Final March (3)

“Everyone, come to your senses! “Beware of the right side!”

Eric shouted and strengthened the discipline of the knights.

Just as he said, the marching ranks were gradually becoming disorganized.

As we got closer to the Demon King, monsters began to flock from all directions, and battle was inevitable.

They were the most outstanding of the knights, so they were no match for monsters.

As the march continued, my physical strength was gradually decreasing.

Because the pace of the march was slowed down and the rest time was extended, the advance became sluggish.

The drivers were also realizing that their fatigue was gradually accumulating.

There were times when my line almost collapsed and there were times when I almost got seriously injured.

Fortunately, I was able to overcome several crises thanks to the support of my colleagues.

“Is everyone injured?”

“Yes. Thanks to Serika, everyone is safe.”

In particular, the miracle of Serica received particular attention.

Her performance was so outstanding that even the knights’ healing magicians recognized her.

“As expected, it’s amazing. “I don’t think it was to this extent the last time I saw it.”

Celica looked embarrassed and shook her head.

Serica is probably the only healing magician who is humble at a young age.

People’s gazes toward Celica were full of goodwill.

“If you go straight like this, you will see the Devil’s Castle. There are quite a lot of monsters gathered.”

“Can we find out how many people there are?”

“I hear so much crying. Wolves, harpies, and chimeras are also heard, but exact numbers are difficult to determine.”

As Tyria said, there seems to be a demon castle nearby.

As they got closer to the Demon King’s Castle, the morale of the knights was dropping, perhaps because they were under pressure.

‘There is no need to be so scared.’

In fact, even though it was the Demon King Castle, it didn’t have any special enemies.

It’s just a rehash of all the monsters I’ve seen so far.

This was also one of the reasons why DLC was so criticized.

I’m glad I was able to spend an hour thanks to that.

Even so, I was worried because the morale of the knights was falling in real time.

Now, I had come too far to give up the Demon King’s Castle and go back, so I couldn’t go back.

‘I’ll say it again. Never overdo it and don’t get hurt.’

Before going on a campaign, Julia’s words of encouragement lingered in my mind.

If I go back now, wouldn’t Julia welcome me?

Still, I couldn’t do that. Since I had already made up my mind, I had no intention of going back.

If it was not successful this time, there was a high probability that the Demon King’s expedition would be pushed back several months.

“Let’s all do our best. “If you just go over that hill, you’ll see the Devil’s Castle.”

An unknown forest that you must pass through to head to the Demon King’s Castle.

It is the final gateway where numerous monsters and demon kings are hiding.

On the hill, withered trees growing sparsely and emitting demonic energy.

Meanwhile, we noticed that the monsters were glaring at us with their eyes flashing.

“I guess they noticed us.”

“Okay. Unless the Demon King is a fool, there is no way he wouldn’t notice us.”

The Demon King’s defensive formation will be strengthened using that forest as a base.

In other words, from that point on, it is a place where you have to break through head on.

“Let’s rest for a while. We leave again in ten minutes.”

At Max’s words, the knights sat down and took a deep breath.

There is a high probability that there are monsters or ambushes hiding on the hill, so it would be better to rest now.

Above all, the distance above the hill is within sight of the Demon King’s Castle.

If we were not careful, we could have come face to face with the main force of the Demon King’s army.

“My lord. Are you feeling okay?”

“Okay. I’m fine.”

“If you have any problems with your shoulder, please let me know right away.”

Kayla was always paying attention to me.

I asked if there was anything that was necessary or lacking, or if there was anything that was inconvenient or concerning.

Every time that happened, Erina reacted sharply, but Kayla didn’t even blink.

Perhaps because they had been fighting for so long, no direct conflict occurred.

Kayla just smiled at me and quietly walked away.

“The speed is too slow. “We should have arrived at the Demon King’s Castle by now.”

“I can’t help it. There is nothing good about arriving early.”

I don’t know if it could be months or years. There was no problem if it was only two or three days.

Rather, I am worried that if we march too fast, the morale of the knights will plummet.

There were numerous monsters guarding the area around the Demon King’s Castle, and someone was needed to stop them.

No matter how great my colleagues’ abilities were, it would have been quite difficult to conquer the Demon King’s Castle without their help.

Therefore, the help of the knights was absolutely necessary.

Without them, there would definitely be a setback in the attack.

“Erina. You cannot defeat all enemies alone.”

“…That’s right. “I know.”

“So let’s hold on a little longer.” “Understand, right?”

Erina approaches your face without saying a word.

When I kissed his cheek, he glared at me with a sullen expression.

After patting my head a bit, I stood up.

“Make sure everyone gets a good rest. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to rest properly if I go up the hill.”

The knights were horrified at Max’s words and their expressions scrunched up.

As he said, there has never been a proper conflict with the Demon King’s army until now.

But if you go up the hill, the story is different.

There may be a lot of monsters lurking, so you have to be careful.

***

“Kayla, protect Celica! Tyria, come behind me!”

“Yes! I understand!”

As expected, upon entering the forest, numerous monsters began pouring out.

From harpies and gremlins to chimeras and deformed orcs.

All the enemies we had seen so far were waiting for us in ambush.

The person who leads them is Mine. Those who lead the devil’s army.

As soon as we entered the forest, enemies began to attack us from all directions.

Since it is the only road to the Demon King’s Castle, the opponent is also trying to block it.

But we couldn’t just sit still.

The knights, led by the knight commander, desperately try to stop them.

And his colleagues took the lead in confronting the monster.

In particular, there was no one who could stop Erina.

“Erina! It’s too far away… !”

Before I could even open my mouth, sparks and electricity spread out in all directions.

Enemies caught up in the lightning storm fell without even being able to scream.

Even the trees nearby were completely charred.

Erina rushes in like lightning to hunt monsters.

The knights who saw this shuddered even though they were allies.

If Erina makes even the slightest mistake, wouldn’t electricity flow to our allies?

It’s never happened before, but you never know.

“My lord! There’s a group of Lamia on the left!”

When I looked to the left at Kayla’s words, I saw a huge Lamia rushing towards me.

He quickly released his magic power, scattering frost on the floor and grabbing the snake’s tail.

As the floor suddenly froze, the Lamia lost their balance and began to stumble.

At the same time, he froze his long sword to create a spear and pierced his head.

“Everyone focus! Enemies are coming from all directions!”

“Captain! “There’s a Lizardman at the back!”

“Everyone focus on defense! Protect the healers and wizards!”

The knights were also struggling with all their might.

Although their individual strength was weak, they had numerous battlefield experiences.

I felt much relieved to see them thoroughly united and pushing away the monsters.

Even though I couldn’t show my skills due to the fog of the demon world, I wasn’t defeated by ordinary monsters.

“Rack! There are harpies in the air!”

“I’m watching too! Hex!”

In particular, the performance of the three knights was outstanding.

Three people dealing with monsters as if they were one in unity.

As each person screamed and moved in unison, the monsters fell one after another.

As the monsters were gradually being cleared away, a huge orc began to walk, breaking the trees.

Then Hex, one of the three people in the room next to him, clicked his tongue and spat on the floor.

“Shit… That thing is too big.”

“Don’t worry. “He’s a big guy.”

The knights immediately straightened their lines and faced the enemy.

There are dozens of orcs. And behind them, the demons were leading the demons.

The main force of the Demon King’s army. It’s been a while since we faced each other face to face.

Unlike the knights who prepared their battle stance with a determined expression, their comrades calmly checked on the enemy.

A better situation than before in the Forest of Demon World.

I also opened my mouth in a more relaxed voice.

“Let’s all get ready. “I think I’ll have to deal with monsters all day today.”

We must occupy this forest within today and use it as a base.

In order to do that, it was necessary to quickly organize the surroundings.

Kayla, who heard me, responded by summoning a huge magic circle.

“My lord. “I will take charge of it.”

Then, a huge fireball began to burn in the magic circle.

A bird of colorful flames flew in along with a huge flame.

The orcs were hit directly by the flames with no time to escape, and their bodies began to burn.