90 - Contact
The Laurel Kingdom army is gradually returning its forces to the royal capital.
As the commander-in-chief, Sieg felt it was still too early. He had wanted to maintain the troop strength until they had built a fortress more robust than when it was a stronghold of the Demon King's army, and until they had further depleted the Demon Race forces, but he had to give up on that.
It was an order from the King. Even as commander-in-chief, Sieg could not defy it.
The battle against the Demon King's army had taken more time than expected. This directly led to a delay in actions toward continental conquest. That was something the King could not tolerate.
Sieg understood that feeling. Other great powers had already begun to move. If they fell further behind, the gap would only widen. He could not allow a situation where other nations significantly surpassed them in national power.
As a result, Sieg would be leaving Nordende a step ahead of his army—.
"...Calm down."
"How can I be calm!?"
Sera shouted back at Geel's words. The army withdrawing from Nordende was fueling Sera's rage.
The Laurel Kingdom army was moving in small groups. Within those small groups, there were members of the Demon Race bound in chains. Normally, these demons should have been killed. Yet, many knights were keeping them alive to bring them back. It was for greed.
If Sieg had remained, such things would not have been permitted. Even if it wasn't Sieg, if a general strict about such matters had remained.
The death of Alfred, one of the Three Pillar Knights, was still exerting such an influence even now.
"That's one way to do it."
"What way!?"
"That's why I'm telling you to calm down. If you shout like that, we'll be found, won't we?"
Naturally, Sera was not in a place where she would be easily spotted by the Laurel Kingdom army. She was watching from a distance together with Geel.
"...It's impossible to be calm. How can such... such atrocities be permitted?"
"It's war. I'm not saying it's a permitted act, but things like that happen as a matter of course."
The madness that war brings to knights and soldiers. Geel knew it.
"That's why the Human Race is—"
"It's not that. Race has nothing to do with it. This time, the Laurel Kingdom army won, so that's how it is, but if the victory and defeat were reversed, the Demon Race would be the ones doing it."
"We would never do such a thing."
"You might not, Sera. But what about other demons? Don't tell me there isn't a single demon who has killed human children or raped women. I know that's a lie."
"............"
When put that way, Sera could no longer argue. There were certainly demons like that. It was an undeniable fact.
"If you didn't want your comrades to suffer such a fate, you shouldn't have lost. You shouldn't have fought a battle that would lead to defeat."
"...It is my responsibility."
"That's right. It's your responsibility too, Sera. And it's not just your responsibility. Victory and defeat aren't decided by a single person."
"That's true, but..."
"In the first place, war is the responsibility of those who caused it, regardless of who wins or loses. Victory and defeat are just differences in the amount of sacrifice. There's no such thing as a victory without casualties in war."
The winning side also has victims. Can the families of those victims rejoice in victory? Geel wondered if they felt the same as the families of the victims on the losing side.
"...That's unexpected. Does Geel, who is called the Mad Sword, hold such thoughts?"
"What I like is combat. I hate war."
"What's the difference?"
"It's completely different. In most cases, combat is something you can decide whether to do or not by your own will. If you challenge someone to a fight, or accept one, and as a result you lose, that's due to your own judgment. Besides, in combat, a victory without casualties is possible."
Combat depends on oneself. But war is not like that. There are many soldiers who are forced to fight even though they don't want to. Victory and defeat are decided regardless of one's own strength or weakness.
Geel didn't like the act of combat itself. He liked that whether combat took place or not, and whether it was won or lost, was his own responsibility.
"There are individual battles within a war. What about those cases?"
"...Don't ask such detailed things. I only answered in a way that's easy to understand because you asked."
"I see."
"Now, there's no point in staring at something so disgusting for too long... Hey, what's that?"
A small group of the Laurel Kingdom army leading demon prisoners. There was a creature standing in their way.
"...A Murder Wolf? No, but for that Magic Beast to come down the mountain..."
"As I thought, a Magic Beast. Now, I wonder if they can win?"
The Murder Wolf is a powerful Magic Beast. It's not an opponent an average knight can defeat one-on-one. However, there are about twenty people in the group. It might be possible to defeat it through the power of numbers.
"Probably impossible. There isn't just one Murder Wolf."
"What?"
One was standing in front of the group. Besides that, two others could be seen running toward them from behind with incredible momentum.
"Murder Wolves in a pack... I've never heard of such a thing."
"...I imagine so. Those are probably being controlled."
"Controlled?"
"Let's go! That's Ray!"
"What!?"
A person was running with momentum that wouldn't lose to a Murder Wolf. He charged in from the side of the group, who were distracted by the front and rear.
"Hurry!"
"Ah, I got it!"
Geel and Sera also ran at full speed toward the group, toward the place where combat had already begun. Naturally, Sera's pace was faster. She quickly pulled away from Geel and headed toward the scene.
—At the scene of the battle, all the knights of the Laurel Kingdom army had already fallen to the ground.
"...What's that? No, more importantly, is that Master behind him?"
The presence of someone approaching. When he turned his gaze to feel it, a woman who seemed to be of the Vampio race was running toward them. She was a familiar woman.
But Ray's gaze was drawn to the man running quite far behind her. He realized it was Geel.
"Can you run?"
"Eh?"
Being suddenly spoken to by Ray, the demon woman was bewildered.
"Do you have the energy to run?"
"...The chains..."
"So you can run if they're removed, right? Then let's hurry."
Before Ray could finish saying everything, a black line crossed the woman's eyes. The sound of cutting wind reached her ears. By then, the chains binding both her arms had been severed.
"It would be easier to cut if you could lie on your back on the ground and raise both legs up."
"Eh, yes. Lie on my back and legs..."
Hesitation appeared on the woman's face. Ray immediately understood the meaning.
"I don't think this is the time to be shy? Is it okay if you can't escape?"
"...Y-you're right."
"Everyone else too. There's no time. Hurry."
Following Ray's instructions, the women rolled onto the ground. Ray severed the chains between their raised legs one after another.
When that was finished, it was the arms. He had them take a posture of thrusting both arms forward, but...
"...You're not going to get in the way, are you?"
By then, Sera had arrived at the scene.
"...Of course not."
The cold gaze Ray directed at her. It was something he already knew, but she felt clearly that she was hated.
"Then, watch in silence."
Turning his gaze away from Sera, he cut the chains of the women who had been prisoners.
"If you're going to Nordende, please flee into the mountain over there first. If you go deep for a while, there's a beast path. You should be able to tell if you look carefully. Then go north."
"...Who are you?"
"I'm also heading to Nordende. However, I have some business, so I'll go after finishing that. I'll probably catch up soon."
"Ah, yes. Thank you. So, who exactly are you?"
"Ah, that. I'm former Demon King's army. I led a unit called the Undead Legion."
To reassure the women, telling them his title in the Demon King's army was best. Even if not, Ray had no other title. Even if he told them his name, they would just wonder "Who?".
"I see... and you?"
The woman also asked Sera about her identity. Sera was clearly of the Vampio race. She thought she was more trustworthy than Ray, who looked human.
"That woman is a traitor. Because of her betrayal, my unit was annihilated."
"Betrayal?"
"It's not a lie. If you doubt it, please ask her yourself. I don't know if she'll tell the truth, though."
"...Is it true?"
"............"
Sera could not answer the woman's question. Feeling a strong sense of shame at the contempt contained in the surrounding gazes, she could no longer lift her head.
"...I understand. Then we will go ahead. We will definitely thank you later."
"Yes. I'll definitely catch up."
The women left the scene. Those remaining, for now, were Ray and Sera.
"...I made a promise with Kai-kun."
"With Kai-sama?"
"That I wouldn't forgive you, but I also wouldn't go out of my way to pursue you. But you have appeared before me of your own accord like this. With this, I'm not breaking the promise."
Since she appeared before him, he would kill her. There was nothing restricting that.
"...I want you to listen to me."
"I don't need excuses."
"It's not an excuse. I want you to fight for the King, to fight alongside my King. If you promise this, I will offer my life right now."
"I refuse. Your life has no value. You'll just die."
"...Please. At least a promise to meet the King."
Sera knelt on the spot and pressed her head to the ground.
"Lift your head a bit more. It's hard to cut you like that."
Even with Sera prostrating herself, Ray's heart did not move. With a face devoid of emotion, he looked down at Sera.
"Hey, you should be a bit kinder to women."
A voice that brought emotion back to Ray.
"...I'm different from Master."
"Then fix it immediately. This is a Master's order."
"...I hope I'm mistaken, but is this woman Master's girlfriend?"
Ray asked jokingly why Geel was trying to help Sera.
"That's the plan, but she's just not getting into the mood. It seems she has no eye for men."
"...So you've finally started making moves on demons as well."
"Well, a handsome man like me has to cross the boundaries of race."
"I agree with that, but I don't recommend this woman."
Ray hoped for a world where people could love freely across racial boundaries. For now, that was nothing more than a dream.
"Why? Isn't she a fine woman?"
"Almost all members of the Vampio race are beautiful in appearance. I think the judgment of whether someone is a fine woman should be based on their inside."
"I still think she's a fine woman. Well, that's a matter of my preference. So? You're not actually going to kill the woman Master is targeting, are you?"
"...Not here."
Even if he said he'd kill her, Geel would only try to prevent it by force. That would be a hassle, so while the joking conversation continued, he decided to end the talk.
"Alright. Now, to the main point."
"There's still more?"
"Of course. If not, why would I be chasing a man?"
"...I see."
Their meeting was not a coincidence. He realized that the presence of someone he had felt many times on his way was Geel's.
"First, how is Cecil doing?"
"............"
Suddenly, a difficult question to answer. Considering Cecil, it would be better not to say she was with him, an enemy of the Laurel Kingdom. The time spent thinking that made Ray unable to answer immediately.
"It seems you're together. That's good."
"Good?"
"It's better than wandering around everywhere unable to find you, right? Knowing her, she'd probably chase you until she died."
"...Well."
Indeed, he thought Cecil had that level of tenacity.
"If you're together, that's fine. After that, the two of you should go somewhere without fighting."
"I cannot do that."
"Revenge doesn't make people happy. It's absurd to walk such a barren path in life."
"I don't intend to become happy. If I give up on revenge, then only a barren life will remain."
"...Even if it means involving Cecil?"
"That is..."
He didn't want to involve others. If possible, he wanted Cecil to leave his side, but he didn't know how to make her accept that.
"If you have a life without fighting, Cecil will surely become a normal, no, a good wife who devotes herself to her husband more than normal. The two of you can walk a peaceful life. Isn't that fine?"
"...I cannot do that."
"Why? Is revenge something more important than making people happy?"
"That life is something I promised Rui."
Revenge wasn't the only reason. Ray believed that he must not live such a life.
"...What?"
"I promised Rui—the Rui who was captured—that if we could escape, the two of us would return to the forest and live leisurely. I have no intention of realizing that promise with Rui with another woman."
"You..."
Geel felt that Ray wasn't just captured by a desire for revenge. He was bound by something more troublesome.
"...Is that all? Then I'm going. Please stop chasing me. No matter what you say, my feelings won't change."
"Revenge will make you unhappy."
"It must be so. For the sake of my own revenge, I made others unhappy. I killed many comrades. It's not permitted for only me to return to a decent life here."
"Even if the number of unhappy people increases further?"
"Master, as a soldier of the Laurel Kingdom, has no right to say that. War also makes many people unhappy. In a sense, this woman is one of them."
"............"
Geel agreed with Ray's words. War creates much unhappiness. But he didn't have the power to stop that war. Even knowing that more people would become unhappy in the future, he couldn't stop it.
"I'm going."
While Geel remained silent, Ray slowly began to walk. His pace gradually increased, and soon his back disappeared into the mountains.
"...Why?"
"Hmm?"
"Why did I betray him? Why didn't I try to know his feelings more?"
Sera, still lying on the ground, muttered words of regret.
"...Does the Charm of the Vampio race continue to have an effect even after death?"
"...I don't think it does."
It couldn't. Sera knew that. But Ray's heart was bound by Rui's death. Surely by Kamiira's death as well. If it wasn't Charm, what was it? How deeply must one love another to be able to bind their life? In reality, it wasn't like that, but Sera, who didn't understand, couldn't help but think so.
"Maybe the one who should be persuaded is the young lady instead."
Something that bound Ray even after death. If anything could counter that, it might be Cecil's tenacity, which felt like madness. Geel thought so.
◇◇◇
That Cecil. The conversation between Geel and Sera would have been quite interesting to Cecil. A way to bind Ray's heart is something Cecil wanted more than anything. If she knew what it was, she would be depressed upon realizing it was something she couldn't obtain.
Cecil, who had no way of knowing the content of the conversation or even that they were talking, was trying to attract Ray's attention in a completely different way.
Having finished the preparations for that, Cecil returned to the garrison. Without heading straight for the entrance, she quietly searched for the presence of others around her. Feeling something different from the atmosphere of the garrison she knew, she was on guard.
Cecil soon realized her senses were correct.
The entrance opened, and the one who came out was neither a Skeleton Soldier nor Kai. She could tell at a glance.
A member of the Demon Race Cecil didn't know. The appearance of such a person caused tension to spike instantly.
"Wait! Are you Cecil-dono!?"
Sensing that Cecil was about to chant a spell, the other party called out.
"...And if I am, what!?"
The other party knew her name. Cecil was slightly surprised by that.
"I have no intention of harming you! I have a promise with Kai-dono!"
"...And the proof!?"
"Proof... this is why dealing with the Human Race is like this."
There was no proof. Even a verbal promise was a contract. For a demon to break it would be a heavy crime unthinkable to humans.
However, from Cecil's position, it was natural to demand it. Cecil had not been present at the time of that verbal promise.
"So there is no proof, is that right?"
"I can't prove it until Kai-dono returns."
"...And you expect me to believe that?"
"Aren't you already half-believing it? Otherwise, you wouldn't have let me get this close, would you?"
The distance between the two had closed to the point where there was no need to shout anymore.
"Getting close might be the way to defeat you."
"My, how scary. I wonder if I've fallen into a trap?"
"Don't mess around."
The other's light talk was proof of composure. Cecil felt irritated, as if her power was being underestimated.
"I'm not messing around. If we are kicked out of here, we cannot survive. Even if you are a human like those who killed many comrades and violated friends, we have no choice but to welcome you with a smile."
"............"
The demon woman's expression suddenly turned serious. She hadn't been smiling because she wanted to. Cecil realized she had been enduring it to survive.
"Kai-dono told me, above all, not to make a person named Ray angry. Hurting you is one of those things. Therefore, we will never harm you. This is a promise to you."
"...I understand."
If it weren't for her life with Kai, she might not have accepted these words. If it weren't for the fact that Ray had been on the side of the demons, she would have attacked without question.
But that wasn't the case. Cecil knew demons a little more than before.
"Good. My name is Barbari. Nice to meet you."
"You seem to know already, but I'm Cecil."
"Your blood is thick, isn't it?"
"Blood is thick?"
"It's fine if you don't understand. More importantly, I've been wondering since a moment ago, what is that?"
Barbari pointed to a large bag loaded on the horse. One could tell by looking that it wasn't just a luggage bag.
"Ray-sama needs a servant who will never betray him. I've obtained a candidate for that."
"...A candidate. Not an undead, then?"
If it were undead, it should be loyal to the caster from the moment it was born. Cecil's explanation was not that.
"They still need training. Don't worry, there's no danger to you."
"I see. Understood, I'll believe your words."
In reality, anxiety remained, but as a token of gratitude for being accepted, Cecil decided to believe her.
For Cecil, and for the demons, a truly strange cohabitation life began.