Chapter 50

“You’re saying she’s a demon who is immune to holy magic…!?”

The Saint collapsed weakly, her eyes wide open. It seems she was unaware of the existence of demons with a neutral alignment, as this was beyond her knowledge.

“Has the culture of demon hatred continued for centuries, leading to this…?”

“Ugh… let go of me! Kiwi Alaya!!”

The Saint grabbed my wrist, which was touching her shoulder, trying to push it away. However, she couldn’t exert her full strength. After all, my magical power was still slowly corrupting her body.

That said…

“Ah, wait, this is a bit… tough… You’re surprisingly strong for a holy figure.”

“You heartless scoundrel! Don’t touch me anymore!!”

“Mm…!”

It was a clear case of being overpowered. I was gradually being pushed back when…

“Kiwi-sama! Please wait just a moment!”

Inasa quickly noticed and threw down her fan to rush over.

Ah, thank goodness. I was about to ruin the operation due to my own weakness.

Inasa extended her large, red hand toward the Saint, but…

“—Kyaaah!! Don’t touch me!!”

A shrill scream echoed from the Saint, her face turning pale. It was a complete rejection.

Inasa froze, her hand stopped mid-air as though she had been struck dumb.

“This is no joke! It’s filthy! Stay away!!”

“Wh-what…?”

“The demon, the evil being, how dare you touch me, a holy woman who has devoted her body to God! It’s impossible, impossible, so disgusting, disgusting, so disgusting…!”

The Saint kicked her legs frantically and struggled to break free from my grip with a desperate expression.

Watching this, Inasa’s clenched fist trembled.

“What… what is this human…?”

Her already red face flushed dark with rage. She roughly grabbed the Saint by the shoulder and slammed her down into the ground.

“What the hell do you think we are!?”

“Ahhh! No! Dirty!!”

“You burned my people alive and laughed while watching them… Do you think non-humans are just trash or something!? Eh!?”

“Disgusting! I’m going to vomit, I’m going to vomit!!”

“…!”

Inasa, her face contorted with frustration, clenched her fist even tighter and raised it.

“This is for my comrades… feel it!!”

“No, wait. That’s not a good idea.”

With the demon’s superior physical strength, if Inasa struck in anger, any holy person would be no match for her.

I quickly stepped between them to stop her.

“Please don’t do this, Kiwi-sama! We can’t let this woman live!!”

Inasa tried to push me aside with her arm.

She probably intended to do so lightly, but it seemed she had underestimated my lack of strength.

“Ugh.”

I was sent flying backward and landed with a thud, the force of it not stopping with just the fall— I spun and rolled over.

“Kiwi-sama!?”

“Ouch…”

“I-I’m so sorry! I never imagined it would come to this…”

“No, it’s not a big deal. More importantly, don’t loosen the Saint’s restraints.”

I got up, brushing the dirt off my white robe as I rose.

“I understand the history between you two, and I also understand your anger, Inasa. The Saint’s actions of harming demon prisoners based on the Kingdom Church’s harsh discriminatory ideology are unforgivable, and I agree with you. However…”

I looked down at the Saint, still shrieking that she is pure and that demons are filthy, feeling somewhat pity for her.

“The place for retribution is not here.”

I told Inasa calmly.

“The strategy for neutralizing the rear of the hero squad has succeeded. That is enough for now.”

“Kiwi-sama… but…”

“I’m not saying this out of sympathy or mercy for the enemy. The Saint should be taken alive, not killed here, as that would yield more benefits.”

If the Saint were to die here, the hero squad would likely shift to a strategy assuming no rear support.

But what if the Saint’s whereabouts or her life and death remained unknown?

“Without a doubt, the hero squad would allocate personnel to search for her, reducing the burden on Agito-dono and the others. Additionally, the value of any information we can obtain from such an important figure as the Saint is high.”

“…”

“…I’m sorry. I know you probably didn’t want to hear that explanation.”

It’s one of my bad habits.

I always judge things based on whether they are rational or not.

“It’s probably too much to ask you, the demons who have suffered, to prioritize the benefit of the demon nation over personal revenge. That’s certainly not a rational request.”

“…Kiwi-sama!?”

Inasa, whose voice had a surprised tone, called out as I bowed my head.

“Please, Inasa. Will you cooperate in taking the Saint with us?”

“Y-yes… I understand! Kiwi-sama, I understand!”

Inasa replied in a panicked voice, almost shouting.

“I apologize for being stubborn… Please, raise your head! If you bow to me, I’ll have no standing left!”

“It’s not about being stubborn. Anger and hatred toward her are justified, and I believe we should feel them. But let’s let the Demon King decide on the punishment. I’m sure the proper judgment will be made.”

“…Yes.”

Inasa nodded deeply.

She probably still wasn’t fully convinced, but she seemed to at least understand and respect my intentions. That was enough for now.

[Uva]

“Hmm, it’s Shes.”

Just as I finished talking with Inasa, Shes and the Zombie Soldier returned to me. It seems they had taken down three of the hero squad’s warriors.

“Good work. But it took longer than expected. I guess the hero squad really is full of formidable people.”

[Uuu…vvaaa]

“Hm?”

Shes looked back, and it seemed the warriors who had fallen were still alive.

I see.

“They must have held back and avoided killing them. Now that I think about it, I did instruct them to keep them alive as much as possible at the camp… I had forgotten about that.”

[Uva…]

“No, this is a good thing. Thank you, Shes, and Zombie Soldier. Injuries will only add to the burden of the hero squad.”

…Well, now that we’ve secured a retreat, we’re ready to escape with the Saint.

I was concerned about the Zombie Thief who went after Colonel Schwizen and hasn’t returned, but for now, our priority is to get out of this battlefield.

Inasa lightly lifted the Saint onto her shoulder. There was no need to take the two male holy figures with us. I asked Zombie Soldier to neutralize them.

“Alright, everyone, let’s move out.”

While continuously sending magic to the Saint, I turned toward the camp. It was currently the safest place, and it was where the demon forces had gathered.

I led the way with the Zombie Soldier, and I felt a sigh of relief.

…Finally, I had wrapped up this unfamiliar task.

When I first came to the middle of Elden, turned into a battlefield, I was worried about what would happen. But in the end, it seems we’ve achieved quite a good result.

With this, the situation for Agito-dono and the others should improve.

All that remains for me, as a civilian, is to pray for Agito’s victory.

“—Hey, demons. Shall we leave Artemis behind?”

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared before me.

Before I knew it, the Zombie Soldier was blown away from in front of me.

It wasn’t that they vanished, but that they were sent flying to the side.

“I saw the light of a large holy domain, so I came rushing over… You despicable demon army. Trying to target a woman…”

Instead of the Zombie Soldier, a man in silver armor with a beautifully decorated holy sword appeared before me. There was no mistake. “A hero.”

“…What a hassle.”

While Agito and the others were dealing with the other heroes, the “Hero” himself came to rescue the Saint. What kind of battlefield romance was this supposed to be?

“Hero, stay still. If you want to ensure the safety of the hostage, that is.”

So I’m the villain now?

That bitter thought ran through my mind calmly. I was starting to feel like I was getting used to the battlefield, and it was a bit unpleasant.

…It’s about time I wanted to step away from this battlefield and receive protection, as a civilian.