Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~ - Chapter 45

Reincarnated Devil’s Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~

Chapter 45   Letter from the frontier territory

At the borderlands governed by the Margrave of the church, Zalug Drashade, the ruler of this territory, was deeply troubled.

And for good reason. In recent months, there had been a series of disappearances among the populace, coupled with reports of increased monster activity.

What made matters worse was that these monsters were none other than hordes of the lowest-grade zombies, making the situation dire.

While individually weak, zombies were known to turn their victims into more zombies upon killing them, perpetuating an endless cycle of multiplication, posing a formidable threat.

Naturally, the Margrave suspected a connection with the disappearances and promptly organized resistance efforts, conducting multiple sweeps to eradicate the zombies.

However, inexplicably, every time the situation seemed to be under control, new disappearance incidents occurred elsewhere, leading to the resurgence of zombies once more.

Something was definitely amiss, and Zalug, the Margrave, keenly felt it.

“…What? You detected a powerful energy field capable of creating undead?”

“Yes! Our knights have confirmed it through their investigations. Residual traces were found at a shrine in a village about three days’ journey from the Margrave’s domain. It’s possible that a temporary dungeon formation has begun due to the massive outbreak of zombies.”

“Hmm…”

He continued to listen to the reports from his subordinates and pondered.

If that was the case, then only the Saintess could purify the area created by the undead.

While minor undead could be dealt with using the holy magic of the Holy Knights, upon further inquiry, it seemed that a powerful barrier was deployed around the shrine.

The barrier, deployed as if hiding something, rendered the holy magic of the Holy Knights ineffective. He sensed that leaving it unattended would lead to the resurgence of zombies once again.

“All right, urgently send a message to the capital. If we cannot handle this issue on our own, it will reflect positively on the accomplishments of the Saintess serving in the Church. If that happens, the relationship between our aristocratic faction, which made the request, and the royal faction, which solved the problem, will strengthen, solidifying our nation’s foundation even further.”

“Yes, understood!”

With that conclusion, the Margrave issued orders to his subordinates… and then lightly rang the bell on his desk.

“Margrave Zalug, I am at your service.”

“Yes. Well done.”

As soon as the knight who had just left passed by, another subordinate from the covert organization of the Church appeared before him and silently knelt.

It seemed that his true purpose lay beyond this point.

“Immediately deliver this letter to the designated location. Yes, to the usual place… This is just my intuition, but it’s likely that high-ranking demons are involved in this problem. While we had to move as we did to elevate the Pope and the Saintess publicly, if high-ranking demons are involved, even the Sword Saint Ein might not be enough to handle it.”

With those words spoken in one breath, the Margrave, while looking into the distance, issued clear orders.

“Listen well. This is a cornerstone for the victory of humanity, something I must accomplish even at the cost of my life. Do not fail. If you do, consider it as losing one of humanity’s treasures, the Saintess.”

“Yes!”

With their mission in mind, the covert operatives sprang into action.

The Margrave had spoken of intuition, but if the appearance of demons was indeed true as his intuition suggested, then it was no longer just a problem for the Church.

This was a battle for humanity’s survival against the predators known as demons.

“Oh, our god. Please, at this moment, show us a glimpse of your divine power.”

With this final plea, the Margrave, alone in his office, saluted with utmost respect towards his distant liege.

◇

“In light of this situation, and for the sake of the Church’s honor and the safety of the Saintess and the Sword Saint, whom are treasures of humanity, I have summoned them. However, with the current abilities of the Saintesses, there is little hope for resolution. My own life matters not, but as it stands, not only my domain but also the lives of the Saintess and the Sword Saint are in danger. We must implore for the aid of the divine… Ah, I see. Well, he might have gotten the wrong idea, but I am not a god, Zalug.”

A few days after Hades-kun was picked up, my mini-Kakyu, concealed within the church as per my instructions to gather information in case of emergencies, received a message from the Margrave.

According to the letter, it seemed that the movements of the demons had become more active during his absence.

Although he had called upon the Saintess, Isha-chan, an expert in dealing with the undead, and her guardian, Ein-kun, to uphold the honor of the Church, the information indicated that the opponents were not ones the current children could easily handle.

And this information seemed almost undoubtedly accurate.

Because my own observations had led me to the same conclusion as the Margrave, it was evident that if Saintess Isha-chan and Ein-kun were to confront formidable enemies, it would inevitably lead to their demise.

In fact, it was more like a trap.

Perhaps they were being lured out.

However, only the Margrave was aware of this, and it was his intuition that served as the basis for his actions, preventing him from making a formal announcement. Unable to refuse the visit of the Saintess due to lack of evidence, he acted before the relationship between the noble and imperial factions deteriorated further.

Yet, to think that he would leverage his own life to move me and secure the future of the children… It showed a level of determination I hadn’t expected. Perhaps I had underestimated him, worrying about the fate of the nation and humanity to such an extent.

“Such foolishness… Even without such pleading, there’s no way I would abandon Ars’s friends. He’s a loyal one.”

Well, it can’t be helped. In that case, why don’t I take action?

Moreover, this could be seen as yet another new event.

If that’s the case, let’s take a little preemptive action to solve the problem while also making it a test for the children again.

“Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve entered Black Knight mode, but I’m looking forward to Ars and Ein’s reaction to the formidable enemy that has appeared after five years.”

It’s about time for Ars and Ein’s mock battle, which is held on a regular basis, and I was planning to head to the Holy Kingdom anyway. Let’s enjoy watching the story of Ars and the others growing through this adventure with Elsa and Gaius.

With that decision made, I wrote a reply to the letter and handed it over to the mini-Kakyu hidden in the Holy Kingdom.