Chapter 77: Trauma Descends

"...This is the place."

"Ugh. ...What a massacre."

The urgent report had arrived the moment we reached Anat.

Guided by a saltworker, we—along with the other adventurers and guards—headed to the site of the attack.

"...Piles of corpses."

"This is horrible..."

The salt production facility built along the coast had been utterly destroyed, and the waves were stained a dark red with blood.

As far as the eye could see, the dead were stacked in mounds.

“M-Mom! Mom’s not breathing!”

“No… Why!? Who would do something so cruel!?”

Agonized screams echoed across the shoreline.

Those who appeared to be the victims’ families ran up to the bodies, sobbing as they wailed in grief.

"...They came in a group. One of 'em stood out—their leader had a beast-like face, huge and commanding."

"What about weapons? How did he kill people?"

"His hands. Just his hands. He crushed people’s faces barehanded."

The saltworker, pale as a sheet, continued his account.

Sure enough, many of the corpses scattered across the site had crushed faces.

"The small fry—looked like weak demons—were using swords."

"Swords?"

"Yeah. They held them and swung them around."

Summarizing the man’s story, here’s what happened:

He had headed to the coast like always to make salt.

But partway there, he realized he’d forgotten his lunch and turned back to get it.

Because of that, he arrived at the workplace about half an hour later than usual—only to find his comrades already under attack.

“They were surrounded, wiped out in one sweep. I got so scared, I screamed right there.”

“…”

“Then those demons noticed me and fired arrows. I turned into a damn pincushion, but still—I knew I had to tell someone. I ran for it like hell.”

Finishing his story, the man stumbled over to the corpse of an elderly person lying nearby.

He placed a hand on the old man’s chest and began sobbing uncontrollably. He was likely family.

...Hmm.

This man isn’t lying. What he told us just now is everything he saw and heard.

"Demons using weapons..."

"Most likely goblins. That big one could be an orc."

Demons wielding swords and bows—this suggests a species that resembles humans more than beasts.

We already suspected goblins were among the enemy. Back in Yowin, we found corpses scattered near the fixed artillery.

"Maika, have you looked into how to fight goblins?"

"I have. The literature says they’re not especially strong in combat, but… apparently, goblins are rare among demons in that they act in organized units."

"...They’re intelligent and capable of fighting as a group. More like humans than animals."

Goblins have existed since ancient times and are infamous for attacking humans to reproduce. They’re troublesome demons.

Despite being demons, they seem to carry traces of human DNA, which might explain their intelligence. Some are even said to use magic.

"Contact the local lord. We need reinforcements."

"Gather the adventurers. No matter what, we must protect the capital."

The guards scattered, moving in haste.

This time, the attack had been on a quiet, sparsely populated salt district. But if the demons strike the capital next, the devastation will be immeasurable.

Everyone’s face had gone pale.

"...If we can be of help, we’ll fight with you."

"Oh, that’s reassuring!"

We volunteered to support the defense and form a joint force.

We’d learned in Ressal that fighting alongside the local military was far more effective than acting on our own.

"I’ll help too."

"We’re defending Anat, you bastards!!"

One after another, adventurers stepped forward to join the effort. We had enough now to form a decent fighting force.

...All that’s left is to prepare for the decisive battle against the demons.

---

"Adventurers, please make use of these lodgings."

In the end, nearly a hundred adventurers had stepped forward to help defend Anat.

Most appeared to be locals—adventurers native to Anat. Their attachment to their home was strong.

They would stay in the accommodations prepared by the guards and wait for their turn to fight.

"If you encounter any demons, please lend us your strength."

"...Understood."

It seemed the search for the demons would be handled by the guards and adventurers familiar with the local terrain.

As for us, we were told to rest properly until it was time to deploy.

"U-Um, I’m really sorry, but..."

"It’s okay, Ilyu. Stay hidden somewhere in town. I swear we’ll protect you."

Everyone in our party, except for Ilyu, would take part in the coming battle.

The enemy reportedly included the Demon King himself. That meant there was a high chance this would be the final showdown.

Given the deadline the goddess had spoken of, the decisive battle would likely take place three days from now.

"S-So nervous..."

"Calm down, Karl. …You’ll mess up again if you get too tense."

"R-Right..."

Looking at it another way, we had three days of guaranteed safety.

We used that time to quietly steel ourselves for the battle to come.

---

"What exactly is a Demon King, anyway?"

Meanwhile, now that she'd parted ways with the Hero’s party, the current Demon King had this to say:

"...Did the goblins go off on their own? But those kids are usually pretty obedient."

She tilted her head at the report of a demon attack.

After all, there shouldn’t be any Demon King besides herself—and she certainly hadn’t ordered an assault on Anat.

"Could it be… there were other demons who survived besides us? And when they heard about our uprising, they decided to rise up too?"

That said, she was more than happy to welcome a scenario where humanity was placed in danger.

Whoever was responsible, she gave them a mental thumbs-up for their fine work in human extermination.

"But it would be a problem if that demon turned out to be unfriendly. What if they’re the kind of demon who’s like, ‘Let’s fight to see who the real Demon King is!’"

The real issue was whether or not she could cooperate with this other demon. Ilyu was, after all, leading her own faction of fellow demons.

At some point, she'd probably need to have a conversation with this self-proclaimed Demon King.

"If it comes down to it, I don’t mind stepping down and serving under them."

Either way, the first step was to make contact.

And so, Ilyu decided to venture outside the city and begin searching. She wasn’t particularly worried about the possibility of being killed.

After all, Ilyu possessed a self-healing ability—put bluntly, she was immortal.

"I am the MA☆King! Heeeey heeey!!"

Unless she herself wished it, Ilyu basically couldn’t die. So the only way to defeat Demon King Ilyu was to seal her away.

That might sound impressive, but the truth was she had absolutely no resistance to sealing magic—so weak, in fact, that even an average person could force her into a slave contract without much effort.

---

Without delay, Ilyu slipped out of the city and headed in the direction the demons were said to have retreated.

If possible, she wanted to strike a secret alliance with this “self-proclaimed Demon King” before the city’s guards or adventurers clashed with them.

“Oh, how pretty.”

The outskirts of Anat stretched out as a peaceful plain.

There were occasional hills and forests, but for the most part, it was open land crisscrossed by well-maintained roads.

In such a wide, open space… just where were the demons supposed to have hidden?

“Inside the mountains, perhaps?”

There weren’t many places to hide in the outskirts of Anat.

If there was a spot where a large number of demons could be lying low, the only real possibility was a hidden base somewhere deep in the mountains.

That said, there weren’t many mountains either, so if adventurers searched them one by one, the hideout would probably be discovered before long.

“Oh? There are houses out here too. Maybe someone’s seen the demons.”

As she ventured out from the city and deeper into the plains, she occasionally spotted small shack-like structures.

What Ilyu didn’t know was that these were storage huts used by merchants to keep forest resources.

“Hellooo?”

Naturally, no one was supposed to be living in them. They were just used for storing goods.

However, thinking they might be occupied, Ilyu peeked in through a window.

“Is anyone inside...?”

And what she saw through that window—

“...Ugh, ugh...”

“Cry louder, dammit!”

—was a group of thuggish men enjoying a feast while tormenting a woman and a child.

---

Ilyu lowered her voice and decided to observe what was happening inside the hut.

Inside, a group of men were gathered around a large man who seemed to be in a good mood, grinning with vulgar faces as they violated a woman who appeared to be their captive.

『Big success, huh, Brother Fuger.』

『Man, you should’ve seen how scared those guys were. Had me laughing.』

『Seriously, though, we oughta thank the royal family for that decree. Now we can blame anything we do on the demons.』

From their conversation, it became clear that these men were bandits.

When word of the demon attack reached Anat, they figured they could get away with pillaging and just blame it on the demons.

『We killed the owner of this hut, so no one’s gonna come sniffing around. We’ll lay low till things cool down, then head back nice and easy.』

『You got it, boss.』

They had stolen the key from the man they killed in the salt-making district and taken over this storage hut. While they were at it, they abducted a young woman from the district and were now amusing themselves with her.

『Look at all this salt! If Anat can’t make any more for a while, the price is gonna skyrocket.』

『We’re set for life now, boys!!』

They stole the salt, murdered the craftsmen, and drove up the price.

If anything could be called demonic, it was this. These men had no sense of compassion or morality.

…However.

"Well, even so, demons like me find this situation rather convenient, you know."

If these men claimed to be demons and ran wild, it would serve as the perfect distraction. It might even pin down the national army.

It was unfortunate that the so-called Demon King wasn’t one of her surviving kin, but at least it wasn’t a bad outcome.

As a Demon King, there was no need for her to get involved in this incident. That was Ilyu’s decision.

“…I suppose I’ll be heading back.”

Whether these men who pretended to be demons got caught or managed to escape—it didn’t matter to her.

For the demons, it was enough that humans fought amongst themselves.

…Or so she thought.

『We’ll do anything, just not the child—!』

『Oh yeah? Then get on the floor and lick it clean. With your tongue.』

『Y-Yes…』

Unbearable voices continued to echo from inside the hut.

『Mama! Mama!』

『Shut up, brat. You want me to skin you alive!?』

『Stop it! Don’t hurt the child! Please!』

Ilyu was a woman herself.

She didn’t need much imagination to understand how unbearable this must be for the woman held captive.

If anything, she had gone through something similar not too long ago.

『You bit me, you little shit!』

『Don’t hurt Mama!!』

『Stop! Please, stop!!』

…Yes, Ilyu hated humanity.

She feared the cruel, arrogant, sadistic nature of humans—so devil-like in their acts.

Their cunning, the way you never knew when they might betray you, made her skin crawl.

And so, Ilyu rose up—to protect her blood-related kin and to drive out humanity.

Because it was war, Ilyu would go on killing humans.

But at the very bottom of the Demon King's heart—

『That’s far enough!! You villains!!!』

“…Huh!?”

—was a twisted form of kindness, born from the simple desire of a demon to protect the weak.

“Who the hell are you!?”

“Heh. I've wandered far and wide, across north, south, east, and west. I believe in no god, yet call myself a nun. I have no strength to fight, yet aim to rule the world. And here I stand, alone upon the earth. My name is Ilyu!!!”

To put it bluntly, she was not a particularly smart demon.

Guided by her emotions, shortsighted, constantly charging in without thinking—she was a battle-hardened fool who had learned nothing from her many painful experiences.

“I’ve come to help those who are crying over there!!”

At the core of Ilyu’s heart—twisted by suffering, sorrow, and disillusionment—lay a childish, unblemished sense of goodness.

…Despite still not having regained her full power, this foolish girl charged headlong into the hut without a shred of a plan or a chance of victory.

“Heh heh heh, we’ve found your hideout. Before long, this place will be swarming with guards and adventurers.”

“...Tch!! We’ve already been found? Dammit!”

Ilyu, foolish as she was, put on a bold bluff.

In truth, she hadn’t had time to report anything. She was the only one who knew this place was the bandits’ hideout.

So no one was coming.

“Surrender to us immediately!! If you do it now, I promise we won’t treat you too harshly!”

“Don’t be stupid! After all the killing we’ve done, you think we’re just gonna walk away!?”

But Ilyu couldn’t stand to watch anymore.

To her, seeing innocent people crushed under the weight of brute force was something she simply could not ignore—a trauma too personal to turn away from.

“Looks like I need to show you just how outclassed you are. …Special Move: Saintly Blaster!!!”

“W-What the hell!?”

She had decided to save that mother and child. Even if it meant exposing herself as a Demon King, Ilyu didn’t care.

Though most of her power remained sealed, she could still use some of her old abilities…

“…Gunpowder!!”

She still retained her magical power, which meant she could activate magical tools.

A magitech bomb she had snatched from Ressal’s armory—thinking it might come in handy—was now hurled by Ilyu at the storage hut’s wall.

“Saintly Boooooombaaa!!!”

“Is she nuts!? The whole place is gonna come down!!”

…And so, Ilyu blew up the warehouse that the bandits had been using as their base.

---

"I'll hold them off!! You two go back to town and call for reinforcements!!"

"Y-Yes. Thank you!"

Fortunately, the explosion didn’t harm the hostages.

That really was a stroke of luck. Ilyu had set off the explosive without a second thought, and if luck hadn’t been on her side, the hostages could’ve been blown up with the rest of them. This was exactly the kind of thing that showed how dumb she could be sometimes.

Still, the fact remains that she saved them. The mother clutched her child close, thanked Ilyu, and ran off.

"You little bitch!! I'm gonna kill you!!"

"Heh-hehh! Like I’m scared of some cheap threat like that!"

Ilyu stepped in front of the fleeing mother and child, shielding them from the bandits.

In that moment, she honestly did look a bit like a saint.

"H-Hey boss, I’m freaking out. That chick had something really dangerous. It went boom—just like that."

"Don’t piss yourself! In this world, if you get scared, you’re done for!! You’re the rookie—start thinking about how we’re gonna make her pay for messing with us!!"

Ilyu only had one bomb. That trick wouldn’t work again.

Still, the huge explosion had rattled the bandits enough to buy her some time.

"W-What should I do...?"

"I don’t care if you gotta fake it—just stand tall, dumbass!"

"Actually, now that I look closer, she’s kinda cute, huh? Just say something like ‘heh heh, nice face you got there’ or whatever!"

Now all she had to do was bluff, stall, and hang on as long as she could.

There was no way a blast that loud went unheard. Reinforcements from the town’s guard would surely be here soon.

"Hostages are always worth keeping. Secure that girl!!"

"You got it, Brother Fugar!"

Among the bandits, one stood out—a large, cruel-looking man barking orders.

He was most likely the leader of this group.

"You’re gonna regret getting cocky and making fools out of us, bitch!!"

With a vicious grin, the man who called himself Fugar closed in on Ilyu.

In truth, this man called Fugar was a notorious criminal.

Known by the nickname “Hundred-Killer,” he had no qualms about oppressing the innocent, and had committed every cruelty and atrocity imaginable—a true villain in every sense of the word.

He was infamous for his monstrous strength, said to be so extreme that anyone who faced him head-on would be reduced to pulp.

His favorite method of killing was, disturbingly, crushing his victims with his bare hands.

He would grab their faces with his brute strength and squeeze until the skull caved in, listening to their death screams. That moment brought him unparalleled pleasure.

To him, Ilyu was a hostage. Killing her wasn’t an option.

But if the town guards stormed in without regard for her safety—he fully intended to crush her face on the spot.

“…Got you.”

“GYAAAHH!! Stop—please stop!!”

Ilyu’s resistance was in vain. She was swiftly captured.

After all, she only had the physical strength of an ordinary young woman right now. There was no way she could overpower a brute known for his overwhelming might.

“All right, we're pulling out. The guards could show up any minute now.”

“My face—my faaaace!!”

“Right.”

Crack. Her facial bones let out a sickening sound.

All Ilyu could do was scream in agony as she was held fast.

“If you scream any louder, I’ll start from your jaw.”

“…Hii!”

She wouldn’t die—but it would still hurt.

She would recover—but having her bones shattered would still be hell.

Whatever courage she’d had earlier had completely vanished. Fear froze Ilyu’s expression in place.

“You brought the salt, right? Then let’s move—”

—

But even this monstrous villain, Fugar, had a weakness.

No—perhaps it was more accurate to call it a trauma.

“…Found you!!”

The town’s response to the explosion had been swift.

Or more precisely, a certain group of adventurers had heard the blast and rushed over with unnatural speed.

“I-Ilyu!? What’s she doing here…!?”

“This is terrible, she’s been captured!! Wait—those aren't demons… They’re bandits!?”

They were a party of “Heroes,” whose fighting spirit had been stirred into a frenzy as they eagerly awaited a battle with the demons.

And for Fugar…

“Ah… ah… ah…”

“Oh, I remember that guy. Wasn’t he that thug rampaging around in Rewin?”

“That’s Fugar, the ‘Hundred-Killer.’ Used to be Somy’s bodyguard, didn’t he?”

To Maika—the cat-eyed demon—Fugar had a deep, paralyzing trauma.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!! IT’S THE DEMON WOOOOOOOMAAANNN!!!”

“Waaah?! Boss just clutched his crotch and made the girliest face I’ve ever seen!”

“Heh heh… now that’s a nice expression.”

“Now’s not the time, you dumbass!!”

With Maika’s sudden appearance, the bandits descended into total chaos and hysteria.