109. Humans and Warriors
“…I’m back.”
Late in the evening, Morian returned to his home, the Knights, looking gloomy.
Morian was not yet a warrior ready to go on a journey.
Because of this, he was trained in swordsmanship with knights who had not yet been established and was in a position to learn by looking at the records of previous warriors.
Of course, she often went outside to do various things due to the queen’s orders.
Originally, it would not have been possible to let the hero out without permission due to his safety, but since the Demon King does not yet exist, the risk of assassination is much lower than before.
More than anything, the warrior squadron was still officially carrying that name.
“Are you here, hero? “How about a festival?”
“The festival was fun. “There were a lot of people and we ate a lot of delicious food…”
It was Lord Karkal who welcomed Morrian.
There were many knights swinging their swords even late at night.
He was teaching swordsmanship to knights at the training ground and took a short break after confirming that Morian had arrived.
As the leader of Hermod’s knights, he is respected by his subordinate knights, and his skills are also said to be the best sword in the kingdom.
At the same time, he was the one whom two warriors respected as their swordsmanship teacher, and in fact, he was like their adoptive father.
“But you don’t look particularly good.”
“…Yes.”
It’s not just because it’s an excellent article.
It was because he was respected as a teacher and a human being.
“What happened?”
Morian agonized over whether to answer Karkal’s question or not.
He didn’t want to talk about Arcel, his senior, even though he had pushed him away.
If possible, I wanted her to enjoy the festival until the end.
Unfortunately, I felt like I was already enjoying it because I saw something like that in the basement.
“Today, I saw a child stealing bread and running away.”
“A thief…? Well, we pay more attention to security during festivals, but it can’t be helped. You can’t stop everything completely. Moreover, it is the time recently when many outsiders are settling in the Kingdom of Hermod.”
Karkal said, nudging his head with his finger.
I had told the soldiers to be very careful about security during the festival, but I was upset that they couldn’t even prevent a child from stealing bread.
“But that alone doesn’t make him a hero.”
Plus, it seemed like he roughly guessed things that hadn’t been said yet.
“…Yes, I quietly tracked down that child. There was a small door in an alley on the outskirts of the shopping district. So he went in there and-“
It was something terrible even for Morrían himself to see.
People who were driven out of the light into the underground.
They were living in an environment so bad that it was hard to believe that people could live there, but in an environment so terrible that it felt like it would be better to live in the forest.
Even the helpless elderly and young children became the main victims.
Probably many young people died in the war, and those who had the slightest strength to move went out and made their own way to survive.
In the end, it was like they were abandoned and left behind.
Starving to death is already a daily occurrence, and it is not difficult to find people falling ill and dying in dirty environments.
“hahahaha, there is no place like that in Hermod, hero. “Aren’t you mistaken for where the refugees outside live?”
“Yes? No. “I definitely saw it clearly…”
But it seemed like Karkal couldn’t even imagine that there would be a place like that in Hermod.
“I patrol this city every day with the proud knights of Hermod, but I have never seen a place like it. “Most of them are probably camps of people trying to immigrate to Hermod illegally.”
Looking at Arcel’s reaction, it was definitely not like that.
If she had done that, she would have felt regret and pity, but she would not have felt self-doubt.
“Furthermore, Her Majesty the Queen is someone who always actively participates in the life of Hermod and strives for peace by stabilizing prices as much as possible and accommodating refugees. “If there were a place like that in Hermod, he would never leave it unattended.”
That was a story Morian had also heard.
So she continued to believe that, but when she thought about it, no matter how hard the queen tried, she could not easily get rid of the scars of war that had lasted for so long.
No matter how respected she was as a queen, she was ultimately human.
“…Hmm.”
Karkal looked at Morrian’s face and was lost in her thoughts for a moment.
Looking at Morrian’s expression and reaction, she did not feel like she was lying or mistaken.
“I understand. If there is such a place, let’s provide relief as much as possible at the Knights’ level. So, please rest assured and rest well today.”
“Ah… Yes, I understand. “Thank you for your concern.”
Carkal said, stroking Morrian’s head.
Even though her appearance and personality were somewhat different, whenever I saw her, I was always reminded of the warrior she was before.
Perhaps that girl once had a pure personality like the Morrían in front of her.
However, she cruelly killed the innocent girl’s self in the name of saving her world.
It made me realize the reality of war too quickly, and as a result, the consciousness of having to forcefully save humanity and the world was deeply engraved in my mind.
It was more than a trauma, it was almost like brainwashing, weighing on her mind and forcing her to save the world.
This made Karkal feel regret and guilt that she would never forget for the rest of her life.
Perhaps, the cruel things done to her were the cause of that terrible tragedy that day.
Is that why?
I don’t know if it was her atonement for her misdeeds, or if it was just her self-justification, but Morian hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
It was also a tragedy to be chosen as a hero when there was no Demon King yet.
Fortunately, it was unlikely that she would repeat the mistakes of the past, as the Queen had banned her from the same cruel training she had done before.
‘I should at least do a quick investigation. I’ve never heard of a place like that in Hermod.’
Carkal looked at the night sky and thought.
The moon in the sky was slowly being covered by clouds.
†††
“I barely caught it… You better not think about running away anymore.”
Stella was barely able to catch Alfred, who was running away just before he ran out of breath.
“Please save me! “A crazy earl who gets s*xually aroused by crows is trying to attack me!”
“You crazy bastard! “Why don’t you shut that mouth before I sew its mouth, or rather its beak, with an arrow?!”
I was able to catch up because it was in the forest, but if it had been anywhere else, I would have missed it a long time ago.
To be honest, Alfred’s flight speed was so fast that I wondered if he was a real crow.
What’s funny is that it wasn’t done using magic, but purely by flapping wings.
When I think about it again, even if it were a real crow, it wouldn’t be able to reach that speed.
Isn’t it faster than most arrows fired by humans?
“When you open that beak, I will only allow you to talk about Arsel. If you tell me such nonsense again, I will rip out all your real feathers and fry them in oil!”
“…Okay, you said you flew drowsy, but since you caught up with me, should I tell you about it as a reward?”
Only then did Alfred return to his normal self and lightly stretch his legs.
“Oh, that’s right. “I guess it’s already become a habit.”
“…Do you have any real birds among your ancestors?”
“Maybe?”
After that, he tried to adjust his clothes with his mouth and ended up failing.
Stella’s eyelids trembled, but she calmed down with a deep breath, remembering that Alfred was always like that.
“It was already halfway through the journey when you met the hero, and it was really good back then… Of course, it’s still good now, but even though it was ripe, it still had that freshness back then, it’s like looking at a fresh apple soaked in the morning. “Did you hear this?”
“…What is this?”
“The best way to tell old stories is to sit in front of a bonfire, but the unfortunate thing is that the person sitting across from you is a nerd.”
When Alfred opened his mouth again, the skeletons brought tree stumps to use as chairs and even lit a bonfire.
I don’t know where they prepared something like this, but they even brought me water at the right time, so it worked out well since I was exhausted.
“So, what do you want to ask me?”
Alfred asked, crossing his legs.
Even though he had been flying for almost several hours, he had a calm face and no sign of fatigue.
“You already said it yourself. A companion chosen by the Kingdom of Hermod. And the story about trying to kill the hero.”
What Stella wanted to ask was about the Kingdom of Hermod.
I don’t know why Alfred knew that, but if that was true, he felt like he shouldn’t have known about it.
“If you think about it, it’s not that difficult. And of course it is the right thing to do.”
“What?”
“Why, is there some problem?”
“That means you were trying to kill the hero, that is, Arcel! Why on earth do humans?! They say that a hero is the only means of fighting back against the Demon King!”
Stella shouted as if she couldn’t believe it.
The hero was the hope of mankind and the embodiment of everyone’s wishes.
But, considering that she was trying to kill such a hero, Stella was worried that the kingdom of Hermod might have already fallen into the hands of the demon king’s army.
“Think about it carefully, in order to defeat the Demon King, a hero must be strong enough to rival the Demon King, right?”
“Yes, I guess so. But why is that?”
“Then what if the hero turns his sword on them? “A hero with power comparable to that of the Demon King becomes hostile to humans.”
Alfred made an X with his two fingers.
“…!”
Hearing that, I feel like I was hit hard in the back of the head.
“Unlike you devils, humans are gradually improving over time. “We just took into account the situation in which the warrior would turn his sword on them.”
“Oh, there’s no way Arcel would do that…”
“Well? Didn’t I already tell you? “They say that no one knows what happens to people, so I guess there must have been a precedent in the past, or the king of the time was a wise king who was very careful.”
Of course, it is a wise choice from the human perspective.
The more safety devices, the better.
Especially if it was a sword with emotions like that of a warrior, no one knew where the tip of the sword would point depending on the emotions.
“I would have done the same, if I were the king of humans, I wouldn’t have the confidence to block when our warrior thrusts his sword at me.”
Stella thought about the battle with Arcel in her head.
Perhaps the arrows he shoots cannot reach Arcel.
Especially for Arcel, who has recovered his strength, if it is not an arrow filled with power, he will not be able to get close and will bounce back.
And the moment the distance narrows, you die.
“…Why didn’t you tell me that until now? You probably didn’t tell Arcel yourself, right?”
“Of course, I haven’t figured everything out yet.”
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Alfred said, shaking his head.
“I still haven’t figured out what that safety device is. At first, I thought my colleagues were just cutting me off when I let my guard down. “That must have been difficult too.”
“Those kids couldn’t have done that in the first place. They are a family that is stronger than the blood we shared in life and death. “How could you do something like that to your family?”
“I don’t know. The only pure human I’ve been with for a long time is my mother. But it’s a bit hard to describe that mother as a human being…”
Leaving behind Alfred, who was muttering to himself, Stella thought about the safety device he had mentioned.
A safety device that humans would have created in case the hero turns against humans.
Is it really related to my colleagues?
“But one thing is certain, the people you call your companions were ordered by the king of the time to deal with them immediately if the hero betrays them.”
It is said that all of his colleagues were selected after strict screening by the Kingdom of Hermod.
Perhaps that’s why, as the journey progressed, they became stronger together with the hero, and eventually achieved the feat of breaking through the Demon King’s Castle and defeating the Demon King together.
He probably didn’t mean it with all his sincerity, but in the end, he succeeded in making Alfred, the man in front of him, surrender.
I heard that even though they all ran together at first, they were ultimately defeated by Alfred, who only used his legs.
“What do you think, earl? What if your colleagues, excluding you, betrayed you? “Do you think you can handle our hero?”
“…It won’t be impossible. Because Arcel trusted us so much. “No matter how much Arcel is, if we attack together, we have no choice but to suffer.”
Moreover, if it were Arcel, his colleagues would not even resist if he sincerely did so.
“I see, that’s such a pity.”
Alfred made a bitter expression.
Even if he had not experienced such a terrible tragedy, he would have thought that it would be much better to die alone than to kill with colleagues who are more precious than his own life.
Stella’s fists were shaking.
It was natural for humans, but I bit my lip out of betrayal.
Arsel wanted to save the world even at the cost of his own life, but you are trying to kill him.
“If you are tied up in something that is hopeless, you have no future. In that case, it would be better to start from scratch.”
Logically, this is correct.
But from a human perspective, these were cruel words.
“It seems like there was a replacement for the hero, as if they were waiting for it, right?”
I didn’t really think about who the substitute was.
“Anyway, it’s already wrong, our hero is in a very unstable state both physically and mentally. Even if you touch it just a little bit wrong, boom! “They probably kill everything they see.”
“…You knew that and yet you ran away?”
I knew Alfred was shameless, but hearing those words made me even more shocked.
“What can I do? I also have a conscience. In a way, I am also the provider of the cause, right? “I’m not involved in anything I say there.”
Arcel loved his colleagues as much as his life, but there were times when even Arcel had problems with his colleagues.
It was all related to Alfred.
Alfred was hostile to everyone in the world, but strangely enough, Arcel was friendly towards Alfred.
In particular, when deciding on the disposition of Alfred, who surrendered at the end, Arcel absolutely prevented Alfred, who everyone, including Stella, wanted to execute.
Considering Alfred’s actions afterward, the situation would have gotten worse if he had tried to execute him.
‘At the very least, he would prevent us from going to the Demon King, or at worst, he would kill us all.’
Breaking the siege of demons was by no means easy.
Everyone was exhausted both physically and mentally, and when Alfred blocked the road, they felt hopeless.
But if Alfred had not surrendered, or if he had surrendered but they had tried to kill him…
“And I am so weak and delicate that I could be caught by a devil like you. “Sometimes I even hear people say I’m girly.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course, because I don’t lie. “Lying is always a means used by those who are as clever or weak as humans to protect themselves, right?”
Speech like that was outrageous, but Alfred’s ability was as terrible as what came out of that tongue.
How shocked were you when you first heard the story about the Witch of Cinder?
Not only is it not enough to be the child of the witch who turned the world into cinders, it even summoned its mother, the Witch of Cinders, as an undead.
I can’t help but be shocked, both ethically and magically.
If we were to consider the truly dangerous thing, he was greater than the Demon Lord.
If the Demon King was a cruel monarch who enjoyed massacres, then Alfred was a disaster that destroyed everything, including massacres.
In the end, Arcel’s choice was right.
“Anyway, if you’re lucky, nothing much may happen. If you control yourself well. “We just hope that you don’t become a witch like my mother.”
Alfred said as he roasted marshmallows on a bonfire.