episode_0033

44.

It was a rough road.

After passing through a poisonous swamp, a desolate and rugged mountain, and a forest immersed in darkness, we finally arrived at the Demon King’s Castle.

Not only did they not simply break through the hostile and hostile terrain toward humans, but they also borrowed the power of the warrior and set out to subdue the Demon King. Numerous monsters and demons rushed to prevent the three women, Anis, Barche, and Elise, from reaching the Demon King Castle.

There were countless dangerous and dizzying moments, but each time, the three women overcame all difficulties by relying on their own abilities, wit, and the strength of the warriors that grew in each crisis.

And now, in front of the gate of the castle where the Demon King, the source of all monsters and demons, resides, the three women checked each other’s faces once again.

Without mentioning anyone else, all three of them are wrapped around their bodies with equipment that is a by-product of monsters and demons, and has been patchily repaired and reused to the point where it is difficult to find its original form.

The fact that they didn’t match each other and looked old and worn out was worn in random ways, so it looked like a beggar, regardless of its performance.

Of course, it was a series of times when I didn’t have time to pay attention to beauty, so my beautiful hair was growing wild and matted, and my clean skin was left rough and dirty for a long time.

It was impossible to conquer the terrain step by step with a large army, so it was inevitable that only a small number of powerful elites could overcome it.

It was an arduous journey that made me think several times whether it would have been better to bring not only the three of us, but at least one person who could provide convenience.

While thinking about whether this is why there is such a thing as a porter for a warrior’s party, or whether it might be a good idea to bring in a hero and entrust him with such a task, even though it may be a shameful thing to say, Elise suddenly chuckled and said something as if it were a joke.

“Maybe it’s a good thing the hero didn’t come with us. It may be hard work, but to think that I can show this mess to the hero…”

“That’s definitely true. Even though we’re women, it’s hard to show this side of us casually.”

“Hmm……. Hoo……”

While Elise and Barce were talking, Barce asked a question after seeing Anis quietly moaning and then letting out a small exclamation.

“What are you thinking about alone?”

“If we had come this far together, wouldn’t we have been able to see your disheveled appearance, not just you?”

Barce and Elise’s eyes widened and their mouths opened as they realized what Anis had said.

Not describing what the hero looked like in their minds would be the way to protect their social reputation and their lives.

After a moment of shameful delusion, Barce shook his head with a slightly red face and spoke.

“Still, it is better not to put the hero through this kind of trouble. A woman doesn’t put a man through something like that.”

“You sound surprisingly matriarchal. I heard there is less of a tendency to do that among wizards.”

“It has nothing to do with that. This is just something I don’t want to do to the hero.”

“Yes, I also don’t want to see the hero having a hard time. Moreover, more than anything, the hero has already become a great help to us.”

Elise turned her back to the Demon King Castle, turned her head toward the path they had taken, the direction where the King Castle would be, and cast a faint look in her eyes.

Anis and Barce soon turned their heads side by side and looked similar to Elise.

“I see. Perhaps the warriors who remained in the castle also suffered as much as we did. Maybe leaving the hero behind and coming on our own was the right answer.”

“Well, if the hero had followed us, we might not have been able to increase his strength to this level…”

As they advanced toward the Demon King’s Castle, the hero’s power grew stronger day by day as time passed.

The hero’s power, which was gradually getting stronger at first, gradually accelerated, perhaps as the hero became convinced of the method, and grew stronger to the point where he could feel a clear difference every day when he opened his eyes.

Nowadays, they have become so strong that they are confident that they can easily defeat the powerful army commander they first met with just one hand, like breaking a child’s wrist.

The words first spoken by the commander of the mighty army as he was dying were now easily recognized as facts and not curses, but there was not an ounce of anxiety within them.

Only the confidence that came from the ever-stronger power of the warrior filled their hearts.

“Let’s go. After finishing it quickly, I went back and met the hero, asked him questions about how he developed his strength, and…”

“Barce, I told you that doing that is taboo in the world of warriors.”

“What do you think? With this power given to us by the hero, we can’t imagine losing even if our opponent is the Demon King.”

“Still, you must not let down your guard, Barce.”

“I know. Well then, let’s stop talking about it and I’ll take the hit first. You know what’s next, right?”

Barche stretched out his hand holding the staff and began to chant a spell. It was a familiar occurrence for a wizard with a long preparation time to land a big blow first, and Anis and Elise surrounded Barce as if they were guarding him.

After taking a moment to raise the warrior’s strength to its fullest level and finish the spell, Barche’s eyes lit up and a warning voice burst from her mouth.

“Go! Everyone close your eyes and cover your ears!”

After a huge and spectacular explosion that was too large and spectacular to be dismissed as a simple knock or welcome greeting, and destruction that sent mushroom clouds soaring, the storm and dust settled and the revealed Demon Castle had already almost lost its original appearance.

To be precise, all that was left was a rough black throne and the demon king sitting on it.

“This is truly absurd. If you neglect it and raise it like this, it won’t even open the door.”

With a light tone that was uncharacteristic of a demon lord, a woman who had not suffered any injuries in the huge explosion stood up on the throne.

It’s a huge body that’s two orders of magnitude larger than that of an average woman, but it’s hard to fully realize it. It’s a perfectly proportioned body, with long purple hair and a pair of horns rising above it. This is the first time I’ve seen the demon lord, and I’ve come all the way here to subdue the demon lord. The three women who came swallowed nervously.

Aside from his frivolous grumbling attitude, the prayer and presence that the devil radiated, as if he were indeed the infamous devil lord, far exceeded the level that the three women had assumed.

It wasn’t so much that they couldn’t guarantee victory, but they immediately realized that this was an opponent they couldn’t easily defeat, to the point where their confidence, which had been full just a moment ago, was greatly diminished.

That is the Demon King, who can only be defeated with the power of a hero given by the Goddess. Just looking at it made me feel its power to the point that my skin tingled.

This is someone you can never let down your guard against, someone you must never let down your guard against, someone you have to risk your life for.

The same sentiment passed through the minds of the three women.

And at the same time, they quickly formed a formation with familiar movements and confronted the Demon King.

A slightly crooked triangular formation was formed with Anise in the lead and Barche and Elise at the back. The Demon King, who had risen from the throne, was just looking at them leisurely, unlike the girls who were extremely nervous and took out their respective weapons.

Princess Knight Anis, with the blessing of Saint Elise and the assistance of the witch Barche, carefully approached the Demon King with the strength of a warrior. In front of her, the Demon King raised both hands and shouted.

“Surrender!!”

Anise’s steps stopped at the sudden sound the Demon King made. And she stared blankly at the Demon King’s face, unable to hide her surprise, which was rare for her.

The situation was no different in Barce and Elysee. Those who were more shocked than Anis and were expressing their bewildered and helpless feelings with their whole body quickly adjusted their posture as they realized that they had been too careless in front of the Demon King.

“Eh? Surrender?”

“What…. Stop letting us off guard with your cunning tongue, devil. In any case, unless we defeat you with the power of a hero, there will be no end to monsters and demons, so even if you surrender, we will have to defeat you. There is no way it would be like surrender.”

When Anis spoke again while aiming the tip of her sword, the Demon King waved his hand and said.

“No, listen carefully. To what extent can I move the monsters and demons you talk about at will? My control isn’t perfect, so I can’t help but let things slip by, but if I keep the monsters and demons calm and not invade the kingdom, won’t you be able to accept their surrender?”

“How can we believe that? Not long ago, they shamelessly sent legions to invade the kingdom…”

“That’s also for your convenience! Didn’t you guys also see this when you came here, the commander of the army that invaded your kingdom and the kids under him? You know that it’s really nothing compared to the total power of the Demon Lord’s army here, right? Who was it that was suppressing that? If I really wanted to conquer the kingdom, wouldn’t I have unleashed them all and swept them away at once? Then you guys could have endured it?”