouble with the Origin Taratect]
The negotiations were done quickly.
It seems he’ll let us through.
But, why is this guy here?
Kuro placed it here?
For what reason?
While the Ice Dragon is busy with the Demon King, I summoned some clones.
Search this mountain range.
I want to know the reason why Kuro placed a strong gatekeeper.
When the Human race and Demon race waged a war, it’s natural that the snowy mountains will be a danger zone.
There’s something here.
There’s something Kuro wants to hide.
If I find it, I will get a hold of his weakness.
Fufufu, I don’t trust those that are stronger than myself, I don’t open up my heart.
I’ve never thought of Kuro as an ally.
A weakness that can be grasped is now held.
Now, I wonder what you’re hiding.