Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

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“Apologies for the interruption,” said Kyle as he entered the room.

His position was a lot more vague than that of the other participants, as he didn’t have any official duty here, nor was he affiliated with any specific country. However, he had earned himself a name through his various deeds, not excluding earning the title of [Dragonslayer]. He was also the one who defeated the demon who attacked them during the World Meeting. More than anything, he had already ventured into the demons’ territory before, bringing back valuable information, and even fought them back several times (or so they said to the others).

And even today, he stood at the frontlines to face demons in direct combat, which is why many of the soldiers deeply trusted him, and many probably would have given up hope already if not for his preparations. Thus, he could participate in this meeting. Of course, not to give his own opinion, but to act as an aide if his assistance would be necessary, and to evaluate opinions. He wasn’t participating in every meeting all the time, and sometimes he would just arrive after another battle like today. Of course, he was not a king or anybody of high standing, strictly speaking nothing more than a regular soldier, and many weren’t too excited at the idea that he would reach a greater position than this.

However, Maizer and Milena, as well as Sharidan, all welcomed his participation, so the others were forced to keep their opinions to themselves. Of course, considering their past together, Garadaoff gave him a stern look, and Rifuaro, because of personal reasons, wished death upon him with a glare.

“Thank you very much for your efforts today,” said Milena with a smile.

“I just did what I could, really.”

“You don’t have to be so humble. Everyone knows about what you’ve achieved.”

“You can say that again, I don’t even want to imagine what the situation would be like if not for you,” Sharidan also joined in with a smile.

Since both of them had their countries saved, they were especially attached to him. Granted, it felt like they were praising him a bit too much, but Kyle just changed the topic and spoke to Maizer.

“So, what were you discussing?”

“The soldiers, actually. We’re worried that morale might drop if the war drags on for much longer…Hm…”

Maizer seemed to have come up with something and started thinking.

“Is something bothering you?”

“Well, the demons…leaving aside the pure demons, how do the half-breeds even keep up their morale despite being slaughtered every time?” Maizer uttered a genuine doubt.

To the demons, they were currently on a losing streak, yet they seemed raring to fight even now. Logically speaking, it was pretty weird.

“That’s simple. They were always raring for a war, and seeing humanfolk as the enemy…but to them, the orders of the Demon Lord are just that impactful.”

When Kyle said the words “Demon Lord,” the other participants began mumbling amongst themselves.

“The Demon Lord…” Maizer showed a pained expression.

After the arrival of a new Demon Lord, taking over after the previous one who advocated peace, this [Great Invasion] began. He was the one who started this whole war.

“So the Demon Lord is like their absolute ruler… In other words, if we get rid of him, their morale wouldn’t keep up long?” Sharidan leaned forward as he asked that question. “As for what I was trying to say before, couldn’t that be our winning condition?”

These words sent tremors through the rows of participants.

“…That is right. Even three hundred years ago, the war was brought to an end when the Demon Lord was struck down.”

Having witnessed that himself, Rifuaro gave an emotional testimony.

“However, that being possible is a different question altogether. We can defeat those half-breed demons. Even the pure-blooded ones we could bring down eventually with the determination to suffer sacrifices… But the Demon Lord…?”

It might sound simple enough on paper, but everyone understood how utterly ridiculous this idea was after they had seen how the war went so far.

“If not for a true hero you’d see in the legends…if we had someone like Randolph… He was strong and worthy of being called a hero.”

The Hero Randolph was the one who struck down the Demon Lord 300 years ago. Not only that, elves who had been alive back then, like Rifuaro, have even met him in person.

“We called him a hero because he defeated the Demon Lord, right? And even now, we already have a hero with us,” Sharidan said and looked over at Kyle.

So did the other participants of the meeting.

“…I’m happy you think so highly of me, but I wouldn’t put so much money on my name. I don’t know if I can defeat him. Even today, I let another demon escape.” Kyle rubbed the wound on his cheek and responded in a calm voice.

“Oh please, we all know how strong you really are, Kyle-dono. Maybe you even…”

Everyone had high hopes for Kyle, and Sharidan wasn’t an exception.

“Of course, we don’t intend on just leaving everything to you. We will mobilize every force that humanfolk has to offer, and I will fight with you at the frontlines,” Sharidan formed a fist as he spoke of the combined force of humanfolk, with the other participants nodding.

Naturally, many thoughts and feelings were involved in this discussion. But the desire to end this war by defeating the Demon Lord, and their trust in Kyle seemed to be genuine.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we lack crucial information. We first have to find out where this Demon Lord is hiding right now.”

That said, Maizer’s statement drastically cooled down the heat in the room. Since they don’t know where he is hiding, they can’t defeat him.

“To defeat the Demon Lord…that is certainly humanfolk’s winning condition, but it is not realistically achievable at the moment.”

“…That’s true. It’s not as simple,” Kyle agreed with Maizer.

Kyle was the one most passionate about defeating the Demon Lord. However, he showed no signs of that, because he figured it’d be better if people didn’t know.

“That said, it is true that an endless war like this will only negatively impact our soldiers’ morale. I ask that we all consider possible solutions until our next meeting.”

Maizer declared that the opinions of the participants would be valid. From that point on, they discussed minor details of the situation, the rations and reinforcements for the soldiers, and the burden of the war on the various countries based on how much they contributed.

As everyone had left the room, Rifuaro got up from his seat and stood in front of Kyle.

“…”

He was already tall, but because Kyle still remained seated, he could just glare down at him. Kyle couldn’t tell why he did all of this, but he knew that Rifuaro wasn’t staring at him out of affection. Plus, he could guess what the origin of all of this was. Rifuaro’s own daughter Urza had fallen in love with Kyle, leaving her hometown to stay with him. Before even discussing the circumstances of love between human and elf…Rifuaro was a father, simple enough. Not only that, Kyle had also built a favorable relationship with his childhood friend Lieze and his shinobi aide Minagi, to the point you may very well call him a cheater who should be careful not to get stabbed. That said, Kyle wasn’t a big fan of just being stared down at…except before he could say anything, Rifuaro opened his mouth first.

“You are strong, no doubt. You definitely deserve your title as a hero. However, you shouldn’t think too lightly about this situation. The Demon Lord stands atop all of the demons,” Rifuaro obviously was grumpy and aggressive, but his words carried weight. “And even the other demons are incredibly strong. You might not even be able to know, but some demons could change the flow of battle with their appearance and nothing more. That devilish strength makes me quiver even now… Even Randolph could only steal a single eye from that one demon.”

“Ah…”

Kyle realized who Rifuaro was talking about, but the elf continued.

“Of course, it depends on the demon, but some live as long as we elves do. And if they were still alive, you might encounter them during your battles.”

“No, well…”

“I must admit, when I first saw them, my heart was shattered and I ran for my life. I’m not telling you to abandon your position, but you should prioritize staying alive over trying to win. If something were to happen to you, it would make Urza grieve, after all…”

“Ah, right…”

It sounded like a warning for Kyle not to get too ahead of himself, while also giving him a genuine comment. Either way, it was probably all for the sake of his daughter, nothing more. Yet, what he said was something that Kyle knew all too well, and the demon he was speaking of…had already been defeated by Kyle and Seran.

“Um…thank you for the warning.”

“Hmph.”

Even if Rifuaro wasn’t at fault, Kyle did feel a bit guilty that he was basically wasting his time with this whole speech. Watching Rifuaro stomp off, he sighed in relief once and prepared to leave the room—

“Um…”

“Wueh?!”

He assumed that he had been the only person left, only for a voice to completely startle him. Turning around, there stood a woman with long, silver hair and a fleeting impression.

“P-Princess Sakira?! You were here, still?”

“I’ve been here since the beginning…during the whole meeting, no less.”

“I-I didn’t even realize…”

Princess Sakira possessed beauty that didn’t lose against Milena, on top of being the young maiden of the Holy Kingdom Sura, now showing a defeated smile. In this world where the existence of the gods had been long confirmed, the religious royal family of Sura was closest to them. They didn’t possess any military prowess to add to this war, but they brought faith to the soldiers and supported them emotionally more than anything else. And their influence grew even more since Princess Sakira was actively present at the frontlines. She had made her way here out of her own desire, and although she didn’t fight with the others, she helped give support to the injured and guide their way. That said, she had no knowledge of politics or the military, so she was mostly just there as an accessory and nothing more.

Of course, she herself seemed to be aware of this, as she just sat in the corner of the room, smiling. The other participants were rather perplexed by this at first, but eventually, they just got used to it…for better or worse. Add her lack of communication skills and shy personality into the mix, and you had an unparalleled beauty that was basically like air for most people.

“Well…I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t mind me. I didn’t participate in the meeting whatsoever, so…”

Kyle felt guilty that he didn’t even catch on to her presence, but Sakira just laughed it off. Even if that was a self-deprecating smile. That said, her job was to simply be present, so she was not nearly as useless as she might see herself to be. Kyle wanted to make this clear, but he knew that Sakira would always wander off into “that” type of thinking, so he figured he might as well not try to repair anything and just start up fresh.

Why did I have to run into such an unfortunate holy maiden right after the unfortunate elf village chief…?

Kyle’s thoughts reached an internal conflict as he kept them to himself, waiting for Sakira to calm down. She must have made up her resolve as she looked at Kyle with a determined expression.

“U-Um, if possible, could I have some of your time after—”

“Please excuse us, Kyle-sama.”

But before Sakira could finish her sentence, an officer wearing the Galgan Empire’s military uniform entered the room. Kyle knew the person, as he was one of Maizer’s close aides.

“Lord Maizer wishes to speak with you.”

“Please tell him I’ll be right there.

The officer bowed once and left the room again, so Kyle turned toward Sakira.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I can…”

“No, it’s fine. It wasn’t anything important…though I’d like to ask for some of your time in the coming days.”

“Yes, of course.”

Granted, Sakira’s request was interrupted, but she knew that Maizer’s request came first, so she let him go.

“…And it’s a rather personal request, too,” she muttered in a quiet voice which Kyle didn’t pick up.