episode_0005

Episode 5

“The town of Tantia has been destroyed…?”

Not good, thought Leila.

One’s hometown tends to hold a special significance, whether good or bad. And for her husband Edward, the town of Tantia, their hometown, was a place filled with various memories.

Although there was a flaw in Loria, aside from that, Tantia was undoubtedly a precious place for Edward.

“Now I should say it was such a place.”

Leila’s heart grew heavy as she recalled the sight of Tantia village she visited early in the morning.

Leila, a knight of the Bell Ducal Family, had seen many battlefields in accordance with her duties and obligations, but the final sight of Tantia village was undeniably gruesome even in her eyes.

“Edward. First…”

“What kind of monster is it? Has a superior being led an army down? Or demons? Have they started invading? Is that what you’re saying?”

No. Edward was clearly losing his composure. Trying to calm Edward, who seemed ready to bolt at any moment, Leila grabbed his head, but her husband was reaching his limit faster than she was.

“Answer me. Unless it’s some extraordinary entity, there’s no way Tantia village could be wiped out overnight.”

“…Don’t delude yourself. Even if I’m your husband, I don’t have an obligation to explain the situation to you…”

“Leila von Bell.”

The air in the study froze at that moment.

What filled the space they were in was not a strong presence or vitality, but literal coldness.

It was a sensation so intense that one might prefer being buried in a real snowstorm instead.

Despite the despair in Leila’s eyes at Edward’s anger, she continued speaking without flinching.

“I am asking who is responsible for destroying my hometown.”

As her heart froze at the icy tone she had never heard before, Leila exhaled to hide her hesitation, feeling her lower abdomen heat up in his gaze.

Uncertain about this display of courage from her husband, she avoided his gaze while cautiously speaking up.

“We are still investigating, but it’s not a monster. I also thought the same, but there are no signs of a superior being or demons leading an invasion.”

“When you say it’s not an army, does that mean it’s a special individual or…”

Recalling that he too was from the Bell Ducal Family, Leila spoke the words her husband couldn’t.

“It must be the work of an insider.”

“Something that cannot… be?”

Though Edward loved his hometown, he affirmed the possibility Leila mentioned, devoid of any illusions.

“So returning to the mansion means you haven’t found any significant clues yet?”

“Yes.”

Not only to prevent Edward from rushing out on his own when he was unsure, but also to swallow her pride, Leila decided to let that part go.

“I will go. I will be better than the soldiers when it comes to matters concerning Tantia village.”

This time, Leila sighed sincerely. There was no point in stopping him, and more importantly, Edward had more credibility than her.

She knew she couldn’t persuade him even with interference. Besides, Leila had no idea how skilled Edward really was.

“Fine. But you must never leave my side.”

It wasn’t just a condition born out of possessiveness. As a leader of the army, individual impulsive actions could lead to extremely dangerous consequences, so she had to make sure he made that commitment.

Fortunately, Edward still had enough sense to understand Leila’s intentions and nodded his head.

As Edward finished the agreement, it was when Leila was preparing for the upcoming departure once again.

The door to the study swung open, and Sara rushed in hurriedly.

“Layla! This is a request from the army that came from the village of Margo!”

The village of Margo was a village not far from Tantia Village, and it was also a village of change.

Due to the nature of the changing village, members who mainly engaged in combat had their faces covered in their own ways.

Therefore, the people of Margo Village were able to accurately identify the identity of those who attacked them, and Edward and Layla, who heard Sara’s report from them, were astonished.

“Loria?”

“That woman?”

Because that name was so familiar to both of them.

—

“Going out again.”

Christiana looked out the window at the knights and soldiers of the family rushing out of the mansion.

No, that was a lie. In fact, her eyes were focused only on one person.

Although he was covered in armor and helmet, Christiana recognized him with difficulty.

He was the only man among the group of women, making it harder to pretend not to notice.

“Sigh…”

Watching Edward disappear like a dot in an instant, Christiana weakly collapsed onto the bed.

She never met Edward again after that. If she went down for meals, she might have been able to greet him, but for some reason, she hesitated.

“I know the reason, but…”

The reason she didn’t go down was simple. She just didn’t want to see him with Layla.

Christiana couldn’t bear the thought of herself.

“As a noblewoman of the aristocratic family, the eldest daughter, unable to do anything and passing everything to her younger sister, now even coveting her sister’s husband.”

She thought it was laughable enough to burst out laughing, but no laughter actually came out.

Instead, tears flowed.

“Why me! Why am I the only one like this…!”

About to scream, she suppressed her pounding heart and whimpered softly. Hurriedly getting up, she reached for the table, drank the medicine in the bottle, and the pain finally subsided.

“Sigh, sigh, sigh… Hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo.”

At this point, there was no point in getting angry. With a body that couldn’t even scream as she wanted, what anger could she express?

“…The women of the noble families are supposed to be born with extraordinary powers through generations.”

She was far from being extraordinary; she couldn’t even be considered average. Not only ordinary women but even men were better than her, and her weak body continued to exist without dying.

If she were healthy, or at least average, she wouldn’t be like this.

Even if she wasn’t as exceptional as her outstanding younger sister, she could have fulfilled her duties as a noblewoman and fought to protect the territory when such a situation arose.

And above all…

“Haha, ha…”

Smiling at her hopeless and pathetic imagination, Christiana lowered her head blankly.

At the same time, she made a wish.

“Anyone is fine. Any method is okay. I’ll sacrifice everything if you want, please.”

Please save her from this hell.

She desperately hoped.

—

At first, she thought it was a mistaken report. While she had no intention of covering Loria’s abilities and character, she was at least a childhood friend.

Setting that aside, even if it was something like that, it was impossible for Loria’s abilities to destroy a whole village, dead or alive.

So even as she ran towards Margo Village, she kept thinking something was wrong.

“This is insane.”

The moment she saw Loria swinging her sword in the middle of Margo Village, my lack of imagination was undeniable.

“Layla!”

“Disperse! Protect the villagers and surround him, but do not engage in combat!”

At my shout, realizing that the soldiers couldn’t handle it, Layla immediately responded.

The knights and soldiers scattered to protect the residents, but Loria screamed in anger.

Before long, she tried to create a circular barrier to attack the soldiers surrounding her, but I knew of a presence that could catch Loria’s attention.

“Loria!”

“…Edward? Edward!”

It was me.

Dismounting and removing my helmet, I walked forward. Though I heard Leila dancing behind me, she did not follow.

My wife knew I wasn’t approaching Loria to turn her back.

For whatever reason, that childhood friend had to die. But before killing her, I had to find out the reason.

It was to avoid repeating such incidents and to reveal the identity of the horns protruding from Loria’s head.

“Edward! You’ve returned to me!”

However, Loria, transformed by an unknown force, seemed unwilling to engage in conversation.

As soon as she saw me, with eyes reddened as if about to burst, she rushed towards me.

I swung my sword and swiftly severed the limbs of the deranged childhood friend.

“Aaah! Ed… Edward!”

Though I anticipated the horns, she possessed incredible vitality. Even with limbs severed, Loria, still alive, writhed. Plunging my sword into her abdomen, I questioned her amid her screams.

“Answer me, Loria. If you speak now, I’ll send your childhood friend off cleanly. What deal did you make with the demons?”

Those horns were a demon’s mark. According to my memory, Loria had many personality issues but was undoubtedly human.

“S-stone!”

“Stone?”

“I ate a stone!”

So she transformed after eating that stone.

“Who gave you the stone?”

“…Ah, aaah?! ”

In agony, Loria suddenly exploded. It seemed like she had cast a spell to die upon revealing her name.

“Edward!”

“It’s fine. She just exploded.”

Shaking my head to clear the blood splattered on my face, I looked down. I felt unexpectedly embarrassed.

“Huh?”

“Edward, what are you doing…?”

Halting my wife’s desperate attempt to wipe my face, I stooped and picked up something that caught my eye.

It was a stone. Very dark.

—

Considering the origin of the organization known as the Demon Army, it is not particularly strange, but fundamentally, the thought processes of demons differ significantly not only from humans but also from other races.

Due to this, if a strategy deemed impossible for another race is devised, no one finds it odd.

The same applied to the originator of the strategy, the Demon Lord. Without hesitation, Lumaniel, the Demon Lord who decided to throw himself, smirked as he watched his subordinate rush to leave after the meeting.

“Wait, Peronica.”

“Yes? Um, do you have any remaining tasks?”

“Not really, but seeing you rush off like a damn puppy needing to pee piqued my interest. Have you found some interesting toy?”

Seeing the Demon Lord show interest, Peronica felt a sinking feeling.