Chapter 204 Yamato Hina and the Demon King Medinilla ⑪
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
My blade and Bolgano’s were about to clash when a man abruptly threw himself between us. It happened so fast I couldn’t have stopped if I tried-I was going to slash him right along with the Ogre.
Or so I thought.
I was repelled.
I don’t even know what happened. Both my strike and Bolgano’s were simply… blown back. The shockwave sent me flying. Bolgano, with his massive frame, managed to stay upright even as his heavy blade was deflected, but he was left completely wide open. In a heartbeat, a massive two-handed claymore was already pressed against his throat. The man held it with a single hand-a display of terrifying physical strength. What’s more, he had a second blade leveled at me. Another claymore.
But he didn’t stop there. The sorcery Kagaya had unleashed vanished into thin air, and every single one of Ise’s throwing knives had been swatted from the sky.
A single intruder had ground the entire battlefield to a dead standstill.
”Who… who are you?” I stammered.
The man spared me a glance-it was only then I realized he was wearing a mask-but he ignored me as if I were a ghost. He turned his attention back to Bolgano.
”I have a few questions,”
”Interrupting a fight just to ask questions? I have no reason to answer a brat like you,” Bolgano growled.
”My bad for the interruption. But you looked like the one in charge, so I figured you’d know best. Once you answer me, you can go back to your little fight all you want.”
”What?! Are you not here to help us?” I shouted, my blood boiling at his dismissive tone.
Again, he acted as if I didn’t exist.
”So,” the man continued, “are you going to talk?”
”And if I don’t? You’ll kill me?” Bolgano sneered. “Depending on the questions, I might consider it. But first, why don’t you lower that dangerous toy?”
”Pass. If I lower this, you’ll just try to split my skull with that hunk of iron in your hand. Your bloodlust is leaking everywhere.”
”Tch… fine.” Bolgano clicked his tongue, giving in surprisingly easily.
”There’s a massive crevasse¹ at the border of Greedia and the Green Forest. Who did it?”
”A crevasse, eh? And what if I tell you?”
”Answering a question with a question? I’m not a fan. I’ll ask again: Who did it?”
”…I’m not in the habit of selling out my allies, but I’ll tell you this: it wasn’t me.”
”Fair enough. Next: why this city? Why slaughter civilians who can’t even fight back?”
I held my breath. I wanted to know this, too. Bolgano’s Ogres weren’t just fighting soldiers; they were hunting down people trying to flee.
”Hmph. Isn’t it obvious? Retaliation.”
”Retaliation? For the Hero attacking the Demon King?”
”What?!” I gasped. “Is that true?!”
It was a bolt from the blue. Ise and Kagaya looked just as stunned. But the masked man didn’t even flinch. He kept his eyes locked on the Ogre.
”No,” Bolgano laughed. “The Demon King wouldn’t give such an order for something so trivial. This is Vengeance². Vengeance for our people who were slaughtered for no reason. You know the saying: an eye for an eye.”
”I see. That makes sense,” the masked man said calmly. “You actually have the moral high ground on this one.”
”Wait… what?!” I screamed, my rage overflowing. “Are you saying this is okay?! People are dead! Innocent people who were just living their lives! You’re saying that’s permitted?!”
The man finally spoke to me, his voice cold. “…You’ve been buzzing in my ear like a fly for a while now, Satsuki. If you want an answer, it’s ‘No.’ If they wanted retaliation, they should have gone after the Hero who did the killing. And for the record, attacking Envyos³ is the wrong move. They should have hit Plaudix⁴ for plotting that ‘Summoning Magic’ stunt in the first place. Those high-and-mighty bastards are so rotten I’d probably help you burn them down.”
”The Hero who killed our people was struck down by the Demon King himself,” Bolgano countered. “And we are heading for Plaudix. One of the other Six Demon Generals⁵ is already on his way.”
”…Ah, right. I forgot. Well, in that case, pack up your toys and get out of this city.”
”Hmm…” Bolgano hesitated. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. It’s an order from the Demon King. Even a man as gentle as him wanted this war. I cannot disobey. Besides… I don’t much like humans. They never do anything good.”
”I can’t argue with that,” the masked man said, his voice dropping an octave. “But since you won’t leave… I guess I’ll just have to slaughter every one of your subordinates in this city. You don’t mind, right?”
A literal chill ran down my spine. The murderous intent in his voice felt like it was slicing through me as much as the Ogre.
”Hmph. I can’t let you do that. And for your information, killing me won’t stop them. My orders are already given.”
”I’m going anyway. You aren’t strong enough to keep me here.”
”I said, you aren’t going-!?”
Bolgano’s words were cut off. The man sheathed his sword, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Teleportation? No, it wasn’t a skill I recognized.
”Ngh… he’s… he’s already that far away?” Bolgano stared off into the distance. “I can’t catch him.”
I leveled my sword at Bolgano again, my heart pounding. Ise and Kagaya moved with me, the three of us surrounding him.
”You’re not going anywhere,” I growled.
”Well then,” Bolgano looked at us, though the fire in his eyes had dimmed. “Should we continue? As that man said? Though it galls me to entertain you…”
”What’s wrong? Thinking of running?”
”Running? Don’t be absurd. But I’ll admit, my interest has been dampened. After facing a monster like that, a duel with you feels… terribly boring.”
”You-!”
”I’m leaving. And unlike that man, I don’t need to run. Come, Phoenix!”
Flames erupted from beneath his feet, coalescing into the form of a great firebird. Bolgano leapt onto its back and soared into the sky. The sheer force of the Phoenix’s wings sent us tumbling back. By the time I regained my footing, he was already out of reach.
”Gwahahaha! If you want to finish this so badly, come to the fortress ahead! We’ll settle the score then-assuming you aren’t too boring for me by then! Farewell!”
Bolgano’s laughter echoed as he disappeared into the clouds.
The immediate crisis was over. But in the city, the Ogres were still rampaging.
”Why…” I bit my lip, “Why does it feel like I lost?”
Bolgano was gone. The massacre here had been stopped. But it only happened because that masked man appeared. Bolgano didn’t leave because of me; he left because I wasn’t worth his time anymore. And that man… he had treated me like I wasn’t even there.
”Good grief, men are all the same,” Ise spat, walking over to me. “Savage, rude, and utterly classless. Ojou-sama, please don’t let people like that bother you. It’s beneath your dignity.”
I gave a bitter smile. “I don’t think we have the luxury of worrying about dignity, Ise. There are still Ogres in the city.”
I looked toward the wall of fire. There were no Ogres left there. I thought they might have fled, but when I looked closer, I saw them. They were all facedown on the ground, dead. He had killed them all in the time it took to blink.
”Ise, Kagaya, let’s leave the rest to the board chairman and the guards. We need to move.”
”Understood, Ojou-sama.”
”…No, it’s not impossible,” Kagaya was whispering to herself, her hand on her chin. “But if that’s the case… it wasn’t in the records…”
”Kagaya?”
”Hm? Oh, sorry. Just thinking.”
”Is something wrong?”
”Something? Yes, something is very wrong. But don’t worry about it. It’s just a theory for now.”
”Right. Then let’s go. People need help.”
”They have nothing to do with me, so I don’t really care,” Kagaya said, stretching lazily, “but I guess I have no choice.”
Kagaya was always like this-indifferent to anything that didn’t pique her curiosity. She was obsessed with knowledge, spending every waking hour devouring books since we arrived in this world. She had even taught herself the local language without using the ‘Language Comprehension’⁶ skill. I knew she was a genius, but this was something else.
We moved out. We had to stop the dying.
In the end, we drove the Ogres out. But the cost was staggering. One-tenth of the city’s population was gone. A third of those were soldiers and hunters, but the rest… the rest were just people who never stood a chance.
—
Summary:
A mysterious masked man interrupts the battle between Hina and the Ogre General Bolgano, effortlessly repelling both. He interrogates Bolgano about the destruction of a forest border and the massacre of civilians, revealing a moral gray area where the monsters are seeking vengeance for their own slaughtered people. After the intruder vanishes to hunt more Ogres, Bolgano retreats, leaving Hina feeling defeated and questioning the nature of the conflict.
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Trivia:
- The masked man neutralized Kagaya’s magic and Ise’s knives instantly without direct focus.
- Bolgano mentions that the ‘gentle’ Demon King actually desired this war.
- Hina only realizes the man is masked well after he intervenes.
- The Ogre General reveals that another General is simultaneously attacking Plaudix.
- Kagaya is suspicious of the masked man’s identity based on her ‘records’.
- Kagaya learned the world’s language manually, bypassing the system skill
—
Character Insight:
Hina experiences a severe blow to her ego as a ‘Hero’ when she is completely ignored by both the monster and the intruder. Kagaya demonstrates her analytical nature, prioritizing information over the lives of the townspeople, and hints at recognizing the masked man.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author notes that the masked man’s intervention style is modeled after ‘Yu-sama’ (likely Hajime Nagumo from Arifureta) and confirms he is frequently using Time Compression skills to achieve his movement speed.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Bolgano – Flame Demon General of the Ogre-kin. A head taller than other ogres with short-cropped red hair and red skin. Wields a massive jagged cleaver. One of the Six Demon Generals. Large-bodied Ogre-kin male. Wields a barbarian sword (hanka-tou) and commands a legion of Ogres. Can summon a Phoenix.
• Kagaya – Female student from Earth. Specialized in sorcery and information gathering. Obsessed with knowledge and has mastered the local language through self-study. Yamato Hina’s classmate. A sorcery specialist who uses a staff. Capable of ‘Fire Wall’ and ‘Aqua Spread’.
• Satsuki – Large chest (noted as ‘milk woman’ or ‘cow’ by Reika), indoor type, former bullying victim turned perpetrator.
• Hina – Yamato Hina. Student council vice-president. Serious, beautiful, with long straight hair and sharp eyes.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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