Legion of Darkness (4)

I had thought the five of us would always be together, but when I came to my senses, I found three people walking ahead. Although we were departing for a greater distance than usual, our bags were lighter than usual. The thick backpacks were filled with food and water for us to consume during our long-distance travel, and Ashuria expressed her regret at not being able to go with the hero.

“Even if it can’t be helped, it’s still regrettable, isn’t it? While I’m separated from the hero, some bad person might approach him again…”

Unable to listen to Ashuria’s long speech any longer, Lena cut her off with a disinterested face.

“There are only soldiers around, what bad person could possibly approach him? And Mille is with him too.”

“That’s true, but…”

“In the first place, the only bad person who could approach the hero on the battlefield now is that smoke-emitting Demon King’s subordinate, right? And that problem will be solved if we cut off the supply unit.”

“You’re right.”

Ashuria’s voice, which had been expressing anxiety, gradually diminished. Perhaps because, as Lena said, her worries were merely groundless. Rather, from the perspective of carrying out the operation, her fault of doubting allies could be seen as greater.

When Ashuria quieted down, Lena came to my side and spoke. Her fingers were brushing away branches that kept poking at us.

“More importantly, doesn’t the forest itself seem to be twisting strangely the deeper we go? Look at this. The trees have bent branches, and there’s a strange smell coming from the ground.”

“It means the demon energy has deeply penetrated. It means that due to the influence of demon stones, the land is gradually becoming similar to the demon world.”

Lena glanced at me at those words. I broke a branch and said to Ashuria:

“Can it be restored?”

It was the country where I had lived. Could this country regain its former appearance? Perhaps a desperate emotion showed in my eyes without my realizing it, as Ashuria met my eyes and shook her head, saying:

“There have been cases where localized erosion phenomena were purified back to their original state, but if this place has changed to this extent, deeper areas would have become no different from the demon world. If you’re asking whether all of it can be purified, I’m afraid I can’t give you any answer other than ‘I don’t know’.”

Ashuria’s face was filled with apology, and the atmosphere sank. We were now carrying the same gloomy feeling as these dirty plants mimicking the demon world. Lena patted my shoulder and changed the subject.

“Sir. We still don’t know. Different results might come out with more research. Right? So cheer up.”

When she said that, I couldn’t help but smile. As a porter, I had a duty to assist these party members so they could carry out their mission excellently. Of course, I shouldn’t let my minor condition issues hinder their progress.

I smiled at the two and said:

“I’m already feeling better. Anyway, won’t everything be resolved once we catch the Demon King?”

Lena looked at me with a curious expression, then smiled again.

“That’s right! Let’s hurry!”

---

“Father. Why must we fight humans like this?”

Glasses on a thin body, unbecoming of a warrior. He wore luxurious clothing and glasses, but his purple skin and pointed ears were evidence that he wasn’t human. The horns on his head and the rough scales covering him from neck to feet were another element proving that he was a special being even among demons.

His name was Bibs.

He was the son of Greta, who had newly been appointed as a commander, and was known as a descendant of an ancient dragon. He looked at his father’s heavy arm, contrasting with his own delicate arms. He saw the thick scales that seemed impenetrable by swords or spears, and the vicious engine wrapping around his entire body.

And he also faced the human corpses scattered all around. Beyond the advance party’s corpses, the humans that Greta had killed or smashed were being eaten by demon soldiers or ground into demon stones to be recycled as fuel for Greta.

Bibs couldn’t understand fighting in such a barbaric way. Even if the one employing this method was his father.

“Father. We should talk with humans and live together.”

Greta turned his head. Along with a fierce gaze, smoke spewed from his entire body. Despite his fragile son spouting nonsense, who was weak to corpses and blood, Greta didn’t lay a hand on him. He was that much of a gentlemanly and benevolent demon.

Instead of reprimanding Bibs for his weakness, Greta opened his mouth in a soft and gentle tone:

“It’s too late for such words, son. Once we’ve declared conquest, they won’t believe in our dialogue.”

“I’ve read books left by humans in this land. People believed they should resolve conflicts through dialogue and live harmoniously. Such moral theories were expounded in hundreds, no, thousands of books, and the names of those who advocated them were different. With just their names, one could build up the history of a discipline; they are a rational and peaceful race. How can you try to annihilate them?”

Greta looked at his son. His son, immersed in academics, was so different from his destructive self. Every time this happened, Greta felt a pain in his heart, as if a long line was drawn between his son and himself.

“If dialogue is so good, why didn’t you surrender? Like Kerberos.”

At his father’s suggestion of defection, Bibs spoke in a flustered tone:

“Th-that’s defection, isn’t it? I can’t do that. After all, I am…”

“Not fighting is also defection, and declaring that I won’t fight, disobeying the Demon King’s orders on my own accord, is also defection. If you want to change something with your power, shouldn’t you be prepared to go against the world? What meaning is there in just talking about this and that while settling for the position of being my son?”

“Father… I…”

“The peace you speak of is peace only in words. True peace comes only from power. Those who come to the battlefield wanting to die, it’s only right to gift them death.”

“…I don’t think so. We need to talk, and I think the Demon King… might be wrong.”

“Did we come to this land out of boredom for a visit?”

At Greta’s question, Bibs closed his mouth. As he hung his head, Greta’s hand began to stroke Bibs’s head. With each stroke of the gigantic hand, Bibs’s entire body shook. Although Greta sighed at his son’s weakness, he didn’t try to train him.

“We came here according to a contract. The Demon King wants us to avenge Daemon and complete the contract.”

“I don’t understand. The contract is just… just an excuse. Do we have the right to barbarically trample another race? Is there a reason to destroy their peaceful daily lives and expand our territory?”

Greta applied force to his hand. Just a slight force, but Bibs’s body sank down. Bibs, in pain, shouted at Greta:

“F-Father…! What is this…!”

“Try to stand up with your own strength.”

Greta said that but didn’t release the force from his hand. With a strong hand pressing down as if it would crush Bibs at any moment, Bibs could do nothing. All he could do was support his collapsing body with his staggering arms while gasping for breath.

His entire body’s scales stood on end, and his eyes turned bright red.

“F-Father…! Please…!”

When Greta heard the sound of breath fading from Bibs’s mouth, only then did he release his hand. He was still looking down at his son with a dignified posture.

“Without power, you can do nothing. Even the simple act of pushing away my arm, you can only do by kneeling and relying on the enemy’s mercy.”

Bibs was bent over, drenched in sweat. Due to the pain all over his body, he couldn’t properly hear Greta’s words. He spat out foam that fell with drops of saliva and glared at Greta, saying:

“That’s barbarism. How long must we live like this?”

“Then surrender to the enemy. Betray like that Kerberos, become their puppet, and cut off my neck.”

Another extreme statement came out. Bibs firmly refused and opened his mouth:

“So…”

“You don’t want to do that?”

Greta rose from his seat. His mountain-like body filled Bibs’s vision, and Bibs once again realized that he was an infinitely small and weak being. Greta stroked his son’s head once more and said:

“Then cultivate power. Cultivate power, rise to a high position in the demon world, and decide as you wish.”

Bibs looked at his weak body. For him, Greta’s statement was an impossible and distant thing. Bibs said:

“It’s impossible for me. We don’t have time, do we? Even if I someday rise to a high position and try to end this massacre, countless others will meet death until then. Are you telling me to leave all those matters alone as inevitable?”

Smoke spewed from Greta’s entire body. He fiddled with the device attached to his body and said:

“Then innocent people will continue to die. Meaninglessly.”

Greta moved away from Bibs.

Bibs, watching Greta’s back, was lost in thought about what he could do.