#983 The Demon Prince Visits

I’m Goetia, the Demon Prince.

I’ve come to check out this so-called “Saint’s Farm.”

My parents have been raving about it, showering it with praise.

But is it really that great? As the Demon Prince, it’s my duty to see for myself!!!

And so, here I am.

“So, this is the Saint’s Farm...?”

I got here using teleportation magic.

I wondered what was the point of using our top-secret spell so casually. As it turns out, using teleportation magic is the only way to reach the Saint’s Farm.

Is it really that isolated? Or maybe teleportation magic just keeps the route a mystery.

Does that mean the Saint’s Farm is an even bigger secret than teleportation magic itself?

Using such a secretive method to get here means they want to reveal as little as possible about the farm.

“You’re deep in thought for a kid. As expected of the Demon King’s heir.”

That’s the demoness who came with me.

Who is she?

She used teleportation magic to bring me from the Demon Capital to this place.

“My apologies, I’ve yet to introduce myself. I’m Belena. I’m currently working at the farm, but I used to be an officer in the Demon King’s Army, serving as the aide to one of the Heavenly Four, Lady Astres.”

Mother’s aide?!

It’s rare to meet one of my mother’s former officers.

But she said she’s working here now. Did she quit the army?

“I met you when you were just a baby, Prince Goetia. My, you’ve grown so much... You were so tiny back then.”

She sounds like some doting aunt...

“You said you were my mother’s subordinate, but how did you end up here? From the prestigious Demon King’s Army to this rural place—it’s not just a demotion, is it?”

“Well, yes...”

Belena’s gaze drifts far away.

What is it? Is she shouldering some heavy burden?

“When I first moved here, I was really worried. What use could I be? All the skills and techniques I honed in the Demon King’s Army were useless on the farm. I questioned my purpose and struggled with my identity.”

Huh? Really?

The Demon King’s Army is the strongest on earth, where only the elite of the elite serve.

And you were an aide to my mother, one of the Heavenly Four.

That’s a super prestigious position, even among the officers.

And you thought you were useless?

“But thanks to that, I got to learn everything from scratch. Now, I’ve gained quite a bit of confidence.”

No, no, no, no, no…!

Don’t be fooled, self!

Even among the Heavenly Four’s aides, talent and skill vary. She must have barely made it by the skin of her teeth, the weakest of the lot. People probably said, ‘She’s the weakest aide ever…’ or ‘She’s a disgrace to the demons…’

That’s why she ended up struggling in this backwater place.

It must be that way.

Those truly talented stayed in the Demon King’s Army and rose to the rank of the Heavenly Four.

Like Aeshma or Leviasa, for example.

“Hey, Belenaaaa!”

And speaking of the devil, here’s Aeshma, one of the current Heavenly Four!

“Former colleague Aeshma. What brings you here uninvited?”

“I heard Prince Goetia was visiting the farm, so I came to have a look out of sheer curiosity... Ah, greetings, Your Highness!”

Uh, yes.

Hello…?

“Shouldn’t you be too busy for curiosity visits? Even with the army downsizing, the top brass must be swamped with work.”

“I left it to Mamoru, so it’s fine.”

“Shattering Force Barrage!”

“Guoooooooooooh!”

Was that…?

One of the super high-level annihilation spells we demons use?!

Even skilled high alchemists need careful preparation and a long incantation to cast that spell!

How did this washed-up former aide cast it so casually?!

“Hahaha, Belena is a genius in magical combat. She can cast high-level spells repeatedly without incantations.”

“Saying ‘no incantation’ is misleading. Any magic requires a prayer to the spirits or gods it originates from. If incantations are a form of prayer, then preparing another form of prayer can replace them.”

“Hahaha, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Even if she can skip the steps, such a powerful spell should require a vast amount of magic power.

If a single mage can wield that kind of power, she’s clearly a high-ranking one.

“Belena’s already way stronger than me! In fact, among the Heavenly Four, only Lord Belphgamilia could take her on.”

“Can you not compare me to the elite? Besides, anyone can get this strong if they train on the farm. Didn’t you spend some time training here, too, Aeshma?”

“That was the most progress I ever made in my life...!”

A-A demon stronger than the Heavenly Four is hanging out in this rural backwater...?!

“Oops, break time’s over. I’m heading back to the Demon Capital. Make sure to study hard, Your Highness!”

“Oh, you really just came to check on things... and left covered in blood after taking a direct hit from a spell...”

U-Um...

Don’t you want to rejoin the Demon King’s Army? With your strength, we can assign you a really important position...

“I’m not interested, prince. Going back to a job I quit would be super uncool...”

You’re turning down a prestigious spot in the Demon King’s Army over something like that...?!

I, the Demon Prince, am personally offering it to you already!

“Besides, in these peaceful times, fighting skills aren’t all that important. The current Heavenly Four is more than enough. If anything, working on the farm offers more chances to use my honed abilities.”

Huh?! What do you mean?!

You’re saying you can make better use of your skills in this remote place than with the world’s strongest Demon King’s Army?!

“Your Highness, since you’re new to the farm, let’s start with a quick tour before you meet the master of this place, Lord Saint. You’ll understand soon enough what kind of place this is...”

***

And so, Belena’s farm tour began.

But I was in an awry mood.

Turning down an offer to join the honorable Demon King’s Army... is this farm really that amazing?!

Fine, then show me what you’ve got.

If I’m not impressed, I’ll send in the troops to dismantle this place!

You’re stealing valuable talent from my Demon Kingdom, so you’d better have a good reason!

“Here we have the fields. As you can guess, this is the main area of the farm. Though it’s still early spring, so we don’t have much in the way of crops yet.”

Hmm, okay.

Well, it’s somewhat spacious. Maybe a bit smaller than the fields around the Demon Capital?

That’s one point for me.

“Your Highness... The fields around the Demon Capital are meant to feed the largest population in the Demon Kingdom. Be afraid that a privately-owned farm’s scale is almost comparable to that.”

“Nghhhh...!”

Fair point.

But how do you manage such a large farm?

The fields around the Demon Capital require hundreds, if not thousands of farmers. I doubt this farm has that kind of manpower.

Aren’t you just wasting all this vast land by not managing it properly?

“Here, we focus on ‘quality over quantity’...”

“?”

“Have a look to your right, please.”

Right?

I turn and see... a massive spray of dirt?!

Dirt spray?!

It sounds ridiculous, but that’s the only way to describe the incredible force with which the soil is being dug up!

“Those are the orcs tilling the fields. The orcs here are mutated, much stronger, and smarter than regular orcs. They can till vast fields in no time.”

Mutated orcs?!

I remember my tutor mentioning that some monsters can undergo a mutation, becoming much stronger than their regular counterparts!!!

And this farm has those powerful types?!

“All the orcs here are mutated.”

“All of them?!”

“And the goblins, too.”

“Goblins, too?!”

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait...!

I learned that a single mutated monster could take over an entire city, right?

How many of them are here?!

Just the beginning of this tour is already blowing my mind!

“This reaction is nostalgic. Looks like this tour is going to be quite rewarding.”