Chapter 85: Behind the Scenes of the Monitoring Mission
After hearing the news that a new demon unit had been formed, Marcellus and the three of us demons departed from the camp to join Tigar and the others, led by Decius. The children seemed saddened by our departure, but not a single one of them complained, perhaps because they were accustomed to such separations.
Marcellus, equipped with the armor of the Imperial Army, unlike during our infiltration mission, spurred his horse forward and took the lead. The three of us demons followed closely behind, chasing after him. Rinne, who was not accustomed to physical exertion, seemed to struggle a bit, but since Marcellus wasn’t going all out, she managed to keep up just fine.
Once we joined forces with Decius and the others, we were assigned to monitor the planted forest. Adjacent to the forest, there was a camp set up as our base, from where we conducted surveillance.
However, the demon squad was not allowed to enter the camp. The reason was simple and straightforward. None of the members of the demon squad held any kind of rank within the Empire. Many of the Imperial soldiers disliked the idea of sharing their sleeping quarters with beings considered inferior to humans and lacking in rank.
Because of this, Marcellus burned with righteous anger, but we, on the other hand, paid no mind to such things. Tigar and the others were accustomed to such treatment, and staying in the same place as the Imperial soldiers would only tire us out. Personally, I found it unpleasant to be subjected to curious or contemptuous glances. That’s why the demon unit camped out in the planted forest.
Tigar and the others, who had already been camping out before the three of us joined them, accumulated their expertise, and with the addition of Mika’s knowledge, they were able to make the camping relatively comfortable. Through cooperating and spending time together, the cohesion of the entire unit grew stronger. Although Mika and I were outsiders, we had now grown completely integrated.
And just like that, while we were keeping watch over the planted forest, the seasons transitioned from the end of autumn to winter. During that time, there were several instances of skirmishes occurring in different parts of the forest. We encountered some enemies as well. However, as soon as they were discovered, they would immediately flee at full speed, and we managed to take down only one of them. It seemed that other units had a similar experience, with the total count not reaching ten.
According to information from Marcellus, the fortress that was under construction during our vigilant monitoring in the cold was nearing completion. Once the fortress was finished, the Imperial Army would likely move in earnest to capture the Carnela Port.
“Gaaaaaaaa!”
“Gururururu!”
“…”
The snow began to fall silently, covering the ground with a thin layer of white in the night of the planted forest. Amidst the night, the sound of metal clashing echoed, accompanied by beast like roars. The ones howling were the members of the demon unit, and the opponent they were facing… was me.
“Gwoooah?!”
“Gruuh?!”
I parried Tigar’s greatsword from the right with my white blade and retaliated directly against Zald’s longsword with my black sword. While sweeping Tigar’s legs off balance, he body slammed with his shoulder into Zardoz’s stomach, making them lose their power.
Tigar fell forward, while Zald collapsed onto his back, but they immediately rolled with the impact and stood up. By the time the two of them got back on their feet, the next assailants had already launched their attack.
“Ugooooh!”
“Shaaa!”
Gora, swinging his massive axe from above, leaped from a tree towards me, and simultaneously, Linardo launched an impending thrust of a sharp spear from behind at me. I rotated in place, deflecting the spear with both of my swords, and with a spinning kick, I kicked the blade of the axe sideways, altering its trajectory.
Without wasting a moment, I immediately crouched down, grabbing my white sword between the small pincers of my cheeks, and used my free right hand to grab Linardo’s ankle. Then I hurled Linardo towards Gora.
“Ugh?! No wayyy?!”
“Seriously!? Ughhh?!”
Gora caught Linardo, but I kicked them both, sending them flying. The two of them collided with the trees in the planted forest before hitting the ground together.
At that moment, Tigar and Zald, who had just taken defensive positions, charged forward with two more companions. While keeping all four of them within my compound eyes’ wide vision, I readjusted the sword I had been clamping with the small pincers, holding it firmly in my right hand. The two new arrivals were Tuhru from the Lugar Squad and Sophie from the Kadaha Squad.
Sophie held a position as Zald’s right-hand woman and was a demon synthesized with a creature called the Gemstone Snake. When she transformed into a demon, her entire body shimmered with shimmering scales and her legs merging into a sinuous snake-like form.
The children, especially girls like Lappy, gazed at the beautiful scales with envy. However, Sophie herself didn’t seem to particularly like having a serpentine body. It seemed she needed more time to accept her new form, which deviated from the human race.
“Eee!”
“Ha!”
Tuhru charged forward, brandishing a large shield, while silently and swiftly emerging from the side was Sophie with her slender rapier, aiming for my throat. Hmm, dealing with them with my swords won’t be enough. They make quite the coordinated pair.
However, they still couldn’t reach me. I caught the rapier with the pincers on my cheek. Sophie widened her vertically elongated pupils in astonishment. While blocking Tuhru’s shield with a front kick, I shook my head and pulled Sophie closer before striking her head with the hilt of my sword. She fell to the ground, groaning in frustration.
Tuhru continued pushing her shield with grunts, but I easily kept it under control with the strength of my legs. Despite using her demon form, it seemed Tuhru wasn’t fully harnessing her own brute strength. She relied too much on sheer power. It’s a waste, really. Thinking that, I gave a forceful kick to the other side of her shield.
“Whoa?!”
“Now’s the time! Attack!”
“I understand!”
While kicking away Tuhru’s shield and throwing Sophie, I thought I was about to be attacked by Tigar and Zald. I intercepted Tigar’s great sword with my black sword and Zald’s long sword with my white one.
The swords that both of them thrust at me with all their might were incredibly heavy. It felt like I was being crushed from both sides. However, I exerted all the strength in my body to push back their swords and swiftly stepped in, delivering a kick to Tigar’s abdomen. Tigar, in obvious pain, grabbed hold of my leg with both arms to restrain me.
With the attack from Zald’s long sword closing in from behind, leaving me unable to move, I remained unfazed as I could see what was happening behind me. I intercepted the thrust with my thick black blade and used my right hand to strike Tigar, sending him flying.
Perhaps due to the precise punch that caught him in the chin, Tigar staggered and released his grip on my leg. As my released leg touched the ground, I swiftly pivoted on it and kicked Zald with my other leg. Before he could bring his sword down, my heel drove into his chest. Zald fell to the ground, one knee touching the earth.
Having regained his stance, Tigar valiantly stood his ground and continued to fight. It’s good to see that he hasn’t lost his fighting spirit even at this point. The determination to defeat the enemy no matter what was necessary for survival.
“…”
“Gugaaaaa……!”
However, I had no intention of being easily defeated. While deflecting the downward swing of the great sword with my two swords, I kicked Tigar’s chin from below. As Tigar’s body floated in the air from my kick, I then brought my other leg down, kicking his neck. Tigar fell to the ground, his voice filled with agony.
Even after defeating Tigar, I remained vigilant, readying my swords while keeping an eye on my surroundings. It seemed that there were no more adversaries approaching. I sheathed my swords and lightly tapped Tigar’s shoulder, which was resting on the ground.
“Ouch… Come on, ease it up a bit, will ya? Well, it’s good training, I suppose.”
Tigar rubbed his neck as he got up. Almost simultaneously, Zald and Tuhru also rose to their feet. Thus, today’s training session reached its conclusion. We had embarked upon this rigorous regimen soon after joining forces.
Before joining Tigar and the others, I learned that major battles were imminent. At that moment, I contemplated how to ensure that neither I nor any member of my unit would perish. It was not arrogance from my part, but I was the strongest among the demon squad. There must be something only I can do. That’s when I decided to consult with Mika.
“In order to increase the overall survival rate in battle, is there anything we can do? Hmm… Ah, I have one idea.” Mika had said
[What is it?]
“It’s rather simple, you see. If each individual becomes stronger than they are now, that would be ideal. Since we don’t have the luxury of being selective with our missions, we will undoubtedly face grueling battles. To overcome those challenges…”
[You mean the quickest way would be to enhance each individual’s skills.]
“That is right,” Mika acknowledged.
After conversing with Mika through writing on the ground, I decided to provide training to the demon squad after each of our missions were complete. Since I couldn’t speak, I had Mika explain the situation to them. Reluctant to force anyone to participate against their will, I only had him ask for those who expressed interest. However, to my surprise, every single member decided to join.
They had honed their own fighting styles through battles, never having received any formal training. That’s why it seemed they were interested in undergoing this training experience.
That’s when we decided that I would train the warriors on fighting, while Mika would focus on training those with keen senses. Mika explained theories and techniques such as discerning sounds and stealthy footwork. Meanwhile, I employed the training methods I knew, the practical combat style instilled in me by Alexander.
Initially, Tigar and the others hesitated to engage in combat with me. However, after I defeated them all without relying on fighting spirit or spiritual arts on the first day, their motivation skyrocketed. Now, they were devising various strategies to defeat me as a team. With the recent increase in precarious situations, it seemed their skills were undoubtedly improving.
“Cough, cough… Your swordsmanship and martial arts are as sharp as ever. However, I’ve learned something new again. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure to beat you,” Tigar declared.
“It’ll be impossible one-on-one, though!” Zald added.
After finishing the training sessions, Tigar and the others began their regular reflection meetings. I joined them, answering their questions with a simple [yes] or [no].
And so, the somewhat fulfilling life of carrying out monitoring missions during the day and training at night came to an abrupt end. The units that had been assigned to the monitoring duty received orders for several of its members to return to the fortress.
The reason given was to rotate the personnel for the monitoring mission. For now, it meant that our tasks under the cold sky had come to an end. Moreover, we would soon be able to reunite with the children. With this anticipation in mind, we embarked on the journey back towards our ‘home’.
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