#077 Advance
#077 Advance
"Krrgh, these goddamn...! Heroes, of all things...!"
The venomous insects: annihilated.
Amutar seethed with rage that the venomous insect legion he had worked so hard to create had all been swept away by the water and drowned.
"If it's come to this, I have no choice but to use my last resort."
The dangerous ones among the enemy weren't only the hero wielding the Water Holy Sword and the crimson-haired witch.
Amutar knew.
That among the enemy was a "true hero" who wielded the Wind Holy Sword.
Therefore, to bring down the enemy, a last resort was necessary.
"I didn't want to use this one...!"
The ultimate weapon provided by Zepar, the head of Acedia.
The reason he had deliberately used the venomous insect unit was because he hadn't wanted to use this "weapon."
"If it's come to this, I'll wipe them out myself."
Amutar went deeper into the cave.
Deep, deep inside the cave, before Amutar's eyes, countless insects seethed and swarmed.
Each one was similar in size to the goblin Amutar's own body.
Even hundreds of the Narag Venomous Insects sent earlier combined would not equal the size of a single one of these insects.
And if there was one defining feature of these creatures, it was that their bodies were clad in armor like steel.
"Damn it. I didn't want to use it...!"
Clank.
Amutar approached the massive golem standing among the steel insects.
The steel golem, shaped like a Lycanthrope, was as enormous as a typical four-story building.
Clank.
Amutar drew a sword from his back.
The sword, engraved with Acedia's crest, was imbued with Zepar's mana, and as Amutar approached the steel golem, the shell at the golem's head opened to the left and right.
Pssshhhh.
Inside was a seat shaped so that a person could ride in it.
Amutar sat in the seat and leaned back deeply against the backrest, steadying his ragged breathing.
"Huff, huff...."
The sword in his hand matched the shape of a hole in a cylindrical protrusion in front of Amutar.
Screeeak.
Amutar inserted the sword inside, then stretched his foot toward the pedal below.
"Nngh...!"
It was difficult to reach with a goblin's build, but Amutar was a wise goblin.
"I knew this would happen, so I added lifts to the soles of my shoes...!"
Amutar's shoes had lifts the height of three feet attached to the soles.
Thanks to that, Amutar could reach the pedal, albeit somewhat awkwardly, and he pressed the pedal with his right foot while turning the sword to the right.
Whirrrrr—
Above Amutar, the open hatch began to close.
A red light began to flicker on the seat where Amutar sat, and soon the interior, where nothing had been visible, began to show the outside with perfect clarity.
Clank, clank.
All sorts of signals flickered on the rectangular flat Mana Stone before his eyes.
The signals were telling him, in the Demon Realm language, to shout the "Trigger Word," and Amutar shouted at the top of his voice just as he had been taught.
"For the Great Demon King Belphegor!!"
Whirrrrrrr---!!
Along with the sound of something spinning inside, the steel golem slowly raised its body.
Amutar, seated in the chair, became one with the seat and the steel golem, allowing him to move the golem freely.
"...For the revenge of my hometown friends."
Amutar raised his head toward the ceiling.
"...Advance!"
Flash.
Along with the steel golem, the steel insects all flashed red light from their eyes in unison.
* * *
A hero is an existence that could pop out anytime, anywhere.
Sometimes the person you lock eyes with while walking down the street is a hero, and sometimes a wreck who goes around like a beggar is a hero.
The expression "a bolt from the blue" would suit them best.
It's not as if they actually drop lightning from the sky with Thunderbolt or Thunder Calling magic, but heroes are truly people who could pop out anytime, anywhere.
So in a situation like this, it's not particularly strange that a hero suddenly appeared and solved every problem.
'The Great Demon King who could have received humanity's surrender in just one more day also got stabbed in the heart by a hero overnight, so what's the big deal.'
After coming to this world.
At the Adventurers' Guild, I investigated in detail the events that had occurred after my death.
And I learned.
That at the very moment I was stabbed by the hero, the leaders of the Human Alliance were drafting an unconditional surrender agreement while the heroes on the front lines fought the Demonfolk!
How utterly unfair was that?
A hero suddenly appears, defeats evil, and vanishes.
From the Demonfolk's perspective, it was truly tear-jerking and infuriating, but....
'Sweet.'
As long as it wasn't happening to me, it was a most welcome thing.
Seeing the venomous insects all swept away and annihilated by the current at once, I was overjoyed that there was no need to supply extra mana to the barrier.
"...So this is a hero's power."
Lucius clenched his fist as he watched Liliez, the Water Hero who had displayed overwhelming power.
As a fellow hero, he probably had something on his mind.
...As for me, I was slightly worried that this woman had hidden the fact that she was a hero, but perhaps we simply hadn't known.
'If things go south, I'll bolt.'
Lucius or not, I slowly stepped forward, thinking of grabbing the Mana Stones and escaping by Teleport.
SWISH— BOOM!
The woman who had pierced through the barrier and landed in the middle of the square—descending on one knee with her Holy Sword driven into the ground—rose to her feet with a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Commander of the Holy Knight Order of the Azure Moon Church, Liliez Caesar Cross. Seeing the Magic Beasts, I came in haste."
"Oh, oooh...!"
The villagers instantly began cheering for Liliez.
"Lucius. Don't make that wronged face. Your moment wasn't stolen."
"...I wasn't."
"Anyone can see that's exactly what you're thinking."
Lucius scratched his cheek with an embarrassed face, and I slowly approached her and bowed my head in greeting.
"It's been a while. I didn't know you were a hero."
Yes, let's see how she handles this.
-I didn't know you were a Demon King, either.
Or.
-So here is the witch trying to use a hero.
Or something like that.
Having considered every possible scenario, I was ready to handle any situation—
Squeeze.
"?!"
Liliez hugged me.
Because of the height difference, my face was buried in her chest, and her action of pulling me tight made my whole body stiffen.
'Could this be a suicide attack?!'
Was she trying to blow me up using the power of the Water Holy Sword?
Or was she trying to probe me by channeling Divine Power into my body?
"Hah, haah, snff...."
"...Um?"
There was no sign of any probing; she was just breathing roughly, and I was dumbfounded.
"What are you doing!!"
Rather, it was Lucius who got angry and confronted Liliez.
"What are you doing to my master!!"
"I wanted to express my gratitude."
"Gratitude?"
"Yes. I was so overjoyed that you protected Normance. That place is my hometown, you see."
"Ah."
The puzzle pieces clicked into place.
"Did you follow us from Normance?"
"No. I came to the County of Odron for a different reason, and here we meet again like this. Perhaps this is fate."
It was a coincidence, but it might also have been inevitable.
"...Let's save the further expressions of gratitude for later. Don't we have something to discuss?"
Liliez glanced sideways at Lucius.
"...How much do you know?"
"Witch. I don't enjoy feeling each other out. How about we go somewhere quiet and talk alone?"
"......."
Was it dangerous?
No.
Given that the token this woman had given me had allowed us to enter Normance easily, it was more accurate to say that this woman felt favorably toward me.
"...Very well. Everyone in the village! The hero has arrived, so the village should be safe. However, some venomous insects may still remain, so please be careful for now! And Lucius!"
I pointed at Rosemas and Black Lotus, who were showing uneasy expressions toward Lucius.
"The three of you search the mage's house a bit more. There might be some kind of clue."
"Do you have something in mind?"
"It's less that I have something in mind and more that I just want to eliminate variables. I'll have a word with Liliez, just the two of us."
"Th-that, Master."
Lucius looked uneasy, like a puppy that had lost its owner.
"If something goes wrong...."
"I know. I'll call for you, so trust me and wait."
"...Understood."
I patted the arm of the anxious Lucius to soothe him, then approached Liliez.
"Holy water."
SPLASH!!
As Liliez drove her Holy Sword into the ground, a small barrier spread out centered on me and her.
'I expected this much.'
A space where conversation with the outside was blocked.
Without needing to go far, Liliez had created a barrier using her Holy Sword.
"What is it you wanted to talk about, just the two of us?"
"You seem like a cautious person, Witch, so may I speak first?"
"Go ahead."
"I'll give you the short version first."
One. The Saintess and the Holy Knight Order Commander had heard of the Normance attack and learned of our exploits.
Two. Since her whereabouts were unknown, she had come looking for another survivor of the Hero Village, 'Droniel Odron.'
Three. While investigating the dark energy in the County of Odron, she had discovered the venomous insects attacking the barrier.
"Is that explanation sufficient?"
"...Concise and neat."
I had listened to a fairly long story, but what she said could be summarized far too easily and simply.
"I have not yet met Droniel Odron, but the Saintess and I have a certain suspicion."
"What is it?"
"That Lucius is the Holy Sword Hero, and that you, Witch, are the one who awakened his Holy Sword."
"That doesn't make sense. Isn't your suspicion a bit flimsy?"
"...The Saintess told me to keep it secret, but to earn your trust, Witch, I must tell you this. There is one more survivor."
"Huh."
"We heard the specific story from him. After meeting you, when we arrived at the Holy Sword Village, we secured him."
"......."
It certainly fit together perfectly.
"...There's also something suspicious about how neatly everything is falling into place."
"I swear upon the Azure Moon Goddess. There is not a single lie in my words."
The commander of a Holy Knight Order would never lie while swearing upon the goddess, so this was the truth.
"So what do you want from me? To appoint Lucius as a Holy Knight of the Church of the Azure Moon Goddess? And take him away? I can't allow that. Lucius is—"
"Won't you form a party with me?"
"...What?"
Liliez knelt on one knee before me, took my hand, and raised it to her chin.
"P-please appoint me as your hero."
Hahh, hahh.
"........"