Ambush

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After the three of us finished eating, we camped there for the night before departing the next day on our carriage.

We were headed for Sabnac’s castle to the north.

That’s where our merchant would be.

As I repeated this again, Jeanne asked me a question.

“Now that I think about it, it’s the first time I’ll be visiting that castle.”

“Well, you joined us after that event.”

“Yes. From what I heard, you abandoned the castle but took its people.”

“Exactly. I had very few people back then. It seemed like the simpler thing to do, rather than worry about maintaining the place.”

“You were always very wise, Demon King.”

“Thank you.”

I said, and then Eve joined the conversation.

“Our Demon King always makes the right decision. However, I do wonder why this merchant went to such a place. What if he is an enemy spy?”

“It is possible. We must consider every possibility.”

While the castle was abandoned, it was still an important area, strategically speaking.

Perhaps he was only disguised as a merchant, and was sent to investigate.

“So, is he an enemy?”

“I don’t know. That’s why we are here. To find out.”

“That’s true. We’ll be arriving soon. Should we just enter like this? Or should we hide the carriage and sneak inside?”

“Let’s go like this. The Ashtaroth coat of arms should be displayed proudly. If this merchant is a spy, then perhaps his reaction will give something away.”

“Very good, master.”

Eve took out the coat of arms and stuck it on to the roof of the carriage.

The mark of the Ashtaroth army glimmered.

Jeanne said that it looked fashionable and bold. She seemed very excited.

I watched her talk giddily about it from the corner of my eye as we approached the old castle.

The castle itself had been torn down, but the town around it was mostly intact.

But Sabnac was not the kind of Demon King who cared about the development of his town, and the buildings were quite shabby.

“It is a great difference compared to the stone buildings in your town.”

Jeanne exclaimed. And it was quite true.

A lot of them looked like they would topple over at any minute.

“Buildings do not last long once the residents abandon it.”

Eve said. And she was a professional when it came to building management. 

This place was what people meant when they said ‘ghost town.’

It had the kind of atmosphere where you would not be surprised if some undead started to walk towards you.

“Now that I think about it, my first journey with you involved getting attacked by zombies. That was also a battle within a town.”

“Well, I think it’s safe to say that that won’t happen this time.”

Still, it did seem like the kind of place where zombies would lurk.

It almost made me feel defensive, but that wasn’t exactly a bad thing.

It was because I used the ‘Detection’ spell, that I was able to see that there was a hostile person close by.

In the shadow of a building that was dozens of meters away. A red aura.

That always meant an enemy lifeform.

And there were about ten of them.

As I investigated further, I realized that the shapes were humanoid.

When I told the others about this, Eve looked serious, and Jeanne’s hand immediately went to her sword.

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The Legendary Rebuilding of a World by a Realist Demon King