Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 182: the main force is captured

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"There is no other way. This world is one where the strong prey on the weak. If you were weak, you would have died long ago. If you want to live, there is no choice but to kill."

Solitar, still spotless, appeared beside him at that moment, as if she completely understood him. She offered a small smile, her expression tinged with apology, and bowed her head slightly.

"But I'm really sorry~ Some of them still managed to hide inside the barrier. It seems I couldn't completely block the entire army by myself."

"…You're definitely not serious."

"Am I not?"

"The moment you said 'for the time being,' you weren't serious anymore. But whatever… What's the point of running back? They'll figure out what happened here sooner or later anyway."

At the very least, the main work was done.

The remaining trivial matters weren't much of a concern.

Ash had no intention of dwelling on them.

Just as he was about to head toward the frontline camp, a familiar voice called out to him.

Linie, dressed in her usual gothic lolita attire, appeared at his side and tugged at his sleeve.

"Master Ash, Master Ash."

"…What is it?"

"My face is dirty. Can Master Ash wipe it for me?"

Expressionless, Linie stared up at him, her face smeared with blood.

Ash's expression twitched slightly at the unexpected request.

"…Didn't you just wipe it before? No, wait—why are you asking me to do it? That sounds way too weird. Just find something and wipe it yourself."

"It's different. I only use my sleeve to wipe when I'm angry. In truth, I respect Master Ash very much."

"Then why do you wipe your hands and mouth on my clothes when you eat?"

"I told you, they're two different things." Linie corrected him, completely serious.

Ash paused, staring at her blankly.

He tried to process her reasoning, but no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't quite figure it out.

After a long silence, he finally managed to say—

"…So that time, after I talked with Lawine and Kanne, you got mad before sitting on my lap?"

"Yes." Linie gave a small nod but continued staring up at him intently.

"But now… Master Ash, after they were attacked by the meteorite, I immediately led the monsters to disrupt their formation. I worked very hard. Can I have a reward?"

"A reward? What do you want?"

"First, wipe my face. Then… I want to sit on Master Ash's lap and have Master Ash feed me an apple. No…"

Linie paused halfway, shook her head, then added with unexpected seriousness—

"It's better if we eat it together."

"…So in the end, we're still not avoiding the apple?"

—

Ash let out a soft sigh, but still wiped the blood from her face with his sleeve.

As Linie's lips curled into a satisfied smile, he suddenly turned his head—

And froze.

Not far away, Solitar was slicing a cut into her wrist and smearing the blood onto her face.

His expression twitched violently.

"—Stop it! Solitar, are you a yandere??"

"What's a yandere?"

"It's exactly what you're doing—self-harming!"

Without thinking, Ash grabbed Solitar's hand to stop her bizarre behavior.

But just as he managed to stop one, the other immediately acted up.

Linie, dissatisfied with the interruption, clutched his other hand, hoping he would continue wiping her face.

At that moment—

Trying to restrain a self-harming woman with one hand while being pulled on by a childlike girl with the other—

Ash began questioning whether he was still on a battlefield.

---

The main enemy force had been captured.

Of the more than 40,000 prisoners of war, some of the bodies had been buried, while the rest were forced to begin constructing a forward base at the empire's gates—under the strict supervision of the kingdom's soldiers.

The defenders, who had been ready to support the vanguard at a moment's notice, saw at dawn that the enemy had already built fortifications right at their doorstep.

At that moment, Baxter, the last of the Three Great Knights, sat atop the city wall at the pass.

Nearly fifty years old, he had long since abdicated his position, retiring to the second line of command.

Now, however—

His bloodshot eyes remained fixed on the battlefield below.

Ludwig's eldest son, Keynes, the family's most promising rising star, stood beside him.

When he saw his father's mangled remains discarded outside the walls, clearly left there as bait, his rage boiled over.

"—Those beasts…! How dare they insult our father like this!"

Keynes stared down at Ludwig's corpse, crushed into an unrecognizable mass by an inexplicable brute force, left to rot beneath the rock wall that had risen from the earth under magic.

Had his grandfather not held him back, he would have lost control and led his men into battle on the spot.

"…Lord Baxter, Lord Keynes, we've received intelligence from the core of the barrier. Someone is attempting to analyze the national defense barrier… What should we do?"

"Just leave it to the Magical Special Forces. Isn't that their job?"

Baxter, still staring out over the battlefield, had no interest in such minor disturbances.

With an impatient wave of his hand, he dismissed the reporting magician.

The magician hesitated for a moment but turned to leave quietly.

However, before he could take more than two steps, Baxter's expression shifted.

Something came to mind.

He turned sharply, calling out—

"Wait!"

The magician froze in place.

"Tell the Magical Special Forces—

Capture those trying to analyze the national defense barrier. Capture them all alive! I want to use them as bargaining chips to exchange for Ludwig's murderer! And… Ludwig's body."

The magician hesitated.

"But… Lord Baxter, the enemy must have heavy protection around them. It will be—"

"That's their problem to solve."

Baxter's tone was sharp.

"If they can't do it—

They can all be sent to the front lines as death squads."

The magician fell silent.

Then, after a brief pause, he sighed.

"…Understood, Lord Baxter."

The old magician knew the mission would be anything but simple.

But—

Baxter was still a noble.

No—the noble.

Now that Ludwig was dead, Keynes would inherit the family's title.

Either way—

They were not people he could afford to disobey.

With no other choice, he turned to relay orders to the Magical Special Forces.

---

---

On the other side…

Solitar placed her palm against the barrier.

The moment she did, several magic circles spread outward from her hand, merging with the national defense barrier.

"I see, I see~"

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze shimmering with curiosity.

"The core structure is a masterpiece from the Unified Empire's Defense Court, and the isolation layer is a modified version… Ah, I encountered something similar when I analyzed Macht barrier. This one is more intricate, but since I already have a foundation, it won't be too difficult."

Closing her eyes, she focused.

A few seconds passed.

Then—she smiled.

"It'll take about five or six days."

"…That's slow."

"Oh, this is already incredibly fast." Solitar pouted.

"This wasn't something hastily thrown together—it's wisdom passed down through generations. Compared to the Golden lands Great Barrier in Macht domain, this is far more complex.

If not for my previous experience—and the extensive theoretical knowledge I've gathered from your archives over the years—

It would have taken me at least half a year to analyze from scratch."