Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~ - Chapter 51

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

Chapter 51   Battle of the Saint

Two weeks had passed since Saint Isha departed from the imperial capital.

Heading towards the Margrave’s territory, she and her entourage had arrived at the designated shrine, accompanied by a considerable number of escorts.

Currently, while the Saint was exerting an immense divine magical power befitting her name, she was gradually weakening the barrier’s magic.

“Haah… haah… Just a little more. Just a bit longer…”

“Miss, please don’t push yourself too hard. While it’s gradually happening, we’re starting to see cracks in the demon barrier. I’m sure we’ll be able to break through it by tomorrow.”

Encouraging the Saint was Ein, the Sword Saint, who had once again been selected as her escort due to his recognized abilities. He seemed to be desperately trying to relax his determined master, but it appeared his efforts were not yielding the desired results.

However, it was understandable why the Saint was so obstinate.

The situation was significant because the success or failure of the Margrave’s request this time around could dramatically alter the circumstances.

If they succeeded, it would likely unify the imperial faction and the noble faction within the Holy Kingdom, strengthening their cohesion, and every aspect would become solidified, including the recognition of the Saint’s power.

But if they were to fail the request, regardless of factions, the entire reputation of the Holy Kingdom would crumble, leading to a loss of trust. In the worst-case scenario, it could even lead to civil war. Isha understood this well.

Hence, given the weight of this heavy responsibility pressing down on her, she felt she had no choice but to keep pushing forward without resting, her vision perhaps slightly narrowed by the burden.

“No. This is an issue that cannot be discussed, Ein Kruger. I have a mission to resolve this problem as soon as possible. Please understand…”

“Miss…”

By deliberately addressing Ein, who is also her childhood friend, by his full name as a noble, she is conveying that this is a job with such responsibility that it cannot be brushed aside as mere familiarity.

And although he understands her feelings all too well, he couldn’t say anything more.

And so, for several more hours, she continued to bombard the barrier with divine magic in order to break it.

Already exhausted both magically and mentally, the battered and bruised Saint Isha finally succeeded in destroying this formidable barrier.

“O-oh! The Saint! The Saint has finally done it!”

“Indeed, before the divine power of the Saint, the barrier erected by the demons is nothing! We can win! Humanity can win against the demons!”

Despite her lofty title, she is ultimately still just a ten-year-old girl. Yet, by destroying the barrier that neither the Margrave’s army nor the Holy Knights could handle, the momentum of the knights and escorts around her reached its peak.

Moreover, the time it took to destroy it was only half a day.

“Well done, Miss! With this, the path to the dungeon is open! We just need to secure this shrine for now, make preparations for the assault, and then we can conquer it!”

“Haa… haa… Phew… Y-yes, Ein. I did it, didn’t I…”

Already gasping for breath, the sense of accomplishment was immense for the Saint.

And above all, she was happy to see Ein, whom she trusted more than anyone else, rejoicing.

“Ars-sama. I did it… Although the job isn’t finished yet, I broke through the barrier that no one else could touch with human power.”

“Yes. If that Ars guy were here, he’d surely be surprised! But rest assured. I’ll brag about it in his place! I can’t wait for the next time we meet!”

With the destruction of the formidable barrier guarding the dungeon, the atmosphere around them brightened instantly.

Everyone praised the Saint, the hope of humanity, recognizing her achievement as worthy of believing in humanity’s victory from now on.

However, they didn’t realize.

Yes, relieved of tension, they had let their guard down.

Already, demons were pouring in from inside the dungeon, and no one here had noticed that, rather than maintaining the barrier to repel external invaders, they were actually waiting for an opportunity to escape.

Why were the demons so frantic?

Simply put, it was because two weeks ago, a mysterious trio of Black Ones suddenly attacked and turned their boss, a senior vampire, into dust without any resistance.

Although many demons hadn’t witnessed the scene, if they suddenly found their boss reduced to dust, they would surely be terrified.

Their state of mind was not unnatural.

That’s why, with the Saint shattering the sturdy barrier created by the senior demons, they seized the perfect moment.

And the fear of losing their boss was especially pronounced among the weaker demons.

Above all, being weak also meant being numerous.

“Gwooooaaaaaaahhhh!!”

“What the!? …Gwaaaaah!?”

“Gyaaaaah!? My, my arm!?”

A horde of low-ranking demons, High Zombies, burst out from the shrine and attacked the knights who had let their guard down completely.

Despite being low-ranking, as demons, they were monsters capable of taking on a Class B adventurer solo.

And when suddenly dozens of them appeared in a massive swarm, it was no wonder the knights, even though they had formed a defensive formation around the shrine, were thrown into chaos.

“Oh no! Did they ambush us while they were waiting for the Saint to break the barrier!? Damn it!”

“Ein! Analyze the situation later! We need to regroup the frontline right now! ──Aaah!”

“Miss!”

Amidst the sudden appearance of the High Zombie horde, a lower-ranking demon managed to slip through the shaken and decisive gap of the Sword Saint, reaching the Saint herself.

No matter how skilled he was in swordsmanship to the point of being called a Sword Saint, it was inevitable for him to be targeted when his tension slackened.

It’s not that he made any mistakes; it was just an unavoidable situation.

To his credit, if this had been a head-on collision, Sword Saint Ein alone would have settled things with all the demons.

However, the demons had already pinned down the Saint, and in the next moment, they were about to crush her head with their jaws and tear her apart.

Unable to act in time due to being emotionally overwhelmed, Ein was on the verge of despair, but then…

…From somewhere, laughter echoed ominously.

“Bwahahahaha! You scumbags dare to do disgusting things in front of me! …Die!”

As a gender-neutral voice that could be perceived as either male or female echoed, the heads of all the low-ranking demons in the vicinity exploded simultaneously.

Upon closer inspection, traces of high-density magical residue were left around, suggesting that the recent phenomenon was a widespread magical attack that had targeted all the dozens of demons.

“Hahahaha! You humans can relax now that I’m here! Under the orders of the evil old man who anticipated this situation, I’ve come to help!”

“Wow, great job, Hades-kun. All the demons exploded.”

“What are you saying, Ars? You too, before I even attacked, you were quick enough to rescue that weak girl. Your movements were so fast that I couldn’t even see an afterimage.”

Appearing there were none other than Ars and Hades, a duo who shouldn’t have met here. Moreover, Ars was holding Saint Isha, whom he had instantly rescued from the threat of the demons. Even if Hades’s attack hadn’t arrived in time, it was evident that there was a sufficient safety margin.

“Ars-sama!? Wh-why are you here…!”

“Hello, Isha-chan. Well, you see, because Dad’s prediction was right, maybe?”

“Huh…?”

Ars’s expression still showed absolute trust in his father as always. But regardless, with the first wave of demons from the dungeon now cleared out, they had finally achieved genuine respite.