235
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake
Chapter 235
Brian's dung ladle was struck by lightning and exploded into pieces, but the man's greatsword was different. The man's greatsword transferred the lightning absorbed by the axe directly to its owner, paralyzing his body.
----!
The man screamed. Of course, Brian could not hear it. But even as his vision flipped due to the shock, Brian could see the man screaming. Brian laughed loudly. So the doppelganger feels pain too. That parasite-like thing feels pain too. That truth was so satisfying that laughter came naturally.
Brian looked at the black axe that had fallen and embedded itself in front of him. This axe looks familiar from somewhere. No, how could he not recognize this axe? Wasn't this axe Thunder that Caesar always carried around?
It was an axe rumored to contain the bone powder of the lightning god. Brian picked up Thunder. Unlike the dung ladle, it was a heavy weapon exuding the scent of death. The man was desperately trying to go somewhere even in his electrocuted state. The direction of his gaze and body was toward the ravine.
Brian's intuition whispered. The man desires death, not life. If that is the case, I will take away his death. Brian ran toward the man holding Thunder.
Aaaaaaaaah!
Brian had never wielded an axe in his life except for chopping wood. He had never learned to use a sword either, as he was not a knight. But Brian had no tomorrow. Brian had originally planned to die today anyway. Brian brought Thunder down on the man with all his might, prepared to die. His target was the man's thigh. If he cut off his feet, he wouldn't be able to run.
The man blocked with his greatsword. Thunder was an amazing axe. Though Brian had merely squeezed out his aura and brought it down, Thunder spewed lightning. He thought that it might really have been made with the bone powder of the lightning god. The lightning that flowed through Thunder traveled through the man's greatsword and paralyzed his body again. But should it be called recoil?
Urgh!
Brian's knees buckled from the pain that seemed to shatter his ulna at the molecular level. Brian ended up dropping Thunder. The man quickly regained his senses and staggered toward the ravine. Brian already had no strength in his hands. But Brian threw his body forward and embraced the man's ankle.
You cannot go.
Tears of blood flowed from Brian's eyes.
You cannot go.
Brian held onto the right foot like a leech and endured. The man stepped on Brian's back. He felt like his spine was breaking.
He couldn't even breathe properly. But Brian's arms did not loosen. If what the man wants is death, I will take it away from him. I will not let him escape. Brian persisted with only a vicious determination, clinging persistently to the man. But when the man's foot stepped on his shoulder, even Brian had to let go. It was structurally impossible to hold onto the man's foot as his shoulder was completely shattered.
Ah, he's going.
Brian watched the man staggering toward the ravine with eyes that could barely open. How lamentable. That he could not stop the man even with his death. Was it because he had lived so worthlessly? Was it punishment for living as a sewage worker rather than a ranger? Or was it punishment for not accepting Caesar's offer?
If he had known he would face the man like this, he would not have wasted the past years. Why had he wasted three years living like garbage? Everything was regrettable. His wretched life of floundering in despair was deplorable.
At that moment, the man's feet stopped. It was not that he stopped of his own will, but rather as if his feet were caught in invisible vines, unable to move forward. Brian did not know why the doppelganger had stopped. Like a dying campfire at dawn, a demon-like angel descended beside Brian.
Ah... God.
Brian shed tears. He could not tell whether the woman approaching him was a devil or an angel. He only knew that she was a noble person sent by God who had heard Brian's desperate prayer. The angel with white horns, like a demon, placed her hand on Brian's defiled head and blessed him.
May you have pleasant dreams.
***
Brian opened his eyes to find himself running through the forest.
"Where is this......"
As Brian stopped running, the squad members halted simultaneously.
"Captain, what are you doing? The doppelganger will escape."
"Oh, yes. We need to go."
"Stop talking nonsense and let's hurry."
Brian instinctively followed the trail of trampled grass. And he thought. Why was he running? And what doppelganger was he looking for? Brian could not remember anything. Only a subtle anxiety kept tightening around his heart, making his breathing labored.
Clang! Clang!
After a short distance, Brian heard the sound of clashing steel from ahead.
"Stop."
Brian instinctively issued the stop command and lowered his head, upon which the squad members scattered and stopped as they had been trained.
"It seems the doppelganger is fighting someone, Captain?"
"......"
Brian felt as if a needle was piercing deep into his ear canal. That pain suppressed the anxiety and amplified cold reason. He needed to make a good decision here. Brian bit his lip and said.
"Everyone stand by. I'll go check alone."
A commander's orders in the field are absolute.
Brian proceeded alone toward the source of the sound. Hidden in the undergrowth, Brian could see a knight engaged in battle with orcs. This scene seemed familiar, as if seen many times before.
Déjà vu.
It felt like something from last night's dream.
Brian counted the orcs. There were at least 30 orcs visible, and judging by the rustling undergrowth behind them, there seemed to be many more orcs hiding there.
'But......'
Brian recalled the battalion commander's warning not to pursue the doppelganger into dangerous territory. He needed to capture that doppelganger to avoid being reprimanded by the battalion commander. While Brian was deliberating, a pink butterfly flew by his ear, brushing past it.
Brian's attention was involuntarily drawn to the butterfly, causing him to look back. There, his squad members were watching him with tense expressions. Seeing their faces, Brian's heart pounded heavily. His greed subsided, and reason returned.
'I'll give up on the doppelganger.'
There was no way his squad of only 30 members could handle that many orcs. He could report to the battalion commander that they discovered orcs in the vicinity while pursuing the doppelganger, which might spare him a scolding. Brian immediately retreated and issued an order to his squad members.
"Retreat at full speed. There are too many orcs."
"Is it a trap?"
"It's difficult to determine whether it's a trap or not. If you want to live, run."
"Did everyone hear that? Squad Leader's orders. Run like your tail's on fire."
The squad members began running back the way they came at full speed. Brian ran alongside his retreating squad members. For some reason, Brian found himself smiling. Why did retreating make him feel good? He should be sick to his stomach thinking about being reprimanded by the battalion commander later.
He didn't understand. Brian just felt extremely happy.
***
When Caesar arrived at the ravine, Agatha was already there.
The doppelganger was staring blankly at the sky, entranced by Agatha's charm spell.
"Agatha?"
"You came?"
Agatha was crouched beside a man whose back was shattered and shoulder crushed, casting a spell on him.
"If it weren't for this person, I would have discovered it late."
Caesar looked at his face.
Though he had roughly deduced the identity through the path of wind, seeing him in person drew an involuntary sigh.
It was Brian.
"This person desperately tried to stop the doppelganger from jumping into the ravine. Is he perhaps related to this operation?"
"No, he's someone who knew absolutely nothing about this operation."
That made it difficult to understand. Why had Brian desperately tried to stop the doppelganger?
Caesar examined the doppelganger. As befitting a knight of Elijah, he was equipped with Steel Lion armor and wielded a greatsword. Was there some connection between Brian and the Black Lion knights? At that moment, Caesar realized that the scar on the doppelganger's right eye looked quite familiar.
"Ah......"
"What is it, Caesar?"
"I think I understand why Brian stopped this one."
Caesar placed his hand on Brian's head.
"You did well. Now rest in peace."
***
Roland saw soldiers repairing the damaged Steel Fortress. The procedure of repairing the Steel Fortress was both simple and complex. Since the rebel 'Home Town' had not destroyed or broken down the Steel Fortress walls themselves, they simply had to gather and clear away the burnt and collapsed debris.
As undamaged artillery or installed artifacts only needed to be moved back to their original positions, ordinary soldiers did not need to think too complexly. However, the minds of officers seemed complicated as they had to deduce the names of dead soldiers trapped in the debris with crushed faces. They also had to refill the plundered food and military supply warehouses.
Additionally, they had to consider how to accommodate the Holy Grail knights, including Roland, who had suddenly arrived to find the Holy Maiden. Understanding the heart of Elijah, who commanded, comforted, and soothed these officers, Roland did not refuse the request to wait briefly in the barracks.
As someone who had traveled a long distance, it was also time to regroup, so Roland spent faithful time in the barracks caring for and praying for injured knights and priests or those who had fallen physically. After spending about 12 hours in the damaged Steel Fortress, Elijah's adjutant approached.
"His Excellency wishes to see you."
Roland and his companions obediently followed Elijah's adjutant out of the temporary barracks. Roland noticed that the adjutant was leading them to the Steel Fortress. Upon reaching the entrance of the Steel Fortress, the adjutant spoke.
"Other Holy Grail knights and White Tower priests, please wait here for a moment."
Roland gestured to them to wait briefly before following the adjutant up the Steel Fortress. Even after climbing for quite some time, they had not reached the top of the fortress. The height of this fortress seemed to represent the high pride of the Friedrich family, naturally creating an overwhelming feeling.
At the same time, Roland could hardly guess how hurt Elijah's pride must have been after losing such a high fortress to the rebels. While lost in thought, Roland found himself at the top of the fortress. The demon realm viewed from the fortress top looked ominous. It was all red and dark. Has humanity been protected from such a bleak demon realm for more than 200 years?
Roland could not measure the efforts of the Friedrich family who had protected humanity until now. The adjutant pointed to a tower located in the center of the fortress. There, Elijah was seen alone, looking inward at the Steel Fortress rather than at the demon realm. From what Roland had heard, Elijah was such a strong knight that the title ‘Lion King’ naturally came to mind. And indeed, Elijah's stature and appearance were remarkably lion-like, proving that this description was no exaggeration.
"You are Sir Roland, I believe?"
Elijah's low, distinct voice penetrated Roland's ears. Roland approached Elijah and bowed his head in respect.
"Yes, that is correct, Margrave Friedrich."
Elijah looked at Roland. Roland could not read the subtle emotions contained in his amber eyes.
"Do not call me Margrave any longer."
"...I find it difficult to grasp your meaning."
"It is literal. I am no longer a knight of the Goldmile Emperor, nor am I a Margrave."
Roland could not gauge what Elijah was saying now. Whether he was expressing dissatisfaction with the Emperor, or truly deciding to break with the Emperor, or making a high-level diplomatic statement. Roland's mind became more complex the more he thought about it.
"It seems I have made your mind more complicated when finding the Holy Maiden is already difficult."
"...No, that is not the case."
"The Friedrich family has worn away under the Emperor's indifference. There is no reason to be loyal to an Emperor who, beyond being manipulated by the vicious Redfield family's tongue to insult me, even fired shells at my soldiers."
Only then did Roland notice that what Elijah had just said was extremely direct.
Elijah was indirectly informing Roland that he had become the king of the Friedrich region by referring to himself as ‘I’ and ‘We’ in royal terms.
"However, as I have no ill feelings toward the four goddesses, including the Royder Order and the Dre Order, it is my wish that those who believe in the same goddess do not shed blood."
"...Is that so?"
"So quietly find the Holy Maiden and return. Do not become involved in anything, do not be stained by anything. Close your ears and eyes and focus only on your task. Do you understand?"
Roland heard Elijah's warning as if it were the drumbeat of a changing era. He was also convinced that finding the Holy Maiden and bringing her to the Royder Order would not be easy in these confusing times.
"I understand."
"Then go. I would appreciate it if you understood my embarrassment at not being able to see you off, as I am busy and in a difficult position."
"We are only grateful that you lent us space despite the confusion. Then I shall take my leave now."
Roland bowed his head and then turned back the way he had come. As he descended the stairs, Roland glanced at Elijah's face again. Elijah's face did not seem angry, nor did it seem sad. He just looked tired.
"...This will not be an easy journey."
Fatigue weighed heavily on Roland's shoulders.