Chapter 299
Chapter 299
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 299
Chapter Title: Attack Plan (2)
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“E-Eos… Are you just going to stand there and watch? Stop him right now!”
Slinder shouted at the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman with a desperate look on his face.
But the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman only gave a lukewarm response.
“Supreme Commander, you’re making an impossible demand.”
“What?”
“Demian Haksen isn’t my subordinate. He’s not even an imperial knight. I have no authority to give him orders.”
“Even so, stop him! That man just said he’s going to attack Elfheim!”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman shot back as if he couldn’t comprehend.
“Demian Haksen is a powerhouse on my level. You want me to turn a warrior like that into an enemy while we’re at war with Pandemonium?”
“Didn’t you just hear? Demian Haksen is—”
“Demian Haksen, kidnapping is going too far, even for you. I’ll ask you to hold back on that much.”
Demian shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.
“I’ll hold back for the sake of the Greatest Swordsman’s face. But please don’t stop me from leaving Elfheim.”
“Do as you please.”
Slinder slammed his fist on the table at the exchange between the two.
“Eos! Are you mocking me right now?”
“Supreme Commander, I came to Elfheim to repay my mother’s debt. That means I’m not your subordinate.”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman’s tone turned icy. Slinder flinched at the change.
“So decide. Will you grant Demian Haksen’s demand? Or just let him leave?”
Cold sweat beaded on Slinder’s forehead under the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman’s threat.
* * *
A short while later, Demian and the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman stepped out of the meeting room.
“Demian Haksen, congratulations on joining the assault team.”
As soon as they were outside, the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman said to Demian.
In the end, the Supreme Commander had decided to grant Demian’s demand.
It was only natural. Elfheim was the one who would be in trouble without Demian.
“Man, you really went all out. Honestly, it scared me.”
For someone who claimed to be scared, his expression barely changed.
“Why go to such lengths—receiving this kind of treatment—just to help Elfheim?”
Demian couldn’t understand.
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman was a man of proven skill and status. He had no reason to be tied to Elfheim.
“They accepted my mother’s remains.”
Demian tilted his head at that. How could that be a reason?
“Elves despise humans. They see them as inferior. That’s why they don’t tolerate elves mingling with humans.”
Demian was well aware of that much.
Elves had many advantages humans lacked. They were beautiful, resilient, and could wield spirits.
That was why elves looked down on humans as inferior.
In reality, they were the losers who had fled to an island after being pushed back by humans.
“If something like that happens… that elf is exiled from the island. And they can never return.”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman gazed out the window as he spoke.
“My mother left the island to broaden her horizons, where she met my father. Then she became pregnant with me and my sibling.”
“That took some resolve.”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman gave a wry smile at Demian’s words.
Demian couldn’t help but be a little surprised. It was the first time he’d seen the man smile so bitterly.
“I think it was just youthful folly. After being exiled from Elfheim for conceiving us, she longed for that place every day. She passed away the year we came of age.”
For a long-lived race like elves, dying after just a few decades meant her suffering had been immense.
It was probably the unfamiliar environment combined with her longing for home.
“My father wanted to bury her on the family estate, but my sibling and I felt differently. We wanted to honor her final wish. So we came to Elfheim.”
He spoke calmly, but it must have been incredibly difficult.
Elfheim was protected by the World Tree, after all.
“Elfheim cited their laws and absolutely refused to accept my mother’s remains. But Lady Milene showed us mercy.”
“So the debt to your mother…”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman nodded.
“Thanks to Lady Milene, my brother and I were able to bury our mother’s remains in Elfheim. I see it as a debt… but my sibling sees it differently.”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman trailed off and looked up at the sky.
“I’ve rambled on with a boring story. Come with me. There are some elves I want to introduce you to.”
“More elves I need to meet?”
“Elves who will attack Pandemonium’s home base alongside you. The operation starts tomorrow, so you should get acquainted now… What are you doing?”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman stared incredulously at Demian, who had suddenly begun stretching.
“It’s obvious they won’t trust me, so I’ll have to show them my skills.”
“No need to worry about that. These ones are different.”
Demian gave the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman a puzzled look.
“Follow me for now.”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman led Demian to the royal castle’s training grounds.
There, about ten elves were sparring with each other, weapons clashing.
As the two entered the training grounds, all eyes turned to them.
“Huh? It’s Lord Eos!”
“Lord Eos?”
The elves tossed their weapons aside and swarmed toward the pair.
Demian could only blink repeatedly at the stark contrast to the commanders’ reactions.
“Eos! Why are you so late?”
“We’ve been waiting forever!”
Two female elves clung to the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman’s arms. Their faces overflowed with joy.
“We heard earlier! Tomorrow we finally strike back, right?”
“We’re counting on you, Eos!”
Even pressed close by two beauties, the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman’s expression didn’t change.
“Mata, Hata. I’ve told you not to do this how many times?”
“What’s the big deal? It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong.”
“Cut us some slack with the big operation coming up!”
“No.”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman shook them off firmly. The two female elves, Mata and Hata, pouted in disappointment.
“You’re more popular than I thought.”
Demian whispered in the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman’s ear. The man brushed it off.
“It’s because I taught them a few martial techniques. They see me as their master.”
Demian tilted his head. For other elves, maybe, but Mata and Hata’s reactions went beyond mere trust and respect.
“Huh? Eos, who’s this human?”
“Idiot! Who else could it be in Elfheim?”
“Then… this guy’s Demian Haksen?”
“That’s right. Your guess is correct. It’s the Demian Haksen who rescued Cynthia and fought the Ruler of Myriad Flames.”
Not just Mata and Hata, but all the elves present looked at Demian with wonder.
“Demian Haksen, let me introduce you. These are Mata and Hata. The only sisters in Elfheim who can summon the Spirit King.”
“We used to be three, but the Ruler of Myriad Flames killed one and stole her Spirit King.”
Mata added bitterly.
“And these elves are… spirit summoners who can call high-grade spirits. All of them are joining the assault team.”
Demian looked at the elves in surprise.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say a spirit summoner who could call a high-grade Spirit King was far stronger than most master-class fighters.
Two spirit summoners who could summon Spirit Kings.
Eight who could summon high-grade spirits.
It was no overstatement to say this was Elfheim’s full combat force.
“In tomorrow’s operation, Demian Haksen will lead you in my place.”
“Huh? Wasn’t Demian Haksen supposed to stay behind?”
“He requested to join the assault team, so we switched.”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman said it casually, but the elves didn’t take it well.
“Eos isn’t going?”
“We know this human’s strong, but still, without Lord Eos…”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman shouted at the murmuring elves.
“I vouch for Demian Haksen’s skill. This man is my equal.”
It was similar to what he’d told the Supreme Commander. But the reaction was different.
“If Eos vouches for him, then… I guess we can trust him.”
“True, he didn’t back down at all against the Ruler of Myriad Flames.”
“I heard not a single hostage was harmed.”
As the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman had guaranteed, the elves gathered here trusted his word.
“What did I tell you? These ones are different.”
“They really are.”
Demian let out a hollow laugh in response. He hadn’t expected young elves to be this sharp.
“The operation launches tomorrow. I’ll head out of the castle and stir up chaos to draw out Pandemonium’s main forces. You take the elves and raid their home base.”
“Can you handle it alone?”
Demian asked worriedly.
Pandemonium currently had the Ruler of Myriad Flames with his Spirit King, the four great demon kings, and even their leader waiting.
The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman might have to fight them all.
At Demian’s question, the Empire’s Greatest Swordsman tilted his head and countered.
“Are you joking right now? Sorry I can’t laugh.”
* * *
That night, Demian left his bedroom and climbed to the top of the castle walls.
No matter how long he lay with his eyes closed, sleep wouldn’t come.
Just thinking of Dorgo set his entire body ablaze. His blood boiled, making rest impossible.
“…Tomorrow, it all finally ends.”
Since his return, Demian had only one goal.
To kill Dorgo.
As long as Dorgo lived, Demian could never have true peace.
He never knew when or where that monster might appear and drag Demian and his family into hell.
“…That damn bastard.”
Demian clutched his face with his hand.
Memories of what Dorgo had done crept up from the depths.
The despair he felt at their first meeting, when Dorgo massacred the mercenary group.
The horrific pain when Dorgo turned him into a Death Knight.
The sensation in his hands when he severed his family’s necks and stabbed their bellies.
The screams, resentment, and curses of those he killed as a Death Knight.
“I’ll… definitely kill you… with these hands…”
Demian hugged himself with both arms, trembling faintly.