Chapter 12: The Hero’s Party
Gordon, the leader of the goat tribe left in charge by Raiga, was a moderate within the Beast King’s army. He took a tolerant stance towards the purple potion and thus wasn’t eliminated by Trao.
Known for his intelligence among the beastmen, Gordon didn’t openly try to stop Raiga’s rebellion. However, foreseeing its failure, he volunteered to stay behind and didn’t join the rebel army.
He had already secretly informed the Demon Lord about Raiga’s rebellion. By showing loyalty to the Demon Lord, he hoped to possibly take Raiga’s place.
“Those tiger tribe members are all simple-minded fools,”
Gordon sneered, mocking Raiga as he unexpectedly saw a path to the Beast King’s throne.
The human side was too busy fortifying their defenses to launch an immediate attack, even with Raiga gone. For now, Gordon felt unthreatened.
However, Gordon had one concern:
the relaxed atmosphere pervading the Demon Lord’s army.
“To think a single potion could corrupt the monsters so much…”
Looking out from the castle Raiga had used as his base, Gordon felt uneasy about the state of the monsters he could see.
Only the goat tribe beastmen, Gordon’s direct subordinates, remained.
Yet even they were addicted to the purple potion. Despite being assigned to guard the castle, they openly used the potion and indulged in pleasure. Some were even sleeping. It seemed impossible for them to fulfill their duties.
Gordon had gained support from other beastmen by showing tolerance, so he couldn’t prohibit potion use. He had tried the potion himself but, being a high-ranking monster, he had resistance and didn’t become addicted. Still, experiencing the potion’s euphoria made him wary of its effects.
(If possible, I’d like to ban its use…)
He knew this would provoke backlash from the addicts.
In areas controlled by the other Four Heavenly Kings, fierce battles had broken out between enforcement units and addicts, leading to internal strife. Ironically, this region, where the Heavenly King Raiga himself was an addict, was the most stable.
That same Raiga had now rebelled against the Demon Lord. The Demon Lord’s army was in chaos.
The human side, worn down by the Demon Lord’s army’s invasion, wouldn’t counterattack for a while. However, the Demon Lord’s army had also weakened significantly and would struggle to expand further.
While Gordon aimed to improve his position amidst this chaos, he couldn’t see a future for the Demon Lord’s army itself.
(We have no future unless we somehow stop the supply of this potion.)
Yet his subordinates, all addicts, wouldn’t cooperate in destroying the potion. He was also concerned about the merchant who had been entering the castle and giving the potion directly to Raiga.
(He seemed to be inciting Raiga to rebel. Could he be the mastermind behind everything? If it’s just that merchant, could I defeat him alone?)
However, the merchant hadn’t shown his face at the castle for a while. Had he gone with Raiga, or was he moving with a different purpose?
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“Hey there, Sir Gordon.”
Suddenly, a voice called from behind. There stood the merchant in question.
“You! How did you get in?”
Gordon panicked.
The merchant wasn’t alone. Behind him stood several human warriors in armor, armed with shields and swords.
“How? We walked right through the main gate. If you give the guards some potion, they’ll happily let you pass.”
(Has discipline slackened that much?)
Gordon held his head in his hands at his subordinates’ utter incompetence. The Demon Lord’s army was no longer functioning as an organization.
“…So why are you here? Weren’t you supporting Lord Raiga?”
“Come on, Gordon. We know, you know? You betrayed Lord Raiga and informed the Demon Lord about the rebellion, didn’t you? Your subordinates told us.”
Gordon was shocked. Only his trusted subordinates knew about the secret report.
To think even those subordinates had been won over by this merchant. What on earth was happening to the Demon Lord’s army?
“So what if I did? Lord Raiga has already left for the Demon Lord’s territory. It’s pointless to try and condemn me now.”
“Condemn you? We wouldn’t waste time on something so useless.”
Trao wore a pleasant smile. Gordon sensed something ominous in that smile.
“Then why are you here?”
Gordon, known for his composure, finally showed his anger and grabbed his massive axe.
“I’m a merchant, you see. I believe everything has its use.”
Trao’s smile didn’t waver even in the face of the Demon Lord’s army executive’s anger.
“I thought you, Gordon, would be perfect as a practice opponent for our Hero’s Party.”
“Hero’s Party? What are you talking about? Do you humans think you can defeat me, an executive of the Beast King’s army?”
Despite his words, Gordon was concerned about the equipment of the warriors accompanying the merchant.
(What’s with that equipment? It’s not just ordinary weapons and armor. Could they have blessings?)
It was hard to believe. Powerful equipment with blessings was rare, and it should be impossible to prepare so many.
“If we just wanted to win, we could have defeated you by surprise earlier. But this time, we need to fight head-on for it to mean anything.”
Trao raised his right hand.
“Well then, shall we fight as planned? Be careful, your opponent is an executive of the Demon Lord’s army.”
These words were directed at the warriors behind him. They were the elite members of the Hero’s Party organized by Trao.
The warriors moved in front of Trao as one.
“Gaaaah!”
Gordon roared, hoping to intimidate his opponents and summon his subordinates.
“Oh, your subordinates are probably gone by now. The takeover of the castle should be complete.”
Trao casually crushed Gordon’s hopes.
Gordon looked outside the castle. The goat tribe beastmen who had been indulging in the potion earlier were now lying defeated. Nearby were humans with the same equipment as the warriors before him.
“Try your best, okay? It won’t be much of an exercise if you fall too easily.”
Trao’s words even held a hint of kindness.
The Hero’s Party, led by Trao, began moving immediately after Raiga left for the Demon Lord’s territory.
While Trao also intended to head towards the Demon Lord’s territory, he first attempted to liberate the area controlled by the Beast King’s army to secure their rear.
Even if Raiga noticed the Hero’s Party’s movements, he couldn’t return after starting his rebellion.
The remaining Beast King’s army was small and consisted mostly of potion addicts. By mixing sleeping drugs into the remaining potions and distributing them, they were easily neutralized and completely wiped out.
“While easier battles are preferable…”
“This kind of sneak attack feels a bit…”
“It seems too underhanded to call ourselves heroes…”
Some members of the Hero’s Party questioned Trao’s ruthless tactics, but when he said,
“If you want equal conditions, how about fighting a Demon Lord’s army executive one-on-one? We can arrange that for you.”
They fell silent.
While they defeated Gordon, the Demon Lord’s army executive, without much struggle, the participants understood that it would have been difficult for one person to defeat him alone.
Having eliminated any concerns about their rear, the Hero’s Party set out towards the Demon Lord’s territory.
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