[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Side Story Chapter 22: Field Trip (2)

“We are now going to enter Inferno. Don’t worry. Not a single hair on your head will be harmed.”

At my uncle’s confident words, I could not help but let out a deep sigh.

I mean, there are so many romantic places like the Elven Island or the Dragon’s Dimension, so why Inferno of all places?

Of course, I have never been to Inferno either, so I am curious, but it is not exactly a place for a field ‘trip,’ is it?

How did he even convince the headmaster in the first place?

Other than being the land of demons, Inferno is an unknown land with nothing revealed about it.

I do not think the headmaster would have readily given permission to take students to such a dangerous place.

“There is no need to be scared. You will return safely without a single hair on your head being harmed.”

Well, I do not like that the field trip location is Inferno, but I am not worried.

No matter how fearsome demons are, how could they possibly touch us when my uncle is here?

“Shall we depart, then?”

My uncle opened a dimensional portal and stepped inside.

As soon as my uncle disappeared, the students began to murmur.

“D-Do we really have to go to Inferno?”

“That’s where demons live, isn’t it? Isn’t it an incredibly dangerous place?”

Sigh, what a bunch of cowards.

I guess it cannot be helped. I have been watching how amazing my uncle is from right beside him, but the other students have not.

It can't be helped. I guess I have to be the first one to go.

I threw myself into the dimensional portal.

The moment I passed through the portal, the scenery changed completely.

I could see a sky as crimson as if it were smeared with blood, and a wasteland.

Not a single weed or insect could be seen in the wasteland. It was a truly barren and arid land.

“Oh, as expected, you were the first one in.”

My uncle said to me with a smile. I spoke to my uncle with a pouting face.

“Why did you decide on Inferno of all places?”

“Hm? Were you perhaps expecting somewhere else?”

“Yes, there’s the Elven Island, and the Dragon’s Dimension.”

“Why go to such a boring place? There’s nothing to see there.”

Boring! That might be from your perspective, Uncle, but the other kids would have loved it!

“And these kids are the talents who will lead the Empire in the future. Demons have been the enemies of humans since ancient times. So I’m going to show them. What kind of beings the enemies you must fight are.”

When my uncle spoke in a serious tone, I had no choice but to drop my complaint.

My uncle always said it like a habit. That he could not protect humans forever.

I think this is his way of preparing for a future where he is gone.

“And while I’m at it, I’ll teach a lesson or two.”

“Yes?”

“A demon bastard dared to touch you the other day, didn’t he.”

My uncle's eyes began to blaze.

“I decided then. That I would pay a visit soon and smash it to pieces.”

It is just my imagination that this seems to be the real reason, right?

I was seriously pondering my uncle’s intentions.

Another student popped out of the dimensional portal.

Surprisingly, the first person to muster the courage was Geisel.

“H-Hwaah! I-I really came in! I’m really in Inferno!”

Geisel was so terrified it looked like he would lose his mind at any moment.

Right, I have a debt to repay to this guy. I walked up to Geisel and said.

“How does it feel to be in Inferno? It’s a fearsome place, isn’t it?”

“Th-Theodore Haksen.”

“It’s a real shame. The Huko family’s Ten Thousand Year Armory? The Spirit Spring? I wanted to go see those places, too. Of course, they’re not as special as Inferno, I suppose.”

I do not like that my uncle chose Inferno as the field trip location, but that is a separate issue. I have to make the most of this opportunity.

At my words, Geisel Huko was speechless, like a mute who had eaten honey.

I held back the laughter that was about to burst out.

No matter how satisfying it was, I could not just laugh in his face.

Starting with Geisel, the other students also came in one by one.

Like Geisel, they were all thoroughly terrified.

“Everyone is here. I will now hand out bracelets. Everyone, put them on.”

My uncle handed out jade-colored bracelets one by one.

The students who received the bracelets were delighted, as if they had never been scared.

“T-To receive a gift from Lord Damien.”

“D-Don’t we have to return it when we’re done?”

“Those bracelets are gifts, so you don’t have to return them.”

At my uncle’s words, everyone looked deeply moved.

It seemed they were all that happy to have received a gift from my uncle.

“Instead, you must never take off this bracelet while you are in Inferno. Not when you eat, not when you change clothes, and not when you wash.”

Everyone looked curious as to why that was.

But it seemed they did not have the courage to ask my uncle, so they all just kept their mouths tightly shut.

I guess it can't be helped, I decided to ask for them.

“Uncle!”

“Oh, what is it.”

“Why can’t we take off the bracelets?”

“Ah, the air in Inferno is full of demonic energy, so if you breathe it in carelessly, your lungs will rot and you’ll die.”

At my uncle’s words, everyone’s face turned pale.

“Oh, then isn’t it dangerous for me since I’ve been in Inferno this whole time before getting the bracelet?”

“I’ve set up a barrier around this area, so it’s fine. And the bracelets also have a protective effect, so wear them at all times just in case.”

“Yes!”

If that is the reason, then I should never take it off.

I will be safe if I am next to my uncle, but you never know what might happen.

“From now on, we plan to move to the demon capital. I’ve never been to Inferno myself, so there’s the minor issue of not knowing where it is, but it’s not a big problem.”

Huh? I don't think that sounds like a minor issue.

How are we going to have a field trip if you don't even know the location in Inferno?

“It should be about time for them to show up.”

My uncle was looking around and muttering incomprehensible words.

Suddenly, with a huge roar, the ground began to shake. We lost our balance and stumbled.

“Wh-What in the world is going on?”

“D-Do they have earthquakes in Inferno, too?”

Just as everyone was terrified, the ground shot up.

And a wide shadow covered the land where we were standing.

What erupted from the ground was a giant turtle.

Strictly speaking, it was not a real turtle.

Its limbs were long and slender, and its head was shaped like a wolf’s.

“W-Woooow…”

I let out a gasp of admiration. It was so big it was like looking at a small mountain ridge.

-Khahahat! To see humans in Inferno!

The wolf-turtle demon looked down at us and let out a manic laugh.

-And not just one or two! What a windfall! I don’t know how living humans got into Inferno, but it looks like I’ll be having a feast after a long time!

The wolf-turtle demon licked its lips with its tongue.

At its gaze filled with hunger, the students’ faces turned deathly white.

“Hmm, a demon of a fairly high level.”

My uncle scanned the demon as if he were critiquing it.

At his gaze, the demon made a dumbfounded expression.

-A Death Knight? What is a toy of the city demons doing here?

Ah, so there are Death Knights in Inferno, too.

Hearing it talk, it seems that unlike on the surface, they’re nothing more than toys here.

“State your name and rank.”

-What? You, a walking corpse, dare to order me? You must have truly gone mad!

The wolf-turtle demon shouted and tried to swat my uncle with its front paw.

But before the demon could fully raise its arm, my uncle’s figure vanished without a trace.

Both we and the demon were surprised. The demon looked around in a panic.

-Wh-Where did that corpse go?

Just then, my uncle appeared above the wolf-turtle’s head and brought his fist down.

With a satisfying sound, the wolf-turtle demon’s head was smashed to pieces.

The headless body staggered a few times before falling forward.

At the terrifying sight, the students’ jaws dropped.

“The, the demon died in a single blow.”

“Is this the power of Lord Damien Haksen?”

“Truly amazing…”

Despite killing the demon in a single blow, my uncle’s expression was indifferent.

Well, a demon of that level is nothing to my uncle.

“We will now begin the first lesson. This is the most important lesson, so concentrate.”

The demon is dead, so what kind of lesson is this?

We were all wearing bewildered expressions.

“L-Lord Damien!”

Geisel shouted urgently.

The wolf-turtle demon, which we thought was dead, had shot back up.

Its smashed head was now in a state of perfect recovery.

The wolf-turtle demon opened its mouth and tried to swallow my uncle.

“Behind! Look behind you! It’s dangerous!”

Contrary to Geisel’s shout, my uncle did not turn around.

Instead, he stretched his leg upwards and kicked the wolf-turtle demon’s jaw.

The wolf-turtle demon’s mouth slammed shut, and its jaw and head were completely shattered.

-K-Keoheok!

But it immediately regenerated again.

A creature that regenerates even after having its head smashed twice?

We were all dumbfounded.

It was the first time we had seen a creature with such strong life force.

“As you can see, demons are extremely cunning and have many hidden tricks. So never let your guard down when fighting a demon.”

My uncle explained to the students.

Of course, the students were too shocked to be in a state to listen attentively to my uncle's words.

-K-Keuak… A m-monster. A monster has appeared. I-I have to run.

The wolf-turtle demon crawled on all fours, trying to get away from my uncle.

Just then, my uncle spoke briefly to the demon.

“Stop, if you don’t want to die.”

The wolf-turtle demon’s movements came to a dead stop.

The wolf-turtle demon looked back at my uncle, sweating profusely.

“You listen well.”

At my uncle’s praise, a complicated emotion appeared in the demon’s eyes.

It looked like it was seething with rage at the humiliation but was desperately suppressing it out of fear.

“Lower your eyes before I pluck them out.”

At my uncle’s warning, the demon immediately lowered its gaze.

My uncle wore a very satisfied expression.

“I have a few things to ask of you.”

-S-Speak.

“Speak?”

-P-Please speak, sir.

“Now that sounds a bit better. I am looking for the capital city where the Lord of Inferno is. Guide me there.”

The demon nodded its head up and down vigorously.

“And since we cannot walk all the way there, you will have to carry us.”

This time too, the demon nodded its head vigorously.

It seems it has completely thrown away its pride as a demon.

“Thank you for obediently following my orders.”

-I-It is nothing, sir.

The demon answered, sweating.

My uncle looked at the demon with satisfaction, then took something out of his subspace.

When we first saw the object my uncle took out, we were all bewildered.

Because the object was… a club.

It was a hexagonal club, well-oiled, with a glistening surface.

-Wh-Why are you taking that out, sir.

“The second lesson. The demon race never submits easily. Therefore, you must thoroughly secure their loyalty.”

-This crazy bastard!

The demon, sensing what was about to happen, spat out a curse and fled.

But my uncle moved faster than the demon could escape.

Moving above the demon’s head, my uncle brought the club down.

And the demon’s head was driven into the ground, shattering the earth.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]