17. Sunset (7)
17. Sunset (7)
"Your Highness, please come this way."
"Understood."
The ten knights, including myself, immediately hid ourselves among the bushes and trees.
The other members also moved with their respective teams and concealed themselves.
And not long after,
—Crunch!
Thump.
Beside me, two goblins who had come to chop wood were already killed and their bodies hidden.
It was already close to the work of seasoned professionals.
It seemed I was the biggest obstacle here.
Then I should try my best not to get in their way.
"Your Highness, they're coming."
At Captain Evernoir's signal, I also drew the Divine Sword.
Three goblins were approaching us.
When one of them came right before the tree I was hiding behind, Captain Evernoir gave a signal from beside me.
It was a sign to stab the goblin right in the center of its throat so it couldn't even scream before dying.
The moment I received that signal, I gripped the Divine Sword and thrust it toward the goblin's neck.
—Swish.
Thump.
"·····Huh."
I definitely stabbed the goblin's neck.
The instruction was to stab rather than completely behead it, because if the goblin's body fell to the ground after being severed, it might make a loud noise.
But my hand felt no sensation from the sword at all.
It pierced through so smoothly that I couldn't even tell if it had touched the goblin's vertebrae, taking its life instantly.
'This cutting power is absurd·····.'
I felt acutely reminded that when wielding the Divine Sword, I must be more cautious than anyone else.
"Perfect execution, even for your first time."
Well, of course.
I hadn't used much force at all - everything was accomplished by the Divine Sword.
"Just endure a little more like this."
"Understood."
I roughly cleaned up the goblin corpse and blood I had taken down.
Since goblins weren't particularly good at tracking scents, just cleaning up what was visibly obvious was sufficient.
And the low-intelligence goblins would approach again to chop wood, unaware that their kin had been killed here.
—Rustle.
"Grrrgle····."
"········."
Is it really this easy to take a life?
Not that I'm complaining about it, of course.
And I certainly wasn't whining about not being able to do it.
And so we continued killing goblins one after another.
####
"Hmm hmm~ Oh? Were you waiting for me~?"
"···Shut up and sit down, whore."
"Still as vulgar as ever with that rag in your mouth, mosquito."
Deep within the Demon Realm where humans could never enter unless purified.
There lay the unknown legacy of the ancient Demon King.
Though mostly destroyed and unsightly, this place remained important to them.
And as their conversation revealed, these individuals who got along so poorly had gathered in one place for only one common purpose.
"·····The Demon King's resurrection is not far off. What do you think He would think seeing you engage in childish arguments?"
They didn't even add commentary to the words of Eld Lich, the Demon King's right hand who had gathered them here.
"Lilith, how goes your plan?"
"Still going smoothly. The goblins are surprisingly good workers? At least they listen better than orcs."
"Hmm. Then Bloodius, what about you?"
"Unlike that bitch, I'm moving personally for matters concerning the Demon King. I've collected about 200 humans so far."
"Good, keep it up until you reach one thousand."
"Obviously, it's clear I'll be more helpful to the Demon King than that bitch."
The thousand human souls needed for the Demon King's resurrection.
And the altar to temporarily gather those souls to crack the Demon King's seal.
Once all preparations were complete, the Demon King's resurrection would be achieved.
For now, their role was to gather forces that would be helpful to the Demon King.
"Though other Legion Commanders haven't arrived yet, let's begin our meeting just among ourselves."
After Eld Lich declared the meeting started, while exchanging opinions about forces and military strength,
Thud-thud.
Tap.
"Huh?"
"What is it, Lilith?"
Lilith suddenly began looking behind her.
The mental suggestions she had placed on the goblins were beginning to break.
This happened occasionally, of course.
But this was too fast.
About six suggestions had gone out irregularly and simultaneously.
"It seems····· we have intrucers?"
"·····They noticed already?"
"Yeah, but judging by the speed, it doesn't seem to be the Hero."
Lilith stood up from her seat and spread the wings on her back wide.
"Sorry, I'll go check first. Let me know the meeting details later~"
Then she fluttered her wings and quickly exited the Demon King's castle.
"··········."
"··········."
Thus only two remained in the great meeting hall.
With the other Legion Commanders absent as well, it felt somewhat awkward to continue the meeting with just the two of them.
"·····Let's adjourn here."
"Hmm, I agree."
And so Eld Lich picked up his staff and headed deeper into the Demon King's castle,
while Bloodius returned toward the Blood Castle.
####
"Whew, how many?"
"·····Only half remain now."
—Drip-drip!
Blood dripped from the Divine Sword onto the ground.
"Captain, they'll notice soon."
"Yes."
If they realized half the goblins working alongside them were gone, even low-intelligence goblins would certainly notice.
The key here depended on how many we could reduce right before the goblins became aware.
"What if we all charge out now and use the confusion to reduce their numbers?"
"·····Indeed, that would work too."
Captain Evernoir readjusted her reverse-grip on her sword.
That meant my suggestion had been properly accepted.
In response, I tightened my grip on the sword even more.
"Let's count to three and go."
"Understood."
Captain Evernoir sent members to other teams to share the plan.
Since everyone was relatively close by, the plan was quickly communicated.
And just as the members who had gone to share the plan began returning to their positions, Captain Evernoir picked up one of the crude goblin weapons lying on the ground.
The moment she threw this would be the arrow signaling the start of the operation.
"Three."
"Two,"
··········,
"One—"
"My, what cute mischief have you been up to~?"
""·····!!""
—Screech!
Whoosh.
"Kya~, that was dangerous."
Evernoir swung her sword in surprise, but the woman easily dodged backward.
A seductive-voiced woman who had suddenly appeared behind Evernoir.
But she didn't look human like us.
Bat wings attached to her back.
And vulgarity that exposed bare skin everywhere except vital areas.
"·····Incubus!"
"Hmm, that's such an old name~, darling❤️"
"Hmm hmm, I'm called the Succubus Queen now, you know?"
Her vulgarity was explained in just one word.
No, she had essentially introduced herself.
Only then did everything begin to make sense.
How she had controlled those low-intelligence goblins that couldn't be reasoned with.
The Succubus Queen must have been behind both the invasion of Arbel Village and gathering the goblins here.
I shifted the direction of my Divine Sword.
This changed the plan.
That Succubus Queen was dangerously more threatening than the goblins.
"Hup!"
—Spit!
"Hmm~, pointing your sword at pretty little me first? Really~, I wanted to talk first."
"Talk about what···!"
I swung the Divine Sword once more.
—Clang!
This time the Succubus Queen didn't dodge but extended her nails long to block the Divine Sword,
—Crunch!
"Heh···?"
Even she couldn't withstand the Divine Sword's power.
The Succubus Queen's nails shattered.
It works.
There's definite potential.
With this Divine Sword, even that Succubus Queen—!
—Sssss·····.
"Aah. I put considerable effort into shaping these."
Gulp.
"Tch···!"
—Snap!
At the bone-chilling voice that enveloped my entire body and pierced my ears, I instinctively created distance.
An alarm bell rang in my head warning that staying there would mean death.
The Succubus Queen's cold eyes rolled around before fixing precisely on me the moment she saw me.
"That sword looks a bit dangerous?"
"·····Yes, it could take your life if things go wrong."
Only now could I feel the Succubus Queen's power.
She was definitely stronger than me.
But hadn't the Divine Sword shattered her nails?
—Gnash.
I bit my lip and pushed aside my fear.
If I didn't hold my ground here, it meant death.
Preparing myself for death, I gripped the Divine Sword in my hand even tighter.
"Aah, beautiful. Pretty. I want it."
"There's a pretty girl here, and a pretty girl there. Is this paradise by any chance?"
"And both are virgins too. Aah, I want them so badly."
The Succubus Queen began muttering to herself like a madwoman in front of the thirty knights.
But among those thirty, she only paid attention to me and Captain Evernoir.
She ignored the other members as if they were insects, not even looking at them.
"If you two strip right now and beg me naked, I'll spare the rabble behind you. How about it?"
In response to the Succubus Queen's words, I answered without even a second's hesitation.
"Does that filthy, vulgar nature come from your race?"
It was a provocation.
But the real provocation was yet to come.
"Then again, having spread your legs so much, how could you possibly understand nobility. Shut up and come at me. For me, there's only death or victory."