The move was made using the railway, which has been rapidly expanding across the country in recent years.
“We’re heading to the town along the border.”
Accompanied by the lieutenant colonel, I transferred from train to train without pause.
By the way, it seems the lieutenant colonel’s name is “Schweizen.”
To clarify, I didn’t hear his name directly.
It was secondhand information.
“Long time no see, Lieutenant Colonel Schweizen. It seems the complete conquest of the border city of Elden in the Demon Kingdom has been achieved.”
In the private room of the train we were on, several men in military uniforms came to chat with the lieutenant colonel about the situation of the war.
After feeling a bit out of place for three days, I finally arrived at the town at the northern edge of the kingdom.
It was just past noon.
The thick clouds showed no signs of clearing.
In the distance, the faint and intermittent sounds of cannon fire could be heard.
“You’re this way, Kiwi Alaya.”
I walked alongside Lieutenant Colonel Schweizen.
In the corner of the town, which had completely been evacuated of civilians, stood a large gray “facility.”
It was probably once a prison for criminals; the walls surrounding the building were high, and the entrance was heavily fortified.
We were welcomed by soldiers saluting us with rifles slung over their shoulders.
“You’ll be getting to work right away.”
Upon entering the facility, there was a 400-meter track, and beyond it, the building was divided into an East Wing and a West Wing.
The two wings were connected by a central corridor on the first floor.
Lieutenant Colonel Schweizen entered the East Wing without hesitation.
All the soldiers we passed stopped and saluted.
“Here it is.”
It was a door at the top of the stairs.
Two soldiers who appeared to be guards stood by.
After Lieutenant Colonel Schweizen knocked three times, the door was quietly opened from the inside.
A middle-aged man with a broad forehead and greasy hair peeked out.
“Well, well, Lieutenant Colonel Schweizen.”
“You’ve worked hard on the interrogation, Lieutenant Gorgon. Has ‘he’ revealed any information?”
“Well, about that…”
The man called Lieutenant Gorgon smiled ingratiatingly and said,
“Not yet. He’s been rather tight-lipped…”
“Maybe your methods are too lenient?”
“That’s not the case… Do you want to see?”
Upon nodding from Lieutenant Colonel Schweizen, the door slowly opened wide.
In the center of the room sat a demon with a body drenched in blood, bound to a “restraint chair.”
The demon, with three black horns arranged like a triangular pyramid on its head, must have been over two meters tall and appeared very muscular.
However, it looked extremely weakened.
Its skin was torn and ragged, as if it had exploded from within.
Perhaps this was the result of being whipped.
Its mouth had been torn open at one point, and scars where its cheeks had been sewn up were visible.
One of its eyes had been gouged out, and the nails from its fingers, which had been torn off, were neatly arranged on the desk in front of the demon, almost as if to show off.
“I see. Even after all this, it still won’t talk. It seems we’re truly having a hard time here.”
“This demon is quite resilient. It’s about time we start tearing its body apart, but at this rate, it might not open its mouth until it dies…”
“That won’t be a problem.”
With a thud, Lieutenant Colonel Schweizen pushed me forcefully from behind.
“Use this guy—Kiwi Alaya. He’s a dark healer.”
“Oh! As expected of Lieutenant Colonel Schweizen! You work quickly! You’ve already found someone!”
Lieutenant Gorgon rubbed his hands together and looked back and forth between the colonel and me.
“Well then, I’d like to have this dark healer get to work right away. Is that alright?”
“Yeah. Use him as you wish. However, be careful. The dark heal he uses is powerful. Don’t let him make contact with the demon for more than a minute.”
“Ah, but if that’s the case, we won’t be able to heal much…”
“That’s fine. Under no circumstances are you to ‘fully heal’ this demon.”
Glaring.
Lieutenant Colonel Schweizen looked at the bindings holding the demon…
“Even though the high-ranking priest is using restraints infused with ‘sacred arts,’ we cannot guarantee safety if it recovers all its injuries and strength.”
“Understood, of course.”
“Don’t forget that the soldiers watching the captured demons, as well as the soldiers watching this dark healer, must be vigilant.”
“Understood.”
After stating the necessary points, Lieutenant Colonel Schweizen turned his back and left the room.
Once Lieutenant Gorgon closed the door, he clicked his tongue and said,
“Hey, dark healer. Heal that demon’s right hand right away. Just the right hand, got it?”
Lieutenant Gorgon drew his pistol from his holster and aimed it at me.
“Don’t try anything funny.”
“…Understood.”
I placed my hand on the demon’s right hand.
I began to channel my magic into it.
Slowly, carefully.
“…Kill me.”
The demon whispered in a raspy voice.
“I won’t kill you. My job is to heal.”
“Hey, don’t talk to the demon!”
With the gun barrel pressed to my head, I fell silent.
Exactly one minute later, the demon’s nails, which had been missing from its right hand, regenerated.
“Hmph, you took your sweet time. Well, I suppose that’s enough for today.”
With a thud, Lieutenant Gorgon shoved me aside and brandished a “nail puller,” which looked like a nutcracker.
“Tomorrow, you start work at nine in the morning. A room has been prepared for you within this facility, so don’t leave for anything other than work. If you do, it will be considered an escape, and I wouldn’t want you to end up like this.”
Click-clack.
Lieutenant Gorgon laughed as he toyed with the nail puller.
After that, I was held under the arms by the soldiers who entered the room and was led out.
I was dragged to a small, dusty room that was likely meant for prisoners.
“Well, this is a dreadful place.”
But it was a private room.
That was convenient.
“From the contact earlier, I’ve managed to grasp the general structure of that demon’s body.”
Nail regeneration?
If I wanted to, I could accomplish that in ten seconds.
So why did I take my time until the last possible moment?
In short, for the purpose of “examination.”
By channeling my magic throughout the demon, I was investigating its body in detail.
All for the success of my “defection.”
“I’m sorry. Please hold on a little longer.”
I silently apologized to the demon, who was likely still being treated horribly, and closed my eyes.
Then I recalled the structure of the demon’s body that I had touched earlier.
…Alright, let’s begin “construction.” The ultimate dark heal that will help us achieve our reversal in the end.
