Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Fighting together with the Heroes!
We were by the resting area of the adventurer’s guild [Gardener]. I was sitting next to Carol inside the lounge as she was carefully scanning the area around us. Carol is a Battalion Commander that was on an undercover mission by the orders of the demon army.
“Well, this may be my first time visiting such a new heroes’ guild but higher-ups on this side are really giving it all to crush the demon army huh?”
“Hmm… well that’s true. The entire demon army was put under a lot of pressure these days. It was especially worse for Battalion Commanders in middle management like Eric-chan. You guys were awfully overworked all the time.”
“... Was it really that bad?”
“Really bad. All the battalion commanders around me were always whispering around saying, ‘Be careful or you’ll end up like Eric!’”
“Seriously?”
“No one really saw you going back home after work you know? And there was this famous rumor about a ghost humming an eerie song every night『Hang in there ME～♪ Keep it up ME～♪ Because It is ME～♪ I can do it～♪ I can do it～♪』Plus, with the constant scribbling noises coming from the office all day. That’s the reason why no one was allowed inside the office at night.”
…Eh? Was that really because of me?
I don’t remember humming a song like that though…!?
Well, I did notice that no one came to the office at night on those days, but I didn't realize there was a whole backstory to it…
If being told that I had been unconsciously humming a self-composed song every night wasn’t outrageous enough, Carol kept going with her prattle.
“You see~ this why I was convinced that, this undercover mission is actually a ploy to give Eric-chan a little break. It’s hard for us without Eric-chan but Garlock-senpai is holding the fort with 18 straight shifts so far.”
… I guess this is what you call a domino effect…
I already knew there was an on-going internet crisis within the demon army but I didn’t have the leisure to go into the details about those things at that time.
But now that I look back on it, the sudden aggression from the hero's side did seem rather abnormal.
And it was quite obvious what they were aiming for, they were trying to destroy the balance of power between the two opposing parties.
War was the necessary evil that kept everyone at bay, some conflicts were needed to keep the order within the army. But for them to be like this at a time where both sides should be extra careful about their actions――.
“It’s always the same orders as usual, just ‘Drive them back!’. No matter of how aggressive the hero’s side has gotten, we’re only allowed to chase them away. Honestly, sometimes I haven't got a clue of what Demon King is actually thinking.”
Carol gulped down the orange juice she had bought earlier at the guild counter.
Going over her words just now, I thought this was a good time to disclose what has been on my mind for some time.
“...Hey Carol.”
“Hn?”
“All this time, what have we really sworn fealty to?”
“Did you finally lose it, Eric-chan? Just what are you saying? Obviously, that could only be the Demon King.”
“That’s right, it was the Demon King…”
That absolute, overwhelming existence— First time we had ever felt his presence was when we had first enlisted in the demon army.
When you enter the ranks of the military, all the new recruits will be brought forth before him at once. Back then, we had all felt intimidated by the sheer amount of colossal magical power exuding from his throne far above.
I both longed for it and also felt terrified at the same time. That extremely intense magical aura that could kill with just a simple touch. I had goosebumps all over my body, it almost felt exhilarating.
At that moment I thought to myself, in the future, I want to stand by this person and experience this scenery once more.
I think most of us felt this way back then. That’s how much we revered the existence known as the Demon King.
And that’s exactly why—
“Eric-chan, what are you trying to say here?”
With a serious look on my face, I turned to Carol, who sat by the counter, dangling her feet back and forth.
“Maybe the Demon King… is no longer there.”
Carol’s eyes darted towards me in surprise.
“Demon-king’s… gone...?”
She took another sip of orange juice.
Carol held absolute admiration towards the Demon King. I already knew that she was a pious believer of the Demon King. Which was exactly why I was hesitant about revealing my thoughts to her at first. Even so, I still felt that I couldn’t move on without telling this to her.
And yet, Carol simply smiled as if nothing had happened.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything just now.”
“...I see.”
I had never thought like this when I was still at the Demon army. If there really wasn’t a Demon Lord, then what would happen to us? And for what reason have we been doing all this for?
We had all pledged our entirety to the Demon King from the bottom of our hearts, we no longer had any other path to turn to.
Perhaps this thought only occurred to me since I had voluntarily left the Demon army in the first place.
“Hey there, are you guys free right now?”
A group of three men came up to us when we were both lost in our own worlds.
One was a lean young man clad in a unique ornate armor with a refreshing appearance. The tallest of the bunch had a very muscular, brawny build. And the last person seemed rather plump and overweight.
“Hmm, adventurers from Gradener?”
Carol inquired with a puzzled expression.
The lean young man wore a gentle smile as he nodded in response.
“We are forming an allied force to invade the Demon King’s army. Since you both seem quite strong, I would like to invite you two if you don’t mind joining us.”
“Humu~”
The lean young man lowered his head and smiled wryly at Carol, while she simply turned her head to the side.
“Pardon my late introduction. I am an exclusive B rank adventurer on Gardner. Allow me to formally invite you again. Will you be interested in lending your strength to our [Shaltz] in the upcoming campaign against the Demon King’s army.”
— B Rank, it means he’s reasonably skilled for an adventurer.
He probably had a number of achievements under his belt with the past expeditions against the Demon army.
“Alright, we’ll join.”
Carol nodded and readily accepted the invitation.
As if by reflex, I turned to the side and hurriedly whispered in her ear.
“Hold on, is this really, okay?”
“It’ll be fine. The more mission reports there are, the more information we’ll gather.”
“Well, that’s true but—”
Carol always instinctively trusted people too easily, which is what worries me the most here…
“Thank you very much. Alright then, now that all the formalities are out of the way, let us start discussing our plans together.”
The lean young man turned to me as he said so with an oddly sweet smile.
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