20demayo Chapter 99: Existence (1)
Chapter 99: Existence (1)
Chapter 99: Existence (1)
The man wearing a bearskin was trudging through the streets on a donkey. Despite being quite an unusual sight in the desert, no one was paying attention to his existence.
> [Humans sure are incredibly foolish, thinking they could gain power without having to pay any price.]
A thin, black hand pulled back the bearskin. As the bear head covering his face fell back, his curly hair fell out. It was shiny and completely free of tangles, seemingly having been well taken care of.
> [Thinking there is no price is also a price in and of itself.]
The being seemed to like his hair quite a bit and slowly twisted some around his index finger.
> [But it’s still a little disappointing. I don’t want to go beyond this city yet.]
And once the long hair was wrapped completely around his finger, the being just cut it off.
> [Sigh, just what arePandemonium andMoby Dick doing? I haven’t even killed a single Hero so far, so why me...? Ah, I don’t want to do it.]
The cut hair slowly loosened around his finger before he gathered it in his palm. Hee-haw! The donkey then cried out loudly.
> [Stop being like that. I know already.Helel will nag me to no end if I fail. But what can I even do? I’m the least compatible with the Hero’s power. I don’t even know if an all-out war like Gretchen used to do is even possible for me. All I can do is dream...]
Hee-haw!
> [Actually, that guy is the one most compatible with the Hero. How annoying. Anyway, I’ve never liked that Gretchen guy anyway... Arbitrarily going around, claiming to be the strongest after the King, but now when we need him most...]
Crackle. The hair resting in his palm spontaneously caught fire. After it burned up in an instant, he spread its ashes into the air in a single motion.
> [Let’s stop worrying.]
The ashes flew around and landed on someone on the other side of the street. His hair, neatly divided between gray and black, billowed in the wind.
* * *
“...?”
The Inquisitor suddenly turned around, so I also glanced behind her. It was merely a reflexive action, but it didn't really yield any results.
Now that the beacon had been lit, the streets were filled with citizens evacuating according to the manual and troops running to the castle walls.
“What’s the matter? Did you get that uncomfortable feeling again from someone?”
“...No. I just felt like something was behind me. I think I was just too paranoid.”
“If you feel something, don't just ignore it. Now that the Demons have invaded, we can’t rule out the possibility that something has snuck into the city.”
“Yes, understood.”
Although she said that, she didn’t pursue the feeling she just had. Seeing that she didn’t react any further, it seemed it really was just a feeling.
“Rather than that, let’s hurry.”
Loitering on a narrow street would only prevent other people from passing us, so we hurriedly went on our way. Our destination was the wall on the other side of the city, where the Demons had started attacking.
“They let us through?”
Deb’s thoughts were mine exactly.
Right now wasn’t exactly a state of emergency—well, it technically wasn't unmanageable to the extent of what had happened in Jacrati—so besides the military forces, I didn’t expect them to let anyone up on the castle walls. That was really surprising.
Or did they let us through because we had the Temple and the Magic Tower backing us? Ah, was that it?
“I’ve never seen something like this happen, either, but... It could be because the beacon only indicated Danger Level 1.”
Right then, Kankan, who had come with us, muttered something quietly.
From what I’d heard, rather than attacking the wall right away, the Demons of the desert would stop somewhere around its vicinity, gather their forces, and wait about half a day to two days before starting their assault.
So, they would call upon wizards and priests to gauge the extent of the Demons’ forces and strategize. This was very likely to be why they let us through.
“Both the Archmage and the agent sent by the Main Temple are sure to take on the central role of each faction. It’s only natural that they were allowed entry.”
The priest who’d accompanied us even confirmed my guess.
...But what about the rest of us? Were we just brought along as extras? It wasn’t all that bad since we got an opportunity to assess the situation properly, but it still felt kind of strange.
“...Do you think the Demons use this time to prepare?”
“Rather than that, it’s presumed that this is a characteristic of the Great Demon leading the army. The Great Demon making the desert their home is known as the Duke of ‘Sloth’, so I’m guessing that’s why they take their time.”
Oh... I was wondering who the Great Demon living in the desert was. Sloth, huh?
Thinking back on the seven deadly sins, if it was Sloth, the one in charge might be either Astaroth or Belphegor.
I wasn’t sure whether that would be their real name, but while I didn’t know much about the former’s appearance, thinking about the latter conjured the image of a Demon sitting on a toilet, which didn’t feel that threatening.
“...But if a Great Demon is present, won’t this be really dangerous?”
“There has never been a single instance of the Great Demon of Sloth taking the lead in the past, even when the Demons’ forces were vast.”
“Still...”
“Of course, there's no telling whether things will be the same now as in the past. You're right. But we're already in this city, aren't we? There's no way for us to avoid this. The only thing we can do is be careful.”
“That's also true.”
Deb had whined a bit and asked for more information on the Great Demons. It seemed he wanted to cram any information he got about it into his head as fast as possible.
“There isn't much information on the Great Demons, especially Sloth.”
“Why?”
“Didn't the Archmage tell you earlier? It’s never showed up on the frontlines. We sometimes get a bit of information after some torture, but that stuff is mostly on the level of rumors. It's nothing to the extent you're hoping for.”
Was it because the topic was Demons? The Inquisitor, who rarely spoke up on her own, answered his question.
As if to prove said information was indeed just on the level of word of mouth, the following explanation she provided really was equivalent to some tall tales.
“There’s nothing that could be helpful among these.”
“It’s also proof of the Great Demons’ persistence in destroying all records of them. That is also why their true names are unknown.”
“...You don’t even know their true names?”
“That’s right.”
“Indeed.”
So Deb and I stood on top of the wall, having been unable to gain anything from their words.
“You can’t stand there. This is a supply passage.”
Ten minutes passed before the Archmage and the other commanders came down, sooner than I expected.
Of course, the brevity of the conversation was likely due to the lack of room for significant changes in strategy, given the nature of this battle.
The priests were to focus on reinforcing the walls and treating the wounded as usual, while the wizards were to use AOE spells to kill as many Demons as possible. The soldiers and fighters were stationed on the walls and throughout the city to defend against any Demons that slipped in. That was all.
Unless new technology or weapons were introduced, their battle tactics were unlikely to change.
“You.”
However, I was the first person the Archmage called out to among those waiting below. His subtly stiff face glanced alternately between me and the Inquisitor.
Since he didn’t really say anything, though, it was probably something unconfirmed or that we didn’t need to know.
“I already mentioned it when we entered the city, but I’ll say it again: never move alone from this moment on. Don’t even think about going outside the city walls.”
Instead, he continued to add to those words.
“Even though there is no clear evidence, with both you and the Hero here, there is a certain chance the Great Demon is also here if they’re aware of your existence. In that case, you two could become targets, as well.”
That was a valid concern coupled with a sincere request. But to my ears, it somehow sounded like a summoning spell for that Great Demon.
Either way, with the stage set as it was, it would be even stranger if the Great Demon actually didn’t appear.
* * *
* * *
“If they chose to come here, they should just hurry up and attack already...”
Regardless of that ominous Demon-summoning spell by the Archmage, preparations for our imminent defensive battle continued.
Troops were deployed to the city walls, ammunition-like arrows were checked over once more and redistributed to areas lacking them, additional non-regular forces—like fighters or adventurers—were deployed, and so on.
It felt like I was watching a hopeful group rearranging their priorities while doing a group project. Although, the difficulty of their assignment was no joke.
“Damn it, I can’t even get some sleep because those bastards are just standing still over there...”
Yet, more Demons were gathering over there than we could prepare for. The black waves gathering on the horizon were even visible to those with ordinary eyesight.
And none of them moved to attack us. Thanks to that, it was the soldiers who were suffering the most.
If they relaxed, they might miss the enemies’ arrival, but remaining tense like that consumed a lot of energy, so they were stuck in a dilemma.
“Don’t worry too much.”
However, not everyone was tense to the point of suffering from stomachaches.
The veterans who’d survived in this city for a long time just leisurely strolled around as if they didn’t notice the Demons lurking outside. It was a form of familiarity that had become ingrained in their bodies.
“Don’t just stand there like a statue, you newcomers!”
Even the citizens who stayed behind to handle rear support didn’t seem particularly concerned.
Even if they didn’t climb atop the city walls personally, those who’d endured living here for decades seemed not to take this situation too seriously. To them, this was akin to an annual event, so their reaction might be understandable.
“More importantly, why isn’t Sir Martial King here? It seems like all the other fighters are here, though.”
“I don’t know. I saw the commander swearing earlier, calling him a bastard and all that.”
“Huh. What’s that guy up to? Hey, Red Mane! Heard anything?!”
“...No idea. How am I supposed to know what’s happening in other people’s minds?”
However, the Martial King not showing up was suspicious. Extremely suspicious.
“Oh, now that you mention it, wasn’t there a newcomer who arrived a few days ago?”
Just then, someone approached me. Archmage was stationed elsewhere and Deb had left to relieve himself, leaving me in a bit of a predicament.
Kankan seemed to think I was just a pretty taciturn person who wouldn’t be of much help. So, in the end, I had no choice but to speak up, huh?
This person was supposed to be someone I’d have to fight alongside, but it looked like I would have to piss him off before the fight even started.
“You came from the Yabad region, right? How about telling us what went down over there? Heard they were having some trouble there.”
Uhm, hmm... This was pretty awkward, after all.
I opened my mouth while nibbling on a piece of bread and dried dates handed out by the residents.
“Finding joy in others’ misfortune, are you? Your personality is quite something.”
“...”
Couldn’t we just keep our mouths shut?
“Miiister, did you get your meal... What’s with this atmosphere?”
Fortunately, just before the mood became even more miserable, Deb came running over.
His eagerness to share some of the delicious food he’d received from the residents with me was quite touching. I had no intention of taking it, though, because it felt like accepting a bribe.
“Would you like some, too?”
“They’re all dried vegetables.”
“If you’re dissatisfied, feel free to complain, then.”
“No, I’m not complaining. How did you manage to get those expensive vegetables?”
“I’m quite skilled, you know?”
Just then, someone approached us with quick steps. Since I didn’t bother to look in their direction, all I could see was their shadow cast on the ground, which was quite large.
“Who... Huuuh?!”
“Y-You?!”
Rather, that voice seemed kind of familiar... Uwaah! A wild Berserk had appeared!
“Nice to see you. I wanted to greet you earlier, but I only got to now. Oh, hello, Kankan. Long time no see.”
More surprising than realizing that the approaching shadow belonged to Berserk and that Kankan actually knew Berserk was the fact that...
“Uhm, are you surprised? Sorry. I came here to apologize, so please don’t avoid me, okay?”
Berserk, she... She could actually speak so calmly?!