The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 59

The sight of Castle Galilee began to emerge before them.

As they gazed at it, Amelda and the hundred or so soldiers who followed her let out a sigh of relief.

‘We’ve faced several dangerous situations just to get here, but thankfully nothing went wrong.’

‘Surprisingly, the defenses of the demon races were rather lax. They hardly patrolled areas outside the main routes and the castle itself.’

The demon races seemed indifferent to small movements, not concerning themselves with anything less than a large-scale army’s movement.

Amelda and her soldiers speculated that the demons were likely intoxicated by their past victories and had let their guard down.

‘After all, what difference does it make if petty ones are prowling about?’

‘It does feel like they might simply be a bit short on troops, but I guess that’s not the case…’

Of course, they couldn’t be entirely certain of this. Despite the lessened defenses, there had been some dangerously close moments, and they couldn’t afford to relax their tension during the march.

However.

As they finally arrived at this spot, with a mountain standing between them and Castle Galilee visible now, they couldn’t help but feel their tension ease slightly and a sigh of relief escape from their lips.

Even though they still had quite a distance to cover, their eyes were drawn to the flag of the Racial Alliance fluttering in the wind.

Though not definitive, it very likely meant that Castle Galilee had not yet fallen into the hands of the demon races.

“Thank goodness, it looks unharmed for now.”

“Hold on… Still, just in case, it would be wise to assess the situation before we move. It might be a ruse by the enemies.”

“Ah… yes.”

“Understood, My Lord.”

Though the possibility was low, Amelda still displayed a cautious attitude right to the end.

Thus, the soldiers agreed with her, thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to be careful until the very last moment.

“Very well. Then I’ll go check it out myself.”

“Eh? Y-You, My Lord?”

“Isn’t it dangerous? It’s not certain, but if this is truly a trap…”

The soldiers, expressing their concern, looked at her uncertainly.

However, Amelda spoke in a calm voice, watching them.

“It’s fine. After all, I’ve already steeled myself for this since before coming here. Besides, if something does truly happen, it would be easier for me, being one of the highest combat power holders here, to deal with it.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s true, but…”

Certainly, given Amelda’s power as a member of the Hero Party, she could likely flip any traps set by the enemies into her advantage.

Surviving the dangerous circumstances they had faced just to get here wouldn’t have been so manageable without Amelda’s abilities.

Thus, the soldiers decided to respect Amelda’s wishes, and spotting their agreement, she spoke in a serious tone.

“If I do not return within two hours, please assume that something has happened.”

“Understood. Then we will wait here in the meantime.”

“Alright, I will go now. If anything happens, make sure to retreat immediately.”

“Understood, My Lord.”

And so, Amelda set off to clarify the situation, while the soldiers remained behind and waited.

Despite their waiting, they could not shake off the fatigue that lingered in their bodies from the non-stop run they had endured to get here.

“Phew… But we somehow made it here.”

“True. Now all that’s left is to return with the soldiers in Galilee. Honestly, that’s where the real challenge begins.”

Castle Galilee was supposed to have a garrison of close to 1,000 troops, and even if some were lost in battle along the way, there was a high chance that they would still have hundreds left.

Retreating with that many soldiers would clearly be much more difficult than how far they had come.

And so, the Elf Soldiers began to feel anxiety about the situation that lay ahead along with their rest.

Then…

*Thud!*

“!”

“Uh?”

In the next moment, a faint yet clear sound reached their ears.

Amidst the underbrush, the sound of something breaking a branch made the soldiers hastily raise their weapons.

“Is it… the enemy?”

“P-Probably…”

“Damn… Of all times…”

Though they couldn’t see clearly, the noise nagged at their ears.

And, due to the nature of their elven race, they felt that presence more distinctly, realizing that someone was nearby.

In this moment, they understood the fact that there was an ‘enemy’ nearby.

“What… what should we do? It feels like they are right in front of us…”

“Calm down. If we act recklessly, we might just run straight into doom.”

The Elf Soldiers trembled with unease yet tried their hardest to support one another and maintain their composure.

Yet, despite their efforts, the over one hundred Elf Soldiers felt utterly stiff with tension, unable to take any action whatsoever.

If they were ordinary humans, it might have been different.

For elves, who were accustomed to sensing the presence of enemies in such forests, the feeling of the enemy’s presence around was painfully clear.

It seemed there were hundreds, if not thousands, of moving enemies radiating murderous intent.

With that vivid sensation clenching tightly around their grip on their weapons, the elves found themselves increasingly caught in rising tension.

‘Damn it… Was it really a trap?’

‘It’s dangerous. Their encirclement is getting tighter… If we keep this up, we’re caught…’

At that moment.

“! Hey. You felt that too, right?”

“!… Y-Yeah!”

In the next moment, they distinctly sensed the movements of the enemy closing in.

Simultaneously, the eyes of the Elf Soldiers began to focus on one spot.

The enemies that had surrounded them, previously unseen, started to become less dense in one direction as if a gap had suddenly opened in their encirclement.

It was as if, during an attempt to surround them more tightly, a hole had been unintentionally created in their net.

And then, the swift-thinking soldiers started speaking urgently to their comrades beside them.

“Let’s run.”

“What… what?!”

“I said let’s run! If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss our chance!”

“Ah!”

With those words, an Elf Soldier tore through the underbrush and jumped over the trees, dashing forward, followed closely by the rest.

They were in such a rush that branches scratched their bodies and some even stumbled, but at that moment, the Elf Soldiers didn’t have time to think about trivial matters.

Behind them, they could still sense the terrifying presence emanating from their enemies, swiftly closing in, poised to engulf them.

For now, escaping from the grasp of what felt like an infernal maw was the right thing to do.

A little while later, after running for what felt like an eternity, the exhausted elves finally came to a stop.

Thankfully, they no longer sensed the prior presence around them, but in exchange, they began to realize they had completely left the territory of Castle Galilee they had aimed for.

And something else.

One last detail they only noticed a moment too late.

“W-Wait! What about My Lord Amelda?”

“! Ugh…”

*

“Ugh…”

Surrounded completely by the demon races.

And a female demon, emerging from the shadows, aimed a blade at her throat.

With silvery hair gleaming and red eyes flashing, she wore a chilling smile as she looked at Amelda.

“It’s been a while. Judging from your appearance, it seems you’ve had a rough time?”

“N-You… Could it be… YOU from the Demon King’s Castle…?”

Still partially merged into the shadows, with a green dagger reminiscent of their previous encounter poised for use, Amelda instinctively recognized the identity of this demon who held her life in her hands.

One of the Demon King’s Subordinates she had briefly clashed with at the Demon King’s Castle.

Though it had been a short exchange, Amelda had felt that she could establish dominance in that situation and possibly even attain victory.

However, in the current scenario, it was obvious even she had to acknowledge the reality.

With weapons aimed from all directions by the demon races, and crucially, the moment this demon girl twitched her finger, it would mean certain death.

In this situation, even someone as accomplished as her among the Paladins wouldn’t have any offense to rely on.

“Damn it…”

*Cling!*

Overwhelmed with deep, boiling anger, Amelda was forced to drop her sword.

She kneeled on the ground, and despair crept into her voice as she uttered one resignation.

“…Just kill me. I have no wish to cling onto life in such a pathetic way.”

With an air of resolution, Amelda spoke.

Yet, the demon girl merely smiled, ignoring her plea, and nodded toward her subordinates instead.

And then…

“! W-What are you doing? Stop! Don’t humiliate me any further! Just kill me already!”

Amelda cried out desperately.

Ignoring her, the demon soldiers began to tightly bind her.

And with that, the demon girl looked down at her with a gaze that held an unsettling intensity.

In that moment, Amelda instinctively sensed that something bad was about to happen.

Simultaneously, the demon girl, Eliza, allowed a thick smile to emerge on her lips.

A smile as chilling as a snake about to devour its prey.