Chapter 158
Chapter 158
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: The Saint's Inner Thoughts Are Heard
Durhan, leading his forces into Mavilos Village, looked at the scene before him and flashed a confident smile.
"Ha, so this is it. That brat prophesied to kill His Majesty the Demon King in the future must not be much after all."
At first, since it was a place whose name or location he'd never even heard of, he'd genuinely thought someone must have hidden the Hero away somewhere to kill the Demon King.
But what was actually visible was a village so small and wretched it would be embarrassing to even call it a backwater hamlet.
"Lord Durhan, even so, we shouldn't let our guard down..."
"With a force of our size to begin with, we could sweep the entire continent and still have troops to spare. Are you perhaps thinking His Majesty the Demon King's choice was wrong right now?"
"Ah, no...!"
Durhan's voice held a slight thrill at the thought of burning Mavilos Village to the ground, slaughtering the humans, and turning the continent into a battlefield once more.
Demon King Ergossum was a being who, as if waiting for a human to defeat him, had holed up in his castle like a changed man after killing the Hero.
Despite possessing military power sufficient to conquer the continent, he had suddenly turned passive and indifferent.
"I've been itching lately with no strong opponents around. This should make for a decent warm-up."
But now was different.
For the first time, Demon King Ergossum had spoken of the location of a being who could potentially kill him, and had ordered Durhan and the army mobilized to kill a boy named Astal.
If this was truly a person with the potential to kill the Demon King, their strength must be extraordinary.
"The peace that lasted for centuries ends now! Today, we will dye this village in blood and once again plant the terror of His Majesty the Demon King into the hearts of humans!"
Durhan, who had repeated battles and slaughter for over centuries in an undying arena, had now completely lost the values and heart he once held as the First Hero.
'...If this goes well, I can make that throne mine.'
The hatred for the Demon King who had driven him mad and made him slaughter all his comrades was already gone from within him.
He thought to himself that if this boy Astal truly had talent enough to kill the Demon King, then faking his own death might be a good method.
"Everyone, charge! Don't let a single soul past this point alive! That is the will of His Majesty Demon King Ergossum!!"
And so, Durhan was the first to spur his horse and charge toward the village.
The black horse, born from the tangled grudges of the dead like a living shadow, galloped forward─
─Neeeigh!!
The horse suddenly let out a scream and reared up violently.
Losing his balance from the sudden shift in weight, Durhan tumbled from his horse.
Soon after, all the troops following Durhan began to bounce back as if hitting an invisible wall.
"Uwaaaah...!!!"
"Ack, don't step on me...!! Aaah...!!"
"You crazy bastards!! Why are you hitting nothing...!!"
Like waves crashing, the first group leading the charge fell, then the next group following them.
"Ah, aah... Aaaah...!!!"
Only after yet another group collapsed did the troops realize something was amiss and managed to halt their advance.
"...What in the world?"
Durhan looked at the tangled mass of troops behind him with suspicion.
This was clearly a village so small it wouldn't even appear on a map, and since they had moved through space, there shouldn't have been anyone to predict a preemptive attack.
So why had things turned out like this?
This couldn't be.
It shouldn't be like this...
"...A barrier? Who in a rural village like this could erect such an elaborate and thick magic circle?"
Thud, thud.
Durhan, who had been punching the air before him, finally spoke upon realizing there was something invisible yet solid there.
"They unraveled the magic circle like a thread... and layered it so thinly and solidly that it's invisible."
He couldn't help but feel a chill looking at something harder than steel wire and more transparent than glass.
Wasn't this, just a moment ago, a quiet rural village without a single light of magical power?
Wait, quiet?
Why? Normally, if a force this size approached, there should be humans who noticed.
"......"
It was eerily quiet.
In the maddening stillness, Durhan felt goosebumps rise all over his body.
In a situation where even the livestock that should be in a rural village and any signs of people were absent, he belatedly looked at the ground.
"...These bastards, did they know we were coming?"
The earth was full of cart tracks and human footprints. They led to a grassy mountain path where the traces disappeared.
"Change of plans! Find the weakest point and break through! The opponent is a mage of high attainment!"
Durhan gave the order to retreat to his subordinates.
If the opponent could create a barrier this solid, they must have prepared other traps or plans.
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"It's a success! Sis, sis, you were right...!"
At that moment, inside the village, a group watching Durhan's forces for a while let out a cheer.
"No. It's thanks to Lord Astal and Madam helping."
Their identities were the people led by the young Astal and Victoria.
Unraveling a magic circle like thread, escaping the limits of a circle and creating a new three-dimensional form.
Unlike the original history, Victoria had handed the clue to the magic circle created by the present Astal to those in the past.
"Sister Victoria is a genius...! How did you think of unraveling a magic circle like thread to advance to a new realm...!!"
Upon hearing Victoria's story, the young Astal's eyes lit up, showing his passion for magic.
"...Honestly, I thought it was amazing. It's a theory from outside that ordinary people couldn't imagine."
Selene, having sensed it was something created by the future Astal, wore a slightly bitter expression.
Just how much time and effort must have been poured into it?
Just how much anguish and failure must he have endured to create such an elaborate technique?
p>
Because delicate control and maintenance of mana was required, it took the combined efforts of both Astal and Selene to barely mimic it.
Even though Victoria, who had seen the magic firsthand, explained it in detail, the theory was so complex it required pouring all their remaining time into it.
"So Astal, what was the reason you said you deliberately made a weak spot?"
Selene casually asked her son, who was young but possessed an exceptionally brilliant mind.
She wondered if it was right to follow the opinion of a mere ten-year-old child, but...
"The enemies will surely look for a weak spot in the magic circle to break through! I thought it would be better to guide them!"
"...You're right. Everything has gone according to Lord Astal's thoughts so far. As expected, you're clever."
Victoria said the young Astal's judgment would be correct, instilling courage and encouragement in him.
The Astal she knew was someone who always shouldered everything alone, worried, and sought solutions by himself.
This time, she was trying the opposite.
"Hehe, if you praise me like that, I'll be embarrassed..."
Now, honey practically dripped from Astal's eyes as he looked at Victoria.
After receiving the adult's kiss and hearing that he was her future boyfriend, Astal could no longer hide his feelings of liking Victoria,
and he had become an innocent boy who blushed and grew shy even at a single word of praise from her.
"No. Lord Astal, you are truly a great mage. Who else but you could have conceived such a plan?"
"I-I'm not that great! I just tweaked the formula for the dragon I created with illusion magic before a bit..."
"Huhu, you really are adorable."
Victoria also lightly kissed the young Astal's cheek, praising him.
In the original history, they would have started with the worst first impression, fought and bad-mouthed each other before growing close.
"I-It tickles! Sis, wait a moment... My heart is beating so hard it feels like it'll burst..."
"Then, from now on, just trust me. I'll beat up all the bad guys who were tormenting you."
Now, they were exchanging embarrassing words, strengthening their bond.
"...To you, whom I love more than anyone, I will bring a victory like a bouquet of flowers."
A pure white hammer appeared in Victoria's grasp, and she kicked off the ground hard, soaring into the air to personally smash Durhan's head.
Because she wanted to personally punish the one who had made her reject his confession in the arena long ago and had tormented Astal.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"We broke through! Everyone, charge inside─!!"
At the same time, Durhan and his troops cheered as they shattered the weakest, loosest part of the barrier.
Originally, a barrier this large and wide covering the entire village was bound to have weak spots!
...That's what he thought, so he had found it by throwing countless troops bodily against it.
Unaware that a ten-year-old brat had anticipated even this and deliberately created a weak spot to guide the breakthrough.
They had left the undead territory, so while they no longer had completely immortal bodies,
"We succeeded!"
"We finally broke through!!"
"Inside, hurry inside!! Before the barrier closes again!!"
Undead originally possessed robust bodies that wouldn't perish from ordinary events.
The sight of them forcing their bodies through a needle-thin gap, trying to break through the barrier by sheer force, was grotesque.
"...Hello, everyone."
A woman revealed herself before Durhan and his troops.
"I'm terribly sorry to say this, but your journey must end here."
Victoria Everhart.
Aided by the illusion magic created by the young Astal, she poured forth amplified holy magic like a dragon's breath.
"Because this is the hometown of the person I love most in the world."