NOVEL NEXT Chapter 189
Captain Karuga is dead.
The legendary hero who unifies the confused Imperial Army during the Third Demon Lord War and repels the demons has met his end like this.
It’s because I slacked off a bit on magic detection.
What do I do now?
It seemed like an even bigger problem than going back to the future.
And there was no time.
Since magic was used, someone, whether human or demon, would come here.
I had to act quickly by any means necessary.
The most straightforward method was to take Captain Karuga’s corpse, join the Southern Army, deliver the Crystal Ball, and meet the Elf Wizards.
The content of the Crystal Ball was video evidence of demons disguised as refugees preparing for an invasion.
If this was reported to the higher-ups, the demons wouldn’t be treated as refugees and the Empire would launch a full-scale attack.
However, according to history books, there were demons disguised as humans in the Southern Army.
So, if I simply delivered the Crystal Ball, that demon could use tricks to destroy it.
And even if we dealt with that demon, there would still be problems afterward.
The demons that figured out Karuga’s identity would act in unison, causing chaos in the Empire.
Karuga would quell the confusion in the south and west, lead the united Imperial Army, and attack the demon army to halt their advance.
History records that if Karuga hadn’t stopped the demons like that, they would have invaded the Roots of the World Tree.
But now, Captain Karuga is gone.
I wasn’t even sure if there was someone in the Southern Army who could fill his role.
What should I do?
Just when my head felt like it was going to burst, I heard a voice from a distance.
“Is this the place?”
“Yeah, a magic reaction was detected here.”
Feeling the voice and the magic, I realized they were human.
They seemed to be from the Imperial Army.
The moment to make a decision was approaching.
——————
Near the Southern Army base, Jack and Private First Class Hart, sent to scout the magic reaction in the area, were scared to death.
Since yesterday, the entire division had been on emergency alert due to sudden monster attacks and explosions throughout the southern region.
Furthermore, magic attacks had been detected near the base, but there were no personnel available, so only the two of them were sent.
If the opponent was a mid-level demon, they could die at any moment.
While moving cautiously, filled with tension, they heard a noise.
Rustle—
“Who goes there!”
They aimed their arrows at the source of the sound in the forest.
Feeling cold sweat running down their hands, they prayed that whatever was in the forest wouldn’t be a demon or monster.
And what came out of the forest was…
“I… I am Captain ‘Karuga Nova’ of the 17th Unit of the Zers Imperial Army! Who are you!?”
It was a soldier from the same Zers Imperial Army as themselves.
They sighed in relief and quickly composed themselves to respond.
“I am Private First Class Jack from the 12th Unit of the Southern Army!”
“I… I am Private First Class Hart from the 12th Unit of the Southern Army!”
Karuga, or rather, Yuren disguised as Karuga, sighed with relief and spoke to them.
“Thank goodness I found the right place… I have important information that must be delivered to the commander. Please guide me.”
“Yes!”
And so, Yuren disguised as Karuga headed towards the base with the Imperial Army.
——————
They say life is full of choices.
But nobody would have made a choice like mine.
It’s crazy to disguise oneself as a historical figure to protect history.
Having transformed into Karuga with a transformation spell, I donned Captain Karuga’s Imperial Army gear.
And I buried the corpse nicely under a tree as a natural grave.
I promised to make sure to deliver him back to his hometown once everything was over, so I figured it would be fine.
Entering the Southern Army’s base following the scouts, it was utter chaos.
“Hurry! Move the injured!!!”
“Has anyone seen the 8th Unit’s commander!?”
“All surviving sergeants from the 4th Unit, come here now!!”
It looked like the Southern Army was in total disarray due to the terror from the disguised demons.
Injured soldiers were being moved all over the place, and administrative soldiers were running around like mad trying to find the higher-ups.
Amid that chaos, a soldier with sky-blue hair rushed towards me.
“Captain Karuga! You’re safe!!!”
“Y-Yeah… so… uh… Sergeant Allen!”
I quickly searched through the list of soldiers Karuga mentioned and found the soldier’s name.
Looking very happy, Sergeant Allen came up to me.
“I’m so glad you’re safe!!”
“Yeah, it’s good to see you safe too, how about the others?”
I asked about the other soldiers I had heard about.
According to Karuga, there were ten sergeants gathered, and they had been attacked simultaneously.
With a sorrowful look, Sergeant Allen replied, “Only I have arrived. The others have yet to make it here.”
“I see…”
Most likely, they had fallen to the demons.
As I thought of the demons who stabbed Karuga, I felt gloomy when the soldier who had guided me approached me and said.
“Captain Karuga! The commander is looking for you.”
“Okay, well then, I’ll talk to you later, Sergeant Allen.”
“Yes! See you later, Captain!”
I followed the soldier into the Commander’s Office.
Inside, there were several military personnel who looked like my fellow commanders and a pompous-looking fat man who appeared to be the Southern Army Commander, General Babel.
He calmly smoked a cigarette while addressing me.
“Well… Captain Karuga, you said you brought something important?”
“Yes, Commander Babel. It’s right here.”
I placed the Crystal Ball that I received from Karuga on the table and activated it.
It displayed a scene that appeared to be a demon barracks disguised as a refugee camp.
In it, several individuals who seemed to be leaders of the demons were conversing.
“Everything is proceeding perfectly. It won’t be long until we know the locations of all the officials.”
This Crystal Ball, which recorded the demons’ conspiracy and plans in intricate detail, was clear evidence that the current terror and chaos were caused by the demons.
Everyone in the room’s expression filled with rage as they watched the Crystal Ball.
“The demons posing as refugees are indeed plotting to attack us, just as we expected!”
“Enough…”
But General Babel, the only one not showing anger, looked at me incredulously.
“Captain Karuga… where’s the proof that this is not fake?”
At General Babel’s remark, everyone, including myself, wore expressions of disbelief.
How could anyone claim it was faked after seeing such clear footage?
“If this Crystal Ball is fake, we would be attacking and slaughtering innocent people based on fabricated evidence. Until it’s clearly verified, I’ll keep this Crystal Ball safe.”
But since rank is everything, no one could say anything against the General’s words.
He reached for the Crystal Ball naturally, and just before his hand touched it, I snatched it back.
“Ahh… I’m seriously baffled…”
“W-What are you doing?! Captain Karuga!!”
Even as I entered the Commander’s Office, the alien magic of the demons pricked at my skin.
It was coming from General Babel right in front of me.
“When are you going to stop the act?”
“Captain Karuga, are you insane!?”
“You must be the one who’s insane, you… your horns have reverted.”
“What!? No way!?”
Upon my words, General Babel frantically rubbed his forehead.
The expression on his face relieved the last of my anxiety.
The general who had slain Karuga in disguise as an Imperial Army officer was this man.
“You fool.”
Swish—
I swiftly drew my sword and severed General Babel’s head.
Using shadow magic, it was essentially cut with magic, but since history said that Karuga used a sword, I used a sword as well.
In an instant, General Babel’s head was severed, causing everyone in the Commander’s Office to gasp and shout at me as they pulled their swords.
“What the hell is this!? Captain Karuga!!!”
“Is this treason!!!”
In the noisy Commander’s Office, I took a deep breath.
Then I shouted with all my might.
“Everyone, SHUT UP!!!!!!! Look at that thing’s head!”
“What’s that?”
At my words, all the officers in the Commander’s Office looked at Babel’s head.
His severed neck was turning purple as demon horns began to sprout.
Realizing he was a demon in disguise, the soldiers in the room lowered their weapons.
“The demon pretended to be General Babel and killed him. I almost fell victim to the demon on my way here.”
To be honest, I hesitated before drawing my sword.
But now, I wouldn’t hesitate any longer.
I would accomplish Captain Karuga’s achievements.
From now on, I am “Karuga.”