Just as Emily was about to be forcibly taken to the front lines by Natalie.
Hadia, who had been thrown out of the Demon King’s castle by Natalie, arrived at the front lines—which were about to become a brutal battlefield—even earlier than them.
An army of over 100,000 humans had surrounded the Demon Race’s border fortress so tightly that not even water could seep through.
However, they had not launched a reckless assault, choosing instead to wait for good news from the hero.
Once it was confirmed that the hero Hadia had successfully subjugated or severely wounded the Demon King, the humans would launch an immediate offensive to seize the fortress in one fell swoop, then advance into the heart of the Demon Realm to fully occupy it.
Of course, the good news the commanders imagined naturally did not exist.
Upon hearing that the hero’s party had suffered a crushing defeat and that the saintess had been taken hostage, the commanders—who had initially believed they were merely here to reap the rewards of the Demon Race’s fall—fell into silence.
“The Empire is as impatient as ever, isn’t it?”
“Indeed… I suppose they thought that once we succeeded, they could be the first to seize territory in the Demon Realm. After all, if we had actually broadcast our success, other nations would likely have fought to invade as well. The Empire would have received a smaller piece of the cake, so they took the risk of gathering their troops in advance.”
“Heh, the Empire truly thinks highly of us.”
The two companions who had successfully reunited with Hadia were busy mocking the stupidity of these troops.
Hadia, however, merely gripped her holy sword in silence.
She was physically present, but her soul was elsewhere.
Watching Hadia’s state, the other two were naturally very worried.
But they had already tried to persuade Hadia many times over the past few days.
No matter how they comforted or urged her, Hadia remained exactly like this.
She wouldn’t even tell them what had actually happened.
After all, Hadia could not spread word that the saintess had voluntarily become the Demon King’s slave.
If news of the saintess becoming a slave to the Demon King were to leak, the damage to Emily’s reputation would be immeasurable, so Hadia decided she had to protect Emily’s honor at all costs.
At first, Hadia had considered charging back into the Demon King’s castle to rescue Emily.
But remembering the scene where the Demon King had tossed her away like trash, Hadia had to abandon the dangerous idea.
Of course, Hadia did not fear death; she feared that another reckless attempt would only worsen Emily’s situation.
Her last action had already turned Emily into a slave.
She dared not imagine what might happen to Emily next time.
Hadia was certain that no matter how many times she put herself in danger, Emily would always find a way to save her.
With this mindset, Hadia had no choice but to repress her urge to rescue Emily and retreat in shame.
For the past few days, Hadia had been tortured by guilt and self-reproach.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
As Bena responded, the door slowly opened.
“Honored guests, your presence is requested at the strategy meeting.”
This statement left the three of them stunned.
They had originally assumed that upon learning of the failed subjugation, the Empire would act sensibly and withdraw their 100,000-strong army.
They never expected that they still intended to fight the Demon Race.
Of course, there was no other choice.
In this operation, the Empire had played the role of a desperate gambler, betting everything on the hero’s party being able to succeed.
Now that they were told it had failed, how could they possibly accept that so easily?
Although they had yet to engage the Demon Race, the cost of supplies and rations for 100,000 soldiers over this period was enough to bankrupt a small nation.
Having spent so many resources, they could not just turn back empty-handed.
The commanders could not explain such a loss to their king.
Therefore, the current strategy of the commanders was that they had to achieve some sort of victory, no matter what.
Even taking the fortress and seizing the supplies within would be better than just going home.
And since the hero was right here, the Empire naturally intended to exploit the hero’s power to secure a victory.
The reason the Empire remained so bold was their total lack of understanding regarding the Demon King’s strength.
Even after the hero’s party claimed they had been defeated by the Demon King and the saintess captured, they still believed the Demon King’s power could not be that much greater than the hero’s party.
After all, if the Demon King were truly that much stronger, the hero’s party would never have succeeded in retreating.
With the hero’s party combined with their 100,000 soldiers, they felt they had more than enough power to deal with one Demon King!
Furthermore, their ranks were not lacking in strong individuals like Bena who could join the hero’s party; they could simply overwhelm the Demon King with numbers.
Naturally, Hadia was unaware of these thoughts held by the commanders.
To stop their actions, the three members of the hero’s party had no choice but to brace themselves and attend the strategy meeting.
Upon arriving at the meeting site, the Empire’s marshal and generals were seated on both sides, having waited for a long time.
The generals even ceded the center seat of honor to the hero’s party.
After all, the hero was the representative of the gods, and they felt they owed her at least that much.
“Hero, thank you for attending this meeting.”
Seeing the hero attend, the generals naturally assumed the hero’s party would join this assault on the fortress.
Listening to the marshal’s speech, Hadia, who had been silent for days, spoke up for the first time:
“…Are you really going to fight the Demon Race? Even after we failed the subjugation?”
As a hero, she could not simply stand by and watch them throw their lives away.
It mattered little if these high-and-mighty generals died.
After all, they were the type of people who would send soldiers to their deaths for personal gain.
They were obsessed with turning cold soldiers into heated military glory and wealth.
The soldiers who were about to be used as cannon fodder were the ones Hadia needed to protect.
“Hero, you overestimate the Demon King! We have over 100,000 troops, and with your power, isn’t it more than enough to defeat a single Demon King? Besides, there is no guarantee the Demon King will even show up.”
“…I oppose an attack at this time. All of you, just turn back.”
Hadia’s words caused everyone present to change their expressions.
In the eyes of the generals, they had already given this young girl enough respect.
For her to be so ungrateful and insist on them returning to the Empire to face punishment was intolerable.
Though deeply dissatisfied, they dared not confront the hero head-on.
“But if we retreat, what will happen to the Saintess? The longer we delay, the more dangerous the situation becomes for her! Is the Hero planning to abandon the Saintess and run away on her own?”
The marshal struck at Hadia’s pain without hesitation.
After all, everyone could see how much Hadia was blaming herself.
As for the reason for that self-reproach, it didn’t take much thought to figure out.
“!”
“Hero, we aren’t the ones relying on your power—you are the one relying on ours! Don’t you want to lead us to rescue the Saintess? Even if we only capture this fortress, we can present a demand to the Demon King, forcing him to trade the Saintess for it.”
These words left Hadia with no room for rebuttal.
As a hero, if she were to say she would abandon the saintess, she would lose her status as a hero.
These despicable people…
Bena cursed these fools in her heart for grabbing hold of Hadia’s weakness.