Chapter 179

The reason for the founding of the Rescue Squad and the Nero Argents.

I just heard about the people from the unit that Rose used to lead, and it’s probably related to them.

It seemed to me, though vaguely, that it was more than just an injury, a connection with a powerful enemy that had wounded Rose.

“The story goes back to before the Demon King was revived.”

I listened intently to Rose’s story.

“I was a member of the Knights, and I heard that the demon races, which had never shown any significant movement until this time, were acting suspiciously.”

“The full-fledged battle with the demon race started after the demon king was resurrected, after all?”

“That’s right. There have been skirmishes, but there hasn’t been a large-scale battle for several hundred years. That’s why the Ringle Kingdom was unnecessarily alarmed by the suspicious behaviour of the demon races.”

That’s right, it’s not unreasonable to be alarmed when forces that have never taken any major action before start acting strangely.

The question is, what was the Demon King’s army doing?

“And the place where the demon race behaving suspiciously was seen was the ‘darkness of Ringle’ that you know.”

“Isn’t that close to the Ringle Kingdom ……?”

“Yeah, that’s why the Ringle Kingdom had no choice but to move. However, the demon race is a group with physical abilities that exceed those of humans. There was no point in sending a half-hearted force against them, so they entrusted me, the captain at the time, with the task of scouting out the demons.”

I was also surprised to see that the place where the demon race was moving was close to the Ringle Kingdom.

It was a road that would take a few hours, but it was still within reach if they wanted to head there.

I could understand the impatience of the people of the Ringle Kingdom.

But if Rose had been assigned to scout the area, then perhaps her subordinates were also…

“I’ve decided to take my most trusted troops, Aul and the others, but ……”

“……Leader?”

Tilting my head at the unnatural break in the conversation, Rose opened her mouth again after a moment of silence.

“I’ve been thinking about it a bit. At the time, I had too much faith in the power of healing magic. If it doesn’t kill you instantly, it won’t make you die, and it won’t kill you. And my subordinates relied on me like that, and they had complete trust in me.”

“……”

“…… Let me continue the story.”

”You’re relying too much on healing magic.”

These were the words Rose had said to me when we were training to learn evasion.

Now that I’ve heard the story, the words sound different then.

“We took our troops and went on a reconnaissance trip to the ‘Darkness of Ringle’, where it is said that the demon race was seen, and there we were confronted by a dozen or so demon race members.”

“What are the demons doing in the darkness of Ringle ……?”

“From that, we’ve captured a powerful demon. …… Maybe it has something to do with the snake demons from the war, but I don’t know exactly what it is.”

That giant snake?

It was a demon that was powerful enough to bury a grand grizzly, but …… you’re saying that the root of that strength might have been brought about by a demon race.

“So, there was one …… nasty guy in that demon race. That’s Nero Argents.”

So this is where you encountered Nero Argents.

Rose closed her eyes as she remembered that moment.

“I recognized at a glance that this guy was different from the rest. I’m sure the other person thought the same thing. It’s something I’ve never done before myself.”

I’ve heard that he can control the wind, but what kind of fight is he going to have?

I know it’s not unusual when he can wound this person, though.

“I saw through his ability and warned them to retreat to the Demon Lord’s territory to avoid unnecessary fighting, but he immediately dismissed it and tried to take care of us, the witnesses.”

“It’s like no questions asked. Does that mean that the demon race had their own reasons?”

“Yeah, they were expecting the Demon Lord to come back from the seal. So they were gathering their forces in preparation for that time when they ran into us.”

So the demon race started to move because the demon king is coming back.

Based on the situation at the time, the Ringle Kingdom must have been in quite a state of confusion when they found out about it.

“Immediately after the battle started, I left the other demon races to my subordinates and I took on the role of suppressing Nero Argents. He was far too powerful to be left to my men. ……”

“What kind of fighting style does this Nero Argents guy have? I understand he uses wind-based magic.”

“He used a technique to clothe himself in magic. The wind acts as armour and assists in everything from evasion to attack…… and was a foul fighting force in general. Thanks to him, my attack was blocked by the wind armour.”

I’m not saying this casually, but being able to defend against Rose’s fists is crazy.

I can say this because I’ve been hit by it many times, but even if you take it easy, you’ll still get blown away by ten metres.

“Yeah, how can I fight such an opponent? ……”

“My fighting style isn’t that much different from yours. I get close and hit him, that’s it. But I made sure to never hit the red-coloured sword that he was holding.”

“What? Why is that?”

“Because at that time, I had guessed that it was a magical sword that gave some kind of curse to the slash. Well, as you can see, it was a dangerous looking sword.”

It imparts a curse.

I can’t believe that such a sword is being used by someone who is so strong that he can make Rose say he’s strong……What can I say, it’s not on the level of dangerous.

“Do you remember when I warned you before that healing magic doesn’t work on curses that affect wounds?”

“Yes, there’s no way I could forget that.”

Rather, even if I wanted to forget, I couldn’t.

Because it was a shocking training session where Rose beat me silly to learn evasion.

“The reason I advised you to do that is because that’s exactly the kind of sword Nero has.”

“……!”

“The magic sword he has is one that grants a curse that temporarily cuts off the flow of magic power in the area he slashes.”

A curse that temporarily cuts off the flow of magic power means that the magic power will stop flowing. ……?

Because healing magic heals by pouring magic power into the wound—-

“What?! Which means he’s a natural enemy for us!”

“Yeah. If the magic power stops flowing, it means that the effects of recovery and healing magic on the wounded area will be blocked. It’s probably a sword that’s effective against all kinds of magicians, not just healing magic. Fortunately, the curse is only temporary.”

Even if the curse lasts only temporarily, how could it be such a power, of all things, ……?

It’s a terrible sword that can be used to your advantage in almost any battle against an opponent.

After all, it’s the only thing that can disable the first aid of healing magic that everyone can use.

“How could you fight against someone who uses such a sword? ……”

“It ain’t that hard. Wind slashes are healed by healing magic and ignored. And we dealt with them by dodging and repelling their sword attacks. Well, it was troublesome that they weren’t just swordsmen, though. They made slashes and tornadoes that cut up whoever was inside, it was quite troublesome.”

“……”

Wait a minute. Based on what she said earlier, she didn’t know the effect of the curse, but she was trying to avoid hitting the sword just because she felt that it would be dangerous if it hit her, and she was trying to get close to it and hit it.

…… Excuse me but what?

Did your instincts tell you that you were in trouble?

So you were just going up against a guy with a dangerous-looking sword?

I know I’m not fit to be saying this, but aren’t you too cerebral? Or is it that when you look at physical ability, the best solution is to use a muscle strategy?

“Well, the problem is that no matter how many times I fought, I couldn’t win. We’re evenly matched in speed, and I’m superior in physical ability, but he’s superior in skill and variety of techniques. My attacks were blocked by the wind armour, and his attacks were met with healing magic and physical techniques. I even thought that we would never be able to win at this rate.”

I’ll be able to get the upper hand with my arm strength. ……

No, the point at which it becomes an antagonistic situation is well beyond anything I can imagine.

“On the other hand, my subordinates who were fighting separately from me had the upper hand even against a dozen or so demon races.”

“Even though there were only seven of them, they were strong, weren’t they? Aul-san and the others.”

“Yeah. But you see, I was wrong about them. They’re …… Nero Argents and the demon races’ determination and persistence, you know.”

Rose looked at the window and covered her right eye with her palm.

I could sense Rose’s extraordinary emotions from her appearance, and having a bad premonition, I fearfully asked her a question.

“What did you do to them?”

“They gave up on getting out alive, you know.”

What about ……?

“In order to eliminate us on the spot, who may become an obstacle to the Demon King’s army that will eventually move, the entire demon race has prepared to destroy themselves and rush in.”

“Ah, no, that’s …….”

For a moment, I couldn’t understand what Rose was talking about.

Everyone wants to live.

I had thought that this was the same for both humans and demons.

I don’t know what kind of purpose and ambition the demon race had in taking such actions, but they seemed unreasonable, both for their enemies and their allies.

“When the demons heard Nero’s order, they rushed towards my men without regard for their own wounds. I guess they never imagined that all the people they were fighting would be ready to rush in to destroy themselves……. One of my men managed to intercept him, but the one who was pierced by the sword held his arm down, and the other who fell to the ground clung to his leg, and when he was unable to move, the next demon attacked him, and they all fell to the ground.”

This is insane.

They attacked with no regard for their own lives. It’s also not possible for all of them to do so …… immediately.

“I was so upset when I saw that scene. And Nero wasn’t the kind of guy to let that slip through the cracks. …… The moment of unrest was exploited, I had my right eye torn out, losing half of my vision.”

“Because Nero Argents’ sword has a curse on it ……”

“Yeah.”

The curse cuts off the flow of magic power and nullifies healing magic.

I lost half of my vision.

It’s not a simple matter of fighting with only one eye.

It’s nearly impossible to fight as usual with half your vision, distance, and everything else you can see differently.

Rose mumbles to herself.

“I guess the bill for overconfidence in healing magic came due then. I can heal my wounded friends with healing magic. As long as I have healing magic, I can fight in a perfect state. This conceit led to the worst possible situation.”

That conceit was not a small part of me, either.

That’s why what I’m talking about now is no stranger to me.

“But, you know, the really bad part is after this.”

“…… the worst…….”

What could possibly be worse than this?

I don’t want there to be if I can help it, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

“At the moment when Nero was about to finish me off, as I could only watch my subordinates dying one after another —- the only one who was safe, Aul, became my shield and was sliced open by Nero’s slash head-on.”

“—“

“If it was just a sword, the wound could have been saved by healing magic, but the curse of the demon sword would not allow that. The surrounding area was filled with the corpses of the demon race and their men, and the only ones alive were Nero, myself, and the mortally wounded and dying Aul.”

I am speechless.

I don’t know what to say to the horrible situation where even hell is lukewarm.

“I felt like I was going to lose my mind with rage. I was so angry at myself for not being able to do anything for my fallen men, for not being able to save Aul from dying. But more than that, I hated Nero Argents for creating the …… situation at that time.”

Hate.

When those words came out of Rose’s mouth, I couldn’t help but shake my shoulders.

This person was outspoken, but she never said anything that made me hate or curse people, so I genuinely felt scared.

“Well, in short, I was so angry that I forgot myself. I forced my body to move in anger and hatred, and I shook my fist to kill Nero while destroying my body to the point where even healing magic couldn’t reach me in time.”

“You killed him, ……?”

“No. I used the demon sword I had smuggled to pin him to a tree and corner him, but I couldn’t. In addition to the fact that my body couldn’t take it, I saw a red-haired demon girl, who wasn’t there, come to the aid of the guy who was trying to stop him. …… The sight of her overlapped with Aul.”

Aul-san, who was fatally wounded for defending her, and the demon girl who saved the injured Nero Argents.

It would have been an ironic sight for Rose at the time…….

“This is the fate of my relationship with Nero Argents.”

This person had a past that was unimaginably painful.

I could painfully understand how much she trusted and cared for her subordinates from the calm tone and expression on her face when she spoke of Aul-san and the others.

That’s why there was something I wanted to ask her.

“Does …… Leader still hold a grudge against Nero Argents?”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hold a grudge. He was a bastard who even used his own men as pawns. I’d be crazy to forgive him. ……”

After saying that much, Rose finally smiled.

“That girl …… told me on his deathbed, Aul. She told me to stay the same me they’ve always wanted.”

“Aul-san told you ……”

“How much better would it have been if she had said something against me? …… She said it while laughing, you know? I was trying so hard to help her.”

Aul-san spoke of her until the end of her life …….

After speaking about her, Rose leaned back in her chair as if weakening and continued to speak.

“Then what else can I do? I’m going to live my life in such a way that I can show my face to those people who admire me like this.”

The words left behind by Aul-san may have created the person we now know as Rose of the Rescue Squad.

It seemed to me that she had the presence to have that much of an impact on this person.

“And so, I created the Rescue Squad. In order to prepare for the coming battle against the Demon King’s army. And to make sure that no one else has to go through the pain of tearing themselves apart like I did.”

“That’s why the Rescue Squad was founded……”

The root of why the Rescue Squad was founded.

It is a unit to keep people from dying.

That’s why she was running faster than anyone else on the battlefield, trying to save as many people as he could.

She didn’t want anyone else to experience the same pain that she had experienced when she lost her trusted comrades.

“The rest is yours.”

“…… me?”

“It was one of my goals to raise a healing magician just like me. A subordinate who won’t die, …… who can fulfil the role of a replacement if something were to happen to me.”

“……”

I’m still a work in progress.

I have a lot to learn, and the fingers of both hands are not enough to train me.

Even if I’m recognized as a full-fledged professional, I’m still just starting out.

It’s too far from the goal I should be aiming for, and now that I’ve heard what you’ve said, that goal is even further away.

“About Aul-san and the others, about Nero Argents, and about the rescue squad. I’m really glad that I was able to hear these things from your mouth today.”

Still, it made me feel proud.

I knew once again that Rose, the leader I had learned from and looked up to as my mentor, was unquestionably an amazing person.

“So, um, ……, please keep up the good work!”

I couldn’t think of the right words to say, so I stood up with all my energy and bowed deeply.

At times like this, I hate my lack of vocabulary.

Rose, who rolled her eyes when she saw my flushed face, laughed in a daze.

“That’s our line. As the vice leader, I’ll be counting on you to keep up the good work. Usato.”

“Ah, yes!”

It was good to know this before the big battle.

I don’t know how to say this, but after hearing about Rose’s past and the people who used to adore her, I had a lot of things on my mind, but for now, I feel like I’m definitely going to make it out of the next battle against the Demon King’s army alive.

No, I was planning to do so from the beginning, but I came to think so more strongly.

“It seems I’ve rambled on long enough. You have an early day tomorrow. You can go back to your room.”

I didn’t get the feeling that the …… story was too long.

It felt like a blur because I was listening so intently.

I obeyed Rose’s words and was about to leave the Commander’s office after standing up from my seat and bowing my head, but before I could, I remembered something and stopped.

“No, wait, there was one thing I wanted to entrust you with.”

“Yes? What is it?”

What do you want me to do? Is it as a vice leader?

As I was wondering, Rose, who had her arms crossed, opened her mouth.

“It’s about Ferum.”

Ferum.

The girl from the demon race who was once a black knight who stood in our way as our enemy.

She’s now a member of the Rescue Squad, but her position is still precarious.

That’s why, when the name of Ferme came out of Rose’s mouth, she had a vague idea of what she would be entrusted with!