When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 124

Episode 124

Two days before the clash between the 5th Legion and the monster army. Near the ancient ruins.

Victor Alchemis, the alchemist who had bound twelve demons, was grinning as he thought about how to extract information from them. The demons were knocked out cleanly by Victor’s uppercut and were not showing any signs of waking up.

While waiting for them to regain consciousness, Victor strolled through the ancient ruins to investigate what the demons had been doing there. He quickly found what seemed to be a base they had been using.

“…Hmm? A camp, huh? Their gear is almost identical to human adventurers’?”

The equipment in the area looked so similar to that of human adventurers that one would believe it was a human camp if they were unaware. It made Victor wonder if this gear really belonged to demons, as it seemed more like a different race or just another human-like group.

Although the style, culture, and design differed slightly from those of the Tashman Kingdom, the difference was minor. There was no significant disparity.

The existence of demons was not officially confirmed, with only a few references in old documents and forbidden books. Victor himself had very little information and had thought of them as just another type of monster. 

He had viewed them as an extension of demi-humans like orcs, but now he wondered if they were more akin to a different race entirely.

Victor’s curiosity grew, and he muttered, “Sorry about this,” as he began examining the supplies left behind at the camp. 

He understood the everyday items and food, but he found some magical tools whose purposes were unclear. He also discovered notebooks and documents but could not read them. 

Victor, who was like a petty thief rummaging through items, had an exceptional intellect. Despite being fluent in the three major languages of the Azelion continent and ancient common languages, he couldn’t decipher these texts. It might be a completely different civilization from the human territories of Azelion. His curiosity only intensified as he continued his investigation with a grin.

・　・　・

Several minutes later, Victor returned to check on the situation. 

“Oh, some of them are waking up?”

Three of the demons, who were relatively well-built, had regained consciousness while still bound and were sitting up. One of them was the same demon who had previously been a guard over Victor.

They glared at Victor with disdain, but the eccentric alchemist was unconcerned by their hostility. Without paying any attention to the atmosphere, he casually asked,

“So, what were you doing here?”

Naturally, they ignored him.

“It’s not like you don’t understand my words, right? I mean, you were talking to me when I was bound, weren’t you?”

Victor spoke cheerfully, but the demons continued to ignore him. The former guard of Victor sighed and said, 

“We have nothing to say.” 

Victor continued to watch them silently for a while, but the demons remained stubbornly silent.

Despite Victor’s casual attempts at conversation, he was met with silence each time. Although it was understandable, it wasn’t going to be effective for gathering information. 

Suddenly, Victor recalled that in Azelion, torture of war prisoners was prohibited by international law. Even though wars between human nations were rare, they weren’t nonexistent. 

Although the continent was frequently plagued by monster invasions, there were still opportunities for humans to fight each other. Human conflicts, though rare, still occurred. 

To prevent excessive exhaustion from wars between nations, there were agreements on the treatment of prisoners. These agreements were on par with international treaties on sacred relics. 

According to these treaties, torture of war prisoners was strictly forbidden. If the agreement was violated, the Divina Papal State would direct its forces against the violating nation. 

Despite being a small country, the Divina Papal State had formidable military power and significant political influence, including religious aspects. Any country would avoid conflict with them, making the treaty an effective deterrent. Victor remembered this from his studies at the Royal Academy.

“…Well, they’re not human, so they’re not bound by the same rules as state prisoners of war?”

He muttered as he retrieved a magical item from his item box.

“Well then, demons. How long can you hold out?” 

Victor said with a sinister grin. His words and demeanor were anything but those of a typical protagonist. What exactly was this man aiming for?

The demons who had already awakened swallowed nervously, sweating in anxiety. But their expressions showed they had steeled themselves. The alchemist continued to close in on them, but then—

“!?”

Victor suddenly leaped backward and quickly escaped to cover. The ground where he had been standing was gouged, indicating some sort of attack.

As Victor peeked out from his hiding place to check the plaza where he had been, another attack came.

“Hey, human!! You are already surrounded!!! Surrender quietly and I’ll make it quick, give up and come out!!!!”

It seemed Victor had been surrounded by reinforcements of the demons without realizing it. There were at least 30 presences he could sense.

Hiding in the shadows, Victor muttered to himself, 

“…Huh? This is actually pretty bad, isn’t it?”

It was completely his own fault.