NOVEL WEB Chapter 370
Chapter 370: Acceptance and Determination
What if the village hadn’t been destroyed by the Demon Lord Army?
I wonder how I would have spent my days by now.
I guess I would have spent more time holding a hoe than a sword. Every day, I’d be tilling the fields, mowing the grass, and only picking up the sword when it was time to chase away beasts or monsters.
I probably wouldn’t have ventured far from the village. Born and raised there, building a family—
“Yay!”
“Take that, payback for earlier!”
“How dare you do that to me, you little brat!”
“Ugh! Stop it with the sand!”
Children playing around on the beach. If the village were still standing, I wouldn’t be surprised if I had kids about that age. A son and a daughter, it would have been so much fun. I’m sure they’d have been cute, taking after their mother.
Just imagining my daughter getting married makes me tear up. I suppose once she reached a certain age, I’d be the mean dad she’d dislike.
And I have a feeling my son would be a real troublemaker. A mischievous little brat, asking, “Dad, teach me how to use a sword!” I’d make him a practice sword and teach him some stances—
…….
Right. When I think about it logically, if I hadn’t gone to the Holy Church’s training institute, I wouldn’t be able to use a sword as well as I can now. I might end up teaching him my own brand of swordsmanship. I worry that it’ll lead to some weird habits, too.
…Haha.
Worrying about the sword style of a nonexistent son… It’s laughable. A light sigh seemed to dispel the emptiness in my chest.
“They say this year is a good catch for mackerel. We shouldn’t have to worry until winter.”
“The Fisher said shrimp are abundant too.”
“I hope we have shrimp for dinner tonight!”
“Shall we buy some on the way back?”
The conversation of a couple relaxing in the shade reached me, carried on the wind.
Their tone was so gentle, and the content was pure peace. It’s taken for granted that they could buy food and have enough to eat. Being here, it’s hard to believe that the Demon Lord Army is invading or that the alliance is struggling. Even though they must be affected, it feels like a distant event…
I always feel that the people in the back are too carefree, but perhaps it can’t be helped.
After all, few people know the detailed situation at the frontlines. Why? Because there are more missing persons than reinforcements from the Holy Church and the armies of various countries.
And the refugees who experienced the horrors first-hand have no means or resources to escape all the way to the back of the alliance. They’re being crushed at the frontlines without the means to reach safety, and the new refugees emerging from that fate are doomed to the same end.
In the end, only rumors trickle down to the back of the alliance.
Moreover, the Night Elves exploited and distorted these rumors as they pleased. They were spreading badmouthing about the allied forces and the Holy Church. Now that the eradication of the spy networks has begun—plus, I’ve hunted quite a few—hopefully, accurate information will be relayed from now on.
“People prefer entertaining tall tales over earnest truths.”
It’s true that the Night Elves stirred up trouble, but that doesn’t mean the situation will dramatically improve…
And… What good would it do for common folk to know the accurate information from the frontlines?
For example, my village. Until the moment it fell, nobody understood the extent of the threat posed by the Demon Lord Army.
Maybe the village chief or the village elders had some inkling of the situation. Or perhaps they were kept in the dark completely. Even in my hazy memories, the village was enveloped in a carefree atmosphere until the night of the invasion.
Surely, those in the upper echelons of the country were aware of the Demon Lord Army, but perhaps they didn’t communicate how critical the situation was to the average citizens. I’ve seen countries like that during my past life as a hero. It was often small nations that were particularly prone to this.
Looking back now, I can understand why rulers would make such decisions. If the citizens panicked and fled the country, it would cause problems, and if the day of doom was approaching, the law and order would deteriorate. Additionally, from the common sense of human wars, it’s hard to imagine that not a single prisoner would be taken; they would be killed off outright or reduced to livestock-like slaves.
Most importantly, if the threat of crisis were communicated—what could civilians even do about it?
If my village had been fully aware of the threat from the Demon Lord Army—what would have changed? Would they have left their families behind to join the frontline in a neighboring country? Nonsense. What about relocation costs? Once they get there, could they even be of any use? After all, few would abandon their families for the sake of another country.
So, maybe some villagers would have evacuated beforehand? Where to? How would they find a place to take them in? What if that safe haven was attacked? Where in the world could they flee to? What would happen to those who couldn’t escape?
…No good. It falls apart in an instant. If the Demon Lord Army attacks like this, there’s no hope. At the very least, small nations have no leeway to prepare ahead of time.
Thus… they likely shared almost nothing. When the attack came, the national military probably held out for a while, secretly preparing for a defense.
Common folk… only sensed the atmosphere of war.
Even if they vaguely recognized the Demon Lord Army as a “threat,” nobody considered it an absolute “obliteration.”
“Mommy! I’m thirsty!”
“There’s lemon water. Go ahead and drink it.”
A small child, dripping wet, returned from the beach and chugged the water handed over by their mother.
They sat between their parents, chatting about fish and shells, but perhaps tired from playing or lulled by the cool lake breeze, they began to doze off against their mother’s back.
“Hehe. He looks just like you when he sleeps.”
“Drooling all over the place.”
The parents watched over their child with affectionate smiles. The mother stroked their head while the father used a handkerchief to wipe the drool from the child’s mouth.
For them…
What good would it do to know the intricate hardships facing the alliance?
…This “happiness” would simply be shattered. They’d be gripped by fear over inevitable threats they can do nothing about, hearts pained by impending doom. But what would change? Would the situation improve? …No, nothing would change.
The city-states around here are contributing to the alliance with funds and supplies. I can’t ask for more than that. They have their own happiness to care for.
—That’s right, I already have a happiness that has nothing to do with me.
A peaceful and lovely future.
So… in their stead, I will fight.
To destroy the Demon Lord Kingdom. That’s something only I can do.
I will protect them.
And in return, they will fight for me.
—If only they could be happy, that would be enough.
†††
“…………”
Alex sipped water while glaring intensely at the horizon.
In his eyes burned a dark flame.
Beside him, Leila hesitated to say anything, simply watching over him in silence.
She forced a smile over her slightly clouded expression. When he looked her way, she didn’t want to appear sad too.
(Is there… somewhere…)
That Alex can truly relax and enjoy himself?
Even peaceful moments drive him to the battlefield.
(That’s just too cruel, isn’t it…?)
Leila, sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, found herself gripping her arms tightly.
Even with her wings, she couldn’t bring him to such a place, and it was frustrating—
“—Waaaaah!!”
Suddenly, a child screamed.
Following that, other children around them also shrieked.
Alex jumped up as if propelled, pulling out Adamas as he ran.
“What’s wrong?!”
“There’s a person! A squishy person!!”
One of the panicked children who had rolled up came crying and pointing in the direction.
Leila arrived a beat later, also seeing what had happened.
On the beach floated—strange—
Something like a water corpse, all swollen and falling apart.