Heroes and Machine Girls Looking at Profiles

11 – Nightmare

Reinforce, Ortlinde, and I, having gained a new companion, left Mount Lindium behind.

Our investigation of the goddess’ ruins on Mount Lindium was complete, and we began our search for another goddess’ ruins.

Ortlinde offered to carry my burdens, but I declined.

While I certainly understood Ortlinde’s willingness to serve me as her master, Ortlinde’s outward appearance was of a frail young girl.

Moreover, a very beautiful one at that. Would it look right for such a girl to carry this massive load, following behind a strange, hooded figure?

Even if people questioned it, I’d have no answers.

In any case, to me, this amount of load was as light as a feather, so I didn’t mind it either way.

“So, where are you headed to now, hero?”

“Well… I don’t know any place aside from Mount Lindium’s ruins. Probably, the nearest city to gather some information?”

“The nearest city from here… would that be Kingdom Road Retium?”

“… Let’s avoid that place. I’d rather not go in if I can help it.”

Even though several months had passed, my experiences in Retium have become a source of stress in many ways.

If I ever set foot on Retium’s soil again, it would probably be under demon king’s rule.

“If not a city but a village, there is a village named Zoltan beyond the southern border.”

“Zoltan, huh… It’s a good village.”

Zoltan.

A fairly large village within the territory of the small Kingdom of Velloma, adjacent to the Cloetti Kingdom.

It was one of the villages that I saved when I first embarked on my journey to defeat the demon king.

“The fruits from there are delicious, it wouldn’t hurt to stock up a few.”

“… Isn’t there something we should prioritize over food?”

“… And what would that be?”

“Look behind you.”

At Reinforce’s words, I turned around.

“……?”

Ortlinde caught my gaze, staring at me as if questioning what was happening, dressed in my oversized spare clothes.

…I need to buy new clothes.

We quickly left Mount Lindium and headed towards the border.

For a normal person, it would take a whole day’s travel. However, my physique doesn’t tire, even after running all day.

And Ortlinde, a creature very similar to an ancient battle golem, doesn’t know fatigue.

Both Ortlinde and I, moving at a fast pace, headed towards the border.

Along the way, some individuals who appeared to be thieves tried to pick a fight, but we ignored them and kept running.

I felt something chasing after me from behind, but it didn’t take long to shake it off.

If it were up to me, I would have strolled leisurely, taking the time to enjoy the surroundings.

However, the reason for my hurry was something else entirely.

It was because Ortlinde was following right behind me.

Ortlinde, haphazardly wearing my clothes that didn’t fit her size.

It was awkward and unnatural, no matter how you look at it.

Wouldn’t it be difficult to enjoy the scenery with such a child by your side all day?

That’s why, I moved with such speed.

In the distance, a checkpoint marking the border came into view.

“Stop there, please present your status card.”

They were soldiers of the Belloma Kingdom.

I checked the mask I was wearing and stepped forward.

I handed them the status card they asked for.

“Lewis…My profession is a merchant…”

Of course, it was a fake status card I had prepared in advance.

Forging a status card isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible either.

With money and connections, it’s possible to forge as many status cards as you want.

“What is that mask on your face for?”

“Ah, I received a burn. I can show it to you if you want…but it won’t exactly be a pleasant sight…”

“No, that’s okay.”

Well, most people don’t want to see burn marks if they can avoid it.

Occasionally, there are those who want to see it for themselves, but I deal with them by casting a welcoming spell.

“We need the status card of the lady behind you as well.”

“Status…card…?”

“Ah, hold on.”

I stepped in front of the soldier approaching Ortlinde.

“This child is a former slave. I purchased her from a slave trader on the way here…She doesn’t have a status card yet.”

“Hmm…That is…slavery is prohibited in our Belloma Kingdom…”

“I’m aware of that. That’s why we’re heading to Belloma. She has been liberated from slavery, we were about to get her status card made in Belloma.”

“Oh…I see.”

I help construct a scenario in the soldier’s mind.

A kindhearted merchant, taking pity on a girl sold into slavery, bought her and is taking her to a country where slavery is prohibited, to give her a new identity.

There are often stories of such people, so the soldier would accept that.

As expected, the soldier nodded.

“Understood. I hope everything turns out well for you.”

“hahahaha, thank you.”

Giving a smile to the somewhat softened expression of the soldier, we passed through the border.

Deep in the Maou Realm, the land of the demons,

Maou Irein, the direct subordinate and chief of intelligence, had received a report from succubus queen Lurie.

“Hmm, if that’s true, things are going to get a little bothersome.”

Ileine frowned.

Her gaze passed over Lurie, resting on the map of the continent pinned against the far wall.

She had received only one report from Lurie.

The city of Bluelant was no longer a territory of the Halphas Empire but had become part of the Jorne Duchy.

In accordance with her promise to the hero Hans, Bluelant should now be exempted from attacks by the demon army.

That’s where problems arose.

If the demon army was to bypass other countries’ territories to target the Halphas Empire, the only point of entry was the city of Bluelant.

If they couldn’t attack Bluelant, they wouldn’t have a path to the Halphas Empire.

No, that’s not entirely true.

Ileine, the demon king, looked at the map.

If the city of Bluelant is not the territory of the Halphas Empire, but the territory of the Jorne Duchy, the invasion route to the Halphas Empire is reduced to two options.

One was to cross the massive mountain range that sprawled between the demon kingdom and the Halphas Empire.

Two, they could venture to sea, attacking the Halphas Empire via a marine route.

The second option was immediately dismissed.

The Halphas Empire had a prominent navy due to their territory significantly bordering the sea.

Although the demon army is vastly powerful compared to humans, naval battles are different.

Sure, they could fight with powerful marine species like mermaids and sirens as their main forces, but such species who could actively serve in the demon army were few in number.

They could call upon sea monsters like the Kraken, but they were rare species, and the demon army had only managed to secure two of them.

Regardless of the Kraken’s stature, it would be hunted down when faced with dozens of warships armed with giant harpoons.

“Hmm… I should have strengthened our naval forces earlier…”

In the end, the only option left was crossing the mountain range.

They considered flying over the mountains but getting caught would expose their surprise attack.

Of course, they could fight head-on but…

“Crossing over the mountains… I find it intriguing.”

“Palagio.”

Someone spoke to Ileine.

A demon who walks on four legs, covered in white fur, resembling a carnivorous beast.

However, his intellectual looks were pronounced with glasses over his beastly face.

He was a member of the four demon kings, known for his strategic prowess.

An individual known as Palagio of the Blue Sea, his wisdom as deep as the ocean.

“From the beginning, the empire is unaware of our demon realm’s robustness.”

“Hmm… that’s true, but doesn’t the empire have the Saintess now?”

The demon king was filled with unease.

Saintess Ciella.

Her power itself was not particularly outstanding, but as a Saintess chosen by the goddess, she possessed several special abilities.

One of these abilities was premonitions.

Power to foresee near-future disasters or battles through her dreams.

Among the past saintesses, one was said to predict all the progressions of all conflicts and deal with them accordingly.

Indeed, according to the hero, Saintess Ciella, though not powerful, had the ability to have these foresight dreams.

However, in contrast to the anxious demon king, the demon king Palagio answered with a smile.

“Yes, I’ve actually heard some very interesting information about that. The reason I sought the Demon King was because of it.”

“Hmm? I’m curious how interesting this story is. Tell me.”

“Yes, it’s actually a story I heard from spies infiltrating the Halfus Empire…”

“Is Ciel okay?”

“…Yes, she’s still praying alone in her room.”

Monton’s star palace, Anies and Alesa looked towards the room where Ciel, who wouldn’t come out of the room, was.

Ciel Frost, a woman revered as a hero who defeated the Demon King, a member of the hero party.

She had been having trouble sleeping these days.

“Ha… She has no idea what kind of dream she had. What on earth is going on…”

The cause was a nightmare she couldn’t remember.

She knew it was a nightmare, but it was so desperate and terrifying.

After waking up screaming from the dream, she forgets all about the dream.

Yet, the fear embedded in her body is driving her crazy.

Prince Fred, who was startled by Ciel’s scream every time she woke up, had not been sharing a bed with Ciel recently.

After all, Ciel had turned to religion.

Every day, she prayed to the Goddess Erdiya and asked for help.

Today, she had been praying for hours on end, skipping meals, waking up in the morning with a scream.

‘Ha, this is hilarious.’

Regardless of her concern, Anies had a smirk on her face.

Anies remembers Ciel from that day.

The day when she received a offer to betray from Prince Fred.

Ciel Frost expressed her opposition at first.

But Anies immediately saw through her true intentions.

Her disagreement was nothing more than a lie born out of her sense of responsibility and obligation as a ‘saint’.

Anies didn’t miss that her heart was clearly shaken by Prince Fred’s offer, and her eyes were filled with desire.

Consequently, their betrayal and the death of the hero was the result of that desire surpassing her sense of responsibility as a saint.

After that, Ciel Frost, who married the prince, spent her days covered in desire, forgetting even her prayers to the Goddess.

For her, who was like that, to cling to the Goddess now, was downright laughable.

However, they didn’t know that the horrifying prophecy that Ciel couldn’t remember was coming to them.