Trisen Castle
The inside of the castle was a true battlefield. The main gate had been breached by the Knights led by Gerard and Dan, and even the Ironclad Knights’ headquarters had been overrun. From the sky, two Ancient Dragons unleashed their breath attacks, while Efil’s bombardment descended upon Trisen’s defenders. The ultimate blow was the presence of Gordiana, who was rampaging alone within the castle. While she had volunteered to be a decoy for Kelvin, she was continuously tearing apart and throwing enemy soldiers, steadily planting despair in their hearts.
“What were the gatekeepers doing!? They couldn’t have not noticed until the castle walls were destroyed!”
“More importantly, what should we do about that monster!? Arrows don’t faze it, and neither do magic attacks! And it’s terrifying!”
“The Ironclad Knights are approaching the main castle! We need reinforcements immediately!”
“You darned Beastman!”
Most of the soldiers were in this state. From their perspective, with their main unit betraying them, being attacked unilaterally from high above their arrows’ reach, and a muscle-bound S-Rank Adventurer wreaking havoc within the castle, it was a situation that made them want to cry. One could almost sympathize.
In the Mixed Beast Corps headquarters, someone was observing the state of these soldiers while holding a glass of wine. It was Tristan.
“You’re at a disadvantage more than I expected. No, perhaps I should say we lack the forces to counter them. I did leave a surprise present, but I can’t predict how it will act.”
“Then why don’t you go out there yourself, Tristan?”
From the darkness of the unlit room, a Dwarf emerged. He was dressed in a rather noble fashion. In Trisen, demi-humans like Beastmen and Dwarves were not recognized as people, and most were forced to live as slaves or in slums. In Trisen, a Dwarf as imposing as this was extremely rare, or rather, he shouldn’t exist.
“Oh, isn’t this Zildra! Well, well, what a surprise… Would you care to join me for some wine? I’ve just opened some of the finest vintage from my mansion.”
However, Tristan, the top commander of the Trisen army, treated the Dwarf called Zildra as an equal. Until now, Tristan, like the country’s policy, had advocated for human supremacy. If his people and soldiers were to see this sight, they might blow foam and faint. It was that shocking.
“I dislike alcohol.”
“Heh, that’s a strange thing to say for a Dwarf who loves alcohol.”
Tristan tilted his wine glass, savoring its rich aroma.
“Don’t try to deceive me. This is your hometown, isn’t it? Your kin are fighting valiantly and dying. Come, you should go quickly.”
“Being told that by you, a madman, makes me feel it’s finally time. It’s not that I don’t have thoughts on the matter. However, I was reformed by that person.”
“Hmph, fine. I will soon withdraw from this matter. It’s about time.”
“If even your affiliated weapons merchant abandons you, this country is finally at its end, isn’t it? …By the way, from where do you intend to return? General Dan is at the main gate, and some unit seems to be approaching from the back gate as well. Whichever way you go, you’ll be seen?”
“I’ll destroy some part of the castle wall in an unpopulated area.”
“You have eyes in the sky, you know? Here’s a proposal: with my summoning magic, you can exit without issue. If you merely become my subordinate now, it’s an incredibly good deal—”
“Tristan.”
Tristan, who had been speaking with the tempo of an infomercial, flinched under Zildra’s oppressive aura and gave a wry smile, as if to say, “Well, fine.”
“You truly have no sense of humor. Understood, understood. I’ll deal with those lizards up there. You escape in the meantime.”
“…What’s gotten into you?”
“How rude! I care for my comrades, you know. Yes, for my *true* comrades.”
“…Hmph.”
Two defiant smiles bloomed in the dark room.
~~
Trisen Castle
After leaving the room where the Transfer Gate was located, I headed towards a certain place. I had sensed it when I surveyed the entire vicinity of the main castle—the place where the closest and strongest presence was located.
“This is it.”
It was an exceptionally luxurious door, almost seeming to have a different atmosphere from the rest. I kicked down the gaudy door, adorned with gold and jewels. Ah, it flew off…
The room inside was vast. There were several round tables covered with cloths, upon which lay what appeared to be expensive cuisine. The ceiling was high, with chandeliers like those in my family’s mansion. However, these were ostentatious and not to my or Kelvin’s taste. It was, in all likelihood, a party venue.
“Wow…”
The venue was a sea of blood. The tablecloths, which had likely been pure white, were stained red, and pieces of flesh that retained no human form lay scattered on the marble floor. Were these pieces of flesh also accompanied by shreds of clothing? Perhaps their owners?
Rion or Efil might have found this difficult. It was quite grotesque, but for me, it wasn’t shocking, as some demons even ate humans. Victor, for instance, could truly eat anything. That’s what you call having no preferences. I myself struggled to eat bell peppers as a child… I’ve gone quite off-topic.
“So, are you the cause of this carnage?”
It stood on a platform about waist height. At first glance, it appeared humanoid, but its skin was dark, and its arms were abnormally developed. The fact that swords and spears were impaled in various parts of its mutated body made it clear that it was no ordinary being. The only element that could be considered human was its beautiful face, a stark contrast to its monstrous form. Hmm, but somehow, it was the kind of idealized face that felt unnervingly grotesque. The contrast with the rest of its body made it even more disturbing.
“…■■■■■■”
A voice that felt like a curse clung to my ears. It sounded like it was mixed with static; I couldn’t make out what it was saying. Perhaps it was due to Melfina’s ring, which provided resistance to all sorts of anomalies, but I experienced no physical ill effects. Still, it might have originally caused status ailments. The voice was that grating.
In the monster’s hand was a woman’s leg, upside down. Its jaw was dislocated, its mouth agape, and its expression of utter despair made it impossible to gauge the woman’s age. The woman was the only one left in the room with a recognizable form. Except for the fact that she was naked and had multiple holes in her body as if something had pierced her.
“■■■■■■■ッ!”
The monstrosity, apparently noticing me, suddenly let out a meaningless roar with its abominable voice. Its expression remained eerily unchanging. The monster hurled the woman in its hand forcefully against the wall, and a sickening crunch echoed from there.
“■■■, ■■ッ■■■”
“Shut up. It’s pounding in my head!”
As I slammed my fists together, a black, demonic power enveloped them. The monster responded by plunging its own arms into its body and grasping a greatsword. It resembled the appearance of Gerard’s demonic sword Dainsleif when it was still cursed. It was likely a cursed weapon, all the weapons embedded in its body.
“■■■■■……”
“Ugh, enough. Fine, I don’t like this one bit, so I’ll kill you with all my might!”
I shouted, my fists cloaked in black demonic power.
