Legion of Darkness (10)

“So, this mechanical device can only be used by our family.”

The porter recalled Bibs’s words while gathering materials with Lena. According to Bibs, the device Greta was wearing wasn’t a simple enhancement device. It was something that only the ancient dragon race, with their extremely hard bodies and excellent recovery abilities, could wear. Based on demon stones, it was equipment that drastically increased physical recovery ability and defense.

“If you’re not a race with naturally strong bodies like us, you’d die during the surgery and couldn’t use it.”

Because it flows the energy of demon stones throughout the scales, it gives a body several times harder than usual, and because it directly shoots out demon energy, it can emit more ferocious and powerful strength. Bibs compared it like this:

“When demon stone liquid starts circulating in the body, in human terms, it’s like pouring potions all day long. Ordinary attacks can’t even scratch it. Father probably planned such a reckless strategy believing in that.”

And the hero had been enduring against such a monster for days. The porter briefly pondered which of the hero and Greta was more of a monster, before concluding that Greta, with his grotesque appearance, seemed more monstrous.

“Well, for the strongest warrior of the demon race, he’s quite a coward. What’s that? Doesn’t it feel bad to win like that?”

Lena grumbled in a low voice. The porter turned his head, worried that Bibs might have heard, but Bibs was nodding while looking at the herbs Ashuria had brought.

“Yes, that’s right. As the demonization of this area is progressing, demon world creatures are starting to grow. You’ll learn about demon world culture and history later too. It’s good to know these things in advance. This is an herb used in the demon world when there’s an oversupply of demon energy.”

The plan was simple. Since Greta was charging in relying on his armor and power, they would neutralize his armor by injecting fake herbs with Bibs’s help. Meanwhile, the porter’s group would contact the hero to arrange a place for dialogue.

Bibs was to be the protagonist of this dialogue, and he intended to mediate, claiming to ‘understand’ both the demon world and the human world.

What did Bibs want to say by betraying his father and bringing him to the negotiation table?

The porter found it absurd that Bibs claimed to be an understander of humans and believed he could persuade Greta, but he didn’t say anything about these points.

They just went along with Bibs’s story and diligently gathered materials. Bibs looked at the materials the porter had gathered and said with a smile:

“As expected of someone from the Empire, you seem to know the geography of this area well. To find these things so easily. I’ve met a few people from the Empire, but you seem to be the most interesting among them. I’ll introduce you to those people later. They’re all good people. Just…”

“That’s enough.”

The porter cut off Bibs’s words again. Seeing the porter’s disrespectful attitude, Bibs cleared his throat and said in a stern voice:

“That’s not right. If this works out later, I might become the governor of the Kingdom and teach you all. Such a disrespectful attitude is not right for peace and harmony.”

“Ah… I’m sorry. I’ve been rude.”

The porter bowed his head with a smiling face, and Bibs, satisfied with the porter’s polite apology, nodded and then pushed the herbs the porter had brought into one place. While the two were talking, Lena secretly slipped some of the herbs she had brought into the porter’s herbs and then stood behind the porter again.

---

“It’s really strange. Why didn’t he finish it there…”

The commander muttered to himself as he sat next to the hero. The hero, having poured out all his strength in one attack, was groaning while collapsed on the bed. With his body completely drained of energy, there was no option but to rest.

“Are you saying the hero should have died?”

Mille retorted sharply. She frowned while wrapping her swollen arm with a bandage. Flustered by Mille’s reaction, the commander exclaimed:

“That’s not what I meant. But isn’t it strange? Why didn’t he deliver a final blow to the hero and just went back? Looking at his body, his wounds were healing again. The hero is now at a level where he needs to lie in bed and recover his strength, isn’t he?”

Greta didn’t finish off the hero. Saying his body was damaged and the machine was creaking, he retreated, saying he needed to recover. It was truly incomprehensible. Wasn’t this the perfect chance to break through the main force?

The hero raised himself from the bed. Mille said:

“Hero. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

The hero patted Mille’s head and said:

“It’s okay.”

The hero was wearing his armor even while lying down. It was to fight again whenever the enemy appeared. Of course, the hero wasn’t confident he could engage in close combat with Greta like before. Considering how much strength he had used up until now, he needed about a week of rest and recuperation.

“Has there been any contact from our companions?”

“We only received a message saying they’re planning some independent operation and asking us to buy time.”

“I heard that before. Has there been no contact since then?”

The commander shook his head at the hero’s question. The hero’s companions, who were sent to cut off the supply units, had suddenly changed their strategy after confirming there were no supply units. The commander was frustrated because he didn’t know what kind of strategy the companions were planning.

So the commander changed the subject.

“For now, we’ve contacted the higher-ups to request additional reinforcements. I’m not sure how many we can gather since other units are stretched thin too, but we’re going to approach this thinking it’s over if this place falls.”

“I’ll try to recover as quickly as possible too.”

When the hero said that, the commander looked at him with a pitiful expression. Blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. It was natural to feel a pang in the heart seeing someone who could have lived a happier life in a different place and time suffering here.

The commander silently looked at the hero, then nodded and went outside. Once the commander was gone, the hero lay back on the bed and held his head. It felt like mental and physical fatigue were weighing down on his body all at once. His whole body screamed even with the slightest movement.

The hero looked at Mille while trying to move his arm. Mille was sitting on the floor, starting to eat the bread she had been given.

The hero said to Mille:

“Mille. What do you think the others are doing now?”

Mille answered without hesitation:

“They must be planning some amazing strategy.”

The hero nodded and smiled at those words.

“Right. That must be it, right? The old man, Lena, Ashuria, they’re all people who come up with ideas I can’t even think of. I trust them.”

“That’s right.”

Mille answered like that and looked back at the hero. Mille, who had been alternately looking at the hero’s contented smile and her own bread, hesitantly said:

“…This bread is mine. You were given patient meals.”

“…I’m not going to take it.”

The hero let out a hollow laugh, finding it absurd, and reached for the soup.

A small carrier pigeon fluttered into the hero’s tent. The hero, who was about to eat the soup, was startled to see the pigeon flying to the perch on the tent ceiling and put the bowl down again.

Mille reached out and caught the bird, which struggled for a moment before calming down upon recognizing Mille. There was a small letter on its ankle. Mille used her delicate hands to extract the letter, then sent the carrier pigeon back up. The bird sitting on the perch moved only its head like a cuckoo clock, looking down at the hero and Mille, then circled around the tent.

The hero said with a tense face:

“Wh-what does it say? What are they going to do?”

“Hmm…”

“What is it? Huh?”

Mille turned to the hero while reading the note. Her subtle expression made it impossible to predict the contents of the note. The hero became more impatient and lightly stamped his foot, then made various expressions as he winced from the recoil.

“Ahaha! What’s with that face!”

Mille laughed out loud at the hero’s strange expression, and the hero reached out to her, saying:

“Come on, stop joking around and show me quickly.”

“Here.”

Mille handed the note back to the hero. The hero read the contents of the note, tilted his head, then smiled again.

This is what was written on the note:

[Hero. We know you’re enduring hard. Our prepared strategy is complete. We have a secret plan to break his armor, so pour everything out.]

The hero muttered while looking at the handwriting:

“As expected, it’s the old man.”