1035. The person the devil must kill first
He had just woken up from a coma. Encred had heard a brief summary from Sinar, Rem, and Saxen of what had happened after he disappeared.
He had anticipated another attack even after escaping the trap, yet he had returned to the Border Guard unharmed.
It’s a bit difficult to discuss without the captain, so I was planning to wait here.
Kreis spoke. His clear voice, which was always pleasant to listen to, was trembling particularly today. Kreis could not hide his nervousness. He was in a state where he wanted to blurt out everything he knew and run away. It
was to the point where I wondered what he had done to make him act like that.
I’m fine.
That is what Anne is saying from the side. As soon as he arrived at the Border Guard, those concerned about his health called for Anne.
She is the woman trying to prove that Elixir and Ommed Fania are aliases attached to people.
Anne examined Encred’s condition and determined that he was simply sleeping, and not long after, Encred opened his eyes.
Kreis gathered everyone as usual. Abnaier and Edin Molsen stood behind him.
If it is difficult to talk about, I will do it.
Edin was considerate of him, but Crys shook his head. It was a bedroom that also served as a sickroom. There were no other patients, only Encred, the Order of the Mad Knights, and people from Crys’s side were present.
“Leave him alone. Kreis knows his responsibility, too.”
Abnaier spoke. He showed no sign of it.
“Yes, I know. It is a declaration of my willingness to help, even if it means I have to. As I live my life, I’ve realized that you really have to express your feelings.”
It was an impressive story, even though I heard it the moment I woke up. Just as Encred was changing, so too had those here changed. While he was going through various things, the Border Guard couldn’t have been without its challenges.
For them, too, there must be a day they have to overcome every day.
For Kreis, that day seemed a bit rougher. He straightened his trembling body. He took a deep breath in and out, and only then did he speak properly.
It started with this: Why must we just keep getting hit?
Once he opens his mouth, the words just keep flowing as if he’s caught the flow. That’s just the kind of person Kreis is.
“Of course, we sneaked past the Demon Realm and brought down the Thorn Castle last time, but aside from that, we were usually on the ‘defense.’ It would be more accurate to say we just took the hits. Ah, well, since we won every single one of them, you might not think so, but still, facing the names of the Demon Realm and the Devil, we never even considered striking them directly. We only talked about catching them someday.”
Krais emphasized the word “defense” as he spoke. Encrid leaned his back against the bed frame.
There wasn’t a single spot in his body that didn’t ache. He had been fine in his dreams, but in reality, his body was a mess.
I can’t even put any strength into my grip.
He clenched and unclenched his right hand as he looked around. Those who had gathered one by one were all members of the Order of the Mad Knights.
Luagarne signaled, Roford bowed his head, and Pell gave a vague nod.
Ragnar sat on a chair to one side, clutching his greatsword, and gazed at him with languid eyes.
“Is your body not normal?”
Ragnar asked, his eyes still fixed on the situation. He likely knew the current state of affairs better than I did, yet he didn’t seem particularly interested.
If you leave the world with only swords and yourself, those who will cut and those who won’t, it will turn out like that.
In terms of talent alone, Ragnar is superior to Sion. That is the feeling. Although comparing their actual talents is ridiculous. Even if
they live in the same era, eat, sleep, and train the same way, there will be disparities in skill depending on experience and attitude; how could one possibly attribute all of that to just the two words “talent”?
That doesn’t make sense.
It is a thought that can only be held because one has struggled desperately from the past until now, having possessed nothing. Ultimately, only those who strive achieve success. That is an unchanging truth.
It was the result of Kreis making such an effort in his own way.
“So I thought, ‘Maybe we should stir things up a bit inside the Mirror of Demons? If we catch a few of the monsters raised by the demons, wouldn’t that deal a blow? At the very least, wouldn’t it make them nervous?’ That was the kind of thought I had. To be precise, my biggest concern was, ‘Could there really be any clues inside that Mirror of Demons that would reveal what they plan to do next?’”
When Crys is nervous, he talks at length. Encred usually takes that into account and listens, but since there were no two hulking figures visible anywhere, he boldly cut him off this time.
“What about Audin and Theresa?”
“……Yes, that’s right. The two of them infiltrated the Mirror World. To be precise, they decided to go and check on whatever the demons were plotting.”
Infiltration and Audin were a completely unrelated and mismatched combination, but if you look at it differently, aside from his massive size, Audin was a person highly skilled at quietly hiding, concealing his breath, and hiding his presence.
Didn’t Saxen remark that, apart from his large frame, Audin’s demeanor was always composed?
So you’re saying you sent my toy to the demon realm? Are you going to chase after it right now?
These are Rem’s words. The first part is directed at Krys, and the second part is a question directed at Encred.
Encred clenched and unclenched his hands two more times, straightened his body by tensing his waist, and rotated his left shoulder once. As expected, his body was not normal.
It has been ten days since we received word that they had arrived in the Demon Realm. This means the time for them to return has passed.
Abnaier added.
“They wouldn’t have just barged in blindly.”
Encred nodded slightly as he spoke, a signal to continue.
Crys’s face had turned dark with deep worry, but that actually made him trustworthy.
After all, he wouldn’t have just gone there unprepared and said, “Go ahead and thwart the devil’s work.”
Crys worried more than anyone I knew. That is why he was anxious and viewed every sign with ominous foreboding.
One might call him a truly pessimistic human being.
‘Look, Zion. Here is a fellow who sees the world as darker than you do.’
There are also two more people who don’t forget to crack jokes even in a situation like this.
“How about we go on a wedding trip to the Demon Realm?”
It is a long-standing tradition on the continent for a man and woman to go on a trip after their marriage ceremony. The marriage trip that Sinar mentioned is exactly that.
“I should be beating that bear shapeshifter up before he gets killed by the devil. Can’t I contact him now and tell him to just take two hits from me and go back inside?”
Rem expressed his concern in his own way. That is truly deep worry. It’s because he’s that bastard Rem.
“channel?”
Saxon asks. He is someone who realistically considered assassinating the devil himself. Kreis had previously requested it, and after devising eight routes, he eliminated six of them.
“Come to think of it, I noticed that people friendly to us live near the Demon Realm. You haven’t seen in detail how they live, have you? They make a living by gathering and selling things inside the Demon Realm. You know the saying, don’t you? No matter how outstanding and excellent a guide is, they cannot defeat a native who was born and raised in that land.”
It is a great maxim of the continent. Enkrid nodded again. It meant that everything would be alright this time. At that nod, Crys regained some confidence.
Just before Enkrid arrived, ever since Audin left, he had been plagued by doubts, wondering if he had done something wrong.
What if Audin died? What if something happened?
Loss of power was not the issue. Audin had to be regarded as a close friend to Crys as well.
There are many noble ladies who prefer the larger the frame. Audin, so please come back alive.
Isn’t he going to be a core member of the salon?
If I was going to worry this much, I shouldn’t have sent him, but once I brought it up, Audin wouldn’t stop.
“If you’ve prepared this much, wouldn’t it be a shame not to use it?”
This is what Audin said just before leaving.
It’s not a waste.
Crys replied to that remark, but every member of the Order of the Mad Knights was second to none when it came to sheer stubbornness.
“Sister Teresa, would you like to come with me?”
“It would be an honor.”
Krais spoke, stopping mid-recall.
“The plan was simply to sound out the situation in the Demon Realm. We could have waited a bit before launching the actual strike operation. Ragnar was supposed to go with us then, or the Captain could handle it upon his return. However, it appears Audin pushed ahead with it regardless.”
Kryss would stabilize for a while, but then show signs of anxiety again.
“Bring me the outline. Let me take a look.”
At Encred’s words, Edin Molsen brought several sheets of paper and spread them out. He neatly arranged the materials on the floor in front of the bed and explained the situation.
It all came out of Sir Kreis’s head.
Edin was called a genius in his childhood, and although he had wandered here and there since breaking away from his father, he rarely saw anyone better than himself. To be honest, he didn’t have any expectations even when he came to the Border Guard.
This person is a truly insane genius.
The very thought of attacking the demon in return at this moment makes one a crazy bastard. Abnaier watched, adding further explanations as he thought. His feelings were not much different from Edin’s.
You’re calling me a genius?
I wanted to tell those guys who cry out to be genius strategists and tacticians: there is a real genius right here.
O demons, O lords of the Demon Realm. The one you must kill first is none other than this man.
If he were to side with the devil, he would kill Kreis first, even if it meant expending more than half of the Demon Realm’s power.
Krang, without even returning to the capital, listened quietly as if he were a guest unrelated to the conversation, then spoke.
“I think that’s why the devil couldn’t do anything to us after the first trap.”
As everyone looked at him, a politician and the commander’s friend, who, though not as sharp as Kreis, was sharp-witted and had a better eye for the big picture than anyone else, spoke.
“Audin must have already caused trouble. Since we can’t hear news from the Demon Realm, couldn’t we just assume we don’t know?”
Although he hadn’t seen it firsthand and hadn’t had the opportunity to hear the news, he predicted it. His prediction was not wrong.
After reviewing the entire outline of the operation, Encred remarked that even the ancestor of a demon, let alone the Lord of the Mirror Realm, could not have predicted this.
* * *
The place once called the Village of the Erosioners was incorporated into the territory of Naurilia.
It wasn’t just a figure of speech; Krang personally carried out relief efforts there.
Thanks to this, all the residents known as the Minds had enough to eat and drink, and their rest time increased. They no longer had to hunt or gather just to survive.
Yet, they did not leave the place where they lived.
“This is my hometown. I’ve never even thought about leaving here to live.”
Was it romantic? It was a choice made with practical considerations in mind as well. Where else could they live with peace of mind now that their appearances had already changed?
The village chief was wise. Roman, a junior knight who had once served under Oara, also remained here. How should I put it? I originally intended to leave, but they kept weighing on my mind.
Ms. Oh Ara, was that why you stayed in the city, too?
After much thought, he remained to devote himself to training and discipline, occasionally venturing into the Demon Realm to cease slashing his sword against monsters.
Then, the Kingdom—or more precisely, the Border Guard—delivered a question and a request to the village.
“What do you want me to dig?”
In response to Roman’s question, the village chief Zoraslav spoke once again.
“They told me to dig a tunnel.”
“Where?”
“They told me to dig toward the Demon Realm…….”
The village chief trailed off. A look of doubt crossed Roman’s face. What kind of crazy nonsense was this?
“Is it even possible?”
“Previously, when you asked how to sneak into the Demon Realm, we replied that we travel by digging tunnels.”
You can travel freely within the nearby Demon Realm. There are no worm-type monsters around here.
However, venturing further inside presents numerous challenges. To dig such a long tunnel right away, you would need to set up supports everywhere to prevent collapse.
There is also the issue of assessing the terrain to choose a spot that won’t crumble. Well, I suppose this is the residents’ specialty.
“Aren’t there worms inside the Demon Realm too?”
The problem is the monsters roaming underground.
There probably is.
“Is it possible to dig a tunnel deep into the Mirror World without being caught by the Worm?” This is the Border Guard’s question and request.
Roman heard that as Encred saying it.
“I’ll do it, I guess.”
Should one give up prematurely just because something looks difficult? Roman witnessed firsthand a life that did not do so and learned a great deal from it.
I will take care of the worm.
It was a task they set out to undertake as a form of training. Six months have passed since then. Roman has become an expert at finding and killing worm-type monsters, while the village chief, Zoraslav, and the group of Legion priests who occasionally visited have become experts at digging tunnels.
They dug tunnels in three directions and discovered that one of them was the land where the demon resided.
If asked how they knew, it was because the place was lined with people praying for the demon all day long.
They had even seen the actual demon reveal itself there to preach.
Humans and demons alike tend to become complacent if they haven’t been attacked even once in hundreds of years.
And no one could have imagined that they would go beyond mere complacency to commit such an act.
