Return Journey to the Royal Castle III
After we had thoroughly eliminated the undead horde, we checked the map to confirm the location of the village in the direction the undead had been advancing. We headed there, cutting down bandits that had been ambushing carriages along the way, and crushed the remnants of the Demon Race that were lurking in the shadows. Upon arriving at the village, we reunited with the carriage that had been attacked by bandits. Since our next destination was a village near the city where the Royal Castle stood, we were asked to provide protection for the carriage. In return, we received four swords that had been loaded onto the carriage as our reward. Thus, we managed to shorten the journey that would have taken about three weeks on foot to roughly ten days.
Since we had no business in the village, we disembarked from the carriage as soon as we reached the entrance. We accepted two Mithril Swords, two Iron Swords, and several rations as our reward before resuming our journey to the Royal Castle.
And now…
“There are quite a few of them… Didn’t we wipe out every last one of the remnants last year?”
“I thought we did… Hmmm, it seems they might be trying to stir up some trouble. And it looks like they have someone with strength surpassing that of a High-ranking Demon.”
“…This is troublesome.”
“Indeed, it truly is.”
In a forest not far from the city where the Royal Castle was located, we were exterminating a gathering of demons that seemed to be holding a meeting.
It was a literal massacre; not a single living demon remained. We scoured the underbrush, leaving no stone unturned, and killed them all. While the rough estimate was around fifty, it was evident that there must be a commander somewhere since a typical gathering of demons averages about six without any notable leader.
However, among those we had just slain, there was no sign of such a figure. It was certain that a demon commanding them was hiding elsewhere… which was exceedingly bothersome. The reason being that demons of this sort likely do not stay in one specific location; they might even be disguising themselves as humans.
Moreover, if there were multiple commanders instead of just one, there could be similar gatherings in a dozen different places. Killing one commander wouldn’t scatter the rest, meaning it would take considerable time to deal with them completely.
“Should we search for them?”
“Just the two of us? That’s impossible. These cunning ones will escape easily. It would be better to report this… Contact the Knight Order. We found a larger group of demons than usual, and while we exterminated them, there was no commander present. If we mention that it corresponds to the emergence of a Demon King’s Army Executive, they’ll have no choice but to act. While I go to the Royal Castle to report, it would take too long to deal with them individually.”
“So, we’re employing Human Sea Tactics. Understood. Where should we place command?”
“Put it in the hands of the Knight Order. Not everyone will follow our orders blindly; delegate it to the Knight Commander or one of the deputy commanders, or perhaps the second or third squad leaders.”
“Got it. What about the scope of the search?”
“Consult among yourselves. You don’t know how many knights can be mobilized, and your priorities might differ from mine. You can either discuss it or delegate it; once the report is done, we’ll have to move anyway.”
“I see… Is there anywhere else we should contact?”
“No need.”
Thus, we decided to leave the search for the demons to the Knight Order. It would be more efficient to have them mobilize rather than the two of us scouring the underbrush. Unlike us, they wouldn’t be easily recognized, so the demons wouldn’t be able to escape. If they could find and eliminate them, that would be ideal. If no report came back and there were no returning survivors, it would be certain that a commander was present at that location, and we could head there.
Additionally, we could continue to move individually and eliminate demons as we saw fit. Assuming the Knight Order would be limited in how far they could go as a group, we could encircle and hunt them down from a distance, which would be quicker and less troublesome.
Well, if someone were to ask why I was still doing this despite no longer being a Hero, it’s because I got involved, and I should see it through to the end. Besides, the members of the Demon King’s Army are so vile that I need to eliminate them for my own mental stability.
And I would only contact the Knight Order.
From the perspective of employing Human Sea Tactics, it would make sense to contact the Magic Union, the Church, and the Adventurers’ Guild as well. However, all of them, including the Knight Order, are strong-willed individuals, so cooperation would be unlikely. If they moved as a group under those circumstances, it would only lead to confusion and result in them being attacked. Therefore, I would only contact the Knight Order, who I trust the most and can mobilize easily. If the Knight Order decides to reach out to the Adventurers’ Guild to bolster their numbers, I won’t stop them; it’s their choice, and if someone who understands the situation believes that’s the best course of action, then it must be the right decision.
“Understood… But it’s surprising.”
“What’s surprising?”
“I thought that since you’re no longer a Hero, you wouldn’t act on your own like this. I didn’t expect you to consider moving others and also include yourself in the plan.”
“Well, I got involved, after all. And I don’t like demons or the Demon King’s Army. If they come into my sight or my area of activity, I’ll just kill them.”
“I see… By the way, what would you do if you were told not to get involved?”
“Well… I’d cross that bridge when I come to it. I’d pick a spot where they might be hiding, then move in that direction and say I killed them when I encountered them along the way. Since I was told not to get involved, there’s no need to report it, but it’s just a precaution.”
“Hmmm… I’ll hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Do that.”
This was merely a discussion based on the worst-case scenario. If it didn’t happen, there would be no problem, and I didn’t think it would come to that since Fana had already gone to report.
Well, I’ll set aside such hypothetical discussions. More importantly, the possibility of a group of High-ranking Demons forming and being left unchecked in multiple locations needs to be reported quickly. Whether it’s accepted or not, if we delay our response, the potential for greater damage increases significantly.
“We don’t have the luxury of taking our time. Let’s go.”
“Understood. I know the way from here, so just leave me behind if you get too far ahead. If it seems difficult to regroup, I’ll report to the Knight Order.”
“Ah… If it seems necessary to regroup, I’ll wait at the training grounds. If not, I’ll slip through the Royal Castle and hide somewhere out of sight… perhaps in an alley. I’ll be in a quiet alley, so if you finish your business during the day, let’s meet there. I’ll be outside at night, so don’t bother looking for me.”
“Got it, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Please do.”
I conveyed various instructions and my course of action to Fana, then began to move, crushing the remains of the demons beneath my feet. Instead of walking slowly like I had before, I ran while carefully adjusting my strength to avoid causing disturbances in the surroundings. For now, I matched my speed with Fana until we exited the forest… Once we broke free from the trees, I pointed in the direction we needed to go and ran with renewed vigor. If I exerted too much force, the ground would crumble or shatter, so I made sure to gauge my strength as I ran.
“Alright, I’m heading out first.”
“Understood, see you later.”
“Yeah, later.”
Having grasped the right amount of force to use, I called out to Fana before sprinting away. Once I got the hang of it, I could run without affecting the ground or surroundings, and while I could theoretically dash through the sky, that wasn’t necessary for this distance, so I continued to run along the ground.
As I passed by monsters along the way, I sliced them apart like a swordsman, leaving their remains scattered. For the bandits, I maintained my speed and dispatched them with kicks and lariats without slowing down.
In about two hours, I should arrive, so if all goes well, I might finish my report before sunset.
It seemed I would arrive a bit earlier than initially planned, but considering the detours I took, the Duke’s carriage would likely arrive first since they hadn’t made such diversions, allowing for a smooth reporting process.
Notes: Timeline of Events Surrounding the Protagonist from the Start
- Extermination of the Demon King’s Army Executives & Revocation of Hero Status → One month spent on healing, etc. → Departure from the Duke’s city towards the Royal Castle (Duke’s carriage departs simultaneously) → One day later, encounter with the undead horde & rescue of the carriage → Reunion with the rescued carriage & acceptance of escort request → Ten days of escorting the carriage while traveling, arriving at the city near the Royal Castle → One day later, discovery & annihilation of the demon horde.
The distance from the Duke’s city to the Royal Castle is approximately 150 kilometers.
The Duke’s carriage arrived around the midpoint of the escort period.
The prologue outside occurs shortly after this, around the end of the escort period.