183
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake.
Chapter 183
Mitchell stood up.
"The Emperor's decree is being delivered to Division Commander Baker, so he will be appointed as the new Allied Commander within two days. Take utmost caution to prevent any unfortunate incidents until then."
Just then, a knight entered, parting the tent curtains. The knight wore armor with a lion's face embossed on the chest. He was a Steel Lion Knight.
"Greetings, Lord Mitchell."
Mitchell received the knight's salute with sharp eyes.
"What is it?"
"Lord Elijah wishes to see you."
Mitchell saw the red bloodstains where the Steel Lion Knight stood.
"I'm busy now, so I'll come later."
"His Lordship said it's urgent and to come as quickly as possible."
"I have mountains of work to do regarding the transfer of command. I'll contact him separately."
"There are rumors circulating in the Allied Forces about someone who looks like Lord Mitchell."
Has the rumor spread that far already? Or were they waiting for this?
Mitchell's lips twisted.
"And?"
"His Lordship said he wants to discuss the matter, as it could be a doppelganger causing trouble."
Mitchell's guard knight carefully approached and whispered:
"The body is already being disposed of."
"Are you certain?"
"They headed to the incinerator just now, so it should be completely burned."
Then there's no physical evidence.
At most, just soldiers who claimed to have seen Mitchell's face.
It was a matter that could be dismissed as their rumors being nonsense.
Mitchell smiled leisurely.
"Does His Lordship believe such absurd talk? Isn't it normal for strange rumors to circulate within units?"
"Still, it's better to err on the side of caution."
Mitchell thought it would be better to end this cleanly rather than let Elijah catch him over such a trivial matter.
"Fine. Lead the way."
***
Raven, riding on Barre's back, grabbed and shook Barre's hair.
"Stop! Stop for a moment!"
After running for a while, Barre put Raven down.
Raven collapsed on the ground and dry heaved.
"You just had to ride on my back, not run yourself. How can you not manage even that?"
Raven glared at Barre.
"...It would be fine if you were just running normally."
Barre was incomparably faster than a normal horse.
But the ride quality suffered accordingly.
Not only was hanging onto Barre's body a problem, but his erratic running made Raven feel like her insides were turning over.
"I can't go on like this. Let's just use spatial movement."
"You can't use spatial movement like it's nothing, and can you keep up with my speed?"
"...That would be difficult, but if we continue like this, I'll die."
"How about just passing out? I'll give you one strike."
Raven seriously considered Barre's suggestion.
If she used sleep magic to force herself unconscious, wouldn't they arrive by then?
"I'm seriously considering it. Is there no other way?"
Seeing Raven's condition, carrying her while running definitely seemed impossible.
If he arrived before Elijah in the worst possible condition, terrible things could happen.
"Then there's no choice."
Barre changed into Caesar.
Raven still couldn't get used to how easily he switched forms.
"What are you trying to do? Barre?"
"It's Caesar now. Call me Caesar. You might slip up later."
Caesar closed his eyes and felt the wind paths.
Indeed, he could sense hundreds of wind paths that weren't perceptible in Barre's form.
Caesar grabbed one of these wind paths.
"If up and down movement is the problem, how about just flying?"
"...What do you mean?"
Caesar offered his back to Raven.
Though it felt awkward since it was a different back from Barre's, Raven climbed onto Caesar's back.
"To match the earlier speed, you'll need to use some magic."
"What magic?"
"You'll know when we try it."
Caesar ran along the treetops.
Following the wind path, he instantly reached the tree peaks, and among hundreds of wind paths blowing in the sky, he caught the one leading to Eagle valley.
Then he used 'Wind Riding' on that wind path.
Caesar glided forward along the Path of the Wind.
"How is it? Less severe?"
"...Yes. I understand what you want."
Raven cast magic to eliminate unnecessary wind resistance and make their bodies lighter.
Then Caesar moved forward swiftly like a feather floating in the sky.
"Yes, this is it."
Though there was much more to consider than just running blindly, flying through the sky without obstacles had its merits.
In some sections, it seemed even faster than Barre.
After riding on Caesar's back for a while, Raven muttered:
"If Whitey were here, we could have gone faster."
Ah, right.
There was Whitey.
What's that bastard Whitey doing now?
While his master is suffering like this.
***
The Steel Lion Knight led Mitchell to Elijah's personal quarters.
The Steel Lion Knight who guided Mitchell spoke in front of the door:
"I have brought Lord Mitchell."
"Let him enter."
Elijah was fully armed as if ready for immediate combat.
A massive greatsword hung on Elijah's back and his armor was perfectly maintained.
"Welcome. Sit."
Elijah's lion-like amber eyes clashed with Mitchell's burning red eyes in mid-air.
"What do you want from me, Your Lordship Elijah?"
Elijah glanced at Mitchell and said:
"Do you know the critical difference between you and Caesar?"
"...What is it?"
"Caesar was wary of me too. But Caesar never thought of confronting me with his meager force."
"I have no intention of using force either."
"Knights of our caliber can tell what the other is thinking just by their standing posture and hand position, can't we?"
Elijah pointed at Mitchell's right hand.
"That right hand keeps being drawn to your water gun. Wouldn't it be better to tie it behind your back?"
"If you stop threatening me, I will do so."
Mitchell instinctively measured his distance from Elijah.
It was a distance where both Mitchell's water gun and Elijah's greatsword could reach in an instant.
Though neither had their hands on their weapons, they could sever each other's necks in the blink of an eye if desired.
"Your Lordship, I ask again. What exactly do you want? Didn't you promise yesterday in front of everyone that you would come down and protect the border region?"
"Yes. But hasn't the situation changed?"
"Situation? What situation has changed exactly?"
Elijah stood right in front of Mitchell.
Mitchell felt as if he was confined within the shadow cast by Elijah's large frame.
"Caesar, that schemer, is gone."
Why Caesar?
What difference does Caesar's presence or absence make?
More importantly, why is Elijah so wary of Caesar?
Mitchell couldn't understand any of it.
Just then, there was movement outside the quarters.
"Your Lordship, we've brought it."
"Bring it in."
The door opened and an Steel Lion Knight entered carrying a small bundle.
It was a bundle familiar to Mitchell's eyes.
Mitchell looked at the knight's armor.
As if there had been combat recently, traces of blood remained unwashed on the armor.
Elijah began slowly unwrapping the bundle.
"I heard someone resembling you was wandering around the unit."
"...!"
"Word quickly reached my ears about how many had seen him. So I ordered him to be captured. In case it was a doppelganger or an eccentric wizard experimenting with disguise magic."
Elijah pulled out a heavy head from the bundle.
It was the head of the doppelganger Mitchell had just cut off.
"I hear you cut him down. Is this the one?"
Mitchell's teeth ground together.
How could that head be here?
Mitchell looked at the blood stains on the Steel Lion Knight's armor.
"What did you do to my knights?"
"I wouldn't know. What did we do?"
"They resisted despite being told it was Your Lordship's order. So there was some friction."
Mitchell glared at the knight murderously.
"What? Friction?"
"Yes."
PUCK!
Mitchell threw a punch at the man's face.
The knight fell without even reacting.
Mitchell glared murderously at Elijah, the root cause of all this.
"Your Lordship! What are you trying to do with me?!"
"What else?"
Elijah's greatsword moved.
Mitchell instinctively drew his sword to block Elijah's greatsword.
KWAAANG!
The quarters exploded outward with a great boom.
SCREECH!
Mitchell gritted his teeth as he held back Elijah's greatsword.
"Doppelganger hunting."
"Elijah!"
After dropping Elijah's greatsword, Mitchell swung his sword. A blue blade of light extended from Mitchell's Kingfisher, drawing an arc as it moved towards Elijah. Elijah endured the blade with his armor and swung his greatsword at Mitchell. The greatsword rose steeply, vertically bisecting Mitchell's body. However, there was nothing caught by the greatsword. Mitchell dispersed like mist and disappeared. Elijah swung his greatsword toward his side where a faint killing intent approached.
CLANG!
The greatsword met the Kingfisher with a thunderous sound.
"Your Lordship!"
"My Lord!"
While keeping an eye on Elijah, Mitchell scanned his surroundings. As Elijah and Mitchell exchanged lethal sword strikes, the Red Wing knights and Steel Lion knights drew their swords and faced each other.
Mitchell shouted at Elijah:
"Elijah! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Didn't I say? I'm just killing a doppelganger."
"I'm not a doppelganger! Elijah!"
"Then whose head is that?"
Elijah looked at Mitchell's head rolling on the ground.
"Isn't that really Mitchell's head?"
"Stop twisting things!"
"Then prove you're Mitchell."
Elijah's greatsword pushed Mitchell back and swung again.
Mitchell blocked Elijah's greatsword.
"Kugh!"
Despite blocking, the heavy impact traveling through the sword made Mitchell's nose bleed. Mitchell couldn't completely block Elijah's greatsword and fell to one knee.
'This is the Lion Strike...'
This sword technique that churned internal organs wasn't something Mitchell was experiencing for the first time. It was a technique Mitchell had experienced from Yan when he left for his dueling journey 10 years ago, a peculiar technique that dealt damage to opponents even when blocked with a sword. Of course, there was a stark difference from Yan's swordsmanship back then. Yan only managed to build up fatigue in Mitchell's palms or sword, rather than damaging internal organs like this.
'The level of mastery is different from Yan.'
Unlike Barre, Mitchell barely consumed elixirs that increased physical durability. At most, he only took elixirs that increased physical regeneration. Mitchell didn't think it was a good idea to directly clash with Elijah's greatsword.
"Protect the Lord!"
"Protect His Lordship!"
Finally, the Red Wing knights and Steel knights began fighting. The Red Wing knights tried to break through the Steel Lion knights to save Mitchell, while the Steel Lion knights blocked them with their bodies. Other soldiers fled in confusion at the sudden internal strife. While Mitchell found this absurd situation difficult to accept, Elijah's greatsword paid no mind to Mitchell's circumstances. As Elijah's greatsword flew toward Mitchell, Mitchell blocked it while dodging.
Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
Even though he dodged smoothly, his internal organs and bones resonated. Eventually, Mitchell was barely managing to avoid Elijah's greatsword.
"Why did you do this, Elijah? Now that you've stepped down as Alliance Commander, you don't care about the demon realm frontline? Can you still call yourself a knight?!"
"Then what are you?"
"Are you still going on about doppelgangers? Can't you tell from my swordsmanship and body technique? I am Mitchell!"
"Is that so? Are you really Mitchell Redfield who took away my successor?"
"...!"
Mitchell finally realized what Elijah was aiming for. Elijah didn't care whether Mitchell was a doppelganger or not. Elijah had found justification to kill Mitchell and was trying to complete his revenge by fully utilizing that justification. Elijah smiled as he watched Mitchell unable to hide his bewilderment.
"Did you think I forgot because I was quiet for the past 10 years? Mitchell? I never forgot even once. I was just waiting for the right time."
"So you're saying this was all a planned scheme? Elijah? How did you get a doppelganger that transformed into my appearance?"
"I have good patience, Mitchell. I didn't need to make specific plans for revenge against you, I knew there would certainly come a moment when you became weak. I just needed to catch that timing."
Elijah swung his greatsword again. Mitchell tried to dodge but raised his sword to block instead. This was because there was a Red Wing knight behind Mitchell. If he didn't block it, the Red Wing knight would die. As the price for blocking Elijah's greatsword, Mitchell had to endure the pain of his internal organs being churned.
"Kugh!"
With the pain of his churning internal organs, the days when Mitchell took Yan away from Elijah flashed before his eyes like a panorama.