The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 105

The black flame extinguished hopelessly before the World Tree.

As the World Tree began to collapse, the Empire Army, who had been preparing for battle, fell into great confusion.

Although the Kann Forest, which had been blocking their path, suffered severe damage due to the black flames, it was evident that a large hole had been pierced in the wall of trees surrounding the World Tree.

However, despite this somewhat advantageous situation, the Falcon Empire Army was still struggling to decide whether they should advance any further.

“What are you hesitating for? Even if the black flames have gone out, as you can see, the path to the World Tree is wide open. Shouldn’t we just charge in and plant the Empire’s flag?”

“If the Kann Forest was intact, that would be one thing. But at this point, we can break through at the cost of some damage.”

“Please give the order! I will lead the charge!”

Young commanders were expressing their frustrations, seeing that their superiors had no intention of moving.

However, the senior commanders spoke in calm tones.

“Stay calm and have a seat for now. This matter should not be decided hastily.”

“I won’t tolerate any more commotion during this meeting. For now, let’s calm down and discuss things calmly.”

“Ugh…”

“Sigh…”

The senior commanders asserted their authority.

Thus, the younger commanders sat down, and the seniors continued in a serious tone.

“Certainly, while we haven’t struck at the heart of the enemy, we have at least cleared a path to do so. But that doesn’t mean we can recklessly charge in; that would be far too dangerous.”

“We can’t underestimate the power of the World Tree. If we mistakenly touch that colossal tree, which is essentially a manifestation of divine power, it could very well backfire on us.”

“Furthermore, the Elves are likely prepared with immense defenses against our attack by now. Even if they are weakened, their total fighting capability is not something to be taken lightly.”

“To charge thoughtlessly into a place where the enemy is wide open would be foolish. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but for now, we must wait.”

“Ugh…”

Originally, the command had intended to act after a definitive condition for victory was met.

However, with their trump card crumbling into nothingness and the enemy thoroughly enraged, they began to adopt a more passive stance, reluctant to act recklessly.

Thus, the meeting concluded with a decision to observe the situation a little longer.

The young commanders, filled with dissatisfaction, had no choice but to leave the military camp without revealing their feelings further.

“Damn it, how can commanders be this timid…?”

“No matter how cautious we must be, isn’t this going too far? How scary can those lousy Elves be?”

“Now that the forest is gone, everyone knows the Elves are nothing more than straw men. Why are we being so…?”

As the young commanders voiced their complaints among themselves, suddenly…

“It sounds like you have many points of dissatisfaction.”

“!”

“A-general Achilles!”

Hearing Achilles’s voice from behind them, the young commanders felt deep confusion and quickly bowed their heads toward him.

He was, in effect, the one with the most authority among those present, yet Achilles had said nary a word during the earlier meeting.

With him suddenly appearing before them, they couldn’t help but have questions along with a hint of anticipation, and cautiously asked.

“M-Milord, what do you think about the meeting?”

“You didn’t say anything during the meeting, so do you also think it would be reckless to advance like this?”

“Well, to be honest, I do think there are various variables at play. But that doesn’t mean I’m particularly worried about our chances of losing.”

“Is that so?”

“Then why… Didn’t you have the power to turn the situation around just now?”

With questions filled with confusion, the young commanders looked at Achilles.

In response, Achilles spoke in a calm voice.

“If our enemies were merely the Elves, then victory wouldn’t be too difficult. But if there are other players involved, then things become much more complicated.”

“Other players?”

Achilles’s unexpected words left the soldiers questioning.

“My guess is the witches from the Magic Kingdom are likely involved in all this.”

“What?”

“Y-you mean the Magic Kingdom?”

His statement, entirely unexpected, began to paint the faces of the soldiers with deep confusion and concern.

The Magic Kingdom, which had long been viewed as an ally of the humans, has had close dealings with the Empire.

However, the recent series of terrorist incidents had caused significant cracks in the relationship between the Empire and the Magic Kingdom.

Although the Magic Kingdom had vehemently denied any involvement, there were almost no high-ranking officials in the Empire who believed their words.

And in this situation, with the nature of magic making it impossible to dispel the black flames simply vanishing, Achilles felt compelled to confirm his fears.

There was no doubt that the Magic Kingdom was behind this act, aimed anew at obstructing the Empire.

“Of course, there’s a chance the demon races could be involved too, but the likelihood is quite low. Given that the racial war just ended recently, it’s improbable the demon races would help the Elves.”

Thus, through an overall assessment of the situation and process of elimination, Achilles concluded that the Magic Kingdom was behind it, and aimed to persuade the young commanders.

Even though these commanders were merely pawns to accomplish his objectives, Achilles knew that even so, he could not afford to squander any more resources needlessly.

His intent was to reveal the truth to calm their anger and turn them into more reliable subordinates.

However, Achilles was unaware of a crucial fact.

This was that, at that moment, the Elves were in no position to make a long journey to the distant Magic Kingdom due to the ongoing naval blockade and the turbulent currents they faced.

As a result, their only remaining choice was to ally with the demons. In truth, despite a long-standing vendetta, the Elves ultimately submitted to achieve this union.

Consequently, due to the misconceptions stemming from Achilles’s error in judgment, the identity of those obstructing them solidified as the Magic Kingdom within the Empire Army.

This naturally served to inflame the Empire’s animosity toward the Magic Kingdom even further.

Yet, despite the misunderstandings’ consequences, this situation also opened up another opportunity for Achilles.

Once the matters concerning the Elf Church State were settled, it would provide an opportunity for the Empire’s blade to turn toward the Magic Kingdom.

“Although I couldn’t directly strike the World Tree, exposing this matter certainly counts as an achievement. Now, I must prepare to target their secrets in the Magic Kingdom.”

*

In the floating city of Rehié, located at the heart of the Angrymer Magic Kingdom.

In a chamber deep within, a figure sat upon a throne.

Clad in a violet robe, this individual was shrouded in mystery.

However, despite hiding her identity with the robe, her tiny stature stood in stark contrast to the throne’s size.

It was as if a young boy or girl was amusingly perched upon a father’s seat.

Yet, in this moment, among the four individuals kneeling and confronting her, not a single soul could dare harbor such thoughts.

“So, has the plan that I painstakingly set into motion been completely ruined?”

In a cold voice directed at the individuals before her—specifically at the witch kneeling right in front of her.

The words drew forth Shude, a member of the Four Demon Maidens and a former member of the Previous Hero Party, who had always held her head high in pride.

With blood starting to seep from her forehead, she began to plead for forgiveness before the girl before her.

“I-I am sorry. This is all my fault. Please, just kill me!”

Whether her words were sincere or not was irrelevant; Shude was pouring her heart into her apology.

However, observing her, the girl merely smiled lightly and responded in a calm voice.

“Well, there’s no need to go that far. Just take a little time to reflect. I’m not planning to punish you for this.”

“Thank you! Thank you, Your Highness!”

In response to her words, Shude bowed her head repeatedly.

As she received permission to leave, she escaped the chamber as if fleeing.

Seeing her go, the remaining three individuals in the room turned to the girl on the throne with looks of concern.

“Are you truly alright with this? You can’t just forgive her for such a significant failure.”

“It’s fine; to be honest, it wasn’t exactly a failure either.”

“Excuse me?”

The surprising statement caused doubt among the three.

Looking at them, the girl—who was the ruler of the Magic Kingdom, Magic King Overseer Azuthas—began to show a chilling smile that did not match the girl’s youthful countenance.