The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 97

A golden spear was flying toward herself.

The moment she saw it, Samuel instinctively understood.

There was no way to defend against that.

If she stayed still, she would die.

However, in that fleeting moment, with her defenses firmly in place and preparing for a counterattack, there was no time for Samuel to evade the oncoming strike.

In the end, all she could do was attempt to block the attack, entrusting herself to a threadbare chance.

But just then…

“!”

“Guh!”

The next moment, a shadow appeared, blocking her path.

For a brief instant, Samuel was engulfed in deep confusion due to this unexpected turn of events.

And then—

-BOOM!!!

Right after, a loud explosion rattled the area.

Yet, amidst the flashes and noise, there was a scene clearly visible to Samuel.

It was…

Hector, the man who threw himself to block the attack, right before her eyes.

*

After the storm passed in an instant, the demon races, who had stepped back at the command, hurriedly began to rush toward Samuel.

“C-Captain, are you alright?”

“…I’m fine. More importantly… hurry up and treat this person.”

Samuel, normally composed, was now showing intense confusion.

Her subordinates rushed to the person she was holding.

With a pierced neck and bleeding profusely, they approached Hector.

“Cough! Cough!”

Though he was barely clinging to life, Hector was clearly gravely injured.

Following their captain’s orders, the demon races desperately began to do everything they could to save him.

Focusing on using restoration magic to the fullest and pouring all the potions they had, they worked on mending his wounds.

Fortunately, the critical state Hector was in allowed the bleeding to finally stop just in time.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…”

That way, Hector’s face became a bit more serene than just moments ago.

However, despite having narrowly escaped death, he could no longer maintain consciousness due to excessive blood loss.

His head spun as his sight blurred.

In that state, his gaze landed on her, who had been looking down at him throughout the treatment.

In that moment, she was trembling with an expression that was a bit different than usual ●_●.

As he beheld her impossibly lovely appearance, a faint smile graced Hector’s lips for the last time.

*

“U-What happened? The bleeding has stopped, but why?”

“It seems he fainted. However, since his pulse is stable, there is no need for great concern.”

“Is… is that so? Then thank goodness, but…”

As Samuel began to feel deep relief at her subordinate’s explanation, she soon realized that she had somewhat lost control of her emotions compared to her usual self.

Still, she buried the emotions that showed on her face and began to revert to her regular ●△● expression.

“…Anyway, as long as he is not in danger, that’s what matters. We need to leave here as quickly as possible; we never know when more pursuers might come.”

“Yes, Captain.”

After issuing orders to her subordinates, Samuel directly lifted Hector.

As they watched her, the soldiers began to show some confusion.

“Uh, Captain? You really don’t need to do this yourself; we can carry him…”

“What are you saying? I clearly said we need to leave here quickly! In a situation like this, I am the only one who can carry this man and move swiftly!”

Samuel raised her voice slightly, which was unusual for her.

As they observed her, the soldiers began to follow her without saying another word, running ahead.

Even though she said that, they felt puzzled by her stubbornness, as she seemed quite exhausted from the earlier fight…

*

An unexpected large-scale fire incident occurred in the Imperial Capital, Olympius.

Amid the detailed investigation into the facts revealed during this process, both the Emperor of the Falcon Empire and his retainers felt a deep sense of anger and concern.

“I told you so. Wasn’t this all the doing of the Magic Kingdom? I personally saw one of their Four Demon Maidens, Shude, wandering in our territory.”

“Survivors from the fire incident are making similar claims. Among the belongings of those who appeared at the magic workshop, there was a witch’s token.”

Recalling the incident from Thebe and now this fire incident, it was becoming clear from the investigation that these horrifying events directly threatened the Empire’s safety, pointing to the Magic Kingdom as the culprit.

Though at first glance it seemed like the demon races had instigated the events in Thebe, in reality, it had been witches in disguise.

And for the Olympius fire incident, through eyewitness testimonies, it had already been established that they were witches.

“But if that’s the case, one question arises. Why did those who were hiding their identities as demon races in Thebe act so openly here in Olympius?”

“Well, I would suppose it’s because the imperial guards here are far stricter than in Thebe. If any demon races were to show themselves here, they would be subdued before they could even attempt anything. If they had initially targeted the magic workshop, they might have chosen to utilize their original identities to raise fewer suspicions.”

“Hmm… Indeed, the security tends to be much looser for the Magic Kingdom inhabitants in the magic workshop area.”

The others began to show an understanding of Vice Minister Eileen’s argument.

As it seemed this matter was shaping up to be the Magic Kingdom’s scheme to stab the Empire in the back, the Emperor spoke, his voice laden with heavy anger.

“Even so, I held out hope until the end, but was it really the case? The Magic King… that scoundrel dares to turn against me and the Empire…”

“Your Majesty, as I have previously stated, the Magic King is a cunning individual. On the surface, he pretends to be a fellow human, all while continually weaving his crafty conspiracies.”

“You must not trust that man, regardless of how much a connection you may have with him. Just recently, there were rumors that the Magic Kingdom secretly supported the demon races during the Racial Alliance War, was there not?”

Seizing the opportunity, the retainers began to hurl accusations at the Magic Kingdom unabashedly.

Seeing their demeanor, the Emperor felt displeased, but due to the clear evidence, he had no choice but to accept their words.

‘Overseer Azuthas… I really wanted to trust you until the end, but did you dare to betray me like this…’

As the Emperor trembled with fury, experiencing the shift from trust to hatred, a figure silently watching the situation unfold intervened.

Achilles spoke up in a calm yet distinct voice.

“Everyone, please calm down. It is indeed true that the Magic Kingdom has committed heinous acts deserving of harsh punishment. However, we must remain composed and observe the situation. As furious as we may be, engaging in a war with the Magic Kingdom right now is simply out of the question, isn’t it?”

“Hmm…”

“Well, that is true, but…”

With Achilles’s words, the retainers started to rein in their emotions and step back slightly.

Continuing to focus everyone’s attention, Achilles began to present the story he had planned.

“Your Majesty, our immediate task is to determine how the Magic Kingdom will react to this incident. Even so, they wouldn’t provoke us with full-scale war through such actions. It would be wise to send an envoy to the Magic Kingdom and ascertain the truth.”

“Hmm… I understand your point.”

“And simultaneously, we must act quickly during this period of communication. Just as I previously mentioned, we must swiftly conclude matters regarding the Elf Church Country.”

“What you mentioned before…”

“B-But General Achilles! Isn’t that going too far?”

“No matter how much the outcome of the war hangs in the balance, going to such lengths…”

The retainers displayed confusion and concern about “that” which Achilles had previously asserted.

However, Achilles, remaining serious, responded coldly to them.

“Get a grip. This is not the time for us to be debating such matters, is it? If we really happen to find ourselves in a situation where we have to deal with both the Magic Kingdom and the Elf Church Country at once, how would you handle that?”

“T-That…”

As Achilles spoke of the worst-case scenario that would be impossible for them to manage, the faces of the retainers turned rigid.

Then Achilles turned to face the Emperor, stating firmly.

“Your Majesty, I do not wish to leave any threats to our nation unresolved. Please grant me your permission!”

Achilles spoke without a hint of wavering in his voice.

Recognizing that he had no choice in the matter, the Emperor expressed his resigned words, laced with bitterness.

“…Understood. We shall proceed as General Achilles suggests.”