It was then that Neia came up with something to soothe the prince’s worries.
“Ah, in that case, why not have the Zern go to the Sorcerous Kingdom?”
“The Sorcerous Kingdom? What is that?”
It was not just the Zerns, but also Shizu who looked to her.
“Yes. It is the country where Momon resides. He is the hero who once drove off Jaldabaoth in the Kingdom.”
Neia sensed the Zerns were staring at her, but she did not know the implications of their looks. How could humans understand a Zern’s expressions?
“Is what you say true?”
That single sentence was enough for Neia to understand why the Zerns had kept quiet. They doubted the truth of Neia’s words. But that was only to be expected. The better one knew Jaldabaoth’s power, the harder it was to believe that anyone could defeat him.
“I mean every word. I learned this through reliable channels. In fact ― Shizu-san?”
“…She’s right. Neia speaks the truth.”
“Also―” this was the crucial part. Neia psyched herself up internally. “If you go to the Sorcerous Kingdom like this, I am sure they will accept you as refugees.”
“Refugees, you say…”
There was bitterness in the prince’s voice.
“But if you can provide information about the Sorcerer King of the Sorcerous Kingdom, I am sure that you will not be slighted even when you go there.”
“Hold on, hold on. Why would they be happy to hear about their own King?”
“Ah, yes. Right now… ah… The Sorcerer King’s location is unclear…”
“Is that not very bad? In the worst case scenario, he might even be dead, is that not true?”
“A moment please. His Majesty cannot possibly be dead. There is concrete evidence, and we are verifying it now.”
Neia told them about how the Sorcerer King might have fallen to the hills where the demihumans lived, so she wanted to count on their help to search for him. The prince fell silent. Is it not going to work? Neia thought, but since she had already made her pitch, she could say nothing more. The ball was now in their court.
Also, even if they could not provide any direct assistance, they ought to be able to at least provide knowledge, as they had promised.
“…I see. If we do them a favor… but will we be accepted, as demihumans? The Sorcerous Kingdom is a nation of humans, is it not?”
“No, it is not. The Sorcerous Kingdom is a nation ruled by one of the undead.”
“The undead!?”
Both the prince and the Zern surrounding him exclaimed as one.
“Are you telling us to go to such a dangerous place!?”
Every race harbored a strong hatred of the undead. Even Neia had been that way before she had come to understand the Sorcerer King. She was moved by the realization that the people before her were similar to how she had been not too long ago.
“A moment please. The Sorcerous Kingdom might be ruled by one of the undead, but its great ruler is an open-minded and noble king, and I have personally witnessed humans coexisting peacefully with demihumans within the country.”
“You’re actually calling the undead great, I can’t believe humans are so―”
“―That’s enough. Neia-dono, I apologize if my subjects have given offense. However, is the Sorcerer King truly as great as you say he is?”
“Yes.”
Neia held her chest high as she replied to the prince’s question.
“… We cannot read the expressions of human beings. But I understand that someone as brave as you ― who has delved deep behind enemy lines in order to effect a daring rescue ― must be making such a statement with the utmost confidence. Therefore, I shall believe in him as well ― not the Sorcerer King who is one of the undead, but the Sorcerer King in whom you have placed your faith. Let us entrust ourselves to the Sorcerer King, then.”
“Ohhhh!” the Zerns cried out in joy.
“It seems we have reached a decision. In that case, I pray you will flee to the Sorcerous Kingdom with all due haste, my prince. Unfortunately, there is some very bad news, namely that one of Jaldabaoth’s trusted demons will be coming soon. I thought it would be a few more days before he arrived… but it will be bad if we are found. Alright, let’s go.”
As a species, the Zern were largely composed of females, with very few males. Pretty much only the king and the prince fell into the latter category. If a tribe’s males were wiped out ― although there were cases where females could change sex ― the tribe would be set on the path to extinction.
Therefore, the prince needed to flee to an absolutely safe place ― the Sorcerous Kingdom, which was why they had had the preceding discussion.
“Jaldabaoth’s trusted demon? He’s coming?”
There was a word the Zerns had said which she could not ignore.
“Mmm. Have you not seen him? He has three trusted demons by his side, and one of them is coming here.”
“…We need to defeat him here.”
As he heard Shizu’s words, the prince ― who had been left on the ground ― suddenly thrashed around.
“Are you insane!? You two must be quite strong to have been able to rescue me, but even then, you’ll never be able to defeat him!”
The label of “strong” only applied to Shizu, but Neia could not find a chance to cut in and thus she could not clear things up.
“…They say he teleports between many cities… Him coming here is a rare opportunity. If you miss it, you won’t get another chance.”
“That is true…”
“My prince!”
“Calm down and think about it. If we can kill one of Jaldabaoth’s aides, his chain of command will fall into chaos, and it will be harder for them to find us, who are not heading for the hills but for the Sorcerous Kingdom… then, is it possible to defeat him?”
“…Don’t know. But this is the only chance.”
“Then let’s take it. I’ll bet on the strength that let the two of you kill the Vah Un!” the Prince said. He had been quite shocked when he saw the demihuman’s corpse on the way back. “Listen well, all of you. From now on, we will help the two of them defeat the wicked Jaldabaoth’s minion!”
“Yes!”
“There are two humans, and six of us. Until recently, the eight of us were mutual enemies, but now we are comrades in arms. Such is the stuff of which heroic sagas sing.”
Eh? Surprised, Neia rechecked the number of Zern present, and after seeing that she had not been mistaken, she hurriedly spoke up.
“Wait, please wait. You don’t need to get involved in this, my prince. After all, we came here to protect you!”
In addition, what could this prince do in combat? However kindly one wanted to interpret his intentions, he was still a gigantic maggot that crawled on the ground. Honestly, it would be less troublesome if he simply followed them like a battle standard.
“I see, so to you, your mission is over since you have helped me escape. I see, I see. However, with my help, it should be easier to defeat Jaldabaoth’s henchman. No, I should say that without me, it will be very hard for you to defeat him, even if you are the heroes who defeated the Vah Un.”
Shizu had defeated the Vah Un by herself. Neia had nothing to do with it. Even so, the prince still counted her as a hero, which made her very embarrassed.
“So, do you mean that we can do it if we get the help of all the Zerns?”
The prince made a strange noise.
“No, no, great heroes. It’s not like that. I can cast spiritual spells of the fourth tier.”
“The fourth tier?”
Neia was surprised. The fourth tier of magic was a realm that only geniuses could barely reach after much hard work. In the Holy Kingdom, the only people who could cast such spells were the high priestess Kelart Custodio and the Holy Queen Calca Bessarez.