“Hmm…”
Thud.
Throwing the tools onto the floor haphazardly, Sailor stretched out flat on her back. The progress on the device to send Julia back to her original world was still sluggish. Even if this device were to be completed, it wasn’t certain that it would immediately allow Julia to return.
This device only served an auxiliary role. The massive energy needed to send Julia back would come from the piles of dragon corpses in the Demon Realm ravine.
“Is this right?”
Gradually, doubts began to creep in. Of course, there was a firm resolve when starting it. Even now, the determination is still strong. There would be no giving up until the end.
It was a task known to be almost impossible from the start, but the more they delved into it, the more the possibility continued to blur. The more they researched, the more the transportation sigil kept changing, and it wasn’t feasible to keep redesigning the device in accordance every time.
Eventually, there was no other option but to continue the production process using a design as expandable as possible, making it easier to disassemble and modify later.
“This is the feature of completely failing projects, isn’t it.”
There wasn’t a single successful project among the ones that rolled along so creakily. However, apart from the overwhelming sense of unease, this project absolutely had to succeed. For Leopard’s sake. For Julia’s sake. And for the sake of this world, which would perish by her hand.
“Glug…”
It was an incident that happened roughly fifty years ago. Sailor, who had lost everything—her family, her home, her village—when she was only five, burned by the Demon King’s army, was sitting in a corner of the market, licking her lips. Having been repeatedly persecuted and chased away as a member of a tribe that rebelled against the Demon King’s forces, she became adept at hiding her identity. And getting involved in crime was even easier.
‘Looks simple enough.’
A backpack owner clearly carrying a lot of goods. The face hidden behind a thick piece of clothing obviously belonged to a foreigner. Sailor fixed her gaze on the bag and began to move slowly. Just as she was about to neatly cut the strap with her small pocket knife and snatch it…
“Ho there. I hear there are a lot of pickpockets, and this proves it, huh?”
“……!”
Click.
As soon as she pulled out the pocket knife, she was caught. She tried to kick her attacker in the face, but Sailor was quickly subdued by a strong grip.
“Ughhh….”
“Hya. What’s with this? Doesn’t seem to have much worth anyway. Maybe we should just hand over the kid to a slave trader and get a little money from it.”
“Hold on! L-Le… no. Just calm down!”
When the quiet voice was brushing against Sailor’s nape, becoming eerie, a cheerful voice from the back caused the grip on her wrist to loosen slightly. The two engaged in a whispered conversation for some time. In the end, the man clicked his tongue and lifted Sailor by the nape of her neck.
“Thanks to you, I made a profit, so be grateful. For now, your life is spared.”
“……What?”
Sailor was dragged to some shabby inn, completely confused by the situation. The door closed, and a ripple of magical energy spread. They had erected a barrier.
“You. Which tribe do you come from?”
“Me, I…!”
“Just tell the truth. If you want to live.”
“Hey, Leo! It’s a kid! Stop threatening so much!”
“I… I am from the Taboro tribe, but I did not participate in the rebellion! I swear, I will not dream of revenge and will live quietly! Please, just save my life…”
“That’s enough. Speak frankly.”
“……?”
Swish.
The man pulled down his hood and grinned. When she saw his face, she recognized him immediately. The person who had instilled fear throughout the Demon Realm—he was none other than the Hero Leopard.
Then the woman standing behind him also lowered her hood. Though Sailor did not know her name, she was a beautiful silver-haired woman. She was a human just like the Hero.
“Our Holy Maiden has an accurate sense, you know. She felt not only outstanding talent from you but also a powerful sense of anger. The kind of strong grudge that neither fades nor disappears easily. I’ll only ask this once, so it’s best to answer honestly.”
“……!”
“Do you hate the Demon King’s army? Do you want to kill the Demon King?”
Trembling at the serious question, Sailor’s body began to shake. She understood what this question entailed. She understood what the answer to this question would lead to.
At the same time, memories of the past flashed through Sailor’s mind. Her father who was brought back with his head cut off after going out armed. Her mother who was dragged away with her clothes torn off by soldiers and never returned. Her brother who died resisting to the end. And her powerless self, who could only watch from inside the wardrobe.
“Yes…”
Tears streamed down Sailor’s face. There was no reason to hesitate.
“Yes, I hate them. I hate them so much I want to cut them down with my own hands. I will be a loyal tool of the Hero. Please, please use me as a tool to cut down the Demon King…”
That day, Sailor swore to dedicate her entire life to killing the Demon King, serving the Hero and the Holy Maiden who took her in.
…
On the seventh day of Sailor joining the Hero’s party.
An emergency was declared in the Demon Realm. A law enforcement squad from the Demon King’s army was dispatched to each village, installing checkpoints and conducting random searches on people covering their heads, starting right away.
“Damn it. What’s the point of being rich if you can’t spend your money?”
The Hero’s party ended up being expelled from the village and became fugitives. They had not been discovered specifically yet, avoiding encounters with any pursuit squads, but securing food was always difficult. Sailor, being a demon, tried infiltration but failed as the market was closed, rationing was implemented, and food supply for Sailor without a Demon Realm ID became impossible.
“Le, Leo! Are you really going through with this?”
The only option left was civilian looting. In response, the Holy Maiden expressed concern.
“What else are we supposed to do? Die of hunger? The Demon Realm’s barren land has no wild animals to hunt, and even if it did, they would be poisonous ones.”
“But even so, innocent people…”
“How are they innocent? They pay taxes that are used to make weapons to kill humans. We need to strike quickly and cut off the Demon King’s head. This war will only end when that happens.”
“…”
Finally, it was decided to loot from the civilians. Overpowered by the Hero’s arguments, the Holy Maiden could only hang her head, unable to present further objections. Seeing this, Sailor bit her lip. It was entirely due to the Holy Maiden’s persistence that she had joined the Hero’s party and gained an opportunity for revenge. However, seeing that persistence fading was quite painful.
“Who’s there in this late hour?”
“Shhh. Don’t yell if you don’t want to get hurt.”
“Hey! Thieves have invaded!”
“What?! Everyone, grab your weapons and come!”
“Damn it…!”
When things went south, the Hero’s party attempted to flee. But the armed citizens quickly blocked their escape route and encircled them. Soon, a battle began.
With the help of the Hero and Sailor, several demon men fell, and the rest fled, injured. Before the law enforcement squad arrived, the Hero’s party filled their backpacks with food and left the village. The Holy Maiden remained silent throughout the march.
On the thirtieth day of joining the Hero’s party.
They were eventually cornered.
The constant raids on rear supply bases and relay stations had made it too easy to determine their position. Realizing the severity of the situation, the Demon King removed one of the Four Heavenly Kings from the front lines to lead the pursuing army.
“Should we really fight them head on? Wouldn’t it be better to hide until they pass?”
“We can’t. Once they start the search, they’ll tear up every anthill around here. We need to fight here.”
With the pursuers at the Hero’s heels.
The Hero’s party decided on an ambush to annihilate the pursuing army. The forces involved were the Hero, Sailor, and the Holy Maiden. On the other hand, the mounted army, causing clouds of dust far away, seemed to have over a thousand soldiers.
“Sailor. You’ve laid the iron trap wire well, right?”
“Yes. I’ve confirmed that it’s working properly.”
“Good.”
“Leo. Even now, why don’t we reconsider? If we attack one of the Four Heavenly Kings, stronger enemies will come next, right? It would be better to make them think we’re not dangerous at all.”
“Shut up already, Aerial! Make sense for once! What else can we do other than ambush them? And isn’t it better if stronger enemies come? That means more Demon King’s army forces are being diverted to our side! For heaven’s sake, look at the bigger picture, Aerial. Our sins won’t be lessened just because fewer demons die.”
“…”
Heartbreaking.
It was sad, regardless of whether his words were right or wrong. While watching the Holy Maiden’s spirit being broken again by the Hero’s yelling, Sailor felt just that. Then soon came the time.
The horse’s hooves of the cavalry hit the wire, and a tremendous explosion shook the heavens and the earth.
*
“Tchuuu…! Hrrrr…”
Amidst the battlefield littered with corpses, the Hero, who had suffered severe wounds all over his body, dropped his sword and panted heavily. It was a fierce battle. The Holy Maiden who came rushing over cured the Hero’s body. The Hero who survived fatal injuries more than dozens of times in one battle, and the Holy Maiden who completely healed those injuries, were both monsters so powerful it was hard to compare.
‘The healing speed increased a lot…’
The Holy Maiden’s healing speed was certainly not like this at the beginning. While much of it could be attributed to frequent use, her growth was more than that could explain. The Holy Maiden, who was healing the Hero with a blank expression while standing on a pile of bodies. Was it just a feeling, or was she growing stronger along with losing her smile?
“Yama, Sailor.”
“Yes?”
“I found this in the sack of the Heavenly King. Here, take it.”
“Medal of Honor…?”
“It’ll be useful later. Besides, we humans can’t use it anyway.”
“…”
The battle that started by wiping out half of the enemy’s forces with a booby trap was fruitful. They annihilated the elite cavalry unit remaining in the Demon Realm. They killed one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Meanwhile, no member of the Hero’s party died or was injured. However, they all lost a lot of their words and laughter.
On the fifty-eighth day of the Hero’s party.
The fame of the Hero’s party began to spread, and echoes of support began to be heard in the Demon Realm. Some tribes dissatisfied with the Demon King’s army began to rise up and support the Hero’s party. And the Hero’s party exploited them thoroughly.
“Leo! This is really wrong! Just once! Please just follow my word once!”
“No.”
“Leo! We’re fighting for justice! This is wrong, Leo! Zebeel!”
“…”
The tribe that handed over accurate information about the Demon King’s castle, the structure of the castle, and the number of defensive troops. The Hero’s party decided to abandon that tribe. Though the terms of the deal were that the tribe would join the fight against the suppression army, the Hero’s party decided to leave and abandon the tribe.
The fate of the tribe after the Hero’s party left was as obvious as seeing fire. They were doomed to the same end as Sailor’s tribe. Yet, the Hero seemed to have no intention of reconsidering the decision. It seemed he only planned to use the tribe to buy time.
“AAAAAAH! I’m sorry, so sorry! I’m so sorry everyone! I’m sorry we couldn’t help you…”
During the escape under the cover of darkness, the Holy Maiden cried out loud all the way. However, starting from the next day, the Holy Maiden stopped crying. She lost her smile, followed by her tears.
Around that time, the Maiden’s ability to control holy power had reached its peak. The more she lost her emotions, the stronger her powers became. It was as if her despair was being consumed and turned into strength.
On the fifty-eighth day since joining the Hero’s party.
The fame of the Hero’s party started to spread in the Demon Realm, leading to growing support from some tribes dissatisfied with the Demon King’s army. The Hero’s party exploited these tribes thoroughly.
“Leo! This is too much! Can’t you please listen to me just once?”
“No.”
“Leo! We’re fighting for justice! This can’t be the right way! Zebeal!”
“…”
A tribe provided detailed information about the Demon King’s castle, its structure, and the defensive forces. The Hero’s party decided to abandon them. Despite agreeing to fight alongside the tribe against the suppression army, the Hero’s party chose to abandon and leave the tribe to its fate.
The tribe’s fate after the Hero’s party left was clear—as clear as seeing fire. They would face the exact same end as Sailor’s tribe had. Yet, the Hero showed no intention of reconsidering his decision. From the start, the plan was to use the tribe simply as a means to buy time.
“AAAAH! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I’m sorry I couldn’t help you…”
Throughout their escape under the cover of darkness, the Holy Maiden wept loudly. But from the next day onward, the Holy Maiden stopped crying altogether. She had lost her smile, and now she lost her tears as well.
Around that time, her prowess in handling divine power had reached its zenith. The more she lost her emotions, the stronger her power grew—as if her despair was fueling her growing talent.
