Chapter 2
The carriage was heading north.
I sat in my seat, listening intently the entire time.
I couldn't see outside the carriage at all. Boards had been nailed over the windows.
But the shaking had been getting worse for a while now.
We must have entered the northern lands, where the roads hadn't been maintained.
Along with the sound of the carriage moving, I could hear the soldiers' footsteps and the horses' hooves.
There were around twenty guards in all, including both infantry and cavalry. They were less escorts than my jailers.
More than ten days had passed since we left the Imperial capital.
Every few hours, the soldiers made me get out of the carriage so I could eat and rest.
Even with the soldiers watching me, the meals were proper ones.
"They'd be in trouble if I died before reaching the Demon Lord's Territory, I suppose."
During our breaks, I watched the soldiers carefully.
For now, escaping was impossible.
There was cavalry mixed in with the troops.
If I escaped, several of them would chase me while the rest alerted the villages and roads around us. They had warned me during one of our breaks that I would be caught again almost immediately if I ran.
"This is exactly why I never wanted anything to do with the ducal house."
I had thought I'd severed my ties with the ducal house long ago.
I had worked as a civil servant for several years. I used my mother's surname and had been hired through the regular examination process. At work, I handled paperwork and repaired and restored items.
In the Empire, civil service was a job for people who couldn't become military officers, soldiers, or even adventurers.
People looked down on me for it, and the pay was low, but I didn't mind.
Because I could make use of my 'Alchemy' Skill at work.
"This Skill was pretty useful for repairing items, though."
I checked my Skill.
'Alchemy'
Purifies, synthesizes, and processes matter.
By combining materials, you can also create new materials and items.
Alchemy also grants appraisal abilities.
The warehouse at my workplace was filled with broken items.
Managing and inspecting them was my job.
I did paperwork and repaired items with my 'Alchemy' Skill while consulting the records.
I enjoyed it.
I had nearly forgotten that I had once been a member of the ducal house.
But—
"So the Duke couldn't stand my very existence?"
That's why he had sent me as a hostage to the Demon Lord's Territory.
He had also prepared everything to make sure I couldn't escape.
Boards had been nailed over the carriage windows, and the door was locked.
I could escape with my Skill, but—
"Activate 'Alchemy.'"
I activated my Skill.
The spoon I had hidden twisted and bent out of shape.
This was my 'Alchemy' Skill.
By using materials such as metal, I could create new things.
That was why, during meals, I had taken advantage of openings in the soldiers' attention to steal spoons and forks. If I had metal objects, I could process them into something else. I could at least open the carriage door.
"But what comes after that is the problem..."
There was no way I could slip past twenty soldiers watching me.
If I was going to escape, it would be better to do so after reaching the Demon Lord's Territory.
The soldiers probably wouldn't go any farther than the Demon Lord's Territory.
I knew that because I had been listening to their conversations the whole time. The soldiers were afraid of the people of the Demon Lord's Territory.
The human world and the Demon Lord's Territory had been at war long ago.
Even though things were peaceful now, it didn't mean the demonfolk felt any goodwill toward humans. If they did, there would be no need for the Empire to send hostages and sacrifices.
That meant that once I reached the Demon Lord's Territory, I would be handed over from the Imperial soldiers to the people of the Demon Lord's Territory.
That would be the time to escape.
The people of the Demon Lord's Territory also didn't know that I could use 'Alchemy.' I might be able to exploit an opening.
"I can't die here. I haven't mastered 'Alchemy' yet."
The Empire might consider it a useless Skill, but I didn't.
It was a Skill I had been born with. What was wrong with wanting to master it?
Even before becoming a civil servant, I had visited alchemists' workshops several times.
The reason they refused to let me in was that the ducal house had pulled strings behind the scenes.
That damned father of mine was pathologically determined to keep me out of the public eye.
So I had kept saving money while working as a civil servant.
To open my own workshop someday.
I intended to master Alchemy and create items so useful they could change the world.
The Empire's homes and facilities were run-down.
The room I had in the civil servants' dormitory was full of drafts.
The damp hearth was difficult to light.
It had taken a month just to get permission to repair a broken window.
The combat-obsessed Empire paid no attention to anything else.
If it diverted people and funds to things besides strengthening its military, life would be much more comfortable.
"If I can somehow survive this—"
I will master 'Alchemy' and keep creating items that make life more convenient.
And then—somewhere other than the Empire, I will live a comfortable life.
I won't let the Empire use a single one of my items. In fact, a country like that can go under for all I care.
The world's strongest military nation can go hang.
Someday, I will master 'Alchemy' and create a world where strength is meaningless—
"—We're almost at the border with the Demon Lord's Territory. Be on high alert!"
A soldier's voice suddenly rang out.
The carriage stopped.
It seemed we had reached our destination.
As I waited, the carriage door opened.
The soldiers were standing around the door.
"Thor Rigas-dono. This way."
"I can walk by myself."
I shook off the soldier's hand and got out of the carriage.
At last, I emerged into an open area.
I stretched and looked around—and saw a black forest very close by.
The road ended here.
Beyond the end of the road heading north, the forest stretched from west to east.
That was the forest marking the border between the human world and the Demon Lord's Territory.
"Is the Demon Lord's Territory beyond that forest?"
"..."
The soldiers didn't answer.
Every one of them stared toward the forest with a tense expression.
"Fire the signal arrow. They should send someone to meet us."
"—Yes, sir!"
One of the soldiers readied his bow.
He fired an arrow straight into the sky, with a red cloth tied to it.
That must have been the signal that the hostage had arrived.
Some time passed like that.
The soldiers continued to surround me tightly.
Before long, figures appeared in the forest.
"Grrrr."
Four minotaurs had appeared.
They were demi-humans with bull's heads and human bodies.
Just as I had read in books, they really did have heads like bulls.
They were heavily muscled and stood over two meters tall.
It was my first time seeing one. So that's a minotaur, one of the demi-human races...
"—There they are. Those savage demi-humans."
The soldiers watched the minotaurs while trembling.
"Really?"
I found myself saying it aloud.
The minotaurs didn't look savage at all.
They weren't carrying weapons. Perhaps to show that they meant no harm, they had raised both hands above their heads.
Whenever the Imperial soldiers quietly hurled insults at the minotaurs, they lowered their eyes sadly.
"They don't look savage to me at all."
"Tch."
"Don't click your tongue. You're envoys, aren't you?"
The soldiers didn't answer.
They seemed to be trying to foist the task of speaking to the minotaurs onto one another.
"...Enough."
I pushed past the soldiers and stepped forward.
To escape, I needed to make the other side let down its guard.
In that case, I should make a good first impression.
"My name is Thor Rigas, and I have come from the Dorgalia Empire."
I introduced myself to the minotaurs.
"Are you here to meet me? I'm sorry, but I haven't been told at all what I'm supposed to do from here. I would appreciate it if I could speak with your representative."
"—You! Acting on your own..."
"...Shall we switch places?"
When I muttered that, the soldiers reluctantly stepped back.
"...Representative. Coming."
Suddenly, one of the minotaurs spoke.
A small figure appeared behind them.
She slowly stepped forward, her long silver hair swaying.
"Welcome to the Demon Lord's Territory, Thor Rigas-sama."
A girl in a maid's uniform had appeared.
She had pale skin and long silver hair tied with a ribbon.
Pointed ears poked out through her hair. Was she a demi-human—an elf?
"I am Mabel Refrain. I have been ordered to serve as your guide. By the authority of His Majesty the Demon Lord, I have come to welcome you."
"Thank you for coming all this way to meet me. My name is Thor Rigas."
"Why, how courteous of you."
The elven girl who called herself Mabel bowed deeply.
The minotaurs standing on either side of her did the same.
I returned the greeting with the courtesy expected of a noble.
Mabel, the elven girl, and the minotaurs bowed once more in return.
Their manner was exceedingly formal.
They did not look as though they had come to collect a hostage or a sacrifice.
"—I can't believe it. He's approaching demi-humans without even a weapon."
"—Is he out of his mind? They're the Demon Lord's subordinates!"
"—He must've given up. It's not as though he's got long to live anyway."
The soldiers were trembling behind me.
Every one of them had a hand on a sword still in its sheath. Perhaps they weren't drawing them because, as Imperial envoys, they had to take responsibility.
"They're welcoming us courteously. Do your job as envoys."
When I said that, the soldiers looked at me and said,
"—You don't understand a thing. Elves are powerful sorcerers who can blow several people away with a single spell."
"—Minotaurs possess incredible strength. They could easily crush a human head in their hands."
"—They're savage barbarians who can't be reasoned with. How can you just walk up to them...?"
—I muttered under my breath so they wouldn't hear.
"What gives you the right to call them savage?"
These men had locked me in a carriage—
They hadn't let me out except to eat and use the toilet, and hadn't even let me see the scenery—
They hadn't even tried to listen to what I had to say—
And now they were trying to hand me over to someone they themselves feared.
—And on top of that, they couldn't be reasoned with.
The people of the Demon Lord's Territory were more reasonable, at least. They were willing to listen.
"I'm sorry for my companions' rudeness. Please accept my apologies on their behalf."
I took several steps forward and spoke.
"I am Thor Rigas, eldest son of the Rigas ducal house of the Dorgalia Empire. By His Imperial Majesty's order, I have come to the Demon Lord's Territory. I know nothing of your country's rules, so I may give offense. Please forgive me."
"Oh... My, my!"
The elven girl's hands closed around mine.
Her hands were cool and smooth.
She widened her violet eyes and nodded as she said,
"This is the first time I've ever received such a greeting from someone of the Empire!"
She smiled gently at me.
"Since the Demon Lord's Territory lies at the northernmost edge of the world, there may be some things we cannot provide, but I hope we can get along, Thor-sama."
"Likewise. I look forward to it."
For the moment, I decided to wait and see.
The metal lumps I'd made from forks with 'Alchemy' were in my pockets, one on each side.
I could use them at any time. I could escape whenever I wanted.
"T-Thor Rigas-dono! Sign the envoy handover documents—please!"
I heard a strained voice.
When I turned around, the captain was standing beside the carriage, beckoning to me with some papers in hand.
So I'm an envoy now.
Obviously, they couldn't call me a hostage in front of the people of the Demon Lord's Territory.
I returned to the captain and quickly signed the papers.
"I would like you to get a signature from that very creature as well."
"From Mabel Refrain-san?"
"...Why are you able to touch that creature?"
The captain's face had gone deathly pale.
"Didn't you know the power of elven magic? How can you approach that creature so casually? Is something wrong with you?"
"Aren't we bound by a nonaggression pact with the Demon Lord's Territory?"
"How could anyone trust the word of a creature from the Demon Lord's Territory?"
"I trust her more than a parent who kidnaps their child—or that parent's subordinates."
The captain did not answer me.
He merely shoved the papers at me in silence.
With no other choice, I handed the papers to Mabel Refrain, and she readily signed them.
"That completes the handover of the envoy, then."
Mabel bowed deeply toward me.
"We'll be entering the forest now. It may be difficult to walk if you're not accustomed to the terrain, so I've brought some assistants. If necessary, they can carry you."
When she clapped her hands, large figures appeared from beyond the trees.
There were four more minotaurs. Counting the ones already here, that made eight in all. Lined up behind the elven girl, they formed a gigantic wall.
"Eeeeeeeek!"
The captain snatched the papers from my hand and said,
"S-so the handover of Thor Rigas is complete! In that case, we'll be taking our leave. May the armistice between our Dorgalia Empire and the Demon Lord's Territory be upheld forever!"
"We'll be taking our leave!!"
The soldiers hurried the carriage away from the Demon Lord's Territory.