Chapter 545: The Sound of the End

We decided to dismiss the military council and start afresh. I hoped the old man Richard really had a plan.

When I entered the old man’s private room, I only saw him and his aide, Neymar there. As usual, she seemed to be harboring animosity toward me based on her eyes.

It couldn’t be helped. I was aware that I had done something to earn her hatred.

「So, old man, about that other option…」

I glanced briefly at Neymar. Then, I glanced at the old man, asking if it was okay to ask. He nodded slightly, suggesting it was fine.

「Well, of course I’ve got nothing. 」

「…I guess so. I never thought you’d have one. 」

I knew it.

The signal in the military council room was the gaze I often saw when I was under the old man.

When he was stuck. When a work discussion was clearly heading in a strange direction.

He often said he had another plan and left the room. Then, he’d quickly run away. It was a move I really didn’t want to make.

Neymar was the only one with a blank look on her face.

「Huh!? What!? You don’t have anything!? Nothing!? And you both agreed naturally with it!? 」

「You idiot! Don’t speak out loud. It’ll just spread unrest. 」

While holding Neymar back, the old man skillfully poured his drink with one hand.

「You’re the one to blame, Lugis. You don’t seem to understand your role as a military leader. From now on, pay attention to every word you say, every expression you make. If you frown, everyone will feel the same way. Listen, you’re no longer a backstreet adventurer. 」

「…I have no words to respond. How disgusting. 」

I remembered the military council from earlier. Even a single anxious sweat drop from me could raise the tension in the room. Were those in power really exposed to so much scrutiny every day? I wished they could take it easy on me.

「…Listen. The two of you sound like two adventurers chatting in a tavern. I’d like you to show some dignity. 」

Neymar said, as if fed up.

If I had to bend over in front of the old man, then I would quit being a General altogether.

「But the reality is, I have no choice but to join hands. You’ve already moved 28,000 soldiers. And you’re the one making the decision, Lugis. How fun, huh. I’m so jealous. 」

「I would gladly make a decision if it were an easier situation. What options are available right now, old man? 」

I took the drink the old man handed me and drank it in one gulp. I felt completely lost.

In fact. The answer was already clear. I just didn’t want to choose.

…A complete retreat was the only option. That was the best option.

We could still preserve our soldiers even if Fort Medraut fell into enemy hands. I knew that if our soldiers had enough stamina, then we would be able to continue fighting.

But if we continued to fight aimlessly, then our soldiers and morale would collapse. It would become irreparable.

The old man took a new bottle of ale from Neymar and took a sip.

「…Hmph. I have another option. Lugis. I’ll hold this place off with 3,000 men. You head to the Olyn Plains. Kill Zebrililith and return here immediately. I’ll hold this place until then. 」

The atmosphere in the room became heavy just from hearing the old man’s words. This wasn’t because he had drank ale. To begin with, the old man didn’t get drunk.

Neymar was the first to react, before I could open my mouth.

「That’s impossible, Sir. A full defense of the fort requires a minimum of 3,000 soldiers; okay I get it. But an army without replacements or reserves cannot be called a proper army. The enemy is made up of 60,000 strong soldiers. It would fall in a day. As your lieutenant, I officially express my opposition. 」

「…I agree. That means we’ll be sacrificing you, old man, and your soldiers, right? 」

60,000 versus 3,000. That was a ridiculous disparity in military strength. It was more like a siege than a campaign. Neymar said it would take a day, but considering the enemy was Valerie, it wouldn’t be surprising if it fell in half a day.

But the old man gently moved his one-armed, still undiminished, and continued.

「…I told you. I know Valerie better than anyone else. I’ll give it three days. Listen, Lugis. It’s two days’ journey from here to the Olyn Plains. You kill that bastard Zebrililith there. It’ll take Valerie three more days to get here, so that’s plenty of time. 」

「Old man, I’m not a stupid brat anymore. Zebrililith is leading a horde of demon beasts. My soldiers won’t be unscathed. If we consider that my soldiers have been reduced to half, even if I eventually reunite with you, there will only be 13,000 of them. How can we fight against Valerie? 」

「It’s fine even if we can’t fight back. If we can’t, we can just join forces and retreat to the royal capital. Think about it carefully, Lugis. It would be fatal to retreat and leave both Zebrililith and Valerie behind. After Zebrililith completely overrun the outskirts of the royal capital, are you planning to attack Valerie in the capital, after it had lost its walls? We can still fight back as long as the royal capital remains intact. But if we lose the royal capital, then it would be the end for both you and me. You understand, right? Focus your attention on what’s most important. 」

My eyebrows furrowed. And I involuntarily bit my lip.

That’s exactly what the old man said. A newly emerging kingdom with a weak authority relied on the mere possession of its royal capital to back up its power.

If we lost the royal capital, then other forces wouldn’t recognize it, no matter how much we called ourselves a new kingdom. We’d be crushed to death.

I searched for words for a few seconds, but…

「Hey, don’t make that serious expression again. I just told you to be careful. Thankfully, your master says he’ll turn a dire situation around. Accept it with a cheerful face. Do you think I’m going to die? 」

My heart skipped a beat at the old man’s words. The color drained from my face.

…Do you think I’m going to die?

Of course he was going to die. No matter how old one was, when it came to dying, everyone would meet their downfall eventually. Just like the time when the old man was killed by a demon beast while protecting me. I’d never let that happen again.

But as the old man said. It was clear that I had no other options. If we made a mistake here…if we were careless…then, everyone would die.

I bit my lips hard.

「…Then, old man, promise me. If you think it’s impossible, then retreat no matter what. As long as you and the soldiers are alive, we can always make it. 」

「That’s very kind of you, Your Excellency. I understand. We’ll definitely retreat. I’ll do the job even with one arm. 」

Finally, the old man finished his bottle of ale and said those words.

—

「…Sir! That man really doesn’t understand the situation. And now because of him…! 」

After Lugis left Richard’s room, his aide, Neymar, was the one to express her rage. She still couldn’t accept her superior’s decision to remain in the fortress.

This was a sacrifice, after all. Surely her superior was being made to clean up Lugis’ mess. He must not have been put in a critical situation because of it.

Richard remained calm while Neymar’s face was filled with red because of her fiery emotions.

He spoke calmly.

「Neymar, you’re criticizing my plan. It must mean you can’t trust me. 」

Richard said while maintaining his black sword with one hand.

His voice was tinged with quiet anger.

「That’s not what I meant. But still…」

「Shut up. Don’t talk anymore. 」

Richard said, engulfing Neymar’s words in a second.

It was the first time she’d heard her superior’s voice filled with rage. Neymar had never seen her superior show such emotion.

Her words had angered her superior. Neymar immediately straightened her back.

「I do understand now. You’re not fit to be my lieutenant. You have no talent for military affairs. It can’t be helped. It’s wrong for a noble’s daughter to even pretend to be a military officer. 」

Neymar’s face turned pale. She couldn’t even clearly understand what she was being told. No, she didn’t want to understand.

And yet, as a lieutenant, she caught even the smallest fragments of what her superior was saying.

「Sir, the military… No, I…」

Neymar called out, desperately clinging to him. A torrent of emotions churned inside her heart. She never expected to be told such words.

She desperately tried to hold back the emotions that were threatening to spill out of her eyes. She desperately tried to keep her voice from rising.

But Richard didn’t stop his voice.

「…Go back to the royal capital. People like you who get emotional so easily shouldn’t be going on military campaigns. Stay secluded in that territory like a noblewoman. If you want to play war, do it inside your territory. 」

「Ah, ah… I apologize… 」

Neymar said nothing more. She couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t bear to look at her superior anymore. Only tears were flowing from her eyes. She quickly left Richard’s room.

She couldn’t contain her emotions.

She wasn’t sad about being the target of his anger.

She wasn’t sad about being dismissed as his lieutenant.

Neymar thought she had done her best, but Richard didn’t acknowledge it. That was the most unbearable thing for Neymar.

Neymar was nothing more than a young girl from a countryside noble family. A weak noble who would wither away if she didn’t make a name for herself and achieve great things.

No one paid any attention to her. She was never acknowledged. Neymar was always alone in the royal capital.

Only one person acknowledged her single-minded efforts, her passion for achieving great things even on the battlefield.

And now that one person was gone.

She let out a sob. She could no longer hold back her tears. Her emotions were a mess, as if they had been stirred up.

Who was to blame for this? Why had it come to this? Neymar thought about these things and shed tears as she sat alone in the fortress.

—

The Great Demon Offal opened his eyes.

In the darkness, where not a shred of light could be seen, Offal’s shadow somehow remained human.

He had been lurking for a long time.

He had been hiding in the shadows for a long time.

There were two reasons for this.

First, if Offal were to appear and attempt to lead his subordinate, Lugis, then the Great Demon Altius would undoubtedly intervene actively.

The battle for the royal capital against the magical devilish being Drigman. The battle against the Great Dragon Vrilligant. Everything was fine on its own. If Offal had intervened, then there would undoubtedly be more opportunities for success.

But if he did, Altius would pour her forces into a battle where Offal was present.

Conversely, if Offal wasn’t there, then Altius wouldn’t intervene. She would’ve declared it pointless.

She had never expected that a mere human would be able to defeat magical devilish beings, much less the Great Dragon Vrilligant.

The second reason was that if Offal continued to intervene, then it would no longer be their war, but Offal and Altius’ war.

It mustn’t be like that.

Humans had to make decisions of their own will. It would be okay for them to make mistakes and stray from the path.

A world where a being such as God controlled will and faith, was no longer a world. It would be a God’s sandbox.

Humanity had to overcome their difficulties with their own hands. There was no such thing as impossible.

Offal would lend them his power for only one thing.

The final battle with Altius. Someone who would cross swords with her and kill her again. He had saved all his power for that moment.

But one thing had bothered him. Offal said, facing the darkness.

「My servant, Lugis. Was I wrong? Should I have guided you? 」

「Yes. You were wrong, Offal. 」

Before it knew it, a white being was standing opposite the shadow. A brilliant light converged, revealing white amidst the dark that seemed to melt away everything on its path.

The Great Demon, Altius, was there.

「Look at the board. I no longer hesitate. I will take any measure. You can do whatever you want. It’s all up to you…it’ll all be too late anyway. 」

「I know better than anyone how terrifying you are, Altius. 」

She was willing to make sacrifices.

She didn’t consider pain.

She knew what humans found most painful.

「I’ve never been at a disadvantage on the board. Not until now, and not until tomorrow. I cannot count how many times I have competed with you on the board. 」

Altius and Offal. Between them was a single board. The mechanical game board moved with a click.

Over and over again, the two sides imagined the state of the board and engaged in simulated battles. Each side placed, manipulated, and moved their pieces.

How could Offal kill Altius? Who should he lend his strength to? Offal tried again and again.

…But they were no match for Altius no matter who Offal lent his strength to.

He continued to imagine the state of the board with many people as his leader pieces.

He even once appointed Saint Matia as his leader piece. But even after capturing the walled city of Garoua Maria, Saint Matia was unable to expand any further. She had the talent to rule, but not the talent to spread war.

The hero Richard Parmilis. He was a hero, but he was too old. Even after capturing the royal capital, he no longer had the power to withstand the countless demons and heroes to were still left.

Queen Philos. The only foundation she had had in the past was the Great Holy Church. She was sure to be assassinated since she defied the Great Holy Church.

The knight Caria Burdnick, the sorceress Filaret La Volgograd, or Eldith the Elf Finn.

Altius always won the battle in the end no matter who rose to the plate and opposed her.

The great hero Helot Stanley nearly cornered Altius, but it was still no use. His true nature was justice and goodness. He had too much affinity with Altius.

…Then, Lugis, the common man. He never took center stage no matter what the battle was.

He was sometimes known as a villain, but without Altius’ favor, he wouldn’t live a peaceful life.

He lost everything at every turn.

He had no lineage, no proper environment, and not even a talent for martial arts. He was a clumsy human, capable of nothing but survival.

If there was one unique thing about him, then it would be…he wasn’t favored by Altius. That was always the wish of Altius’ servant, Ariene.

…I alone should be the one to save him.

Ariene was devoted to him, almost to the point of insanity. No matter how high she rose, she would carefully and wholeheartedly take everything from him. And then, she would make him her own.

「You are insane. But Altius. Perhaps that’s why you were able to become one of your servants. Is it you or Ariene who’s mad? Or is there something about Lugis that drives people mad? 」

All Lugis possessed was his uniqueness.

But it was precisely because of his unique nature that he lost Altius’ favor…exactly, it was because of it that Offal was able to intervene most effectively.

It was precisely because Altius refused to give him what Offal was able to give him. That’s why Offal chose him.

「He’s incredible. Using the Heraldic Order as his flag, he defeated demons, eliminated the Great Demon, and united humanity. What else could you call that but an achievement? 」

「You can’t compare him to me. Offal, you’re finished. It’s over. If you wanted to resist me, then you had to ally yourself with not just the east and south, but the west as well. And you had to make sure they were fully prepared. Even the soul of the first human king, Medic, is now in my hands. Offal, I’ll give you some absolution. I shall say it again. 」

…The curtain has now fallen. It’s over. I have no interest in what he does with Zebrililith.

Altius said these words in a mocking tone.

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