The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 6 - Chapter 75.5

INTERLUDE

The Ex–Demon Lord’s Friend, Defeated in Battle—

The Asylas Federation had invaded.

As soon as Ginny heard the news, she felt her heart squeeze in fear. Compared with most people, she had her share of strange incidents, including handling near-death experiences.

Nevertheless, she was fifteen. Who could blame her for being terrified of her first real battle…?

Her duty as Elrado’s foot soldier was also weighing heavily on Ginny’s heart.

They’d known each other since they were kids, and he’d bullied her forever. He was like a walking trauma for her. She’d been burdened by the gargantuan task of building a close relationship with him and rescuing the city, and that was more torturous for Ginny than marching into her first war.

For whatever reason, Elrado hadn’t spoken to her directly yet. They communicated via his lovely aide and avoided each other like the plague. He preferred not to see her face, either, Ginny had concluded. This was better for her mental health anyway and let her focus on the battle at hand.

When came the day for them to depart for the front, Elrado led a force of two thousand men, while Ginny herself was put in charge of twelve hundred soldiers.

Since this campaign was their first for both, an experienced general would be close by to aid them. Ginny thought it would be better to leave everything up to the veterans…but that was impossible for a noble kid. To aristocrats, reputation was everything, especially for a family that had been protecting the border for generations. Whenever a war broke out, it was tradition for the eldest child to head out to the front lines before anyone else to declare their greatness. Doing so not only protected the family’s reputation, but demonstrated to others that the area was safely under their control.

For the adults to save face, a fifteen-year-old girl had been sent off headlong into danger… The carnage made her want to throw up.

She’d been told that all citizens had been evacuated and an army of volunteer adventurers were fighting the enemy…but Ginny couldn’t wrap her head around what that would look like.

This battlefield, swamped in madness, was far more horrifying than anything she’d ever witnessed. There was nothing more she wanted to do than turn tail.

At that moment, the image of Ard Meteor flashed in her mind.

What would his sidekick do at a time like this? Run away in shame? No way.

They would press forward and save people. Any real friends of Ard’s would.

When she thought of him, Ginny’s heart beat with renewed courage.

She moved to take control of the eastern sector. Elrado’s assigned territory was to the west. While he was subduing the enemy over that way, she’d handle things in her area.

Everything was going according to plan. The veteran general who accompanied her had shouldered the responsibility of controlling their army, which gave Ginny some room to breathe. She was relieved that she only had to serve the role of a single soldier.

Ginny was a rare race known as a succubus. Major disadvantages included giving birth to only women, which meant they had to depend on men to keep their bloodline alive. That said, they were very magical beings.

Ard Meteor had awakened Ginny’s natural magic talent. Now, even the best mages didn’t stand a chance against her. Plus, she possessed enchanted equipment, bestowed upon her by Ard: leg armor that boosted her speed to an impossible pace, and a crimson spear that increased her physical abilities and produced lightning bolts at will. With these, she’d become a goddess of war.

“This is our next leader…!”

“The Salvan family is saved!”

“We must inform her father of her valor!”

The elderly generals were thrilled by her feats, which were seemingly impossible to pull off. As this was happening, Ginny was adjusting to the battlefield and had stopped to catch her breath for a minute.

She’d begun to yearn for Ard, perhaps because they were close to winning.

I wonder how I should tell Ard about this? Maybe I should say I fought valiantly… Hmm. No. That’s not very cute.

I shouldn’t brag about saving people either. That’s a given, as his sidekick. But…I wish he’d applaud me at least a little.

It’s always been considered a jinx to think of one’s lover on the battlefield, and it was widely believed that those who did would suffer an unfortunate end.

Ginny, however, didn’t believe in these superstitions. In fact, she believed thinking about your sweetheart made you stronger, and she proved that by defending the eastern sector. All because of her love for Ard.

…Defeat was the furthest thing from her mind. In fact, she knew they would be victorious.

Except…nothing about the future was ever guaranteed.

As if to prove this point, a man came down from the heavens to stand before Ginny and her army. He was young, maybe in his early twenties, and attractive. Platinum hair flowed down his back, and his androgynous features seemed to elevate his beauty.

The tall, slender man in the dark coat looked at her. “…Ginny Fin de Salvan, I presume?” he asked, calmly.

It was then that she felt like she’d be crushed by an invisible force.

“Who are you?!” shouted one of her bodyguards. “A soldier from Asylas—”

He was cut off mid-sentence. He would probably never speak again.

After all—his head had been blown to bits.

“ ?!”

Panic began to spread. Even Ginny was not immune to it.

“You’re…!” Ginny glared at her enemy, forehead beading with sweat. Upon closer inspection, she could see something strange attached to his white skin.

…Scales? Reptilian scales on human skin. The condition reminded her of another traumatic incident.

A creature who’d brought them to the point of death.

A mythical monster defeated by Ard Meteor.

Elzard, the Frenzied King of Dragons.

The man before her gave off the same kind of vibe.

“…I’m taking you hostage,” the man flatly proclaimed, as if she was just going to have to go along with it. He casually approached her.

“Protect Lady Ginny!”

“We’ll teach you how foolish it is to go up against all of us alone!”

Starting with her bodyguards, Ginny’s twelve hundred soldiers gathered to take him down. They failed, however. His power was like nothing they’d seen before. Her soldiers were slain in the blink of an eye, as well as their experienced generals. Ginny was effortlessly defeated, and…

“Gwagh…!”

As soon as she was caught off guard, he got behind her, and she felt a dull pain in the back of her head. She was going to lose consciousness in seconds.

Is this the end for me?

“Let her go, you cretin!”

She heard a voice. A boy’s…but not Ard’s.

This one was rough and wild and…belonged to Elrado.

“Take me instead! I’m supposed to protect her!”

She thought she’d heard something to that effect, but it couldn’t possibly be true. Maybe it was a delusion produced by her waning consciousness. Elrado wouldn’t have come to save her. They didn’t have that sort of relationship…and they never, ever would.

Her consciousness drifted away—

Ginny woke up, head pounding in pain.

She seemed to be lying on a hard floor. Blinking, she noticed how her body ached and head throbbed.

“Ah…!” said a voice that could either belong to a man or woman.

She craned her sore head toward the source, and…found an elf with lovely feminine features and orange hair sitting on the floor, looking back at her.

“Master Michel…?”

Elrado’s younger brother. He had joined this mission under their father’s orders, though he was only twelve. He had a kind heart, unlike his older brother.

“Thank heavens…! You’re awake…!” he cried.

Ginny considered her next words carefully. “…Master Michel, where are we?” She cradled her hurting head.

The boy looked down. “In one of the fortresses along the border. It used to be ours, but now…”

“It’s an enemy base?”

That was enough for her to piece together what was going on.

Ginny and Michel had been captured as prisoners of war.

Her surroundings made it all the more real. The cramped room held nothing more than a simple bed and toilet—one of the isolation cells in the fortress.

…So she was a damsel in distress, to put it nicely. A burden, to be exact.

Ginny had seen this scenario play out in her novels, but she’d never imagined she’d be in this position.

“D-don’t worry. I’ll protect you!” Michel proclaimed, picking up on her fear.

She thanked him, but she knew she couldn’t rely on him.

Ginny was familiar with Michel’s personality—almost too kind, radiating affection, but also cowardly.

The next moment only served to confirm this.

The door burst open and a single soldier entered. A brawny orc, clad in oddly sheer clothing, as if to accentuate his green skin and muscular physique. He looked at Ginny and smirked.

…His lewd gaze was repulsive. He looked her up and down like he was trying to savor every inch. She was only in her underwear. Her armor had been stripped off, and the chain mail that had been underneath was gone as well.

The orc blatantly ogled her breasts and smooth pale thighs. “Come on out, girl. The captain’s calling.”

Ginny comprehended what sort of future he was suggesting awaited her. Even Michel could guess at the horrors she’d endure. His earlier bravado was nowhere to be seen. He trembled in fear, wordlessly.

That was understandable. Ginny didn’t think for a second that a twelve-year-old child would take her place…but neither did she believe herself to be a tragic heroine.

Even though she was led into a room packed with orcs that leered at her…even though their eyes were filled with the most vulgar, carnal passion…Ginny remained graceful.

“…You’re a brave one. Or maybe you don’t realize what’s about to happen,” noted a noticeably strong orc that she took to be the leader.

“No, I’m aware. But I’ll have you know that I won’t let you lay a single finger on me.”

This certainly riled up the orcs.

“Captain. You don’t need to respond.”

“Let’s just get to it already.”

“I love making mouthy girls like her submit.”

The orc called “Captain” shrugged off their disgusting comments. “Sorry, girl. If we want to threaten or negotiate with the enemy, the prisoner of war has to get roughed up.”

Ginny knew it to be a common tactic—take two or more nobles as hostage and torture the one of lower status. Then, use an enchanted item to send photographic evidence to the family of the higher-ranking prisoner to threaten them. This message basically implied: We’ll do this to your family, too, if you don’t do exactly as we say.

The perfect way to get your foe to submit without shedding unnecessary blood.

“But I guess our enemy isn’t really the type to fall for threats. I’ve been thinking that my underlings could use a break. You’ll be a fun toy for them. Don’t blame me. Blame the fact that you were ever born.” And with that, he gave the signal for the orcs to begin. They slowly sidled up to Ginny.

Any normal maiden would wet herself with fear, but…Ginny was smiling.

“I will say it one more time. You won’t ever lay a finger on me. That’s because…”

She stopped there, and a second later, they all heard the sounds of destruction. The orcs stopped with their leering looks, appearing nervous now.

Facing all of them, Ginny puffed up her chest, assured of herself.

“I have a knight in shining armor, you see.”