Chapter 451: Beautiful and Ugly Things

The sparkle of a demonic being raged freely across the battlefield. It was like a defiant rain, or a solemn judgment.

As far as I knew, there was only one being capable of such deed. The moment I prepared myself, using the sword as support, I caught the glimpse of the sparkle that shone in my field of vision.

The Jewel Bar Agathos continued to cast its sparkle force across the battlefield at random. To her, this was no battlefield at all, just a playground.

The glorious magical devilish being descended from the sky, turning its back to me. Meanwhile, numerous gems were running through the air. Everyone was forced to stop their movements upon seeing a new threat.

The battlefield, where tens of thousands of people were fighting, was now forced to stand still in front of a single demonic being. It was a strange sight.

I could see her crimson hair hanging down, the same as before. For a moment, I caught a glimpse of her primetime. She was close to regaining her original form.

And for some reason, she was holding Filaret with both arms. Why?

「Oh my, oh my, the human hero looks so rough. That’s no good, you know, that’s not beautiful. You should behave more leisurely, graceful, and dazzling. There’s no elegance at all. First of all, this place is not beautiful. A battlefield should be created by my own hands. I don’t want to be in a battlefield created by someone else. 」

The Jewel Agathos said those words while looking at me for a moment. I didn’t know what she was talking about, but her haughty manner and fiery tongue seemed to be in good health.

I appreciated that she spared me, even though I knew that was Leu’s wish though.

「Elegance is only meant for princes and nobles alike. I’m quite fine with the way I look, Bar Agathos. 」

I deepened my stance and raised the tip of my sword. Agathos showed no signs of hostility, nor did she want to harm those around her.

But for some reason, my sword reacted, flashing a purple light, and my skin became hairy.

I had a hunch. Agathos was now filled with an unbearable rage. I had no idea what it was about.

But the surrounding enemies and allies could sense it too. It was as if the whole place had become a booby trap about to burst.

「…Are you a magical devilish being? A demon…it’s a demon, it’s a demon again. 」

The only enemy to react to Agathos’ rage was the Commander of the Bolvat army. The strong Commander that wielded great magical power paled in comparison to Agathos.

Even so, the fact that he was able to stand up and face her was proof that he had more than enough courage to be a great general. His gaze was firmly fixed on Agathos, and then on Filaret.

Agathos’ hair was trembling with emotion, and it was clear even from behind her back.

「Stay away, humans. This is not a warning, it’s an order. All human lives belong to me. I don’t care if fighting arises, but something this ugly goes against my aesthetic. There’s a magical devilish being called Rabel here, am I right? I can see right through her. She’s only capable of repeating herself instead of artistic creation. 」

The enemy Commander raised his eyebrows in response to Agathos’ voice when she professed the word Rabel.

He knew Rabel, so it seemed that demons were deeply involved with the Bolvat Dynasty as well. How troublesome. If we could just take away the existence of demons from the world, perhaps the world would run a little more smoothly.

Agathos continued in a ringing voice.

「Then, tell that stubborn child that Jewel Bar Agathos came here personally to kill her. 」

—

「…What’s going on, Bar Agathos? Did someone tell you to intervene in the war? 」

I sighed inside my office in Garoua Maria.

The surroundings were strangely hectic and tense, but also filled with a slight sense of relief. The battlefield, which had been wrecked by the flash of the Jewel Bar Agathos, had halted for a moment. Right now, both sides were preparing their military forces for another offensive and defensive battle.

「Not at all. I told you. I hate ugly things. If you’re going to fight and die of your own volition, then that’s your choice, but I don’t want you to do something ugly like killing each other on a battlefield that was disgracefully made. It’s especially awful if that disgraceful thing is that what you want. 」

Agathos suddenly leaned her body over Filaret’s while explaining. I hadn’t heard the whole explanation yet, so I couldn’t accept her explanation quite yet. Demons were too selfish.

「But if Agathos hadn’t done anything, then I would’ve done it myself, Lugis. That man…Vice-Commander Hind Busse’s magic bullets are famous, even in Bolvat.」

I don’t know if you would’ve escaped unscathed, said Filaret, widening her black eyes. It was a habit she had when she was showing her emotions. It seemed like she hadn’t let it go.

I replied, pressing a stick of chewing tobacco to my lips while narrowing my eyes.

What Filaret said must be true. If I had stepped forward to take the enemy’s head and had been hit directly by the large number of magic bullets, I would’ve died instantly.

I didn’t intend to die, but I still couldn’t control my body.

Caria would give me an earful if I wasn’t careful enough…yes, I mustn’t rush it.

After Agathos caused confusion on both sides of the war, the Commander of Bolvat army retreated his troops to follow the orders from magical devilish being. The fact that they showed no hesitation showed that they had some kind of plan, or because something unusual had happened.

I’d like to hope for the latter, but my wishes usually went in the opposite direction, so I couldn’t let my hopes up.

In any case, the first meeting between the two armies was strangely abrupt, with both sides drawing their spears. The Bolvat army had likely suffered greater casualties, but it still couldn’t be called a good result.

We had the upper hand on the front thanks to Caria’s swing and Agathos’ rampage. It would’ve been a victory for us looking at that side alone.

However, looking at the reports, we were barely able to deal with the offensive from the other flank. They couldn’t get past the walls, but many of our soldiers had been killed.

There was no telling what would happen if similar offensives continued several times from now.

…No, in fact, I already knew. I was sure the Bolvat army knew too.

I saw the perilous situation and understood. It was true that the walled city of Garoua Maria was an impregnable fortress. We could defend against the elite army of the Bolvat Dynasty even with a small number of soldiers. But it wouldn’t last long.

The difference in military strength was overwhelming. No matter how much of a force like Caria’s could achieve, we would ultimately be crushed.

That’s why I wanted to kill one of the lieutenants with one swing today. For a small force like ours to win, we needed to repeat the Battle of Sanyo.

In other words, instead of a campaign that used all of our forces on the battlefield, we needed to quickly destroy key points in the enemy army in order to reach their Commander.

Even though we had achieved a partial victory, looking at the big picture, it was close to a draw. If this continued, it would be definitely us who would be unable to withstand the battle.

This was really bad. We should’ve won a clear victory during the first battle.

My fingers tapped on my knees. I knew I shouldn’t rush, but I couldn’t help but feel impatient. I had to think about the future.

With these feelings in my heart, I finished an entire stick of chewing tobacco when Caria came into my office. There wasn’t even a knock today.

With a slight trace of sweat on her forehead, Caria said the following words.

「Sorry to keep you waiting. What are you doing at a time like this when I’m so busy? Are you missing my blood? 」

With her silver eyes shining, Caria looked straight at me and asked. Her eyes glanced at Filaret for a moment, but then she looked at me again.

Filaret said, enlarging her black eyes.

「Hey, Lugis. Was there ever a time during the war that made you miss blood? 」

「…I wonder as well, huh? 」

My cheeks twitched with a grin. What wonderful comrades I had. I never thought they’d make me forget the frustrations of war.

I let out a big sigh, averting my eyes from reality.

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