Of course, that was easier said than done.
Histori couldn’t actually count on a miracle from a god, so…
‘It is time to figure out how to get a Ruler Breaker and break this damn Blood Contract!’
Anyway, now that the Demon King was dead, it should be easy enough to break his Curse as long as she could find the trick to it.
She still didn’t know where to find an expert in contract magic, but since the Unified Kingdom had been fighting the Demon King for so long, they had to know a way to break a Demon King’s Blood Contract…
Right?
“…”
Histori silently looked at the tail by her side.
‘Well, putting aside whether this is even feasible, am I really going to a human settlement in this state?’
She felt that if Amir wasn’t willing to protect her, she would surely be tied to a stake and burned to death in no time.
But if she didn’t try, her life was like a flickering candle in the wind.
She might as well take a gamble…
Clutching these contradictory and tangled thoughts, Histori tossed and turned on that hard wooden log for a long time before finally falling into a difficult sleep.
—
*Clang — ! Bang — ! Boom boom boom boom!!!*
The morning sun had just pierced the night when a tooth-aching sound of metal clashing and overwhelming shouts forced their way into Histori’s ears.
…So noisy.
Histori frowned in pain.
She reached out, instinctively wanting to pull a soft velvet quilt over her head, but only caught a handful of damp soil.
Right, this wasn’t her warm bedroom; it was the wilderness.
The culprit who had turned her into this pathetic state was still by her side.
“Awake?”
The usual cold voice came from her left.
“…Good morning, Hero.”
Histori rubbed her eyes and turned her head to look at the black-haired girl.
Amir had already organized her equipment and was standing by the tree stump with an indifferent expression.
“Um, that noise next to us is…”
“Humans are fighting monsters,” Amir stated succinctly.
She pulled a dark gray cloak, which was taller than Histori herself, out of her storage space and draped it over Histori’s head without further explanation.
Amir leaned down and tugged at the corners of the cloak, hiding Histori’s conspicuous silver hair and her cheeks.
Then, she picked up her Heavy Sword and began walking toward the source of the noise.
“Let’s go. We’ll take a look.”
—
The sound came from an open area at the edge of the forest.
It was on the border of the Demon King’s territory but not under his jurisdiction — a sort of no-man’s land where Orc scouting parties usually patrolled.
As for now, those Orc scouts had become a field of corpses.
Standing beside the bodies was a squad of fully armed Human heavy cavalry clad in silver-white armor.
The longswords in their hands were still dripping with crimson liquid, and their horses were restlessly pawing at the ground.
The entire unit exuded a cold, murderous aura.
“…”
Histori silently pulled at the brim of her hood, hiding her body and eyes even more tightly.
Speaking of which, this was the first time she had seen an army of the Human Realm.
They certainly looked much more disciplined than the Demon Race’s Orc legions.
As the two figures emerged from the forest, the cavalry regiment, led by their commander, tightened their formation and immediately assumed a combat-ready stance.
“…Wait, that figure and hair color… is that the Hero?”
Someone recognized Amir’s identity and whispered to the others.
However, to Histori’s surprise, these people, who were supposed to be Amir’s allies, did not show the respect or adoration one would expect for a savior as she approached.
On the contrary, many of them looked even more stiff than when they were clearing the battlefield.
Their expressions were a mix of faint disgust and even…
Fear?
*Clang.*
When they were nearly 100 meters away, several knights in the front row instinctively tightened their reins and lowered the tips of their spears, acting as if they were facing a great enemy.
…Eh?
What is going on?
Histori raised an eyebrow in surprise and poked her head out from Amir’s side.
‘No way, is the Hero’s reputation among the knights really this bad? Does Amir usually use her teammates as shields or cut people down for no reason?’
Just as Histori wondered if they were actually going to attack Amir, the center of the cavalry unit split open.
A tall female knight with long blonde hair, wearing bright silver plate armor and a deep blue cape, rode out.
After seeing Amir clearly, she also frowned.
However, she dismounted nimbly and walked up to Amir.
She clenched her right hand and struck the armor on her left chest with a crisp thud.
“Greetings, Hero! I am Beatrix von Lancelot, Commander of the First Vanguard Regiment of the Unified Kingdom’s Holy Cavalry Regiments!”
Her voice was powerful and her attitude was neither humble nor arrogant.
She seemed much easier to get along with than the others.
“…Mm.”
However, facing the tall female commander, Amir didn’t even lift an eyelid.
She simply nodded with a soft hum, then turned around, grabbed Histori’s wrist, and prepared to bypass the knights to continue forward.
This arrogant attitude clearly angered some of the men beside Beatrix.
“…Hey, wait a minute, Hero! You aren’t just leaving, are you?”
A knight encased in full armor urged his horse forward a few steps and shouted in a youthful voice, “The direction you are heading is toward the Unified Kingdom. The Demon King’s Castle is in the opposite direction.”
“That’s right! And where is the Hero’s armor? You actually changed into Demon Race clothes. Could it be that you’re afraid of the Demon King and want to desert — “
“All of you, shut up.”
Before the knights could finish, Beatrix interrupted them sternly.
She turned back to Amir and struck her chest again.
“Apologies, Hero. My subordinates were disrespectful.”
Beatrix coughed twice, trying to make her tone sound more respectful.
“However, their confusion is also my own. You set out far too early and did not coordinate with any other units. It has been difficult for even my Vanguard Regiment to keep up with your pace.”
As she spoke, she looked toward the cloudy Demon King’s territory in the distance.
“Therefore, we do not fully understand the current situation. Could you please tell us why you are turning back when the subjugation of the Demon King is so close? If you need supplies, we will certainly do our best — “
“The Demon King is dead.”
Amir looked back calmly, her pitch-black eyes sweeping across Beatrix’s face.
“As of last night.”