Ch.136Chapter 136: The Fierce Battle at Year’s End (11)

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Lord Löwenhart is standing beside me right now.

Unlike when he first arrived at this place and saw the armor I was wearing,

when he showed such wariness that he even took a ready stance for drawing his sword,

after Shizu listened to me and removed the helmet covering my head, revealing my bare face, he recognized me.

“Oh my.”

It took only a moment for Lord Löwenhart’s attitude to soften as he realized his misunderstanding with a voice tinged with embarrassment.

“I should have known it was you. That armor looks so menacing I thought you were a demon from the Demon Realm. My apologies.”

Who would have thought that exchanging sword strikes with Lord Löwenhart at the training grounds whenever I had free time these past few days would help in a situation like this?

Anyway, the misunderstanding Lord Löwenhart had when he saw me was easily resolved as he approached my side and offered his apology.

[…I don’t understand why everyone is so terrified when they see the armor I created.]

‘When it exudes such overwhelming intimidation clearly designed to instill fear in opponents from its very appearance, I’d say it would be strange not to be wary.’

[Hmph! Breaking the enemy’s spirit before battle even begins is a fundamental principle of warfare. Besides…]

‘Besides?’

[I don’t understand why everyone only focuses on the intimidation factor of the design.]

‘Well…’

[This is my life’s masterpiece, created with a perfect balance of straight and curved lines, designed with such emphasis on mobility that it doesn’t even feel like you’re wearing armor!!]

…There was an issue with Fafnir becoming extremely displeased after hearing the comments made by people who had cleared up their misunderstandings upon seeing the Crimson Dragon Armor.

Well, what can you do? The creator’s aesthetic sense simply doesn’t match those of us living in this era, hence such reactions.

[Young one…]

Oh dear, did he hear my inner thoughts?

[We’ll see about this during tonight’s training.]

…This is bad.

Fafnir continued his silence, maintaining his displeased state without giving me a chance to soothe his mood.

The thought of having to train with a disgruntled Fafnir tonight, as we do every evening, was beginning to weigh on my mind, but…

Thanks to my sister’s voice expressing confusion at Adorator’s sudden request for her name,

“Name…?”

Her brief questioning response prevented my mood from continuing to sink.

By the way.

That Adorator, despite not having fully healed from the wounds inflicted by the Crimson Dragon Armor’s flames,

She’s still fulfilling her duties while suppressing her pain.

That habit of hers—asking for an opponent’s name while promising a future encounter.

Adorator, the second-in-command of the Demon Realm and a quasi-deity with twisted divinity dwelling within her, has a particular habit.

Whenever she fails to conclude a match with someone, regardless of the form it takes, she asks for their name before withdrawing.

Unlike the conventional usage, which is mainly to show respect to opponents who have survived a confrontation with her,

“I have never willingly retreated from a battlefield before.”

To those who face her and survive.

To borrow a somewhat archaic expression:

“Since I must pierce your heart the moment we meet again, it’s only proper that I ask your name beforehand.”

It’s a habit used as an indirect expression of her intent to thoroughly defeat them later.

Unlike her previous demeanor that evoked an active volcano,

Unlike the arrogance she displayed when unleashing her passion, caring only for her own feelings and disregarding others,

“So I ask you. Tell me your name, you who have inflicted this humiliation upon me. I need to remember it so I can repay you someday.”

To think she would merely ask the name of the person who forced her to endure the humiliation of willingly retreating from battle.

Under normal circumstances, regardless of any mission or plan,

She would have charged at my sister with such bloodlust that all the high-ranking commanders over there would have had to restrain her.

Truly, you live and learn.

As I was organizing these reflective thoughts,

“Iriana Ranos. One of the Ranos that you all despise so much.”

My sister’s voice reached me as she stated her name with a calm yet confident attitude.

“Indeed, a Ranos. I shall not forget, descendant of Ranos.”

After hearing my sister’s name, Adorator, still with a voice dripping with anger, seemed to be committing the name to memory, then,

“Let us go, Children of Desire. Today’s failure occurred because of my own inadequacy.”

With those words, she calmly acknowledged her own failure.

…To think that Adorator would admit her own failure.

Before I could express my surprise, Adorator turned toward where her legion was lined up behind her.

With a single gesture, she ordered the demons awaiting her command to retreat.

-Follow the order. Retreat in an orderly fashion.

-Do not give the followers of other demon gods reason to mock us!

As the high-ranking demon commanders issued orders after seeing her gesture to withdraw,

Stomp-! Stomp-! Stomp-!

Although quite incongruous for these products of chaos to display,

Nevertheless, the orderly sound of footsteps revealing well-maintained military discipline echoed as,

The legions of the Demon Realm, which had marched across the distant Dragon Claw Mountains to invade the knights’ sanctuary, Night Haven, had achieved the feat of breaking one of the fortress walls that had boasted unwavering strength since its construction.

However, without achieving any other notable military accomplishments, they now turned their heavy footsteps toward the Dragon Claw Mountains.

And thus, the first subjugation festival I experienced after my regression ended in victory for the Empire.

Swish swish swish-!!

Ah… I had forgotten something while being distracted by the retreating figures.

“These!! Days!!”

As a voice that was both powerful and filled with rage reached my ears from inside the fortress,

I turned my gaze from the orderly retreating forces of the Obsidian Palace toward the source of the commotion.

Despite the darkness being so thick it was hard to believe it was daytime, I could see a shadow with a clear presence on the ground rapidly approaching this location.

“I’ve!! Felt!! That nothing!! Has been going right!! But this year!! Is truly!! A year where nothing!! Goes right!!”

The voice of Pale Sanguin, shouting in rage at the end of each phrase, reached me.

Ah, that Sanguin. He managed to avoid death at the hands of Lord Nighthart and succeeded in escaping.

Even though he possesses a body that wouldn’t suffer fatal wounds without a holy sword,

It would be too much to face Lord Nighthart, who was cloaked in fighting spirit similar to a holy sword, without having fully recovered his strength.

Moreover, as soon as he sensed the main forces of the Demon Realm giving up their attack and turning back from afar, he must have realized there was no point in facing Lord Nighthart.

The sight of him extracting himself to survive was, in a sense, almost pitiful.

Of course, that’s just my thinking.

Would anyone remain still upon seeing the ominous rippling of a shadow that exudes malevolence just by looking at it?

“…Was there a demon who snuck into the fortress undetected?”

Just as Excel was about to unleash the lightning dwelling in Keraunos, directing it toward where the shadow was,

“What is this shadow?!”

Lord Löwenhart, who was beside me, also exclaimed in alarm while drawing up the fighting spirit dwelling in his body, preparing to draw his sword from its scabbard.

I noticed Sanguin’s shadow, which had been filled with an endless determination to flee, momentarily hesitate.

Considering Sanguin’s disposition, which would be focused on preserving himself for the next fortress assault after this failed attack,

I was about to stop the two, thinking that provoking him here would only make him attack them like a cornered rat driven by desperation, but,

“He’s no pushover. Rather than driving a retreating enemy into a corner and making him dangerous, just leave him be!”

My sister, who had assessed the situation before me, gave instructions to the two,

“Understood, Sister.” / “As you command.”

Excel and Lord Löwenhart immediately obeyed my sister’s command and relaxed their combat stances.

Sanguin’s shadow, which had stopped moving due to wariness,

“Next time, it won’t end like this!”

After uttering a line worthy of a villain from a cheap third-rate novel,

Sanguin’s shadow disappeared and joined the rapidly retreating demon army’s procession in an instant.

“How can he just run away without even sending a telepathic message?”

“Well, you came back in one piece. That’s good enough.”

“Eeeek… no, I see you’re injured.”

“To think Fafnir would actually exist…”

“This seems like a breach of contract. Shouldn’t we take this up with Lord Regnum?”

“I’ll handle that later. For now, just support my shoulder. My back still stings…”

“…You did well. Don’t be too discouraged. You’re alive, so there will be other opportunities.”

Surprisingly warm exchanges between Sanguin and Adorator could be heard through the footsteps of the retreating army,

And as the silhouettes of the legion dispatched from the Demon Realm gradually faded,

The Obsidian Palace’s challenge, which had persisted in attempting to conquer this fortress until the very last moment of the subjugation festival, was postponed until next year.

Although an unprecedented event occurred where the outer wall of this fortress, which had never been damaged before my regression, collapsed,

Judging by the absence of agonized cries from severely injured people, even with my sharply honed senses,

It seemed there were no casualties with life-threatening injuries.

“A complete victory.”

Unbelievably so.

As I continued my murmuring in a voice too quiet for others to hear,

The darkness in the sky, prepared by the Demon Realm for their fortress assault, gradually lifted,

And sunshine that seemed poised to melt frozen hearts caused by the incessant snowfall began to peek through.

And then…

Thud-!!

Lord Löwenhart approached my sister with a resounding footstep, then,

“We’ve won.”

“…It happened so suddenly that it doesn’t feel real, but yes, we’ve won.”

“Then shouldn’t we do that thing we always do?”

“Yes, it would be disappointing not to.”

My sister, who had been conversing with Lord Löwenhart, turned her gaze from where the Obsidian Palace’s forces had been to the fortress, then,

“We have survived another day! Now!! Shout!!”

Using her loud and clear voice that could be heard even inside the fortress as a signal,

-Waaaaaah-!!!

A thunderous cheer that seemed to shake the entire fortress created a heat that could melt the snow still covering the wasteland.

The current season, filled with the cheers of soldiers and knights relieved to have survived another year, is winter.

The most severe season, yet one that holds its own unique beauty.