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Chapter 27: In The World Of Cunning Villains, The Incompetent Don’t Survive (10)
Thanks to Shuttle, we escaped Shia safely.
“The forces of evil are gone?”
“Yes.”
Now that the capable Shuttle had become an observer, he began to assess the situation.
“Why?”
“Well… Please wait a moment. I’ll check right away.”
I waited for Shuttle, who began to mutter and pray.
Isn’t there an old saying, “The faster you hurry, the slower you go”?
I am a patient person who knows how to wait.
“Is it ready now?”
“Just…a little more…”
I looked at Hill, who was muttering and praying to the gods.
It’s not ready yet. It’s too slow!
-It’s been a minute!
-Isn’t a minute enough time to pray?
-Don’t you think so?
As expected from a self-proclaimed goddess.
It seemed like she didn’t know how easy it was to pray because she never prayed to others.
Praying is easy.
1. First choose the subject of prayer.
2. Speak your desires.
3. Ask for them to be granted.
That’s all it takes to pray.
One minute should be enough.
-Even if Master… Even if Master were born as an ordinary person, the gods wouldn’t answer his prayers.
-That is true.
I nodded as well.
Even if I was an ordinary person, the gods wouldn’t have listened to my words.
“I don’t have any money.”
“It’s not about that…”
Suddenly, Iron Bat returned in the form of a little girl and started kicking me without permission. How annoying.
“Normally, the gods only listen if you give them a lot of offerings!”
“But… what did you do to the gods? You didn’t do anything wrong, right?”
There aren’t any… even now, that former disciple of mine has become the Demon King and keeps pestering me.
“That has nothing to do with the gods, right?”
“You need someone to blame.”
“But why should it be the gods?”
“I don’t know.”
I don’t know. It’s because the gods looked hateful.
I don’t know. It’s because I got stuck with the Demon King.
“I have to speak up.”
When I hummed a song, Iron Bat let out a deep sigh.
“It hurts.”
As she sighed, Iron Bat’s speed of kicking me increased.
“You’re hitting me yet it hurts.”
She complained while hitting me, but her attacking power was too strong for me to hit her back in return.
This brat… She used to hit others, but now she’s getting stronger and stronger!
“Hitting has its own technique, you know.”
“Of course!”
She stopped hitting me when I praised her a little and started boasting.
“Did you find it?”
“Just a little more…”
Damn Nature God. He has so much to say.
“I found it.”
“Were you listening?”
“Huh?”
I looked at Shuttle’s face, as if she was aiming for the timing when the prayer was about to end. She seemed slightly flustered, but it seemed like a coincidence.
“What did you hear? Tell me the contents.”
“Understood. According to the Nature God’s words, the forces of evil quickly invaded the borders of the Royal Kingdom of Loral and were wiped out by the forces of the Karan Empire, whom they coincidentally encountered. Afterward, they sent their forces several more times, but they couldn’t defeat the forces of the Karan Empire.”
“Is that so?”
Finally, the effect of sending Miria was beginning to show.
“How much did the forces of evil decrease?”
“They say about half of them were annihilated.”
“Really?”
The number of enemy forces decreased more than expected.
Half of them, huh? The Empire’s forces must have also decreased significantly.
“What about the losses of the Karan Empire?”
The forces of evil were a replenishable army if there were beasts or monsters nearby. There were even records that ordinary trees or rocks could be turned into monsters if exposed to evil energy for a long time.
In contrast, it would take several years or even decades for the Karan Empire’s forces to replenish their troops.
As a Demon King, it would be a good cost-benefit ratio if ten monsters could capture just one soldier of the Empire.
So, if the losses of the Karan Empire were worse than expected, we would need to revise all the plans.
“There are no losses.”
“Hmm?”
“The Imperial Army reported that there were no serious injuries or fatalities.”
“Hmm?”
“They said there were a few minor injuries, but they were treatable.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I found it hard to believe as well, but Nature God confirmed it to be true.”
No way, that’s insane.
I heard that the demon forces numbered in the millions.
If half of that number, at least a hundred thousand.
The demonic forces possess power and destructiveness several times greater than regular monsters.
Would the gods just casually say that the world could be destroyed by the Demon King?
They were such dangerous and powerful beings!
“Did the entire Imperial Army come?”
“No. I heard that after the first battle, there were reinforcements against the ever-growing demonic forces, with about 3,000 troops, but not more than that.”
What’s that?
A thousand against thirty thousand?
Does that mean they took down thirty monsters per person?
“Well, it could be possible.”
“Really?”
“If it’s thirty monsters per person… Maybe they could do it?”
Numbers are important in war. However, there are cases where quality is more important than quantity.
If a knight who can use magic fights against thirty ordinary peasants, they would obviously win.
A Swordmaster could easily defeat about thirty knights.
So, the group called the Ast Kidnapping Gang, with EugraShian members, especially centered around Mira, would have enough power to handle such a task.
The problem is…
“They’ve gotten stronger.”
“Who?”
“The pursuers.”
If it was just one person fighting against thirty, it would be one thing, but it was a battle between a thousand individuals and mindless thirty thousand monsters.
Personal combat and battlefield combat are different.
When using powerful techniques, it could also sweep away allies in the front lines, and the battlefield is where one person fights against fifty or a hundred enemies, not thirty.
In a battlefield where numerous variables can arise, the fact that there were no fatalities or even serious injuries is synonymous with overwhelming victory.
In the current situation, where the world could be on the brink of destruction, they are like a ray of hope or salvation…
“I can’t exactly be pleased about it.”
“Indeed.”
The name of those who possess overwhelming power is the ‘Ast Kidnapping Gang’.
A group created to kidnap me, with much stronger power than one could imagine. It was news that I, who was being chased by them, could not possibly be pleased about.
“What are the other heroes doing?”
“That… Well…”
I decided to modify my plans due to the unexpectedly powerful forces. If I misused the forces of the Karn Empire, it could result in my own demise.
So, I decided to make use of the fool’s synonym, the heroes.
“Many are fighting against the demonic forces…”
“Is the outcome not good?”
“No. Many of the large parties of heroes have met their downfall.”
“Sigh…”
No, what are the gods doing? These people who plan to kidnap me are overpowering the demonic forces.
Aren’t heroes supposed to be the light and saviors of the world?
At least give them some blessings for the sake of their apostle!
“Who is the most capable hero?”
“It’s Swin.”
“Swin?”
I tilted my head.
I’ve heard that name somewhere before…
“He’s our hero.”
“Ah, right.”
It’s been a while since I referred to him as a hero rather than by his name.
“Is he the most capable?”
“He’s not just capable; he’s the strongest among the current heroes.”
Seeing him slay a dragon, I thought he was no ordinary person, but his evaluation dropped significantly after that. But now I have to raise it again.
“What is the hero, I mean, Swin doing now?”
“Uh… That…”
Seeing Shuttle hesitate for a moment, I nodded.
“Just wait.”
“Understood…”
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes in a pious stance, waiting for Shuttle to calm down.
After fiddling with my iron balls and waiting, then…
“The hero is currently moving with a small group to find Lord Nerwyn.”
“Is Shia among that small group?”
“If you mean Shia, the woman you mentioned, no, she’s not there.”
“How long did they talk? Was there anyone else using the hero as bait?”
“No, there wasn’t. While there were others who accompanied the hero, they seemed to be moving in order to contact Shia.”
“Is that so? And what about my child?”
“It seems like the hero and Alice are separated.”
So my child is with Shia…
“It’s a pity, but I guess I’ll have to meet my child later.”
In the past, it might have been different, but my child has shown great independence since the last incident.
Yes, our bloodline may not continue, but she is still my daughter.
My child carries the bloodline of escape in her DNA!
No matter what her name is, if she sets her mind to it, she can escape!
I need to remove the evil quickly and wait at the Demon King’s Castle on the mainland to meet again.
So, the task I have now is…
“Where is that hero?”
Once I defeat the evil and make plans to return to the mainland, everything will fall into place.
#13 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Hero
“Let’s stop here for today.”
“Understood.”
The people in black around me nodded at my words.
“Is there a village nearby?”
“No, there isn’t.”
“Homeless again…”
“Yes.”
“I see. Then let’s get ready before the sun sets.”
“Understood.”
As I finished speaking, I let out a deep sigh as I watched those who had disappeared.
“Should I run away…”
I had heard the senior’s threat not to run.
But who am I? I am not just anyone, but a disciple of that professor.
My body, no, my soul, cries out to run away.
If I flee to a quiet village in the countryside right now,
“The professor will come looking for me.
Tears begin to blur my vision.
Yes, I am listening to the senior’s words because of the professor’s order.
The Professor said,
“Protect Alice. If you can’t protect her, find the means and ways to find that hero… and get rid of him forever.”
Get rid of him forever. This may sound appealing to some nobles who dream of immortality.
But to the Professor’s disciples?
They would rather enter the flames of hell.
If it meant killing him, even if it meant taking risks and running away, I could do it. But when he said to get rid of him forever, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“Damn it! That blond guy!”
I can’t just drag Hill all the way over there and run away for no reason.
Hill is a saint of the Order of Nature God. And I am a hero of the Order of Nature God.
When Hill prays, I will be able to know my location in real time, just like an apostle of the evil spirit.
If Professor appears and I run away alone?
I will live. I will live forever.
I tried my best to stop the fight between Senior and Alice, but Professor wouldn’t believe it.
First, I will endure the pain of the Iron Bat,
“Aaah!”
Such a scream…
“What are you screaming about…”
Scary.
Cold sweat began to trickle down my back.
“What’s happening… Haaaaaah!”
“What are you saying?”
“Aaah…”
I could hear a sound, whether it was a whimper or a scream, I couldn’t tell.
The sound was getting closer. But I couldn’t move.
Even though my mind was telling my trembling body to move, my terrified body couldn’t follow my mind’s command.
And a moment later,
“Fortunately, you were nearby.”
“Hero…”
With a rustling sound, two familiar men appeared.
“Hill…”
“I’m sorry.”
I looked at Hill with resentful eyes, but he avoided my gaze.
It couldn’t be helped, he knew that better than anyone, but I still felt betrayed.
“Why… Why did you come?”
I had a feeling he would come one day, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon.
“There’s something we have to do.”
“What is it?”
My question made the professor ponder for a moment.
And after a moment of silence,
“Become a hero.”
Professor told me to become a hero after calling me a hero.
I had heard that bitter things are good for the body, but I had never heard that they hurt.
“First, we have to deal with those guys.”
The blond beauty, who emitted a golden aura of a hero with his pure white sword, was not afraid even when facing hundreds of enemies.
“Wh-Who are you?”
I asked him with a trembling voice as I approached him, and he answered without turning around.
“I am Hero Sven, the man who will defeat the demons.”
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