Chapter 29: A New Hero (4)
Chapter 29: A New Hero (4)
"!"
Lirinel, who had been sitting on the walls of the third city staring down at the demonic beasts battering the barrier with contemptuous eyes, shot to her feet as if burned.
Her two eyes were wide open, trembling uncontrollably.
"Lady Lirinel? What is the matter? Has some problem arisen in the fourth city...?"
"It broke."
"Excuse me?! Do you mean the barrier has broken?!"
"The necklace I gave Demon-nim broke!"
"...Pardon?"
For an instant, the adjutant's thoughts came to a halt.
Demon-nim? If it was Demon-nim, then... Right, Demon Arut. The 0th Legion Commander of the Demon King's army.
For him, even daring to think about that being—a sky-like, overwhelming existence—took time. That was why his thoughts were briefly delayed.
So, she had given something to him? No, when in the world had she done that? And now it broke? Why?
"What do I do? I specifically set that thing to only react to an attack capable of causing 'instant death'!"
"Ah... That's really..."
...dangerous?
The adjutant's expression turned awkward.
He wanted to sympathize, but it was truly difficult to empathize.
The 0th Legion Commander in danger? A mortal crisis? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't imagine it.
And if her words were true, this was a grave matter.
If something could push that person to the brink of death, didn't that also mean it posed a threat to His Majesty the Demon King?
"I think I really have to go!"
"Excuse me? No, please calm down and wait a moment... Ah, please."
Lirinel waved her hand vigorously toward somewhere.
To think she was signaling the corps, already hard at work exterminating demonic beasts, to hurry up even more!
And as if that wasn't enough, the adjutant hurriedly grabbed her as she tried to immediately move elsewhere, exhaling a deep, heartfelt sigh.
'Good heavens...'
Neither had His Majesty the Demon King issued an order, nor had the corps been annihilated, so she was supposed to complete the assigned mission and return following standard protocol. That was common sense.
Did she not know that, or was she pretending not to know? He couldn't tell which it was, but one thing he could be certain of...
Either way, it was absurd.
'I want to quit being an adjutant...'
A sigh laden with someone's agony scattered silently into the empty air.
***
"I meant to kill you in one blow."
A voice drenched in coldness leaked out from inside the helmet.
Even in the face of that clear provocation, Deon simply stood still, taking in the fragments scattering around him with his eyes.
This was a sight he had not anticipated either.
When it came to survival, Deon was calm and knew how to use his head reasonably well.
So, rather than being baited and charging at his opponent's words, he focused on grasping what had just happened to him.
Which meant, if he were to reconsider the event that had just occurred.
A transparent membrane had suddenly formed around his body and shattered in an instant, followed immediately by the magic stone necklace Lirinel had given him crumbling apart and scattering like this.
This meant only one thing.
'It had exhausted its power.'
It meant the magic contained within the magic stone had been used.
In other words, the transparent membrane that appeared moments ago was a kind of defensive magic that blocked a powerful ambush, and the magic stone, having fulfilled its role, had crumbled to dust.
...Hadn't she said it would let him avoid instant death about once?
'Meaning I nearly died in a single strike.'
His gaze, which had been looking down at the necklace, rose to capture the culprit of the attack.
He couldn't see the face because it was hidden by the helmet, but this was probably the very 'new Hero' the soldiers had been shouting about so excitedly.
Realizing that, the corner of his mouth hidden by the black cloth curled up into a smirk.
"So you're that new Hero."
"I've been undeservingly called that, yes."
"...Hmm."
The dagger in his hand twirled around.
Unlike before, Deon frowned slightly and aimed the dagger at him.
It was an attitude that fully displayed his displeasure.
"You. Your voice sounds strangely familiar. It's grating."
"I'm the one who's grated. I've never once met a demon-race member before now."
"Let's see you take that helmet off."
"You're telling me to take my helmet off in front of an enemy right now?"
A clear refusal.
Clang! Sparks flew before Cruel's eyes.
Screech, screech, screech.
The dagger and the longsword entwined, producing an ear-splitting sound.
In that position, Deon pressed his face close to Cruel's and spoke with a voice tinged with laughter.
The utterly abnormal laughter held a thick and vivid madness.
"You said the title of Hero was undeserved, didn't you?"
"..."
"Let me check for myself whether it really is undeserved or not."
A storm-like assault began pouring down toward Cruel.
Clang, clang! Claaang!!
A rapid exchange of blows ensued.
Under the relentless onslaught that left no room to catch his breath, Cruel was calmly blocking each and every attack.
He was solely blocking them.
The 0th Legion Commander was giving him absolutely no opening to counterattack.
But that didn't mean Cruel was at a complete disadvantage.
'The attacks are light.'
Whether it was because he focused only on speed or if this was his actual attack standard, he didn't know, but the attacks were far too light.
They were so light that he thought the common soldiers' attacks might carry more weight, so even at a taxing speed, merely blocking them wasn't particularly difficult.
Claaang!
When he strongly deflected the flying dagger with timing, the dagger, having slipped powerlessly from the 0th Legion Commander's grasp, hurtled far away.
Yet even after losing his weapon, the 0th Legion Commander wasn't flustered at all. Instead, he swung the dagger in his other hand to widen the distance, hid his empty hand inside his robe, and soon pulled out another identically shaped dagger.
It was a practiced and natural movement, as if he was well aware of his own weakness.
'If I pressure him with strength and stamina, something might happen.'
As Cruel made that judgment, Deon hadn't been standing idle either.
'I should start retreating.'
That voice was so incredibly irritating that he had tarried longer than intended. Anyone with a functioning brain would have noticed his weakness by now.
He had no intention of winning from the start.
Deon knew his own body all too well. He had to know it well because it was so weak. Only then could he use this body efficiently.
And according to his assessment, his current physical condition was not good in the slightest.
His breathing was starting to grow gradually labored. His hand trembled weakly, drained of strength from colliding with the opponent multiple times already.
He could fight a bit more if he wanted to, but there was no reason to take risks on such pointless matters, so he kicked Cruel's stomach without hesitation, widened the distance, and stepped back.
"Unfortunately, that's all for today."
"...Since when do you decide that."
"If you want, we can just see each other again tomorrow. Right?"
"..."
The downside of doing so was far too great.
Whatever the 0th Legion Commander's actual skill was, in the end, what dictated the morale on the battlefield was the weight of his name.
On top of that, we'd been badly burned this time, so if he joined battle again, our side's morale would likely drop even further than it had now.
And yet, he also lacked the confidence to chase down the 0th Legion Commander, who had already widened the distance that much, and finish the fight.
Cruel had already experienced one bout and gotten a real feel for his speed. He knew all too well that the man's retreat was faster than his own attempt to reach him.
As if reading Cruel's hesitation, Deon laughed with feigned cheerfulness.
He concealed the dagger inside his robe and murmured softly, as if to himself, in a voice just loud enough to reach Cruel.
"Well, honestly, I only came because our side was being pushed so far back, so I'm planning to head back once we retake the demon realm's land. Do you think I want to stay in a place like this for long? I'm not exactly fond of brutal things."
As if.
Cruel's brow furrowed.
"Wasn't it your side that picked the fight first in the beginning? If that demon, the 9th Legion Commander or whatever, hadn't crossed the boundary line, this battle wouldn't have broken out. And I wouldn't have had to come here either."
"Ah..."
He had heard reports that the 9th Legion Commander was kicking up a fuss about being bored, but he never imagined he'd actually crossed the boundary line.
No doubt he had provoked them by stepping a foot into the human world and pulling back along the border. The Empire, already sensitive to the demon realm's movements, couldn't possibly have heard that and stayed put.
Easily predicting the situation that had led up to the Hero standing before him, Deon hesitated briefly before speaking.
"If you just return the demon realm's land, I'll specially stop our side's guys from pursuing you after that."
"...I've heard enough if it's an apology. It turned out to be beneficial for me anyway. But I'll gladly accept that favor."
"Good, then."
The conversation was over.
Cruel watched quietly as the man in the black robe vanished from sight in an instant, then turned around and spoke.
"We're pulling back as well."
To the boundary line.
***
The Imperial army was pulling back.
It was a truly exhilarating sight.
How much had they suffered since coming here? Thinking back on the hardships so far, this alone hardly felt satisfying.
The soldiers seemed to feel the same way, as they were pursuing the Imperial army's rear, shouting war cries with faces full of wild delight.
Far from thinking of stopping them, Jeikar, the 1st Legion Commander, had been about to ride this momentum and chase down the Imperial army, but soon after confirming something, he quickly changed his orders.
"All forces, return."
There was one reason.
The 0th Legion Commander, Demon Arut. Because he was signaling a 'negative' hand signal from far away.
It was that very man who had turned this endless string of crises into a breathable situation. It was only natural to respect his opinion.
Moreover, the fact that he had stopped midway and returned, after having overwhelmingly cornered a Hero no less, surely meant there was a good reason for it.
And above all,
'There's no need to ruffle his mood and needlessly cause a problem.'
He turned his head and took in the sight of the 0th Legion Commander approaching unsteadily.
"You've worked hard."
"..."
No answer came back.
Puzzled, Jeikar twitched an eyebrow, and just as he opened his mouth to try again, the 0th Legion Commander's lips slowly parted.
"Ah..."
...Ah?
Before he could even voice his question, the 0th Legion Commander's legs buckled sharply and he toppled forward.
As the flustered Jeikar hurried to catch him, a supporting hand reached out one step faster than he did.
A hand that accepted him naturally, as if it had even been prepared in advance.
The 0th Legion Commander's adjutant. Was it Ed? As if this was not the first or second time, he skillfully caught the 0th Legion Commander, who was crumbling like a sandcastle, and cautiously spoke to him.
"Are you alright."
"...Goddamned... body..."
A shallow tremor transmitted through the body pressed against his. Proof that nearly all his strength had been expended.
Ed stared blankly at him for a moment, then soon adjusted his position to be more comfortable and whispered kindly.
"It seems you've overexerted yourself despite your poor condition. Rest."
Only then did the tension seem to release. The 0th Legion Commander's body went limp.
Ed, who was practically holding him up, nodded his head toward someone. Naturally, the attending physician Ben approached and began his examination.
Every step of this sequence was so natural that Jeikar, forgetting even to reorganize the badly disordered troops, could only stare dumbly at the sight.
"It seems fatigue has accumulated from overexerting himself with his weakened body. It is a simple faint."
About three seconds passed before he realized that Ben's report was directed at him.
"Ah," exhaling a short sigh, Jeikar rubbed the back of his neck. The action carried a hint of embarrassment at having been distracted for a moment.
"Escort the 0th Legion Commander properly."
"Yes."
He had questions he'd originally intended to ask, but it wasn't something he needed to keep a collapsed man awake to inquire about, and he had already found his own answer, so he didn't bother waking the 0th Legion Commander.
The reason he had sent the hand signal not to pursue.
It must have been because he knew his own body's condition was poor.
If he pushed himself to fight further and collapsed in front of the enemy, the tide of battle would flip again as if the earlier rout had never happened.
Not only that, but what would the Imperial army think upon seeing it?
The thought that the 0th Legion Commander might be nothing much after all would slyly begin to rear its head.
If that happened, the 0th Legion Commander's participation would no longer shake them.
The opinion not to pursue was truly a convincing judgment, and following his words had also been an excellent choice.
What would have happened if they hadn't followed it?
At a hypothetical he didn't even want to think about, Jeikar shook his head side to side and stared at Demon Arut, who was limp and being held in Ed's arms.
'Deciding to respect him seems to have been an excellent choice.'
The 0th Legion Commander, who had suddenly appeared and firmly taken his place.
The numerous Legion Commanders had agonized over this.
[Should we acknowledge and respect him, or push him away?]
Though he hadn't shown it outwardly, Jeikar had been the same.
Especially because, as the 1st Legion Commander—the highest numbered corps commander until now—he had no choice but to agonize even more deeply.
And thus, the conclusion reached.
[Let us acknowledge him.]
There hadn't been a choice from the start.
Even putting aside how he had prevented the Hero's self-destruction or killed the former 7th Legion Commander, he was someone His Majesty the Demon King had personally brought. What could they do but acknowledge him?
And that choice had been truly correct.
The 0th Legion Commander was not a reckless commander who blindly chased the enemy. He was a commander who judged situations appropriately and knew how to suppress his own desires.
'He must have wanted to fight more.'
He probably could have fought a bit longer if he'd pushed just a little further.
Yet the reason he stopped was surely because the risk increased that much.
Because the 0th Legion Commander's defeat was not merely the defeat of him alone, but was directly tied to the morale of the entire Demon King's army.
Jeikar, who had been looking at Demon with newly appreciative eyes, soon let out a small chuckle, "Pfft," and turned his head.
There was still work left to be done.