Act 11

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The destination, the Yulin Special District, was, just as Julian had said, a city closer to the countryside.

Far from being crowded with people like the imperial capital’s roads, it was hard to even find residents.

Having watched from afar, as soon as they arrived in the city, an official in charge of the area welcomed us.

“People from the capital, I see. Welcome. Please follow me.”

The official led us to the outskirts of Yulin.

There, a small tower that housed a resonating stone was located.

Aileen instructed the soldiers she brought along to unload the new resonating stone and the tools needed for repairs from the carriage.

“The box with the resonating stone goes over there, and the mana tube goes here… Oh, I’ll move that myself.”

After moving the items, Aileen entered the tower to inspect the condition of the resonating stone that needed repairs.

“As I thought, there are some cracks. It looks like we need to replace it rather than repair it.”

“What should we do then? If the barrier disappears, demons will attack…”

As the official’s complexion worsened, Aileen reassured him with a smile.

“Don’t worry and trust me. The work won’t take long.”

“Oh…”

As soon as she got the official’s permission, the preparation for the work proceeded smoothly.

Repairing and replacing the resonating stone is a complex task that requires fourth rank ‘Leo’ level magical knowledge. 

However, if one has the knowledge, it’s not a difficult task.

Thus, once the preparations were complete, Aileen had a moment of leisure.

‘Julian’

Aileen went to look for Julian.

Since he was in charge of this escort mission, he was lingering around near the tower.

The reason she was looking for Julian was not for anything else.

Upon arrival here.

There had been a bit of a commotion in the procession.

It seemed there had been a verbal fight between the Azure Lion Knight Order and Julian.

Quick-witted Aileen could roughly guess what had happened.

‘Probably fought over who had the authority.’

A kind of pride fight.

To Aileen, it was nothing new.

It was a common occurrence whenever she was accompanied by a noble-born knight on a mission.

Moreover, the person accompanying this time was Julian.

Given his background, and considering that his opponent was not the emperor, it was strange that there wouldn’t be a problem with his domineering attitude.

– ‘Then prove it. Prove that my words are wrong.’

Julian provocatively challenged the knight who wanted to take control.

By this point, the knight could only recognize.

Among the closed-eye members, Julian was no ordinary character.

Regardless of status or anything else, if he believed he was right, he would never back down.

He was truly a monster in human skin that nothing could affect.

-My apologies, Sir Julian.

Eventually, the Azure Lion Knight backed down.

In a way, it was inevitable.

A mere knight would have had to risk his life to stand against ‘the executioner with a smile.’

‘His arrogant attitude remains unchanged.’

Watching this, Aileen thought.

Indeed, a person who hasn’t changed a bit.

Seeing such a person, why would his primary physician diagnose him with amnesia? 

Aileen couldn’t understand at all.

-“Half of the Donasien family, who gave you permission to speak?”

“Ugh.”

“Is there something wrong, Lady Aileen?”

Reminded of past events, Aileen sighed.

One of the soldiers moving items asked how she was.

“Oh, no… Nothing.”

The words Julian had spat out to her during the ‘Closed Eyes’ initiation test.

Why did they have to come to mind now of all times?

The “Half of the Donasien family.”

The nickname Aileen hated the most.

It was truly an absurd situation.

Especially since Julian, who had uttered those words, was also a collateral relative.

‘Annoying guy.’

Thinking this, Aileen resolved.

‘I definitely need to receive an apology.’

She moved her steps towards Julian.

But with each step she took, distracting thoughts filled her head.

It was Julian she was dealing with.

Would that self-important character really accept a request for an apology?

If he decided to push back with force instead…

She had no way to resist him.

After all, he was a monster who had survived alone in hell and returned.

‘No, still, I have to speak.’

She clenched her fists.

If she cowered here, it would surely be glossed over in the same way next time.

And what irritated her the most was…

‘You’re from the same collateral line!’

Acting as if he was different despite being in the same situation.

Fueled by her indignation, she approached.

It wasn’t a difficult task.

She just had to call Julian and demand an apology for the outrageous comments made at the academy.

Swallowing dry saliva, Aileen opened her mouth.

“Lord Julian.”

And at that moment.

“Demons! Demons have appeared!”

The urgent cry of a soldier was heard.

***

Turning towards the soldier’s cry, the sight of beasts wrapped in purple slime growling came into view.

Demons.

The remnants of the death thoughts of the Demon God Barbatos, which parasitize on living creatures to create beings that are mankind’s sworn enemies.

‘Ugh…’

I inwardly clicked my tongue.

Not that I didn’t know about demons, but seeing them in person made me instinctively grimace.

Their muscles had grown so grotesquely large that their original forms were unrecognizable, and their unfocused eyes were filled only with blind murderous intent.

The slime dripping from their bodies was disgustingly reminiscent of a primitive race from an RTS genre game.

“Gradeless and Unicorns!”

The soldier shouted again.

Gradeless, and Unicorns.

This was a scale for classifying the ranks of demons.

Demons varied greatly in combat strength from one individual to another, typically categorized by the number of horns grown on their head or body.

If there were no horns, it was Gradeless (無角).

If there was one, it was a Unicorn (一角).

If there were two, it was a Bicorn (二角), and so on.

Naturally, the more horns they had, the stronger the individual.

“Why, why do demons have to appear now…!”

Frightened by the grotesque appearance of the demons, a few soldiers muttered as if talking to themselves.

That appearance is definitely cheating.

“If the repair of the resonating stone had been delayed any further, it could have led to serious trouble. Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Fortunately, there was someone to rectify the chaotic situation.

When Azure Lion Knight Fern raised his voice, the people around him were startled and focused on him.

“Even if they are demons, they are only Gradeless and Unicorns! Soldiers, assist the magicians!”

“Yes, yes!”

“Understood!”

The trained soldiers snapped to attention and moved. 

They formed a formation and aimed their weapons in the direction the demons were coming from.

“It looks like it will take about 10 minutes to replace the resonating stone.”

Aileen approached Fern and informed him of the time it would take to repair the resonating stone.

Hearing this, Fern nodded.

‘We just need to hold our ground until the repairs are finished.’

My guess, but in the current situation, defending our position is the best option.

If we can just hold out until the resonating stone repair is completed, the barrier will be restored, and the demons of Unicorn rank or lower will not be able to maintain their form and will crumble.

While I was thinking this, Fern approached me.

“We, led by Heinrich and myself along with the soldiers, will eradicate all the surrounding demons.”

Fern spoke with confident eyes.

Going out before the resonating stone is repaired?

It seemed like unnecessary hardship… 

I didn’t understand at first but quickly caught on.

He probably intends to directly refute the comment I ignored before as part of a show of force.

Literally, an extension of a battle of wills.

I shrugged my shoulders without responding.

It meant, do as you please.

There’s no reason for me to stop them if they’re willing to step forward.

I’ll just observe and gain some practical experience fighting demons.

“All soldiers, listen!”

He raised his voice and shouted to the soldiers.

“From now on, we will subdue all the demons in this vicinity!”

Some soldiers looked uneasy at Fern’s statement.

They thought it would be enough to hold their positions until the resonating stone was repaired, wondering why they needed to move.

Despite this, Fern shouted as if to rebuke the complaints.

“If demons loiter around, the citizens of the Yulin Special District won’t be able to sleep peacefully. Let us, who have come here, clean up this place!”

It was a plausible reason.

Well, the soldiers who have to fight might find it bitter,

“Follow me! The Azure Lion Knight Order will take care of the Unicorn demons, and you all handle the rest!”

Fern drew his sword.

A faint blue light began to swirl around the blade.

A mana utilization technique, ‘Aura,’ that only highly skilled swordsmen could use.

It seems even a knight in name knows how to use Aura.

“For the empire’s eternity and the emperor’s safety!”

Fern, a member of the Azure Lion Knight Order shouted, and the soldiers followed.

Needless to say, the demons were no match for them.

Comparing to a game, Gradeless demons were like common mobs.

Even generously, a Unicorn demon wouldn’t qualify as a named monster.

Because of this, the battle was very one-sided.

Demon’s murky blood splattered everywhere, and pieces of flesh turned into slime scattered in the air.

Especially, the knight’s sword imbued with Aura sliced through the demons’ bodies as easily as cutting through tofu.

Watching the massacre, I nodded.

‘Maybe I should take a closer look.’

The swordsmanship I practiced against wooden dummies in the mansion’s training ground.

It was time to test it here.

The thought of using ‘Julian’s powerful swordsmanship in real combat excited me.

…Wait.

That excitement was brief, as I suddenly felt something odd.

A barrier made from resonating stones is like a panacea against demons, so even if its effectiveness decreased, lower demons wouldn’t dare come near it.

That’s a fact known by most.

But, understanding the setting of <Let’s Kill the Demon King> thoroughly, I knew there were a few exceptions where common knowledge doesn’t apply.

Specifically, when there’s a leader commanding the demons.

‘The intelligence of Gradeless and Unicorns is almost non-existent. If they’re going against instinct and using even the most basic tactics…?’

That would mean a Bicorn or higher-ranked demon.

Swoosh

Thud!

While sorting through my thoughts, I realized something had flown into a tree next to me.

And it didn’t take long to realize that it was a member of the Azure Lion Knight Order named ‘Heinrich.’

Even unconscious and still holding his sword, the Aura on the blade slowly faded.

“Sir Heinrich!”

Fern’s urgent shout.

I turned my head towards where the knight had come flying from.

“A Bicorn demon!”

“S-s-s-scary!”

A demon with a grotesquely swollen physique due to ‘demonization’ stood on two legs.

Two horns grew on its head. And…

‘Human-shaped demon’

I felt the situation suddenly turn for the worse.

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