Beyond the Hero’s Death – 08 | Sousaku – 創作

EEpisode 8: The Hero Takes His Own Life (8) – The Masses Die in Panic

I had no interest in this "Devil" who defined herself as a phenomenon for mankind. I was too busy seeing things through.

"I see. So, what's this Devil person got to do with me?"

"I found you very interesting. Black hair and lightless eyes. Above all, an empty heart and deep within it, grief and regret. It's very attractive."

……What the hell is this person talking about, I have no idea what she means.

"I've got a lot on my plate, so please leave me alone."

"Oh, what a harsh thing to say. But I will stay by your side because watching you is more interesting than anything else. This is a special seat."

Yeah, my words don't seem to get through. But it's too much of a hassle to deal with her, so I'll just ignore her for now. Even when I stopped dealing with her, she was still next to me, smiling…… or rather, grinning.
Seeing that she wasn't carrying any type of food or drink, I wondered if she could survive on nothing but miasma since she was a Devil. I don't know.

"Please don't mind me. Oh right, if I may say so, how about something like this as a token of our friendship?"

The Devil extended her hand and waved her arm a few times like a conductor of a band, and I began to hear around me human voices, which I assumed were those of the residents of the royal capital. Apparently, it picks up the voices of the residents in the royal capital. The Devil looked smug and in a good mood when I told her that I was honestly surprised that she could use such an unusual skill.

"I'm glad you liked it. ―――It would be boring just to watch, wouldn't it? A show is to be enjoyed not only with the eyes, but with the ears as well."

Yeah, I can definitely see that. Silent films had a charm of their own and were not bad, but the ones with sound were definitely the best. At this distance, I was able to pick up some voices through the physical strengthening of my five senses, but I was impressed by the interesting skill of the Devil because I could hear people's voices clearly and distinctly.

"I'm very grateful for your thoughtfulness, but what's the point of all this? What do you want from me in return? What is your purpose?"

"Although it is difficult to answer "What's the point of all this?" at least I am a committed person. And my goal, as I told you, is to watch you from the side."

I still don't know who this Devil is, but at least she doesn't seem to want to harm me, so I'll leave her out of my mind for now.
Also, when I was looking out at the royal city from this place, some demons that had strayed from the army attacked me, so I took care of them quickly. In a manner of speaking, I'm also dealing with the monsters as per the king's request.

And while I was spending my time being surrounded by monsters, the people of the capital were becoming more and more anxious and dissatisfied every day, and the security in the city was getting worse and worse.
Unlike the soldiers, the people had lived a life without direct contact with monsters and had no fear for their lives, but they could not possibly be at peace with a horde of monsters right under their noses.
Soldiers seemed to be doing a lot of patrolling and running around to mediate disputes that occurred all over the place, but they were getting burnt out.
The inhabitants of the royal capital finally realized that they were not in a siege but simply trapped――― but it was too late.
Some lobbied the king, some blamed the soldiers, some had mental breakdowns, and some turned to criminal acts. Those who were pessimistic and took their own lives were probably the smartest among these.
The people vented their discontent with the ruling class, anger at the lack of supplies with localized riots, and looting. Crime was on the rise. The people continued to shout their anger and pessimism about the current situation, and soldiers were deployed in greater numbers as the security situation continued to deteriorate, resulting in a continual look of exhaustion on their faces.
If we had a hero, none of this would have happened! Said a few who were saddened by the situation, but I laughed at them after they had disgraced Alberic so many times.

"What is that Celestial Knight doing?! That incompetent!! "

Hahaha! I'm watching you guys carefully from here. I giggled and laughed, sorry for my incompetence.

"This situation was brought about by the death of the hero, let us pray to the hero and to the goddess! "

Oh, that priest is making a good point. But alas, what do you mean, when there is no salvation even if you pray? It won't do anything for you.

"The fish! Worship the head of the fish!! Ooooh!! "

A crazy person who had lost his mind and for some reason started worshipping a fish head. It was slightly embarrassing because it made me laugh a little bit though.

"I can't stay here, I'm running away!! "

A runaway said such a thing and hit his body against the barrier, making a whooshing sound and disappearing.

"The king was probably responsible for this in the first place. Let's kill the king who made the people feel this way!! "

Some began to plot a rebellion, but they were quickly seized and vanished by decapitation.

The current royal city was like an ugly human stew. Hahaha, look at you.
But that was not going to be enough, and soon enough the people began to hold "someone" among themselves responsible and to lynch them.

"This man is to blame for saying things that tarnished Hero-sama's reputation! His head. Cut off his head!!! "

"That's right, kill him! Do it! And his family too! "

They put the blame on others, surrounding them with shame and blaming them for their pain and suffering. After inflicting violence to their heart's content, they chopped off his head and stabbed it with a wooden pike, sending them into a maniacal frenzy.

……It's all over, already.
The army of Hroboros, which had been pinned down by the barrier for a long time, decided to attack the city gate, concentrated its strength, and repeatedly stormed toward the barrier. The demons charged and died, blocked by the barrier, but gradually the barrier of light cracked. The people as well as the soldiers were trembling with fear and despair at that sight.

After a few more days, the time finally came. The barrier at the city gate cracked just enough to allow a person to pass through, creating a small gap. The soldiers literally used their own bodies as shields to defend themselves, but they were soon overcome by the difference in quantity.
As the demons swarmed into the capital, the people in the city all died before they could comprehend the situation, looking dumbfounded or fleeing in disbelief.

"Hyaaaa, the monsters got in?! What are the soldiers, what's the Celestial Knight doing out there?! "

"It's a demon, run away!! "

"Help me, hero, goddess, save me! "

"I don't want to die, no!! "

The sheer carnage, the screams, the cries for help. And the cries of demons drowning them out. The sound of these things mingled together, and a chorus of sounds, which could not be called voices, continued to be heard incessantly from the royal city.

The demons that rushed into the capital attacked people, and at the same time, they also attacked the walls from the inside and outside, cracking the barrier that I had put up. As the defenses spread out, even larger monsters could enter, so the invasion of demons spread throughout the royal city like a stain expanding from the city gates.

"All because of the king's incompetence! I'm going to go to the castle and lock myself in! "

"Soldiers, knights, what are they doing, protect us properly!! "

"It's the soldier's role to protect the citizenry, even if they have to die, or it doesn't matter if you die, just go and drive the demons away!! "

"You should protect us!! "

They fled, got killed, and made a lot of noise while holding others responsible for the current situation and screaming about whatever they wanted to. ……What a shallow sight. Again I poured myself another drink because I felt depressed that what the Hero's Party had protected was like that.

The entrance to the king's castle, the furthest point from the gate, was firmly fortified, and the inhabitants were crowding around to be let in. However, the guards protecting the castle mercilessly shot the residents with bows, stabbed them with spears, slashed them with swords, and then discarded them.

"Nooo, murderer! "

Someone screamed, and the one leading the guards shouted in response.

"Shut up! How can I let you lowly people into the castle where the king lives? If you don't get lost quickly, I will eliminate you without mercy, and this is a royal command!!! We have permission to execute you here as traitors!! "

……Whoa, so that's the kind of decision he made, well, he's THAT king.
The people who had packed the castle began to flee as the guards began to kill the inhabitants without mercy, resulting in a large crowd that was packed together by those heading for the castle and those trying to flee from it. And then the masses of people were blasted to death as the court magicians fired their explosive magic into the air.

"Damn you to hell, cursed foolish king!! "

I heard one of the people scream just before he was killed. ……Rest assured, everyone in the capital will die equally.