We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Advancing Demon Lord Army.
“Reporting in!”
A demon with a centipede’s lower body and dark skin, who rushed into the main camp, announced.
The messenger demon, breathing heavily, relayed the report from the front lines to the demons waiting in the main camp.
“The bandits holed up in the ruined village number approximately one thousand!”
At the messenger’s words, a murmur arose from the assembled demons.
“My, what a surprise, General. I never imagined bandits, of all people, would band together to such numbers.”
A devilish young man, exuding an air of nobility rather than martial prowess, spoke up with a cheerful voice.
“Ruilala, mind your words.”
“My apologies, General. But what are your intentions regarding the Red Cloth Bandits’ resistance?”
In response to Ruilala’s question, the four-armed Demon General crossed his arms and looked down at the spread-out map.
“To think that such a large number of bandits would gather. However, regardless of who stands in our way, our advance will proceed as planned.”
The map showed a marker on a ruined village nestled amidst the mountains. And just before it, a marker for their own forces on an open plain.
“Are we charging in from the front?”
A woman Demon General, possessing an alluring appearance, scoffed at Ruilala, who was peering into the map.
“Ruilala, you’re quite weak in military matters. Or perhaps, weak with numbers? Our army comprises seventy-five thousand in total, comprising the left, right, and central armies. Do you truly believe a mere thousand pebbles can halt our advance?”
The female Demon General’s hearty laughter, accompanied by a rumbling sound from her throat, drew laughter from the other powerful demons.
Indeed, it was surprising they hadn’t fled in the face of such a massive army. The demons chuckled amongst themselves, taking the reason for the commotion as a topic of conversation.
However, in a corner of the camp, invited guests for this grand incursion shivered.
“N-seventy-five thousand against a thousand… there’s no contest…”
“Even if my entire country mobilized its forces, it wouldn’t even be a tenth of this army…”
“Mine neither…”
“Even if you had Dragon Race elders, women, and children alike take up arms, it wouldn’t reach ten thousand, would it?”
The men huddled together, trembling at the sheer number of soldiers, which far exceeded their common sense, wondering if this was truly the national strength of the country ruled by the Giant Demon Lord, renowned as the mightiest among demons.
“Nonetheless, the regular army dispatched this time is one hundred and twenty-five thousand. The rest are volunteer soldiers and those sent by the lords.”
A Marquis-ranked demon, tasked with entertaining the guests, provided supplementary explanation to the guests, namely, the Fathers’ Alliance.
“His Majesty’s reign has been long and stable, making it difficult for those aspiring to rise in status to achieve it quickly. However, if one can achieve merits or distinguish themselves on an occasion like this, it can lead to future advancement.”
Nodding awkwardly, the men, understanding the explanation. Nevertheless, the two kings from the Armēdo Kingdom and the Yorttenitos Kingdom voiced their thoughts that the scale was simply too different.
“As expected of demons. They’re all hot-blooded.”
Even Ascres of the Dragon Race was taken aback by the sheer size of the assembled demon army. The thought of such a force attacking Dragon Peak sent a shiver of unease down his spine.
“Wouldn’t it be more advantageous for you to remain on friendly terms with us?”
“Y-yes…”
At that moment, a peerlessly beautiful woman appeared, clad in luxurious blue attire, seemingly out of place on a battlefield. The beauty, reading Ascres’ unguarded thoughts, spoke and smiled.
“His Majesty the Demon Lord, enter!”
At the announcement of the Close Guard General, the demons who had been chatting with understanding hurried to silence themselves, kneeling on their knees. The Marquis who was entertaining the guests also knelt.
The members of the Fathers’ Alliance also showed reverence, but the Demon Lord motioned them to desist.
“You need not show me such formal respect. You are our guests.”
Despite his words, the men, overwhelmed by the tension and atmosphere, shrank into a corner among the assembled demons.
“Now then, report the situation.”
As the Demon Lord took his throne, the standing Demon Generals indicated the map and conveyed the war situation. The Demon Lord listened to the report and nodded thoughtfully.
“…It feels unnaturally gathered. And where is the leader, the one called Ryzen?”
“Yes, according to the messenger who received a report from the reconnaissance unit, his presence was confirmed the day before, but he seems to have been lost sight of since this morning.”
“I see. They gathered the bandits calling themselves the Red Cloth Bandits from the surrounding areas, and he himself disappeared. It’s likely the ones gathered in the ruined village were abandoned as a delaying tactic.”
“Then, is the leader…?”
“He probably ran away.”
The Demon Generals exhaled in exasperation at the Demon Lord’s immediate answer.
“Ruilala, you have leisure since you are separated from Elnea, do you not? Then, pursue the leader. You should be able to rendezvous with Elnea and the others eventually as well.”
“Your Majesty, I beg your pardon. If Elnea-kun and the others are pursuing the same objective, I don’t believe my presence would be necessary.”
Even as he said this, Ruilala seemed to emanations of joy. When the Demon Lord ordered him to go, stating he didn’t mind, Ruilala left the main camp happily.
The Demon Generals, seeing Ruilala off in his cheerful demeanor, turned their attention back to their master. The Demon Lord, receiving the gazes of his subordinates, issued an order.
“From now on, with the entire army, we shall eradicate the bandits holed up in the ruined village. Not a single one shall return alive. Annihilate them.”
At the Demon Lord’s command, the Demon Lord’s Army roared. And they moved out with military orders.
To the north, from the perspective of the country ruled by the Giant Demon Lord.
To the south, from the perspective of the country ruled by the Fairy Demon Lord Kusharilla.
The border region where the two countries met had been prosperous for a long time. The Demon Lords often quarreled, but economic exchange was vigorous, and richer than other regions due to the flow of people and goods.
But that was now a thing of the past.
To the north, Demon Lord Kusharilla had departed, and the land had devolved into a lawless zone. However, initially, there were times when stability began to emerge. Demons vying for the position of the new Demon Lord sharpened their skills and expanded their territories to show off their power. Yet, the public order, which had somehow been maintained under a strong ruler, albeit temporarily, was suddenly destroyed.
Demons seeking the Demon Lord’s seat were defeated one after another, and the Red Cloth Bandits began to rampage in various regions, taking advantage of the power vacuum.
The Red Cloth Bandits, a group of outlaws, committed atrocities relentlessly. One could say it was typical of demons, but the Red Cloth Bandits left the land in ruins, and the once prosperous border region became a dangerous territory.
In a rural area a little distance from this desolate border region, the ruffians feared as the Red Cloth Bandits had gathered.
“Hey, where’s the boss?”
“Th-that’s… he hasn’t been seen since this morning.”
“What!? Then what are we supposed to do from now on!”
A demon, peeking out at the surroundings from behind a palisade wall built around the ruined village, shouted in irritation. But this demon was not the only one agitated.
“How should I know! Besides, you’re the ones who approached us first!”
“We were gathered by the boss too.”
“I don’t care about that!”
Grasping each other’s collars and seeming they would kill each other, the demons were about to fight. However, there was no one to stop them. Whoever had a slight disagreement would kill each other, and the opinions of the victor held the right to command them. The Red Cloth Bandits were not only merciless to the settlements they attacked but also engaged in fierce internal conflicts.
But these same bandits were now on the verge of falling into chaos.
Anyone wearing a red cloth somewhere on their body was considered a Red Cloth Bandit. Eventually, such rumors spread, and many bandit groups emerged in various regions. Several bandit groups roamed the border areas, and all of them called themselves Red Cloth Bandits.
However, even though they were all Red Cloth Bandits, they operated with almost no contact with each other.
Then, some time ago. A high-ranking demon appeared, claiming to be the leader who first organized the Red Cloth Bandits. At first, the demons were suspicious, but upon learning of the strength and cruelty of the man claiming to be the leader, Ryzen, they quickly became subservient.
And then, these multiple Red Cloth Bandit groups, gathered by Ryzen, were congregated in this ruined village.
But for some reason. Ryzen’s whereabouts were unknown since this morning. Moreover, those who went out to scout the surrounding area began to return with unexpected reports.
“The Demon Lord’s Army!”
Everyone doubted the news from the scouts. But those who went to confirm, thinking it was absurd, all said the same thing. Finally, those who went out to observe did not return.
“It’s over…”
“W-we’re not going to make it.”
“We have to run…!”
“It’s too late. We can’t escape…”
“You imbeciles! Are you really going to abandon all the treasure we’ve gathered so far and run away!?”
“Damn it! I wish I hadn’t followed Lord Ryzen and come here with the plundered goods.”
“We were deceived!”
For the Red Cloth Bandits who had committed all sorts of atrocities and plundered riches out of sheer greed, the treasures they obtained were equivalent to their lives. Therefore, they could not easily let go of the gold and silver that was equal to their lives. But this would lead to them losing their invaluable treasures, that is, their “lives.”
With the booming of drums that shook the very air, the ground beneath the bandits began to tremble. The screams of the Red Cloth Bandits were drowned out by the tremors of the seventy-five thousand strong army.
“Well, that was a lot.”
The horse, which had been whipped continuously and forced to run without rest, finally died just short of the ruins of the detached palace. Ryzen, from there, made his way to the gathering place of his comrades on foot, and his first words were a complaint.
“Seriously, it was awful. The last time I went to a border town, I poked around again, and an incredible great dragon attacked me. Then, I barely escaped to the southern border, where the Giant Demon Lord dispatched an army. I was desperate just to get this far!”
Faces he recognized were already gathered there before Ryzen arrived. A great man with a long sword radiating an unusual presence at his waist, clad in jet black full armor. A dragon race warrior of immense build, muscular and carrying a spear. A human man with black hair and a black beard, exuding a carefree aura. And a beautiful woman with sideways rolled blonde hair, holding a fearsome great staff.
“Speaking of which, isn’t that the staff Istericia had?”
Ryzen pointed to the Great Sin Staff held by Charlotte, the blonde woman with sideways rolled hair. He then noticed that Istericia was not present.
“It appears you had a tough time as well. However, Istericia seems to have had it even tougher.”
In response to Ryzen’s question, a man with black hair and black beard, sitting on a fallen pillar, said with a wry smile.
“After sending you off, she apparently attacked a place called the Forbidden Territory with her tribe. Unfortunately, it seems she was repelled.”
As he spoke, Baltnowar looked at Charlotte standing beside him. Ryzen and the remaining two also naturally turned their gazes to Charlotte.
“As he requested, I only retrieved the staff. By the way, what will you do with this staff after retrieving it? Will you give it to someone new?”
“If you like it, you may use it yourself.”
“I have the Heavenly Thunder Hagoromo, so I must decline.”
“Is that so? Well, there are other uses for it, so if you don’t need it, I’ll have it collected.”
Charlotte politely refused and handed the Great Sin Staff to Baltnowar.
“But still, Istericia… and what kind of end did she meet?”
Ryzen looked at Charlotte with suspicion. He didn’t think Charlotte had secretly attacked Istericia, but he couldn’t help but be suspicious. That’s how unfathomable this demon named Charlotte was. Charlotte, without breaking her smile at Ryzen’s suspicion, reported the truth.
“Yes. She was captured along with her tribe by Elnea-kun and the others.”
As Charlotte smiled with a “Fufufu,” the remaining individuals’ faces suddenly tensed.
“Captured, not killed!?”
Ruga of the Dragon Race approached Charlotte, his voice filled with rage. Baltnowar restrained him. Baltnowar then questioned Charlotte.
“How did you retrieve the staff from the captured Istericia?”
“It was simple. I gave her the choice of dying or handing it over.”
“You! Facing the enemy, you let them go easily!?”
Barejrod, clad in jet black full armor, reached for the long sword on his back.
“Yes. I was only asked to retrieve the staff.”
As if to say, “What of it?” Charlotte tilted her head, even Ryzen felt irritated.
“Hey. If you had wanted to, couldn’t you have saved Istericia too?”
“Fufufu, I had no such intention, so rest assured.”
Ryzen clicked his tongue at Charlotte’s nonchalant reply. In other words, Charlotte had no intention of helping her allies or fighting alongside them. Ryzen, being a ruthless demon who used the Red Cloth Bandits as a delaying tactic, couldn’t really say anything.
However, everyone frowned at Charlotte’s inexplicable actions. Even Gaf, the twin-headed Ancient Dragon Species hiding behind Baltnowar, rumbled, expressing his protest against Charlotte’s actions.
“Oh my. I only acted as requested. Besides, if you’re giving off such an aura, it’s meaningless to be hiding.”
Just as someone was about to open their mouth to ask what she meant.
“I found you! Prepare yourselves!!”
From the shadow of the thick summer clouds flowing through the sky, a crimson wyvern descended in a dive attack.
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