The Black Knights' Commander
The Black Knights. The Demon Lord's personal guard and one of the most powerful military forces in the Demon Lord's army. Clad in full-plate armor forged from the black metal known as Cornium, wielding kite shields and longswords, they served as the Demon Lord's unyielding shield. And the commander of the Black Knights was one of the greatest swordmasters in the Demon Lord's forces.
"Is Crawford there as well?"
"Yes! Since it's the largest survivor hideout in Hemonigent, Sir Crawford is personally protecting it!"
The commander of the Black Knights, Crawford van Eihardt. One of Neromeltia's closest retainers, he was a man of unyielding integrity, with a strong sense of justice and unwavering loyalty to his liege. News of another close ally's survival brought a vivid flush of color to Neromeltia's face. The hope of restoring precious bonds from the past—bonds she had believed lost forever—filled her with indescribable joy.
"Do you know anything about the others?"
"Ah… I'm sorry. The Humians have been scouring the Astaris continent with fire in their eyes, capturing other races as slaves… So aside from Sir Crawford, who was nearby, I haven't been able to learn anything. The more people gather, the harder it becomes to secure food and maintain concealment… And because they've scattered to avoid the Humian army…"
"No, it's fine. If any remain, we can find them from now on. After all, I am here."
"My Lord…!!"
Lusteria's eyes glistened with tears, deeply moved by Neromeltia's confident declaration. From her master's bold demeanor, she felt a surge of hope, her voice trembling with overwhelming emotion. The long centuries of hiding from Humian eyes, unable even to eat or sleep properly, finally seemed to be drawing to an end.
In truth, had it not been for the betrayal of her closest retainers, the meticulously planned ambush, and the large-scale assault that took her people hostage, her master would never have been defeated or slain. Lusteria felt once more that the most trustworthy master in the world had truly returned. With a joyful heart, she began guiding her master toward the hideout where the Black Knights and the survivors resided.
The area around Barkus Volcano, where Neromeltia and Lusteria currently stood, was vast in both scale and size. Its reputation as the second-highest mountain on the Astaris continent was no exaggeration, and the volcano's territory alone could easily accommodate an entire duchy. Though Lusteria had said the hideout was relatively close, the journey still required considerable time, and by the time they were halfway there, night had already fallen.
Unlike Neromeltia, who had been sealed in the Underworld for a thousand years, Lusteria was familiar with the changed geography of Hemonigent. When Neromeltia requested a teleportation spell, Lusteria firmly refused, forcing them to continue on foot.
"Right now, dragons and Humians have each migrated to one of the two moons! Even low-tier magic might go unnoticed, but high-tier spells like teleportation would immediately alert those watching from above, Master…"
"Because the world has been polluted."
"That's right. The products of Humian magic engineering brought them superior military power and prosperous lives… but the pollutants and toxins they emit have covered the world. Crops wither and die, water rots… Now it's become a land where life itself perishes because even breathing is impossible."
This matched the conclusion Neromeltia had reached while observing the surrounding environment. During her tenth resurrection, why had only fifteen Humian soldiers been dispatched, unlike before? Each Humian corpse had worn a magical device protecting their face—a transparent glass visor for visibility, with a synthetic rubber seal blocking external air, and a cylindrical magical device embedded with an air-purification magic circle attached at the bottom. It was clear proof that her hypothesis was reality.
The Humians could no longer live in the current devastated environment. For someone of Neromeltia's caliber, the air was merely murky and unpleasant, but to the inherently frail Humians, such polluted air was nothing short of poison. The situation was likely no different for the dragons. Though their immense power allowed them to endure the toxins, they could not live breathing the noxious fumes indefinitely. It was obvious they would be confined to limited spaces they had purified themselves. Rather than living in such restricted places, it would be far better to ascend to the clean, vast moons. For the mighty dragons, reaching the moon was no great feat.
If the Humians had fled to the moon out of mortal threat, then the dragons had migrated to escape the filthy, agonizing environment. This fact also aligned with the report of only fifteen Humian soldiers. "Yes… Crossing the toxin-filled Astaris continent to reach Barkus Volcano could never have been easy."
"That's right, My Lord! Moreover, there are almost no Humians left on the Astaris continent now. They lack the resources to dispatch armies at previous levels! They can only reside in the southernmost Esteronan Duchy on the Astaris continent!"
"The northernmost point, Barkus Volcano, and the southernmost are complete opposites."
"It seems they chose to establish their final territory near Odvolis."
Unlike the Astaris continent, where living beings resided, the Odvolis continent was home to the gods. The continent of the gods, named after the God-King Odvolg. Choosing to keep their last territory as close as possible to the gods' land revealed the Humians' weak and dependent nature.
"Why do they insist on keeping their final territory instead of leaving? If most Humians have gone to the moon, shouldn't they follow?"
"The Blue Moon, where the dragons migrated, only received a portion of the Sky Dragons, so there's plenty of space. But the Red Moon, where the Humians went, is extremely cramped because so many Humians brought along other-race slaves and livestock. That's why some Humians had to be left behind on Astaris… and even in that state, they still wanted more slaves! The Humians living in Esteronan are there to hunt the surviving other races on the Astaris continent and sell them as slaves to the Red Moon!"
Neromeltia's fists trembled with rage at the Humians' endless greed. Even as the world faced total destruction, they still hungered for more slaves. She could vividly imagine the fate awaiting those captured. With the end of Terraris looming, the Humians who still hunted other races for slaves would never treat their captives humanely. Their cruel treatment of slaves had been well known a thousand years ago, but it was certain to be even harsher now.
Labor slaves worked to death in mines, construction, and agriculture. Sex slaves forced to endure sadistic pleasures until they died as mere playthings. Test subjects used in magical or alchemical research until they perished. Arena slaves driven to kill each other in violent games. Servant slaves killed on a whim when their masters grew displeased. The treatment would be worse than anything Neromeltia had witnessed a thousand years ago—never better.
In this cruel reality, Neromeltia recalled the hero who had brought her death while confidently promising peace. She knew how hollow and fleeting that promise had been, yet faced with such a horrific tragedy unfolding before her eyes, resentment welled up toward the woman who had been ignorant of reality and driven only by justice.
"No one will shed blood or suffer…? What happened to that promise, hero of the God-King…?"
Lusteria could only feel sorrow at Neromeltia's barely contained fury. The anger felt by a wise ruler who cherished all her retainers and subjects as her own was something a mere secretary like herself could never hope to fathom.
As Neromeltia gazed beyond Barkus Volcano, lost in complicated thoughts, Lusteria quietly began gathering firewood and preparing a place to sleep.