chapter 27
27 – To save (3)
As if the demons had made a promise, they showed a regular attack cycle.
The number of mid-level demons who came to attack us increased from one to two, from two to three, as if they wanted to give us a trial step by step.
It was a great penance.
With the pressure of dying every day, I had to carry a heavy burden and go through the forest.
In addition, a raid came in every middle, causing a number of casualties.
I didn’t die, and I had to go through a few more forced marches, but the other test takers couldn’t stand it.
Even the main characters who need to support it.
The swordsman said to the hero.
“We have to abandon the wounded.”
I could no longer lead the wounded.
It is a claim that everyone is going to die if this happens.
The swordsman who wanted to ruthlessly cut off anything he had to cut was no different from before the return and now.
I fought a lot with the warrior over that.
Abandoning refugees in order to achieve a more important goal, or abandoning the lives of hostages captured by the demon army.
It’s not that I don’t understand.
At that time, the Demon King’s army killed many people. There were only a handful of people dying near the warrior party.
Rather than worrying about hostages and refugees, the Sword Master insisted that killing the demon king quickly and saving mankind would be the least fatal way.
And so it is now.
“I can’t.”
“Calm down. If you continue to take the warriors and wounded, everyone will die. I’d rather break through the forest with a small elite… .”
“I said I couldn’t.”
If it was Hwangseong before the regression, he would have been more forceful here.
The hero hesitated because of the hostage, because he even killed the hostage instead.
But now it wasn’t to that extent.
He respects the hero’s claim, but it seems that he intends to abandon the injured at any time if things go wrong.
Approaching the Sword Saint, I said.
After that, he clashes with the hero until he fights like a bitch, but it was better to change his mind now.
“That claim is not correct, Reinhardt.”
“…what is the reason?”
Reinhardt has a surprised look on his face.
A face that clearly said that if it were you, you would have the same thoughts and opinions as me.
…This is why I don’t like sharp guys.
Of course, if it were me, I would of course throw away everything, and if there was no reason to save them, I would have moved alone to break through the black magic barrier.
But why would I help them?
because it is profitable
He whispered quietly so that only the Sword Saint could hear.
It’s not the right content for a warrior to hear.
“Reinhardt, think carefully, they are all promising. Or even nobles. Even if everyone does not thank you, if you are only half grateful for that, it will definitely become a great asset later.”
“…I am Reinhardt of Rousselmani. There is no need to pretend to be their benefactor.”
“Even if you have a lot of things, you can never have them forever, and you are the prince of Russelmani, but are you not the master? In order to become the owner, you must collect support tax. How much help would it be if rumors spread that he was the savior of this great catastrophe?”
The swordsman made a truly cruel expression.
Of course, after becoming a member of the warrior party, everything, including Russelmani’s head of household, will be destroyed, but now is the time to pay attention to the position of the head of the sword castle.
There could be many reasons why the warriors’ party was destroyed, but the warriors were certainly not without responsibility.
Because the structure of the hero’s logic is made up of justice and correctness.
Why are you looking for people?
because it is correct
This is something most agree on.
However, the swordsman was not convinced.
He was a thoroughly calculating person.
It is not to bring out justice, but to reason and rationality.
and swordsman.
Saving people is more costly than you think.
Do you know because I tried it?
In the end, the Sword Master agreed.
“…Proceed with the plan in the direction of saving the injured as much as possible.”
“Good idea.”
He successfully persuaded the Sword Saint and looked at the hero with confidence.
what kind of warrior Do you deserve a little more trust in me?
Looking at the hero like that, her eyes were shaking violently.
…a more dramatic reaction than expected.
He nods his head in satisfaction.
It seems that the likability work was going better than expected.
**
I haven’t attacked more than 4 mid-level demons, but it’s just as difficult to deal with.
As the raid continued, as the day passed, people began to be pushed to the limit.
They fought with each other, and in the worst case, sword fighting.
The swordsman must have been exhausted as well, so he let go of the leadership of the test takers, Fran had a face that half lost his soul due to excessive acceleration calculations, and Raeli, who was always energetic, also walked silently.
Changsung… . I’m not sure either. He used to be such a gloomy guy.
First aid supplies were saved and cherished, but in the end they ran out, and test takers with festering wounds gradually came out.
The worst overlaps with the worst.
In order to get out of the hell where it is difficult for anyone to breathe, I repeated my steps forward.
He repeated his steps quietly and heavily.
Nevertheless, at the end of penance, hope comes.
It’s been a long time since the practical exam was over.
There is no reason to break through the forest in a straight line.
The goal is to get out of the forest and reach the barrier by any means.
That’s why dozens of mid-level demons are surrounded by the fastest way to go the way you came.
If you go there, it is clear that a large number of test takers will die.
I had to take a detour.
There was me who could accurately and safely know the detour.
In just three days, I found a way to get out of the forest completely.
Even if mid-level demons were surrounded, it was possible because there was an empty space.
It’s only two days, but the difference between those two days is huge.
Instead of the dense forest, which was a struggle to move one step at a time, the ground was gradually covered with lush blades of grass.
Because I feel that I am leaving the forest, because I know that the end is approaching.
Their footsteps gradually began to gain strength.
“Are you almost there?”
“right?”
“Sa, live!”’
“We did it!”
At some point, there are people who feel the joy of being alive.
But I know this is not the end.
Demons nearby are watching us.
…three advanced demons.
One of them is an assassin type, judging by the fact that the magic energy is very vague?
I’ve been caught in my senses a few times, but now I can’t even feel it.
The hero must have sensed this vaguely, and even though he was leaving the forest, his face was pale.
you know
That there is a powerful enemy that even you cannot defeat.
The hero hurriedly approached the barrier.
It was to quickly break the barrier and escape from this hellish place.
at that moment.
A black dot was seen in the sky.
it appeared
high-ranking demons.
aaang-!
The floor is about to collapse.
Behind the dust that rushed like a wave, I could see the figure of a monster dyed in black.
A monster holding a sword in one hand and wearing black armor all over his body.
That monster is an ordinary high-ranking demon.
I know what that armor is.
It could never be pierced by ordinary cold weapons such as swords, bows, or spears, and had strong immunity to moderate magic.
and who made it.
Cyclops, an officer of the Demon King’s Army.
A blacksmith who handles demons.
…Also, the creator of Celcia’s altar sword.
I thought the black armor was something that came out during the Great War, but it was already produced and was worn by high-ranking demons.
[Hoo.]
A feeling of suffocating pressure weighed on the examinees.
Every time the upper level demons opened their mouths, there were even those who couldn’t breathe.
As much as that, the gap between a promising player and a high-ranking demon is bound to be large.
[Did he just die around thirty?]
Even though raids came every day, not many people died.
In fact, even if 30 people died in the practical test, it would be a disaster, but since more than half of them died before returning, it was a saving grace.
[I expected to die more than half.]
“You evil.”
The hero burned with hatred.
Make all the students engulfed in pain.
I trampled on thirty lives.
I shivered in the cold every night.
I was frightened by the fear of death.
The wounds of the wounded will fester and soon rot.
It was a terrible environment.
It was hell.
I was relieved that I didn’t die anymore, but I was afraid that I could die more.
The hero put such a heart into his sword.
Watching from the side, I noticed that the hero had taken half a step further.
“I will confess your sins by beheading you.”
[…It certainly seems to have gotten a little stronger, but it’s still a long way off.]
“What do you mean?”
[It’s weak. Warrior.]
The demon raised his sword high.
I just had to draw it all the way down.
Even though the hero blocked it, he was pushed back leaving a huge mark on the floor.
Kugu Palace-!
[I can’t understand it at all, I’m not even half dead, and I’m avoiding the demons that are besieging me and come all the way here, are you lucky or do you have that much skill?]
“Turn it off!”
[How many die? Heat? twenty? hundred? or all? Only then can you be equal to me?]
Fain!
puck!
“Kyaaah!”
“Lord, he’s dead!”
One of the test takers’ heads was blown off with one gesture from the demon.
screams burst out
Despair weighs down this place.
Read more novels at NovelNext.com
Just got here
I thought I would survive.
But a greater malice was glaring at them.
The warrior gritted his teeth.
“What the hell is that… !”
[Face me, warrior, overcome hardships and stand up, warrior, so that they can survive even a little?]
While listening to the demons, I gradually felt strange and muttered.
“…What?”
The more I listen, the more strange it is.
It sounded like mocking the hero, but something was wrong with me after fighting the demon king to the end.
That demon wants the hero to become stronger.
why the hell
Shouldn’t we kill the warrior who will fight against the demon king in the future?
Far from killing the hero, the demons were stimulating the hero to become stronger by killing other students.
I feel that the premise I was thinking of is wrong.
It’s definitely weird.
If you tried to kill the hero earlier, if you threw three high-level demons and dozens of intermediate-level demons at the hero, he would die on its own.
However, they imposed trials for the warrior to grow step by step.
One thing that came to mind was the power of scales.
Libra was not simply a power to put things on the scale and trade.
The demon king had the power to deal with concepts and could place anything on the balance.
Then, what if the demon king puts the hero’s power on the other side of the scale?
“under.”
It was absurd.
It’s a very simple and powerful method.
why did i just know this now
First of all, they didn’t tell me.
The horse was an executive of the Demon King’s Army, but in reality it was just an outsider.
He did not share an important secret with me.
And for some reason I didn’t even notice.
It was because there was no need to use such an unnatural method against the warrior who had reached transcendence before returning.
All the executives and the entire Demon King’s army were heroes themselves who would never die even if they did their best.
The demon king tried to kill the hero with all his might every time, and it seemed to fail every time, but it was hard to think that it was to raise the hero.
But what about now?
After monsters appeared, lower-level demons and then intermediate-level demons.
In the end, even the upper level demons.
High-level demons are openly saying to become stronger.
I couldn’t possibly know.
My head rolled slowly.
Knowing the principle of the demon king’s strength, he came up with a way to use it.
If there are advantages, there are also disadvantages.
The current Demon King was weak.
It was a natural fact that the hero was so weak that he couldn’t defeat even the upper level demons.
I shook my head while contemplating whether to attack the castle right now.
The officers who have already reached transcendence must be guarding the demon lord.
The demon king was more cunning than the devil.
There was no reason to leave this weakness unattended.
Even if the castle is attacked, all officers will be stationed there.
Considering the number of executives, at least about three transcendental salaries.
Even if I’m immortal, I’m crazy.
If you think about the fact that executives rarely appeared right before the Great War, there was a reason for that.
Even if I knew that the demon king was weak, I had to endure it.
“Come to think of it… .”
There was a truth that gave me goosebumps.
What would happen if the hero, not me, returned?
If the hero who rose to the position of the strongest returned to the past, the demon king would also become the worst monster and descend on the continent without waiting.
What if the hero noticed this fact and sent me back with the strange excuse that ‘only other people can return’?
It really might be.
“Then why?”
Why the hell are warriors?
did you choose me
Because I’m not dead?
Are you certain that I will help the warrior?
I couldn’t ask because I couldn’t go back to the past.
However, the current hero exists.
I could feel the warrior’s gaze.
Two desperate eyes look at me.
She’s faced a limit, and to break through that limit, she must either become stronger herself or fight a stronger foe.
that was me
He judged that only by fighting with me would he be able to catch the high-ranking demons.
“Can you help?”
“….of course.”
I had to help the warrior.
I have to stop her awakening, so the demon lord won’t become stronger.
You have to pour everything out.
The mana that was already amplified is overlaid on the body.
Strengthening the body right before death without considering side effects.
Seeing this, Frank is taken aback.
“Wait. Argal!”
before she catches me
My body moved at an invisible speed.