MTLNOVEL Chapter 8 - Assassination (1)
As we left the village and began ascending the mountain path, I quickened my pace. I needed to go ahead as a guide when we approached imperial territory. Since the hero’s appearance near the confrontation area could alert the demons, the plan was to go straight into the demon camp from the beginning and assassinate the commander.
Ashuria stood at the rear with a dissatisfied face, while the hero and I walked together at the front of the group. Seeing me move forward without hindrance, the hero said:
“You must have lived in this region? You move so smoothly without any obstacles.”
“I mainly worked in the capital, but given my profession, I wandered around here and there. I can say I’ve been to nearly every part of the country.”
“What? So mister was a peddler?”
Lena asked me. She spoke in a very low voice in case of enemy infiltration, which surprised me a bit. Trying not to show my emotional disturbance, I nodded and said:
“Something similar. Probably no one alive knows the empire’s geography better than I do.”
Since most living imperial people were trapped in demon lands. Limiting it to currently mobile people, it wasn’t a false statement. Hearing my words, Mille said with a gloomy face:
“Come to think of it, were all the imperial people captured and killed by the demons? Right? After the empire fell, no one escaped across the border.”
She slowed her pace with a melancholic expression. Neither Lena nor Ashuria had pleasant expressions when thinking about the atrocities committed by demons. The hero nodded while handling the hilt of his sword. I looked around the forest.
Just then, I noticed a diamond-shaped ore embedded in the ground. It was something visible everywhere in areas encroached by the demon realm. I touched the ore with my foot and said:
“Do you see this?”
“Is it… a jewel?”
“Seems like something I’ve never seen before.”
“It’s not a mineral either.”
Everyone seemed unfamiliar with it. It was evidence that the Demon King’s army, which had advanced rapidly, hadn’t yet properly encroached on this kingdom’s land. I caressed the ore and said:
“This is a magic stone. It’s an object created by the Demon King’s army to erode this land into a demon realm. Do you know how this object is made?”
“Ah, this is…”
The hero and Ashuria nodded as if they knew something, but the others still had puzzled expressions. I stroked the surface of the magic stone and said:
“When the Demon King’s army descended on imperial land, they tried to transform this land into a world suitable for them to live in. This magic stone reacts with life force and scatters demonic energy across this land to assimilate this entire continent with the demon realm.”
“What? Then can’t we just smash every one we see?”
Lena rummaged through her pocket, ready to destroy it immediately. I extended my hand to stop her before she took action. Lena tilted her head at my action, then put her dagger back in her pocket. I hadn’t even seen when she took it out, but her drawing speed was truly ghostly.
I stroked the surface of the magic stone and said:
“These magic stones are objects made by covering living beings, including humans, with demonic energy. They convert the life force emanating from within into demonic energy, polluting the earth. This means that somewhere inside, some living being is still alive.”
“That’s morbid.”
“I’ve heard that when reclaiming kingdom territory, blood flowed out when they smashed magic stones in the village.”
Ashuria also nodded at the hero’s words.
“The church also instructed us to avoid touching black structures if possible, which must have been these objects. This is my first time seeing one in person.”
“This one is an object where wild animals were engulfed in demonic energy and trapped, so it’s a bit different from the structures the hero and the nun know about. Usually, magic stones use amplification devices to enhance the power of surrounding demons, so they’re often stacked in tower form on large structures.”
Mille said:
“Then the creatures inside can’t be saved? Wouldn’t it be better to send them off comfortably?”
“There is a way. We need to deal with the strongest demon commander controlling this area.”
The hero added an explanation to my words:
“Since the Demon King can’t manage all the magic stones, maintenance of the magic stones is done by demon commanders. So if we eliminate the demon commanders, all the demonic energy surrounding people will disperse, liberating them.”
It was undeniable that many people had sacrificed themselves to reach this conclusion.
Many people died while hammering and dismantling magic stones, and a captured demon commander was tortured and eventually killed by an enraged soldier. Only after his death did the magic stones he kept simultaneously break free from demonic energy. Lena said:
“So if we defeat the poison-using commander here, the territory will be liberated?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps we could extract information about other commanders from that female demon.”
“There’s no need to go out of our way to capture her alive. Demons all need to die anyway. If the plan goes awry, we’ll have to take risks. Let’s prioritize killing this time.”
The hero said this in a firm tone. Even Lena was a bit taken aback by the hero’s cold demeanor, never seen before, and nodded, while Ashuria wore a satisfied expression. Ashuria seemed to like it when the hero showed such coldness.
“Then let’s continue moving forward. We have a long way to go. And please try not to touch the magic stones. Life is precious, after all.”
We started walking again. The magic stones that came into view as we walked starkly showed the tragedy brought by the demon realm invasion.
In lands invaded by the Demon King’s army, not even the chirping of birds can be heard. With no wildlife, the forest itself is dying, and as the forest dies, fruits and food don’t grow properly. As the soil rots, plants that would only grow in the demon realm begin to sprout little by little, and a slimy, foul stench that only demons would enjoy circles the world.
A stench that could be described as a rotting sea smell was flowing along the valley water. Rotten moss swayed like the hair of a drowned person, and I pushed hard on a rock soaked in green. After confirming the slippery surface, I jumped across the river in one go, and the others followed, jumping across the river simultaneously.
This river crossing the border region was a good place to cool off in summer with its clear, refreshing water. I used to come here secretly with acquaintances in summer and throw myself into the valley water.
“I remember playing in the valley water. I liked it when I was young.”
A gloomy atmosphere before an important operation wasn’t good. I pointed to the river streams that were split like veins. Lena, seemingly catching my intention, smiled and asked:
“Completely naked? That’s what country folks usually do, right?”
“I was young then. There were no swimsuits or anything, just stripping naked and drying off on the rocks was enough. It was wild. Isn’t that right, Hero?”
I spoke to the self-proclaimed “country boy” hero with a smile. The hero’s ears turned red as he rolled his eyes, and when I passed the baton to him, he shouted in a flustered tone:
“D-don’t lie! C-country people wouldn’t just go around n-naked! Everyone wears s-swimsuits and such. I, I know all about it.”
Mille tilted her head at the hero’s words and said:
“I also swam naked in lakes. Isn’t that normal?”
Ashuria tilted her head and said:
“I’m from the city, so I have nothing to say. My parents were so strict that I couldn’t even imagine bathing in a river or swimming naked.”
“Th-that’s how it was in my countryside.”
The hero rolled his eyes and regained composure, and both Lena and I nodded with smiling faces. Mille said:
“I’d like to visit the hero’s village someday. Would it be a village filled with kind people like the hero?”
“Just… ordinary people. The kind of people you can see in other villages. You might be disappointed if you see it.”
“Still, I’d like to meet them once. The hero’s father and mother too! What kind of people are they?”
“Well… I can only say they’re just ordinary people. Sorry. I’m not good with words.”
The hero said this with a genuinely apologetic expression. Mille smiled brightly despite the expression on the hero’s face and shook her head.
“It’s okay! But I’d still like to visit someday… Oh right! It would be nice to bring gifts. Hero! What does your father like? Does he have any hobbies?”
The hero pushed aside some vines and answered:
“Huh? He likes horseback riding, especially equestrian games…”
And then the hero closed his mouth like a skylark that had been hit on the head.
“Hmm?”
“Huh?”
It seemed I wasn’t the only one who found it strange. Lena clicked her tongue with a smile, and Ashuria was rolling her eyes with a mysterious expression. I whistled and pretended not to notice, while the hero stood frozen, cold sweat streaming down.
Mille tilted her head and asked:
“Huh? Horseback riding? Ah! Does the hero’s father run a stable?”
“It seems so. The hero is particularly knowledgeable about horses, isn’t he? Must be family tradition.”
I said this as I patted the shoulder of the hero, who couldn’t answer and had covered his face. Mille nodded without any suspicion, and Lena walked forward saying:
“What does hometown matter? We’ll all meet in the capital once we’re rich. Right?”
Both Ashuria and Mille nodded.
“That’s true.”
“Right! I also wanted to live in a city where humans live!”
Bright laughter.
“Haah…”
The hero sighed deeply beside me, then rubbed his face again and stepped forward.
How long would the hero claim to be a country person?