Esther de Baronia - Chapter 5.1

As the sun began to set, a soup kitchen is being set up in the castle town and outside the castle.

 

With over 90% of the country’s land lost, Esther de Baronia’s primary industry has been destroyed, but thanks to a steady stream of donations since the management stopped doing anything but maintenance, the food reserves are finally at the limit and everyone is able to eat as much as they can.

 

There’s a huge cauldron of boiling pork soup, with elves and beastmen in beautiful maid’s uniforms smiling and handing out onigiri (Japanese rice balls). There is a lot of confusion as to what to do, but no riots break out, and people line up neatly, bowls in hand.

 

For the moment, that is.

 

As everyone receives their meals, one by one, a demon with a large horn on its face intervenes in front of the half-man, half-snake Naga child.

 

The Naga child clicks his tongue and calls out to protest, but at the sight of the nearly two-meter tall [red demon], the Naga child turns around and takes a few steps backward in a threatening manner, unable to say anything and tears well up in his eyes.

 

Adults around him have seen it, but they are short races such as Kobolds and Goblins. There is no monster that can protest the red demon head-on.

 

In a monster society where power determines the rank, those with a low hierarchy can only give comfort to the child in whispers.

 

This is the first time Karon has ever seen a red demon. He acts as if it is his right as a demon whose power is justice.

However, this is not the outer world of disorder, but in Esther de Baronia.

The rules of the land are the rules of the land. The rules of the land are set, the laws of the land exist, and those who break them will be punished accordingly.

Suddenly, a hairy hand grabbed the head from the behind of a big, pompous red demon.

 

“What the hell are you doing?”

 

As he rampages in a sudden attack, but his hands are firmly fixed and do not seem to let loose. On the contrary, it gradually lifts up, and the grip that makes the skull squeak is applied, and the demon’s feet gradually left the ground.

 

As a sub-race, there are very few monsters that can treat high-ranking demons as children, and most of these monsters belong to the army. Under the symbol of Baronia’s power, mercilessly judging those who do not obey.

 

“Hey, hey, what are you doing?”

 

A chilling voice. With a gurgle, the demon’s body is slowly pulled into a position where he can see the fierce mouth of the person grabbing him.

Little by little, the other person’s face leans forward. Slowly, he realises who it is, and the powerful demon begins to bite his teeth in an exaggeratedly frightened manner.

A long mouth with blue and white fur around it, and large beast ears on the face that gradually exposes. The eyes of the wolf beast, nearly three meters tall, glared at the demon as it bared its fangs.

A glimpse of a damask steel breastplate bearing the national seal, which the king allows to those who have given their lives for their country.

 

“Hey. You know the order, right? You’re not that stupid, are you? How dare you cut in line? Even the kids are taking it seriously, and you old bastard have the nerve to interrupt them!”

 

As soon as the gray eyes that are shining dully in the chiseled eye sockets are lit with anger, the head of the demon swung down to the ground with great force and caved in, splattering the ground and fresh blood all around.

The sudden purge without regard for the surroundings causes a mild panic, leaving the hulking wolf and the demon sinking into the ground, distancing themselves in a circle.

 

As soon as he lets go of the demon, whose head is stuck in the ground, he stands up and swings his legs up with great force and slams them down on the buried head.

 

Not once, not twice, but three times.

 

“To my country!  I owe you! Not enough! I’m sorry. You’re the one who’s going to smear the face of our king, who accepts people like you with open arms, you bastard!”

 

Five times in total. The last blow had the destructive power not only to cave in the ground, but also to cause spiderweb cracks to rise up around it.

This is the first time Karon has ever seen such a thing. The head is no longer intact and has been sucked into the ground in a liquid form mixed with blood.

A misplaced blow stepped on its back, but the abdomen was neatly crushed and divided into upper and lower parts. The lower part of his body was blown away by the powerful blow and disappeared.

Pushing its large, hairy legs away from where it had been, the beast picked up the upper half of the wreckage and threw it into its mouth.

It was swallowed by the gaping maw that split the earth and sky, leaving nothing but a ghastly puddle of blood in its wake.

Finally calmed by his rage, the beast looks around. The ultramarine and white hairs that grew on his huge body were covered with crimson, and the boss of Krusnik, the second leader of the Baronian army, and the 9th rank monster [Kurosel] snorted.

 

“What are you looking at? Do you want to get killed?”

 

As if frustrated again by the situation that has become as unmeasured as a spectacle, the fangs that had been tucked away once again peeked out of the gap between the mouths, and there was a rush to avoid Gladora and line up.

 

He’s about to leave when he hears a young voice behind him say, “Thank you”.

 

He turns around to see a frightened Naga child, holding a bowl in his hands, bowing deeply.

 

“Oh. Eat up and get big, boy.”

 

 

 

The roughest man in the Baronian army. “Fierce” and “short-tempered”, the wolf chief waves to the boy with a smile that is out of place on the face of one who is responsible for so much carnage.

 

All that is left is a line of demons waiting to be fed, the deep sinking ground and a pool of blood.

 

****

 

The laws of Esther de Baronia are not conceived by Karon.

He’s convinced that there’s no laws to choose from in the system, and that there’s certainly no need for demons to simply operate in a certain routine.

So how are the laws of the country, which have now become real in this way, laid down?

It’s simply the natural sublimation of the people’s ideas into a common understanding.

 

The country of demons is founded by a human being, who is the lowest ranked creature with high intelligence.

It is unthinkable that a human being, who can be killed with a simple twist of the wrist, can subdue a demon with a power that is beyond the reach of a mere human being.

But one man has done it.

A man who overcame many hardships, defeated many dangers, and carried out his royal duties with dignity.

His feat of uniting the disparate demons together caused a stir in a world where power alone was justice.

This is the basis of the law of the country.

 

If a weak king saves strong people, strong people save the weak ones——

 

If a wild demon were to see it, he or she would be shocked that a mixed demon army with orcs, lizardmen, minotaurs, and other brainiacs could speak the language of saving the weak.

 

That’s how different it is from the demon society.

 

But in fact the Baronians do care. The Baronians are more concerned about the elderly, women and children than about human beings.

The reason for this is that, like the demon who was brutally murdered earlier, those who break this custom are treated with great gratitude by the military, and so it is half heartedly forced upon them.

145 years since the foundation of Esther de Baronia. The laws of the country, decided without Karon’s knowledge, had taken root in a certain way.

 

“Well, the king has been king for over a hundred years. …… Are you sure he’s human?”

 

“Of course he is. He’s a human being, for all intents and purposes.

 

No, but… Isn’t it strange that he stays like that forever? Humans don’t live for hundreds of years like us, they only live for tens of years.”

 

“Isn’t it funny how even an elf kid can grow up and not age?”

 

With the blood still clinging to his huge body, which is about three meters long, makes its way towards the castle through the waves of people with its large legs.

While the people around him naturally keep their distance due to his horrific appearance, some innocently call out to him at the sight of Gladora.

The presence of the 17 captains of the army, who are allowed by the king to wear the national seal, is so much admired.

 

“Hmm, but it’s okay, isn’t it? I mean, we don’t even know who the king is. He’s the parent who created us by magic, and he’s the king of a country crawling with evil spirits. I don’t think it’s surprising that he doesn’t age.”

 

A tall woman with cat’s ears follows the wolf with light steps as it moves forward with large strides, breaking the sea and evading the waves.

 

Her long golden hair, slightly wavy, is swept back from under her white cassock, and her lovely golden cat ears twitch.

She is wearing a dark grey Tshirt and ivory cargo trousers. A fox tail sprouts from her hips, swaying as if following the path of the wind.

She wears a number of belts around her waist, to which are attached a number of magic-armoured knives, and the National seal on a piece of black cloth.

She has a tight, thin, muscular body, and her abdominal muscles are visible through the fluttering of the hem of her shirt.

 

“That’s good. It’s only because of the king that I’m able to do this.”

 

Jeremiah, the fifth commander of the Baronian army, the fastest of the nine ranks of the Fusnik, who had been given the character of “cheerfulness” and “solitude”, gave Gladora a fluent answer.

 

Gladora turns his nose up slightly as he thinks.

 

“Right.”

 

He ends the story with a random phase that he doesn’t think it makes sense to think about.

In fact, one hour in real life manipulates the sense of time in his brain as a day in the game, and it’s only been a little over six years since Karon started Apocalypse, but there’s no way for the ex-NPC to know that.

 

Gladora of Kurosel and Jeremiah of Fusnik.

Their compatibility is quite delicate. “Short-tempered and cheerful go well together, but fierce and cheerful go badly together. The other two are more subtle.

 

In other words, it’s a delicate relationship.

 

“Oh. You killed a demon just now, didn’t you? Gorobe will be very angry with you later.”

 

“It’s better than being a disgrace to the family. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

 

And yet, they tend to hang around each other.

This is because they can get along reasonably well when their “ferocity” is not on full display, and they try to stay away from each other in situations where their instincts are on full display, such as on the battlefield.

Jeremiah, too, prefers to work alone in battle rather than with others. In this way, they keep a good distance from each other, and their relationship is relatively good.

 

“You settled down pretty quickly, though.”

 

“We were quick to react.”

 

“We couldn’t do it on our own. One of the dogs was scared out of his wits.”

 

“I’m sure some of the others were shivering under their desks.”

 

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

 

Again, it’s subtle.

 

When they reach the vicinity of the castle, Jeremiah stretches out as if to say that his work for the day is done.

Now that the chaos inside and outside the city has calmed down to a certain extent, the only job left for the legionary commanders is to patrol.

 

Due to the disappearance of the areas where they were originally deployed, all of them are gathered here in the capital, except for seven army commanders: four guarding the four sides of the country, one constantly flying in the sky, one shut-in underground and one shut-in at the top of the tower, but there is nothing to do if there is no expedition.

 

Two of them are guarding the gates of the castle, three of them have been sent to control the territory, and apart from Rushka, who is in charge of internal affairs, four of them have been wandering around aimlessly.

They have no orders from the king and have completed the tasks they were directly assigned. They’re waiting for his next order, but Rushka has informed them that they are out of commission, telling them to “take a look around.”

 

“Oh, ……, I’m bored! I’m bored! I’m bored!”

 

Jeremiah rolls his back lazily and goes under the gate of the royal castle.

He responds with a perfunctory wave to the two girls who salute him at the castle’s only gate, and then plunge into the neatly landscaped lawn with a lack of energy and motivation that one wouldn’t expect from an army.

 

“Oh, I want to see the king……”

 

“Shut up, you muddlehead. He’s going to come and see you sooner or later, so why don’t you be quiet?”

 

Gladora walks up to the grass, and sits down, looking annoyed at the mixture of cats and foxes rolling around on the grass without caring about getting their clothes dirty.

 

“I hope so. The king is very quiet, isn’t he? He doesn’t do or say anything that is unnecessary. Sometimes, when I go back to the castle and pass him, he just says a few words of appreciation and passes on. It’s kind of lonely…”

 

Whenever Karon sees a soldier, he calls out to him. He only calls out to them because he knows they will not respond.

 

If he has some kind of text prepared and wants to get some kind of response, he can do that, but if he doesn’t, there’s no reason to stop and mutter to himself for a long time.

 

“He’s busy, isn’t he? I heard that he and Rushka are in charge of everything. What can we do?”

 

“Well, yes. I’d like him to give a reply, but he has a very kingly aura, doesn’t he?”

 

“He’s amazing. It makes me want to bow down to him.”

 

“He’s working! He’s doing his job! When I feel that kingly air, I shrink. I don’t know if that’s bad.”

 

“Well, I don’t know.”

 

This is what it looks like from the demon’s point of view.

This is the skill of the black royal robe. The black robe has the ability to reduce the incidence of internal problems such as rebellion and rivalry by 100%, and increase the incidence of external problems by 50%.

 

Tired of lounging around, Jeremiah stops moving and stares at the sky, lost in thought.

Karon is the parent who gave birth to him and the king who has given so much happiness and knowledge to the demons.

 

There was a time when he would run around the battlefields with great speed and be happy and sad about the pay she received for each success, but this was becoming increasingly vain.

He didn’t want money, position or honour.

All he wants is to have his father, or someone he loves, tell him in a kind voice that he’s done well. A pat on the head is enough to give him the courage to fight to the death.

Loyalty is indeed an expression of one’s opinion of the king. Karon is right to speculate.

But it doesn’t mean that he has a low opinion of him.

At least Jeremiah feels dozens of times more happy to be praised by a mere Karon than by a king.

It’s a pity that this has never happened.

 

“Oh, I want to see the king.”

 

“Shut up. Shut up.”

 

Gladora feels the same way as Jeremiah.

He is worried about the king because he is always so formal, so tense and so busy with his work.

He doesn’t know how he is in front of Rushka, but as far as Gladora knows, that is the only image of Karon that comes to mind.

 

In an environment full of demons, he may not be able to return to being a human being. Wouldn’t he be able to relax in his own time? Isn’t it possible for him to return to being just Karon because he’s bound by his position as king?

 

He never says it out loud, but in his heart he is always worried.

He is a parent before he is a king.

 

“I’ll see you at …….”

 

“Shut up, you dog. Shut up, you dog. Suck on a bone and go f**k yourself.”

 

“You want to …… die, don’t you? Don’t be shy, I’ll grind you into a bloody pulp!”

 

“You’re a slow dog, you can’t keep up with me. Bollocks.”

 

“F**k you!”

 

It’s a blatant provocation, but they both take advantage of it and get into a fighting stance. Both of them are ready to fight, and both of them want to vent their depression on the other.

He stands up and swings his clawed hands down to grab Jeremiah, but Jeremiah is already up on his feet.

 

Jeremiah has plenty of room to laugh while grinning at a position where Gladora can reach if he takes a step forward.

 

“I’ll kill you!”

 

“Come on, you little dog! Only if you can keep up with my speed!”

 

His thick hind legs swelled as he stepped forward with such force and gouged deep into the grass.

 

 

Jeremiah is as fast as a fluffy breeze, and the distance between them is quickly separated by a gravity-defying speed.

 

The two of them are running in the direction of the back of the royal castle. The direction of the north gate.

 

No one knows who is going to do what in the direction of the two of them who keep chasing each other forever.