Chapter 99 - Existing (1)

The figure draped in a bear pelt trudged down the street on a donkey. Although it was not a sight easily found in a desert, no one paid any attention to the entity.

["How foolish humans are. To think they can possess power without paying a price."]

A slender, pitch-black hand pushed the bear pelt back. As the bear's head that had been covering the face withdrew, curly hair flowed down. It was glossy and completely free of tangles, looking well-cared for.

["Thinking that there is no price is the very price itself."]

As if the entity was pleased with its hair, it slowly twirled a section with its index finger.

["But it's also a bit of a shame. I don't want to cross beyond this city just yet."]

And when the long hair was tightly wound around the finger, the entity snapped the hair off just like that.

["Haa, what on earth are Pandemonium and Moby Dick doing? Failing to kill a single hero all this time, making even me... Ah, I don't want to do this."]

It gathered the broken hair into its palm as it gently unraveled from the finger and tried to scatter. BRAY! The donkey let out a sudden cry.

["Don't rush me. I know. I know Helel will nag me if I fail. But what can I do? The hero and I have the worst possible matchup. It'd be one thing if I could fight head-on like Gretchen, but all I can do is overlay dreams..."]

BRAY!

["And the one with the best matchup against the hero is in that state. It's so annoying. Anyway, I've really never liked that Gretchen guy since the old days... Always acting up and running wild, claiming to be the strongest except for the King, but when actually needed..."]

FLARE. The hair resting on the palm ignited on its own. The hair that burned down in an instant scattered into ash in the air with a single breath.

["Let him suffer a bit this time."]

The ash fluttered away and touched someone on the other side of the street. Hair neatly divided into gray and black whipped around.

* * *

"...?"

Since the Inquisitor suddenly looked back, I also glanced at the rear. It was a reflexive action, but there wasn't much of a harvest.

Now that the signal fire had been lit, the streets were full of citizens evacuating according to the manual and troops running toward the castle walls.

"What is the matter? Did you see something bothersome again?"

"... No. It just felt like something was behind us. I think I was being too sensitive."

"If you felt something, do not just brush it off. With demons invading right now, we cannot rule out the possibility that something has slipped into the city."

"Yes, understood."

Even though she gave a word of agreement, she didn't turn back the way we came. It really must have just been her imagination. Seeing as she wasn't reacting any further than that.

"More importantly, let us hurry."

Standing in the cramped street would only block the flow of people. We hurriedly pressed on. Our destination was the castle wall on the side where the demons were invading.

"They're actually letting us in."

DeB's thoughts were exactly my own.

Regardless of our combat power, it wasn't an extreme emergency—well, an invasion is an emergency, but it wasn't an unmanageable situation like in Zakrati—so I hadn't expected them to let non-regular forces like us up onto the castle walls. It's unexpected.

'Or was permission granted just because of the Temple's backing and the Magic Tower's backing? Ah, this might actually be plausible.'

"I've never been let in at this time either, but... it's probably possible because the signal fire is at stage one."

Right then, Kankan, who had ended up coming this far with us by chance, whispered softly.

He explained that the desert demons, rather than invading immediately, would halt just within sight and gather their forces, taking anywhere from half a day to two days before making their move.

Therefore, they called in Mages and Priests to discuss and assess the scale of the demons and prepare. It was highly likely that this was the reason they were let in.

"The Archmage and the Proxy of God are individuals who could easily serve as central figures of their respective factions. It is only natural that their entry was permitted."

The Priest accompanying us even confirmed that assumption.

'... But then what about us? Did we just squeeze in as tagalongs? It wasn't a bad thing since it was an opportunity to grasp the situation, but it felt a bit strange.'

"... Are you saying the demons give us time to prepare?"

"Rather than that, it's speculated to be a characteristic of the Great Demon leading that army. The Great Demon nested in the desert is Duke, a being infamous for 'Sloth', so they think that's why they move so sluggishly."

'Oh... I wondered who it was since they only called them a Great Demon, but it's Sloth?'

'I mentally reviewed the faces of the Seven Deadly Sins. If it's Sloth, it should be the domain of Astaroth or Belphegor.'

'I don't know if that's its true name, but while the former might be fine, if it's the latter, the image of it sitting on a toilet is so deeply ingrained in my memory that it doesn't feel particularly threatening.'

"... Isn't it dangerous if there's a Great Demon?"

"Over the past years, the Great Demon of Sloth has never once stepped forward to the frontlines. Even during the times when the demons' forces were strong."

"Still..."

"Of course, there is no rule stating that just because it was so in the past, it will remain so now. I know. However, are we not already in this city? There is no way to avoid it. We have no choice but to be careful."

"That's true too."

DeB whined a bit before requesting to hear stories about the Great Demon. It seemed like his intention was to cram whatever information he could into his head.

"There isn't much information about Great Demons, especially Sloth."

"Why?"

"Didn't the Archmage just say so? They have never stepped onto the frontlines. Although there are occasional mentions in ancient texts, they are merely at the level of oral traditions. There are absolutely no stories of the caliber you're hoping for."

Perhaps it was because demons were the topic. The Inquisitor unusually chimed in.

Proving that the oral tradition level was true, the ensuing explanations were mostly sentences on the level of ancient fairy tales.

"None of this is helpful at all."

"It is also proof of how tenaciously the Great Demons have erased their own records. It's in the same vein as their true names remaining unknown."

"... You don't even know their true names?"

"Indeed."

"Good grief."

Thus, DeB and I stood atop the castle walls having gained nothing.

"You can't stand there. It's a passageway for bringing in supplies."

Thanks to Kankan, who said he often stood here, quietly helping us out from time to time, we didn't make any mistakes.

"There's a ceiling?"

Curiosity did burst out, as if to make up for it.

Of course, the castle walls of Pa Enoch had a unique structure where, not content with just erecting walls on both sides, a ceiling was added to block off the top as well.

'I've never seen a structure like this before, so it's a bit fascinating. If they were going to leave holes in the ceiling anyway, why put a roof over it? It seems like it would feel suffocating.'

"Demons also attack from the air, so it was built to prevent getting killed by them. We thrust our spears through these holes to kill the ones that land on the roof... but we often end up dying in reverse due to the ones that breathe fire."

"Ah."

DeB, who knew a lot but lacked military knowledge, nodded at Kankan's explanation. I also gained new knowledge alongside him.

'A place that deals with demons is definitely different. Their preparations are extremely thorough compared to other places.'

"If the castles in the Yabad region had this, we would have suffered less."

"You don't encounter flying demon species over there, do you?"

"Do the demons not destroy the walls?"

"They often break when the offensive is strong. But still, fewer people die having them than not."

"The height seems a bit low... Don't the soldiers from the Shaggy race find it uncomfortable?"

"If it were any higher, the spears wouldn't reach, so it can't be helped. Besides, the big guys whose weight classes make this uncomfortable are deployed somewhere else from the start anyway."

'It's a real relief that the Inquisitor and DeB are asking questions in my stead.'

'I roughly crammed their conversation into my brain. I had to steadily fill in my lacking common sense like this to make things easier later. Most of it is knowledge I'll never need to bring out, but you never know how things will turn out in this world.'

"This way."

Meanwhile, someone from the watchtower—a commander or something—called a select few individuals upstairs. Of course, DeB and I couldn't go up there... but that didn't really matter.

Even without climbing up to the watchtower, we could observe the desert through the openings in the castle walls.

"Could all of those be demons...?"

"Probably."

"Yes. We gathered Shaggys and Cuties with good eyesight and confirmed it several times, so we are certain."

'I understand why they resort to building an arena just to keep capable fighters around. Even if they only invade once every few years, if they bring a massive army like that, they can absolutely never spare any troops.'

I clenched and unclenched my fists, barely holding back the urge to click my tongue.

On the desert horizon visible through the gaps, a faint black line was writhing. They were all demons.

"They mean business. When was the last invasion?"

"... Two months ago."

In the meantime, the Archmage and the Priests who had gone up to the watchtower conversed with the commander.

'Was it because I heard they sometimes left gaps of up to seven years? A period of two months didn't feel that far off.'

"Do they normally invade with this kind of gap in between?"

"No. Although the shortest record was one month... that was during the era when the demons' momentum was at its strongest. Now that things have stagnated, it's half a year at the earliest... They usually invade with a year in between. For the past twenty years, that is."

DeB, standing next to me, blinked. Of course, given such clear figures, anyone would realize this was no ordinary matter.

'Not to mention, what is our main characteristic? Are we not the hero party with Satan as our ultimate goal?'

"... You sure are popular, you brick wall. Demons keep popping up wherever we go."

'I admitted it too. It's not Kimchi Dumpling's fault; it's just that the story is completely messed up.'

"More importantly, if this happens, the Martial King is..."

"... We'll have to put it off. At the very least, um, didn't you say he wasn't doing... that... with them?"

"That's my assumption, yes."

Kankan made a gesture of clasping both hands together, referring to the demons. It seemed to mean that as long as he wasn't making deals with them, wouldn't it be fine?

'In my view, well, I don't know about that. I only have my suspicions, so I can't argue it vehemently, but the back of my neck is definitely tingling.'

"Then it can't be helped. There is nothing on this land that needs to be prioritized over the demons."

"... Right."

"No matter how much they want to kill us, surely they wouldn't try it during a demon invasion."

"That seems like an issue we should think about a bit more."

'Even if they aren't directly connected to demons, using the chaos of battle to attempt an assassination to silence us seems highly probable.'

'Hmm. Still, none of them are weak enough to be unable to handle that much, so maybe it'll be fine. The Archmage will be in the safest spot anyway, so she's not a concern.'

'Ugh... Given my position, I'm not in a place to say anything here, so it seems best for me to just pay a bit more attention.'

'The moment they show up and try to backstab us, I'll totally crush them.'

"Them invading after just two months isn't for nothing. They might have used some sort of trick, so it would be wise to reinforce the searches."

Fortunately, the Archmage, who had gone upstairs, relayed that concern to the commander in a roundabout way.

Sadly, there was no mention of the anomalous individuals. It seemed to be because it wasn't clear yet whether they were in cahoots with the demons or just simple corrupt officials.

'For starters, we don't have evidence, making it difficult to prove anything, and there's also a lack of time to pull out the proof right now.'

"Perhaps they have played some trick on the castle walls or the city center. Bombs are one thing, but this time in the Yabad region..."

Instead, the Archmage even brought up the curse jars that had done a real number on us in the Yabad region.

'Thanks to that, the searches of the castle walls and the citizens' shelters will likely become even more thorough. Security will become much stricter too.'

'With this much, even if the corrupt fighters really are working with the demons, they won't be able to move properly. At most, they might make a move personally once the battle begins...'

'Looking at it objectively, that's quite manageable. At least we won't be dealing with explosive firepower like bombs.'

"Oh, they're coming back."

About ten minutes had passed like that. The Archmage and the commander came back down faster than expected.

'Of course, I think the reason this conversation ended so quickly is that, given the nature of a siege defense, there isn't much room to significantly alter their strategy.'

'Priests will focus on reinforcing the castle walls and healing people as usual, and Mages will take out as many demons as possible with area-of-effect spells. Soldiers and arena fighters will be stationed atop the walls and throughout the city to block the demons. The end.'

'Unless some new technology or weapon appeared, it was a combat method that was hard to change.'

"You."

However, among those waiting below, the Archmage pinpointed me first. With a subtly stiff face, as if something was bothering her, she glanced back and forth between the Inquisitor and me.

'Seeing as she isn't speaking up, it must either be uncertain or something we don't need to know.'

"I said this when we first entered the city, but from this moment on, do not move alone under any circumstances. Do not go outside the castle walls either."

Instead, she added further instructions without pause.

"There may be no precedent, but both the hero and you are present here at the same time. If they came knowing of our existence, there is a possibility that the Great Demon itself has stepped forward. In that case, you could also be a target."

'It was a perfectly reasonable worry and piece of advice. Though to my ears, it somehow sounded like a summoning spell for a Great Demon.'

'I mean, with the stage set perfectly like this, wouldn't it be stranger if a Great Demon didn't show up?'

* * *

"If they're going to come, they should just hurry up and come..."

Apart from the demon summoning spell, the preparations for the siege defense continued.

Deploying troops on the castle walls, rechecking supplies like arrows and distributing them where they were lacking, and sending in additional verified non-regular forces—such as fighters and adventurers.

'The way things ran according to priority felt like watching the ideal outcome of a group project. Although the difficulty of the assignment was no joke.'

"Damn it, I can't sleep because they're just sitting still out there..."

However, more than we were preparing, the demons continuously swarmed in. The black wave on the horizon became visible even to those with average eyesight.

Moreover, they didn't just charge in recklessly. As a result, it was the soldiers who suffered.

If they relaxed their tension, they wouldn't know when the enemy would strike, but maintaining it continuously drained their energy on its own, leading to this situation.

"Don't worry too much."

'That didn't mean everyone was so tense they had stomachaches, either.'

The veterans who had survived in this city for a long time acted relaxed whether there were demons deployed outside or not. Familiarity seemed deeply ingrained in them.

"Don't just stand there stiffly, have a snack!"

The same was true for the citizens handling rear support, limited to volunteers, after the evacuation was complete.

'Though they wouldn't stand atop the castle walls, the citizens who had endured in this place for decades didn't treat the situation as overly serious. To them, it was practically an annual event, so I could understand.'

"More importantly, why is that Martial King fellow nowhere to be seen? It looks like all the fighters who were going to come are here."

"I don't know. I did see the commander cursing him out as a son of a bitch earlier."

"Huh. What's gotten into him? Hey, Redmane! Haven't you heard anything?!"

"... I don't know. How would I know what's in someone else's head?"

'But the Martial King hasn't shown up, huh. He's really suspicious. Totally suspicious.'

"Right, come to think of it, didn't a newbie come in a few days ago?"

At that moment, someone looked for me. The Archmage had been assigned elsewhere, and DeB had stepped away to use the restroom, so I was quite in a bind.

'Kankan seems to just think of me as a taciturn person, so he won't be any help either. Do I have to speak up after all?'

'These are people I have to fight alongside, but it looks like I'm going to get on their bad side right from the start.'

"I heard you're from the Yabad region, tell us some stories from over there. I heard something happened?"

'Mm, ugh... It really is awkward.'

I opened my mouth while tearing off small pieces of the bread and dried dates the residents had handed out.

"To use another's misfortune for amusement, your character is quite something to behold."

"..."

'Can't I just keep my mouth shut?'

"Boss, I brought some food... why is the mood like this?"

By a stroke of tremendous luck, DeB came trotting over right before the atmosphere turned utterly disastrous.

'His attitude of hastily trying to share the delicious food he had gotten from the residents was a bit touching. Though it felt like stealing pocket money from a kid, so I had no intention of eating it.'

"Do you want some too, man?"

"It's all dried vegetables."

"If you got a problem with it, come at me."

"No, it's not a problem, but vegetables are expensive here, so how did you get them?"

"I've got some skills, you know."

Right around then, someone strode over. Since I didn't bother turning my gaze, I could only witness the shadow falling on the ground, and it was quite massive.

"Who... Eek?!"

"Y-You?!"

'More importantly, that voice sounds vaguely familiar... Gaaah! A wild Berserker has appeared!'

"Nice to meet you, I wanted to say hello but only just got the chance. Ah, hi Kankan? It's been a while."

'More than the fact that the approaching shadow's identity was the Berserker, and more than Kankan reacting as if he knew the Berserker...'

'Setting all of that aside, the one remaining fact was the most surprising.'

"Um, are you very surprised? I'm sorry. I came to apologize, so could you please not avoid me?"

'Berserker, you... You were someone capable of speaking this calmly?!'