Hero Punishment - Chapter 11

The Demon King Phenomenon can also affect humans.

Naturally.

Plants, animals, stones and soil cannot escape the Demon King Phenomenon. Not to mention humans.

The only exceptions are those protected by a Sacred Seal.

Therefore, the bodies of frontline soldiers are carved with a Sacred Seal to avoid demonification, and towns and villages are also protected by Sacred Seals.

If you are a traveller on expedition, you’d probably be holding onto a talisman of protection.

When humans become demonified, they undergo greater changes than other creatures.

As time goes by, they lose their human appearance.

To mention the worst example I’ve encountered, there were ones that looked like slugs with ‘faces’ and ‘internal organs’ growing all over their bodies.

At that time, there was a guy in my Order who’d vomited.

――The ones we encounter this time, in that sense, still remain relatively quite human.

You might say that they’ve remained too human.

They are all very tall. Likely transformed. Their skin is covered in something like a shining silver shell.

That kind of squad.

For these kinds of humanoid Fae that look like they’ve been corrupted by minerals, we have a convenient name for distinguishing them.

The name given by the Church Scholars is “Knocker.”

It’s necessary to make a clear distinction between them and humans. At least, for us fighting on the frontlines.

They number, about — I wonder how much. I think probably around a hundred.

Contrary to their appearance, the Knockers are launching their offence with agility.

The ones whose defences they are trying to penetrate are, of course, those bunch from the Holy Knights Order. With their shields and fences stuck in the ground, it’s developing into a siege battle.

“Zyro! [Goddess] Teolita!”

Kivia shouted out.

She stabbed with a sharp spear and pierced a person — no, a Knocker.

The tip of her spear clangs with a fierce sound.

The shell covering its entire body is crushed and blown away. She’d probably used a Sacred Seal with such a function.

“Looks like they’re at a disadvantage.”

I said what I understood from a quick glance.

There are about twenty Holy Knights defending.

When clearing such kinds of demonised structures, the usual strategy is to divide the unit into smaller groups and engage in battle while maintaining communication and coordination.

This is because in such enclosed spaces, even if you were to put a hundred, or a thousand people in at once, there is no advantage to be gained.

In fact, due to cave-ins or similar things, there is only an increased risk of everyone being caught in one net.

“My Knight”

Teorita was already grabbing at my elbow.

It looked like it’s about to dislocate.

“As a [Goddess], if I don’t save them!”

“That’s right.”

Similarly for me, the Sacred Seal on my neck is starting to tingle painfully.

The death of Kivia, who is in charge of our surveillance, is also the death of us Heroes. But for that–

“If you want to help, order me, Commanding Officer Kivia. It’s the rules.”

“I know — command you to pincer!”

At my sarcastic way of speaking, Kivia looked slightly displeased as her brows furrowed.

However, she was able to immediately give proper instructions.

The Holy Knights and us who rushed in are able to get into a formation that sandwiches the Knockers.

“Very well. Advance!”

Norgayu shouted.

He himself didn’t move a single step, but he looked grand.

“Elites of our kingdom! Deliver peaceful rest unto the people of our Kingdom who have been altered into Fae!”

There was a strong sense of strangeness in him using “our Kingdom”, but there’s no point in worrying about it.

Tatsuya and I enter the battle at almost the same time.

I jump while holding Teolita, and Tatsuya leans forward like a beast and dashes while staying close to the ground.

Tatsuya’s axe strikes the Knockers from behind.

Those guys’ skins are mineralised and are supposed to be quite hard, but it didn’t mean much before Tatsuya’s strength.

Besides that, the battle axe that guy is swinging also has a Sacred Seal engraved by Norgayu.

Sacred Seal of Severance

As long as that thing works, in terms of sharpness, it’s no different from the sharp blades from the Eastern Islands. One, two, it’s like he’s chopping dry wood.

And I — as long as I’m holding the [Goddess] Teolita, can use methods that are swifter.

With a light jump, leap over the heads of the Knockers.

It’s simple.

“Go easy. Teolita, one is good.”

“Is that so.”

Somehow she looked dissatisfied, but Teolita followed.

“It’s insufficient.”

That hand stroked the sky — a blade was born.

It was a sharp steel sword. I grabbed it and immediately threw it at the Knockers.

At first glance, it might seem a bit too careless, but I was properly aiming.

In such a closed space, the power must be suppressed.

Clustered together, and driven back by Tatsuya, the Knockers have no place to escape to.

With a white flash, a blast erupts. More than ten are caught up in the explosion. While there are some guys who haven’t been brought down, their les and arms have been separated.

At the very least, you can say that they’ve been robbed of their ability to fight.

All that’s left is for Kivia’s group to push back.

“Offensive!”

Passing by me who was standing next to them, the Holy Knights conduct their counterattack. It goes without saying that the armour the Holy Knights are wrapped in is powerful at charging.

That armour itself is a huge mass of weaponry. Various Sacred Seals are engraved here and there.

Equipment formed from multiple Sacred Seals are generally called a “Series”.

That’s when it becomes established as a set product.

A Sacred Seal for Attack, a Sacred Seal for Defence, a Sacred Seal for Nimble Mobile Combat — these kinds of things have been engraved in one bundle.

In particular, Kivia’s armour seems specialised for close combat.

The Knockers’ slamming fists aren’t a problem. Her spear is swung like a twig, easily crushing the shells of the Fae.

When the tip of the spear makes contact, it emits a violent sound.

I think it’s releasing some sort of impact.

Probably not a public product.

It’s probably been developed by the Military. Likely a Seal Series called “Ambush Series” aimed towards counterattacking.

Exactly the kind of equipment for Holy Knights who need to defend and charge for a [Goddess].

–Therefore, the battle will soon be over.

When everything is cleaned up, Kivia approaches us with a stern face.

“…For your rescue, we are thankful. It was expedient.”

“Well.”

Fortunately they weren’t that far away.

It looks like we managed to help them before the Holy Knights suffered any casualties — despite that, the Holy Knights under Kivia’s command are directing cold gazes at us.

Or rather, I can clearly tell they are disgusted.

’That’s how it is’, I thought.

I’m a villainous person who has committed the incomprehensible sin of killing a [Goddess], and Norgayu is famous for that incident of terrorism on the Royal Castle.

Tatsuya — well I don’t really know about him but, you’d probably be wary of someone who fights like a beast.

It’s not too different even for Kivia.

Although blatant disgust doesn’t show on her face like it did the last time.

However, the fact that she thinks of us as a dubious bunch can be told from her eyes. Like mercenaries with bad rumours.

Skilled, but untrustworthy. A group of criminals.

(…Still, putting us aside.)

What’s strange is with Teolita.

I also feel a strange gloominess in the eyes of the Holy Knights when they look at Teolia. I wonder why. No, in the first place, there’s something I don’t really understand about Teolita.

Why the casket — or rather, why in that big box was she placed in and carried around without waking? That’s what I was referring to.

Even Teolita herself is, for some reason, holding herself back behind me, acting like she has nothing to do.

As though she’s avoiding the eyes of the Holy Knights.

I try to get the reason from the facial expressions of the Holy Knights.

But before that, Kivia opens her mouth.

“Zyro. I’m sorry, but I want to review our future military operations.”

“That’s very polite.”

I returned sarcastically.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you ordered me?”

“That’s because it’s gotten difficult. They’re humanoid Fae.”

“Ah–“

I’ve also always been stuck with that sort of thing.

For humanoid Fae, the degree of their transformation deepens with time.

But these guys had still pretty much retained their human form. And that brittleness.

It means that they’d only quite recently become Fae. The days had not long passed. Even overestimating, it likely hasn’t even been five days.

And it was about a month ago that this mine was closed.

Only one conclusion comes to mind.

“Are there still people left somewhere in this mine?”

“When we were attacked by those guys, I saw that possibility as highly likely. Following that, we got confirmation.”

Kivia pointed behind. A corner of a narrow passage.

And there was a figure dressed in rags. Neither Fae nor Holy Knight — a terribly haggard man. I could tell he was shivering.

Seeing that I’d noticed him, Kivia nodded heavily.

“It has been ascertained that dozens of civilians, workers in this mine who were unable to be evacuated, remain.”

I almost felt like fainting.

What a thing.

Rather than because of the content of what I’d heard — it was the awkward timing of this man’s words. In a place like this, of all places, what that man was saying here.

“–Execute a rescue operation.”

His Majesty Norgayu.

Of course. His eyes were serious, and there was even a sternness that no one could disagree with.

“If you are a worker in this mine, you are a loyal vassal of our Royal Family.”

In front of the astounded Kivia, His Majesty Norgayu raised his voice.

“Save them by any means!”

’That’s probably impossible’, I thought.

I’m very familiar with the Holy Knights Orders, Fortress Gartuil, and the Church. They’re not such sloppy organisations that will allow such actions.

I also know how they would go about handling this, probably — kill them all.