Chapter 462: Being a Hero

In the sky, far above the walled city of Garoua Maria, the demonic bird opened its mouth boldly and shook in the air, letting out a cry that was unlike any bird’s.

「Hey. Rabel…you aren’t fully prepared, are you? To think you couldn’t kill a mere human. That never happened in the old days. 」

The words were skillfully spoken from the bird’s mouth. It was a voice that Rabel was familiar with.

Poisonous Junelva was a magical devilish being who, like Rabel, served the Great Demon Vrilligant. He was probably sending his voice through one of his underlings. Doing such a thing was easy for him as the King of the winged creatures.

Rabel spoke as usual, holding the black-eyed sorceress in her arms. She didn’t seem to feel any pain at all, even with her neck and stomach sliced open.

「Junelva, whether you’re in top condition or not isn’t important on the battlefield. Please correct that statement immediately. That human surpassed me in that battle, that’s all. 」

Rabel said, leaning her body against a large feather.

To her, that was an undeniable fact. Even if she wasn’t in her greatest condition, it made no difference to the enemy. Rabel understood that making excuses was the most meaningless act in the world.

But Junelva didn’t seem convinced at all. That was his personality, and also his pride. It was impossible for a magical devilish being to fall behind a human being.

Magical devilish beings were a disaster and should be an absolute existence to anyone other than the Great Demon. The only exception was the human hero, Altia.

Junelva recalled the scene from earlier. That man in green clothing. He was certainly different from other humans. There was no doubt that he was beginning to lose rationality.

…But it was hard to imagine him being on a par with Altia. Yes, Altia was too unique.

Junelva was, in a sense, a very pure demon. He looked down on humans, even despised them.

Humans were despicable and weak. They were quick to quarrel and betray their comrades. They were worthy of contempt.

However, Altia was different. This was why Junelva showed her respect, even though she was a human.

With her magnificent behavior, she faced all the evil in the world, without showing even the slightest bit of pettiness. Junelva thought that when someone said a human was amazing, then that someone was referring to her.

Rabel must have seen Junelva pondering silently. As if sighing, Rabel tilted her head and began to speak.

「Your evaluation is always one-sided. That’s not correct. Don’t forget that I gave him a certain evaluation too. Correct it immediately. 」

「Oh, I’m jealous. He got to be evaluated by my beloved Rabel. I’m so jealous. Is that why you let him live? 」

It was a casual-sounding voice, without any emotion. Rabel didn’t react much to that remark. She knew that Junelva had feelings for her that were close to affection, but she couldn’t understand the essence of it.

So she only said one phrase.

「Yes. In any case, there’ll be no more problems. I’ve accomplished my goal. A heart, a large amount of blood, and a new demonic being. 」

Everything is perfect, Rabel said. That was the truth, and no matter how humans struggled from now on, that fact wouldn’t change.

There wasn’t much for Rabel, or even for Junelva, to accomplish at this point. Rabel slowly and with a refined hand traced the eyelids of the human in front of her.

The price of the heart, which she was most concerned about, had now been obtained. All that remained was for her master the Great Demon Vrilligant to return to his prime. And then everything would be over.

After all, the Great Demon Vrilligant was the symbol of the end.

—

Vice-Commander Hind sat down in his chair and took a deep breath. His vision shifted between the white of the death snow and the black of the forest, making him feel uneasy.

The demonic bird that had taken the General’s daughter, Filaret, was far away. It was nowhere to be seen. In the abandoned roadside station, the men of the Heraldic Order and the Bolvat army were silent, not saying a single word.

The Heraldic soldiers and the Bolvat soldiers, both of which had been hiding around the roadside station, showed up to deal with the situation, but failed. That’s why everyone had a solemn look on their faces.

Of course, Hind gritted his teeth. The Heraldic army and the Bolvat army, and the human commanders of both sides, had gathered together, and yet they ended up being toyed with by a single magical devilish being. He didn’t know what her intention was, but even so, she played around with them. It was impossible to boost the soldiers’ morale.

Everyone was feeling regret and humiliation, and a sense of helplessness that couldn’t be hidden. Hind would’ve loved to lose his cool if it were allowed.

But his commander, who would’ve been the one to show his rage the most, was desperately trying to keep calmness. To spill words or emotions here would be an insult to him. That’s why Hind bit his lips and tried desperately to keep his voice down.

Mastigius was getting treatment on his arm, groaning from time to time. His own lightning flames were backfiring, and Hind could smell a faint scent of burnt blood and flesh across the table.

Lugis, the commander of the Heraldic army, was also chewing tobacco while receiving light treatment.

It was a strange scene. The two supreme commanders, who should’ve been enemies, were sharing the same roof space, showing no hostility towards each other.

「Commander Lugis…」

Hind called out to the man without thinking. His sharp eyes turned towards him.

Hind had to say something, or he would lose his temper. His vision was shaking as if his own head was going to explode.

But there was no one else to complain to. In a way, it was probably because Lugis belonged to the enemy army that he felt comfortable speaking to.

「We will retreat for now. With our General injured, we can no longer continue the siege. What will you do? 」

Hind’s doubts were expressed directly in words. With Mastigius injured, it was impossible to continue the siege as it was. But what would happen once they retreated?

Even though the magical devilish being Rabel had disappeared, the situation had not changed that much. The Bolvat army had to continue their helpless expedition to the west.

Hind spoke with a jolting voice. Lugis, on the other hand, spoke quite casually.

「I already know what I’m going to do. I told you moments ago. 」

He took the chewing tobacco off his lips and looked at Hind with a face that didn’t hide his scars. Hind felt his heart pounding strangely.

「Nothing’s going to change…I’m going to wipe out all the Great Demons and magical devilish beings that are hostile to humans from this land. 」

Hind realized that his expression was distorted. His eyes were twitching. His fingers snapped lightly, and he opened his mouth involuntarily.

「Why…But why? How can you say something like that? You saw it! 」

That’s right. How could he say something like that now? Yes, after seeing that devil so close.

Demonic beings weren’t just powerful. They could easily grab a person’s heart and destroy their spirit just by being there. Humans could only be paralyzed by their overwhelming presence, like a frog staring at a snake.

Hind would be lying if he said he didn’t tremble in front of Rabel. No matter how brave or heroic one was, each and every one of them crumbled before such a devil. So why?

Lugis opened his eyes in shock for a moment but continued as if it were natural.

「Because that’s the only way. You understand, right? They don’t think of human life as anything more than dust. If everyone kneels before them, humans will become their livestock for generations to come. The time will come when we can be killed whenever they want and trampled on whenever they want. That time will come when we cannot even protect the people we love. 」

At this moment, Hind realized why this man was a hero.

His words had a strange charm. Words that forcibly stirred up a heart that had fallen to rock bottom. He didn’t stop where others would normally stop. He only looked forward to the point of madness.

It was as if he didn’t know how to give up.

That’s why people couldn’t take their eyes off him. That’s why people followed his back.

Hind knew instantly that this was dangerous. This man was a person who could change people. He was a man who could push people to do whatever they wanted. This was very unfortunate.

Hind had already heard a different voice by the time he sensed this fact. A low voice that seemed to resonate from the depths of the earth.

「Lord Lugis. I heard that you killed a magical devilish being. Is that true? 」

「There’s no point in lying, so I’ll be honest with you. I didn’t do it by myself. But that’s not important. What’s important is that those beings can get hurt and can run away. So we have a chance of winning no matter how strong they are. 」

Before he knew it, Mastigius had opened his eyes wide. His expression was no longer gentle but filled with fury.

Mastigius’ original powerful face was beginning to show more than the dignity of a Sorcerer General.

「Then, is it possible to kill Rabel and Vrilligant? Tell me. 」

There was a strange atmosphere. Before long, the air got so hot around those two men that the death snow seemed to evaporate.

In the midst of all this, Lugis said, jokingly.

「If you cooperate with us, then yes…What do you want to do, General? Get chased and die as an errand boy. Or face forward and die fighting…」

「…I don’t want either. But if I’m going to die, then I might as well show them what I’ve got. Isn’t that right, Lord Lugis? 」

Lightning erupted in an instant. A thunderous roar rang out, and the essence of magic filled the surroundings. A hellish roar was heard, as if it had lost all its shackles.

This roadside meeting, which only a few witnesses saw, was later greatly embellished in reports. It was said that each side had tens of thousands of troops, and that the General’s daughter had married a hero from the Heraldic Order on the spot.

But what was certain was that it was a meeting between the New Kingdom of Gharast and the Bolvat army. There was no doubt that this was the first time that the two of them had joined hands.

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