“That’s true... Even if they forcefully marched this far, it would only isolate their troops, right?”
“Exactly. To have their army advance this far without first bringing down the two countries in between would have no real advantage for the demons.”
“I see.”
Just as Titania had said, even if the army had made a move to come out this far, they simply would have isolated themselves. Anyone moving a large number of troops would know that it was necessary to establish garrisons and a protected supply line. A route would be necessary to safely replenish troops on the front line. That was the only way to move an invasion forward steadily.
“But there are still demons here. So even if the army hasn’t made it this far, certain individuals or groups have.”
“That’s true too, Reiji-sama. That is the problem at hand...”
“What do you think of the situation, Gregory-san?”
“My humblest apologies, but I could not even begin to fathom the thought process of demons.”
“Was there anything at all that you noticed? Even the most trivial thing could be helpful.”
“Hero-dono... More importantly, I believe it is vital that we quickly distance ourselves from this place.”
Gregory’s sudden proposal to evacuate put Reiji on edge as he considered the implication behind his words.
“By that, do you mean there are demons nearby?”
“N-No, I don’t believe that’s the case...”
Reiji wasn’t sure why Gregory would suggest a retreat if demons were not nearby. The discrepancy between the situation and his words left Reiji with an uncomfortable feeling. On top of that, Gregory, who had denied the possibility of more demons, was acting awkwardly. Normally such a suggestion would only come after sensing danger nearby, but he had claimed that wasn’t the case here. Titania then turned towards Gregory.
“Gregory, I also believe that we should head for a safe location. However, it is more important for us right now to get a better grasp of what the demons are planning. If we move around without such considerations, it may lead to even more danger.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Gregory bowed apologetically to Titania, but Reiji was still pondering his odd behavior. He sounded like he was trying to drive them onward in a hurry. But putting that aside for now, Reiji spoke of another possibility to Titania.
“Tia, is there any chance of demons that aren’t from the north?”
“No, I don’t believe so. All of the world’s demons were driven north by the power of a previously summoned hero. They shouldn’t be occupying any other territories.”
Reiji was stumped. No matter how much they puzzled over this, no answers were coming of it. The discussion, however, was interrupted by the sound of a galloping horse and a voice calling out to them from afar.
“R-Reiji-sama!”
The voice belonged to someone much like Gregory—a young knight who had come to support them on their journey. The knights were occasionally tasked with separating from the group and acting as messengers to keep in contact with the castle. Gregory had been the one to go last time, and the duty most recently had fallen on this young knight who now approached on horseback and dismounted when he reached the princess and the others.
“Roffrey-san.”
“I have returned, Reiji-sama.”
“Hail, Roffrey. Are you in good health?”
As Titania casually asked about his well-being, Roffrey stood dumbfounded for an instant, and then immediately began panicking.
“A-A-A single knight such as I does not deserve the consideration of the princess―”
“Ahem, Roffrey...”
“Yes, Your Highness! No, more importantly over there...”
As Gregory let a cough and called out to him, Roffrey jumped in place and was now flustered for an entirely different reason. His soaring heart had been brought quite rudely back down to earth. Seeing Roffery observe their surroundings with a puzzled expression, Reiji decided to explain.
“Ah, so you noticed. Just a moment ago, they attacked us and we struck them down.”
“All of those?!”
“Yeah.”
“As expected! Reiji-sama...! Ah, no, not that!”
Roffrey showed no signs of calming down anytime soon, so Gregory spoke to move him along.
“What is the matter, Roffrey? You have been quite agitated all this time. Also, what happened to Luka? She went with you to the castle, so why has she not returned with you?”
“Yes, allow me to explain.”
Roffrey took a brief pause, and then began telling the group what had transpired.
“It’s a little abrupt, but we must distance ourselves from here as quickly as possible.”
“Why is that?”
“A large force of demons seem to have passed through the territories of Thoria and Shaddock and broken through Astel’s northern border.”
Roffrey delivered the astonishing news with a serious expression. Thoria and Shaddock were countries situated to the north of Nelferia and Astel. Titania went as white as a sheet at this sudden news and raised her voice.
“Is this true, Roffrey?!”
“Y-Yes, Your Highness. This was a report from the castle, so it’s probably...”
Titania drew closer to Roffrey as she questioned him. Completely overwhelmed by her intensity, Roffrey gave only a weak reply. Reiji then picked up on the phrasing of his words a moment ago.
“Roffrey-san, what did you mean by ‘seem to have?’”
“That’s... The report came from the night guard at the border who found evidence of what seemed like a demon force by coincidence. I also do not know all the details...”
“Well, what is this evidence?”
“Yes, they found footprints belonging to no man or known monster, as well as traces of mana.”
“Roffrey, did anybody actually see any demons?”
“No, it seems that they are not moving openly. There are no reports of witnesses or attacks.”
“...How could that be? If there are demons, you’d normally think that they would be spreading havoc, right?”
Everyone nodded at Mizuki’s observant statement. Demons viewed humans with intense hostility, and they were the type to always act according to those instincts. If they were passing through borders, surely their goal was to cause chaos. Even if they had some other objective in mind, the fact that they were moving as a large army wouldn’t stop that. In fact, larger numbers were ideal for stirring up maximum chaos and bloodshed.
“If that’s not the case this time, then our information is too lacking or its authenticity isn’t credible...”
“What if the ones that attacked here are the ones who broke through the border?”
Roffrey made the connection between the report and the recent attack. More specifically, that the demons were likely a single part of the larger force. Gregory then steered the conversation towards a previous topic.
“So what about Luka?”
“Yes, to make sure the message was safely delivered, she headed to Kurant City. She will rendezvous with us after a day in the neighboring empire.”
Gregory gave a brief nod of acknowledgment at Roffrey’s report. Titania then made a grim expression and spoke.
“This has gotten quite ugly...”
“You mean that our movements have been exposed to the demons? Normally that kind of thing should be impossible, right? But if something strange has happened...”
The sudden demon attack seemed too much like a coincidence. Even if they had known of the hero summoning and pressed forward to attack, the number of demons present was far too scant to actually defeat a hero. Pondering just what could be afoot, Reiji closed his eyes.
“Is it possible that the demons know that a hero has been summoned, but have not yet grasped any of the finer details? Perhaps the ones just now were more of a reconnaissance force...”
“I see. So they were in the middle of searching f
or opponents who might be the hero?”
If it became known that a large group of demons was roaming the land, it would be harder for them to find what they were looking for. So to prevent that, they were scouting in smaller groups. Mizuki and Titania were both taken aback by this conclusion.
But...
Reiji figured if that was the case, there would be at least one among the band of them who could communicate with the main force. No one they’d fought seemed to fit that role, but it was too soon to come to any conclusions. Even if their location hadn’t been exposed, this was still a serious situation. As Reiji was coming to this conclusion in his mind, Mizuki spoke up.
“If they’re nearby, that’s bad news. All the horses except for Roffrey’s were killed by the demons...”
“Yeah. In the worst case scenario, we won’t even be able to run. We’d be forced to face them.”
“Roffrey, was there any conjecture as to the real scale of the demon force?”
“It was likely over a thousand...”
“A thou....”
“That’s...”
Mizuki and Reiji were both left speechless at that estimate. It was definitely not a number that they would be able to take on themselves. Even taking out a smaller squad just now had cost them quite a bit of time. And now a thousand? As Reiji imagined the scene of such numbers coming at them all at once, he recalled Suimei’s words. Mizuki then raised her voice with a flustered expression.
“I-In that case, we should quickly get away from here!”
“No, Mizuki-sama. It’s not a good idea for us to run away recklessly. The only horse we have is the one I brought back. Instead, we should decide on a route and make sure to keep water and food in mind...”
Roffrey returned a very reasonable proposal to Mizuki, who had begun panicking. Everyone nodded in agreement. Titania, then turned to question Gregory, who hadn’t made any contributions this entire conversation.
“Gregory, what do you think we should do?”
However, Gregory did not answer. Everyone’s eyes fell upon him. Reiji could hear him quietly mumbling to himself.
“It should be a suitable time now...”
“Gregory?”
“Yes, Hero-dono. I don’t believe there’s any reason to be worried.”
Gregory said those last words with a bitter expression on his face. It was the first sign of the storm brewing along Reiji’s journey.
Chapter 3: The Demon General Rajas
A few days had passed since the trade corps that Suimei was escorting departed from the royal capital of Metel. They had yet to encounter monsters, bandits, or even heavy rain. They had simply been moving forward, only stopping here and there at small villages and relay stations along the way.
Just the other day, they passed over what was believed to be the major obstacle in the journey—the mountains—and they were now traveling a fairly rugged road. According to the others in the trade corps, they were about two thirds of the way to their destination. Once they passed through the foothills and the following basin, Kurant City would be on the horizon.
However, even if this was a different world, its principles seemed largely the same. Much like on Earth, nothing would ever go that smoothly here.
The group eventually made it past the foothills and entered a wooded area that grew dense on occasion. It would have been an extraordinary sight with sunlight filtering through the trees, but it was so overcast that it only made the forest seem gloomy. The ashen sky was almost ominous. There was an unease in the air, and before long, Suimei could sense a dangerous presence in the vicinity.
“...Suimei-kun, have you noticed?”
“Well, more or less.”
Suimei only knew that there was something nearby. Ever since they’d set foot in the forest, he’d felt a bad premonition prickling at the back of his neck. And now as he focused on the presence approaching from the side, that feeling seemed totally justified. Whatever it was... it wasn’t human.
“Hey, are those monsters? Something doesn’t feel right...”
“Not monsters. Demons.”
“Huh... Demons?”
Suimei and Lefille had talked about that possibility previously.
“You seem awfully sure about that. Couldn’t it be something else?”
“No, I’m certain.”
“Why?”
“...I’m quite familiar with them. I can say that it’s demons beyond a shadow of doubt. There’s no mistaking it.”
When Suimei asked for confirmation, Lefille gave a rather stiff reply. As the dangerous presence drew nearer, the others in the trade corps noticed and all movement came to an abrupt stop. Shortly after, an armored adventurer quietly came over to the two of them with a sense of urgency. The grim look on his face seemed to indicate he knew what was going on.
“Hey.”
The adventurer called out to them, and Lefille gave a serious nod in reply.
“Yeah, we noticed it too.”
“Oh yeah? Hmm... Okay, then I’ll make this quick. According to one of the mages, the things approaching us seem to be monsters. Gallio’s intention is to meet their ambush here.”
Unlike what Lefille had suggested, the other adventurers seemed to suspect the incoming presence was monsters. But in either case, the plan was to stay in place and wait for them. Suimei didn’t think it was a great idea.
“We’ll meet them here?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Is there a problem with an escort fighting?”
“No, that’s not the issue. What will the merchants do?”
If they waited for the enemy to attack, it was certain that the merchants they were here to protect would be in danger. In order to make sure they wouldn’t get caught up in the fighting, an escort would normally have the merchants retreat somewhere safe before engaging in combat. The road behind them at the bottom of the mountain, however, was particularly rugged and didn’t have a lot of cover, making it a difficult place to try and hide. Lefille knew that and shared Suimei’s doubt about the current plan, so she tried suggesting an alternative.
“Perhaps we could have them go ahead and then intercept the ambush?”
“No, that won’t do.”
“Then could they go further into the forest?”
“No, that also won’t work either.”
The adventurer shook his head at everything Lefille said, but Lefille’s plan was a sound one. She wanted to allow the merchants to continue along the path, then have the escort ambush the ambush. It would be the most effective way to cut them off. But nonetheless, the adventurer was quite set on taking another course of action. He explained himself with a stern look on his face.
“Listen, it looks like there are monsters ahead of us too. With that and the ones approaching from the side, it’s possible there are also some behind us. In the worst scenario, we may even be completely surrounded. And if that’s the case, rather than moving the merchants around carelessly, we need to gather them and keep them where we can keep an eye on them... That’s what we decided.”
Suimei was convinced by this, but Lefille still had more to say.
“Who will be attacking?”
“Huh? Attacking? No, no one’s...”
“Why not? If there’s a possibility that we’re surrounded, won’t we need to break through their formation?”
“What? Th-There should be no reason for us to go on the offensive. If we just tighten ranks and strengthen our defenses, a couple monsters shouldn’t pose any problems.”
“I see...”
Lefille quietly withdrew when the adventurer objected. She may have just wanted to avoid getting into an unproductive dispute, but Suimei could hear a tinge of disappointment in her voice.
“That takes care of what you need to know, doesn’t it? If so, I’m returning to my post in the front. I’ll be leaving the cargo to you guys.”
“Sorry, but may I say one more thing?”
“...What is it?”
“I don’t know ab
out what’s approaching from the front, but what’s coming at us from the side isn’t monsters—it’s demons. Please inform Gallio-dono.”
“Huh? How do you know that?”
“From experience. This is not the presence of monsters.”
The adventurer let out a small groan when she said that. He then paused and gave Lefille a scrutinizing look.
“...Understood. I’ll let him know that’s a possibility.”
After conceding that much, the adventurer swiftly moved back to the front of the convoy. Once he left, Lefille took the weapon from her back and removed the wrap covering it, revealing what was indeed an enormous sword.
Just looking at it, Suimei guessed it was about 180 centimeters from the pommel to the tip of the blade. It was as long as a zweihänder and as thick as a claymore. It was shaped something like an elongated triangle—an elaborate sword made in this world. But it wasn’t gaudy. It shone a beautiful red and silver. Compared to the swords Suimei had seen the others carrying, hers was like an out of place artifact.
Lefille carried the sword quite casually with one hand, and the few beams of sunlight that broke through the clouds made the blade glitter. Suimei was curious where exactly she hid the strength to wield something like that. He couldn’t figure it out, but he could tell from the way she carried it that she was experienced with it. All of a sudden, Lefille turned and began walking towards the presence that was approaching the convoy from the side—the very group she believed to be demons.
“U-Uh, Lefille?”
“Suimei-kun, I’m sorry, but I’m going to take the initiative and head out to attack them.”
“Heading out... Is that really something you should be doing on your own? They’re still a ways out, so shouldn’t you at least consult with Gallio-san and the others?”
Lefille closed her eyes and shook her head.
“No, look around you.”
He did, but all he could see were the merchants and escorts hurriedly preparing for the danger ahead of them.
The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! Volume 2 Page 11