The Hero Picked Up a Nya
Even a rough glance showed there were hundreds of monsters swarming us. And yet, far from being pushed back, my companions and I were massacring them with some leisure to spare.
"Hweeeet!"
Of course, Karen was the main culprit behind the slaughter, but plenty had lost their heads to Jena and my sword as well. Even Marian the saintess was casually tossing out buffs. It was the very picture of one against a hundred, and I was left feeling oddly hollowed out by how easy the difficulty was.
Was it always this straightforward?
Thinking back on the hell I'd endured in my first timeline nearly brought tears to my eyes, but on second thought, it made sense that the difficulty had plummeted. Back then, Karen around this period wasn't anywhere near as powerful as she was now, and the same went for the saintess. As for Jena, she'd only taught me the basics of the sword before we parted ways, so I hadn't even known her true capabilities.
Hm?
I noticed it while casually lopping off a troll's head amid the endless monster surge—something moving unnaturally through their ranks. A black shadow rocketed out at blinding speed, fleeing in the opposite direction from my group.
"Karen, Jena. You two okay without me?"
I shouted back at them, and they both nodded toward me right away. They'd spotted the intruder from the Great Forest too. I spurred my horse and bolted after it.
"Hweeeit! M-Master!"
I ignored the lewd moan echoing from Karen behind me.
* * *
It definitely came this way...?
Chasing the suspicious shadow, I reined in my horse and scanned the surroundings. No matter how fast it was, the complete lack of tracks felt off. Spreading my senses wide, I picked up a presence surprisingly close by.
Ha? Using stealth like this?
If I didn't know how to probe with ki, I wouldn't have noticed at all. Gritting my teeth at the invisible foe, I thrust my sword straight toward it.
I can't let it escape.
I felt sweat slicking my sword hand—whoever this was, an assassin with skills like that would be a real pain.
"Kyaaak!"
The blade tip squished something soft, followed by a woman's sharp scream. The surprise attack shattered her stealth, revealing the voice's owner.
What the hell? Why's she here?
I stared wide-eyed at the unexpected face.
Dalshinyang.
According to my memories from my past life, she was one of the Demon King's executives—a beastkin leader I couldn't stand.
"Haha! Look at you, hero trash! Daring to challenge the Demon King? Know your place, nya!"
Dalshinyang. One word summed her up: annoying as hell.
It was natural for the hero to hate Demon Army goons, but what made her special was that even her own subordinates despised her. Her only real ability was the catkin racial trait of stealth. Her combat style—wielding a tiny dagger on a red thread—wasn't bad, but it fell short for an executive role.
"What are you idiots doing, nya? Get out there and fight! Kill the hero, nya!"
Worse, she'd issue orders while licking her paws and grooming herself, cherishing her own hide while treating her minions' lives like dirt. Her personality was utter trash.
Yet she'd somehow become a Demon Army executive and beastkin leader for one ridiculous reason. She had that cute catgirl look, and the batshit Demon Queen had appointed her solely on that basis.
This insolent bitch... what the hell is she doing here?
I scowled at Dalshinyang, who gazed back with smug arrogance. I couldn't figure out why she'd been fleeing through the monster horde like that. Sure, Baal had invested heavily in this op, so the beastkin might be aiding the dark elf assault on the elves. But that didn't explain why their leader was wandering alone.
"Why are you here?"
"You know me, nya?"
Dalshinyang tilted her head curiously. I nodded, sword still at her throat.
"Yeah. You're Dalshinyang, one of the Demon Army executives, right?"
"Eh? How do you know me, nya? I don't know you, nya?"
I ignored her puzzled question—no need to answer, and I held the power here anyway.
"Answer my questions if you don't want to die."
I twitched the blade against her slender neck, drawing beads of red blood.
"O-Okay, nya! I dunno how you know me, but I'm not an executive anymore, nya. I just don't wanna get dragged into this war, so let me go, nya!"
I cocked my head at her anxious, eye-rolling plea. Sensing the timeline had diverged again, I pressed harder.
"Not an executive anymore? What does that mean?"
"W-Well... the Demon Queen got locked up, nya. That Baal jerk imprisoned her and is doing whatever he wants now, nya."
She spilled the Demon Army's internals without hesitation. No loyalty to begin with, and she seemed quietly resentful of Baal, so I figured her words held some truth.
The Demon Queen imprisoned?
Not exactly new info. Things had changed a lot from my first life, with Baal stepping up aggressively. The only surprise was that even trash like Dalshinyang knew he'd openly confined the Queen.
"Th-That's all I know, nya! Let me go!"
I let out an incredulous chuckle at her sudden boldness. Maybe it was her racial trait, but she had a knack for pissing people off even with the same words.
"That's one thing. Why are you running?"
"...Th-That's none of your business, nya!"
Her face flushed, her reaction far more heated than before. Catkin or not, she looked human enough—ears and tail aside—so reading her was easy.
Got the picture.
From her response, I pieced it together. Always so full of herself, she'd probably gotten threats from her beastkin underlings after losing her executive spot.
"Your presence here means the beastkin are involved too, right? So is Kauli around?"
"Y-You... how much do you know, nya?!"
Werewolf Kauli—Dalshinyang's arch-nemesis. If Baal had any sense, he'd have made Kauli the beastkin leader.
"Shut up and answer, Dalshinyang."
"Y-Yeah, nya! I'm running 'cause of that bastard, nya!"
I grimaced. Even as my inferior, Kauli was a hassle.
"Demon Army's forces?"
"...Y-You'll let me go if I tell you, nya?"
She peeked at me slyly, ever the quick-witted one—already calculating that army intel outweighed her life. No intention of releasing her, but I nodded.
"H-How do I trust you, nya?"
"Then die."
I pressed the blade tighter against her doubting throat, and the intel poured out.
"Balam's the overall commander, with beastkin Kauli as deputy, nya. Dark elves are attached too, nya."
I scratched my head with a weary frown at her words.