The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 3 - Chapter 44

CHAPTER 44

The Ex–Demon Lord and the Ancient Battlefield, Part II

“Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! I dare you to scream! Cry! Let flow your blood and sinew!” cried out the colossal demon, cackling in pure delight and madness.

With a hand thrust toward the heavens, the beast summoned five magic circles to manifest out of thin air, thundering down lightning bolts from every corner.

A five-layered chant, huh. The demons from this era are on a whole different playing field. That said…

“At this level, I can’t say you’re worth killing,” I mumbled quietly to myself, casting a spell that shot across long distances.

As the lightning threatened to rain down on us, layers of protective walls spread out before our ally army, sparing us as the two attacks collided and disappeared.

“Well, well…!”

The soldiers of our ally army scurried away like scattered baby spiders after they were spared their lives.

“You the one that got in my way, boy?” The large demon and his lackeys looked at me with a glint in their eyes. They housed an intensity that would have knocked any normal civilian onto their butts, but it seemed a bit half-assed to me.

“Indeed.” I flashed them an easy smile, and the large demon snarled back at me.

“Your spells just now looked like a Twelve…but it must have been my imagination.”

“No. Your eyes were not mistaken.”

“…You mean to tell me someone your age can cast twelve layers of magic at once?”

“If you doubt me, I would be happy to try it again.” I spread both arms wide, taunting him.

“C’mon, you lot! Give that brat a bloodbath!” the demon boomed, mobilizing the host of enemies toward me.

There were a lot more of them than there were of me…which must have been why they were looking down on me—because instead of attacking me, they cast spells to strengthen their bodies, pounding toward me with fury and brandishing their specialized swords and spears.

From their expressions, I could read their minds: I’m gonna torture this brat to death.

Their thoughts were incredibly sadistic.

“You’re worse than the worst,” I quipped, moving dynamically as I kept smiling.

I would follow their lead: I wouldn’t use attack magic. There was no point with weaklings. I’d cast magic to strengthen myself and fight with my bare hands.

With sharp movements, I stepped forward, deflecting one of the spears with my palm as I drove a backhand blow right into a face. By a hair’s breadth, I deftly dodged a vertical sword swing, thrusting my foot into an abdomen. A bludgeon went to strike my temporal lobe, but my fist smashed it to pieces before it even had a chance. I gave the enemy a lightning roundhouse kick to the side.

A high-speed, close-combat battle requiring split-second decisions.

The one who had risen as victor was…me, Ard Meteor.

“Hmm. It appears my opponents were not adequately prepared.” I looked down at the demons sprawled across the ground and sighed.

“Gweh-heh-heh-heh! Not bad, kid! Guess only old Bulgan here has what it takes to get the job done!” savagely hooted the titanic demon, unleashing his attack spell to manifest ten magic circles.

“Eat this! Vortex Burst!” he roared, blasting heat lasers that glittered blue in my direction.

The intense heat of ten magic circles combined into one single, giant ray and rushed forward to end me.

“Not the worst. But certainly not the best,” I appraised, languidly raising a hand to cast a defensive spell. Before me flashed a geometric pattern, subsequently transforming into a semitransparent wall.

The beam crashed into my wall, sending a shock wave rippling across the field. The translucent shield blocked the thick rays, scattering it in all directions. The enemy attack died out without ever accomplishing its goal.

“Hmm…! To think that a kid has already mastered high-level defense magic without the use of an incantation…!” the demon noted, half in shock, half in joy.

I imagined Bulgan’s heart was racing in excitement for an enemy worth hunting.

But, to be honest, I was already over it.

“Haah. It’s been such a long time since I fought a demon with a spine; I’d expected something, at least. But it appears those hopes have been dashed.”

“What was that…?! You think you’re better than me, brat?!”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Damn you…! All you can use is high-level human magic! Don’t get ahead of your—”

“If that’s all you have to say, you’re really not that great,” I commented, cutting Bulgan off to hit him with some cold, hard facts. “This wasn’t a high-level defense spell—but a low-level one.”

“Wh-what…?!” Bulgan’s eyes bulged, and I continued on.

“As you know, the potency of a spell depends on its magic. I just charged a low-level spell with a little extra umph—some more magic.” I sighed. My eyes gleamed for the first time. “Our little fight wasn’t any more than child’s play. I don’t want to carry on—it would be a total waste of time. Which is why I’ll end this battle in three moves,” I declared.

I could feel Bulgan flare with bloodlust.

“Don’t screw with me, you little brat!” he boomed, rage shocking the air around us. He brought an extensive number of magic circles before him. “You can regret that pride of yours in the afterlife! ALL END IVAN!”

With this, a loud crash of thunder rumbled from a large magic circle, laced with bolts of lightning that raced toward me. The scene was almost beautiful, but… It couldn’t have been more than a middle-rank spell.

“Would you like me to show you what real lightning looks like?”

Sweeping my hand out in front of my eyes, I put together a technique in a flash. As it expended my magic, a large magic circle manifested—and with it raged an inky thunderstorm, cracking and flaring with angry lightning bolts.

It was the mid-level lightning magic, Hydra Blast.

Bolts of black lightning snaked forward, colliding with the enemy’s attack. My mass of thunderbolt serpents swallowed his bolts, rushing forth toward Bulgan.

His massive frame was completely swallowed up.

…That was my first move.

After Hydra Blast pounded him all over, Bulgan planted his feet on the ground as smoke rose from his body.

“R-ridiculous. I’ll never…!” His entire body was covered in wounds. He had no chance of fighting now.

Plus, that last attack had been the ace up his sleeve. And I’d beaten it easily, which was likely why the demon could no longer hide his agitation.

Bulgan’s heart and mind had been driven into a corner, but he showed no signs of giving up. He glared right beside me.

“Eek?!” shrieked Ginny, who had been watching my battle from the outskirts.

“NRAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!” With a war cry, Bulgan dashed toward her.

As I’d expected, he planned to take Ginny hostage.

She seemed struck by the force of his charge, unable to move a single muscle. Nearby, Ireena couldn’t rush to her aid, either. Neither one was mentally nor physically prepared to face demons from these ancient times.

“This isn’t over yet! I have more where that came from!” screamed Bulgan, closing the distance between him and Ginny.

Ten steps until impact.

Nine. Eight.

Seven…

And then, there was an odd-sounding beep.

Immediately after, a magic circle appeared under Bulgan’s feet, and a silvery-white, shining pillar shot toward the sky. He had no choice but to let it envelop him whole…

“Im…possible… How could I…” His charred body fell silently to the earth.

“This was my second move… Oh dear, I still had another one left.”

Foreseeing this might happen, I had laid a magic trap ahead of time. This had all gone according to plan, but…

I’d overestimated and finished him in one shot. I still needed to work on holding back.

“Phew… Are you all right, Ginny?”

“Y-yesh,” she lisped. She must have been so scared. Ginny’s legs gave out, and she dropped to the ground with a thud. Beside her, Ireena let out a sigh of relief.

“You never let me down, Ard! Even a big old demon doesn’t stand a chance against you!” lauded Ireena.

“I’m delighted by your praise.”

Ireena was grinning ear to ear, and I gave her a little bow.

As if realizing the battle was over, everyone else started to offer their own comments, lavishing me with attention.

“I-incredible…!”

“Why’d that monster come for the support troops…?!”

“That spell was seriously something else…!”

As I thought, civilians lacked the knowledge to gauge the differences in our strength. All I did was clean up some weaklings, yet they were now gazing up at me like I was some kind of hero.

It was a trivial matter unworthy of special recognition—

“AAARGH! Where’s my enemy?!” shrieked a young girl who sounded familiar.

When I turned toward the voice, I saw a redhead in the distance. It was Sylphy, breathing hard, dressed entirely in light leather armor and all sliced up. It looked like she’d just come from the battlefield…but that didn’t really matter.

There was something else that concerned me.

“Looks like you guys took care of things before we could get here.”

Lydia was standing beside Sylphy. I thought this was very strange.

As always, she’d entered the battle in regular clothes. There was a single strip of cloth covering her top half, while her pale arms and toned stomach were boldly on display. She wore loose pants and was not equipped with a single metal weapon. Defensive measures were unfathomable to this woman.

She hated how armor weighed down her mobility. That was why she had tossed out any and every form of protection, deciding to attack, attack, and attack. When it came to war, Lydia’s philosophy was that offensive plays were the greatest defense.

…I knew this, which was why this whole thing was so strange.

Why would Lydia leave the front lines just because the support troops were being attacked?

Verda was currently on standby in the city, which meant Lydia was the supreme commander of these combined armies. In normal circumstances, she’d be waiting in the back with the rear guard… But Lydia didn’t operate with any sort of logic. Even though she was the general whose head the enemy was after, she deliberately opted to throw herself into life-or-death situations. With her other comrades by her side, she would run about the battlefield as an independent ally army and upset the tide of battle.

It was this point that made her very similar to Alvarto, our crazed battle monster who was praised as both our strongest and most terrible.

Therefore… If Lydia had sensed danger among her support troops, wouldn’t Sylphy be the one to check on us? I would imagine the following transpiring:

Hey, Sylphy! The back’s having a hell of a time!

Okay, Lydia, leave it to me!

But the reality was different.

No one wanted to be out fighting on the front lines more than Lydia, yet she was here for some reason. I had to think over this implication more.

“…Hey, Ard. Is this your doing?” She pointed at the charred enemy general on the ground.

“Yes.”

“…You didn’t kill him, right?”

“I did not. I determined he wasn’t worth killing. Besides, even a warrior like him is still a general. I thought we might obtain information from him and chose to intentionally capture him alive.”

“Is that right…? In other words, you have enough power to capture this guy alive.” Her grin told me she was starting to have fun.

…What’s going on? It feels like we’re operating on two different wavelengths.

“Um, Lady Lydia. About General Bulgan. In terms of military rank, he’s closer to the bottom than the top, right?”

Lydia chuckled—“Heh-heh-heh”—scratching her silver head of hair and looking almost astounded. “Guess again, stupid. That pulp of a guy was the top commander and our main target.”

“…Excuse me? The top commander?”

This guy? Their leader?

“Ngggg! You stole my prize! You’re pretty cheeky for a newbie!” growled Sylphy in the distance, stamping the ground in frustration.

“You know, Ard’s just that amazing! Look at him! That’s my friend! Getting the head honcho on his very first battle and all! No biggie!” Ireena puffed up her chest, looking all smug and snorting in satisfaction.

“Well, anyway, you sure are something.” Lydia patted me on the back in admiration as she let loose a big laugh. “Gah-ha-ha-ha!” It had been so long since we were like this, and I had assumed it would never happen again… It was safe to say I wasn’t unhappy.

But despite my joy, there were questions that lingered between us.

How was Bulgan the supreme commander? I could see his attack on the support troops being one part of some clever scheme.

But to defeat him as I was now… How was that even possible?

If I was in my heyday—when I was Varvatos—this would have been the natural order of things. But right now, I was Ard Meteor, an average nobody with nothing at my disposal but wit.

…Well, I did possess knowledge from my days as the Demon Lord and had been exerting myself to be the best without a moment’s rest since early childhood.

But even then, how could I have the power to easily defeat a top commander of this era?

…Something felt off.

That was why I couldn’t let myself be thrilled over the achievements that had fast-tracked me toward my goal—

Not even a day had passed since we left the Frontline City of Aether. It was sometime between noon and dusk. Above the cloudless sky, the shining sun illuminated the ground below, warming the earth.

Meanwhile, having achieved that amazing victory so quickly, Verda and Lydia’s combined troops stationed half their soldiers in a simple fortress before the rest returned to Aether. With the fortress as a relay point, they set out to plan the subjugation of the demon metropolis of Almedio.

The march home was much slower. Many were exhausted from battle, so they progressed at a gentle pace that the soldiers could handle.

Among them, the one known as Ard Meteor was no less than a supernova who had suddenly appeared among them.

“I’ve never heard of anyone taking out the top leader during their first battle!”

“Ah, it’s nothing, honestly.”

“Thanks for saving us! I promise to repay the favor twofold!”

“Please, think nothing of it.”

Ard was surrounded as a barrage of gratitude and praise rained down on him.

He responded with a troubled smile.

“Heh-heh-heh! My Ard basically eats that for breakfast!” scoffed Ireena.

“Nghhh! Pl-please, don’t get ahead of yourself! I’ll always nab more big baddies than you, Ard!”

Ireena puffed out her chest and bragged about Ard to everyone, while Sylphy threw frustrated abuse at him as he was showered in praise.

On the other end of the spectrum, gazing at Ard from the distance was…Ginny, the succubus, grinning proudly.

I knew it. Ard is amazing…!

Like Ireena, Ginny swelled with joy whenever Ard received praise, as if it had been directed toward her.

It was natural. How could she not be happy when watching a loved one who was doing well?

Her heart held nothing but admiration for Ard and pride in their friendship.

“H-hey, you. You’re with that guy, right?” called out a voice beside her. It was a young boy of tender years.

This era sends children off to war, I see. Even though our ages aren’t so different.

Once again reminded of the cruelty of life in the ancient world, Ginny answered the boy with a smile. “Yes, that is correct. I’m Ard’s friend…and you might also say his first wife.  ”

“What? H-his wife…?!” The boy balked, his eyes opening wide; he flashed her a dismayed look.

This did not elude Ginny, who quickly guessed his feelings. And more importantly, she understood that boys were not ones to give up these matters easily.

“I—I can see it. Wife, huh? W-well, let’s forget him for now… I-I’m interested in you!”

He was a straight shooter. Unfortunately, Ginny had no interest in him. She had zero intention of having a relationship with any man except Ard.

She thought it would be best to be up front, when he spoke again.

“I bet you’re awesome like him, right?! I can tell that armor is specially made!”

These words stabbed Ginny’s heart and shut her up.

“The demons almost got you in the end…b-but I’m sure you would have gotten them in a flash, right?! Aw man, I guess I’m just, like, I dunno, super jealous!”

She supposed the boy had been trying to kill her with praise and help her feel better.

Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect.

“…No. I’m not the least bit amazing.” Her voice dipped low, slightly somber. It must have been visible on her face as well.

“Hmm? Um, well… S-sorry.”

He must have sensed that mortal failure awaited him if he continued any longer. He apologized with an embarrassed expression and left as if trying to quickly escape.

Ginny sighed as she watched him. Special? There’s no way I could be any such thing.

…What would have happened if Ard hadn’t been there?

As if reflecting her mental state, the wings on her head drooped. She gave another sigh and looked toward Ard. People were still crowded around him, and Ireena and Sylphy were by his side.

…Her conversation with the boy just now was the reason she wondered if she actually belonged in their little circle.

I know Ard is incredible. And Miss Ireena and Miss Sylphy, too…

But I… I’m different…from everyone…

Ginny was from a rare race of succubi. Her wit and resourcefulness were far from average.

But…those three were something else entirely.

Ard, of course. There was no need to go into further detail.

Ireena gave off some sort of strange aura.

Sylphy was the Raging Champion, whose name was carved into legend.

Compared with that… “Ginny” must have been a tiny existence to them.

Even in their last battle, all she could do was just barely stay out of Ard’s way. The boy had said she could have beaten the demon in an instant, but it simply wasn’t true. It was thanks to Ard’s unconventional strategy that she hadn’t become a hostage and the matter had ended without further incident.

…To begin with… It was me. I was the one he’d tried to take hostage… Not Miss Ireena.

The demon must have thought I wouldn’t be the least bit frightening, even if I fought back.

Being looked down upon was painfully vexing.

I was the weakest link. The one with the least reason to exist.

And that’s why he chose me…!

She pursed her lips and clenched her fists.

…Do I have the right to stay by Ard’s side?

…Do I have the right to be friends with Miss Ireena and the others?

Allowing an ordinary person who does nothing but cause trouble for everyone…to stay beside extraordinary people…would be unforgivable, wouldn’t it?

She didn’t have the chance to complete this thought.

“Ginny! Why the gloomy face?!” called out a flippant voice.

Squish. Ginny’s soft boobs were gripped from behind.

“Geh-heh-heh-heh, I knew it. Your boobs really are the best!” someone chuckled, feeling her up.

“Eeek?! Pl-please stop, Lady Lydia!”

It was Lydia the Champion—the legend.

“Want me to shoo, huh?” She was surprisingly accepting of Ginny’s cry of protest and readily let go. “Well? Made you feel a smidge better, right?”

Standing next to her, Lydia slung her arm across Ginny’s shoulders and flashed her a blinding smile. Upon realizing Lydia had been concerned for her, Ginny felt apologetic.

As if reading her mind, Lydia patted her shoulders lightly.

“What’re you worried about? Wanna try talking about it? I’ve got more experience with this kinda stuff, you know? If I had to take a crack at it, Ginny, I’d say you’re worried about—”

“Someone special like you cannot understand.”

The words came out on reflex. They had hardly left her mouth before she realized her rudeness and fretted.

“I-I’m so sorry…! F-for me to say such a thing to the great Champion…!” Ginny apologized profusely, but Lydia showed no interest. Instead, she looked Ginny straight in the eyes.

“I get it. You’re worried about boring shit,” Lydia declared.

Boring shit.

With her mental anguish ridiculed, Ginny was on her last nerve. Her pale cheeks flushed with rage, as her features twisted in anger.

Boring?

Yes, I suppose it is for you, the crème de la crème!

What in the world do you know about me…? She wished to shout this but resisted the urge.

“Yeah, you’re right. Can’t say I’m ordinary. That’s why I don’t get your suffering.”

This statement seemed to read her mind, and Ginny widened her eyes as she looked at Lydia.

…Were her eyes always so clear?

Though she normally acted like some dirty old man, her serious expression took on one of a goddess who possessed all the world’s truths.

“You think you’re ordinary. You think you’re different from your friends, someone from a whole other world. But you’ve just categorized yourself that way. That’s why you’re stressing about stupid stuff—like whether you’re allowed to be with them, right?”

Ginny gave her the tiniest of nods. As she did, Lydia sighed loudly.

“You know Olivia, one of the Four Heavenly Kings?”

“Y-yes. Of course.”

“Okay. Do you think she’s special?”

“That…that is obvious, isn’t it? After all, she’s…”

The Legendary Apostle who served the Demon Lord. Was there anything more extraordinary?

But Ginny found Lydia’s confession hard to believe.

“We share a drink together every now and then. One day, she got drunk and told me: ‘I’m not special at all. I just got fed up with being boring.’”

“What…?! Lady Olivia said that…?!”

“Yeah… Her expression was priceless. But anyway, listen to this.”

Lydia unhooked a leather bag from her waist and chugged its contents before passing it off to Ginny.

“She had no magic talent to speak of. The skills afforded by her race…involve nothing more than temporarily enhancing one’s physical abilities. Because of that, she constantly got in Var’s way and cried in the shadows each time.”

Glancing at the bag that had been passed to her, Ginny listened with rapt attention.

“I bet she suffered back then just as much as you are now. But…she never gave up. She polished her skills, worked on her swordplay…and became one of the Heavenly Kings. Var’s right hand and confidant. She became someone who supports him more than anyone else.”

It couldn’t be a lie. There couldn’t be anyone in this world who could look into Lydia’s eyes right now and reject the truth.

“…If I work tirelessly, can I become like Lady Olivia?”

What if Lady Oliva had become successful because she was resourceful? This idea—and the timid thoughts that accompanied it—made Ginny meek.

“Quit your whining,” sharply warned Lydia upon seeing Ginny in this state. She smacked Ginny’s butt, and a noise rang out as an acute pain settled in Ginny’s bottom.

“Hey, what was that?” murmured those around them, casting glances in their direction. It hurt too much for Ginny to be embarrassed.

“Wh-what was that for…?!” With teary eyes, Ginny glared at Lydia. However, the woman was not in the least bit daunted, spitting her next words out with a sullen look.

“Being special had nothing to do with it. You think there’s a barrier barring you from greatness? That’s a meaningless illusion that displays your weaknesses. Just race forward without thinking about anything too seriously. I’m sure that one day, there will come a time when you look back on who you are now and laugh about your worries.” Lydia broke into a soft smile.

“Quit hesitating and just keep on moving. If you wanna go from being someone who drags your friends down to one they can depend on, that’s all you can do. Worrying won’t ever change who you are now.”

Her words and smile were mysteriously charming, holding a persuasive power to them.

“Yes. You’re right.”

It wasn’t as if her anguish had disappeared outright. She wasn’t sure she could say she’d even overcome it.

But she would bid farewell to her old self, who did nothing but worry.

Ginny looked at the leather bag that Lydia had given her…and downed its contents in one gulp.

It was a distilled liquor. Her throat felt like it was burning.

“This is delicious.”

The burning sensation. The stinging in her butt.

Right now, it all felt good in a way.

“Ha-ha! The fact you can appreciate that baby is proof you’re a fine woman.” Lydia wrapped her arms around her, and Ginny gave her a smile.

This was the Legendary Champion. She changed the people around her, whether she meant to or not. Led them in the right direction. That must have been what earned her the title.

At any rate…

It felt like Ginny had been reborn—just a little bit.

I didn’t think this latest incident was such a big deal. However, the bigwigs of this era—like me—apparently thought it was worth commending.

Varvatos the Demon Lord had considered it a great accomplishment and wished to summon us personally. He’d want to give us medals and express his appreciation.

This worked in my favor. Everything was moving along much quicker than I expected.

We were going to meet the Demon Lord just as we planned—and it was the morning of our departure to see him.

Our main objective of returning to the present day racing through our minds, we set off in a carriage.