Chapter 54: Fighting Power Worth 10 Armies of the Demon King

“We’re in trouble.”

“Yeah, five of those Flame Knights can destroy demons, and now there are 1,000 of them. If they attack, won’t Alheim be wiped out?”

“The Demon King had 20 demon followers, right? That means this force is equivalent to 10 armies of the Demon King. Not just Alheim—this could be the end of the world.”

“…Seriously?”

Luke and Ryuushin were hiding in a forest about three kilometers from the encampment of the Fifth Prince of Apristos’s private army.

After hearing from Leaffa about Halt being brainwashed and taken away, the two had tracked his magical power and confirmed that it was truly Halt who had summoned those Flame Knights.

“So what now? Should we try beating Halt up a bit to see if that’ll knock some sense into him?”

“And sneak past those Flame Knights? Impossible! I saw one of them throw a spear, and I couldn’t even follow it with my eyes!”

“Right, I also saw them team up to destroy a demon. Their coordination, both offensively and defensively, was flawless.”

“Then…”

“Yeah...”

“It’s over!” (Luke and Ryuushin)

Luke and Ryuushin burst into laughter.

“Ahahaha… Oh man, we’re done for. Normal people don’t laugh when they’re in trouble, right?”

“Nope, but when it’s this bad, what else can you do? That’s the power of 10 Demon King armies. We’re screwed.”

“No doubt.”

“But Halt is too strong… Maybe he *is* the Demon King?”

“Ditto!”

“Man, we don’t have any option but to escape to a country where Halt isn’t.”

“He can teleport, you know?”

“Ah…”

“Pfft!”

“Pfft! Ahahahahaha!”

The two couldn’t stop laughing for a while.

“Sigh… In the meantime, we should head back and report this to the capital.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Luke and Ryuushin left the area.

Unbeknownst to them, Halt had been watching them the entire time.

The ex-general’s command was to keep the enemies in check. So even though Halt saw them, he didn’t make a move.

──＊＊＊──

“What you said… Is it true? Has Halt really become our enemy…?”

“Yes...”

Luke and Ryuushin had returned to the Royal Capital and were explaining the situation to the Elf King and the ministers in the conference room. Tina and Leaffa waited in a separate room.

“Tsk, we should never have trusted a human! He was brainwashed so easily!!”

“Hold your tongue! It was an elf who placed that [Bracelet of Slavery] on him! Don’t disgrace us further!” The Elf King’s voice boomed, silencing the ministers.

“Listen carefully! According to Leaffa, Halt banished Sylph-sama back to the Spirit Realm. Do you understand the implications?”

“Banished Sylph-sama!?”

“That’s impossible.”

“Sylph-sama will become our enemy!?”

“That’s correct. If he could forcibly drive her out, then the reverse is also possible. In other words, if Halt summons Sylph-sama by force, she might attack our country without hesitation.”

The ministers turned pale, panic spreading as the weight of the Elf King’s words sank in.

But that wasn’t the only issue.

“Sylph-sama is indeed a problem, but there’s something else… Halt has summoned a large number of Flame Knights.”

“Flame Knights? You mean the same magic he used against the Army General during the tournament?”

“What do you mean by ‘a large number’? 10? 20?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! The Army General was defeated easily by just one! If there are 20 of them, we’re doomed!”

“There are 1,000!”

“What!?”

“We confirmed that Halt summoned 1,000 Flame Knights, and they’ve been integrated into the Fifth Prince’s private army of 3,000 soldiers.”

The minister in charge of National Defense collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud.

“First, we need to separate Halt from the former general. Supposedly, Halt can’t act without receiving commands.”

“Will that even be possible?”

“We have to make it possible, or this country will be destroyed. If we fail, we’ll need to evacuate all civilians from the kingdom.”

“We’re evacuating the people? Wouldn’t it be safer for them to stay in the Royal Capital? The city walls are protected by magical barriers strong enough to withstand an attack.”

“That’s pointless. Halt broke through the magical barriers at the tournament with ease.”

The magical barriers protecting the Royal Capital were just as strong as those used at the tournament. In other words, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Halt’s power.

“Sarion.”

“What is it, my Lord?”

At the Elf King’s call, Sarion suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Work with Tina, Luke, and the others to come up with a way to separate Halt from the former general. I can only use the army as a decoy. I’m counting on you all.”

“I understand. Sir Luke, Sir Ryuushin, Lady Tina is waiting in the other room. Let’s head there.”

“Yeah.”

“We understand. Please excuse us.”

With Sarion, Luke, and Ryuushin gone, the remaining ministers resumed discussing plans for evacuating the civilians.