146 - Defeat
In the direct confrontation between Ray and Fumiya, if one looks only at the numbers, it was Fumiya's defeat. The damage suffered by the noble houses' armies that launched the charge was immense. The allied forces also suffered considerable casualties. On the other hand, Ray's side consisted of the Cechrops tribe, who intercepted the noble armies, and the Vampio tribe, who tried to save Kai; each suffered only a few casualties, other than the Undead Legion. The Undead Legion's numbers were significantly reduced, but whether that counts as a "sacrifice" is debatable. They were already dead to begin with. However, this is an objective evaluation based solely on numbers. In reality, it is not that simple.
Fumiya suffered quite severe injuries, but his life is not in danger. Fumiya possessed the power—though not perfect—to repel even Akemi's magic. He likely won't be able to return to the battlefield for a while, but he will eventually make a comeback.
Ray does not possess the means to defeat such a Fumiya. By actually fighting him, he was made to realize that doing so would be extremely difficult. The sense of defeat is far stronger for Ray.
However, only Ray and those close to him know this; the executives of the rebel forces only know the objective numbers.
"...The noble armies are almost annihilated. The main army also suffered considerable casualties, and the Hero, the commander-in-chief, is severely injured."
Hansmann repeated the reported contents. A desire not to believe it was what made Hansmann do so.
"Is the information that Akemi Sakuragi was with the Demon King's army correct?"
Baldwin, who had also heard the report, questioned another fact he did not want to believe.
"There is no mistake. It was Fumiya-dono who saw her."
"Why...?"
Baldwin wondered why Akemi, one of the Heroes, would side with the Demon King's army and severely injure Fumiya.
"You know the reason, don't you?"
"...I see. That's true."
Akemi should harbor a grudge against Neil. It wouldn't be strange for her to side with the Demon King's army.
"Tell her about Neil's death... no, she probably already knows..."
Hansmann thought about trying to change Akemi's feelings by telling her that Neil was already dead, but he judged that it would be impossible. Ray had declared that he was the one who killed Neil. Akemi, who was with him, must naturally know that fact.
"What shall we do? At this rate..."
They cannot win. This is what Baldwin is thinking. Fumiya's army, which had overwhelmed the enemy until now, had suffered—in their view—one-sided damage. Even in terms of individual power, Fumiya was severely injured by Akemi, who had defected to the enemy. This is how they perceived the result of this battle.
"............"
Hansmann felt similarly. With a grief-stricken expression, he desperately thought about whether there was a way to break the deadlock.
"Should we not call back the Knight Commander of the Kingdom?"
Beran suggested calling back the Knight Commander of the Larc Kingdom. He was not seeking the man's individual power. He was hoping to rely on the number of troops he led.
"...Will that allow us to win?"
Hansmann seemed dissatisfied with Beran's suggestion.
"I don't know. But the more numbers, the better. Is that not so?"
"...No, you are not wrong."
Numbers are necessary. In a fight against demons, overwhelming them with numbers is common sense, known even to Hansmann, who is not a soldier.
"Then let's call him back."
"Yes. However, that alone will not be enough."
"Do you intend to gather more noble armies?"
Beran was the one who first suggested reinforcements, but gathering more noble armies would change the situation slightly. The nobles were not sending their armies out of joy. Furthermore, if it became a losing battle, that feeling would only strengthen. Would that strong dissatisfaction not turn the nobles' loyalty toward Ekaterina?
Beran believed there was a possibility. As the negotiator, Beran was the one most attuned to the complex feelings of the nobles.
"No, not the noble armies."
"...Ah, the Lydia Kingdom and the Aria Kingdom?"
The sources for reinforcements were not limited to their own country. There were also the Lydia Kingdom and the Aria Kingdom. Knowing this, Beran felt a bit relieved, but...
"The Lydia Kingdom and the Aria Kingdom, as well."
Hansmann was thinking of something even more outrageous.
"...As well, as in?"
Beran couldn't immediately think of anywhere else besides those two countries.
"Demons are the common enemy of humans. Don't you think we should unite and face this matter together?"
"Unite... you don't mean?"
Beran's eyes widened as he understood what Hansmann was thinking.
"I intend to request support not only from the Lydia Kingdom and the Aria Kingdom, but from all surrounding countries."
"That's absurd!? If we do that, this country will become a grazing ground for other nations!"
Baldwin strongly denied Hansmann's idea. Not all surrounding countries were favorable toward the Laurel Kingdom. It could even be said that none were. Requesting the dispatch of armies from such countries was the same as offering up their territory. This is what Baldwin thought.
"If we continue to lose to the demons, it will end up the same way."
Hansmann also understood that danger. However, if they continued to lose the fight against the Demon King's army and their military and national power declined, it would inevitably invite invasion from other countries. This is how he thought.
"But... the risk is too high."
"If we can successfully draw them into the fight, the armies of other countries will also suffer attrition. If we can avoid a situation where only our country suffers damage, the risk of invasion will also decrease."
"...Do you think other countries will fight seriously?"
There was a possibility they would suddenly occupy territory without fighting the Demon King's army.
"They likely have a desire for territory. But is there any meaning in occupying a region dominated by demons? If they want land, they will eventually have to fight as well."
"True..."
"We must make the other countries properly understand the difficulty of fighting alone when that time comes, at the stage where we request support. If we can do that, a true joint fight will be possible."
If the Laurel Kingdom perished, it would be their turn next. Making them think that was important. If they shared the threat of the demons, other countries would also fight seriously. Hansmann's thinking was not wrong. Demons are the enemy of humans. That awareness exists in every country. The problem is how to make them believe it is an urgent threat to their own country.
"...How far do you intend to reach out?"
Baldwin asked what range "surrounding countries" referred to. This was proof that room for consideration had been created.
"We need to involve the great powers as well."
"...As expected, it comes to that."
Countries that directed their ambitions toward the Laurel Kingdom and had the power to realize them. Those were the countries that had to be drawn into the fight against demons. Otherwise, invasion could not be suppressed. However, bringing the armies of great powers into their own country also carried considerable danger.
"Initially, let's limit the numbers. I think we can use the logic that we don't have the capacity to handle a large army."
"In reality, that is correct. We don't have the capacity to support a large army over the long term."
As the conversation turned to finances, Libert, the person in charge, spoke up.
"...Then, first, let's calculate how much we can accept from a financial standpoint. Based on that, we will decide the numbers for each country."
Hansmann decided to determine the feasible range. He thought of plans that others couldn't imagine, and no matter how difficult they were, he would not give up, shaping them while making adjustments. Hansmann had the ability to do that.
Many people evaluated him as excellent. However, a very small minority viewed him as a person who obsessed over the realization of reckless plans, forced things forward, and produced half-baked results—or in some cases, harm. Those people were the murdered Prime Minister and the King.
◇◇◇
The executives of the rebel forces, who perceived the battle as a crushing defeat and were about to execute an unexpected plan, did not know. They did not know that the Demon King, who from their perspective was the winner—though they didn't even know who the Demon King was—was feeling a strong sense of defeat, was depressed, and was worrying. Because they didn't know, they were about to take a gamble like involving other countries.
"Is your body okay now?"
Akemi asked worriedly.
"I'm okay. That was a shock to the heart, not the body."
The one who answered Akemi's question was not Ray, but Kai. Kai had taken more damage from the battle, although he had recovered by the end of the day.
"I didn't know Fumiya could use something like that."
"Maybe you just didn't notice? On the surface, it looks like he's just attacking with a sword."
"I see. To be able to fight on equal terms with demons, there really was something special, wasn't there?"
Fumiya was strong. That was known. But she had never once thought about the secret of that strength. Akemi hadn't needed to think about it.
"It feels like a power meant for fighting us. Since it attacks both the mind and body simultaneously."
What supports the robustness of demons is the magic power dwelling within them. That magic power was directly attacked. That is how Kai felt Fumiya's attack. It is a troublesome attack for demons. Of course, it also works against humans, who are inferior in individual power to demons.
"...I wish he had died from that."
Akemi knew that Fumiya had survived. No matter how depressed he was, Ray was not one to neglect information gathering.
"Did you want to kill him?"
"Otherwise, I couldn't have aimed that kind of magic at him."
"Was there no resistance?"
Akemi had come to feel a strong resistance toward killing people. She should have become unable to aim magic at humans.
"...I was just frantic."
To save Kai. With that single thought, Akemi had aimed her magic at Fumiya. She had no room for hesitation.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I was saved."
"...You're welcome."
Akemi blushed at the smile of the thanking Kai. Feeling embarrassed that she was blushing at the younger Kai, her cheeks turned red.
"I wonder if Ray is okay?"
"His recovery was faster than mine."
"In the same heart, but the feelings part."
"...I know. But I couldn't do anything for him. Honestly, I don't even know what he's depressed about."
Ray's depression was considerable. Cecil was purely worried about such a Ray, but Akemi also felt a bit that there was no need to be that depressed.
"...Probably because I almost died."
"I understand that, but... please don't be angry, okay? Since it's a war, it's impossible for there to be zero casualties."
Since they are waging war, they must be prepared for sacrifices. Akemi, too, would have been terribly depressed if Kai had died then. But in her head, she thought this.
"If I had died then, it would have been the third time—no, if I include the third life, the fourth time."
"...The number of times you've let important people die?"
"Yeah... it's a bit embarrassing to admit to myself that they were important people, isn't it?"
"Because they actually were. I see. I'm no good. To not have noticed something like that."
What was making Ray depressed was his past experience. People who were so important that he swore revenge against the Laurel Kingdom. Kai was Ray's family, just like those people. Akemi felt ashamed of herself for not realizing that.
"This is just my own selfish imagination, but I wonder if Ray thought the time had come?"
"The time for what?"
"The time to take revenge. He started this fight for another woman, but he shouldn't have forgotten his feelings of revenge. He probably thought he could finally achieve it..."
The target of his revenge was at an unreachable height. He intended to put in his maximum effort, but that was nothing more than arrogance.
"Can't Ray beat Fumiya?"
"At least, that's what Ray thought."
"If we match the numbers, we can win, right?"
If he cannot win one-on-one, he can just defeat him with a large number of people. Akemi did not think that was cowardly. In the first place, humans have been defeating demons that way.
"As a result, someone might be sacrificed. That's the troublesome part about Ray. Since he considers revenge to be his own convenience, he doesn't have the heart to involve others."
"It certainly is troublesome. But it's like him."
"Even outside of revenge, he tries to do the most dangerous things himself."
"...I wonder what he intends to do from here on?"
What kind of fighting style will Ray choose from now on? Akemi believes Ray is not the type to just stay depressed forever, but she feels anxious about the conclusion he will reach. She worries that he might try to shoulder everything himself again.
"He should just do as he wants. That's what I think. Even if it's something that seems selfish. Because as a result, that will also lead to him learning to rely on others."
"...You're right. Then, first, I'll get him used to being comforted by others instead of regretting things alone."
Akemi stood up to go comfort Ray.
"Ah, you should probably stop that."
Kai stopped her.
"Why?"
"Right now... it seems they're busy."
"...Eh?"
Cecil had gone to comfort Ray before Akemi. Rather than just going, she had been by his side for the past few days. If those two were "busy," it meant exactly that.
"...Cecil-san is also clumsy."
That was Cecil's way of comforting Ray. That is what Kai thought.
◇◇◇
Ray and Cecil were in a place away from Kai, Akemi, and other people. Seeking a place where he could think alone without being disturbed—though he wasn't alone since Cecil was always by his side—he had been doing so. For several days, he had been deeply depressed and worried, yet nothing was resolved. Because of that, his feelings sank further. For Ray, this was an experience after a long time.
To lift Ray's spirits, Cecil pressed her heart and body against him. It didn't matter if Ray wasn't in the mood at all. She actively caressed Ray and accepted him within herself.
Someone might come. She didn't care. She didn't care who saw. She didn't even have that consciousness. She was immersed only in the desire to comfort Ray, only in the act for that purpose.
After how long of continuing the act, the positions were reversed.
"...Ah... n... ah... a, again..."
Cecil's heart and body were being toyed with by the caresses she received from Ray. Surging pleasure. Cecil had no intention of rejecting it. She honestly drowned in it and became immersed.
"...N-ah... n, nn... ah, n-no..."
Her mind went blank. Even the desire to comfort Ray was painted over in white. Cecil's body arched back. She herself didn't even realize it.
"Ah, ahn... ah, n... ah, aaah! Ah... n..."
Reaching a climax for the umpteenth time, Cecil's body trembled violently.
"...Um... can I continue a bit more?"
Ray asked Cecil hesitantly.
"Eh...? If... if Ray-sama wishes..."
Cecil had never spoken this way. It was the first time she felt her heart and body so completely satisfied.
"Ah, actually, never mind."
Ray also noticed it from Cecil's reaction.
"...I, I am already sufficiently satisfied."
Even though she was satisfied, she didn't want to reject Ray. Cecil swapped positions with Ray and sank toward the lower half of his body.
"...This happened before, didn't it?"
There was no answering voice. The reason was known from the stimulation felt in the lower half. Cecil is always like this. She only thinks about serving him. Ray thought once again that there is no other woman like her.
"An act of just throwing my feelings at you. But Cecil-san accepted it."
To vent the feelings clogging his chest, he had devoured Cecil's body. He hadn't thought about how she felt. This was the second time he had done such a thing. Cecil forgave him. Ray felt that she forgave him.
Raising his upper body, Ray pulled Cecil, who had been continuing to caress him, close.
"I was saved by you again. Thank you."
Ray whispered his thanks into Cecil's ear as he hugged her.
"...I am just satisfying my own desires."
Cecil's heart ached when Ray thanked her. She felt that she was satisfying her own desires by taking advantage of Ray's depression. That is how Cecil felt.
"Were you satisfied?"
"...Very much."
"That's good. I was satisfied too. I'm okay now."
"Really?"
She wondered if those words were just out of consideration for her. Cecil suspected that.
"It's true. Even though I was terribly depressed, it just feels normally good."
"Eh?"
"I got excited by Cecil-san's body, it felt good, and my head became full of sexual desire. I immersed myself in the act frantically. When I suddenly noticed, I laughed at my own stupidity."
No matter how depressed he was, he lost to sexual desire. He felt pathetic and ridiculous for that, and the fact that he had been depressed seemed foolish.
"...You could laugh?"
"I could laugh. Humans are strong, aren't they? I gained a little confidence in myself as one of those strong people."
"I'm glad."
Apparently, Ray really had recovered. Knowing that, a smile appeared on Cecil's face.
"I will start over once more. If it is to become strong, I am prepared to throw everything away."
"Eh...?"
Throw everything away. Cecil's expression clouded at Ray's words.
"...Except for Cecil-san. Even if I lose my arms, lose my legs, or lose anything, only you will be mine forever."
"...Yes. I am yours. My heart, my body, I dedicate my everything only to you."
With Ray's following words, she showed the biggest smile of her life. Like Ray, she gained a little confidence in herself. Confidence that she was loved by Ray.