Chapter 392: Unforgettable Things

「We have to step up our game and pull out the ugly insects that have entered the royal capital. That’s all.」

The old man Richard’s finger touched the recreated map of the royal capital on top of the table. It was a map with large buildings created from small bricks. Still, it was better than nothing.

We were in a back alley in the royal capital. It was like a post station. The old man said, keeping his voice as low as possible in the equipped room. Only a small amount of fire lit the room and its sinister appearance stood out in the darkness. The darkness of the night caressed the old man’s wrinkles.

The surrounding Gharast soldiers listened to this conversation with tense expressions on their faces. They seemed to understand that this could be their last breath if we failed.

The scenario laid out by the old man was clear. At the same time as the sunrise arose, the armies of the Gharast Kingdom and the Heraldic Order surrounding the royal capital initiated diversionary action. At the same time, fires began to spread throughout the royal capital.

「I sent out soldiers to see their true condition. They’re not an army, but a swarm. A swarm will collapse once its leader dies. The swarm will no longer fight once it collapses.」

So, for a short time, the demonic-like soldiers were assigned to deal with the disturbance. In the midst of this distraction, we were going to kill the greatest demonic nature…the magical devilish being. If we could achieve it, our army would be able to crush the other demonic beings.

That was the general plot.

There were two attackers. The Gharast and the Heraldic’s special corps. One or both of them were to enter the royal palace to behead the magical devilish being.

I couldn’t help but say as I watched the old man tell me the route. My teeth scraped lightly.

「…I hope it goes according to plan. Well, it seems you’ve done everything here. You even sorted out the details, old man.」

As soon as I said those words, I could feel the eyes of the other soldiers turning towards me. I felt strangely uncomfortable every time I opened my mouth.

Caria had no choice but to rest. Filaret and Eldith had other things to do, so it couldn’t be helped. For some reason, I didn’t feel comfortable sitting alone with the Gharast corps.

After all, no matter how temporarily our hands were tied, there was naturally animosity that couldn’t be hidden.

Besides, some of them probably had their comrades killed by me at the Battle of Sanyo. Although the army at that time was dispatched from the Cathedral, it probably included some Gharast soldiers.

That’s probably why the old man divided the corps.

We were different people. We had different births, different ideals, and different thoughts.

We could wear the same vests or live under the same crown.

But we were absolutely incompatible. Such differences could easily bloom in the worst possible situations, such as the battlefield. It could ruin everything.

There’s no way we could join hands because we had the same purpose.

The old man’s eyes stood out in the darkness as he opened his mouth. His white teeth were clearly visible.

「That’s right. I’m already on the warpath. No matter how many dangerous places we destroy, they’ll always come out. Then, all we have to do is actually look at them and crush them with our own feet.」

I shrugged my shoulders and nodded in response. Without realizing it, I rolled the chewing tobacco with my teeth.

It was just as what the old man said. However, there was no other move besides this one. Actually, there wasn’t enough time even if we had another move. This was the last chance.

Now all I had to do was pray that my ankles didn’t get entangled in the swamp of irrationality.

One of the Gharast soldiers looked at the map and asked Richard. He was the corps leader.

「Great Commander. As far as I can tell, the range of fire spread to…the royal palace. 」

I could see that the man was having a hard time saying those words. I noticed that the Gharast soldiers were all focused on the old man. It seemed like everyone was concerned about it but couldn’t say it out loud.

The old man answered naturally. The beard on his chin swayed slightly.

「Don’t worry about it. Some demonic beings breathe fire. They accidentally started the fire during the conflict. That’s what happened.」

That was probably not the answer the man was looking for. Even though the old man knew this, he answered with totally different words.

…Is it okay to burn down the royal palace? This was probably what the man wanted to ask.

The royal palace was carefully created by technological advances and the gathering of gold coins. The royal palace was said to be a masterpiece made by the former King of Architecture.

Were we really going to burn it? The reason for that man’s hesitation was obvious. Seeing that the soldiers were not convinced, the old man looked at me for a moment, then spoke in a slow tone.

「Hey, corps leader. Were you in the Sanyo Plains when I was there? 」

My cheeks twitched reflexively.

Why did this old man choose such topic? I could clearly see that the eyes of the surrounding soldiers were beginning to turn towards me. I could see their hatred even in this darkness.

Yes. Replied the man. Please stop! Didn’t he know how uncomfortable this was?

Leaving my thoughts behind, the old man forced his hand into the desk and his gaze intensified. It was as if he was glaring at whatever was ahead and trying to kill it. His expression was close to that of a demonic being.

The old man spilled the words while moving his beard.

「Hey, do you know why we lost back then? 」

It was a voice that instantly froze my spine. The old man asked in a strong tone, not even trying to hide the feeling of oppression that oozed from his body. No, he probably did it on purpose.

The old man continued, trying to find reasoning in each word he spoke.

For example, what would have happened if Gharast and the Cathedral had sent all of the army to the Battle of Sanyo? What would have happened if they had chosen the strategy of destroying the Heraldic religion from its very foundations by bringing the greatest soldiers?

No need to think about it. Without a doubt, the Heraldic Order would’ve been crushed to death. The 10,000 soldiers were definitely the entire strength of the Heraldic Order at that time.

If they had been defeated in that battle, the Heraldic Order would’ve ended at that point. The Heraldic army would be in disarray, and the Heraldic Order would lose its unifying force and control. It would never be able to rebuild as an organization again.

After the old man said the crucial points, he continued.

「In the end, I overestimated the Gharast Kingdom, the Cathedral, and me too. That’s why we lost. That’s why we let our soldiers die. I will never forget that misfortune for the rest of my life. You guys. You mustn’t forget too.」

The old man said those words in a heavy tone and pointed to the map once again. His finger pointed to the location of the royal palace.

「…We’ll set fire to the royal palace when we rush in. It will help us reach the enemy. Listen, if you hesitate even for a moment, your companions next to you will die because of your hesitation.」

They knew that fact. However, the situation and venue were the problem.

This place was the royal capital, and for many of them, their hometown. If they were to trample on that place and burn it to the ground, wouldn’t they feel confused at all?

There was no doubt that it was a much more precious place for them than for me, who was born and raised in the back streets. After all, they were the people who were protecting this place until just the other day.

The man who asked the old man the previous question widened his eyes and gritted his teeth for a moment before nodding. I couldn’t even tell what kind of emotions were inside his heart.

I didn’t interrupt while the old man spoke. There seemed to be no obligation or right to do so.

After that, they spoke of little details. For example, who would use which route.

As the conversation drew to a close, the old man suddenly turned his attention to me and said.

「So, what do you think about the Controller Drigman? Did you see victory in sight, Lugis? What will cost us?」

I took the moistened chewing tobacco out of my mouth and waved my lips.

I wasn’t unsure of what to say. However, I was thinking about how to describe it or convey it to the people who stood here.

There was always at least one thing that must be conveyed.

「It’s just the legend of mythology, old man. Even if he dies, he won’t die. Whether you cut his head or burn his body, you can’t kill him as he will come back to life. Did you know that’s how things should be with demonic beings?」

What must be conveyed. It was not accurate information, nor was it important. I just described that overwhelming threat.

The maddening power I felt at that time. A ferocious being that could kill someone just by the pressure of his gaze. If I didn’t tell them that, the soldiers would definitely lose their legs in Drigman’s presence.

Just how a snake would kill a frog with its gaze, they’d be killed without being able to move.

「Moreover, as your Adjutant said, he can freely distort the earth even up close. That’s a kind of blessing used by spirits and fairies.」

Perhaps Drigman was originally a fairy or an elf-like being.

I didn’t know if he became a demonic being due to the pouring blood of a great demon, or if their qualities matched. However, the blessing he used was the same as the one used by Eldith. There was no doubt that the answer lied in there.

「He’s terrifying. He’ll do whatever he wants, and this place is now his playground…Winning against such foe will be almost impossible to achieve…」

The old man’s eyes stared fixedly at me as I said those words. My lips tightened as I continued my reasoning.

「…But it’s not a monster that you can’t get close to. That thing will definitely die. There’s no one who won’t die.」

There was nothing more to say. If we did well, we could make it in time. Besides, he died once before. Then, I could definitely kill him now.

Honestly, I would like to get a little more information if possible. After all, even his fiendish original source, the so-called original text, remained unknown.

First of all, how to deal with his immortality. There was no doubt that as long as he kept his feet on the ground, he wouldn’t die. But not only that, the first time he destroyed the wall, and the time he blessed the land, he was able to do it even though he was far away.

What was that? That’s quite a cheat. In that case, learning more about him wouldn’t be meaningless. I wanted to seek some guidance of sorts.

The old man gave a slight nod and was speechless for a moment. There was a brief pause in which no one spoke. Then, a very young voice reached my ears.

「Isn’t this a very nice conversation? Researching how to kill that rotten war fairy? It’s so barbaric, but it’s good. I’ve thought about it many times over the past few hundred years. I’ve gotten along with him from the very beginning. I wonder why we are different. Maybe it’s because we have different genders. Maybe it’s because our ideals are different. Well, maybe it can’t be helped because we have different roots.」

Pale-colored eyes and white hair were reflected in the corner of my eyes.

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I wouldn’t like to be in Lugis’ shoes…

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