Chapter 8
“Nice one, kid!”
This time, I took out the Charm scroll.
The type of spell didn’t really matter. I just needed a spell that could affect the horses ridden by the knights.
However, it was a risky action because they could easily do the same and cast a spell on our horse as well.
However, Dyrus had mentioned earlier that the allied human forces had exhausted almost all of their scrolls during the war, and there were no mages among the group that was chasing us.
Even if they had scroll books, it was likely they didn’t have any spells left in them. The war was over, and they hadn’t had time to replenish their scroll books. In fact, they probably didn’t even have any spare scrolls left at all.
Those knights would have filled their scroll books only with offensive spells that could be used immediately, and they would have used up almost all of them.
Knowing all this, my plan was worth the risk.
Neighh!
“Aaah!”
My plan worked. The horses collapsed and the knights tumbled to the ground one by one as I used the spells. Some knights probably broke their necks and died immediately.
Since they were trying to kill me, I didn’t hesitate to kill them either. I felt no guilt, no remorse, and did not contemplate the righteousness of my actions.
All I could think about was to do whatever I could, as fast as I could. The urgency of the situation seemed to funnel all my judgment into one simple thought.
I subconsciously deferred every judgment regarding morals and ethics for later.
“Damn it!” I yelled.
I had no more psychic magic I could use to bewilder the horses.
There were still two knights chasing after us, their eyes filled with even more rage.
The horse we were riding was now beyond its limit. It was going slower than the speed it had been going before I cast the Haste spell.
“They’ll catch us soon,” Dyrus said, his voice filled with despair.
Our horse was exhausted, and the knights, having witnessed their comrades fall, were chasing us with the vicious intent to make our deaths as painful as possible.
The horse had now slowed to a pitiful pace, and the knights were catching up at a terrifying speed. Dyrus drew his sword, but he seemed hopeless.
Was this the end?
Just then, a sudden sight caught my eye. I gazed at the long line of wagons and the soldiers that were watching the chase.
I also saw the incredibly long line of demon prisoners that seemed to stretch into eternity. More specifically, I noticed the way the demons were staring at me.
“...”
All manner of shackled demons, from small goblins to towering trolls, ogres, and orcs, all stood in line, observing our situation.
They were staring at me, and I was looking at them, but neither side said anything to each other.
They were the demons of the fallen Demon Realm, who had lost their leaders and had helplessly surrendered.
As monsters and beasts, they were now on their way to execution as punishment for losing the war. Since no one was going to pardon them and save them from slavery, they had to pay with their lives.
They were looking at me as if they knew that I was the last undisputed Demon King. But here I was, running away from them, a traitor.
I wasn’t sure how, but they seemed to know that I was not a human. Had they recognized my identity just by the look in my eyes? Or perhaps, it was the Control Demon skill within me unconsciously exerting itself? I couldn’t know why or how they knew, but nonetheless, they were all looking at me as though they’d just discovered a glimmer of hope.
Clang!
With a resounding roar, an ogre broke free from its chains and charged toward the knights who were approaching us.
With a concerted roar, The line of demons who had been obedient up to this point began to resist vehemently.
“Wh-what’s happening! This is insane!”
The two knights who were chasing us had been run over by the charging ogre, and chaos erupted once again as the demons wreaked pandemonium.
It was their last-ditch effort to rebel against the soldiers and save their last King.
***
The demons weren’t tied up with brittle ropes that anyone could easily escape from. They were secured with hardened chains that only large creatures like ogres could even attempt to break out of. Thus, most of the demons could only participate by causing a ruckus. They were quickly suppressed by the soldiers in charge, and this suppression ultimately led to a massacre.
The demons’ uproar and the ogre’s attack on the knights had suddenly turned the situation around, and now no one was chasing after us.
Dyrus seemed to find it difficult to fathom the unbelievable situation that had just happened.
“What in the world...” he said.
From gargoyle statues suddenly activating to save us to a demon uproar erupting at the exact moment when our life and death hung in the balance, all of these situations probably seemed very odd to Dyrus. He knew that all of this was abnormal, but he didn’t know why it was happening. Nonetheless, Princess Charlotte was still in danger, and we had yet to accomplish our mission to save her.
Dyrus seemed like he was suppressing his questions, not saying anything until we got to the base. When we got there, the atmosphere seemed lively.
—Her Highness the princess is alive?
—Yes! She came out of the tent just now and even shook hands with the soldiers saying that she was okay.
—She soon returned to her tent to rest, however...
—I’m glad she’s okay!
—That cursed Demon King is now dead, and Her Highness the princess is still alive. What greater blessing could there be?
—Hey, what do you mean it’s a blessing? The Empress has passed away... watch what you’re saying!
—Yeah, my bad... I hope the princess feels well soon.
Charlotte was right. The news that she was alive had already spread throughout the entire base. However, it seemed like the news of the demon prisoners’ riot had yet to reach.
For us, the more eyes and ears there were that witnessed Princess Charlotte’s survival, the better it was. It seemed the situation favored us.
However, it was still too early to sit back and relax. Duke Salerion and his knights had tried to kill Dyrus and me despite the large number of eyewitnesses. That meant that they had nothing to lose by killing us and that nothing was stopping them from doing so.
Killing the princess out in public would be a problem for them, but killing us wouldn’t. Furthermore, if news that we had killed several knights reached the base, the people here would probably kill us in an instant, no questions asked.
As such, Dyrus and I were still on the verge of execution. Soon, the news of what had transpired around the Demon King's castle would reach the base. We had to leave as soon as possible.
Thankfully, news that the princess was staying in the command tent had spread, so most of the soldiers’ attention was on the tent. Outwardly, they all seemed curious to see if the princess was safe, and were surrounding the tent as though hoping to see Her Highness’s face. Because of this, there was no opening for us to slip inside the tent unnoticed.
There was no time to come up with a plan. Dyrus and I simply marched toward the command tent.
One of the guards saw me and shook his head before I could say a word.
“Her Highness is resting. Leave at once.”
“We have brought the items that Her Highness requested. Please let us in.”
The guard’s expression didn’t even flicker.
“No one is allowed to see the princess until she has had plenty of rest, as per the instructions from the Supreme Officer. Come back later.”
If we turned back now, we were as good as dead. Once the news of what happened at the Demon King's castle reached the base, it would be over. I had to get inside.
“Sorry sir, but this is urgent.”
As soon as I finished my sentence, the guard’s expression hardened.
“Hey kid, I know you were rescued with Her Highness, but that doesn’t grant you access. We still haven’t identified who you are and there’s no way we can allow an unidentified individual to be with Her Highness. Are you planning to do something to her?”
Hah... little did he know that the princess was safer with me than with them.
The guard seemed ready to use force to keep us out. His spear was pointing straight at me, suggesting that, if we attempted to enter by force, he would take action.
I had no way of knowing what Charlotte was doing inside, but it seemed like she couldn’t do anything to help us. The guards had no idea what I was trying to do, but they knew for a fact that the princess had asked me to do her a favor, and that was all they needed to keep me from meeting her.
The problem was that I had neither the strength nor the authority to break through the security.
Just then, Dyrus called me. “Kid.”
“Yes, Lieutenant?”
“It’s Plan B.”
With a deep sigh of helplessness, Dyrus drew his sword.
Swoosh!
“Argh!”
Before the guard could react, he thrust the sword into the guard’s neck.
“Are you out of your mind?!” another guard exclaimed, shocked by the sudden attack.
“Go!” Dyrus shouted.
While Dyrus took care of the other guard, I quickly stopped any thoughts that came to my mind and rushed into the command tent.
Pushing through layers of fabric, I finally entered and saw Charlotte sitting down. She was surrounded by dozens of guards who were monitoring her.
“...!”
Charlotte’s eyes widened as she saw me.
An old man in a white priest’s robe shouted sharply, “I told you not to let anyone ins—...!”
There was no time for conversation.
[Flash]
“Argh!”
“What’s going on?”
“He’s using magic!”
Zap!
The exploding flash blinded them all, but I had covered my eyes before the explosion. I put my hand down and grabbed Charlotte’s hand. She was also dazed from the flash spell. She was incredibly confused because she had been expecting me to bring Sir William to her, but instead, I’d barged into the tent and let off a flashbang.
[Mass Teleport]
I cast the mass teleportation spell.
[Please specify the destination]
“To the Capital of Gradias, Gradium!”
Our destination was the Imperial Capital, Gradium.
[Prologue Sequence cleared.
Special achievement unlocked - Turning Point in History
Charlotte de Gradias, a character who should no longer exist at this point, has survived.
The future has been greatly altered.
You have received 1000 achievement points.]
Finally, I could put an end to this hellish prologue.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶