Chapter 26: A New Hero (1)
Chapter 26: A New Hero (1)
The boundary line where the Demon Realm and the human world met. As such, this place, where clashes with the Empire occurred without rest, was an unstable location commonly called the 'front lines.'
The 1st Legion Commander Jeikar stared blankly at the 0th Legion Commander, Demon Arut, who was holding his hand.
Since the human world, where the sun existed, was right before their eyes, he wore his black robe pulled down low, and the corners of his lips were slightly raised, as if he were smiling—a rare sight.
'As expected, his expressions become much richer once he leaves the Demon Castle.'
He must have felt stifled because he couldn't see blood at the Demon Castle. That was probably why he always maintained a rigid, expressionless face.
His urgent thirst would have been quenched by hunting demonic beasts, and seeing his brightened face as if relishing the thought of finally enjoying a proper battle, Jeikar thought to himself. Since he was so full of anticipation like that, he would have to make sure he participated in the battle, no matter what.
And soon, that thought became words and came out of his mouth.
"You must have heard the news that the 9th Legion Commander is dead."
"Yes."
"Because of that, the situation isn't favorable. I was hoping you could join the battle as soon as it begins. Would that be alright?"
* * *
My name is Deon Hart.
For now, I am a mediocre human occupying the undeserved position of the Demon King's 0th Legion Commander.
To be honest, the situation was burdensome. Thinking about when all the truth would be revealed, I was already afraid. That was why I had held myself back like this.
But though I worried about the burden and future consequences, I had never resented this position.
──That was the case until just a moment ago.
'Shit....'
Had I ever resented this status as much as I did today?
I blankly stared at the black cloth being wrapped around my arm with the eyes of a rotten pollack. It was a very familiar object to me. The enchanted cloth I used when dealing with humans or when I had to go under sunlight.
The Demon King himself had supposedly used magic to make it. What kind of magic was on it again?
"......Magic that blocks light, and also maintains an appropriate temperature...... was it?"
"Yes, and recently His Majesty the Demon King added one more feature."
"You startled me...... no, wait. Pardon? What...."
"An automatic repair function. He said that though completely torn-off or heavily ripped parts would be difficult, minor damage sustained during battle would be easily restored."
"Oh...."
I wasn't pleased at all.
Oblivious to my true feelings, Ed focused intently on wrapping the cloth. It was closer to black bandages than black cloth, and it was wrapping around me with goddamn speed, neatly and efficiently.
'He could go a little slower....'
The words that had been swirling in my head and nearly came out several times eventually turned into a resigned sigh and quietly scattered into the air.
Alright, let's just let it go.
What's the point of saying anything to this bastard with no sense of tact? It'd just hurt my mouth. I'd be lucky if it didn't backfire.
Because if I told this son of a bitch to slow down, he'd go 'How could you say that!' and wrap the cloth even more fervently.
"Would you mind trying to move your hand?"
I looked down for a moment at the black cloth, now meticulously wrapped around each individual finger, and then clenched and unclenched my fist. The highly elastic cloth stretched and contracted accordingly.
The appropriate pressure was irritatingly perfect, so I cursed inwardly for no reason and slowly nodded.
"It's comfortable."
"I'm glad. Then please extend your other hand."
As I held out my other hand, Ed politely took hold of it again and began wrapping the black cloth.
As someone obsessed with the duties of an adjutant, he was concentrating on wrapping the black cloth meticulously without gaps, rather than complaining about the weakness of a superior who only increased his workload.
Watching him, a question suddenly arose.
'I'm so weak that even a brief exposure of bare skin to sunlight causes problems. Does he not get annoyed?'
A troublesome superior. What's more, a weak human, not even a demon. Yet despite that, a fool who came all the way to the front lines and willingly courted danger.
I didn't understand what value someone like me had that made him follow silently without complaint.
It seemed beyond simply saying, 'Oh, he just has a good personality.'......
'Could it be that he's not a demon-race either?'
No, that was definitely not it. Recalling Ed's bare forearm I had once seen, I shook my head.
Both arms had been full of strange patterns. Tattoos? Whatever it was, it was absolutely nothing a human could imitate.
"Could you refrain from moving for just a moment?"
"Ah."
I immediately stopped moving. If the cloth wrapped wrong and a gap formed, it would only be to my detriment.
In this borderland where each side encroached on the other's territory several times a day, would there truly never be even a single instance of being exposed to sunlight?
Yes, as you've probably noticed, I too had come to participate in the battlefield.
'Goddammit.'
Why did a guy like me have to bite that kind of bait, when I would've naturally found out later anyway.......
Cursing inwardly at the cunning Demon King, I recalled the conversation with Jeikar from a moment ago.
[You must have heard the news that the 9th Legion Commander is dead.]
Until then, I hadn't thought much of it. I merely thought, 'Yeah, I heard about it.' Just had the indifferent thought, 'Isn't that why I came for support?'
Because I planned to leave the fighting to Ed and the legion members, and just safely observe the situation from the rear.
The Demon King had also always said to fight whenever I wanted, so there wouldn't be an issue.
That was definitely how it was.......
[Because of that, the situation isn't favorable. I was hoping you could join the battle as soon as it begins. Would that be alright?]
I froze right there with my smiling face.
This didn't seem right. Something was going wrong.
Desperately denying the ominous premonition that washed over me like a wave, I stiffly pulled up the corners of my lips and asked back.
[Just the legion members, correct?]
[No, you as well.]
Shit.
My denial of reality failed, and my attempt to slip to the back failed. How could I not curse?
Watching Ed's swift hand movements finishing up the knot before I knew it, I laughed hollowly.
With this, the day of my death drew even closer. Truly, it's so fulfilling it drives me crazy.
......Goddammit.
"It's done. And your face as well...."
"Yeees."
Ed picked up another piece of cloth lying beside him.
The face was over quickly.
After wrapping even my nose with the black cloth, I put on my robe. The robe that perfectly covered even my eyes seemed like it would interfere with securing my vision, but thanks to the Demon King personally casting magic on this too, there was no issue with my sight.
Moreover, he had made it so the hood wouldn't come off unless I took it off myself, which made me think that the guy called the Demon King really had disgustingly little to do.
'Anyway, when it comes to his mana reserves, he's like a monster....'
This was only possible because it was the Demon King. Other demons wouldn't even dare consider wasting mana on something like this.
The mana of demons was finite, and mana consumed by magic did not recover.
Magic was the act of violating the world's rules.
Though this seemed like trivial magic, the hood-not-coming-off magic defied gravity, and the vision-securing magic allowed one to see beyond an opaque object—breaking a kind of rule set by the world that was taken for granted.
As such, the price was certain. Apart from the permanent consumption of mana, it was said that the day of a Hero's appearance would draw nearer.
'The Demon King does this even knowing that, though.'
How could someone like me, who was neither a Hero nor a Demon King, link the use of magic to the emergence of a Hero?
The Demon King had said so with his own mouth.
Seeing him use magic so freely despite that, it must mean he was confident he could win even if a Hero appeared.
'Well... it's not my business.'
I fiddled with the hood covering my eyes and rose from my seat.
"I will look around the military camp, on the pretext of confirming the 9th Legion Commander's body as well."
Of course, that was an excuse. My true intention was to buy time and find a place to hide.
Once the battle started, no one would have the leisure to look for me, so if I just timed it right and hid before then, it would be fine.
Holding such useless hopes, I went outside──
"Wow...."
"......It's really the 0th Legion Commander...."
"......."
─I could clearly see the eyes of everyone outside turning toward me at the same time.
Heat rose in the eyes of the soldiers who saw me.
At the morale soaring in real-time, I thought it was fortunate I was wearing a hood, and quietly resigned myself.
......Hiding was a bust.
* * *
"The 0th Legion Commander?"
The commander's tent, piled with all manner of reports.
Cruel, the Empire's newly recognized hero, unconsciously lifted his head. His dryly subdued eyes precisely fixed on the soldier.
His cold and rigid eyes did not suit the soft yet robust title of 'hero,' but they were sufficient to bring victory in war, so the soldier straightened his posture without a shred of doubt.
"Yes, that's correct. According to the scouts, the morale of the Demon King's army is rising because of it. Conversely, our side's morale is...."
"......This has gotten troublesome."
Though he trailed off, it wasn't impossible to predict what came next. Cruel silently pressed his forehead with an irritated sigh.
If it was the 0th Legion Commander, wasn't he an exceedingly famous existence?
The Demon King's joker. A being known to be even stronger than the 1st Legion Commander, the Demon King's proxy.
Unlike the excessively well-known reputation, if one actually tried to investigate him closely, nothing came out—a mass of incongruity that was all the more suspicious.
If such an existence had joined, the tide of battle would turn in an instant.
"If the existence of the 0th Legion Commander is true, the situation changes. We shouldn't be thinking about victory; we have to think about defeat."
"......."
"A frontal fight is dangerous."
Then what method was there to deal with him besides a frontal confrontation?
In fact, the answer had already come.
Someone else might come up with a better answer, but at least his head was shouting that this was the best method.
Yet the reason he hesitated like this was because that pathetic title of 'hero' attached to him was holding his ankle back.
Without realizing it, his index finger tapped the desk at regular intervals.
After the silence and faint noise lingered in the tent for a moment, he neatly stacked the documents on the desk into one pile, then took something out and began writing while speaking.
"We send an assassin."
"The probability is near zero."
The answer came from a man standing in a corner like a folding screen.
Even at the firm rebuttal, Cruel answered immediately, without a single change in expression, as if he had anticipated it.
"That would be the case if the 0th Legion Commander's skill is genuine."
"......."
"But what if the 0th Legion Commander's ability has been exaggerated? Or perhaps he might be letting his guard down because he's surrounded by the Demon King's army, and perhaps the existence of the 0th Legion Commander itself was fabricated by the demon army to boost morale."
If he could salvage even one of these possibilities with a mere assassin, that would be a sizable gain.
Toward his quick-witted subordinate who had shut his mouth the moment he mentioned the 0th Legion Commander's skill, Cruel, instead of reprimanding him, commanded once more in a cold voice.
"Send the assassin."
* * *
The battle entered a lull.
The reason was because Cruel, the Empire's fourth Hero who had been pushing fiercely, temporarily halted the battle upon hearing news of the 0th Legion Commander's participation.
Behind it lay the intention to confirm whether the 0th Legion Commander's skill was the real deal or just hot air, and the assassin who had been entrusted with this crucial mission was now inside the Demon King's army camp, brimming with tension.
[Remember. The priority is not the 0th Legion Commander's head. Make confirming whether his skill is genuine the top priority.]
When he heard those words, he had inwardly sneered.
As if it could be real. He might be somewhat strong, but the rumors going around were excessive even at a glance.
Stronger than the 1st Legion Commander, and the Demon King can't even treat him carelessly?
If that were true, the Demon King's army would have swallowed the Empire and then some by now.
'Today, I'll pop that bubble.'
This was the confidence of one whose skill surpassed any other assassin. The very fact that he had arrived here carrying such a heavy mission was proof of that.
Even if he couldn't take the head, he was confident he could at least inflict a fatal wound and escape, so the assassin immediately began his task of locating the 0th Legion Commander, but.......
'This is insane.'
Within 30 minutes, he fell into a panic.
Finding the 0th Legion Commander wasn't difficult. He just had to find where all the soldiers' gazes were directed.
The problem was his ability to evade assassination.
Initially, he waited for the 0th Legion Commander, who had entered to examine the 9th Legion Commander's body, to come out, and then threw a dagger at the opportune moment.
Of course, he had anticipated that he wouldn't fall easily. It was merely an attack to gauge capability, keeping in mind the possibility that the skill was fake.
Even so, it was an attack made with all sincerity. If his skill had been mediocre, he would have departed this world without even knowing when or how it hit him.
But.
"Ah."
As if he had anticipated it, he bent his waist at just the right moment, perfectly naturally!
Thanks to that, the dagger sliced through the empty air and lodged itself into the body of some innocent tree.
If he had bent his waist silently, he would have thought it was his skill.
The problem was what he said after dodging the dagger.
"Why is there a random stone here......."
He tripped on a stone?!
No, no. Being deceived by those words would be problematic. Even as he said that, wasn't he inspecting every corner of the tent right now?
He was probably talking like that so his subordinates wouldn't be surprised, while he was actually searching for me.
If that was the case, it was now a battle of wits.
Do I find and kill him first, or does he find me first?