Chapter 581: The Sound of Evil Footsteps

The death of the Great Demon Zebrililith and the fall of Fort Medraut.

These urgent news, delivered to the royal capital’s administrative office after the battlefield, instantly knocked Philos, the ruler of the New Kingdom, unconscious.

No, she wasn’t alone. Saint Matia of the Heraldic Order, and the nobility leader, Biomondor. Numerous nobles and officials working in the administrative office were also shocked.

Furthermore, Your Excellency has organized an avant-garde force and is heading this way. They should be arriving soon.

「…Thank you for your service. You’ve done a great job delivering the message. Please go and rest. 」

Philos lowered her monocle and spoke in a quiet voice. She heard a clicking sound and finally realized her fingers were trembling.

She could feel every drop of blood circulating through her body with striking clarity. She took a deep breath. Only then did she finally swallow the message’s words.

The death of the Great Demon Zebrililith…Was that monster really dead? That Great Demon who devoured countless heroes and warriors, trampled the earth, and ravaged the land.

But there was no cheering in the administrative office.

「…No, it’s too sudden. It’s hard to believe whether it’s true or not. 」

Biomondor was the first to murmur. His words perfectly expressed the feelings of everyone present.

This was the heart of national affairs. Urgent news had to be carefully analyzed, because false reports and information often poured in. It was their job to sift through them and discard what was unnecessary.

But Biomondor’s words held no trace of skepticism. Rather, it seemed he had deliberately spoken to calm himself.

Even his voice trembled, and he covered his eyes and lowered his head.

「But if it is true…That the monster that ravaged my homeland and threatened to crush the capital is really dead…It is dead, Your Majesty! 」

The emotions were overwhelming for all the nobles and officials, including Biomondor, and even for Philos. Perhaps it was the same for everyone who considered the Gharast Kingdom their homeland.

The feelings towards Zebrililith were vastly different between people from other countries and the people from Gharast.

An evil that awakened from the world of myths, trampling beyond all human comprehension. The one who caused the great catastrophe was said to be the cause of the resurrection of countless demons. The great demon that could shallow up 60,000 Gharast soldiers. That evil spread an age of evil on the continent.

Some lost relatives in the great catastrophe, others lost friends. Some may never see their beloved lovers again.

From the moment Zebrililith was resurrected, humanity had to live in fear once again of the threat of great demons and magical devilish beings. The Gharast Kingdom, in particular, seemed headed for ruin, having lost its capital city.

…But that was over.

There were still demons roaming around. And the magical beasts hadn’t been killed. But the ultimate symbol had perished.

「He survived…He survived! The hero won! 」

The nobles and officials finally began to raise their voices.

It was probably true if one said that they didn’t fully believe in Lugis. And many were accepting their fate because they were prepared to die.

It couldn’t be helped. Many had fled from the north to the capital. They knew. How enormous and inexhaustible that thing was.

How could humans truly believe they could defeat that thing? Even now, people were still half-believing, half-doubting. Their emotions were in turmoil. A mixture of relief, astonishment, and skepticism continued to grow.

「…Prepare to welcome the hero. And now that Fort Medraut has fallen, we cannot let our guard down. The battle against humans is just around the corner even if the battle against demons has subsided for a moment. 」

Matia, who had been relatively calm, cleared her throat before speaking. Her well-shaped eyebrows furrowed, showing her determination to remain calm.

What she said was true. Even though Zebrililith, one of the two spears heading towards the capital, had vanished, the 60,000-strong Old Kingdom army remained intact.

「Yes, that’s right, Saint Matia! But our opponents are humans! They are no longer demon beasts! Even if we are defeated, we can die as humans, without the fear of having our organs devoured! 」

Biomondor wasn’t unaware of the situation. In fact, he might have been more sensitive to the scent of battle than anyone else present.

And yet, he couldn’t completely suppress his rising excitement.

The series of battles that had unfolded since the appearance of the Great Demon Zebrililith were no longer mere territorial disputes. They were a war between demons and humans, a struggle for supremacy over the continent.

Philos finally calmed her emotions and gazed at the map on the table.

「No. Saint Matia is right. The Old Kingdom’s army is coming. If we don’t win, all of us will be executed. 」

Philos stood up, clicking her heels together, and Biomondor and the other nobles and officials nodded silently.

Not everyone had been submissive to the young Queen, but the victories in the Bolvat Dynasty and Zebrililith’s defeat had begun to sprout a kind of unified consciousness among them.

It was a simple, almost naive, belief that this nation belonged to them.

Philos lightly clenched her fingers, under everyone’s gaze.

「…This will be our final battle. Victory or defeat, whether we win or lose. Therefore, strive for victory. 」

The officials began to move in response to Philos’ words. With her monocle gleaming, she surveyed the map below, anticipating the army’s movements.

The enemy was a massive army of 60,000 soldiers. Even with several thousand additional troops arriving first, they were no match for that army. The capital city was undergoing reconstruction, but it had once fallen to demonic forces. Its defenses were far from perfect.

Firstly, the capital’s defenses were only effective when coordinated with the surrounding fortresses. It wasn’t designed to withstand attacks on its own.

Therefore, the only option was to draw the enemy in, hold out as long as possible, and wait for Lugis’ return. Their target was the capital since their objective was to seize the throne.

From here on, it was a battle of man against man.

But then, her finger suddenly touched the map. Philos shivered with a chill running down her spine.

Why?

The age of demons had undoubtedly come to an end. There were no longer any demons as powerful as the Great Demons Zebrililith and Vrilligant. Therefore, the remaining demons’ demise should only be a matter of time no matter how threatening they were.

…Yet the endless chill and fear wouldn’t stop.

What was wrong? The age of myth was over. And yet…

Even now, step by step, Philos felt as if she could hear the myth itself drawing closer.

「Your Majesty. I apologize for interrupting you, but there is something I wish to tell you. It may be hard to believe. 」

It was Matia who whispered beside her. Matia’s unwavering blue eyes were reassuring to Philos.

「It’s fine. Tell me, Matia. 」

Matia glanced around for a moment, then narrowed her defiant eyes.

「…A document has arrived from the Protector of the State seated in the Cathedral. The seal has also been confirmed to be genuine. 」

—

In a forest bathed in moonlight, golden hair and eyes of the same color were quite visible.

Helot Stanley, the guardian of the Great Holy Church, swung down his sword, meticulously decorated and studded with gold ornaments. His footwork was unmatched, and the sharpness of his sword flashes was blinding.

With a single swing, which seemed supreme, Helot Stanley absorbed the blood of demonic beasts roaming in the death snow. This action was repeated several times. The bird-like demonic beasts surrounding him were small but overwhelmingly numerous. Yet, they fell without even being able to touch the golden figure.

One swing, two swings…then twelve in a single breath.

He cut down the demonic birds that had begun to turn their backs, killing them from behind and ending their lives.

Someone watched as he shook the blood from his sword without even taking a breath.

「Killing monsters again, Helot? 」

「Sir Garras. 」

The other guardian, Garras Gargantia, glared at Helot with an expression of disgust. It wasn’t so much hatred as outright displeasure.

On the other hand, Helot widened his eyes, seemingly unable to understand Garras’ attitude.

「Yes. Even if you say “again”, it’s our duty to slay monsters. 」

Garras gritted his teeth at that answer. The words lacked sentimentality and excessive embellishment. He seemed no different from when they were both Knights at the Great Temple of Flimslat.

But that was precisely why Garras’ beastly eyes roared.

「…Charging into a monster’s nest and claiming it’s for extermination is a pretty good excuse. If you were my subordinate, I’d punch you. 」

「…? It’s only natural to charge into a monster’s nest. So it was necessary. 」

「Necessary, huh. 」

But Garras couldn’t see any reason why this extermination was necessary. There were no cities or villages nearby; the monsters had only been spotted in the surrounding forest while the army was passing through. No monster damage had been reported, so there seemed to be no reason to charge into the nest.

However, this might not be the case in the future, so what Helot did wasn’t necessarily evil. Rather, it seemed alright.

…But even so, under the moonlight, drenched in blood, Helot, who could maintain a normal expression amidst the countless corpses of monsters, didn’t seem like an emissary of justice to Garras at all.

At least, Garras’ keen instincts told him that Helot wasn’t like that.

「What’s wrong? You seem unwell, Sir Garras. 」

Garras swallowed the words and said.

「Isn’t it you who’s feeling unwell?…It seems Zebrililith has been killed by the hero of the Heraldic Order. 」

「…Amazing. I’d like to meet him sometime. To be able to defeat a great demon…I wonder what kind of person he is. 」

His words were pure, without a trace of malice or sarcasm.

Garras thought he was too pure. Too innocent and pure, and that was why there was no hesitation or wavering in his sword.

Garras shrugged his shoulders and nodded before speaking.

「I haven’t had the chance to fight him either. You killed a magical devilish being in the west, but that guy apparently killed one in the capital. On top of that, he killed a dragon in the east, and now even killed Zebrililith…If that’s true, then he might not be human either. 」

Garras said, deliberately looking at Helot. He meant to say, “Just like you too, Helot”. But it seemed that such suspicions wouldn’t work on Helot.

「What is his name? 」

Garras widened one eye, looking taken aback. He seemed to be wondering what Helot was talking about.

「You know him too, don’t you? …Lugis. The great villain. I think people used to call him Lugis Vrilligant. 」

Helot’s golden eyes widened when he heard that name. But he quickly narrowed them, showing even a hint of confusion, before saying…

「…I see. I’m looking forward to meeting him. 」

The Death Snow Butterflies danced in the moonlight. The footsteps of a new age of evil were drawing ever closer.

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