The raid that was everything for them spectacularly failed.
This fact was astonishing for the demons. If it were the Royal Knights in their prime, that would be one thing, but they couldn’t even deal with a mere bunch of defeated soldiers?
Of course, the demons’ situation wasn’t that great either. No, it could even be said that it was quite bad. However, even considering that, it was still a shocking achievement.
With two Blood Demons who quickly recovered to almost full power, and even the clone of the Blood Demon ranked among the top three, they couldn’t bring down a group of defeated soldiers. One of the three even fell in battle. Feeling the crisis, the demons immediately gathered again.
The demons, incongruously with their name, were using the restored palace that had once been the heart of the Empire. The restoration with gold and marble was surpassing the glory of the past.
All the surviving Blood Demons gathered. Now, there were only 25 left. A girl with white hair braided into two pigtails looked around and spoke.
“Is this all that’s left?”
“When we first came here, there were about 100.”
“They all went down after leaving so many tales~.”
Though the Blood Demon spoke as if lamenting the deaths of comrades, there was no sorrow in her tone. The girl with white hair thought, I really don’t like that one.
Right now, we are on the brink of survival. Why did we have to go through such sacrifices to annihilate the Royal Knights? Because they were the most irritating and obstructive foes. On the contrary, without the Royal Knights, we didn’t see anyone who could challenge us.
Thus, we trapped the Royal Knights and after sacrificing more than half of our fellow tribesmen, we believed we had successfully erased the name of the Royal Knights. Or so we thought.
“What on earth is that Hans guy?”
The white-haired girl’s question resonated with everyone. They had thought the Royal Knights were finished. They had captured the commander and slaughtered all the elite knights.
If it wasn’t for the whims of Comprachico and the Blood Demon who created him, Yuren, they could have surely killed Commander Yuren. However, perhaps due to being drunk on victory and growing arrogant?
They had approved a plan to use Commander Yuren as a toy while leaving her alive, and as a result, Commander Yuren had once again become our worst enemy. A grave mistake.
But even so, they couldn’t hold the Blood Demon accountable. Because in the end, everyone there had agreed to the Blood Demon’s suggestion. Really damn annoying.
“That dragon is a dragon, but we can’t ignore the level of those other little guys.”
“Speaking of which, you’ve lost one arm, haven’t you?”
“Seems that way.”
Raveka was recognized as a formidable fighter among the demons as a martial arts master. However, she hadn’t faced a commander-level figure, only dealt with the flunkies below.
Moreover, it was thanks to the Guardian of the Forest, who had minimized damage during the fight. If she had been prepared to sacrifice even one life, Raveka wouldn’t have returned to this place unscathed.
The same went for the Beast. Unfortunately, the Beast happened to face Yuren and chose to give up on fleeing to fight to the death, but sadly, that didn’t work on Yuren.
“We need to gather the Blood Demons and launch a full-on assault right now!”
“Revenge, in a situation like this? Are you crazy?”
“Are we all dying together here?”
Some hawkish demons proposed to gather their forces immediately and attack the Royal Knights, but of course, the majority of the demons opposed it. Their reasons fell into three main categories.
First, they had no clear idea of the power of the new commander, Hans.
Second, there was not a single fellow tribesman who could currently exert power.
Finally, third, there was no way to lift the barrier.
Previously, they had used the death of Balak to lower their presence and break through the barrier, but even that had only lasted for one hour with all their might. They couldn’t even attempt it now.
As the victories of the Royal Knights spread, all the races began to unite and mobilize for a grand monster hunt. The girl with white hair let out a deep sigh and replied.
“There’s nothing that can be done. For now, we can only focus on recovering our strength.”
What a cruel affair. Until just one year ago, we were overwhelmingly in the lead, yet in just a year, the situation has flipped. But we haven’t lost the war yet. We can do this.
If we do well from now on.
First and foremost, we needed to investigate this new commander, Hans.
Just where did that monster come rolling in from?
*
“Thus, I conclude my report.”
In the neatly organized Table of Equality, we were listening to Cluna’s report. In summary, the fact that the Royal Knights had repelled the Blood Demons had become widely known.
Thanks to that, other races were starting to move one by one. The most pleasing news was that the Dwarves, Human Kingdom, and the Twelve Tribes had taken the lead in forming a Racial Alliance.
The situation on the battlefield was gradually tilting in our favor. Up until the formation of the alliance, only the three races had actively participated, but now that we had repelled the Blood Demons, trust had been restored.
As a result, even other races that had kept quiet and observed from a distance began to take action. Consequently, the halted support resumed, and our livelihoods were looking much better.
“Any plans to recruit new members for the Royal Knights?”
“Not yet.”
“Quite firm.”
“But if the commander wishes…”
“Not necessary for now.”
With six to seven years left until the original story kicks in, there was no need to recruit new Royal Knights’ members before then. The members we currently had were more than enough.
Though lacking, I had personally taken charge of leading the Royal Knights. Naturally, I had no intention of doing it half-heartedly. If I was going to do it, I was going to do it right. And at my current power, I could only command six.
Beyond that, I couldn’t even muster the courage to think about it. While I was seated at the desk pondering seriously, a strange sense of discomfort suddenly washed over me. Wait, am I doing the right thing?
“Something feels off…”
“Commander, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. No problem at all.”
“Ruby said the Dwarven prosthetic is coming soon. I think it’s best to rest comfortably until then.”
I nodded at Yuren’s worried words. It seemed I had become unnecessarily sensitive. It wasn’t unreasonable either, as a lot had piled up until now. Furthermore, having even repelled the Blood Demons…
Of course, the cost had not been insignificant. Still, thanks to that, the Royal Knights could rise again. Considering that, losing an arm felt cheap. I frowned.
“It’s extraordinarily uncomfortable.”
“I’ll help you, sir.”
“No need to help.”
“No, sir, this is your work.”
“Commander! Is there anything you want me to do for you?!”
Suddenly, Helia and Clara began competing to attend to my needs. Feeling the pressure of the fiery standoff between the two, Yuren stepped in.
“Enough of that! What a spectacle in front of the commander!”
“Helia is trying to monopolize a good position!”
“Isn’t it right for me, Ruby’s disciple, to do it?”
“By that logic, I’m the worthy subordinate of the commander!”
“Being worthy, huh? Hahaha!”
As Clara declared that, Ruby naturally joined in. The sole reason was that they wanted to attend to my needs. As a result, I ended up with a headache. I spoke up.
“I’m fine doing it alone. There’s no need to add more manpower.”
“No, commander. Please reconsider that.”
“Reconsider?”
“The commander is absolutely indispensable. You could lose an arm or a leg, but your head cannot disappear.”
With clack-clack sounds, Cluna returned and slowly placed her hand on my shoulder. I couldn’t find any reply to Cluna’s serious words.
“I know the commander is strong. However, the commander has lost too much right now. Therefore, we must protect you.”
“That’s right, sir. Please give us the chance to protect you.”
“We are the ones saved by the commander!”
“I want to attend to the commander’s needs too!”
“Fine! Then let’s settle this simply with a spar!”
Yuren grinned and shouted. What a petty method, I thought, but surprisingly, no one refused. Cluna smiled at me and said.
“Then, commander, shall we go watch?”
“Sure.”
“Oh, by the way. I’ll be joining too?”
I felt a small chill from Cluna’s smile. I had the feeling I was forgetting something important, but no matter how much I thought, I couldn’t quite remember.
…Well, judging by what I forgot, it probably isn’t that important.
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