Withdrawal

“S-sir Galen! Please, allow us to give chase!”

After they had regrouped, Rein, the leader of the hero squad, came before Galen with gritted teeth and pleaded.

“We are a team! We can’t abandon Mira!”

“Please, Sir Galen, I have to save my sister!”

Serra dropped to one knee with a thud, her eyes and voice filled with entreaty as she begged Galen.

“…”

Faced with Rein and Serra’s pleas, Galen had completely calmed down.

He stared silently for a moment in the direction the demons had fled, his Adam’s apple bobbed once, and then he shook his head.

“Relay my orders. We are retreating.”

“R-retreating?!”

“Sir Galen!?”

Galen’s voice was low but unshakably firm.

Upon hearing his words, almost everyone froze, their faces showing expressions of disbelief.

The members of the hero squad looked as if they had been struck by lightning.

“This entire campaign has been a fundamental failure. Our objective doesn’t even exist.”

Galen took a deep breath, the cold air stinging his lungs.

After suppressing all his anger and humiliation, his reason returned, and he understood that their current situation was the result of a completely wrong choice.

“We originally thought the Demon Lord of Evernight would return to her castle and make a stand, but… it’s clear that the previous battle between Lucia and the Demon Lord Vivian completely destroyed it.

As such, she has no need to face us head-on.

All we can do now is destroy their settlements, which is meaningless for the army as a whole.”

“As long as she is unwilling, we will never find an opportunity for a decisive battle.

The entire crusading army will only suffer more casualties in an endless series of raids.”

With that, he let out a heavy sigh, declaring a harsh reality: “As long as she avoids battle, we will be like a behemoth trapped in a swamp, slowly dragged down and devoured by endless harassment and ambushes.

Continuing on will lead to nothing but more needless sacrifices.

Therefore, this crusade… was doomed to fail.”

“But…”

“The crusading army must retreat. Staying any longer will only increase the number of meaningless deaths.

We can’t waste any more of our precious military strength.

But we will not abandon our comrades.”

Galen said resolutely, but then his tone shifted, and he lowered his voice.

“The Demon Lord of Evernight, Vivian, could have killed Mira instantly, snapped her neck, but she didn’t.

Her meaning is already quite clear—we retreat first, and only then is it possible for her to return Mira to us.”

“So, to save Mira, the main army must retreat first, while we stay behind.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Hearing Galen’s words, the other four members of the Blades of Dawn squad froze for a moment before understanding dawned.

The order was absolute.

As it was given, the exhausted and demoralized soldiers of the crusading army, their hearts filled with resentment and anger, arduously turned around.

The sounds of heavy footsteps, clanking armor, and suppressed panting mingled together.

This once imposing army, now like a wounded beast, began its slow retreat toward the border under the fading light of the setting sun, covered in wounds and humiliation.

And the heroes, carrying essential supplies and rations, along with a select group of elite Gospel Knights and attendants, stayed behind.

“…Is that so? The crusading army has begun to retreat.”

“Yes, Lady Demon Lord.”

Lunai nodded.

“According to the reports from the observation posts, the crusading army has turned around and is heading straight for the border.

It seems they intend to disengage.

However, the heroes’ presence remains.”

“Mm… That’s to be expected.”

Vivian murmured, her crimson eyes betraying no hint of joy or anger.

She nodded slightly, a playful arc gracing the corner of her lips.

Galen had not disappointed her.

He had understood her “hint.”

“Have Elia and Rolu continue with the plan.

Although the crusading army is retreating, we must still tear a few pieces of flesh from them.

But remember not to pursue too deeply, lest we push them too far.”

“Yes, Lady Demon Lord!”

After giving her orders, Vivian’s gaze turned to the unconscious elf mage beside her, her hands and feet bound.

In terms of looks and appearance, she was clearly a classic blonde elf beauty.

Her smooth, golden hair flowed like moonlight, scattered around a pale yet undeniably exquisite face.

Her pointed ears peeked through the strands of hair, and her features possessed the ethereal purity unique to the elven race.

And unlike the sense of decay that came from Carol, this girl gave Vivian a very fresh and clean feeling, refreshing and pleasant like mint.

Yes, she was a young elf, no doubt about it.

And a hero, at that.

“…But, why would an elven hero be with a human hero?”

Vivian rubbed her chin, then rested it on one hand with interest, silently appraising the girl in her mind, while also feeling a little strange.

That’s right, it wasn’t just humans who had heroes; the elves had them too.

To be more precise, anyone could become a hero.

This was a setting in the game world of [Path of Blasphemy], a feature designed to make it easy for players to immerse themselves.

From a gaming perspective, players needed to go through a “leveling” process and advance the plot to become a [Hero].

But in this real world, becoming a true hero was not a one-step process.

To become a true hero, one first needed to awaken certain abilities and receive the blessing and recognition of a [God], which would grant them the qualification to become a hero.

This stage was generally referred to as [Apprentice Hero].

After studying and training, an apprentice hero would begin their activities, participating in various quests and crusades, gradually growing into a truly powerful hero capable of confronting a Demon Lord.

And the elf mage before her was clearly a fledgling hero who had come to the Evernight territories to grind for experience.

But that wasn’t the main point.

The main point was that she was an… elf.

This was what Vivian was focused on.

Generally speaking, the elven race was very proud, with a strong sense of territory.

They wouldn’t team up with human heroes… except under special circumstances, not to mention that the elven territory was a great distance from her own Evernight domain.

And there wasn’t just one; there was another elf in the hero squad, and they even looked like sisters.

But the key was, besides these two, there were no other elves in this crusading army.

Would the elves allow an apprentice hero to mix with a human army? Or was this a special case?

Vivian couldn’t help but feel a little curious.

And at that moment, the elf mage, who had been unconscious all this time, let out a slightly pained groan.

“Ugh…”

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if fighting against the heavy shackles of unconsciousness.

After struggling for a few moments, she finally, slowly, opened her eyes.