Chapter 6

“Kairon, Kairon!”

Abelin poked me repeatedly, urging me.

“Why are you just standing there? Commander Balthazar is calling for you.”

“Ah…”

Right, Commander Balthazar is calling for me.

The man radiating a much deeper purple aura than the demon I just dealt with.

“Abelin, don’t push him too hard. It seems Kairon is still quite shaken.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Are you really fine, Kairon?”

Commander Balthazar called me with a truly gentle voice.

Normally, I would have been moved by every word he spoke.

But now.

“…Yes. I’m fine.”

“Then report to me. Be as detailed as possible. I’ve only heard bits and pieces from the soldiers, so I’m not entirely sure what happened.”

I explained how Rajeing, the commander of the 13th unit, had turned into a demon and set the surroundings ablaze, and how Abelin and I swiftly subdued him before the fire could spread further.

“Rajeing turned into a demon and spewed purple flames? Hearing it sounds terrifying, but judging by how unscathed you both look, the battle doesn’t seem to have been too intense.”

“As you said. Thanks to Abelin fighting alongside me, it didn’t take long to deal with the demon.”

“What…?”

Commander Balthazar’s eyes widened.

“Did I hear that correctly?”

“What do you mean?”

“You two fought together?”

“Yes. It was an urgent situation, so there was no other choice.”

“Ahahaha…”

Commander Balthazar laughed heartily.

“It’s good news that you swiftly dealt with the demon that appeared in the middle of our fortress, but I’m even happier about something else. I’m truly satisfied. Our two most crucial forces in the Vanguard working together…”

Commander Balthazar nodded repeatedly.

“I’m overjoyed. My smile won’t fade anytime soon.”

“…”

I had regained my senses, but I was still far from clear-headed.

Why, why?

The aura of a demon from the leader and spiritual pillar of the Vanguard.

Even before time reversed, the Vanguard had been able to maintain and grow stronger thanks to Commander Balthazar’s exceptional leadership.

So why, from such a person…?

While Rajeing’s deliberate mission failure now made sense given his true nature as a demon, sensing the aura of a demon from Commander Balthazar only plunged me deeper into confusion.

“Anyway, you’ve done well. It was a major crisis that could have burned down the entire fortress, but thanks to your quick actions, we’ve overcome it.”

Commander Balthazar gently took my hands in his.

Then Abelin’s hands as well.

“We only did what we had to, Commander Balthazar.”

Abelin and Commander Balthazar exchanged soft smiles and shook hands, but…

My hand, which had shaken Commander Balthazar’s, oddly ached as if burned by the purple flames that had erupted from Rajeing’s mouth.

“Let’s head to the scene now.”

“Huh? You’re going personally?”

“It’s dangerous. As you know, demon flames only extinguish when their mana runs out. You could go after the situation is under control…”

“Haha, do you think I don’t know how dangerous demon flames are?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“This happened right in the heart of our Vanguard fortress. I need to see it with my own eyes. A true commander doesn’t just sit back and give orders.”

This was exactly why.

Despite being the highest-ranking commander, he never stayed behind the soldiers, always leading from the front, setting an example by becoming a shield for others.

I, along with the Black Iron Vanguard, all the knights, respected Commander Balthazar.

That’s why I was shaken. I couldn’t help but be shaken.

My instincts screamed at me to cut down Commander Balthazar immediately, but my mind desperately fought against it.

While cutting down Rajeing would clearly benefit the Vanguard, Commander Balthazar…

“Let’s go. I’ll guide you.”

I decided to observe for now.

Or rather, I had no choice but to observe.

As I walked a step ahead of Commander Balthazar, Abelin kept glancing at me with a worried look.

“Are you really okay, Kairon?”

“I’m fine. I’m walking just fine, aren’t I?”

“Stop lying! You look anything but fine!”

“Honestly, your constant worried glances are more stressful.”

“What? Do you even know what your face looks like right now? You might not realize it, but it’s torture for me to keep seeing that expression! Do you have a mirror? Ah…!”

Abelin suddenly drew her sword and thrust it in front of me.

“W-what are you doing, that’s dangerous!”

“What am I doing? Use the blade as a mirror and look at your face! Don’t freak out. If I were going to stab you, I would’ve done it already!”

Abelin brought the sword right up to my face, and I was too busy dodging it.

“Hahaha…”

Commander Balthazar, unable to hold back, burst into laughter.

“Did you two really fight together and take down a demon? Hearing it sounds believable, but seeing you like this makes it hard to believe.”

“I can’t believe it either, but it’s true. Honestly, even without Abelin’s help, it wouldn’t have taken much longer.”

“Are you done talking? Kairon, if I hadn’t helped, you’d still be struggling against Commander Rajeing right now!”

“Enough, enough. I’ve seen enough to know how close you two are.”

While Abelin and I bickered, we had already arrived at the scene of the battle with Rajeing.

“Thank you. Thanks to you two, I wasn’t bored for a single moment on the way here.”

Fortunately, the fire hadn’t spread too far, as the soldiers had quickly dismantled the surrounding tents before the flames could grow.

Most of the flames had died out, having consumed all the mana used as fuel, but small purple embers still lingered here and there.

“Hmm, this must be the spot.”

The area with the most remaining embers.

Commander Balthazar found the spot where Rajeing’s decapitated body had burned to ashes.

He knelt down and picked up a metal insignia lying on the ground.

The military insignia of the Vanguard, bearing his name and rank.

Specially enchanted to remain unscathed even under significant damage.

“13th Unit Commander, Rajeing Moenier. This confirms it’s him. Tsk tsk…”

Commander Balthazar clicked his tongue and stood up with a troubled expression.

“Until the end, I couldn’t believe it, but Rajeing really was a demon… No, he was a demon.”

His voice sounded utterly natural.

Whether he truly didn’t know or was acting as if he didn’t, it was impossible to tell.

“From now on, I’ll give the orders.”

“Yes!”

“Understood!”

Commander Balthazar tucked Rajeing’s insignia into his pocket and spoke with authority.

“Rajeing is missing.”

“Huh? What do you mean…”

“Rajeing wasn’t a demon. Unfortunately, he went missing while carrying out a secret mission. That’s what you’ll believe.”

“Commander…?”

Abelin, like me, sounded confused, but Commander Balthazar’s voice was firm.

“And don’t mention Rajeing to anyone. Understood?”

“…”

“Answer me.”

Commander Balthazar demanded an answer, but this time, it wasn’t easy to respond.

“Why must we do that?”

“Are you refusing to follow my orders now?”

“I’ll follow them. But tell me why. If Commander Rajeing was a demon, it means there could be more demons among us. Why are you ordering us to keep quiet about it?”

“Sigh, alright. I’ll explain. What else can I do…?”

Commander Balthazar shook his head with a regretful expression.

“Of course, I know how important this is. But for morale, we have no choice for now.”

He wasn’t wrong.

If everyone knew there were demons among us, who could trust whom?

We’d start suspecting every comrade we lived, ate, and slept with.

The moment trust crumbles and suspicion takes over.

Any unit, any Vanguard, would be doomed.

“I trust you’ll understand my decision. I’ll find a better solution soon. But how did Rajeing reveal his true form? There must have been a reason.”

“That’s…”

“Kairon.”

Abelin was about to speak, but Commander Balthazar looked straight at me and asked.

“Tell me. What happened?”

His gaze and voice, asking me to explain.

Though Commander Balthazar’s tone was as gentle as ever…

My instincts were screaming.

The purple aura right before my eyes.