Chapter 177
Chapter 177. “Elite Unit”
――Repelling the Demon Lord’s Army in the Urban District.
Having received new orders, Barbara ran through the deserted night streets with a messenger soldier by her side. The evacuation at the outskirts of the capital was already complete. All the non-combatant citizens should have taken refuge in the royal castle and the central church.
The urban area had already transformed into a battlefield. The only ones remaining here were the defense forces and—perhaps—the Demon Lord’s army that had already infiltrated.
The area close to the center was still supposed to be safe, but one could not let their guard down. Armed with her unsheathed rapier, Barbara continued to move, keenly watching her surroundings.
Fortunately, Barbara was still in one piece. She had fought against demons at the walls and successfully took down three of them. This could be considered a decent achievement.
“—Hey, we meet again.”
Along the way, she bumped into Hessel, who seemed to have received the same redeployment order. He had a greatsword slung over his shoulder and waved his hand. —He looked a bit tired, but he was also unscathed.
“It’s you.”
Grinning, Barbara gave Hessel a friendly tap on the shoulder.
“It seems we’re both safe. This reunion came sooner than I expected.”
Though she jokingly remarked, the tone wasn’t as light as she had intended.
“……”
They fell silent, glancing towards the Seaborn Fortress as they continued running.
“……Isn’t that rumored Sword Saint Boy assigned over there?”
“……Yeah.”
Hessel nodded gravely, mumbling, “As long as he’s alive, I guess,” in a tone that showed he didn’t quite believe it himself.
Barbara felt a bitter pang at the thought of such young talent—though she didn’t show it on her face, just like Hessel.
“How about that person there?”
In place of concern, she looked at the slender elf running beside Hessel.
“He’s our lifesaver. Master Lurol.”
“……This is Lurol, the Master of the Holy Great Tree Alliance. Please take care of us.”
With sun-kissed skin typical of forest elves, a visibly tired man in robes greeted them in a drawn-out voice.
“I’m the Sword Saint, Barbara. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Determined not to be rude, Barbara returned the gesture as politely as possible while running. It was no wonder the Master looked weary; he had been using high-level magic to maintain the Great Tree’s barrier while continuously battling demons at the front line of the Nibban Fortress.
Still, while humans like Barbara were struggling just to get by, Master Lurol glided forward as if carried by the wind. It was a clear reminder that he existed on a different plane than they did.
“It’s encouraging that even Master Lurol is here… But is it really okay to leave Nibban Fortress?”
“Well, they say it should be fine. Thanks to Master Lurol and the others, they’ve inflicted considerable damage on the Demon Lord’s army. Perhaps they got frightened; the intensity of their attacks has significantly decreased.”
Hessel replied. Of course, that might just be a ruse, waiting for their forces to shift towards the Seaborn Fortress before launching a full-scale attack—yet it seemed this scenario was currently acceptable.
After all, this was no conversation for a mere Sword Saint. Plus, if they allowed the demons to break through the urban area, it would be dire no matter what.
“It was impressive. How many demons’ heads were blown off by Master Lurol’s magic arrows?”
“That was my colleague’s doing. I was busy cleaning up the Nightfallen.”
With a face unchanged like a weathered tree hollow, Master Lurol uttered in his monotone voice.
“The Nightfallen refers to the Night Elves. Some forest elves dislike labeling the cruelly fallen ones as the same ‘elves’.”
“I see.”
Hesitating to call them Night Elves, Barbara nodded along.
“Thanks to that, I’ve managed to conserve quite a bit of energy, so I hope to assist everyone moving forward.”
“Thank you, Master. Thanks to you, we still feel we can fight on.”
“If it weren’t for you all holding the line, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“No, it’s all thanks to everyone on the field who are holding on.”
Even as the Sword Saints praised him, Lurol maintained his usual demeanor.
“And—”
But suddenly, a fierce light sparkled in his eyes. The atmosphere tightened noticeably.
“……”
The need to protect was mutual; Barbara and the others too had something to guard. The people of the Defteros Kingdom, and the aristocrats of Barbara’s fallen country, remained in the capital of Evaroti, not to mention Hessel who must have many acquaintances from comrades to friends.
“Ah, please turn here!”
The previously silent messenger soldier gestured as they entered a narrow alley.
“The path over there is now blocked.”
It appeared as a typical street, but that’s just how it was. The defense forces weren’t merely sitting and waiting for the Demon Lord’s invasion; they had their own schemes in place—
Then, they proceeded through the winding alley and entered a mansion being used as a forward base.
“Everyone’s here. I apologize for the abruptness, but I’ll now relay the current intel.”
In the hall of the mansion, an old veteran commander surveyed the group. Master Lurol led several forest elves, beside Barbara and Hessel stood familiar Sword Saints and Fist Saints, along with heroes and priestesses from the Holy Church.
“After securing Nibban Fortress, there was an incursion by Beastman Soldiers and Night Elf Soldiers, but so far, no demons have been confirmed—”
Among them was also the face of Priestess Charlotte. Returning her bow as she nodded to the commander while processing the information, Barbara swallowed her complex feelings—
“—And it seems the one who brought down Nibban Fortress was the flag bearers of the Evaroti invasion army, Demon Lord’s Prince No. 7 Zilbagias.”
Yet, those words from the commander blew away any sentiment.
A murmur rippled through the hall.
“Why didn’t the prince attack head-on despite being a prince…?”
“There are multiple Demon Lords’ princes, but this marks the first confirmed appearance of the seventh.”
The commander responded to one of the heroes’ questions.
“Perhaps because it’s his first battle, he avoided a direct confrontation. Additionally, it’s said he’s still quite ‘young’ as a demon… more details will follow from her.”
At the commander’s prompt, one of the forest elf archers stepped forward with a bow on her back.
“I’m Palm, the Forest Elf Archer. …I fought against the prince at Nibban Fortress.”
The hall fell terrifyingly silent. Everyone concentrated their full attention on her words.
“Zilbagias, though he is a demon, bore the appearance of a human child. Likely, he is still below adulthood.”
――Below adulthood, meaning under fifteen. No way, did someone murmur.
“However, his magical power was frighteningly strong; I couldn’t determine it precisely, but… It seemed to be around the level of a Count to a Marquis.”
If that’s the case, he’s quite a high-ranking demon. While the specifics didn’t resonate much with Barbara, who was terrible at magic—still, whether high or low rank, magic was fatal for a Sword Saint—making the priests and forest elves grimace uncomfortably.
“What kind of magic did he use?”
In response to another hero’s question, Palm’s expression twisted painfully.
“The only magic I confirmed was a curse of the darkness attribute. Aside from that… I’m sorry, but I couldn’t discern much. There was a remarkably strong physical and magical defense, along with some curse that severely hampered several hundred soldiers’ abilities simultaneously, and a spell that reflected harm back at opponents.”
“…………”
The quality of silence in the hall changed once again.
Growing heavier and colder.
“To elaborate, it was a barrier-like magic that diminished the force of an arrow I launched with all my might to the extent of a child tossing a stick… It seems to be a magic that caused the heroes, Sword Saints, and soldiers to move awkwardly, completely disrupting their coordination. Moreover, the right arm severed by the Sword Saint returned like sand from an hourglass and reattached, only for the Sword Saint to lose their right arm in turn.”
――Sword Saint. Barbara and Hessel locked gazes.
“An overwhelmingly powerful darkness magic coiled around the Sword Saint’s body, so it’s reasonable to presume it’s magic that reflects the wounds back at the attacker.”
“What the hell is that…?”
The young hero groaned, “That’s absolutely ridiculous.”
“In other words, we can’t afford to dawdle and must finish him off in one blow… just like usual. Anything else?”
The calm-voiced Fist Saint with golden fur inquired.
“Zilbagias had eight followers. One appeared to use earth magic, likely from the Korvto Tribe, two used fire magic to launch cursed flame bullets, and one dealt with lightning—”
Palm summarized her explanation. …If her words were correct, it meant that Nibban Fortress fell to a mere nine demons, including the prince.
“—That’s all.”
“May I ask a question?”
Hessel raised his hand.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“What happened to the other folks from Nibban Fortress?”
He seemed hesitant but could not resist but ask regardless.
“I was the only one who escaped among the upper combatants…”
Palm bit her lip.
“The warriors, Sword Saints, priests, and mages… all of them perished in battle.”
“I see… I’m sorry for having to ask you something so painful.”
“No…”
Palm slowly shook her head, yet the sorrow felt by her surviving while others fell was palpable.
So it was all in vain, after all—
Barbara felt as though yet another hole had opened in her chest. The young Sword Saint she had never directly met and the comrades she had exchanged words with countless times, all…
“……Thank you. We’ve received invaluable information.”
Then, Master Lurol spoke up.
“This is all due to you surviving and providing testimony. Your words hold value akin to the fruits of the Holy Great Tree. Once again, thank you for returning safely, Palm.”
“…………Yes.”
Palm’s face contorted as she held back tears.
“And let us pray for the brave warriors who fell at Nibban Fortress…”
――For a moment, everyone offered their prayers for the deceased in their own ways.
“……So that’s how it is. Regardless, we should regard the seventh prince as quite formidable.”
With a clap of his hands, the veteran commander resumed speaking.
“Just because he’s young doesn’t mean he’s an opponent to underestimate. A foe like him should be dragged into a quagmire and killed.”
His somber tone left Barbara wondering whether he was serious or jesting.
“We have laid traps all around the outside edges of the urban area. In addition, our despair unit has hidden themselves and is currently engaged in skirmishes against the Demon Lord’s army. So, it’s likely those demons are becoming restless and about to make their move…”
The commander glanced at the wall clock amid the flickering light of the chandelier.
“Once demon appearances are confirmed, our desperation unit will create a ruckus as a signal.”
If they were to behave that way in front of the demons, they wouldn’t make it back alive.
Thus, the despair unit.
Yet still.
“That moment will be your cue.”
The commander looked around at everyone.
“Disrupt their advance and take down the prince. —I trust you to do so.”
With a rustle, the warriors saluted in unison.
――A loud fanfare resonated through the outer urban area.
It was not long after.
