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In ancient times, the war between humans and demons was the cruelest and gruesome battle.
In some of the written history of humans, some said the supremacy of humans started after their victory in this war.
And the founding of a major religion rival the holy dragon temple, the religion of God’s chosen, which preach that human was the most superior race and the war against the ancient demon was holy war thus the fact that they won, proving that God has chosen human as the most superior race since they could defeat the evil demon that holds considerable power.
Why it was gruesome.
It was due to the state of the war.
In ancient times, the great war was an all-out war.
The reason they could band together varied.
Some believed in a great cause.
Some had a goal.
Some had discrimination.
Some had contempt.
Some had hatred.
Some had misunderstandings.
Some feared the unknown.
Some had misled common sense.
Some had jealousy.
Some had envy.
Some felt fear.
Some had a deep affection.
Some had friendships.
Some had hope.
That was why there was justice.
But there was also bigger malice.
There was an opponent, the demon race.
There was a label sworn enemy on them.
Humanity and demon race. The war to decide their survival becomes the basis of God’s chosen religion. That’s why even in the feudalistic era, everyone could have reason to fight together.
In the end, the war was a pitless marsh.
Just if.
If that war continues, the demon race who hold absolutely superior power would triumph over humanity that had tens fold of their number.
But in the end that did not happen.
In the island of the end.
The land that has nothing could live and grow, the fate of the world rest between the shoulder of two people.
The only one who held power equal to gods and love humans, the Hero.
Holding a power that could unify the demon race, the Demon King.
The fight between the first-generation hero and the calamity demon king decided the world’s fate.
***
The forest was filled with a thick mana undulation.
The depth of Yorn forest filled with mana from twin moon. In the thickest area, was the spring–or the place it should be since it has not a single drop of water at all right now.
The flaming hair stood as if has a mind of its own.
In the head was a mismatched, sharp horn that added to its shine.
That immense magic power movement, which would make even a gigantic griffon who was called the messenger of the heaven or the devil feel fear.
The girl that slept in the fur of the griffon opened her eyes.
The amethyst eyes look clouded for a moment but quickly turn sharp in the next second.
As if a different person.
“Good morning, my lady. –how was your condition?”
The one who talked to her was a single maid.
Looking at the maid uniform which has not much exposure and slender body, almost none would doubt that she was not a living thing.
“Yup, it was great. So, Sakura–how much you have gathered?”
Her sakura-colored hair which was the origin of her name swayed.
Sakura said to her master in a respectful tone.
“Two Ogre squads, two Lich squads, two Wyrens, one man-eater, and one Griffon. We could easily handle a small country.”
The maid said with a disinterested mechanical voice.
Just like a cold doll.
But it was not so.
There was the sentiment in her eyes.
It was a bottomless feeling of deep affection toward her master.
“I see…good work…”
Of course, it was not Sakura’s power, but the young girl’s. However, during her wounded and deep sleep state, Sakura was the one who manage and place them near her.
“Two thousand, two hundred, forty, and three years, huh–I have been asleep for too long. Now it was completely the world of humans, huh–Sorry to make you wait for so long, Sakura. I don’t know any treasure worth more than your loyalty. I am grateful–”
Sakura bowed fluently.
None registered a single drop of tear that fall into the ground.
When the demon race girl, Rinoa opened her eyes, she was asleep in the cave nearby. Sakura the automata has been kept her eyes shut waiting for her master covered in moss and buried in the earth.
To reduce mana usage for self-healing due to environmental influence, she sat inside the cave and entered sleep mode.
It was torture close to eternity.
It was not as if Sakura has no feeling.
It was weak, but certainly inside the automata–the relic left by the disaster demon lord was equipped with heart.
That’s why–
How could someone bear the loneliness of waiting for 2243 years?
Who would be cruel enough to wish for it?
She just waited, for her master, without even knowing whether she would ever wake up. Who could understand the value of her action, and grasp the meaning?
That she was only wishing for one thing.
And Rinoa also understood.
“Welcome back, my master–”
That was the only thing she wished for.
Just that sentence.
Just for the sake of that sentence, she waited, impatiently waiting in time that close to eternity.
She was looking forward to it–
Too long.
It was too long.
Today she did not wake up.
Then maybe tomorrow. Or perhaps her master would never wake up.
But, even so–she might wake up, and if she was not beside her when that happened, she could not let her alone, that’s why she needs to stay beside her–to continue to watch over for the side, she felt that way.
Just one more day.
Just a bit more.
She kept waiting until the day come.
“Then let’s start. The ideal that my grandfather wished for–will start here–”
“As you wish, my master.”
Rinoa jumped to the back of the griffon.
The normally prideful and untameable griffon lowered its head to give her a seat.
It yielded only to that girl.
“Then how should we start? Should we clean the nearest area first?”
Hearing Sakura’s word, Rinoa sent Sakura an eye signal.
“Yes–but before that–please guide the uninvited visitor–”
The shrub slightly swayed.
It has decided to escape without a moment of delay.
“As you wish–”
And then the demon race moved.
***
Hausman was an adventurer that worked mainly around the free trade city.
He reached B-rank when he was twenty-four years old, it showed how talented he is.
He did not have anything he was bad at.
He could fight in close combat using a short sword and normal sword, fighting intermediate range using a spear, sickle and chain, throwing-knife, and other unique weapons, also using bow and magic to fight long range. Since he was first-rate at any distance, he become a jack of all trades in the party.
But that was not enough.
The domain of genius.
None of his abilities was able to reach rank A.
He reached A rank when he was 46 years old.
It was a promotion that never had any precedence. Normally there would be no problem to reach an A rank regardless of age. It depended on talent. In the real of genius, they would only need a small amount of experience and reached it.
Just look at Crysta. She reached A rank when she was nineteen years old. Two years after she registered. And one year later she received the title.
That was how different geniuses are.
Of course, their ability was also in a different dimension.
However, as A-rank Hausman also did not lose to her by far.
Well, in terms of combat ability he might fall short, but his hard work, his tireless hard work, had brought him to the realm only genius could reach.
When he reached B rank he gave up on pursuing strength.
Because he know he could not catch up to A rank no matter how hard he trained.
That’s why he changed his approach.
He did not need to be stand out.
He did not to be cool.
He just wanted to protect his birth town.
His guild.
His comrades.
That was what he strife for.
He kept looking for a way to become a small help for them.
“Teacher, there were a lot of them–and the mana was thick too–”
The girl who walked beside Hausman said.
She was born in the eastern region, her name was Fuuka, and she chased after Hausman, wearing a completely black outfit that was said to be a traditional outfit in her country.
“Additionally the number of monsters also a lot–This gives me a bad feeling.”
Kaito also agreed with her.
The two of them followed Hausman.
Although both of them were first-class scouts, they called Hausman ‘teacher’.
“After confirming the state of the spring, we would quickly return. From here on–don’t ever leave the range of my magic. Got it?”
“”Yes, sir.””
The path Hausman choose was not battle but scouting.
In the first place, he had skills in those areas.
Although not all-powerful, since he was skillful with a lot of weapons, so he focused his magic on one thing–that was concealment.
Magic Art–Magic concealment.
He make the magic particle around him become the same as the surrounding and thus made him blend with it.
Wind Magic–silence.
Using those two magics, adding the original walking technique, and concealing the presence, he reached A rank–the realm of genius.
At the very least, with this technique, even another A rank would not be able to notice his presence.
They run through the uneven and hard-to-transverse forest.
When entering the depth the color of the forest changed.
A deep and eerie presence floating around.
It was a place that even Hausman would normally not enter.
Everyone felt their body become dull.
After walking for a while, he picked up something with his strengthened sense.
“Stop–!”
Hausman said with a small voice.
They stopped and hide in the bush.
“Griffon!!”
It was a gigantic monster.
A monster with the body of a lion and eagle, a high-rank monster.
It usually never get close to human habitation and there was rarely any case it would attack human, however, it was really prideful and earned alias the proud kind of the sky.
It was said that it would need A rank party as the main firepower and a number of other adventurers to encircle and subdue it.
Fuuka and Kaito were overwhelmed by its presence alone.
“No…That’s not it–”
It’s true that the Griffon presence took their attention away, but the problem was something else.
“The seal spring was…dried up…!?”
That’s right, the spring was nowhere to be seen.
In the place where the spring should have been, the Griffon laid.
But the one who laid there was not only Griffon.
In her back, using the griffon as a pillow, a young girl was asleep.
“No, no, no, no, no way…”
Kaito stuttered.
Hausman prayed it was just an illusion.
However, considering their current situation, they could not let themselves fall into panic.
“One, no two-person…”
Hausman muttered calmly.
At the same time–a scene that make the three of them dumbfounded unfolded.
The Griffon bowed its head to the girl.
The proud king,
the sky devil,
bowed its head like a retainer.
The meaning of that was–
They stopped thinking at that moment.
A thin and faint hostility released, and the next second a sharp gaze was directed to the shrub they were hiding.
“”Hi!””
Fuuka and Kaito’s voices overlap.
“Go! I will keep it at bay–!”
Hausman quickly made a decision.
“Teacher!?”
“The city–tell the guild master!! Go quickly!!”
“But–!”
Her scream reached Hausman.
But, he had no time to deal with it.
“You will just hold me down! If you guys were there I could not run away!!”
Said Hausman strongly.
“No, let’s run together, teacher…!”
""
“KAITOOOOO! Drag her away!”
Kaito grabbed Fuuka’s hand and drag her silently.
He only glanced at them for a moment.
And quickly turn his back away and draw the sword in his back.
The shady light that passed through the gap of the forest, and his resolution, dyed the dark grey blade silver.
And the next few seconds, they appeared in front of Hausman.
“What an admirable heart–protecting the weak huh, human–”
She calmly walked one step.
As if opening the path for her, the vegetation around shook due to the wind.
The young girl who has the presence of death god was standing there.
What reflected in Hausman’s eyes was a single horn.
Looking at that he readied himself.
“Well, you would not understand–”
And said it as cynically as possible.
Hausman has something he must protect.
That was his family.
He has no relative. And no other blood relation existed.
But he had those who lived together, walked their path together, his comrades, his beloved pupil who adored him, that was the treasure he wanted to protect even if he must throw away his life.
The girl just smiled.
And said.
“I understand–”
That muttering was filled with grieve.
Her eyes had no malice but fleeting sadness.
“There is no way I would not understand the feeling of my grandfather! That’s why, human, become the foundation of my revenge–”
That was the signal of the battle started.