In order to cover us, or several other teams with the same mission as us, the human kingdom launched a feint attack on the Demon King's Army.
Ironically, if you can find the world of Oravia and go to the planet I used to live on, you may be able to learn all this from the aborigines there. The war later became known as the Battle of Dawn, and almost everyone believed that it was the beginning of the human's counterattack against the Demon King's Army.
Until I left that world, people expressed the highest respect for the soldiers and officers who sacrificed their lives as heroes in that war, and even their reverence for them was much higher than the awe of the royal family.
This was not excessive. Those who did not live in that dark era would never understand what a desperate environment it was.
Humans lost more than 90% of their territory, and the other Demi-Humans were even more miserable. There were many alien races like Govi who had lost their homes. Only the Goblins were spared because of their geographical location and the fact that most of their people lived in the space cracks.
At first, I thought that the alliance with the Fairies against the Demon King's Army was the last resistance of the human leaders.
In fact, not only me, but even the Commander and the others thought so, and he also said that if the Fairy King agreed to the alliance, and the final battle against the Demon King's Army really started, then they would definitely participate in the war.
This was the bottom line of being a human.
The day before the start of the operation, I saw an unexpected guest.
The princess of the human kingdom, and also the one who summoned me to this world.
Unlike her headstrong and self-opinionated father, the princess was a very amiable girl. I don't remember her name clearly, but I think it was Duo Mi 'er or something. She had a head of long, honey-colored curly hair and a very beautiful appearance. Her eyes were amber, which matched her curly hair very well.
She had a good reputation among the people, and seemed to have always felt guilty about summoning an 'ordinary person' like me to this world that was about to face destruction.
For this reason, she was also the only person in the palace who often chatted with me. When I was kicked out of the palace, she also raised objections, but it was obviously of no use ….
If I used a slightly malicious way of thinking, perhaps it was because she was too close to me, and the king couldn't tolerate his daughter having any relationship with a piece of trash, so he chased me out of the palace.
Back to the topic, this time she brought me incredible news.
The words in the magically sealed letter were not an alliance letter seeking alliance with the Fairies to resist and repel the Demon King's Army.
It was a letter willing to offer all the resources, treasures, and even other humans in the possession of humans to the Fairy King, only asking the Fairy King to bring the royal family and nobles on the list to the Fairy Kingdom where the Fairies lived to avoid the war.
When it came to this, even the princess, who had never shown anger in front of me, frowned slightly, obviously very dissatisfied.
— — Under the instigation of the nobles who were greedy for life, her father, the last king of humans, actually did this kind of thing that was tantamount to losing his country.
This Can't go on.
The future of the human race should not be destroyed in the hands of a group of cowards.
Realizing this, Her Highness secretly visited the home of a small mercenary like me and told me everything because I was the only mercenary she knew and trusted.
She undid the magic on the letter, changed the content to an alliance to resist the Demon King's Army, and then solemnly handed the letter and her token to me.
Passing through the territory of the Demon King's Army was a risky task, but she firmly believed that I could do it. After that, if there were other messengers who were able to do the same, then the letter in my hands would be more trustworthy with the token in hand.
Of course, she did not intend to stay in the rear and enjoy the fruits of others' labor.
The next day, when we arrived at the barracks, we found that the Princess had already launched a pre-war mobilization in front of the whole army.
I asked the people in the barracks, and only then did I know that the Princess had actually personally come to the front line, as a frontline commander, to fight with everyone.
Regardless of whether the speech was useful or not, just this alone had an amazing effect on the morale of the army.
I can't remember exactly what she said, but there was one sentence that left a deep impression on me.
'Even if you tear my body apart, drink my blood, chew my bones, and make my existence disappear from this world, they will not be able to destroy my courage as a human. My soul will guide you forward!'
Courage was contagious. When the first hero stood up, there would be no lack of other heroes on the battlefield.
That's right. She went against the strategy set by those cowards and really led her army to fight against the Demon King's Army. This made the feint that would have gone down in history for thousands of years to become the famous Dawn Campaign.
That was the beginning of everything, the last line of defense for human dignity, and the origin of human courage.
Interestingly, not only Olavia, in my later life, I encountered similar situations in many other worlds. When humans were forced into a desperate situation, they would erupt with unimaginable courage and strength.
Alright, I know I went off topic, but let's go back to the me of that time.
As messengers, we naturally wouldn't be forced into the battlefield by the main army.
The princess arranged a dragon carriage for us, intending to bypass the main battlefield and sneak in from the side. Not only us, but the other messengers also seemed to have their own arrangements. In short, it gave me the feeling that the princes and ministers seemed to have come up with all kinds of ways to send a letter to the Fairy Empress.
The war was very fierce … No, considering the gap between humans and those monsters, it would be better to describe it as tragic. It was like a meat grinder, laying layer after layer of flesh and organs on the ground.
Even if we didn't officially go to the battlefield and just went around from the side, the tragedy and shock were unforgettable.
At first, it was a young man who helped us drive the dragon carriage. I had seen him around the princess before, so he should be the princess's guard.
The princess went to the battlefield, but not only did she not strengthen her guards, but she also assigned her guards to us. It was obvious that she had placed her hopes on me.
When we passed through the enemy's line of defense, we saw many demons rushing to the front line: there were inferior monsters similar to red-skinned goblins but were actually much stronger, terrifying hell demons as tall as three or four stories, and terrifying beholders and great flame demons that were like towering flame tornadoes.
The situation was obviously overwhelming, but for some reason, I felt that the thin line of defense could withstand the onslaught of these monsters.
Later, it turned out that I was right. The power of determination was indeed terrifying.
Although we were careful enough, we were still discovered by the enemy in the process of sneaking through the line of defense.
It was a type of monster called the Butcher. Its body seemed to be sewn together from many pieces of corpses, but unlike ordinary Stitched Monsters, the Butcher was calmer and crueler, and its resistance to magic was stronger.
I didn't notice that we were targeted by this monster at all, but the young guard noticed it. He pushed me, who was sitting next to him, into the carriage, but he was hooked by the huge iron hook of the Butcher's chain.
The barb, which was as thick as a child's wrist, pierced the guard's lung. I saw blood bubbles coming out of his nose and mouth.
"I must … complete the princess's …"
Before he could finish, the Butcher dragged him out of the dragon carriage, and he fell into the smoke raised by the dragon carriage.
At that moment, I really wanted to turn the carriage around and defeat the Butcher.
But my rationality told me that without the help of a priest, the young man could not be saved. Besides, the Butcher was very strong. I was definitely no match for him alone.
Don't show that expression. At that time, I was just an ordinary person. Even if I had some talent in swordsmanship, I had only mastered a sword skill called Jackdaw's Counterattack.
Even with Govi's help, by the time I defeated the Butcher, more demons would have gathered. It would be difficult to escape then.
In fact, even if I drove the dragon carriage at full speed, it would not be easy to escape.
Fortunately, my partner was very helpful at that time. Her shooting magic was accurate and ruthless. Although it didn't cause too much damage to the Demon King's Army, it still damaged their ankles, eyes and other vital points, causing them to gradually lose the ability to chase after us.
After we completely escaped from the enemy's pursuit, in order to prevent the dragon from suddenly dying after three hours of running, I deliberately let it rest for a while, and then continued forward at a slightly slower speed. This kind of cold-blooded creature could explode with great power, but its endurance was very poor. If it did not get enough rest, it would easily die.
In the area occupied by the demon king's army, Govi and I did not dare to sleep in the open. In the end, we took turns driving the dragon carriage, alternating between resting in the carriage.
In the end, I only slept for three hours, and Govi took a little longer. Of course, I did it on purpose. Compared to warriors, a stable mental state was more important for mages.
When the horizon lit up slightly, we entered the grassland.
I thought that the crisis was temporarily over, but the truth was not that simple.
Huge Ghost Hawks began to appear in the sky. They were hellish creatures that looked a bit like the manta rays on Earth, with a wingspan of more than seven meters. They were the most disgusting spies and eyes of the demon king's army. They could fly high in the sky to carry out reconnaissance, and they could also prey on the owls trained by humans for reconnaissance.
In addition, more than once, I saw the shadow of a two-headed hound in the grass.
There was no doubt that the enemy had realized that someone had sneaked into their territory, and they were digging three feet into the ground to find us.
During this time, we also passed by a place that was once a human city. There was almost no sign of human habitation there, and all the humans were treated as livestock and kept in captivity.
In addition, mercenaries who were carrying out the same mission as us were also caught, and after being tortured, they were hung on the city wall.
To them, dying in torture was a happier thing. Otherwise, they would have to watch helplessly as the birds from hell ate them into skeletons before finally taking their last breaths in that kind of despair and pain … The birds from hell seemed to have some kind of ability that allowed them to eat a person until only a head was left over for a certain period of time without causing the other party to die.
We also encountered deserters. The infiltration mission was not suitable for everyone. It caused a lot of psychological pressure, and it could easily drive people crazy.
When people lost their rationality, it was natural for them to want to escape back to what little human territory they had left.
Unfortunately, from the information I learned later, none of those deserters were able to escape the demon king's army's defense line. On the contrary, the mercenaries who rushed to the Fairy Kingdom had a higher survival rate.
Although in fact, it was not that different … …
As we continued to move forward, the probability of encountering the enemy gradually increased. It was probably because they had found out about our destination from the captured mercenaries.
Sometimes, in order to move forward faster, we had to fight the enemies we encountered. Especially when Govi's disguise magic could fool the Ghost Sparrow's eyes, but it was difficult to fool the two-headed hounds, who were known for their sense of smell. These monsters were said to be a lower subspecies of Cerberus, and it was very troublesome to deal with them.
In the worst case, I could only face off against three Two-headed Hounds by myself. My Swordsmanship, Jackdaw's Counterattack, could only be used in a one-on-one fight. It was extremely disadvantageous for me to fight three of them at once.
Of course, in the end, I paid the price of being injured and fought with my life. In this kind of bloody battle, I grew faster than I expected.
If I had to say, that was probably the most dangerous period of my life. Even when I faced the demon king later on, it was not as bad as it was.
On the third day of infiltration into the demon king's territory, Govi and I were in a terrible state.
Due to the lack of sleep, I was in a half-awake state. Govi, on the other hand, was always in a trance due to excessive spellcasting. Let alone chanting magic, she could not even concentrate.
Even a newbie like me knew that if this continued, the situation would not be good. Not to mention spellcasters, even if it was a swordsman like me, when there was an abnormal state of mind, it was easy for flaws to appear in battle. A small trance was enough to end my fragile life.
If this continued, the next battle would be the end of our lives.
Thus, when we found a small lake, we decided to take a break.
I roasted fish by the shore, and the girl bathed in the lake.
During this time, because of the battles, my relationship with her became better, or rather, more tacit.
At the same time, our understanding of each other was deeper than when we were in the mercenary group.
I used to think that Govi was a lively and cheerful girl, but in fact, that was not the case. Occasionally, she would look at the sky in a daze. Even if the expression on her face did not change much, the side of her face, which was set off by her long hair fluttering in the wind, still gave people a feeling of sadness. Even if I did not ask her the reason, I could roughly guess that she was sad for her hometown that had fallen into the hands of the demon king's army.
In addition, she was also very gentle. Although she was a little subtle when it came to cooking, it was the kind of food that was clearly very proper, but not very delicious. However, she was very good at sewing. My leather armor lining was sewn by her … Or rather, I was a little surprised that she would bring a needle and thread for this kind of mission.
Of course, she was not pretending to be cheerful and lively. When she saw the sunrise on the grassland for the first time, she was as excited as a five or six year old girl. She even specially woke me up to watch the sunrise together. When we met groundhogs, she would specially dig them out to see if they could be used as food reserves … Of course, in the end, she did not let me roast them and let them go.
On the way, we talked the most about Govi's hometown, the once glorious kingdom of the White Elves, and the story of Govi's childhood.
She would always use a singing tone to talk about the beauty of the White Elves' kingdom built in the forest, and the artistic name that the White Elves' ancestors had once created. Then, she would foolishly share with me the embarrassing stories of her childhood, without any taboo.
Every time that happened, I would quietly listen to her talk by the side. To be honest, I quite liked that kind of feeling.
I once thought that I had fallen in love with her, but soon I realized that it was not 'love', but just pure liking. If I had to put it into words, it was at most a feeling of intimacy between friends due to the suspension bridge effect.
"Xu, can you help me tie up my hair?"
The drenched girl was wearing her spare clothes, which were made from a snow-white cloth similar to silk produced in the former Kingdom of the White Elves. In addition, there were no undergarments like bras in this world. Now that they were soaked in water, they were somewhat exposed.
However, the girl did not mind showing her back and her similarly dripping wet hair to me.
"Why don't you use magic to dry it?"
I asked.
"Because I need to conserve magic and at the same time, relax my mind in preparation for the upcoming battle!"
The girl said matter-of-factly.
Her hair was very good, and unlike humans, the hair of the Elves seemed to be more slender. Even after tying it up, it did not give off the feeling of a large pile of hair. Instead, it gave off a slender and lively feeling. This was especially obvious when she moved.
Of course, I knew what she meant.
In fact, the White Elves did not seem to allow anyone other than their parents and spouse to touch their ears. However, when I was tying her hair, I touched it a few times, but Govi did not react.
"Xu."
"What's wrong?"
"In the future, can you always help me braid my hair?"
There were times when I hated myself for being so clear-headed. Thus, when faced with the girl's confession, I could only brush it off.
Right, I also learned the technique of braiding Mo Li's hair at that time.
Eh? Why are you angry?
Cough, in short, let's skip this part and continue the story.
After that, when we were approaching the Fairy Kingdom, we encountered a few waves of enemies that we needed to fight. However, the battles were relatively easy.
It was only when we were about to leave the Demon King's territory that we encountered a truly difficult opponent.
That's right, it was the Butcher that we met near the battlefront.
We fought and retreated, all the way until we reached the Fairy Kingdom's territory. However, the enemy still chased after us.
During this period, Govi and I were almost killed by him several times. The feeling of a hook shooting out from the darkness at any moment was too disgusting. That should have been the most difficult period of our lives.
At the same time, because of the Butcher's pressure, our ability to pay attention to our surroundings and our ability to think had decreased by a lot. We actually did not realize what it meant for this fellow to be able to chase us into the Fairy Kingdom's territory.
Here, I have to mention the Fairy Kingdom of Oravia a little.
Before the invasion of the Demon King's Army, the Fairy Kingdom was called the Fairy Kingdom or Dreamland. In fact, only about one-tenth of it was on Oravia. The rest was attached to a space crack on Oravia.
Therefore, the Fairy Kingdom was regarded as the most mysterious place, and there were even legends such as the Fountain of Youth.
In addition, some of the Fairies liked to collect treasures, so the Fairy Kingdom was full of gold and silver treasures. This was also very popular.
It was probably because of this that the human aristocrats felt that as long as they offered their treasures, they could exchange for the protection of the Fairy Queen.
The hub that connected the Fairy Kingdom and Oravia was the tree hole of a giant tree called the Sirius Tree.
When the unbelievably large tree appeared in my field of vision, I was really happy at that time.
But soon I realized that as long as the Butcher was watching from the side, there was no way we could enter the Fairy Kingdom.
"Govi, listen to me …"
"I'm going to stay behind."
Without waiting for me to finish, Govi interrupted me and snatched my line.
"How can you leave the job of staying behind to a Spellcaster? Don't be willful at this time!"
As long as I could delay the Butcher and create a little free time, Govi could enter the Fairy Kingdom.
And as a White Elf, she had a certain friendship with the Fairies, so letting Govi negotiate was the best choice.
"Xu, how long can you delay the Butcher?"
"Five minutes."
I estimated the combat power comparison and said a more conservative number.
This was something I could only do if I bet my life.
"I can delay it for five hours."
I would probably never forget the look in Govi's eyes at that time. It was a look full of determination.
She said, "Rather than being prepared to die, it's better for the two of us to go back together and compare the price, right?"
"But the enemy is the Butcher …"
I didn't believe Govi's five-hour statement.
"Don't underestimate the White Elf's secret technique! I just didn't want to waste the casting materials of the secret technique before … but in this situation, it shouldn't be a problem to waste a little, right? "
She smiled slyly. "Believe me, before I get your answer, I won't die so easily."
Since she had said so, I couldn't continue to question her.
So after we were ready, Govi used a portable magic formation to fight against the Butcher, and I took advantage of that opportunity to use the quest item given by the King to open the gate to the Fairy Kingdom.
Then, I saw the Fairy Kingdom in a mess as if it had just been ravaged.
Before we could ask for help, our only reinforcements had been defeated by the enemy.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
