I am back – Chapter 142

In Irrelaysia, the appearance of people was all different.

Even if there was only one practical religion, the degree of belief in the gods varied from person to person.

Though the Church portrayed the Goddess as a flawless being, not many truly believed that.

In fact, there were some who doubted the Goddess’s Power. The simple logic was, if she were such a perfect deity, why wasn’t the world perfect?

In a sense, it was a story that got close to the essence. Since the one managing this world wasn’t perfect, the world itself couldn’t be perfect either.

However, at the same time, because the world wasn’t perfect, free will could exist as well. Humans, who had the will to resist something, knew how to doubt the gods.

Pia didn’t intend to blame those people. After all, they didn’t entirely deny the existence of the Goddess.

…But some did exist.

The Demon King, who had attempted to set the world ablaze many times.

That being, which gathered all the demons of the world, was said to have sought to incinerate the world repeatedly even before the history of Irrelaysia was recorded.

Many speculations existed about this powerful source of evil that existed long before the Goddess descended upon Irrelaysia to help humans and elves.

Speculation suggested it was born from a great magic created by some beings in a long-past era, made to rule the world.

Another speculation was that if the world’s magic increased too much, that great power would develop its own will.

…Just as the Goddess’s Power could come from belief, it was speculated that the Demon King’s Power came from the faith of the Demon Race.

Much speculation existed about that powerful demon (魔) that predated the Goddess’s arrival in this world, yet none could truly confirm whether any of it was real or not.

People simply fled from that demon and kept running.

The one who gave strength to those fleeing was the Goddess.

That was why there were some who denied such a Goddess. They believed that she was merely a false god, and that only the great Demon King had the real power, thinking that once they burned the world down, their true world would finally come.

For most of the Demon King’s army, that was their religion.

In a sense, the war in Irrelaysia could be seen as a conflict between gods and divine beings.

However, even so, not all humans worshiped the Goddess, nor did all demons worship the Demon King.

“Honor the great power! The end is coming! But fear not! The Demon King will save those who honor him! Believe! For salvation!”

As the war continued, there were often people shouting such words in the public square.

It was extremely difficult for the demon race to invade the kingdom.

So, why not recruit humans instead?

In truth, it was an utterly ridiculous story that anyone who had seen the battlefield even once would refuse to believe. Humans became extremely weakened on land tainted by magic. Though they could persist longer than elves, they would eventually weaken slowly and die.

Even if the Demon King’s army were to spare a few humans while they progressed, those humans would inevitably lead miserable lives.

Despite that, such humans continued to appear persistently.

Perhaps blinded by gold, having family captured in a city occupied by the Demon King’s army, or just genuinely believing so.

Among humans, those who worshiped the Demon King occasionally surfaced. Thanks to the existence of the Goddess and the hero, they never became the mainstream but were thoroughly monitored in the kingdom as a substantial threat.

…And the opposite case also existed.

*

“That’s strange.”

As we were heading to another region as usual, Arna, returning from reconnaissance, said that.

It was truly unusual for Arna to say “strange.” Normally, upon returning, Arna would immediately spread out maps of enemy positions and report how many troops were there.

But the fact that she expressed her feelings first meant that the situation was really abnormal.

“What’s strange?”

Siyun asked with a somewhat tense expression. Pia, Dana, and Kalia wore similar expressions.

However, Arna herself didn’t seem tense. She looked more like she genuinely couldn’t grasp the situation.

“So…it’s strange. The enemy over here doesn’t seem to be wary of us at all.”

“Not wary?”

Kalia questioned back.

“Yeah. No, more than that….”

Arna pondered for a moment and then continued.

“Yeah, it’s better to say that there seems to be no military activity at all. There’s not a single person guarding the perimeter.”

“Are they underestimating us?”

Siyun asked with a serious expression.

“Or perhaps they think this is relatively the rear and are acting accordingly. Since we’re quite far from the battlefield.”

Kalia spoke in a subdued voice.

“Though it’s called the rear, that’s only in comparison to the battlefield. Considering the location of the Demon King’s castle, it’s still well in the front. Plus, the reason we made it this far is that there’s a supply route nearby. The city in the middle of it must be a major stronghold.”

Dana countered Kalia’s point.

“Could it be a trap?”

Pia’s remark made everyone fall into thought.

“…If it’s a trap, then that means they know we’re here? If they realized we came all the way here to disrupt the supply line….”

“…Indeed, if that were the case, instead of laying a trap, they would have sent a large army to encircle us.”

In response to Kalia’s words, Arna replied.

“However, there hasn’t been any military movement. Though there are some units of the Demon King’s army around the city, they all seem to lack interest. The atmosphere is distinctively different from the army in the battlefield we passed through. If they were waiting to spring a trap, they would’ve been much tenser…unless they noticed my movements.”

Numbers play a crucial role in war. The outcome of the battle depends on how many troops there are.

But just because there’s a number in a war doesn’t mean it ends with plain calculations. How well supplies are provided to those many soldiers, which high ground is occupied, and how advantageous a formation is set up—all those elements intertwine in a complicated manner to form the war.

Among all those, one of the most important factors is the quality of each soldier.

Strength, stamina, weapon skill, and the will to fight.

If those elements aren’t properly equipped, even a small crack can lead to collapse.

“…”

Pia fell into thought for a moment before speaking.

“So, the city we’re headed to was originally part of the kingdom’s territory, right? It was the place bordering the demon race’s territory?”

All party members turned their gaze to Pia at her words.

Pia got a little flustered by the looks urging her to answer without saying anything, but she continued explaining. She knew how important exchanging opinions within the party was.

Even the smallest matters should not be overlooked; they should be clearly communicated to prevent unforeseen accidents.

…It was a lesson painfully learned through many battles over the past two years.

“So, could it be that, perhaps…if they think they don’t want to kill their neighbors…?”

Yet, the more she spoke about that discernment, the more meaningless the idea felt.

Even if they knew about it, the thought of how hollow that idea seemed only grew larger.

No matter how much they had border exchanges in the city, once occupied by the Demon King’s army, surviving would be tough. The Demon King’s army was advancing as they repeated the act of tainting captured territories with magic.

If that city had been captured at the very beginning, it could not have been free from the corruption of magic for the past two years.

Moreover, even if there were demons living in that city, they would have been drafted for the battlefield long ago.

Above all, the thought that the Demon King’s army wouldn’t just leave behind “demons without hostility towards humans” struck her later.

“…”

However, after hearing Pia’s words, her party members all dived deep into thought.

Pia’s face turned red.

Only after she expressed that absurd remark did she realize how ridiculous it sounded, but the fact that her party was taking it seriously caught her off guard.

The first to speak up was Kalia.

“To be honest, I think that’s an overly optimistic story.”

Pia’s shoulders slumped.

“But still, I don’t think it’s something we can entirely rule out.”

Yet right after that, Kalia said this in a very serious tone, surprising Pia.

“What?”

Looking blankly at Pia, Kalia said.

“Something similar happened within the kingdom army at the war’s start. Soldiers from the border regions recognized the demon race as equals. They perceived slaying demons as ‘killing’. Conversely, those who were shocked at how abruptly beings they had just considered ‘neighbors’ were suddenly brandishing knives and slaughtering families were astonished.”

“…”

“Of course, I think it’s a very slim possibility… But saying that it’s entirely impossible, I don’t think is right. That should be taken into account.”

When Pia saw her fellow party members nodding in agreement to Kalia’s words, her jaw dropped in disbelief.