The reason for the creation of the lifesaving team and Nero Argens.

I've just heard about the men in the unit that Rose used to lead, and I think it's probably related to them.

It seemed to me, vaguely, that the cause of the strong enemy that wounded Rose was not just the injury.

 

"The story goes back to before the Demon King was resurrected."

 

Listen intently to Rose's story.

 

"As a member of the Knights, I heard that the demon tribes, who had not shown any major movements until this time, were acting suspiciously."

"The full-fledged battle with the Demon Clan will begin after the Demon King is resurrected?"

"Yes, there were skirmishes, but there would have been no large-scale fighting in hundreds of years. That's why the Lingle Kingdom was more vigilant than necessary about the suspicious behavior of the demon tribes."

 

Of course, it's understandable to be wary of forces that haven't taken any major action before when they start acting strangely.

The question is, what were the Demon Lord's forces doing?

 

"Well, the place where the demon tribe was spotted acting suspiciously was the 'Darkness of Ringle' that you know."

"It's close to the Ringle Kingdom, isn't it......?"

"Ah, that's why the Lingle Kingdom had to move, but the Demon Clan is already a group of people with more physical abilities than humans. There's no point in sending a half-hearted force to the side, so I, who was the battalion commander at the time, was entrusted with the reconnaissance mission of the Demon Tribe."

 

He was also surprised that the place where the demon tribe was moving was close to the Ringle Kingdom.

It's a journey that takes a few hours, but it's still within reach if you want to.

I understand the impatience of the people of the Lingle Kingdom.

But the fact that Rose was entrusted with scouting meant that her subordinates might also be

 

"I've decided to take my most trusted troops, the Owls......

「…… Leader?"

 

She tilted her head at the awkward interruption, and after a moment of silence, Rose spoke again.

 

"I have a little bit of a thought, I was overconfident in the power of healing magic at that time. If you don't die instantly, you won't let them die, and you won't die. And my subordinates relied on me and trusted me completely."

「……」

「…… Let's keep talking."

 

"Too much reliance on healing magic"

When I was training to learn to avoid, Rose said to me:

Now that I have heard the story, the words at that time sound different.

 

"We took our squad to scout the 'Darkness of Ringle' where the demon tribe was said to have been sighted, and there we were confronted by more than a dozen demon tribes."

"What are the demons doing in the darkness of Ringle ......?"

"From the looks of it, it looks like you've captured a powerful monster...... Maybe it has something to do with the snake demon that came out during the war, but I don't know exactly."

 

Is that giant snake?

It was a monster powerful enough to bury a Grand Grizzly...... Could it be that the root of that strength was brought about by the Demon Tribe?

 

"And one of those demons...... There was a nasty guy. That's Nero Argens."

 

This is where you met Nero Argens.

Rose closed her eyes as if remembering that moment.

 

"I knew at a glance, 'This guy is different.' I'm sure they thought the same thing. It's something I've never done before."

 

I've heard that they can manipulate the wind, but how exactly does they fight?

I know it's unusual to be able to hurt this person.

 

"Seeing what he was capable of, I warned him to retreat to the Demon Lord's Territory to avoid a useless battle, but he immediately dismissed it and tried to get rid of us as witnesses."

"It's like there's no question asked, does that mean that the Demon Clan had a reason for that?"

"Ah, they were expecting the Demon King to rise from the seal, and they stumbled upon him gathering his forces in preparation for that time."

 

The Demon King is resurrected, so the Demon Tribe has started to move.

Considering the situation at that time, the Ringle Kingdom must have been in a state of considerable confusion when it learned of this.

 

"As soon as the battle began, I left the other demons to my subordinates and I was tasked with restraining Nero Argen, because he was too strong to be entrusted to ...... subordinates."

"How does Nero Argens fight?" I know you use wind magic."

"He used a magic technique, with the wind acting as armor and assisting him from dodging to attacking...... Well, he had almost foul fighting power. Thanks to that, my attack was blocked by the wind armor."

 

I say it casually, but it's unusual to be able to defend against Rose's fist.

I can tell you because I've been hit many times, but even if I'm supposed to be careless, I'm blown away by 10 meters.

 

"Well, how can I fight against such an opponent......"

"The way I fight is not that different from yours, I get close and punch you, that's all. But I made sure that the blade he was holding would never hit a sword that was colored red."

"What? Why?"

"At the time, I was wearing a magic sword that would inflict some kind of curse on the slash, and it was a dangerous sword as you can see."

 

Inflict curses.

I can't believe that such a sword is used by someone who is so powerful that it can be said that it is strong against ...... Rose. I mean, it's not a bad level.

 

"Do you remember when I warned you that healing magic wouldn't work on curses that worked on wounds?"

"yes, I'll never forget it."

 

Or rather, you can't forget it even if you want to.

It was a shocking training in which Rose beat me like an idiot in order to learn to dodge.

 

"The reason I advised you to do so was because that was exactly what Nero had in his possession."

「……!」

"The magic sword he has is a curse that temporarily cuts off the flow of magic in the area where he slashes."

 

A curse that temporarily cuts off the flow of magic means that magic power stops flowing, right......?

Healing magic heals wounds by pouring magic into the wound.

 

"Huh!? Isn't that our natural enemy?"

"Ah, the loss of magic means that the effect of healing magic on the wounded area will be hindered. It's probably an effective sword against all wizards, not just healing magic. The good news is that the curse only has a temporary effect."

 

Even if the curse lasts temporarily, how can it be that powerful ......?

If it were a PvP battle, it would be a terrible sword that could carry almost any battle to your advantage.

After all, it nullifies even the healing magic first aid that everyone could use.

 

"You were able to fight well against an opponent who used such a sword......

"It's not that hard, the wind slash is healed with healing magic and ignored. However, sword attacks are dealt with by repelling and dodging. Well, it was troublesome that the opponent wasn't just a swordsman. It was pretty messy, with slashing and tornadoes that would chop up anyone inside."

「……」

 

Wait. From what I said earlier, I don't know what the effect of the curse was, but I guess I was trying to avoid being hit by the sword just because I felt like it was going to be dangerous if I hit it, and I was trying to get close to it and hit it.

…… What do you mean?

Did you know it was bad?

Were you fighting someone with a dangerous sword in close combat?

It's one thing to say it yourself, but isn't it too cerebral? Or is it that when you get to the bottom of your physical abilities, the brain-muscle strategy is the optimal solution?

 

"The problem is that no matter how much we fought, we couldn't win, and I was equal in speed, I was better in terms of physical ability, but he was better in terms of technique and versatility. This attack was blocked by the wind armor, and the attack over there was countered by healing magic and physical magic. I even thought I couldn't compete forever."

 

I ...... I can surpass him in terms of arm strength.

No, at the point of being in a state of antagonism, it is well beyond the range of what I can imagine.

 

"On the other hand, the subordinates who were fighting apart from me had the upper hand in the battle, even against a dozen or so demon tribes."

"Even though there were only seven of us, they were strong, Owl Mr./Ms.."

"Yes, but I was mistaken. They...... Nero Argens and the Demons' determination and tenacity."

 

Rose turned her gaze to the window and covered the area that touched her right eye with her palm.

Sensing Rose's extraordinary emotions, I had a bad premonition and fearlessly asked a question.

 

"What did you do?"

"They gave up trying to make it out alive."

 

…… Huh?

 

"It could be an obstacle to the Demon King's army that will move eventually, and in order to eliminate us on the spot, all the Demon Clans have rushed in with the determination to self-destruct."

"Oh, no, that's ......."

 

For a moment, I couldn't understand what Rose was saying.

Everyone wants to live.

I thought that it was no different for humans and demons.

I don't know what purpose and aspiration the demons had for doing so. However, their actions seemed unreasonable to both friend and foe.

 

"Hearing Nero's order, the demons rushed to their subordinates without regard for their own wounds, and I guess they never imagined that all the opponents they were fighting would rush in with the determination to self-destruct. …… One of them managed to intercept him, but one of them was pierced by a sword, and the other fell to the ground, clinging to his leg, and the next demon attacked him where he could not move, and they all fell to the ground."

 

It's not decent.

Even his own life is attacked with a disregard for himself. I can't believe that all of them do that...... There is no way that we can respond immediately.

 

"I was upset when I saw it, and Nero wasn't one to miss it. …… In a momentary agitation, my right eye was slit and I lost half of my vision."

"Because the sword of Nero Argyns has a curse ......."

"Oh."

 

The curse cuts off the flow of magic and nullifies the healing magic.

Lose half of your vision.

It's not as simple as fighting with only one eye.

It's almost impossible to fight as usual when you're half the way you see, you're at a distance, and everything you can see is different.

Rose mutters to herself.

 

"I guess I was overconfident in healing magic and it came around at that time, and I can heal my wounded friends quickly with healing magic. As long as you have healing magic, you can fight in perfect condition. That arrogance led to the worst of the worst."

 

That arrogance was not a little in me.

That's why this story is no one else's business for me.

 

"But the worst part is after this."

「…… It's real, it's ...... worst."

 

Could there be a worse development than this?

I wish I could, but it doesn't seem to be possible.

 

"I could only watch my subordinates die one after another, and the moment Nero tried to stab me——、 the only one who was safe became my shield and took Nero's slash head-on, slashing me to pieces."

「———」

"If it was just a sword, it was a wound that could have been saved by healing magic, but the curse of the magic sword would not allow it, and the surrounding area was full of corpses of demons and their subordinates, and only Nero and I, and Owl, who was mortally wounded and dying, were alive."

 

I'm speechless.

I don't know what to say to the horrible situation where even hell is lukewarm.

 

"I was so angry that I couldn't do anything about my subordinates, that I couldn't save the dying Awl. But more than that...... I hated Nero Argens, who created the situation at the time."

 

Detestable.

When those words came out of Rose's mouth, I couldn't help but shake my shoulders.

This person was abusive, but he never said words that made me hate or curse people, so I genuinely thought he was scared.

 

"Well, that's how I lost myself in anger, and I forced my body to move in anger and hatred, and I swung my fist to kill Nero, breaking my body to the point where even the healing magic couldn't do it in time."

「…… Did you kill him?"

"No, I tried to chase him down by sticking him to a tree with a magic sword, but I couldn't do it. Partly because my body couldn't stand it, but also because I saw a red-haired demon girl who wasn't there come to my aid as he was about to be stabbed...... That figure overlapped with the Owl."

 

Mr./Ms., who was mortally wounded while protecting herself, and the demon girl who saved the injured Nero Argens.

…… It must have been an ironic sight for Rose at the time.

 

"That's how I got to Nero Argens."

 

This man had an unimaginably painful past.

From the calm tone and expression on his face when he talked about Mr./Ms. and the others, I could understand painfully well how much he trusted and cared about his subordinates.

That's why I wanted to ask you.

 

「…… Does the Leader still hold a grudge against Nero Argens?"

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't hold a grudge, I'm a bastard who even threw away his own men. It's better to forgive ......."

 

After saying that, Rose finally smiled.

 

"To him...... Owl told me when I was dying. I want you to always be the person they longed for."

"The Owl Mr./Ms. ......"

"How much better it would have been if he had spewed out even one of the grudges...... He said it with a laugh, didn't he? I was desperately trying to help him."

 

The Mr./Ms. Owl ...... this man until his last moments.

Rose, who had spoken of her, leaned back in her chair as if to weaken and continued.

 

"Then you have to do that, right? I'm going to live my life in a way that I can face those guys who have always admired me."

 

The words left by Mr./Ms. may be that they are now making up the person we know called Rose, the lifesaving team.

It seemed to me that he had enough presence to have that much of an impact on this person.

 

"And I created a rescue team to prepare for the coming battle with the Demon King's army. And I don't want anyone else to go through the pain that tears me apart."

"That's why the Rescue Team was founded......

 

The root of the reason for the creation of the rescue team.

It's a force to keep people from dying.

That's why this person was running on the battlefield faster than anyone else and trying to save so many people.

Don't let anyone else go through the same pain you have when you lose a loved one.

 

"The rest is yours."

「…… Is it me?"

"One of my goals was to train a healing wizard like me, a subordinate who wouldn't die...... If something happens to me, I have someone who can take my place."

「……」

 

I'm still immature.

There's a Mr./Ms.lot to learn, and there's so much to learn and more to train than the fingers of both hands can.

Even though you're recognized as a full-fledged player, it's still like you're just getting started.

I was far from the goal I was aiming for, and listening to what I've just heard, that goal has gotten even farther away.

 

"Mr./Ms., Nero Argens, and the Lifesavers, I'm so glad I got to hear these stories from your mouth today."

 

Still, I felt proud.

I was able to learn once again that Rose, the lifesaver I taught and respected as a mentor, was an unquestionably amazing person.

 

"So, uh, uh...... Thank you for your continued support!"

 

I couldn't think of the right words, so I stood up with momentum and bowed my head deeply.

At times like this, I hate my lack of vocabulary.

Rose rolled her eyes at me, her face flushed, and laughed sheepishly.

 

"That's the line here, and as the deputy leader, I will ask you to continue to support me. Usato"

"Oh, yes!"

 

I'm glad I was able to learn this before the big battle.

I had a lot to think about when I heard about Rose's past, which I had never known before, and the people who once adored this person, but for the time being, I felt that I would definitely come back alive in the next battle with the Demon Lord's army.

No, I had always intended to do so, but now I feel it more strongly.

 

"Apparently we have talked for a long time, and it will be early tomorrow. You can go back to your room."

 

…… It didn't feel like a long story.

I listened attentively, so I felt it in no time.

Following Rose's words, he gets up from his seat and bows his head before leaving the leader's office, but before he can do so, he is stopped by someone who seems to have remembered something.

 

"No, wait, there's one thing I want to leave to you."

"Yes? What is it?"

 

What do you want to entrust? As a deputy leader?

As he wonders, Rose opens her mouth with her arms crossed.

 

"It's about Ferm."

 

Ferm.

A girl from the demon tribe who was once a black knight who stood in our way as an enemy.

She is now a member of the life-saving team, but her position is still precarious.

That's why, when Ferm's name came out of Rose's mouth, she vaguely understood what she was entrusted with.

______________________________________

Gofu (vomiting blood due to lack of gags)

 

In fact, Owl's last words saved Rose from going down the path of revenge.

 

Rose's past is like a prequel before the resurrection of the Demon Lord.

Pride in oneself for possessing healing magic and its weakness.

There were reasons for creating the rescue team.