1076. Since four months ago
No matter what Kreis said, everyone ate heartily. Since it wasn’t a situation where formalities were particularly required, they used their hands freely.
They roughly wiped the sauce off their hands on the linen cloth in front of them and continued eating.
They tore into pork ribs thoroughly marinated in sauce and munched on the grilled vegetables sandwiched between lamb skewers.
Everyone certainly ate well. And this was only natural. They were all knights. And knights are those who create miracles that cannot be performed by the human body.
It also creates disasters.
They even perform miracles.
There is only a fine line between a miracle and a disaster. The problem is what kind of person holds the power.
That was Kreis’s thought. In any case
, given that they were such people, their appetites were extraordinary. Although Sinar looked like she would stop at a handful of tree berries, that was not actually the case. Being
a fairy, she did not shove meat into her mouth, but judging by the sheer volume of her food—including various mushrooms, mulberries, wild strawberries, almonds, chestnuts, and walnuts—it was as if there were ten more fairies inside her stomach. A
honey-soaked walnut had just entered her mouth and was crushed with a crunching sound.
Watching them eat like that, Kreis spoke.
“There are four monarchs remaining in the Demon Realm, the ones we commonly call demons. The Burning Raven, the Pure White Destroyer, the Lone of Distrust, and even the Father of the Dead.”
It’s a story everyone knows. Rem glances at Kreis and picks up a fork. Ragnar uses his hands, but it is Rem—who was nicknamed a barbarian—who uses a fork and knife. And he uses them very skillfully at that.
How should I put it? The Order of the Mad Knights were definitely different from what they looked like on the outside. Kreis is a member of that Order, too.
So, a guy who suffers from anxiety and sings of insomnia, who is a coward and whose greatest specialty is running away, is saying things like this.
We are going to kill one of them.
As he spoke, Kreis doubted whether the words coming out of his mouth were normal, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
Above all, the reaction of those who had just heard his story gave him a sense of relief.
Not a single person questioned or asked back, “Is that even possible?”
Everyone simply nodded, saying, “I see.” Hadn’t Audin just risked his life to take one down before?
“Is this really the time to show off my ultimate swordsmanship?”
Pell responded.
“Don’t mess with me. Your turn comes after mine.”
Roford scolded Pell for that. While the two exchanged snarling glances, Dunbakel spoke. He said this while wiping the thick pork rib marinade off the corner of his mouth with his thumb and sucking on his finger.
“I’ll let you know that what I gained from the City of Beastmen wasn’t small. *Slurp*.”
She now knows how to fight against fear. Because she is ready to fight, she also knows how to live life.
And she knows how to eat pork ribs mercilessly.
It is time to put my shield to use.
Theresa chimed in as well. She is a half-giant. In terms of sheer volume, she likely eats the most at this table. A pile of deboned bones lay before her.
Since she could practically debone a chicken leg just by putting it in her mouth and pulling it out, her eating speed was extraordinary. As
everyone stepped forward, Rem snorted, Ragnar smirked, and Saxen quietly turned to look at each of those who had spoken up.
It was an attitude that carried the intention of, “Why are you guys getting involved?”
Audin unnecessarily raised his head and puffed out his chest. He cleared his throat and looked down at his surroundings, appearing extremely arrogant.
It’s not easy to kill or catch a devil.
Just as Audin was about to begin his arrogant speech, Rem’s fork struck the table.
Thump.
With a light noise, the head of the fork slid deep into the table. It was thanks to the transfer of magical power that the fork’s strength had been altered. As he did so, he interrupted Audin.
“Wang-nun, finish speaking.”
Encred nodded as well. Having played his fill, he now knew what he needed to know and was ready to take action.
His heart fluttered with anticipation. Killing a demon. It was something he had truly longed for.
Audin simply offered a gentle smile. After all, no matter what happened, he was the one who had killed the demon.
* * *
Hearing everyone chatter, Kreis took a sip of the ale in front of him. It was more of a substitute for a beverage than alcohol. After all, he wouldn’t get drunk even if he drank this all day.
Kreis was clearer than ever.
He retraced the thought process that had led him to this point. Had he made a mistake? Had he repeatedly made the wrong choices? Had he unconsciously turned a blind eye to reality, thinking the arrow was already shot and knowing he would fail?
Ruminating on the process was part of the search for any mistakes he might have missed.
What was the beginning? It was a single decision.
‘anyway.’
No matter what, I have to fight the Demon Realm. Then, how about finding and eliminating the anxiety beforehand? To be precise, attacking the source of the anxiety.
So, did I stay up all night devising strategies and tactics? There was no need for that.
You’re incredibly careless.
Even though a demon had died previously, the rulers within the Demon Realm did not take any special action. All they did in response was send the remaining cultists to instill something akin to fear.
Was it the father of the dead who sent that?
Besides that, henchmen or those possessed caused a disturbance, and in Nauril, they even attempted to sow discord by spreading rumors that they had unnecessarily provoked a demon.
However, to Crys, all the actions they took seemed truly insignificant.
If asked why, it was because if he possessed the power called authority, he would not have acted that way.
Do they not see me as an enemy?
Or perhaps they just didn’t want to deal with him.
Whatever the case, it was certain that they were letting their guard down.
After considering various factors, Crys eliminated one monarch from his target list for the time being.
One of the three for now.
The Father of the Dead responds and stares this way. Should I say he is displaying wariness?
There is no reason to go out of his way to deceive someone who is watching us. If there was an easier path, it was only natural to take it.
Crys preferred to walk in the direction of a shortcut if one existed.
If the Father of the Dead is wary, what about the other three?
I don’t know exactly how much territory it occupies or what it does inside.
What is certain is that they don’t seem to have any immediate plans to do anything against the intelligent race living on this continent, including the Mad Knights.
Am I stirring up trouble for no reason?
Although skeptical thoughts crossed his mind, Kreis gritted his teeth. Though not to the extent of Enkrid, he, too, moved his body whenever his resolve wavered. To be precise, he ran.
He ran on the parade ground, ran along the outskirts of the city, ran at dawn, at noon, and ran in the evening and at night.
He did so because running helped his mind function better.
No, to be precise, he ran because it stabilized his mind rather than making his head function.
If only I could summon the Lord of the Demon Realm out of the Demon Realm.
He ran around, thinking, agonizing, and pondering repeatedly.
If only he could lure them out near the border.
Then, couldn’t he pour the full force of the Knights into dealing with them?
If Audin had killed them, couldn’t the others?
Having reached this conclusion, he asked Audin.
“I do not know. Your situation is likely different from mine. The one I faced was an enemy of the Order. That is why I knew how to deal with him. Brother, victory or defeat in a fight is not determined solely by skill. So, if you ask me if I can kill a demon, I would answer that I do not know.”
What does the devil possess? It was frightening because he did not know. One night, standing by the window gazing at the moonlight, Kreis slashed his palm with a dagger.
Blood flowed along the blade that slashed across the surface. A clump of blood fell to the floor.
“……What, are you crazy?”
Nurat, who was lying in bed, approached in surprise. The lover, who had approached without even covering his body with the blanket, tore the bedsheet and wrapped it around Kreis’s hand.
“Nurat.”
“Why is that?”
Clear eyes look at him. He simply needed the pain. He also needed determination.
Realizing that this moment was reality, he needed the courage to speak to those who were risking their lives based on what he had said.
Gathering all of these things, Kreis revealed his inner feelings very honestly.
“What if the Captain dies because of what I planned, or if Rem or Ragnar—or anyone else—die? Is that okay? What if I saw it wrong? What if my choice was wrong? What if everything is ruined because of me? What if, at the very least, the city is destroyed? What if the death toll rises to hundreds or thousands? If I just stayed still, nothing would happen.”
It was what she had heard in her dreams for days.
Yes, there was nothing wrong with what Kreis said.
Who in this world could give a definitive answer? Naturally, neither could Nurat. However, she conveyed what she could say.
Nurat simply embraced Kreis’s head against her chest. The man who had become strong because he was weaker than anyone else was now in her arms.
“Is the choice only yours?”
“What?”
“The very act of trusting you is the choice they made. That is what I’ve realized living here. This is my choice. If I die like this, will I resent the Captain who fought the Demon Realm? The fate that drove me this far? God? Or my past self?”
“…….”
Krais was speechless.
The choice is yours to make; we simply follow our convictions. Not stopping there—isn’t that how you live?
When a soldier steps onto the battlefield, he must be prepared to kill his opponent. He must also acknowledge that he, too, could die.
That is, in a sense, the minimum requirement for standing on the battlefield.
Whose choice is that? It is his own.
It is natural to feel burdened, but let us not foolishly stop because of it.
Let us not create others who are deprived of even the opportunity to choose by stopping.
Let us not turn away from what we can do. Let
us not run away just because we feel anxious or the ominous.
Whenever he wavered, Kreis leaned his weakness against the embrace of his lover, who held him in her arms.
Starting the next day, he dabbled in this and that like a madman. And so, now is the moment. He had been setting the stage for months. In other words, he had prepared the stage to deceive and draw out the demon.
How wonderful it would have been if this were just a play for everyone to laugh and chatter about in the capital. Once
those demons of the Mirror World are dead, I intend to write a few scripts myself to present at the salon.
I will be able to do it with true joy then.
What the devil desires is ascension—that is, information related to ascension. Just as humans are entranced by treasure, so too are they. It is the clearest information we know about the devil. So, we exploited it. Starting about four months ago, a rumor began spreading through the Holy City.
Enkrid stopped eating. His stomach was full. It was time to satisfy another craving.
Kreis spoke incessantly. Enkrid interjected a thought that had been swirling in his head the entire time he was listening, refusing to leave.
It’s a relief you’re on our side.
Krys paused for a moment, then naturally continued speaking.
“……If I hadn’t been on the Captain’s side, I would have long since been hiding somewhere, just watching the world fall. But the world won’t fall. Nothing bad will happen until I die. So you would have thought there was no need to go this far, but that’s not the case now. I’m going to sortie. Captain, it is the operation to exterminate the small elite demons.”
Encred nodded. The plan was devised by Crys, and it was Encred and the Mad Knights who were set to take the lead.
* * *
A new saint was born in the holy city of Legion.
From one morning on, she wielded inexhaustible divinity, healing the sick and enabling the lame to walk.
When asked why, she explained that it was because she had inherited a portion of the goddess’s power.
Some believed her, while others shook their heads, dismissing it as a somewhat far-fetched tale. Excited people gathered. The assembled crowd immediately became her followers, and
a new organization called the Guardians of the Saint were established. As if pre-arranged, or as if they had been waiting for this moment, the situation unfolded without the slightest obstacle.
“O Saint!”
“For the Apostle of the Goddess!”
It was a festival within the Legion day after day. Everyone was clamoring that an oracle had been delivered stating that the Saint’s power would brightly illuminate the world.
One day, the Saint spoke, emitting a white light from her eyes.
“I will return in two months. Before then, I will clear away some of your worries by purifying the Demonic Realm.”
Was it said like this?
She always went around with a neatly dressed blind old man and a woman.
Here, it’s this way.
Guided by a female attendant, the Saint and the old man took a step and walked. They were walking a pilgrimage path against the backdrop of a clear sky.
To be precise, the path she was walking was seen as the very path that would eventually be walked by the pilgrims of the Holy City.
Moreover, it was said that Noah, the Pope of the Holy City, had personally acknowledged her abilities and even knelt before her.
By this time, rumors circulating across the continent had spread endlessly, so there was no one who did not know that she was walking the path of ascension, the way to the heavens.
Was the pilgrimage path she was walking the one where she would eventually cast aside her physical body and ascend to the heavens? No
one knew where or who started such rumors, but they spread remarkably well.
Furthermore, with several bards composing and singing songs about it, it spread even faster.
Interestingly, when looking at the continent divided in two, the rumors, songs, and stories of the Legion were mostly more widely known in the southwestern region.
Therefore, the natives of the Border Guard were largely unaware of the story. Of course, someone like Leona, who led a merchant or caravan, knew it well, but it was a rumor that did not need to be spread.
Because even if you leave them alone, people who know each other will talk amongst themselves on their own.
