“It’s the finishing blow!”
A man slashes down an Orc. The air is thick with a sour smell, and a mountain of countless corpses and a river of blood have been formed. The man warily surveys his surroundings, and, confirming that there is no one else moving, sheathes his sword and lets out a deep breath. Sweat beads on his forehead, and his body bears multiple wounds and copious amounts of bloodstains. A single glance at his appearance would easily reveal the ferocity of the battle.
(Shall I head back?)
The man turns on his heel and starts walking. However, he doesn’t proceed in a straight line, often glancing back. This is a sign of his vigilance against monsters. The man weaves through the dense foliage and heads towards his home. A human settlement lies deep within the forest, where even light struggles to reach. The exact name of the calendar has long been forgotten. People living in this era call it “The Age of No Light,” or “The Age of the Demon Lord,” with a sense of resignation.
“Raul, welcome back.”
As he emerges into a clearing, two young men greet him. Both are from the same hidden village. They are not surprised to see Raul. They know that if he goes out, it means there is considerable danger, and that he possesses the strength to handle most threats. With the strongest person in their hidden village unable to fight for reasons unknown, Raul Envers is now their greatest asset.
“So? Where’s Ivlis?”
Raul asks, unable to conceal his anxiety. Ivlis is his wife’s name.
“Yes, she gave birth safely!”
The man who said this with a smile runs off. And no one stops him. Who wouldn’t hurry when told their child has been born? It’s a custom, though not explicitly stated, that a father must be swift in such situations. This is an era where demons and Demon Lords roam freely, and humans must huddle together and live modestly. Upon reaching his house, he finds a crowd gathered.
“Excuse me, please let me through!”
Recognizing Raul, the people quickly part to make way. Inside the simple house, made of wood and straw, are his wife Ivlis, the midwife, and a baby crying with vigorous health.
“Oh, Raul’s boy. He’s born safely,” the midwife exclaims, her wrinkled face crinkling with joy as she holds out the tiny life in her arms.
“Ah…”
Raul finally manages to utter a word. In an era where death can strike at any moment, the sight of this newborn baby seems divine. Someone sniffs. Some even shed tears from sheer emotion. Even in an age without a clear future, new life is being born. And this becomes a source of courage for them.
“Ivlis, you did wonderfully.”
Raul snaps back to attention and addresses his wife.
“Raul, I’m sorry, but it seems to be a girl.”
Ivlis, having completed her great task, speaks with a faint voice and lowers her eyes apologetically. She knows her husband had hoped for a son. This is why she feels guilty, but Raul is not so small-minded as to blame his wife.
“What are you saying? There is no greater joy than for both mother and child to be safe. Please rest well.”
He praises his wife with a heartfelt smile.
“Yes.”
Seeing this, Ivlis finally feels relieved. More than anything, she feared disappointing the man she loved.
“Now, Raul boy. I can’t let you hold the baby looking like this. Go clean yourself up.”
The midwife, seeing that the conversation between the couple has reached a natural pause, admonishes him about his appearance. While she knows he fought fiercely for the village, allowing him to hold the infant is another matter entirely.
“Ah, ah.”
Raul is reminded by the midwife’s words of his terrible state.
“Raul, this way.”
One of the young men calls out to Raul and leads him to the bathing area. Of course, Raul knows the location. The fact that they are escorting him means they are offering help. As he undresses and cleans himself with water, the men, working in shifts, wash Raul’s equipment. His armor, gauntlets, and greaves – there isn’t a single clean part.
“Hoo, water makes all the difference, doesn’t it?”
Raul muses with relief. The blood of monsters is disgusting, but in order to protect the village, he cannot afford such sentiments. His sense of duty and responsibility override his revulsion. The men helping with the washing, however, feel little revulsion. There’s a saying that touching the armor of a brave warrior and helping to maintain it imbues one with their valor. Regardless of how much they believe it, there are many who wish to share in Raul’s prowess. He is popular among the women as well, but none dare to flirt with him out of consideration for his wife, Ivlis. For reasons unknown, the strongest force of the village, unable to fight, is Ivlis. Wiping himself with a clean cloth and donning the clean clothes provided, he returns home ahead of them. The remaining men have the task of drying Raul’s equipment.
With a baby having been born for the first time in a while, peaceful days have continued. Of course, this doesn’t mean the fighting has stopped. Repelling swarms of Goblins, Orcs, and Poison Snakes is a daily occurrence, so it doesn’t exactly qualify as peaceful. Raul is also called to action without hesitation. The birth of a child is not a reason to rest. Rather, for the safety of his child, he needed to demonstrate his martial prowess.
“I wish it could continue like this,” Raul mutters to himself. Just until his child can walk. That is his wish, but whether it will come true remains to be seen. The village he belongs to was only established a few years ago. His former village was destroyed by the forces led by the Demon, Farna. However, it led to him meeting Ivlis, so it wasn’t entirely a bad thing. He cannot deny his desire to believe so. His only concern is that, with Ivlis unable to move, they cannot dispose of the monster corpses effectively. How much impact will simply burying them or washing them down the river have? Perhaps it’s because the effect is minimal that monsters are approaching regularly. No one says anything, but a vague unease lingers.
“Raul, it’s our turn to relieve you.”
A young man approaches.
“Right.”
Raul and his companions turn to head back to the village. Immediately after, the ground shakes.
“Ugh.”
Raul instinctively crouches, assuming a combat stance. However, the others aren’t so fortunate and fall.
“An earthquake?”
Raul’s voice is laced with anxiety and vigilance for a reason. While earthquakes can occur naturally, they are more often caused by the demonic kin. And his premonition proves true.
“Ahahahaha. Humans, I found you.”
A cheerful, carefree, yet bone-chilling female voice echoes. The men simultaneously draw their weapons. A shadow descends before them. Blue skin, two black horns sprouting from its temples, red eyes, and a black tail. A near-humanoid being clad in black attire.
“A Demon…”
Raul murmurs, filled with anger, hatred, and fear.
“D-Demon…?”
The other men let out groans of despair. A Demon is said to be a monster that has surpassed a certain limit, gaining supernatural power, strength, and a human-like form and intellect. They’re generally divided into high, middle, and low ranks, but essentially, the stronger the original race, the stronger the Demon. While exceptions exist, it’s a fact that no weak Demons of strong original races have been confirmed.
“Ahahahaha. You recognized me so quickly, human? I’ll praise you for that.”
Despite her boorish attitude, no one has the luxury of being offended. They instinctively sense an insurmountable gap in power. The only exception is Raul.
“It’s only natural that I recognized you. Don’t you remember me?”
His words are filled with anger. The Demon before him is the one who destroyed his hometown.
“Why would I remember? Do you remember the difference between every bug you’ve crushed?”
Demon Farna’s answer is clear. She views humans as less than insects. Therefore, she doesn’t distinguish between Raul and the other men.
“Damn it. Run,” Raul hisses and tells the men to flee. They are no match for her. He intends to buy them time, increasing the possibility of the villagers escaping. The men desperately start running. Seeing this, Raul draws his sword and lunges at the Demon. He thrusts with all his might, swinging his sword with all his strength. This is Raul’s strongest attack, capable of felling even a wild tiger. However, his opponent is a Demon, a being far beyond a tiger. The long sword, cutting through the air, is stopped by her index finger alone. Yet, Raul doesn’t stop. From his past encounters with Demons, he was prepared for an opponent who could do such things. He releases his sword and tries to punch. But the Demon elegantly dodges and trips him, knocking him down.
“【Firebread】”
Then, she unleashes a fire magic attack towards the fleeing men. Even low-ranking magic, with a Demon’s magic power, transforms into human-sized fireballs. These balls engulf the men with ease and then set the trees ablaze.
“Ah…”
Unable to save those he tried to help him escape, he involuntarily lets out a sound.
“Ahahahaha. Did you think you could escape me?”
The Demon mockingly kicks Raul in the abdomen, who is left vulnerable.
(Damn it, but the minimal objective should have been achieved.)
The men couldn’t be saved, but the sudden outbreak of fire in the trees signifies that something unusual has happened. The villagers wouldn’t fail to notice. While Demon Farna toys with him, they should escape as far as possible. Ivlis, under normal circumstances, might refuse and rush to his side. But now, she has their baby. The first thing to protect is the child. He is confident that his wife is not so foolish as to not understand this. Bidding a final farewell to his wife and child in his heart, he slowly stands up.
“I won’t run. I will defeat you.”
He knows it’s an impossible task. However, he’d heard that Demons tend to become enraged when directly challenged in this way. In essence, this is the principle for a human acting as a decoy. As expected, Demon Farna’s smile vanishes, and her face turns grim. Being declared “defeated” by mere scum must have been extremely unpleasant. However, her next action is beyond Raul’s expectations.
“【Volcano】”
She conjures a lava flow with her magic, engulfing the forest behind her in an instant.
“What…!”
Raul is astonished and reflexively looks behind him. The hidden village lies in the direction where the magic was cast. A kick from the Demon is aimed at him.
“Guh!”
The powerful blow, delivered while he was defenseless, sends him sprawling on the ground once more. Demon Farna then steps on the head of the writhing human.
“Ahahahaha. How does it feel to have the very thing you tried to protect attacked?”
Raul understands the Demon’s malice from her taunting words. The devil in human form must have known about the hidden village from the start. Pretending not to know was to create a moment like this. Raul feels a surge of anger he has never experienced before.
“You…!”
Inside the village were the elderly and children who couldn’t fight. Above all, his wife and child were there. No man would remain unmoved by their home being burned. He retaliates with a furious blow. Demon Farna easily dodges his attack and severs his right arm.
“Gaaaaaaaaaah!”
The searing pain forces the man to cry out in agony.
“Ahahahaha. Considering you had everything you tried to protect annihilated, your attack is rather lukewarm?”
“D-Damn it…”
Raul’s hostility hasn’t subsided yet, but his left arm is then severed. Another scream erupts.
“Ahahahaha. Quite a nice scream.”
With both arms lost, Raul falls to his knees.
“W-Why would you do such a thing…?”
His fighting spirit completely broken, he looks up at the Demon with a dazed expression. Farna smiles with pride at his reaction.
“Isn’t it obvious? Because it’s fun! Watching humans who try to protect someone fail to do so and get angry! And turning that anger and regret into despair! It’s the most enjoyable thing!”
She kicks Raul away, laughing maniacally.
“Humans are truly foolish. You can only escape because we deliberately let you. Huh? You ask why we do that?”
She pauses, takes a breath, and declares loudly.
“It’s simple. You humans are the best toys! If you broke all those toys, wouldn’t it be less fun? That’s why we let you live as we please! To enjoy ourselves until we get bored!”
“You… monster…”
Raul, barely able to breathe, spits out a curse.
“Someday, someday, someone will defeat you!”
His head is ruthlessly crushed by the Demon. No miracle occurred for him.
“Such are the laments of the weak. No human could ever defeat the great Auraniess.”
Demon Farna says this with both contempt and fear. Contempt for humans, and fear for the absolute being named Auraniess. She hasn’t personally met the most powerful Demon Lord, Auraniess. However, she’s heard stories of several Demon Lords being annihilated simply for incurring that being’s wrath. For Farna, a mere Demon, it was an incomprehensible terror.
(Now, I should return to Lord Louvreil.)
Without giving a second thought to having destroyed a human settlement, she decides to return to her lord. Little did she know then that the very being who would become the greatest adversary to the demonic kin had not died.
“I’ve decided…”
Ivlis suppresses her grief and says it to herself, as if to convince herself. She had not died. As an excellent “Miracle Weaver,” she had instinctively deployed a barrier, narrowly escaping death. Farna’s greatest mistake was likely not confirming survivors. Had she known of Ivlis’s existence, she might have acted differently, but the two had never met. Such a twist of fate would bring about a certain future.
“This child’s name is Melinda. Melinda Guilford-Envers…”
She gives her daughter a name. Guilford is her maiden name, which she stopped using when she married Raul.
“In the old tongue, it means ‘bearer of hope’.”
Ivlis nods at the murmur of the midwife, who also survived.
“Someday, I want her to bring a ray of hope to this hellish era… That is my wish…”
She is filled with a mix of emotions: the sorrow of losing her beloved husband, the regret of losing most of her fellow villagers, and the guilt of giving birth in such an era. Bestowing the name “Melinda” was not merely an act of maternal love. Ivlis is no saint, nor is she so foolish as to be unaware of her own nature. Melinda Guilford-Envers. Responding to her mother’s wish, she will end the dark age and in later generations, forge an immortal name as the great hero, “Melinda Guilford.” However, her mother would not live to see it…
