บท 128: The Proud Warrior’s Duty
Part 1
Ruijerd Supardia. It was a name that once struck fear in the hearts of countless people. And his appearance was one that used to cause people to attack him on sight.
But that was no longer the case. And the cause of that was Rudy. A young human child he came across by chance, protecting a human baby girl in a tall tower.
A chance meeting. Also one that began with suspicion and doubt on Rudy's part.
But after that meeting, everything changed.
Ruijerd learned that the irrational hatred he faced each time was due to a curse tied to his hair. One that was caused by an enemy that Rudy called 'Being W.' An enemy that also went by two other names.
Hitogami... and the Human God.
It was an incredible story. But Rudy was an incredible person.
A child who maintained the demeanor of a warrior while possessing the talent of a master magician. One that Ruijerd felt could rival even Laplace.
But he was wrong.
Not even the Demon God could have done what Rudy did.
Summoning a Demon Empress Kishirika Kishirisu from a parallel timeline. Summoning countless high-level spirits surely rivalled the ones serving Perugius. But more than that...
Transforming the desolate wastelands of the Magic Continent to fertile territory. Sending out knights to cull the monsters and slowly expand a safe region. Establishing a Survey Corps to expand the border and pave the way to find new survivors.
A child who was more fit to rule than many of the so-called 'Demon Kings' all over the Magic Continent.
At first, Ruijerd wanted to protect him. Seeing a child desperately protecting his younger sister, Ruijerd wanted to be his strength. But in the end...
'It turned out to be me relying on him.'
Ruijerd let out a warm smile and looked around the lively scene.
Nina and Isolte, chatting away with Norn, discussing various sword techniques and theories. Little Stella sitting in her crib nearby, thoughtfully listening while patting her floating cat familiar on the head.
Warm food being shared all around as children played without a care in the world.
It was a scene that Ruijerd thought he would never experience again. And for that...
Ruijerd looked towards the tower in the distance. The place where Rudy... No. Where Lord Rudras was enjoying his time with his wives.
"Hm?" Eos spoke up and looked over at Ruijerd. "Do you see something, Ruijerd?"
Enoch paused in the middle of preparing another skewer of meat and said, "Yes. Is there a problem?"
Ruijerd shook his head and focused his attention back on their meals. "No. Just reminiscing."
---
Part 2
Time continued to pass. Days turned into weeks. And weeks turned into months.
During that time, Ruijerd continued on with his duties.
Although Roland mainly oversaw the operations of the White Knights and Eos controlled the Survey Corps, Ruijerd was entrusted with overseeing the adventurers as well as military operations.
Put another way, he was the general above even Roland in directing battles, skirmishes, and strategy.
And so, it was his job to patrol and check in on the military powers like the White Knights and the Survey Corps every now and then.
Today was one such day.
Recently, Lord Rudras had been taking personal time to spend with his family, entrusting the daily operations to Rika and himself.
So to ensure that he didn't have to worry about any hassles while he spent his much deserved family reunion time, Ruijerd made the rounds to check on Arcadia's forces.
First off, the White Knights.
They were a similar unit to the Kingdom of Milis's paladins, operating out of the Church of Rudras on the west side of the kingdom.
Initially, it was a group of 12 paladins led by Roland and summoned by Lord Rudras. But now...
"Keep at it, kiddos~! We'll have lunch as soon as you finish a few more laps!"
"YES, LADY ASTOLFO!"
"That's SIR Astolfo!"
"SIR, YES SIR!"
A lively atmosphere. Young men and women alike running around the perimeter of the church while more experienced knights ran training drills on the courtyard.
In contrast to the sacred church of Milis, the Church of Rudras seemed more combat oriented. Although worshippers were welcome and people were free to enter for prayer, the area itself seemed more like a barracks for soldiers than a holy sanctuary.
Although, that was Rudy's intention.
"Hm?" Astolfo looked over at Ruijerd and waved. "Yoohoo~! Good morning, General Ruijerd!"
Astolfo had her hair in a neatly braided bun today, keeping it tied up and out of the way. Probably to give a more serious atmosphere to train the recruits. Still, regardless of that appearance, the fact that her silver armor was marred with dents and scars was enough proof of her capability.
Ruijerd smiled and nodded his head. "Good morning to you as well, Astolfo. Any issues with recruits?"
Astolfo giggled and said, "Those guys are silly, but they work hard enough." She placed her hand on her chin and said, "Must be inspired by this pretty face. Don't you think?"
Ruijerd chuckled and said, "A beauty goes a long way to inspire heroes."
"Aw~" Astolfo blushed a bit and said, "Thanks, General! You're pretty beautiful yourself!"
Ruijerd smiled and then focused on observing the training of the paladins and new recruits.
For the trainees that Astolfo just sent off... Most of them looked brand new. Men and women that had never seen combat before, and probably survivors who were inspired to help.
But that made sense. Those that had seen combat would have joined the Adventurer's Guild instead.
So for these trainees, a bit of basic conditioning, working to build a baseline level of physique.
After that...
Ruijerd shifted his gaze to the paladins sparring in the courtyard.
There were a few wearing the symbolic silver armor personally crafted by Lord Rudras and emblazoned with 'R3.' Those were the original members of the White Knights, part of the founding twelve.
Facing them were a few more paladins, wearing silver armor, but lacking the emblem and instead bearing a crimson lightning bolt. The symbol of Lord Rudras, as well as signifying the new generation of White Knights.
Combat skills... were passable. The original White Knights were all on par with Ruijerd or only slightly worse.
Except for Roland, of course. Though, considering the recent revelation that he was a future child of Rudy's, that made sense.
As for the new generation of White Knights... It was a bit hard to judge as they were using the combat techniques Lord Rudras devised as a base, but he would judge them around the Saint-Rank level. More than enough to pose a threat individually, and when cooperating as a unit as they were trained to do...
Ruijerd nodded and turned back to Astolfo. "You're doing well here, Astolfo."
"Aw geez. Thanks, General!" Astolfo smiled and said, "I'll keep doing my best! Can't disappoint Boss now, can I?"
"Indeed."
"By the way..." Astolfo sidled up to Ruijerd and said, "Can I ask a personal question, General?"
Ruijerd nodded. "Of course."
"Great! Then..." She looked around and then reached up to whisper in Ruijerd's ear. "Are you seeing anyone right now? Because I'm free later and I'd *love* to go on a date."
"...Have a good day, Astolfo."
"Aw..." Astolfo leaned back and pouted. But then she smiled and said, "Okay. Take care, General!"
Ruijerd waved and then headed towards his next location.
---
"Commander Eos! Reports have come in that Beigoya Region has fallen into chaos with the absence of Demon King Badigadi!"
Eos kicked her feet up onto her desk and clicked her tongue. "That's Rika's former betrothed, isn't it? Go send a report to her. She'll handle it. That's not our job."
"Yes, Commander!"
Eos flipped through a notebook and said, "What about that musclehead? Did any of our men escape from Fort Necross yet?"
"No, Commander! But we are coordinating with the men on the inside for a raid! It seems that the Immortal Demon King lacks the capacity to restrict our communications, so it is only a matter of time!"
A flurry of activity. When Ruijerd walked into the office of the Survey Corps, Eos was listening to a group of reports, frowning as she went over the new information.
But when she noticed Ruijerd walked in, she turned to the troops reporting to her and said, "You're dismissed. I want a written report on my desk by sunset. Understood?"
"Yes, Commander!"
And with that, the office emptied.
Ruijerd stepped in and took a look around.
The Survey Corps headquarters was located on the Eastern side of the kingdom, along with the other various educational facilities.
While ostensibly a military force, it would be more appropriate to call them an information gathering force that happened to possess military might due to that information gathered.
Magic, sword techniques, magical items and artifacts... It was a group that used whatever means they had at their disposal to remain safe and held the motto of leaving no man behind if possible and prioritizing retreat to return with information.
And that was reflected in their commander's office.
While Eos herself was always sharply dressed, her work environment was chaotic.
Looseleaf parchments scattered all over. A large map of the Magic Continent on the wall with crimson lines drawn all over in a tangled web. A bookshelf filled with notebooks that were well-used.
Even her desk was filled with stacks of paper left unattended.
Ruijerd shifted his gaze to Eos and said, "It seems that you're as busy as always, Eos."
Eos sighed and adjusted her glasses. After that, she pulled her feet off her desk and leaned forward. "It can't be helped. We won't be able to rely on Father forever, so it's important to set the framework now."
Ruijerd pulled over a spare chair and said, "Father... So you're acknowledging it now?" He smiled and said, "I presume that surprised a great number of your men."
Eos's ears turned red and then pursed her lips. "It didn't. Apparently word had already gotten out to them when an idiot wanted to confirm if I was Father's 'lover.'" She shuddered and said, "As if. People have too much time on their hands to be if they are considering something like that."
"Well, this is a peaceful kingdom. It's fortunate that they have the luxury to do so."
Yes. A peaceful kingdom in a continent that historically knew nothing but harsh survival and violence.
A novel concept that Ruijerd still doubted at times.
Eos rubbed the bridge of her nose and said, "I suppose. It's still infuriating though. Especially when people start asking how old I am... As if age even matters."
"Mm."
Eos looked at Ruijerd and said, "What are you doing here though? Just making the rounds? Or did something happen?"
"Nothing happened. Like yourself, I'm simply ensuring that the kingdom is running smoothly." He frowned and said, "Though it seems that some of your men have been captured by Demon King Atofe?"
Atoferatofe Raibaku.
Ruijerd had seen her fight in that fateful battle against Demon God Laplace. And since then, he had learned more about her from his travels.
A musclehead who was all brawn and no brain... apparently. But the fact that she learned the North God style and reigned over the Gaslow Region showed that she had enough cunning to manage that properly.
Then there was the infamous impregnable Fort Necross where she resided and kept strong fighters...
If some of the Survey Corps had been captured, it would be a mess.
Eos waved her hand and said, "Don't worry about it. Apparently, she isn't too terrible of a ruler. It's a bit inconvenient, but we needed information on the region in any case and the men who were captured were resolved to suffer a worse fate than simply being forced to train and patrol." She paused and said, "Though Father mentioned that he was going to visit her with Mother Sylphy and Mother Eris..."
Ruijerd blinked. "For what?"
"Apparently, the younger version of Rika... That 'Great Empress Kishirika' snuck out and caused some trouble, getting captured in the process. Norn was upset, and so they are heading out to negotiate and retrieve her."
"...I take it he didn't mention this trip to Rika?"
"Knowing Father... Probably not." Eos sighed.
"...Then I suppose he hasn't heard about the Immortal Demon Lord's request, has he?"
Eos blinked. "What request?"
"Well..."
-RNG-
Fort Necross. An intimidating pitch black fortress that no one had ever been able to escape from.
There, standing before her obsidian throne, a female demon with blue skin and pitch black armor pointed a sword at me and said, "Demon Lord of Salvation! I am the Immortal Demon Lord Atoferatofe Ryback! I'll bestow you with the title of hero if you can defeat me! But if you lose, I'll make you my puppet and use you until your last breath!"
I blinked and casually scanned the surroundings.
A group of black armored knights that seemed as strong as my own White Knights. A number that included a few familiar mana presences and faces from the Survey Corps as well, currently shackled by a weird black mana.
A wide audience chamber that was more than enough for a proper duel.
But more importantly than that...
"The fuck did you just say, you blue demon whore?"
"I see. So it comes down to violence after all. Mother-in-law was correct about having to take preemptive measures..."
...a chamber slowly freezing and burning at the same time as the two woman I arrived with slowly stepped forward.
Eris, gnashing her teeth as she drew her sword and a flaming dragon wrapped around her.
Sylphy, letting out a chilling smile as space itself seemed to distort from the sheer cold she was emitting.
...Yeah. I'm definitely putting Kishirika in time out after all this hassle.
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