The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 3 - Chapter 47

CHAPTER 47

The Ex–Demon Lord on the Front Lines—

Lydia seemed perplexed when she saw my unrest.

“What’s wrong?”

…Everyone there appeared to be thinking the same thing. Not only Lydia, but also Ireena, Ginny, and this era’s Sylphy were staring at me as if I were a strange creature.

Had they sensed my turmoil?

Anyone would question why someone normally composed would suddenly act this way. I took a single quiet breath to calm myself down, then gave my usual smile.

“…As I thought, hearing a name of such renown has worked up my nerves. But I’m fine now. I can’t contain the excitement within me.”

“Hmph! That big bad wolf is gonna be mine!” Sylphy crossed her arms, puffing ragged breaths out of her nose.

Stroking the hair on Sylphy’s confident head, Lydia smiled to confirm she was ready for battle.

“I was thinking something big might be coming this way… Can’t believe the Curse King decided to suddenly pop in. Not that I’m complaining,” Lydia scoffed, looking forward to the fight.

Ireena scurried over to me. “H-hey, Ard… What is this King like?”

“…Just as mages have a classification system of One through Seven, the demons also have a ranking system. The foe in this upcoming battle is of the most elite class… A rank known as Archdemon.”

“A-an Archdemon…?!”

Even in the modern day, those belonging to this rank possessed incredible power, and it was known that they had backed even our parents, the Heroes known as the Great Mages and the Heroic Baron, into a corner. This power was enough to annihilate a vast region.

…But that was in the present day.

In this ancient era, an Archdemon’s strength on the battlefield was beyond all words. The Curse King Mevilas was especially powerful, but…

I thought I remembered Lydia’s and Verda’s troops fighting against Mevilas further ahead in the future. This must have been another effect caused by the irregularity. There was no question this existence was warping history.

I thought about my next steps… Wouldn’t this make me the same as the Demon Lord?

I stared at Lydia’s face, and my heart was decided. That little god would probably complain, but that wasn’t my problem.

Just this one time, I wouldn’t let history have its way…!

The enemy forces had already begun their advance, and we began to move quickly.

According to our current strategy, Ireena and Ginny would sit this fight out. If by some chance…well, I would never allow it. But…if the timeline I knew did come to pass, Ireena and Ginny would die.

Of course, I would strive to prevent history from repeating itself. But it wasn’t as if there was zero risk. Therefore, they would remain in Aether.

“I understand. I don’t want to weigh you down, Ard.”

“I feel the same way. Please give it your best.”

They had appeared to be all right with things, but they must have been dealing with other feelings on the inside: Ireena had been fervently trying to catch up to me, and Ginny had been working to overcome her inferiority complex.

While indirect, I’d essentially told them, You’ll be useless if you come.

They were smiling on the outside, but I was willing to bet they were unable to clear away the resentment they felt inside.

…However, I had more than just them to think about at the moment.

After all, this matter was connected to the source of my most traumatic memory.

Well then, back to the present.

Together with Lydia and Sylphy, we were quietly advancing through the mountains. The time was somewhere between noon and evening. It was still daylight, but because the mountain forest was dim, it didn’t feel that way at all.

In the midst of making our way through the dense foliage, Sylphy let out a lifeless voice.

“Everyone’s having it out on the battlefield right about now. But we’re stuck here climbing a boring old mountain, thanks to a certain someone…”

“It’s tedious, but try to push through. Excitement will come for us eventually, whether we like it or not.”

I had been the one to propose this plan. If we went with the original timeline, Lydia and Sylphy would have been running around the battlefield right about then, just like everyone who played a leading role in their army.

Even Lydia hadn’t been optimistic about this battle. As proof, she had called all her scattered major players from every area and worked to ensure everything was flawless—all without knowing it would be the greatest cause of their destruction.

“…But Lady Lydia. I’m grateful you would take the words of a novice into consideration.”

“Well, yeah, I guess. Honestly, these fancy sneak attacks really aren’t my thing…but I had a feeling that we should go with what you said,” Lydia admitted, scratching her head as she walked along across the underbrush.

She was dumb, but her intuition was stronger than anyone’s. The fact that she took my plan seriously meant I had picked up on something, which was great news. With this, the chances of the worst-case scenario occurring had largely diminished.

…Historically, when Lydia’s and Verda’s armies had clashed with the forces of the Curse King, there hadn’t been any sneak attacks. On the contrary, it was said to be a battle without tact.

…Mevilas had acted in this way, too, because the Curse King believed the demons were the chosen ones. Mevilas was the quintessential demon supremacist who looked down on humans as worms. There was no need for ingenuity when fighting against worms; using one’s full force against such enemies would be ridiculous.

Because of this inflated ego, Lydia and the others had managed to successfully drive Mevilas into a corner…

And valuing life over pride, the Curse King had pulled out a trump card: Mevilas’s Original technique.

The name Curse King came from Mevilas’s talent in casting hexes. And there was no greater curse than the one this Original technique possessed. This repulsive power spanned for miles…and sent all touched by it instantly into madness. Our armies began to kill each other.

And thus, both armies were destroyed.

On top of losing almost her entire army…Lydia had lost the friends who she had been breaking bread with since they first met. Of the seven principal Champions who served Lydia’s forces, five had been lost. Lydia’s army was on the verge of extinction.

And on top of that…Lydia herself had been cursed while trying to protect Sylphy.

It must have been thanks to her steely mental fortitude and the blood of the Evil Gods running through her veins that she’d been able to escape the madness and take Mevilas down with her own hands. But from then on…she suffered from the curse’s symptoms. She was sometimes struck by intense headaches and confusion. It was an affliction even I couldn’t heal.

Because she continued to fight in that condition, Lydia had…!

…If she hadn’t been cursed in this battle… If she hadn’t lost her dear friends in this fight, then maybe none of that would have ever happened.

I wouldn’t have had to kill her.

…I would not waver from this clearly different timeline. I had already seen it from the very moment I was sent to this era: a future where Lydia survived.

I’d do anything to make that happen. No one would get in my way.

“You thought we wouldn’t be expecting a sneak attack?! You stupid—”

I would not show even weaklings any mercy.

“Storm Blade,” I cast, materializing ten magic circles before me. They whipped up gusts, turning into tornadoes that barreled directly toward the enemy.

“ACK?!”

The enemies tried to dodge each one, but to no avail. It was impossible to escape the fast, wide-ranging wind blades as they spread out. They couldn’t even cast defense magic against it. Resistance was useless. The enemy was cut to shreds with the surrounding vegetation and sent on a journey to the next life.

Taking out those pipsqueaks in this manner went against my philosophy, but…I didn’t care anymore.

I would annihilate anything that got in my way. I would stop Lydia from dying. Nothing else mattered.

“…Well, let’s get moving,” I said softly. I could feel a murderous impulse and desire for battle lying somewhere within my subconscious.

As if picking up on this, Sylphy slightly shivered, showing some fear. “D-don’t get cocky just ’cause you have a few tricks! Beating minnows won’t get you any medals!”

She couldn’t hide her competitive spirit.

Lydia, on the other hand…

“You’re really getting into this.”

The words themselves expressed admiration—but Lydia’s face was colorless, expressionless, with her clear eyes locking on to mine.

…I’d always hated those eyes of hers. They seemed to read straight through me. I found them incredibly disconcerting.

Even now…she’d probably picked up on something.

On top of that, she said, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

And then, she walked ahead as if leading us forward. Staring at her back, I clenched my fist.

…Nothing I’d do was going to be stupid.

Our surprise attack revolved around bringing the conflict to an end while keeping Mevilas’s pride intact.

Why had one as conceited as Mevilas ended up going at full power? Because we had driven the Curse King completely into a corner. That was it.

According to actual history, Lydia had gone with her regular tactics and rushed in for a direct assault. This had turned out to be a great success…and been the impetus that caused Mevilas to unleash that Original.

To take the commander’s head and prevent this, I had proposed a surprise attack. Lydia, Sylphy, and I would strike the enemy camp directly and clean things up all in one go.

The target would, of course, notice our approach. Mevilas would have to lure us to the camp; after all, our foe was brimming with self-confidence. If we riled up the Curse King, I imagined it would turn into a one-on-one fight.

Right now, Mevilas had to be busy with the entertaining prospect of teasing and killing some inferior monkeys—us. We would use that ego and disregard to take his head in an instant. If we could do that, there was a high chance of avoiding a horrific tragedy for Lydia and I.

“…The enemy’s main camp has come into view.”

As we descended the mountain, I could see our opponent’s base tucked in a hilly region that had a slight yet noticeable shift in elevation.

“Fancy for a basic fortress. Mevilas’s expensive taste is written all over it.”

“For some reason, I really just can’t stand it…!”

Both of them had grown up in poverty, which was why they tended to hate anything needlessly extravagant. I had grown up poor myself, so I could empathize.

“Well then, let’s get started. Based on the enemy’s level of power, concealment magic won’t do us much good. We’ll do a direct invasion before mowing down the enemy…and rip off their top commander’s head. That is all.”

“Got it. Good—nice and easy.”

“I’m raring to go!”

Neither was the least bit scared. They even saw this as a chance to have some fun.

Sufficient morale. Sufficient power.

Everything we needed for victory was right here.

“I’ll have the honor of the first blow,” I declared.

“No, that’s all mine!”

“I won’t hand it over even to you, Sis!”

Our voices ringing out, we rushed down on the enemy. The gate to the fortress was open as if to welcome us. Passing straight through, we entered the heart of enemy territory.

“…This is strange,” I said.

“…Yeah, I figured they’d be throwing flashy attack magic at us as soon as we ran in.”

“…It’s too quiet,” Sylphy observed.

Our high spirits had turned to suspicion. I had imagined that we’d be greeted with a barrage of magic the moment we stepped inside…but nothing was happening at all. On the contrary, I didn’t even sense the slightest counterattack.

“Perhaps they are waiting to ambush us somewhere?” I offered.

“Yeah, maybe. But…I’ve got a bad feeling for some reason.”

In this eerily silent enemy camp, Lydia and I both broke out in a cold sweat.

What was going on? Had I failed to predict something?

…In any case, we’d come this far. All we could do was carry on.

“Let’s make our way to the center.”

Lydia and Sylphy nodded in agreement, and we set out.

…Something is definitely wrong.

For starters, I couldn’t sense a single enemy. It seemed to be completely empty here. It wasn’t deserted. There was no way. Could it be that they had a scheme up their sleeve?

My mind was racing with infinite possibilities, but…none felt like a plausible explanation for what was going on.

As we approached the center of the enemy camp, things grew even more inexplicable.

“This scent…”

“I know this one. I’ve gotten so used to this smell.”

“I feel sick. It smells like rusted steel… This is…”

The scent of blood.

…The empty camp. As we drew nearer to its center, the scent of fresh blood grew stronger. Lydia and I had a bad feeling in the pits of our stomachs as we continued on.

Finally, we reached the center of the camp, a space that must have been used as a gathering point. When we came upon the scene, we couldn’t help but stare in wonder.

The first thing that filled our vision was a blackish red.

Painted across the entire ground was…a number of demon corpses strewn across the land. None had any trace of their original form. They had all suffered a violent end; blood, entrails, and gore were piled up around us like mountains.

And among this all too gruesome scene… A man’s head whirled through the air. It was a gentle-looking face with a distinctive handlebar mustache and aristocratic air.

He was our main objective: the Curse King, Mevilas.

Except none of us had been the one to swing the sword down.

And I thought it was safe to guess… The culprit was not an ally.

“You were a step too late,” boomed a deep voice that made my stomach roil as it resonated. With the others, I whipped my head toward the man who produced it.

His age, race, looks—everything about him was unknown. He was covered head to toe in pitch-black armor. That ominous silhouette seemed to reveal his true character…

“What are you?” I asked.

The knight in black armor snorted, sneering. “You have some idea, don’t you? I’m exactly who I look like. In other words—,” the figure spoke in a tone that rang with finality, from the other side of his sharp helmet. “I’m the Demon Lord. A cruel and vicious monster, and the enemy of the world.”

This pompous figure made my anxiety shoot through the roof. This man had to be strong. The host of worthy opponents that swam through my memories couldn’t compare.

…It’d been a long time since I’d felt this exhilarated. But we couldn’t rush in foolishly. As I glared at my watchful opponent, I waited to see what he would do.

“Heh, so you’re the Demon Lord, huh? You look pretty damn strong to me,” Lydia scoffed.

“Indeed. Even if you fight together, you would not stand a chance.”

“Yeah? Your big mouth will get you in trouble. I’m the Champion, and you’re the Demon Lord.”

“Reality will not go according to the tales. There is no reason your power will have any affect against me, the Demon Lord.”

“Hey now… We won’t know till we try.”

In that next instant, an eagerness to engage in battle seemed to pour out of Lydia’s entire body. That drive alone would cause any normal soldier to faint. It was a spirit that was so great, her own ally, Sylphy, could not even quiver.

Even then, the Demon Lord took this in stride, and he did not falter in the slightest.

“Ha-ha! All right, it’s been a while! Looks like I’ll finally get to go all out!”

With a savage smile, Lydia summoned her beloved sword, Vald-Galgulus. She gripped its hilt tightly in her right hand.

“Arstella. Glisten, O Soul. Fotoblis. Become my Light. Tenneblicke. And Dispel the Darkness.”

Shocking the air was an incantation written before time. Lydia’s body was enveloped in a dazzling mass of energy…which finally transformed into silvery, shining armor.

It was a serious situation; Lydia had every intention of going at it, full force. She charged up her footsteps, and in that next moment—

“You’re reckless. I approve of you personally…but I currently have no intention of facing you.”

“……The hell?”

Tossing her spirit to the roadside, the Demon Lord turned his back on us. “Tell this to your leader: I will take the lands that I want. If you wish for them back, claim them by force.”

“…You bastard! Are you trying to declare war?”

The Demon Lord sneered at Lydia’s question. “I’ve been declaring war since long ago. I’m the Demon Lord. In other words, my existence is a declaration of war on all things great and small.”

Why? Why did those words seem self-deprecating?

“Farewell, Champions. And…you, foolish boy.”

For a moment, it felt like he was directing his rage at me. Finally, without trying to start anything, he cast teleportation magic and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Left behind in that ghastly place, we stood in silence for some time.

What was Lydia thinking? What was Sylphy doing?

They must have been trying to process the same thing as me. There was no doubt everyone’s heads were packed with the same three words.

“The Demon Lord…!”