Chapter 85
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Ruby's Grudge (6)
The Flame Hammer pulverized Balak's head in an instant. It was an incredibly clean strike. I tilted my head. It had gone far too cleanly compared to what I'd imagined.
But I didn't bother pointing it out. Ruby's expression had already given me the answer. She looked relieved. She'd probably found her own resolution.
Even if it seemed questionable to others. She'd reached her own conclusion. And if she was satisfied with it, I had no intention of interfering. Smiling, I said,
"Looks like you've found your own answer."
"That's right."
"Then that's good enough. Let's wrap things up."
"Leave it to me!"
Ruby would handle Balak's body herself. I'd thought she'd just ignore it. Surprisingly, she was going to give him a proper dwarven funeral. A dwarven funeral meant a pit of fire right away.
Just like reforging iron. They dug a pit, tossed in coal or the like to make a blazing furnace. Then they threw the body in and burned it all up.
Of course, not everyone understood Ruby's way. Her close comrade and partner-in-crime Clara was the prime example. Surprisingly, even Helia couldn't comprehend Ruby's choice.
"Ruby! That guy's your enemy! Do you really have to go that far for him?"
"I agree this time. Why are you doing so much?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not for Balak."
"Then for what?"
"For me. To forget all the old grudges from the past and start fresh."
Ruby had come all this way to kill her father. At first, she'd wanted to make him suffer cruelly, to feel every pain in the world. And she'd been fully committed to that path.
But in the end, she realized it. Revenge wasn't everything. She had to think about what came after. So after much deliberation, Ruby chose to end Balak cleanly.
"Revenge was just something I had to do, not my whole life. So with this, I'll stop wasting emotions on it."
"In that case, this isn't a funeral—it's a party."
"P-Party?"
"Damn right! On the day you settle a score with your enemy, you feast on booze and meat!"
Captain Yuren laughed as she threw an arm around Ruby's shoulders. Ruby looked flustered, but not displeased. Soon, their eyes turned to me. I chuckled.
"No harm in it, I suppose."
"Then we'll get ready right away."
"Good, great! Perfect!! It's party time tonight!"
"Is that really okay? Like, the mood or whatever..."
"No, it's fine. I welcome it, even."
Ruby was saying so herself. For the squad's morale, there was no reason to refuse. Balak's headless corpse went into the prepared fire pit. I looked up.
Not a single soul offered a silent prayer for Balak. Self-inflicted, no doubt. No matter how much it was for wealth and power, abandoning even his own family? The end was predictable.
Balak's decapitated body was engulfed in flames. Looking closely, it resembled a crow more than an eagle. Ruby stared blankly at the burning corpse without a word.
"What're you thinking so hard about?"
For a moment, I worried that with her revenge complete, the emptiness might drive her to leap into the flames. Anxious, I asked Ruby quickly. She gave a wry smile.
"Just thinking back to the old days."
"Old days?"
"The first time I thought about killing that trash."
"..."
"Honestly, I was scared. Of everything."
For the first time in her life, she had someone she hated. And it was her own parents. The shock to a clueless child confronting that horrific truth—who could imagine it?
Not me, that's for sure. But Ruby had overcome it somehow. That's how she'd made it this far. I patted her back.
"You did well. You did what you could."
"You really mean that?"
"Of course. I guarantee it."
"A guarantee... I'd be pissed if anyone else said it..."
"Hm?"
"Nothing! Forget it!"
Ruby trailed off for a moment, then flashed a bright smile and shook her head. Regardless of anything else, I could tell her earlier turmoil was gone. That was a relief.
Ruby smiled and ran off to join the others. I watched her from afar, then chuckled to myself and downed my drink. Things had turned out pretty well, all things considered.
Now then. The squad's lingering shadows had mostly cleared up. They saw each other as true comrades now. And support from the other races had recovered by over half.
At this point, maybe it was time to hand over the captain's seat.
The demon race's power was immense. As a single species, they were nearly on par with dragons. No— with greater numbers, they might even surpass them.
But the problem stemmed from the overconfidence born of that overwhelming strength. More bluntly, their arrogance. They were the strongest. Nothing could stand against them.
Instinctively, they looked down on enemies. It wasn't an issue usually, since they were overwhelmingly superior. But the real problem arose when they faced a worthy opponent.
Unless it was another demon, they rarely acknowledged rivals. Was it pride? Or the combative instincts drilled in from childhood? Who knew.
Arrogance and carelessness were the worst partners, turning winnable wars into defeats. Especially against the Royal Knights, the only foes they recognized as equals.
[We can't drag this out any longer. Let's dig a trap and lure them in.]
[Ridiculous! We clash head-on with honor!]
[Hear, hear! Traps are for petty cowards.]
[And? What results have our 'honorable' selves achieved?]
The demons bickered so fiercely over the Royal Knights that infighting broke out. Of course, without the Barrekan Holy Kingdom's barrier, the demons could have unleashed their full might.
But the barrier kept demons from entering. All they could do was send the magical beasts they'd created to press the invasion.
In that situation, someone proposed setting a trap to lure the Royal Knights. Half the demons opposed it vehemently. True victory came from frontal conquest.
On the other hand, plenty supported it. Sweep away the Royal Knights, and the already loosely allied continentals would crumble into a disorganized mob in one fell swoop.
Fortunately—or perhaps inevitably—they had an inside man in the Royal Knights. They'd planted moles in the other races too. Entirely feasible. And they succeeded in luring the Royal Knights out.
"The Royal Knights were surely wiped out."
"Yes, exactly. We annihilated them ourselves."
"There are survivors, but we figured it wouldn't be an issue."
"But... things are different now."
Of course, the demons had taken heavy losses too. Even lured into a trap, against the foes they alone deemed worthy. The damage was beyond imagination.
Just the comrades lost in battle with the Royal Knights numbered plenty. Their influence over the continentals had weakened as a result. Recovery would take time.
So they sent moles to sow discord. Ultimately aiming to make them turn on each other. And the plan worked—at least in the beginning.
"Where the hell did that Hans guy come from?"
Hans, the man who'd crushed all their planted moles. And even slain the low-rank demons they'd unleashed to rampage. Where had such a freak talent crawled out from?
And the bad news didn't end there: he was rebuilding the Royal Knights. Gathering the survivors, even successfully recruiting the forest guardians.
Even more absurd: in just one year, he'd stabilized relations between races on the brink of fracture. And he was on the verge of forging true unity in the creaking Royal Knights.
"Is that the priority right now?"
"What do you mean?"
"The point is, we need to act before they fully rebuild."
"But low-ranks or blood tides won't faze them, I reckon."
"Exactly why we must step in ourselves."
Until now, they'd had no choice but to watch. After all, the battles with the Royal Knights had left them with severe wounds. The demons they could muster now were few enough to count on one hand.
So they'd attacked indirectly, using moles and followers. Who could've guessed they'd recover so quickly? Now they had no choice but to rally their full forces.
"Fortunately, preparations are all complete."
It wasn't for nothing they'd empowered Balak. He'd fulfilled his role admirably. Unnoticed due to his lack of presence, he'd infiltrated the Royal Knights' base.
And died splendidly there.
So now, they'd use his corpse as a sacrifice to advance.
That was why they'd given Balak power in the first place.