Vol 1 Chapter 15 – Fugyaaaaaa!?

“…Wasn’t he using some kind of distinctive weapon? More of a blunt instrument than a weapon, really…”

Ludrick screamed inwardly, praying he was wrong.

He had never seen Alvarado in person, so everything he knew came from rumors that circulated among certain demons.

Supposedly, the man’s weapon was unique.

Instead of carrying an ordinary sword or shield, he allegedly wielded something that was both sword and bludgeon. What even is that?

If the attacker used a normal weapon, then it couldn’t be Alvarado.

So Ludrick pinned all his hopes on Hannah’s next words.

“Well, yeah. There’s this massive chunk of rubble stuck to the tip of his sword.”

“Oh, come on…”

But that slender hope was crushed in an instant.

Ludrick’s shoulders sagged.

“So it really is that Alvarado. I want to punch myself for falling for Taris’s sales pitch.”

He was one of the proud Four Heavenly Kings.

Even against a perfectly trained human, he had no intention of losing.

But when the opponent was Alvarado—the walking parade of horrific nicknames—his courage wavered.

“N-no, calm down. It’s not confirmed yet. There’s still a chance. Don’t abandon hope.”

Ludrick muttered to psych himself up.

Hannah asked him:

“Taris? You mean that feudal lord’s stooge? What kind of mess is he making getting in bed with demons…?”

“Ah…”

“Whoosh” A cold wind swept through.

He had let something he really shouldn’t have slip.

“Crap, I said it. …Well, whatever. I planned to kill the villagers anyway.”

“What grudge does that bastard lord have against this village…?”

Hannah looked thoroughly drained.

A lord—whose job was to protect his people—had gone so far as to sign a contract with demons, the sworn enemies of humankind, just to wipe out a single village.

What even is this situation? Hannah felt utterly exhausted.

“I don’t know the details. It’s a contract. Anyway, hurry up and die before that monster shows up.”

“I won’t die that easy. My workshop’s right here. I’ll stall for time and let Alvarado save me.”

“D-don’t…”

Ludrick suddenly grew timid.

There were… all sorts of preparations waiting inside the workshop.

Given Hannah’s line of work, who knew what was in there.

That said, the man before her was a demon.

And she could tell he was stronger than the demons she’d fought before.

So she planned to fight as noisily as possible and wait for Alvarado to arrive.

She disliked getting Rasha involved, but her power was something she could rely on.

“I’ll finish this before any of that happens. Die.”

“Tch…!”

With a slick motion, Ludrick drew his sword and lunged at Hannah.

His speed was impressive; Hannah clicked her tongue and moved to intercept—

“Teeyaaah!”

A third party dropped from the sky.

The newcomer attacked Ludrick.

It was a strike from his blind spot, yet he reacted instantly—proof he was indeed one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

He braked hard, twisted, and tried to slash upward at the descending attacker—

“!?”

—but the aura around the newcomer’s sword made him instinctively leap back instead.

In that split second he judged evasion safer than a counter-attack.

The newcomer landed in front of Hannah, shielding her.

“No idea why a demon’s hanging around here, but unlucky for you I happened to be nearby.”

Despite facing a demon, her tone was breezy.

Ludrick, however, kept his guard up.

It wasn’t the girl herself he feared, but the sword she carried.

“…Who are you?”

“I’m Ruru, a hero, nya!”

“…Nya?”

Seeing the twitching cat ears and tail from behind, Hannah could only gape.

◆

“So the cat-folk hero… Not as infamous as “that guy”, but we’ve still had to swallow plenty of bitter pills because of her.”

Ludrick stared warily at the female hero before him.

Ruru: a cat beastkin, and a hero.

She hadn’t waged a bloody war against demons, yet her formidable power was well known among them.

“Bad deeds bring bad ends. I won’t let you pull any funny business in front of me.”

“Huh. So there isn’t just one hero after all.”

“Of course not, nya. The world’s big and full of trouble. No way one person can handle it all.”

Ruru answered Hannah’s remark.

There was technically a definition for hero, but explaining it now felt pointless.

More importantly, Ruru was a hassle.

“So you’re a demon. I’m not about to spout nonsense like ‘all demons are evil,’ but…”

(…I can think of someone who’d say exactly that.)

One particular person flashed across Hannah’s mind.

Judging good and evil by Alvarado’s own unique standards, he’d probably declare demons evil without batting an eye.

“If you’re trying to hurt people, I’ll stop you.”

“Tch. I figured killing helpless humans would wrap things up, but a hero had to show up. Some contract I signed, huh.”

“If you run away now, I’ll let you go, nya.”

Ruru puffed out her chest with a smug “hm-hm-hm.”

Her ample twin peaks bounced, but Hannah paid them no mind.

Had the spirit of the Holy Sword or Rasha been here, the light might have drained from her eyes.

“…Run? Me, one of the Four Heavenly Kings?”

At Ruru’s words, Ludrick couldn’t help but smile.

His shoulders shook in a quiet laugh—then he bared his anger.

“——Don’t you dare look down on me, you pitiful human.”

A whirlwind of killing intent erupted.

The nearby animals scattered all at once.

“Crackle” The very air screamed.

A cold bead of sweat ran down Ruru’s cheek.

“…Huh? Is this demon maybe, like, really strong?”

“He did say ‘Heavenly Kings.’”

Ruru deflated.

She was confident she was strong.

She had a hero’s track record, too.

Even so, tangling with a Heavenly King was a pain.

She wouldn’t say she’d lose, but it wouldn’t be easy.

“…Can I just run away, nya?”

“You’re the hero. Up to you. I’m going home.”

Hannah darted back toward the workshop.

So much for gratitude.

No wonder the villagers treated her like something fragile and troublesome.

“Die, human.”

“Fugyaaaaaa!?”

Letting out a yowl like a cat with its tail stepped on, the battle between a Heavenly King of the Demon Lord’s army and the cat-eared hero began.