Chapter 497: Human History

The left wing of the human army. 3,000 Heraldic soldiers led by Caria beat their spears and faced off against the demon army in formation.

Numerous iron spears were thrust up, eating the tough wave of the demon beasts that looked like a swarm of snakes. Bleeding repeatedly, the giant man-eating demon horse died while screaming loudly. The silvery light of weapons reflected the sunlight, sending a flash of light down onto the battlefield.

The soldiers had a certain habit and skill since they had accompanied Lugis on many campaigns. They had a familiarity with the ferocity of the demon beasts, and skill in dealing with those stronger than humans.

Demon beasts on all fours could only look straight ahead, so they were very vulnerable to threats from above. On the other hand, demon beasts that ran on two legs could be dealt with in the same way as humans.

And unlike humans, the beasts of the demon army didn’t carry weapons. They believed that their own claws and fangs and demonic nature were their greatest threat.

In fact, if they wanted to, they could crush a human’s skull with one arm. Their confidence was by no means arrogant.

…But in the end, they still didn’t understand why humans had usurped their dominance over the continent.

It was certainly thanks to Altia’s achievements that humans had slaughtered all the great demons and magical devilish beings. Back then, humanity took up spears themselves and continued to expand their territory. In fact, humans would’ve been lost after Altia’s death, with no guidance whatsoever.

But that wasn’t the case. Humanity wasn’t that weak. Humans took up swords and spears to resist the fangs of the demonic beasts and armed themselves with thick armor.

The history of humanity was nothing but the history of fighting against demonic beasts. It had only been a few hundred years since Altia’s death that humans had repeatedly fought against each other. Humanity had always resisted against demonic beasts.

There was no way that humanity, which had been building up such history, would be easily defeated by demons that were only charging at them now.

The soldiers lined up and threw their long spears with force. The sound of swords slicing through the air and the cries of meat being eaten alive echoed several times.

「…Now, archers, prepare yourselves. This is right moment. 」

The giant Caria spoke out loud, with her silver eyes hiding a ferocity even greater than that of a demonic beast. The dark scarlet sword in her waistband was already covered in blood.

At the edge of her field of vision was a demonic bird with its large wings spreading in the sky. No, it was unclear whether it was accurate to call it a bird. Caria had never seen a bird flying around while spitting flames as if to cover the surroundings with heat.

Although she couldn’t see any scales, it could’ve been a relative of the dragon that was said to have been extinct. It certainly looked majestic.

「Is it a dragon or a bird? That monster is Adol. What should we do? Shall we retreat? 」

The commander of the front row asked Caria. The commander had heard of that kind of bird monster several times in history. Adol was a monster that brought ruin and always turned human cities into lumps of mud. In the past, that monster was even worshiped as an evil god in some areas.

The demon army had been repelled several times, but it seemed that Adol was trying to charge again, drawing them in.

It would be impossible to maintain the position while being hit by flames from the sky. In that case, the only chance was to withdraw the line of soldiers in the front row and try to shoot the demon bird Adol.

Of course, assuming that the monster Adol could be killed in the first place.

Caria answered with a smile, as if to savor the commander’s words.

「…Are you serious? I’d understand if you were a low-level adventurer. But you’re a soldier in my unit of command, aren’t you? 」

「In fact, I’m his soldier and not yours. 」

The commander was a very frank man. Whatever the meaning of his words…there were just a few soldiers who could speak so directly to Caria. Just like Caria, he had a smile on his face.

Maybe it was because they shared the same master. The relationship between Caria and the commander was strangely good. Perhaps, they had a similar spirituality.

「Then, is it time to worry about something like that? He would snort if he heard you. 」

「Yes, yes. I understand. There’s no doubt about it. Either way, the soldiers have no intention of retreating. 」

Glancing around, the archers were drawing their arrows from the houses on either side and from inside the camp, and the infantrymen were only looking at the enemy in front of them. They were probably breaking out in a cold sweat, but they didn’t seem to show it.

That’s right, the commander muttered to himself. Who were they fighting under? There was no need to ask. He lowered his voice and gave orders to his subordinates.

「Spearmen, stay down and don’t lift your heads. After the archers’ support, the bird will surely flinch once more. Overwhelm it with that one blow and kill it. 」

In the commander’s eyes, the monster Adol was no different from a mere demonic beast. The commander thought that the hero would probably think the same way.

—

I must be crazy after all. Bernard, a soldier of the Heraldic Order, spoke softly while carrying a wavy blade on his waist and a white-haired girl under his arm.

His words had various meanings. To his comrades who had not retreated even once in the face of the demon army’s charge, and also to the current situation in which he, who had betrayed Lugis once before, was acting alone.

Didn’t they think I could run away? Bernard asked that question into the void for the umpteenth time, but at the same time he wondered. They probably didn’t think he could run away. That fact was extremely annoying.

With the girl, Leu, under his arm, Bernard ran down a back alley. He was heading for a spot where he could get behind the demon army, which was currently repeating its charge.

「Excuse me, are you okay? Am I heavy? 」

「Well, I’d say you’re too light. I guess you didn’t eat a good breakfast of bread and dried meat this morning. 」

It wasn’t because he was concerned about the girl, which was surprisingly light. In fact, it was worrying compared to other children her age.

Bernard narrowed his eyes as he spoke to the girl who continued to talk. He saw demon soldiers up ahead. Dog-headed soldiers. There were two of them. They didn’t look like they were part of a military unit and were probably just a small group scouting the area.

Bernard didn’t stop walking when he saw them. He stretched out his long arms and in an instant pulled out the blade at his waist.

…And with one smooth motion, he tore open one of the dog beast’s neck. Splashes of blood flew everywhere, staining Bernard’s cheeks.

The other dog-looking soldier was shaking, but it raised its arm and showed its claws. Its eyes gleamed ferociously, and its voice sounded threatening.

But all of it was for nothing.

Bernard turned the blade he had swung down and raised it towards the sky. It ate the surviving soldier’s neck. With just two swings, the two dog-looking soldiers were dead.

They weren’t exactly dead, but they could no longer move and could only wait for death.

With the exposed blade in one hand, Bernard silently crushed the beasts’ heads on the spot. Then, he said while putting Leu down.

「Well, sorry for being so disturbing, but this is the battlefield. This is a good place to attack their rear. I haven’t asked you what you’re going to do, but is this okay? 」

Leu narrowed her eyes slightly at the sight of the blood but still nodded.

Bernard had heard that she had a power of some sort, and Caria had only told him that she had a role to play here. He looked into her eyes.

「It is okay. This place is good enough. 」

And then Leu spread her arms slightly. That was all it took.

In an instant, hundreds of crimson jewels were scattered all over the place. Bernard’s eyes widened.

While many sorcerers accomplished things through chanting, it was unbelievable that such a small girl could create jewels without even professing a word.

Leu spoke quietly, ignoring Bernard’s astonishment.

「…From human to jewel, from jewel to human. I will borrow some of your power, Agathos. 」

The jewels gradually changed their size. They began to take on the shape of a human, as if it had always been that way.

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The story is very interesting now! Can’t wait to see more of demon Lugis! I find him quite cool now ahahah!

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