If his refusal was on the directive of the King of Darkness, what was its purpose?
“He didn’t say where to sit in particular, huh? Everyone take whatever seat you like.”
Following their commander’s instructions, everyone sat down, and finally a little while later, the door opened.
Neia turned around to look, and her eyes widened.
It was a member of the race that was human from the chest up and snake below—a naga.
There were multiple types of nagas, such as the sea nagas that popped up sometimes along the Sacred Kingdom’s coast, but she didn’t know which variety this was. Regardless, no nagas were friendly with humans, yet she didn’t feel frightened or surprised.
It was thanks to that black-armored undead. It was much easier to keep her head around a naga than that thing.
Oh! Could that be part of the point? That terrifying undead wasn’t just to cow us but also to lessen the shock of other subhumans appearing? They really put a lot of consideration into making it so humans and subhumans can coexist together here…
Apparently, the King of Darkness wasn’t just an extremely powerful undead.
Paying no mind to the party’s reaction, the naga entered the silent room. Then it bowed its head slightly.
“Sorry I kept you waiting, humans who wish to enter the city. I am one of our immigration officers, Ryuraryusu Spenia Ai Indaloon. I’m a naga. Well, you won’t be meeting those of my occupation very often, so it’s fine to forget about it. Sorry to be so brisk, but let’s begin. I’m going to be briefly explaining life in this city, how it differs from nearby cities, and things to keep in mind while you’re here… First of all, drawing weapons inside the city is prohibited.”
That’s a perfectly normal warning. Neia relaxed her shoulders somewhat.
“Hmm. It seems many of you thought that sounded like a normal warning.” Ryuraryusu squinted at them. “I can see it on your faces. But remember: In the Nation of Darkness, all manner of races walk the streets. You may even see undead shuffling along. Even if it’s against a being you know as dangerous, drawing your weapon first is a serious crime.”
“Wait. Are you saying that if we encounter a dangerous being, we should just run away?”
“No. In this city, dangerous beings shouldn’t harm you. I’m just saying not to jump to conclusions if you still feel scared or threatened.”
“Can you guarantee that we won’t be attacked?”
“I can. The dangerous beings swaggering around here that you are most likely to be afraid of are His Majesty the King of Darkness’s servants.” Ryuraryusu’s lips curved into a slightly tired smile. “I think after a day in the city, your sense of danger will grow numb, but, well, it’s that first day that’s the issue. Oh, but if you’re defending yourself, using your weapons is fine.”
“Aha. So for defense, there’s no problem.”
“Yes, exactly. And in this city, we use mind control to investigate crimes. You’ll need to accept that.”
Neia’s eyes widened. And it wasn’t only Neia’s. A murmur went through the paladins, and Remedios spoke up as their representative.
“Hold on, please. Is the Nation of Darkness that behind the times? You allow magic like that? What about the courts, then?”
Normally mind control magic would never be used to interrogate criminals.
For example, Dominate could turn anyone into a criminal temporarily, and Charm could probably be used to create a scapegoat. Since criminals could be created at will with such spells, using them was viewed as something only a brutal tyrant would do.
“I hear they use them in court as well. Oh, but the King of Darkness would never make you say anything false. Please don’t worry about that.”
Anyone could say that, but who would believe it without thinking? Using mind control magic meant that if the country felt someone was a menace, it could frame and dispose of them with ease. There was no way humans could trust an undead they had never even met.
No one said anything, but everyone seemed to have the same opinion.
“Before I continue, perhaps I should ask: Would you rather just leave now?”
“…No, we can’t do that. We’ll go in.”
“Ohhh? That was the fastest answer I’ve ever gotten. Merchants usually take a moment to talk among themselves… Then allow me to continue.”
Most of the things Ryuraryusu said after that sounded crazy—like, “There are undead carriages on the streets”—but the one that stuck out the most was “Don’t be surprised to see dragons flying overhead now and then. Make sure your horses don’t panic.”
If dragons were flying over the city, they would have bigger problems.
A dragon was the kind of opponent that a hero could challenge perfectly prepared, but then still lose and die fighting. That was why warriors dreamed of slaying a dragon. Crushing a monster despite such an overwhelming power gap with trained-up powers, a group of friends, and battle gear earned anyone who succeeded a reputation—a feat attainable only by a select few.
If a dragon appeared in a human realm, what kind of chaos would usually ensue?
I can handle undead after seeing that guard, but dragons…? N-nah, I mean if it’s just one on patrol in the sky, then maybe…? And I’ve heard their powers are really different depending on how old they are.
A newborn dragon whelp was still a dragon. A little one like that would probably be much easier to tame than that undead.
“Well, that’s about it. Thanks for listening. Could you leave this room and follow that soldier up to the gate, then?”
“Sorry, do you mind if I ask some questions?” Remedios raised her hand.
“Hmm? About what?”
“Do you feel like you want to kill us or, like, eat us?”
“The old me probably would have. But now those things are prohibited, and not only that, now that I’ve seen His Majesty, I wonder what the point would even be of lower life-forms quarreling.”
“His Majesty is that
