I was baffled.
Had I really done something so shameless?
Impossible.
It was laughable to say it myself, but there couldn’t be a purer human being than me.
Of course, I admit that something had happened between Luna and me.
I couldn’t hide it after Fron, that damn bastard, had spilled the beans.
It was during the midterm exams.
All the students were sleeping in the secret laboratory where we had defeated the human mage, Besaha.
And somehow, caught in the heat of the moment, our lips…
Ahem, that’s enough about that.
But other than that, I had never had any romantic encounters with women.
What was going on?
While I was racking my brain, Rene, who had been observing me, frowned and said,
“You smelled like a woman.”
“When was that…?”
“Last time, when you came back.”
Rene’s words were perplexing.
As I pondered her statement, I finally realized what she was implying.
It must have been when we returned to Bares’ mansion from the Gluttony Domain.
Rene must have smelled something on me then.
But I was truly innocent.
I could swear on my life that I hadn’t been with another woman.
…No, wait a minute.
Now that I thought about it, wasn’t it on the last day in the Gluttony Domain when I had stayed up all night?
Miriam, who had been momentarily away from our shared bed, had suddenly come next to me, and her scent must have rubbed off on me.
But could Rene have possibly smelled that?
She had a sense of smell that far surpassed that of a Cerberus.
“My lady, that’s a misunderstanding.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“Actually…”
I didn’t tell her everything that had happened in the Gluttony Domain, but I gave her a rough explanation of what had transpired between Miriam and me.
“…I see.”
Rene nodded, her face flushed.
Seeing her like this brought a wave of relief and a slight smile to my lips.
Well, at least the misunderstanding had been cleared up.
A playful thought crossed my mind, and I spoke with a sly grin,
“What kind of imagination did you have to react like that? Would you care to explain?”
“I-I wasn’t imagining anything!”
“Really?”
“…”
Rene fell silent.
She turned her head away, her ears flushed crimson.
She really was as bad as Crete when it came to being honest.
I chuckled inwardly, amused by the similarities between the father and daughter.
The two demons, so alike yet so different.
Anna had said that she resembled her mother.
That thought brought a wave of fear washing over me once more.
Crete.
I had finally figured out what he was aiming for.
‘…And it’s highly likely to happen.’
The unreasonable training he had put Anna through to prepare him for inheriting the position of head of the family.
The increasingly tense atmosphere of the battlefield.
And finally,
The words he had spoken to Rene about leaving.
I’d be a fool not to see the truth after learning all this.
Crete’s war would only end when either he or the Sword Saint perished.
If I could just survive this war…
Tomorrow was the day.
It was only natural to be nervous.
The battlefield tomorrow would be vastly different from today’s.
Today, the Demon soldiers had emerged victorious.
The Demon soldiers had fought better against the human soldiers than I had expected, but the biggest reason for their victory was something else entirely.
It was none other than the fact that the Seven Swords and the Sword Saint had not intervened.
If they had, the situation would have unfolded just like in the original story.
‘The Demons… cannot win.’
I realized this during my confrontation with the Swordmaster.
Wars weren’t won by the strength of a single person.
But what if it wasn’t just one person, but eight who possessed power beyond human comprehension?
I could handle two Swordmasters at most.
And even then, the female knight I had fought before was the weakest among the Seven Swords.
So it was clear that I wouldn’t be able to handle more than one or two at a time.
However, there was no way the humans would send all Seven Swords after me.
The other Swordmasters would be rampaging across the battlefield, slaughtering the Demon soldiers.
‘If Crete stepped in, it would solve the problem, but…’
He had to face another human, not the Swordmasters.
The Sword Saint.
Tomorrow, Crete would have to fight the Sword Saint, which meant that dealing with the Swordmasters would be left entirely to the Demon soldiers.
And if that happened, Rene…
Overwhelmed by a surge of anxiety, I looked at Rene and spoke,
“My lady, do you really have to go to the battlefield tomorrow?”
“…I told you before.”
“I’m not trying to convince you to run away to the Demon Realm with me.”
“Then what is it?”
“I just ask that you stay under my protection as much as possible on the battlefield tomorrow.”
“…”
Rene didn’t answer.
I grasped her hands tightly and said,
“Please.”
“…”
Rene stared at me for a moment before finally nodding.
“Alright.”
“…”
Only after hearing Rene’s confirmation did I feel a wave of relief.
Even if Crete and the Sword Saint fought, I would be able to protect Rene with the power I possessed.
The new level of power I had reached.
The manifestation of my inner Image.
Even if it couldn’t block a blow from the Sword Saint, it might buy me enough time to save Rene’s life.
‘The power to subdue a Swordmaster with a single blow…’
Although it was uncertain whether it would work on the other seven swords, I didn’t feel like I would lose.
Perhaps I could at least manage a draw.
Lost in thought, I didn’t notice…
“Ouch!”
Rene frowned as she pulled her hand away.
It seemed I had been gripping her hand too tightly.
“You’ve been grabbing too hard lately.”
“…It must be my nerves.”
“That doesn’t seem like it…”
“It’s my nerves.”
“…Is that so?”
At my firm answer, Rene tilted her head and then lay down, seemingly ready to sleep right there.
“…Shouldn’t you go back to your own tent, my lady?”
“No.”
“My lady…”
But Rene was determined not to listen to me.
Her eyelids drooped, and she quickly fell asleep, probably from exhaustion.
“…”
I quietly watched her sleep.
Looking at her peaceful face brought a sense of tranquility to my heart.
At first, I had thought she was a scary and cold person, but after spending so much time together, I began to see her endearing side.
She was sleeping soundly.
Was it because she felt safe with the soldiers standing guard outside?
Or maybe it was because I was by her side.
Anyway.
‘I might as well get some sleep too.’
I lay down next to Rene and pulled the blanket I had prepared over myself.
Come to think of it, had Rene not brought a blanket?
Glancing sideways, I saw her sleeping without a blanket, and a pang of guilt struck me.
Sigh…
I covered her with my blanket.
The cold night air immediately seeped into my clothes.
‘…It’s cold in the human world.’
I shivered.
My body was exhausted from the day’s strain, and the unfamiliar climate made the cold even more biting.
But drowsiness, stronger than the cold, washed over me.
My eyelids fluttered shut.
How long had it been?
I felt someone drape a blanket over me.
Too sleepy to open my eyes and see who it was, I knew…
…The warmth enveloping me was no illusion.
***
The next day.
The blaring sound of trumpets pierced through my ears, jolting me awake.
As I sat up, I felt cold sweat clinging to my palms.
“…So it’s finally today.”
The long-awaited battle was upon us.
Although the end of this war remained uncertain, one thing was for sure: I didn’t have a good feeling about today.
Still, my heart was lighter than yesterday.
“…”
I turned my gaze to Rene, who was rubbing sleep from her eyes.
The blanket she was wrapped in stretched all the way to where I had been sleeping.
Pretending not to notice, I said,
“We should get going. The humans seem to be leaving their fortress.”
“Right.”
We got up and made our way outside.
“Move!”
“Form ranks!”
The Demon soldiers were swiftly forming ranks and descending the mountain.
Crete was leading them.
We followed behind them, down the slopes.
…And then we reached the battlefield.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
A heavy, rhythmic pounding emanated from the human army.
My brow furrowed.
It wasn’t because the soldiers’ presence was intimidating or threatening.
It was because the figures at the forefront of their ranks were different from yesterday.
“…The Seven Swords.”
All of them were there, commanding the human soldiers.
Yesterday’s battle…
It had been a test, a means for the Seven Swords and the Sword Saint to assess their opponents.
And they had reached a conclusion.
That the Demons were weaker.
Therefore…
“Who among you dares face Kanpel?!”
Kanpel, one of the Seven Swords, roared, drawing his sword.
Even from a distance, I could tell that he was far stronger than the female knight I had dueled yesterday.
“Lord Crete, allow me to…”
I was about to volunteer to face him when…
“I will go!”
A Demon guard, hand raised, declared boldly to Crete.
I stared at him, bewildered.
What confidence did he possess?
It was obvious, even without crossing swords, that this Demon was weaker than Kanpel.
The difference in their strength was so significant that I was sure Crete would refuse his offer.
However…
“Very well. You have my permission.”
Crete gave an uncharacteristic response.
“Thank you! I will not disappoint you!”
The Demon, his face beaming with gratitude, charged towards the battlefield.
I turned to Crete, utterly perplexed.
Why would he allow such a thing?
It made no sense.
Crete was a powerful warrior; he had to know.
He, more than anyone, understood the disparity between the human Swordmasters and their Demon counterparts.
‘…What is he thinking?’
Crete’s intentions were unreadable.
But even if I stared at him with all my might, he wouldn’t offer an explanation.
He simply watched the Demon soldier with an impassive expression.
And so…
The battle between the Swordmaster and the Demon began.
“I will take your head and present it to Lord Crete!”
The Demon roared, drawing his sword and swinging it at Kanpel.
At the same time…
“Hmph.”
Kanpel, with a scornful smirk, swung his own blade.
In that instant—
Clang!
The Demon’s sword shattered into pieces.
And then—
Squelch.
The Demon’s body was cleaved in two, from the top of his head to his groin.
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