Final March (1)

“Seohyun. Have you finally arrived?”

When I reached the entrance to the demon world, Max welcomed me warmly.

Likewise, there were knights following him, and Gilbert and Paul were also waiting.

Everyone welcomed me, but their expressions all looked solemn.

Max, who seemed quite relaxed, also seemed quite nervous, so he got out of the carriage with a smile.

“Why is everyone so serious?”

“Is there any reason not to be serious? The time has finally come.”

End of war. The end of the war.

I didn’t know that this expedition would subdue the Demon King and bring peace to the world.

On the other hand, if you fail to conquer the Demon King’s Castle, you will incur significant losses.

The knight commanders, including me and my colleagues. And those who were considered strong among the knights.

Among these, how many will be able to directly infiltrate the demon world and survive?

We will be careful to avoid casualties as much as possible, but it is difficult to expect good luck on the battlefield.

“Has anything special happened so far?”

“Okay. “Most of the Demon King’s army has been liquidated.”

According to Max, the power of the Demon King’s army has been significantly weakened.

We formed a separate team near the forest of the Demon World and annihilated the monsters.

Now, it is said that most of them have been wiped out, except for the outskirts of the Demon World and the Demon King’s Castle’s garrison.

Although there was severe damage to the Knights, it was clearly an encouraging achievement.

Above all, it was a valuable achievement that a stable supply route and base were established on the hill.

Thanks to that, it could be said that the road to the Demon King’s Castle was opened.

“Tonight, we are ready to head to the beginning of the Demon World.”

“Okay. “Nothing good comes from waiting too long.”

There was enough rest and the road to the Demon King’s Castle was open.

Preparations were completed and there was no reason to waste time.

Lastly, we looked around at all the knights who would be joining us.

The three knight commanders and Max.

Three knights who were together in the forest of Demon World. Rack, Hex, Alec.

And seven knights from the Order of the Crocodile, the Lion, and the Hawk.

If you include my colleagues and I, there are a total of 19 people.

It was enough to advance to the Demon King’s Castle.

“I guess everyone is ready. Then let’s talk about the strategy and leave right away.”

“I understand.”

The knights follow me to the barracks.

Lastly, I spent time talking with them about the operation.

In fact, even if it was an operation, there was nothing unusual about it.

All you have to do is pass through the Forest of Demon World and advance along the road to the Demon King’s Castle.

This was possible because I knew all the paths leading to the Demon King’s Castle.

The people in the knights’ order believed that they had already completed reconnaissance in the demon world, so they generally believed it.

Of course, there were some who had doubts about what I said, but what can I do?

Since my colleagues and I were the only ones who had properly explored the demon world, I had no choice but to trust it.

After the strategy meeting ended, the knights left the barracks for final preparations.

The remaining ones are Max and Eric. And only me and my colleagues remain.

“Seohyun. “While you were away, there was a lot of talk among the knights.”

Max’s voice, which had been calm until a moment ago, became tense.

“I have a lot of doubts about the plan you set up. They say they saw the Demon King Castle in person, but it is too reckless to advance without scouts.”

“I know too.”

Then Eric, who was next to him, also came forward and left a comment.

“Well, I can’t deny that Seohyun is an excellent warrior, but I don’t know if she is a good commander.”

Eric did not defend me nor did he intend to belittle me.

I just evaluated myself very objectively.

As he said, I was not a good commander.

Because until now, the experience of leading a large-scale career was lacking compared to other knights.

“So everyone had a bad look?”

“It’s not just that. “How can you not be anxious while advancing on the Demon King?”

“Fortunately, Gilbert and Eileen trust you and follow you, but Paul seems a little uneasy.”

Since Paul has always been stubborn, I expected that he would not easily listen to me.

Still, since you are not actively opposing it, do you plan to participate in the operation for now?

“I’m sure he won’t do anything strange.”

Then Max shook his head with a smile.

“Paul may be hot-tempered, but he’s not without concepts.”

“Okay. “If you’re incompetent, you can’t become a knight commander.”

It was emphasized that he was at least far from betraying the knights and the kingdom.

These two people know Paul better than I do, so I have to trust them.

From the beginning, Paul trusted me and participated in this operation.

“Anyway, we have to start advancing tomorrow, so relax.”

“Okay. It doesn’t matter to me, but it’s Eric’s first time in the Demon World.”

“Even though it’s a demon world, it’s nothing special. “No amount of fog can stop me.”

After that, time passed as Max and Eric chatted.

Like me, it had been a while since Max had seen Eric, so the story continued endlessly.

It was only when the sun set to the west that I was able to leave the barracks and complete preparations for departure.

***

“Captain. Please be careful.”

“Okay. Arne. “I will ask for the knights while I am gone.”

The beginning of the demon world. On the other side of the hill, Arne was leading the knights.

Arne was guarding the front line of the border while we were away.

Even when Max arrived, we had to split up again.

Without her, there would be no one to lead the knights, so it could not be helped.

As someone who had fought alongside Arne, her absence was disappointing.

Likewise, Arne seemed to not want to break up with Max, which was quite disappointing.

Nevertheless, Max asked Arne in a firm voice.

“I’ll ask you to stay here while I’m gone. “Lead the knights well.”

“Yes. “Don’t worry about this place.”

While requests and concerns were exchanged for a while, the three knights were interfering from the side.

“Look at that. “When did you get so worried?”

“If you give us even half a warm word, what will it do?”

“I usually scream loudly, but only in front of the leader…”

“Everyone be quiet!”

In the end, Arne couldn’t stand it anymore and screamed.

Then the trio giggled and walked away, and Arne’s face turned bright red.

Max, who was watching the situation, was embarrassed and laughed it off.

The fact that Arne liked Max was already widely known.

Arne tried to express himself in his own way, but the three people interfered, so everything fell apart.

Finally, after saying goodbye, Arne returned to where the knights were gathered.

Max naturally returned to my side.

“If you’ve done this much, please accept it.”

“…It’s not something you should worry about.”

“I feel sorry for Arne at this level.”

It is said that Max and Arne have been in a relationship for quite a long time.

When Max became a knight commander from an adventurer, a few colleagues, including Arne, followed him.

It is said that Arne is the only person who has remained by his side until now.

Of course, Max didn’t know Arne’s feelings, but for some reason he didn’t accept it.

“Could it be that you don’t like Arne?”

Then Max shook his head with a horrified expression, and Eric laughed and made fun of Max.

“If I say something like that, Arne will try to kill me?”

“Even if I get married later, I’ll have a hard time.”

Then Max looked at me and said something.

“Seohyun. I don’t think that’s what you would say. “If you think about the women around you.”

“No, that’s… “

“I don’t know who I’ll marry, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Then, countless eyes were looking at me.

Before I knew it, my colleagues’ eyes were focused on me.

Among them, the person who reacted the most was, of course, Erina.

He started to use his strength to move away from his colleagues while holding on to my arm.

Then the rest of the colleagues began gnashing their teeth while glaring at Erina.

“Erina. It’s time to go out soon. “Stop it.”

“…”

Erina lost her strength, but she still didn’t let go of my arm.

In the end, I was only able to calm down after I forced my arms to relax.

Then Eric and Max started giggling while looking at me.

“Who cares about whom? “Who among us has to worry the most?”

“…Eric. “Don’t you have a lover?”

“It’s a shame, but I have someone to marry. “Maybe I should get married when I return from this expedition.”

Unlike Max and I, Eric crossed his arms with a relaxed expression.

“Because, unlike others, I am not a coward or a womanizer.”

I kept my mouth shut because I thought it would be a loss if I continued talking.

At least when you talk about women, you shouldn’t have anything to say.

“Commander. Everything is ready.”

At that moment, Eileen approached and bowed her head.

When I looked back, there were knights lined up to join us.

It seems like everyone has adapted to the fog of the demon world in their own way.

When all preparations were complete, I also drew my long sword and raised my shield.

“Good. Let’s leave quickly. “My colleagues and I will take the lead.”

“Yes. We will be on guard in all directions.”

Like me, my colleagues and knights each take out their weapons.

After saying goodbye to my colleagues for the last time, I went down the hill.

Finally, the march to the Demon King’s Castle began.