Enkrid looked at Roman.
Why was this Roman groveling here after being beaten by parasites?
'Because there's no threat to the city of Oara.'
That's why he could leave his post.
The city of Oara was Knight Oara's legacy. If he'd come despite the city being in danger, cutting Roman's throat would be appropriate.
But Roman wouldn't be that much of an idiot.
Therefore, the city of Oara would be safe now. What did that mean?
'Oara no longer has a Demonic Realm.'
They would have cleanly cleared away even the remnants of the Gray Forest.
Then was there a reason for asymmetric forces to gather heavily in Oara?
No.
Conclusion: it was possible to dispatch some of Oara's forces here.
Then it would also be possible to protect these people while making them self-sufficient.
Oara was a city where people who knew how to fight gathered.
In the first place, part of Border Guard's standing army training methods were learned by observing the city of Oara.
A fortress city and a city for combat—its former name was Thousand Brick.
If they borrowed that city's form to build Thousand Brick here?
They couldn't build a castle overnight, but human construction technology had made dramatic advances over time.
If they could receive help from Naurilia Kingdom.
'It probably won't even take a year.'
Six months if quick. It would be enough time to at least build outer walls.
Then they could see new walls here. In a form facing the Demonic Realm too.
It meant both the birth of a new fortress city and the expansion of the kingdom's territory.
The surrounding monsters and Demon Beasts were eliminated in an instant, creating a monster vacuum phenomenon in this area.
Normally when creating a pioneer city, you had to clear surrounding monsters—they'd done that in advance.
'Simultaneously, if we redirect part of the trade route with the west this way, a new trade route will open and the trade domain will expand.'
In other words, change this place from a demonic city to a human city. It was a plan that occurred the moment he first saw the Demonic Realm's residents.
"You really thought that far ahead?"
Rem said in surprise.
"I'll have Krais handle the detailed planning, and he'll take care of it."
Meanwhile, forces could be sent from the city of Oara, so they wouldn't need to use the kingdom's army.
"Sometimes I really don't know what's inside Commander Brother's head."
Audin was impressed. Even if he couldn't wield a sword as well as now, the Commander would have shone anywhere. But for Enkrid, he hadn't particularly agonized over it.
It was just a path that appeared the moment he thought he'd protect them somehow.
Thanks to repeating countless todays, his ability to choose the best path had been cultivated.
Enkrid asked inwardly at the thought he'd naturally reached.
'Should I be grateful to the Ferryman?'
Because it wasn't a dream, there was no answer from the Ferryman.
With that thought, he raised his head to look at the sky.
Several days had passed since coming here, and at this point, it seemed they'd held not a courtship dance but a courtship ball.
'He's not coming.'
Balrog wasn't coming.
It wasn't hard to guess the reason. It was still insufficient.
So they'd have to set a big fire so everyone could see, so it would catch even the demon's eyes from very far away. So rumors would spread and anyone would know.
They'd have to make it so even demons would whisper among themselves and couldn't ignore it.
Enkrid's gaze turned to one side. Though he hadn't drawn a line, what lay beyond his sight could truly be called the interior of the Demonic Realm.
They said there was something inside there.
"Just as humans have outpost cities, the Demonic Realm also has such things."
Zoroslav had said such words. Words exchanged before the current situation arose.
The moment he heard those words, his heart pounded. Anticipation surged. To compare, if the Demonic Realm Gray Forest before the city of Oara was a small lake, this place was like an ocean.
The pitch-black ocean, not knowing where it ended or what would pop out, invited Enkrid.
Even though it was just a hole created because even the widely spread southern front couldn't block it, even if a peerless beauty stripped naked and seduced him, his heart wouldn't pound like this.
"Why do you keep grinning?"
Rem said, looking at such an Enkrid.
"Because it seems fun."
"I can tell you're thinking something really dangerous again."
Enkrid looked at Rem who spoke thus. His eyes would be no different from his own.
"Going in?"
"Yeah."
The answer came simultaneously with the question.
[ * * * ]
"Good thing we didn't fight."
The Trade City's mayor nodded to the mercenary commander.
After first learning that they were moving in the opposite direction from the Trade City, he briefly regretted it, but that time of regret was short.
"We need to know why they're going there. Even if we have to mobilize all the information guilds."
To the information guilds that had continued a venerable tradition on the continent, Enkrid and the Madman Knight Company were also a dangerous group.
Over time, several assassination guilds had targeted them and gotten caught, disappearing.
Literally annihilated. Not only did everyone who challenged them die, but entire guilds that accepted the contracts were massacred.
And usually information guilds also worked assassination jobs.
Thanks to that, it was natural that information guilds also feared them.
When traces of the unprecedented assassination group called Geor's Dagger remained where they'd been defeated, targeting them now became meaningless.
Therefore, there were no more assassins targeting the Madman Knight Company. At least not in what was called the central continent.
With the situation like this, it was difficult to pull some scheme to insert spies.
The fortunate thing was that they didn't hide their movements.
Even more fortunate was that bastards called the Gilpin Guild sold exclusively high-purity information.
The only problem was it cost quite a bit of krona, but the Trade City was literally the owner of the number one golden pot on this continent. They liberally scattered krona to obtain information.
That's how they heard news that the Madman Knight Company had gone right up to the Demonic Realm's nose and killed all the monsters.
"I told you. Surrender, just surrender. If we chose to fight, I'd retire."
The mercenary commander said.
Still, it was a bit annoying that a bastard who'd even earned the epithet Indomitable acted like that.
The mayor felt a certain regret.
'If we had a knight company like that under our command.'
The Trade City could become a kingdom.
"Tch."
The mayor spat out empty air once at the pointless thought. He had no desire to become a king. It was just that things he'd done trying to gather his family, his people, and live well had come this far.
Many cursed him as an extreme self-preservationist, but conversely, he'd seen countless bastards die from coveting everything and charging in.
"I started as a peddler when I was seventeen. Few of the people who started work with me back then remain. How did I get here? Those who charged in talking about one shot at life—I hid behind them and watched, and I got here by getting past bastards who didn't know their lives were precious and ran wild. What else is there? Yeah, I'm also good at reading people. So I wiped out even those who betrayed me to get to now."
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
In private settings, the mercenary commander was no different from a close friend. He listened indifferently to the mayor's ramblings after a few drinks. It was what he always said when drunk.
"My intuition is telling me. Now is exactly the time to bow our heads and endure. Just watch. The world is won by those who go the distance. It's won by those who survive to the end."
The mercenary commander agreed with these words too.
That's why it was surrender.
"So you're making that contract with Border Guard?"
The mercenary commander asked. The mayor nodded.
"I have to."
Though called a contract, it wasn't anything special. It was a promise about military support—not receiving support immediately, but a promise to support when something happened.
It was a proposal from a man called Krais from Border Guard.
'What is Lord Graham doing that he doesn't even show his face?'
Still, that side had quite a connection. To be more honest, it was a side that was good to exploit, but this side, the bastard called Krais, wasn't.
The situation had changed. Positions were reversed.
Just promising military support required dozens of bags of gold coins to change hands. Wasteful, but it was clearly something that had to be done.
Was it because of monsters occasionally seen by the riverside?
"The mercenary company is enough for that."
The Indomitable mercenary commander showed confidence.
Yeah, that's enough.
This was, therefore, like a covenant of alliance.
At first, they'd tried sending pretty women to Border Guard to establish blood ties, but after seeing the two women called the Golden Fairy and Black Flower, everyone lost their fighting spirit.
And it wasn't like Enkrid embraced all the women sent to him either.
'If only that had worked, she could have at least secured a third or fourth concubine position.'
Now this was the only method available to avoid becoming enemies.
Though a bit anxious, from Border Guard's side they said.
"This is a covenant derived from a Knight's oath. We won't break it. As long as you don't turn away first."
Stripping away the flowery language and words written about maintaining courtesy, that was the content of the promise that returned.
"Yeah, I have to trust it."
Enkrid's prestige was lofty. He was trustworthy enough.
And also fearsome.
'That madness of entering the Demonic Realm.'
He was someone they never wanted as an enemy no matter what happened.
[ * * * ]
Holy Knight Commander Overdear also heard news of Enkrid.
"The god of Scales gave him madness but took away his fear."
It was admiration burst out with a smile. Half in bewilderment.
At his words, Noah, who'd become Pope, showed a smile.
"Rather, it's his heart to save those standing before the Demonic Realm. If there's anything we can help with, I'd like to help."
"There is a way, but it wouldn't be good for your political standing. Your Holiness."
This answer came from the Ragged Saint.
"I believe protecting people is more important than my standing."
Overdear heard that and laughed heartily. Yes, this kind of person should be Pope.
"Let's do it!"
More important than politics, standing, power, authority.
Isn't it the will to protect and save people?
Thus the Cult Extermination Priest Corps moved. At Noah's request, they readily accepted, saying they owed him a debt.
[ * * * ]
"He's my friend, but he's really a crazy bastard."
Krang said as before. Just because he sat on a throne didn't mean he needed to change the tone he used in private.
"That's not something a king who thought about waging war with the Empire over that friend's disappearance should say."
Across the table in the small reception room, Krang narrowed his eyes.
"We shall hold you accountable for insulting Us. Count Marcus."
The king's wrath was always supposed to be accompanied by fear.
The master of Nauril, capital of Naurilia, spoke quietly and low, but with contained anger.
No matter how private the setting and how familiar they were, for a mere count to dare pick at and point out the king's actions.
"I'll stop since I'm scared I might piss myself."
Marcus spoke in a nonchalant attitude. Krang realized the joke didn't work on him. Actually, he'd known that.
"Uh, then let's stop. So is there anything to help with?"
"If we treat the fight with the Demonic Realm as their individual deviation, it's fine, but if we put the royal family's power behind it, the story changes. Moreover, you know well we don't particularly have people to send, right? The knight company blocking the south has no leeway."
They couldn't move the Red Cloak Knight Company saying they'd help. Marcus was firm.
There was the royal family's standing, and they'd started several major projects on this side too.
"In the first place, I don't think he'd even expect military help."
Krang knew Enkrid well. Though he hadn't hung out with him daily, they were friends because they had a connection.
"He erased the monsters and Demon Beasts and is staying there? We knew about that Eroded city location but left it alone, and now if we claim that far as royal territory? Enki won't just overlook it if he sees that."
Whether erasing or saving, he'd choose one of the two. He wasn't someone who'd just leave it alone.
Naurilia also already knew there were Eroded Demonic Realm residents there. Though they left it alone knowing because they lacked the capacity, this was also an excuse if you called it an excuse.
Since there was someone breaking through that excuse and moving forward, they could ride along and handle things together.
"If we're sending, it should be at least that friend Andrew Gardner and his private soldiers. We don't particularly need swordsmen right now anyway."
"Then let's send them."
[ * * * ]
Just because they said they'd enter the Demonic Realm didn't mean they'd just charge in. From weapon maintenance, they needed a bit of time.
They also needed to find a courier to send news to Anne.
'First, leave Roman behind.'
They'd also need to check a bit whether monsters and Demon Beasts remained nearby.
"The Demonic Realm is also called the Erosion Zone. You've heard that, right?"
Here, even Luagarne, rich in learning, stepped forward.
"If we're going to enter inside, we'll need at minimum the stories known by those who lived in this area."
Though half were like superstitions, Luagarne saw there would be necessary things even within them.
Regardless, these people had lived before the Demonic Realm since their ancestors' generation, even if they served the Demon-Lord.
After that, Enkrid was the same as usual. That is, he moved toward his goal as he had when tediously repeating today.
Training at dawn, pondering the Will blade implementation method Ragna had shown in the morning, and from afternoon onward listening to the residents' words.
"Will you show it once more?"
In between, he also had to indulge Ragna showing off and bragging.
"Let's kill that bastard. I can't stand him anymore."
Also letting Rem's complaints go in one ear and out the other.
"Such unpleasant air."
He also responded to words Shinar constantly spat out while sticking beside him.
As Luagarne said, the stories gathered from residents in between were interesting.
Half were stories made up from fear, and the other half were close to just oral tradition that had been passed down, so the information's purity couldn't be called high, but thinking of them as minstrel tales, they were fun.