The Porter Is Not Interested in the Hero Party

137 – Downfall (1)

“Fate is truly unpredictable. Isn’t it?”

Stauffen said that while looking at the shallow river.

Through the river water, where the bottom was clearly visible, fleshy fingers and someone’s helmet floated around. After the cavalry was massacred by hand, the ghost story on the southern front that corpses still occasionally float up seemed to be true.

“It seems so.”

The adjutant couldn’t figure out what Stauffen was talking about, so he just shook his head and laughed. Still lacking both as a demon and as a soldier, he was silently lamenting that he had ruined his life by becoming an aide to a guy like Stauffen.

Stauffen continued talking, unaware of the hatred and resentment his adjutant spewed out. His fingers pointed at the enemy camp across the river.

“Look over there. I heard that this time Kiberes came down from the village to the front line here as the frontline commander of our southern front.”

The adjutant said nothing. However, since his conversion, the mad traitor ‘Kybeles’, who has been destroying the demons, and Stauffen, who rose to the position of commander, but was relegated to the position of commander of a unit after repeating mistakes one after another.

Considering the difference in level between the two, it was clear who he would bet on.

“It’s not strange. After all, giving me a chance to defeat Kayberes myself.”

“Ji, that’s the right thing to say.”

The adjutant rolled his eyes and nodded. In case the nuance of ridiculing doesn’t come out, I met his taste while killing my emotions. Stauffen smiled and looked over the wooden fence, and the guards walking around the wooden fence checked him standing at a distance and threw stones into the river and cursed at him.

The camps of Caiberes and Stauffen were close enough to touch, but quite far.

“Let’s go back.”

Stauffen’s cloak fluttered. His eyes were burning with desire.

*****

“Stauffen is the commander here?”

Kayberes asked the soldier while he was grooming his sword. The sharp blade drew a clear line between commander and soldier. The soldier, who saw the sharp and cold line hanging from his waist, continued his speech with a very firm attitude.

“Yes. I think it came in recently. They say he was demoted to take responsibility for the series of defeats.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted to take responsibility, but it’s a pity.”

Kayberes nodded in a nonchalant tone. The soldier couldn’t help but express his curiosity at her leisurely attitude. No matter how much Stauffen was demoted, he was a soldier with excellent capabilities to rise to the position of commander, and he was a demon that could not be ignored.

The soldier asked in a hoarse voice.

“Um, Commander?”

“Why?”

“That… … . Stauffen, as a former commander… … . I heard that you are a very good demon… … . That… . no worries… … . can’t you? Ah, of course, I’m not asking this because I want the Commander to be scared… … .”

Kayberes looked at the soldier. Then he tilted his head and said,

“Stauffen himself is just a piece of writing scattered everywhere. I’m tired of showing off, and I like being jealous of others and slandering others. Its military talent cannot be ignored, but its nature, which focuses more on cheating than honor, does not make a true subordinate. When Stauffen first came to power here, he had cavalry, assassins, and formidable men. But what does he have now? One troop and that shabby barracks are the end.”

As Kiberes nodded, the soldier stepped aside. Caiberes pointed his sword at the Stauffen barracks that he could see through his window. As if the sword were about to shoot out, she held it with both hands and measured the distance.

“Even a child would be afraid to take up a knife, but now we have the upper hand. You don’t have to laugh at him, but you don’t have to be afraid of him either.”

As the soldier listened to Caybereth’s words, he felt his fear subside little by little. If you think about it, it was. If he was Stauffen, who was once the commander of the demons, isn’t Kiberes here a reversal commander who made a breakthrough in the war against the demons?

After realizing the commander’s reassurance, the fact that I had been trembling at hearing Stauffen’s name until now felt strange.

“Oh, yes, yes! I think you are right, Commander. As good as Commander Kiberes… … .”

Caybereth put his sword back around his waist and waved at the soldier to cut him off.

“Bring a pen and paper.”

The soldier who was about to baptize praise brought the paper next to him and asked.

“What, what are you doing?”

“I was demoted, but as a former demon soldier, shouldn’t I write a few words of consolation? This paper is too new to be formal. If you look under the bookshelf there, there will be papers that you have gathered because there is no place to write them. Bring something empty from there.”

“Ah yes. Is this okay?”

Kiberes accepted the paper the soldier held out. Looking at the contents, it was a scribble place where I habitually scribbled circles while planning the operation. The whole side was tangled with round lines like pasta.

“Did you draw a bear?”

As the soldier said, if you look closely, you can see an aesthetic shape in its own way, but Kiberes didn’t bring this paper to discuss the artistic value of graffiti. She shook her head lightly and waved her hand to send the soldier away.

There’s nothing more fun than making fun of a demoted foe.

Kiberes moved his pen while having the most fun time since the porter left.

******

Stauffen was contemplating a strategy as he rubbed his chin. Even in the middle of the night, I couldn’t sleep because of the thought of the war. Once he fell as a front commander, he had to show outstanding performance again. It was not a dream to go back to the original position as long as I somehow managed to break through their gaps, build up the ball, and prove my abilities again.

Currently, the Southern Front lacks supplies and is inferior to the Kingdom Army in terms of troops. Her opponent was Kayberes, who liked to use strange strategies that did not suit her straightforward personality, and fighting on such a favorable battlefield was one of the things she did best.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m not confident. Kiberes.”

Stauffen gnashed his teeth as he called Kayberes by name.

He could not admit the fact that he was cornered by a being he should have worshiped and worshiped as a wall and an idol.

He felt that Ciberes gave him a sense of fellowship, rivalry, and a sense of crisis. I thought I might have one of these.

As he slipped his hands under his cloak in the chilly wind and trembled and pulled his feet away from his sleeping bag, a star rose from the barracks at Ciberes and flew in a rainbow-like arc toward the barracks at Stauffen.

Stauffen jumped without missing the swift arc that seeped through the sound of grass insects and the sound of the river. Stauffen’s body rolled on the dirt field, and an arrow fell at a distance from him.

“…write.”

Stauffen dusted off his clothes and looked around. The soldier and the adjutant were staring with their eyes wide open. They felt a certain sense of alienation from Stauffen’s splendid body movements, which seemed to have avoided the arrows and cannons that fell helplessly.

Stauffen felt as much embarrassment as the sense of alienation they felt.

He pretended nothing was wrong and brushed off his clothes.

“….What are you doing? Go in.”

“Ah, that, it’s okay… … .”

Stauffen strongly cut the adjutant’s words and pulled out an arrow on the floor.

“It’s nothing. Didn’t they send you a letter? There’s no need to be noisy. After I see the contents, I will distribute them separately to the soldiers. Go quickly!”

“Ah yes! All right.”

Fearing that the adjutant would fall further, the adjutant quickly avoided his seat, and Stauffen opened the letter attached to the arrow while shaking off the dirt on his knee.

[Staufen.

I am very sorry that I was demoted and came here.

But don’t worry. Because you weren’t originally a demon that was suited for big things like being a commander.

It was hard when I first betrayed too,

After I realized that this place was mine, I felt at ease.

You too will soon realize that the position suits you well.

Since you were a tactical instructor, I thought that a forward commander would suit you better than a commander.

The commander is a position that draws a very big picture from the perspective of a writer.

For those of us who live with only one inch ahead, this is the place to be.

Stauffen.

That hat suits you well too.]

My hands were trembling.

His eyes were bloodshot, he was gasping for breath, and Stauffen tore the letter and screamed.

“aaagh! aaagh!”

“what?”

“what’s the matter?”

“Is it a habit?”

The barracks heated up with his bitter rage.

Kiberes was laughing louder than anyone else in his room, listening to the cry.