Chapter 30: Roble Holy Kingdom (8)
Argos.
He was the next chieftain—not because his father was the chief, for such things meant nothing to the Froc tribe. It was simply because Argos was strong. That was all. He was the strongest among the tribe, and having surpassed even his father, becoming king was only a matter of time.
Yet Argos worried whether he could truly become a good king.
For an ain, he did not harbor hostility toward humans. Rather, he couldn't understand why they always had to fight. The Froc tribe did not need to eat humans to survive. If they had needed to, then perhaps fighting would have been unavoidable. But they could live without doing so.
Then… could they eat humans? One might ask that. Humans can eat human flesh too, but it is a "weak" and naive thought.
Argos had planned that once he became king, he would try talking to the humans. He would open diplomatic relations and develop the Froc tribe. He didn't know if it would succeed, but he believed it was worth trying at least once.
But just before inheriting the throne, everything ended.
He lost everything.
It happened in an instant—less than a single night. By the time Argos arrived, it was already over. Everyone was dead, brutally. Only one surviving ain had witnessed the culprit. When Argos heard the truth, he burned with fury, despair, and hatred—so deep that it felt capable of shaking the world.
After that came endless days of slaughtering humans.
Then, a demon came to Argos.
....
"…."
"…."
He opened his eyes.
It was a miracle. A momentary, fleeting miracle. Arche's magical strike had been strong enough to kill him. And yet, Argos had opened his eyes again. But that miracle would not last. Argos immediately knew he was going to die.
He turned his gaze to the girl crouching beside him.
There was no hostility in his eyes. She wasn't a knight of the Holy Kingdom, nor one of their people. He had no reason to hate her—and more than that, what meaning did hatred have anymore?
He had sold even his soul to a demon and used the cowardly tactic of taking a hostage, yet still lost.
Perhaps this was fate.
"...Why do you cry, human? Do you weep… for me?"
"No. I'm crying because I'm pathetic. Pathetic for pitying an ain like you… pathetic for thinking your death is sad."
"..."
The words were different, but the meaning was almost the same.
Argos looked at Arche. Her arm was crushed—bone protruding, only barely held together to stop the bleeding. She must have been in agonizing pain, yet she said nothing about it. Instead, she cried for him, saying his death was tragic… saying his hatred was not entirely wrong.
"Human… proud human… Your actions were not wrong. I crossed the line. I sold my soul to a demon.
A king-to-be blinded by his own rage… I am sorry. But I will never apologize for my hatred. That, at least, I cannot regret."
Slowly, painfully, Argos lifted his burned hand—the hand blackened beyond recognition—and wiped the tears from Arche's cheek.
He felt relieved…
Relieved that the last person he met was a human like this.
A human who knew compassion, who valued life, who could still cry for the enemy.
A human who—unlike many others—had the heart Arugos once hoped existed.
"Do not cry. Take pride in your actions. To protect your people, your comrades, yourself… Such actions are righteous."
Arche clasped his burned hand with both of hers—but it was too large to fully hold.
Argos saw the pain on her face, the sorrow. She faced the contradiction of having to kill to save others, without running away from the cruelty of that truth.
That… humanity, that fragility and resolve, was the very reason he had never truly hated humans. The reason he had once hoped for peace.
He was grateful that she was the last human he met.
Even though he never believed in gods…he silently thanked them.
"Human of great pride…thank you for not letting me be killed by that knight. Tell me your name."
Even on the verge of death, he wanted to know.
Arche quietly replied:
"Arche. Arche Eeb Rile Furt."
"Arche… Arche, is it. I am soon to die…but that name… I will remember."
Argos hesitated.
Then, with the last of his strength, he spoke—trusting that this girl would not despair at the truth.
"A demon…the demon who gave me this armor…was powerful."
"A demon?"
"Yes. This armor…a strange demon gave it to me.
Wearing clothes unusually human-like…with a tail like a Lizardman…and a bizarre mask. He said he wished to test the Holy Kingdom's strongest…and would use my hatred for that purpose."
Back then, Argos had not cared.
As long as he could kill Remedios, nothing else mattered.
With the Berserker's Armor, he had indeed gained overwhelming power.
If it had not been Arche but another magic caster, they would have died.
Even Calca or Kelart would have fallen.
"A demon gave an ain… such a weapon?"
"This armor is extremely rare. Why would he do all this… just to test the knight's strength?"
Argos looked toward Remedios—bloodied, barely standing.
His gaze held no hatred anymore. Only resignation.
Remedios spoke through clenched teeth:
"Your actions are evil, ain."
"Yes. And your actions… were evil to me."
What was good to one side was evil to the other.
Even if Remedios was called a savior, even if she was one of the Thirteen Heroes or even a hero like Kaiser, none of it mattered to Argos.
To him, she was simply the evil who murdered his family.
His hatred, even as he died, still flickered faintly.
"You will continue cutting down countless ains and become a hero of mankind… but never forget the blood on your blade. Never forget that there are those who bear resentment toward you—that protecting something always means killing something else.
If you are truly a knight… then suffer. Do not forget the value of life. Forget that, and you are no hero… only a butcher."
Argos panted—ragged, shallow breaths.
Then he slowly turned his gaze toward Arche again.
Unlike when looking at Remedios, his eyes were gentle—soft, even.
"That demon… the one who gave me this armor… could kill even me in a single strike, Arche. You too… would die from a single blow."
If the demon did not wish to "play," Arche would die in less than a second.
"A demon that strong!?""
"Impossible… we need to inform Her Majesty immediately—"
"This makes no sense…"
Remedios, Gustavo, and Neia were shaken.
They had witnessed Arche's power just moments ago. For someone of her strength to be dismissed as nothing… meant this was no longer merely a Holy Kingdom matter. This demon threatened every nation.
If it tested Remedios, perhaps its true goal was to invade the Holy Kingdom.
"Its name—what was the demon's name?"
If it was that powerful, its name might exist in records or legends.
They could search old texts… or even ask Kaiser himself.
Argos ignored Remedios' question, but when Arche asked the same thing, he finally answered.
"Yaldabaoth… that is what it called itself."
"Yaldabaoth… Thank you, Argos. Your kindness will help save people.…Whether I can save as many as you killed is another matter."
"I see… then, a selfish request…Please… spare my tribe."
Arche placed the hand she had been holding onto Argos' chest.
She stared quietly into his eyes—eyes that were losing their light.
Argos also continued to stare at Arche until the end, as if trying to fulfill a vow he made to himself: to remember her name until his dying breath.
His vision was fading.
Death had already claimed most of his body.
"You cannot defeat that demon. Humanity cannot.
Even the Demon Gods would tremble before it…"
Yet Argos remembered the faint glimmer he saw in Arche's eyes.
And he chose to believe in it.
That humanity… that humanity itself might be the key to saving this world.
"Fare… well… Arche…"
With that final whisper, Argos fell silent forever.
Arche stared at him quietly for a long moment before rising unsteadily.
She staggered—whether from blood loss or the shock of the battle, she wasn't sure. Every breath burned her lungs.
"Let's go back. Neia… you rescued Lord Caspond, right?"
"Y-yes… I told him to hide in the forest."
"Well done. Remedios, Gustavo… can you move?"
"No problem."
"Nor for me."
They were tough—remarkably so.
Especially Remedios, who was far more injured than Arche, yet still stood.
It was easy to see why she was called the Holy Kingdom's strongest paladin.
Arche exhaled.
Her organs felt as if they were burning.
"Let's return. As promised to Arugos… I won't harm the ains here. It wasn't part of the mission anyway."
"I… don't mind," Remedios muttered.
"Neither do I. The prince's rescue comes first."
"Same… here…"
After confirming everyone's stance, Arche spoke firmly.
"Let's go home."
**********************
If you want to read 20 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Vanity01