The Fragment's Retreat
"So, you missed it?" At my question, Iris, followed by Daisy and Gerard, bowed their heads deeply and answered, "Yes." Their voices were so faint it was like three mosquitoes harmonizing. They seemed to be blaming themselves—after all, I'd been the one to hunt down and kill the Fragment of the Demon God, while they'd failed to notice its birth until it was too late, and then let it slip away.
"Aaaagh!!" In contrast, Iris was fuming, huffing and puffing nonstop. "No! Master! That bastard ran away, you know?! What kind of nonsense is that?! You're supposed to fight to the death! And then it has the nerve to babble about the Enemy's Will and the end of the world?! That damn son of a bitch!"
Iris had always been hot-tempered by nature. If surrounded, she'd rather lash out in every direction than retreat. But now the opponent she'd been dying to fight had fled, and she hadn't been able to stop it. The frustration was so intense she was even swearing up a storm—enough that if someone called her a Demonic Human instead of a Hero, you'd almost believe it. Covered in blood as she was, the image was even more convincing. Exaggerate a little and people might actually panic and run.
"Iris. That's enough. The mood's already grim without you adding to it."
"I'm angry, that's why! We could've caught it! How could it just tuck its tail and run like that?!"
The disciples' account of the battle in the Royal Capital was quite surprising. They'd wiped out every Demon God Worshipper and monster that had pushed this far in. Just as they were about to finish off the Demonic Humans, the Enemy's Will descended. It wore a human shell but radiated an unmistakably inhuman aura. Naturally, they'd expected a fight—after all, eliminating the Heroes was the fastest way to destroy the world. Yet the creature merely glanced around the battlefield once before withdrawing, as if it had only come to assess their combat strength and gather intelligence. It left behind a thick trail of that nauseating energy that made your skin crawl just looking at it.
"...That's unexpected."
Exactly. The Fragment of the Demon God's actions were highly unusual. The beings that stood opposite the Heroes were the Demonic Humans. Even they couldn't overpower a Hero. In game terms, Demonic Humans were just mid-tier monsters meant to stall a Hero's rampage, while a Fragment of the Demon God was a boss that required every Hero working together to take down. Demonic Humans fleeing was one thing, but a Fragment running away was unprecedented.
The Fragment we'd fought earlier would've attacked me and Master right from the start if it had been in better condition. It had hesitated because it knew its own limits, yet the moment the Heroes appeared, it hadn't charged in immediately. That alone proved it believed it could handle two of them.
"Gerard. You said there were massive casualties in the battle, right?"
"Yes. All the Demon God Worshippers are dead, and an enormous number of monsters were slain as well."
"On the other hand, how bad was the damage to the Royal Capital, Iris?"
"I don't know the exact numbers, but from what I saw while fighting, at least half the people there are either dead or injured."
If it had used that much blood as a sacrifice to appear, it should've been worth the risk. The fact that it still chose to retreat was deeply unsettling. It meant this second Fragment was far more cautious and cunning than we'd anticipated.
"So in the end, you guys just couldn't catch the Fragment of the Demon God?"
"Yeah. These idiots let it get away. We should've grabbed it by the ankles if we had to!"
"Right. Then Jenia and I could've come and finished it off."
"...What were you two even doing, Senior Sister and Second Senior Sister? Did you fuse together or something?"
At Daisy's words, Garam and Jenia both went "Huh?" and checked themselves. Only then did everyone notice they were still carrying each other piggyback. The moment they arrived, they'd started arguing about getting down—Garam insisting she'd dismount right away, Jenia claiming she'd make her—but somehow they'd stayed stuck together the whole time.
"W-wait, why am I still on her back?!"
"Get off! Why are you still clinging to me, you crazy fox?!"
"E-eh? Wait, my foot's caught on your clothes! Hey, hold on—kyaa!"
Garam's ankle had snagged on Jenia's outfit, tangling her leg. She couldn't dismount properly and ended up smacking the back of her head on the ground.
"You damn elf! Kaeng! That hurt like hell!"
"Shut up. Lily's been working her ass off since she got here, and what have you been doing?"
"Hah! If there were still enemies around, I'd have been working plenty hard!"
"...I'm sorry, Senior Sister Garam."
"Huh? Oh, no, that's not what I meant, Gerard. It was just a joke, so don't take it to heart."
This might have been the first time all my disciples had gathered together like this. When they'd been training by my side, they hadn't known much about each other. After they left, they'd probably met as fellow disciples, but I hadn't been there. In other words, this was the first time I'd seen them interacting together. I'd been a little worried they might not get along, but it seemed they were managing better than expected.
"Um, Master. Who's that kid over there?"
After shoving Garam aside, Jenia crept up beside me. Spotting Iris, who was now sitting across from me and panting, she asked the question.
"Didn't I tell you? She's the youngest, remember?"
"The youngest? Wait, so Ester's not the youngest anymore?"
"...I feel like I've heard this conversation every single time you all meet."
"Well, of course. Ester was really attached to being the youngest. It was almost... obsessive, honestly."
Every time I introduced Iris to the others, the same story came up. Ester had loved her position as the youngest and clung to it fiercely. Even when leaving my side, she'd teared up and begged me not to take on any more disciples, insisting the youngest spot had to stay hers forever. At the time, I hadn't been sure about Iris yet, so I'd agreed. But in the end, I couldn't resist my inner black-hole tendencies and accepted her anyway. Well, given that Iris was a regressor, she would've found her way to me one way or another.
"You lot are having quite the party. While your junior is busy working herself to the bone, what exactly are the rest of you doing?"
At that moment, Master, who had been sitting quietly in the back, spoke in a deliberately stern voice. It wasn't an empty threat—Lily had been pouring out her divine power to create a sanctuary the moment she arrived at the Royal Capital, tending to soldiers with injuries both big and small. It wasn't as thorough as healing each person individually with a miracle, but it was enough to provide basic emergency care and restore their vitality. That was precisely why Lily was called a Saintess even though she had no connection to the Church.
"Grandmaster, there's not really anything we can do in this situation..."
"Oh? You brats have grown bold, haven't you? Talking back now?"
"T-that's not it at all!"
Garam, my first disciple and the one who'd experienced Master's terrifying side more than anyone, immediately started waving her hands in panic when Master tilted her head slightly. Then she bolted off, claiming she'd check if any enemies remained nearby. Right after, Jenia chased after her, scolding that an injured person shouldn't be wandering around alone. To anyone watching, it might've looked like concern for a fellow disciple, but in reality, it was the perfect excuse to escape Master's presence.
"I'll go check on the defensive magic I set up around the Royal Capital. The monsters broke through the outer lines and reached the capital, but it looks like the barriers held up. A few spots seem damaged, though."
"Good. Gerard, go with Daisy. From now on, no solo actions, no matter how close you are."
"Understood, Master."
After watching Gerard and Daisy head toward the Royal Capital, I looked around. The damage was bad enough, but that damn Fragment had left one final mess behind. Its vile energy was practically a plague to ordinary humans. It had spread it generously, and the soldiers had all been drenched in it. At this point, you could almost believe the Plague God itself had paid a visit. If this kept up, a few foolish humans would probably start praising the Demon God again. No wonder they say even empires can collapse overnight when public sentiment turns. I was feeling firsthand just how true "the will of the people is the will of heaven" really was.
"Master. I heard some priests and paladins from the Church arrived just now."
"They sure took their time. The battle started over an hour ago."
"According to them, they ran into Demon God Worshippers on the way here."
I nodded at Iris's words. For the Demon God Worshippers, capturing the Royal Capital had been their top priority. If successful, they could've wiped out the entire royal family and claimed tens of thousands of lives inside. Even if they failed, they could've spread widespread fear that not even the capital was safe. For a while, hostility toward the Demon God Worshippers would burn hot. But in the outer regions, fear would outweigh that hostility. The capital was the capital, and the outskirts were the outskirts. Without proper protection, people might decide it was better to submit to those who could even strike the capital rather than resist and die.
"...I'm sorry, Master. I never imagined we'd draw out the Enemy's Will."
Iris finally seemed to have calmed down enough to apologize. She'd only thought about attacking and capturing the capital, not about how the resulting bloodshed might summon a Fragment of the Demon God. She looked genuinely remorseful for overlooking that possibility.
"It's fine, Iris. I didn't think of it either. I was too busy worrying about the Enemy's Will appearing somewhere else for support. We both share the blame, so let's drop it. It's not like apologizing will make the one that ran away come back."
While Iris and I were talking, Iris had approached the Church personnel who had made contact with the knights from the Royal Capital. Curious about what she was doing, I simply watched in silence. A moment later, Iris nodded and returned to my side.
"Master. From what I heard, there were more Demon God Worshippers heading toward the Royal Capital."
"...They really went all in. If even one group had made it inside, the kingdom would've fallen right then and there."
"Exactly. So, I heard something from the Church people just now. On their way here, they encountered Demon God Worshippers near the capital."
"You mean they fought them?"
"No. From what I heard, that doesn't seem to be the case."
At Iris's words, I raised an eyebrow. If the Church and Demon God Worshippers crossed paths, a fight should've been inevitable. Yet she said that wasn't what happened. What kind of nonsense was that?
"The Church said all the Demon God Worshippers they saw were corpses with their heads cleanly severed. The strange part is that the bodies were all displayed along the roadside, like some kind of exhibition. As if they wanted someone to see them."
...Wait. What did she just say?
"Youngest. No, Ester."
Iris, who had been quietly listening to our conversation from the side, suddenly spoke up.
"That sounds exactly like something she'd do. She's an ultimate coward, but she sure has a knack for pulling weird stunts."