The Great Tsunami
Decarbia’s castle was originally part of a trading town. And so the surrounding lands were thick with roads, much like a spider’s web.
Since I had been able to take his lands without destroying the infrastructure, they could continue to be used.
And as I owned the lands, there were no checking stations.
Tyron’s mansion could be reached within a few days on horseback, but that was only if you went alone and rode at top speed.
While Eve was a demon, she was not made for that kind of harsh travel.
She was a maid, and would also require a degree of privacy when nature called. It was quite different than when traveling with a man.
She was not very tough, and would not last long on horse.
The fastest horses took a lot of energy to ride, and sometimes people died from exhaustion.
This was not an exaggeration by any means. It was quite common in this world, where medical treatments were not very advanced.“But we are not in a hurry.”
I muttered.
While we were going in order to solve a problem that Tyron had, it wasn’t anything urgent, like being attacked by bandits or anything. His daughter, Flora, was twenty-four years old, and an extra day would not matter.
And so we would ride slowly.
Eve had her arms around my waist and held on tightly.
She had to ride behind me on my horse, as she was not a good rider. But like this, her chest pressed against my back, which made me feel something that was difficult to describe.
Obviously, I had no wicked thoughts, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. And the time seemed to pass by quickly.
It was after traveling like this for some time, that the mansion that was our destination, came into view.
While it had taken us a few days longer than initially planned, I had been able to eat some delicious meals that Eve had prepared, and so I had no complaints.
However, if there was one thing that worried me, it was that there was something like smoke rising from the mansion.
It could have just been the cooks preparing dinner, but that seemed a little excessive.
As I thought about this, Eve raised her voice.
“Master, that is not the smoke of any kitchen stoves. It appears that they are under attack.”
“I see.”
I used my magic, ‘Eye of the Hawk’ to get a closer look. I then saw that the mansion was surrounded by a crowd of people carrying torches.
For a second, I wondered if they were bandits, but on closer inspection, I saw that they were not.
The weapons that they carried were plows, hoes, and sticks.
“They appear to be farmers.”
“Yes.”
It was not hard to guess the reason for this.
The prices of food had been rising in my own town.
This place had been ruled by someone else until recently. And it was likely that it was undergoing some changes, resulting in prices going up. It wouldn’t have helped that merchants around Ashtaroth castle would have been buying up all of the food.
And that must be the reason that these people were so angry.
Realizing all of this, I let Eve down from the horse.
I would go on ahead and try to reason with them.
As Eve was always aware of what I was thinking, she got off without saying anything and bowed her head.
“I will pray for your success in this battle.”
She said with a smile.
“That won’t be necessary. They are my people. I will persuade them.”
I said as I smiled back. Then I whipped the horse.
The horse neighed and then dashed forward.
This black horse was one of the fastest in Ashtaroth’s stables.
And so I arrived in just a few minutes, and shouted.
“People of Decarbia. What are you doing?”
As they saw me appear on such a fine horse, they must have realized I was no ordinary stranger. And so they did not immediately attack.
However, they didn’t hide their distrust and animosity either.
And it was with angry voices that they spoke to me.
“This wealthy farmer, Tyron. He is withholding food from the market so that prices will go up. This forces us to buy food at higher prices. But we’ve had enough. It’s time that he pays for his actions.”
“That will not do. Tyron is not buying the food illegally. He is just letting it sleep in his storage. He is allowed to do it, and it’s not against the law.”
“But it is hurting the people of this land.”
“Indeed. However, fighting will only lead to more death.”
I pointed in the direction of the road.
There was a group of mercenaries that Tyron had most likely hired.
“Wh-when did they…”
“It seems that Tyron has already escaped. If this continues, there will be a meaningless battle.”
“It-it doesn’t matter. We are in the right. Besides, his daughter may still be inside. We can take her as a hostage.”
It seemed like a contradiction, since they had been going on about justice. However, I did not feel like getting upset either.
These people were angry because they were hungry.
Thinking this, I went over to the mercenaries and told them who I was. Then I had them wait.
“I will put an end to this in an instant. There will be no need to fight. I will make them return to their homes.”
Tyron was with the group of mercenaries, and did not look too pleased. However, knowing that I was a Demon King, he obeyed. However, he did say one thing.
“If anything happens to my daughter, I will break every finger on their hands.”
He was a demon after all. And I was sure he meant it.
Flora was his most beloved daughter. And so I wanted to put an end to this quickly and relieve him of this anxiety.
And so I turned my horse and was about to move away, but then I paused and asked him one more question.
“I will not allow your daughter to be hurt. But she might get wet. I hope you don’t mind?”
What do you mean? Tyron asked. But instead of answering, I started to chant.
“Unlimited water that lurks in the air,
Materialize in this world,
And create waves of chaos!”
After chanting this, rumbles started to echo from the east.
Tyron looked in that direction and saw a great wave that looked almost like a wall.
“Wh-what is that!?”
I answered as he looked on in shock.
“It’s curse magic. A spell called the ‘Great Tsunami.’ Well, I held back a little, so maybe it’s more of a weak, ‘Medium Tsunami.’”
“You call that weak!?”
It was weak. If I wanted to, I could easily make something that would swallow up every building and person in the area.
However, everyone here were just residents of the town. And of course, Flora was inside of the mansion.
It would make no sense to destroy the mansion just to stop a riot.
No, this water would just serve to put out the fires that had been made, and help suppress the mob.
I gathered magic energy into my right hand and started to control the water that had become a tsunami.
I moved the water so it only hit the mansion where it was the most durable, and then I moved the water so that it put out the fires. After that, the water moved towards the mob.
Most of them were carrying torches, but they were immediately put out by the water, and many of them were washed away.
Not many people were able to swim in this world. Besides, the tsunami was a lot stronger than it first appeared. The only people that would have no trouble were water-type demons.
And while there were demons among them, none were water-types, and so they were easily swallowed up by the tsunami.
They would die if the water carried them to the river or valley, but of course, I would not allow that to happen.
While they were a mob, they were still my people.
And so I just deactivated the spell, sending the water away, and then I turned to them.
“I understand why you are upset. However, you should not try to solve this problem with violence. I am not a cruel Demon King. But I do not tolerate the breaking of my laws.”
After the tsunami, the mob listened quietly.
“I will say it again. You have grievances. I will take them away. Believe me and withdraw from this place.”
Perhaps I had been persuasive enough, as they bowed their heads.
“If we have your word, Demon King. Then we will comply.”
And so they put down their weapons and left.
Upon seeing this, Tyron sighed in relief.
Then he walked up to me and bowed.
“Thank you, Demon King. You saved my life.”
Well, it was true that a battle would have erupted.
And it was possible that he or his daughter could have died.
It made me his saviour in a way. And he knew how to treat someone like me.
And so he quickly invited me into his mansion.
And I had no reason to refuse. It was my intention to talk with him and persuade him to allow more food to enter the market. And this was a great opportunity.