“This is extremely intriguing.”
It was around ten in the morning. The sky was clear, tinged with a pale violet hue, and faint sunlight filtered down. The scenery illuminated before me was that of the central city of the Demon Realm where the Demon Lord’s castle stood—the cityscape of Delmond, the Demon Capital.
The scene of stone-paved streets and buildings made of stone and brick was surprisingly similar to that of the royal capital.
“The inhabitants of this demon capital are mostly humanoid demons, so it’s likely that the city’s structure resembles that of a human city,” explained Milphobia, who was walking beside me.
“Oh, we turn right at that alley, Alaya-sama.”
“Ah, yes, I know. I’m good at reading maps.”
My heart leaped with excitement for this first “outing.”
Just as I was about to pick up my pace, Milphobia grabbed my hand.
“Please stay close to me. I’d be in trouble if you got lost. Even under the protection of His Majesty the Demon Lord, I can’t guarantee your complete safety.”
“I understand that. But you don’t have to put it that way—it makes me sound like a child.”
“Trouble-wise, you’re actually worse than one…”
Milphobia let out a sigh as if to say something rather rude.
Well, I’ll let that pass for now. More importantly…
“Milphobia, you mentioned earlier… ‘the inhabitants of this demon capital are mostly humanoid demons.'”
“Huh? Oh, yes, I did mention that.”
“So, does that mean there are also cities where non-humanoid demons are the main inhabitants?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Milphobia nodded and continued, “Demons aren’t limited to a single species. They encompass creatures like magical beasts, ghosts, and even some intelligent undead. Many of these were not considered part of the demon race until the ‘Demon Kingdom Unification War’ a hundred years ago.”
“I see, is that so…!”
“Given that the Demon Kingdom expanded over time as successive Demon Lords annexed neighboring states, it’s natural for there to be differences in predominant species by region.”
“I understand. Thank you. Now I’m interested in studying the history. I’d even like to take a pilgrimage through the Demon Kingdom someday.”
“For the record, no. Besides, aren’t you here to run a clinic in this demon capital? You can’t exactly go on a nationwide pilgrimage.”
“…Of course, I was joking. Even if I wanted to travel across the kingdom someday, I’d need the funds.”
Before we knew it, we arrived at our destination.
It was a white-walled, two-story building on a slope just off the main street leading to the Demon Lord’s castle—centrally located within the demon capital.
“Alaya-sama, this is one of the gifts from His Majesty the Demon Lord… the ‘Alaya General Clinic.’”
“Oh…! It’s much bigger than the place I rented back in the royal capital…!”
And it looked almost brand new. It was hard to believe that such prime real estate had been unused.
Upon entering, it was still dim because there were no “magic lamps” installed yet. However, many items had already been delivered to the first floor.
[Uuugh… grrraa…]
“Oh, my zombie assistants. Thank you for the hard work carrying the load.”
Emerging from the back of the building were three zombies—Zombie Queen, Zombie Thief, and Zombie Soldier.
They were harmless, and for some reason (a still-unexplained phenomenon), they listened to my basic instructions. In exchange for healing their decayed bodies and wounds with my Dark Heal, they worked as my assistants.
“It’s remarkable, though… who would’ve thought zombies could become assistants?”
“Though, as assistants, they can only follow simple and precise commands. The other day, I asked them to bring a medical book, and they brought the whole bookshelf. I was nearly crushed…”
It helped that the Demon Kingdom had precise maps, and the route was straightforward. Thanks to this, I could have the three zombies carry the supplies in a bucket-brigade style from the Demon Lord’s castle to the clinic.
“Despite their quirks, having strong helpers is extremely useful. I’m planning to set up beds for inpatients in the future, so they’ll have more work carrying equipment.”
But that’s a task for further down the line. For now, getting the clinic up and running with basic equipment is the priority.
Once the unpacking was complete, we were ready to open the clinic starting tomorrow.
“Do you think we’ll have any patients…?”
Milphobia asked worriedly.
According to rumors, healthcare in the Demon Kingdom is typically specialized by species, so a “General Clinic” might be an unfamiliar and intimidating concept.
On top of that, the head doctor is of the human race—a former enemy.
That might make some wary of coming.
But…
“It’s fine. I’ve already taken care of that.”
I gave Milphobia a confident thumbs-up.
