Chapter 74
// “I don’t sense the enemies nearby, my lord.”
= “That’s a relief. Good work, Yupi. It seems they’re not pursuing us, Lord Agares.”
= “…Yeah.”
Mephistos and Agares were making a swift escape. However, even though they had managed to save their lives, Mephistos couldn’t ignore the fact that the overall situation was not favourable.
The Seraphim had intervened far sooner than expected. As a result, most of the forces they had deployed were wiped out, and even the goal of decisively crushing the Elves and Dragons had ended in failure.
Though they had managed to occupy about seventy percent of the kingdom’s territory and had taken down seven of the Elder Dragons, it was a regretful outcome in many ways, as they hadn’t been able to eliminate future threats entirely.
‘Moreover, the power of that Seraphim was beyond what I had imagined. No, to be precise, he has grown stronger since we last met…’
Seraphim had massacred demons and dark races with overwhelming divine power. Furthermore, the merciless attacks aimed directly at him were far sharper than they had been a few months ago.
If it weren’t for Agares’s intervention, he would have nearly ended up in the other world. Recognizing once again that facing Seraphim head-on was a reckless endeavour, Mephistos acknowledged that despite the lingering threats, it was time to move to the next plan.
‘At least we succeeded in securing the Olympus region, so we have no choice but to start consolidating it. I’m not sure if the timing will work out…’
If Seraphim were to invade, it would indeed be catastrophic, but with time running short, it was inevitable to take certain risks. Thankfully, with Agares and the new slave—Yupi, the she-demon—they would be able to buy some time.
‘I didn’t intend to handle things in such a showy way…’
Feeling frustrated at the reality of choosing the lesser of two evils, Mephistos began to carefully observe Agares’s condition.
One of Agares’s hands had melted into a blackened mass. Though he was using his powerful dark magic to stave off the decay and proceed with healing, his injuries showed no signs of easy recovery.
The fatal blow that had struck him head-on, infused with such an extraordinarily potent holy power, still clung to him, eating away at his body.
‘…As expected, even for Lord Agares, it’s impossible to block that creature’s attacks without taking damage…’
It was fortunate that it was Agares; had it been himself, he would surely have lost his life. Feeling the terrifying weight of Seraphim’s power once again, Mephistos sighed at the frustrating state of affairs and hastened his steps toward Olympus.
***
With the remaining forces of demons and dark races retreating, Aten’s group arrived at Spartan Fortress. Now that they had managed to sort out the situation in a rush, she asked Pelseus, the elven general who served under her, about the overall damage.
# What’s the situation on our overall losses?
“It’s severe. Seventy percent of the remaining forces were lost, and most of our heroes were killed. General Heracules and I barely survived, but others, including General Achilles who was poisoned, have practically been wiped out.”
# Ugh…
They had been barely saved from total annihilation. If it hadn’t been for Seraphim’s intervention, not a single one of them would have survived, and the situation weighed heavily on Aten.
‘It was a mistake… I should have sent Ar as a guide to Seraphim and had him arrive here first. If we hadn’t adjusted our pace to match the speed of the Sacred Dragons…’
It was an unpleasant truth, but she and the other dragons who had acted as envoys in this war had accomplished almost nothing. Seraphim alone had wiped out most of the enemies, and even the short skirmishes with the enemy commanders afterward had been quickly resolved by Isiris and Seraphim together.
“Thanks to the intervention of that god named Seraphim, we survived. Had he not helped us, even I…”
# That god… you say?
“Yes?”
Aten spoke with a sudden, chilling tone, causing Pelseus to feel a bit flustered.
# There’s no need to feel grateful to such a creature. He came here solely for his own benefit.
“But… still, he undoubtedly saved us. Isn’t it appropriate to express gratitude…”
# Don’t be naive. Do you feel gratitude each time you buy something from the market? This was a contract, nothing more. There’s no need to hold unnecessary emotions for that monster.
Aten’s tone was irritable, and Arakane spoke up with concern in her voice.
# But, Lady Aten. Isn’t that a bit excessive? Even if it was under a contract, the fact that he saved us remains. Thanks to his actions, we were able to protect at least some of our soldiers and most civilians…
# Don’t talk about things you don’t understand! Who saved whom here? If that creature had disclosed his full strength from the beginning, things wouldn’t have turned out this way! The soldiers and generals who fell here all died because of him. Our precious soldiers and heroes were slaughtered because he kept his mouth shut!
# …Hmm.
Aten’s anger stemmed from the casualties caused by Seraphim’s delayed involvement.
However, Arakane, who understood the full context, knew very well that this was an absurd accusation.
From the start, Aten, as the one holding command, hadn’t even considered requesting such support from him. This was a failure on her part.
Moreover, it was also true that Aten had continually looked down on Seraphim, harbouring disdain and keeping her distance.
Even after arriving here, if Seraphim hadn’t taken matters into his own hands, the casualties on their side would have been far worse.
Watching Aten shift all blame onto Seraphim, despite her own mistakes, Arakane could only maintain silence, her expression a complex mix of emotions.
‘How did things end up like this? …Not long ago, she wasn’t like this, though she was stubborn…’
Aten, who once took responsibility for her subordinates’ actions, now seemed unrecognizable.
Of course, considering what she had been through—the loss of her family and close friends before her eyes—it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible to see such a change in her superior.
At that moment…
“But, Lady Aten… Even if that’s how you feel, the majority of the Elves don’t think that way.”
# What? And what’s that supposed to mean?
# Actually, I’ve heard that among the people, there’s already praise spreading for Seraphim. They’re calling him a saviour, a righteous embodiment that drove away evil.
# That’s nonsense… No, they should be praising Lord Zaus, who has watched over them till now. How could such a thing happen?
Aten questioned in a fierce voice, her tone intimidating. Feeling the weight of her oppressive presence, Pelseus replied cautiously.
“Regardless of everything, it’s true that we achieved victory thanks to Seraphim’s remarkable efforts. Moreover, because of the overwhelming strength he displayed, there are already a significant number of Elves who revere him.”
# Absurd! He’s an Angel! A monster with an utterly hideous appearance! How could they worship such a creature? Are they out of their minds?
“Certainly, his appearance is a bit unusual, but… does that really matter? After all, he saved their families and lives. Considering he accomplished what even our heroes and Dragons couldn’t, it’s only natural that followers would emerge.”
# Ugh…
Aten clenched her teeth in irritation and anger.
The religion of Seraphim hadn’t yet been officially allowed in this land.
Naturally, neither preaching nor the dispatching of priests had occurred.
Despite that, followers of his were already emerging.
What would happen if his religion were allowed here soon?
It was certain that many would turn to Seraphim’s side, and perhaps the entire Elven Kingdom would end up under his feet.
# This is unacceptable… How dare such a creature try to take the place of us Dragons… I can never tolerate it!
# But, even so, we have no means to prevent it, do we? Although their forces have withdrawn, they are still powerful. We will continue to rely on Seraphim’s strength in the future, and thus his praise will inevitably grow.
# This is a troublesome issue… If only I hadn’t brought in such a creature from the beginning, I should have called upon the Spirits of the North, however slim that chance was.
Aten expressed her dissatisfaction, frowning deeply.
However, it was already too late to regret it, and
besides, even if they had gone north, they likely would have returned empty-handed, seeing Aten fixated on the current losses and oblivious to everything else only drew sympathetic looks from others.
# The only way to deal with the current situation is to perform in future battles just as impressively as Seraphim… if not better. By showing that we Dragons are still strong, we can minimize the loss of public sentiment.
# Understood. If that’s the only way… then there’s no choice.
At Arakane’s attempt to change the atmosphere, Aten reluctantly agreed with a heavy nod.
With that, Pelseus let out a small sigh as he watched the Elder Dragon slowly soar across the sky,
feeling a deep sense of sorrow over his once-brilliant comrade’s lost vigor…
—
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