79
Chapter 79
Originally, my focus was solely on the Hero's party. My purpose was to see how much they would grow in this Demon Beast Forest, and how badly they would break.
However,
"It's too... too cruel!!"
After I heard a certain goblin screaming in desperation while being stepped on by the Hero.
My focus shifted.
Who would have guessed? A goblin that could speak, lament its fate—no, a goblin that could even harbor a grudge against the Lord God who created the very essence of all things.
In its previous life, this goblin would have likely met a futile end, with the Hero piercing its forehead just like this. It's a real shame that such a genius vanished into the shadows of history.
In this life, such a tragedy must never happen. And I will make sure of it.
"You! Where did you suddenly jump out from?!"
The blond boy, the Hero, shouts. He is a youthful boy who looks as though he has only just passed the age of sixteen.
His name... was Claire. The Tragic Hero Claire.
"Haha, honestly, I don't have much desire to fight you. I just want to take this goblin with me, so how about we just pretend we didn't see each other and pass by?"
"...! Are you allied with the beasts?! I thought you were human because you look like one! You must be a Dark Magician!"
"If you must insist, I'm actually a kind and pure White Magician... Sigh, is there really no way to settle this without fighting?"
It might have been different before I stepped in. But since I've already intervened and changed history, I have no choice. It's not as if I possess the Authority to rewind time.
The only saving grace is that we are in the Demon Beast Forest. Everything that happens here does not leak back into the Human Realm. And Hero Claire's party was originally destined to be wiped out in this forest anyway.
In other words, there would be no problem if I killed them all to keep them quiet. Whether they die now or later, the Human Realm remains blissfully unaware. It would simply change the 'environment of the Demon Beast Forest' slightly, affecting the Hero Party that arrives a hundred years later.
Well, if I were to give up on this Mutant Goblin and run away right now, everything would return to its proper place, but...
"Beatrice! Aru! John! Everyone, come out!"
I don't want to do that.
A longing I had set aside long ago: placing the lowest and most insignificant creature in a position where everyone looks up to them.
In an unexpected place, I found the hope for that longing. I can finally pull down the nose of that arrogant Emperor.
A surge of burning desire fills me to the brim.
"!? Were there others hiding?"
"Great Warrior! Raise your shield!"
"Wait, aren't those people humans?"
"Just because they're human doesn't mean they're allies! Everyone, stay on guard!"
Beatrice, the King of Humans, and Uriel burst from the bushes, pushing through the wall of fire to enter.
Uriel? Why are you coming in, Uriel? You're nothing but a hindrance in a fight.
"What is with that look of distrust?"
"Uriel! It's dangerous! Please just stay back!"
"Ha, you underestimate me far too much. I was once an Archangel, after all."
"What? Don't tell me you're actually planning to join in?"
"Is there any reason why I shouldn't? I am confident that I will not lose."
What is this parasite talking about? After catching a single rabbit, Uriel's ego has shot through the roof. This is the problem with spoiling her. She's running wild without knowing her place. Absolutely no self-awareness.
"It has been nearly several hundred years since my last battle with humans. It is truly an honor that my first battle back is alongside my Lord."
Though she has lived for over three hundred years, Beatrice remains unchanged. Though she seems to have become a bit more knightly and rigid.
"The target of that blade will be the righteous Hero Party; are you sure you're okay with that?"
"I follow only my Lord's commands. Things like 'justice' or the 'Hero' are of no importance to me."
"Wow, what a loyal sword. But isn't that a bit too evil? Where did the spirit of chivalry go?"
"Could it possibly match my Lord's?"
Beatrice's greatsword, heated to a glow, emits a cold, sharp aura. She approaches with slow, deliberate steps, her blade pointed toward the ground.
Feeling Beatrice's intent, the entire Hero party swallowed hard at once. I wore a ruthless smile.
The most important part of a party is the damage dealers. In that sense, Beatrice could be called the best dealer.
When Beatrice swings her sword infused with both Holy Power and demonic energy, enemies will vanish like dew, unable to even dream of blocking her.
"That human is huge. May I try fighting that one?"
The King of Humans huffs with excitement. His gaze is fixed on a massive warrior in the Hero party. The Great Warrior, was it?
"Do as you please. Just try not to get hurt."
"Thank you!"
Thump, thump, thump, thump—!
The King of Humans took the initiative. He charged with massive strides that shook the earth, and the Hero party was greatly bewildered to see a huge savage rushing toward them.
However, no matter how lackng they were in real-world experience, the Hero party was a group consisting of the most talented prospects on the continent. Except for Hero Claire, who I had intercepted, they quickly rallied to prepare an attack against the King of Humans.
A girl wearing a magician's hat raised a wooden staff. Soon, a clear voice flowed from her lips.
"Lenteo!"
"Hmm!?"
In an instant, the King of Humans' movements slowed. Taking advantage of that gap, the elf of the Hero party drew back a bowstring.
Swoosh—!
The green wooden vine shot from the bow possessed a sharpness that could rival any piece of iron. As expected of an elf, a race that lives and dies by the forest.
Ha, seeing an elf reminds me of when I burned down the World Tree in my previous life. That was truly exhilarating. I hope I can burn it down again in this life.
Thwack—!
"Gasp!"
The wooden arrow pierced the King of Humans' chest, but it only made him stumble for a moment. There was no wound or scar on his flesh, which was harder than iron armor.
This was the expected result. Perhaps if it were the Elf Queen of two hundred years later, the Divine Archer Elain, it would be different. But a rookie elf, at best, could not leave a mark on the King of Humans. Sensing this, the archer's eyes trembled violently.
"What...! He's no ordinary human!"
"Move! I'll try attacking him!"
The mage pushed the elf aside and gathered magic in her staff. While the King of Humans watched with curious eyes, as if fascinated by the gathering reddish energy, a ball of fire exploded.
"Ignis Pila!"
Boom—!
A massive explosion erupted. Heat radiated from the center of the blast, shaking the trees and sending stray leaves fluttering down.
Acrid smoke rose where the King of Humans had been standing. A startled Uriel shouted.
"King of Humans! Are you alright?!"
"...It's over. No one could survive a direct hit from Ignis Pila. Damn it, this is my first time killing someone... I feel sick."
Eventually, the smoke cleared, revealing the steadfast silhouette of the King of Humans. The mage's eyes, which had been clouded with the guilt of her first kill, began to shake just as the elf's had.
Hehe, kids, a fight isn't over until you've cut the opponent's throat. Use this opportunity to learn. Though you won't have a next time.
"...! H-how...!"
The King of Humans, who had been hit by the mage's fireball, was covered in soot. But that was all. A mere fire spell could not cause any meaningful damage to the King of Humans' body.
"That's a bit stiff. Impressive. That was a great attack."
Crack, the King of Humans cracks his neck and speaks casually. His voice is perfectly fine, not a hint of worry in it. I really did pick a great tank.
However, a fight isn't won by durability alone. The mage, realizing it was difficult to damage a savage's body, immediately cast Lenteo to slow the King of Humans down, and the elf archer used that opening to fire an arrow at his vitals.
No matter how tough the body is, the eyes, ears, and groin are parts that are bound to be pierced by arrows. If hit directly, they would cause non-negligible damage.
Of course, for the King of Humans, who has survived in the wild, such wounds are well worth enduring, but I had already given the order. Not to get hurt. To faithfully obey my command, the King of Humans is taking a maximum defensive stance to keep the mage and elf tied down.
Clang—!
From the opposite side, the clear sound of blades colliding reached my ears. Turning my head, I saw the warrior called the Great Warrior clashing with Beatrice. The two were locked in a fierce struggle of strength.
A Great Warrior is actually matching strength with Beatrice? Just as I wondered if that was even possible, a girl injecting white energy into the Great Warrior's back entered my field of vision. A priest of the Holy Church dressed in a white nun's habit.
Hummm—.
"Great Warrior, be careful! The energy coming off that woman is extraordinary!"
"Hmph, I know. I'm only managing to hold my own because of the priest's buffs."
"I'll heal any minor wounds immediately! Be cautious, but when you can trade blows, do so boldly!"
"I'd like to, but she hardly leaves any openings. Her swordsmanship is incredible."
Clang—!
The Great Warrior fought boldly with the priest's buffs. Beatrice was struggling a bit. Part of it was the two-on-one situation and the compatibility, but above all...
Boom—!
"...You have decent strength. You must have been something on the continent."
That combatant called the 'Great Warrior' has impressive martial power. I suspect he might be the strongest member of this Hero party.
With his slightly reddish skin, he's likely a warrior of the Nation of War. The very nation that, back when Beatrice was a holy knight of the Holy Nation, invaded and inflicted damage nearly amounting to total annihilation. A crazy nation that does nothing but eat and train.
"To think I'd meet such a strong warrior in the Demon Beast Forest! Wahaha! This is exhilarating!"
"I wonder how long that exhilaration will last."
"Until the moment my life is extinguished, of course! Though I have no intention of dying yet, so I must definitely take you down!"
"...I thought your swordsmanship looked familiar; you're a warrior of the Nation of War. You sound exactly like one."
"Oh! You know my homeland!"
Right, from the Nation of War. There is likely no other country on the entire continent whose citizens are as crazed for fighting as they are.
Wait, but Beatrice is the holy knight who massacred the Nation of War. Is this a rematch?
"Too much talking. Just focus on the battle."
Sring—.
Aimming her sword at the Great Warrior and the priest, Beatrice spoke in a low voice. Her voice was thick with killing intent. For Beatrice, the Nation of War was a country she could never bring herself to like. It was a natural reaction.
"He's right. Great Warrior, focus. She is not an easy opponent."
"Got it. Hah! May the grace of Agesiliad dwell within me!"
Huh? Wait, did he just say the grace of 'Agesiliad'?
The Agesiliad in my memory... is only the King of the Nation of War who invaded the Holy Church. He achieved the great feat of conquering the north, south, east, and west of the Holy Church, but in the end, his body was sliced in half by Beatrice's sword, who had contracted with Lucifer.
Is the person mentioned by the Great Warrior someone with the same name? Well, since a native of the Nation of War mentioned him, it's probably that one great king.
"...Agesiliad?"
"Do you know of my ancestor? He was once the king of my homeland! With unmatched bravery, he nearly conquered the Holy Church, but he unfortunately passed away after being ambushed by the Holy Nation's knight, Beatrice Constantino, and the Pope of that time."
"...."
"If only those despicable cowards hadn't...! Ah, sorry, priest. Did I offend you?"
"No, it's fine. Beatrice is a degenerate who contracted with a devil to kill His Holiness anyway. Our church praises the knight's achievements, but we do not praise the knight herself. Her name has even been expunged."
"Then that's a relief!"
It's the same person, alright.
And you lot are absolutely screwed now.
Snap—.
Our knight seems very angry. Who told you to insult someone from two hundred years ago? You have no idea that the person might be standing right in front of you.
"...Your tongue is shortening your life."
Beatrice's voice sounds exceptionally eerie today. Great, I can leave that side to her. Now, shall I tackle the task in front of me?
"Goblin, what are you doing?"
"Ch-chiik?"
The goblin, who had been delivering a grand speech until a moment ago, looks at me with a bewildered expression. It's hidden by my mask, but I let a wide smirk spread across my lips.
"Can't you see I'm holding the Hero's sword? Run, now. We've basically teamed up with monsters just to save your hide."
"Wh-why on earth...? Why are you... helping me...?"
"What kind of stupid question is that? You were quite the orator just a moment ago. After everything you've been through, you still don't get it?"
I swung the arm holding the Hero's sword. The Hero let out a groan and stumbled back about three steps. I intended to push them back five, but I suppose a Hero is a Hero after all.
"The strong can do whatever they want! Those without power can't even be at peace with the most basic survival! Why am I helping you? Because I feel like it!"
"You probably still don't understand, goblin! Being at the bottom of the food chain, you've only ever made decisions based on gain and loss! That's all you could afford to do just to survive!"
"But mark my words! Once you become strong, you can enjoy pleasures and prosperity beyond mere survival! Just like how those humans attacked your kind even though they weren't going to eat you! Or like how I'm protecting you right now! You can act exactly as you please!"
"You asked the Hero earlier, didn't you? Why you had to be attacked! The answer is simple! Because you're weak! And they are strong! The strong have the 'right' to act according to their whims! That is the only law this world has set!"
"Right now you're weak, so I'm helping you out of necessity, but soon you'll stand on the same level as those humans! Or even above them! Didn't you ask? Why the goblin race can never become strong!"
"I'll make you strong! Don't ask why! Once you're strong, you'll naturally understand how I feel! A goblin longing to transcend his race—what a fascinating creature!"
I reached my hand out toward the collapsed goblin. Much like a merchant offering a handshake.
The Mutant Goblin seemed stunned, unable to even think about taking my hand. I spoke in a high-pitched tone, like a merchant introducing a product.
"Goblin! Don't you want to transcend your race?"
"...!"
I glanced at the goblin's abdomen. His whole body was packed with lean muscle. Though his height was small like a child's, he had so little fat and so much muscle that I wondered what his body fat percentage even was.
It meant he had undergone high-intensity training to become stronger. Naturally, he possessed the will as well.
"Is... chi-rik, is that actually possible...?"
"Why not! If you do it, it happens! Haven't you heard that saying!"
"I have spent countless efforts to transcend my race until now...!"
"You idiot! If you want to see the ocean, do you launch a boat on a mountain? You launch it in a river to reach the sea! Your direction was wrong from the start! From now on, I will correct the wrong direction of your efforts!"
"...!!"
"If you've got the gist of it, take my hand!"
That's the only way to form a contract.
"Can I really... transcend my race if I trust you...?"
"Have you been tricked your whole life? If you don't trust me, then what? Are you going to keep digging yourself into a hole alone? Wouldn't it be better to just take a gamble and take my hand?"
"...! No! No it's not! I trust you! I will trust you!"
Squeeze—!
The goblin's crude hand met my palm, which was clad in a white glove. It was a fragile hand that would crumble if I applied just a bit of strength, but a great hand that would one day toy with dragons and trample elves had fallen into my grasp.
The contract is complete.