Chapter 264: Confrontation

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Chapter 264 - Confrontation

With the sensation of being sucked in, but gradually released, the flash that enveloped me dissipated.

"Eh, is this... a forest?"

『Hmm, tis the same forest as before... but slightly... no, a lot has changed.』

It was already dark. I thought it was a forest that I had seen before, but since the trees looked different here and there, I felt that even if it was the same place, it was not the same time.

But what bothered me more than that was this atmosphere.

"Eh... this place..."

Unconsciously, I bowed down and lowered my voice.

Yes, it wasn't just the scenery that was different.

It was obvious that the air emanating from this forest was different.

There was a murderous aura in the air.

And even if you can't see it, you can feel it somehow.

In this forest, I can feel multiple presences in the darkness of the night.

『If only you could use Magical Radar at times like this... but that feeling is not wrong. There are numerous individuals full of murderous intent... and for me... tis a nostalgic atmosphere to feel.』

The corners of Tre'ainar's mouth turned up sharply.

It's as if he was shaking with a warrior's tremor...

"Hey... who goes there?"

Huh?!

"No, nothing there, I thought I saw a light, but..."

I hear a voice... obviously, the quality of the voice is not respectable.

Holding my breath, I hid in the thicket to see what was going on.

"Were there any other intruders?"

"There were ten, but we took care of em."

Wait......... h, hey hey...

『...... Calm down, child...』

I was surprised and almost let out a loud voice.

Because they were talking too casually about "taking care of them".

I intuitively knew that it wasn't an analogy, but a straightforward meaning of "killed".

The owner of that voice, who also reeked of so much murderous intent and blood, was wandering around aimlessly. It was enough to make me think that way.

『Child. Without moving your body... slowly move only your head and eyes... look at the owner of the voice. Make not a sound. Never speak up. This one is not human. Tis a demon soldier.』

Lying face down, I did as Tre'ainar told me, carefully moving my head slightly and turning my eyes toward the direction of the voice.

And there...

"So, all that's left to do is get that brat who got blown away by the 'General' and ran off."

"That'll be all."

"But, that one's already gone by now, right?"

"Idiot, what did the General say? Sent em flying, but not yet dead. But the wound isn't shallow enough to let em run."

"True, but."

"Don't complain. With this, we capture em, we get rewarded, right?"

Clad in heavy armor and carrying a huge axe, he walked on two legs, but he wasn't human...he was a giant......

「...... rhino?」

『Fufufu... the Rhinoceros Race...』

Definitely of the demon race...... on top of that......

『With that armor, there is no doubt. They are soldiers of the Demon King's Army.』

"Eh!?"

Why are there soldiers of the Demon King Army here? No, I don't even have to think about that.

『Apparently ... this is within the territory of the Empire, and the war with the Demon King Army is raging...』

「N, no way...」

『That being said, it happened many times... so which era is...』

War. It's a word I've only heard many times in textbooks and old stories of my father and other adults.

I always dismissed it as "history before I was born".

But that war...

「tte, wait a minute! War here!? Then, what about the village? Grandma, father and mother!」

I don't know if this is the place I was before, how many years ago, or if it's a few years later.

But if the war is happening here, then the village near here was where I―――

『Calm down, your grandmother, Hiro and Mamu should be safe. Or rather, your grandmother was still alive after the war, was she not?』

「Ah, I see... no matter what happens here, all three of them are safe...」

I was impatient, but Tre'ainar was right.

This is just a world of the past, and my parents are still alive in the present day.

So, no matter what happens...

"Now, let's just clean up... the intruders...... huh?"

"Sure... I got it...... huh?"

Hmm? What is it? Suddenly, the harsh tone of the rhinos' voices became a little softer... huh!? Our eyes met——!?

『Child, run! You have been discovered!』

"Tch!?"

I've been noticed. My whole body was shaking, but I immediately stood up and jumped backward.

"Oraaaahhh! ... tch..."

"Oh dearie, gotta finish em off~, in one shot....... ah..."

The axe plunged deep into the spot where I was lying face down.

The impact cracked the ground and blew away the overgrown bushes.

"Tch, not that brat... but, were there still intruders? The Allied Forces of Dogtanea..."

"Are you the scum of the Allied Forces who sneaked into our camp and tried to assassinate the General?"

Our eyes met, and in an instant, they were in battle mode...... no, that's wrong. It's not a battle.

The atmosphere I felt from the two demons staring at me was different from any battle I had ever experienced.

It's not about defeating the opponent, it's not about intimidating them, it's simply a fight to the death.

"Well, even though I say Allied Forces, it is the vile ones among them... the 'Bethreal Kingdom', those are the nasty sort."

"They tried to assassinate the General just to get the credit... moreover, no matter how strong they are, the idea of using a brat like that against the general and making em fight each other at worst, that kind of rotten thinking is scary."

"But that's all you got. I'll send you to your dead buddies right away."

"Or, if you tell us where that brat is hiding... we can at least take you prisoner, okay?"

Still, did these guys mistake me for the Allied Forces? And the Kingdom of Bethreal?

『Perhaps they tried to assassinate the General of the unit that was encamped here in a night raid. However, they were met with retaliation... it was the people of the Kingdom of Bethreal who carried it out, though I do not know if it was under the orders of the Allied Forces or if it was at their own discretion...』

And it seems that there were still other survivors, and I was mistaken for one of them... ah~, such a hassle ...

Well, what to do now?

These guys were pretty strong.

Not to mention that my body may be a little stiff from this first-time experience of war mode air.

But I guess it's even better than Jamdi'el and Paripi, and from the looks of it, I'd probably be able to...

「...... can I beat them?」

『No, I do not know how much of an impact it will have... at this juncture...』

「Got it.」

Anyway, since this is a past world, it's best to avoid unnecessary things as much as possible.

After discussing it with Tre'ainar, I'm not going to waste my time talking my way out of this situation...

"Nlater!"

""Aeehh!!??""

I decided to turn around and flee deep into the forest.

"W, wait, you bastard!"

"Ngah, you make an outrageous assassination attempt, and run when it fails? Cowards!"

Oh~, I hear some terrible insults.

That rhino was also thumping his heavy body ... what!?

「Oh, wow. He's pushing straight ahead regardless of big trees and other obstacles... knocking them all down!」

『That is the strength of the Rhinoceros Race. The power that comes from charging straight ahead is tremendous.』

「Heh... but after seeing Mr. Machio and Mr. Aka...」

『Do not lower your guard. Due to their sluggishness, their initial movements are slow, but they accelerate as they charge forward. Move ahead with Magical Parkour.』

「Roger!」

I was able to see the power of a soldier of the Demon King Army during the war. This is a very valuable experience.

「And, do you know those two?」

『I do not. How large do you think the Demon King's Army was?』

「Haha, right...」

『Besides, territory was taken and reclaimed several times during the war, so I still cannot tell when in the war this might be... at least if I knew the name of the General...』

For now, I'm a little relieved that it's not Tre'ainar's acquaintance or anything like that.

In the worst case... for example...... if I end up confronting close friends of Tre'ainar or something like that, it would be the worst confrontation...

"Hmm? There you are!?"

"Eh!?"

At that moment, someone from the morning direction noticed my presence and came towards me.

It was a demon. And this one is big too. It wasn't a rhino, but...

「Covered in body hair... a monkey?」

『The Ape Race... no..... also...』

「Pig snout......」

The third demon. Like the rhinos, they are clad in armor, their exposed arms and heads covered with body hair, and they have a distinctive nose.

And despite their huge size, they move nimbly above the treetops.

They are pretty fast.

『Tis something like a half-orangutan and half-orc race... and that method of movement is called Brachiation, a unique technique in which they use both hands to move by alternately gripping the branches.』

「Oh, oh, I see...」

『Watch out! Not just one. There are more around him...』

「Ge, hold on, they're coming in droves!?」

『............ Twenty in all.』

In the first place, there's no way that only two of them were searching this forest for someone.

There were search teams from the Demon King Army all around...

"Ukkih!"

"Ukyah!"

"Gehaha, I'll take care of em!"

It's bad. I can't go through all of them because there are so many different races.

But, for the time being, I could tell that the first one, the Half-Ape Half-Orc, was a pretty dangerous demon.

"Captain Piggory!"

"He's scum from the Allied Forces! That brat isn't here yet... but!"

The number of demons has increased, and more importantly, a breakthrough...

『Nu? Piggory? ...... I believe that name is... probably... Huh!? Oi, child!』

"Hmm? ...... ah..."

That was then.

As I was jumping over the trees trying to figure out how to escape, I saw it.

"...... Uh... Oh... Oh..."

In this night, let alone in the forest where demons were roaming around, leaning against a large tree, with eyes so weak that they seemed to be about to close at any moment...

"Is that... a kid?"

『...... that one!?』

"Hey, why are you here! I mean...... hi, hideeh..."

A little girl who was there for some reason.

She was wearing a fine robe that "seems" to be based on white. But now it was dyed red.

There are blue bruises on her small and thin arms, and even on her face.

Her hair is long, straight and brown. Her bangs cover most of her face, but she was in too much pain to hide it.

It's not like she was injured in a fall or anything.

Obviously, someone had struck her and hurt her.

"...... who?"

The girl's voice sounded so weak that I felt like she was about to disappear.

I had no answer to that question.

『Oi, child! This girl... huh, tch, child! They will soon catch up! Turn around——』

For a moment, I was stunned, unable to hear what Tre'ainar was saying.

Because I've never been in a situation like this before.

She might be a little older than Amae, but a little girl like that was covered in scars.

It was the first time I had been in such a situation, and it was so cruel that I was at a loss for words.

And then......

"Hey, stop there... Huh! Hahahaha, hey, that big tree!"

"That brat is there too! I found em!"

As I stopped, I could hear the laughter of the demons who were gradually closing the distance between us...

"You gave us a lotta trouble! You fools have plotted to assassinate our Great General, 'Lord Gouda'! Even though it's a child, that is one of the Heroes! No mercy! I take that head!"

...... Hero?

『...... tis Espie...』

"...... Huh?"

I was speechless for a few seconds.

This kid is Espie?

And that demon, I think he also mentioned some other name that sounded somewhat familiar...