7th Demon Prince Jilbagias' Chronicle of Demon Kingdom Toppling-Chapter 166: Sharpened Sword

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――Defteros Kingdom, Outskirt of the Royal Capital Evaloti.

In a private room of a certain fortress, a priestess was offering prayers at the altar.

Her name was Charlotte Vidowa

Born into a moderately successful merchant family, she was raised with a fair amount of love. But with too many siblings, her shy and reserved nature kept her from standing out among her siblings.

However―― Everything changed when she manifested the holy attribute during her coming-of-age ceremony. Her parents were overjoyed, calling her the pride of the family. That night, she might’ve talked with them longer than she ever had in her life. She still clearly remembers thinking how convenient it was for them to suddenly take such an interest, after having barely paid attention to her before.

That said, they did make sure she received a basic education in reading, writing, and arithmetic, so she could only feel grateful for that. She entered the Holy Religion's academy as a priestess-in-training, studied the miracles of healing and magic, was assigned to the alliance army’s medical corps—and that brought her to her current position.

In the normal situation, the medical corps was ill-suited for combat, meaning that they would be stationed far behind the front lines. That was true for Charlotte as well, until the Demon King’s army’s unstoppable march began. What was once the “rear” quickly became the “frontline”, and she couldn’t bring herself to abandon the wounded and fleeing just to save herself— Thus, she stayed.

Her family would probably be stunned to learn that their shy, timid daughter was now holding her ground on the front lines.

「…」

She prays for the civilians who became victims. She prays for the brave warriors who fell in battle.

As she pictured the faces of comrades who would never return, there came a soft knocking sound from the door of her room.

「Char, are you there?」

「Yes. Come in.」

The door opened, and a black-haired female swordsman with a distinctly big-sister vibe peeked her head into Charlotte's room.

―― The woman was 『Unicorn』 sword saint, Barbara. She was a rare female Sword Saint in the world. Somehow, her and Charlotte's relationship had become closer over time.

「Sorry for the interruption. There's a special reason you see.」

Barbara came in carrying a bag of some sort.

「Let's eat together, Char.」

「I appreciate your offer… But please enjoy it yourself, Barbara-san.」

Barbara could only smile wryly upon hearing Charlotte mention that she wasn't hungry.

「Even so, Charlotte, you've been working nonstop. If you're not eating enough during this cold weather, you'll end up getting sick. That's why let’s eat together.」

「But…」

「Don't bother to answer, I'll leave this here and leave, make sure to eat.」

Barbara asked, "Are you sure you’re okay with that?" theatrically while raising her eyebrows. Charlotte, resigned, gave a wry smile. She was joking, but there was truth to it. There had been a time when Barbara had actually left the food behind and walked off just like that.

「Then… Let's eat together.」

「That's better.」

Barbara flashed a cunning grin as she sat beside Charlotte, across a small side table. Charlotte took the bed, while Barbara sat in the only chair in the room.

「Let's give thanks to today's blessing…」

Charlotte offered a prayer before reaching for the bag placed on the table. Even Barbara, who usually wouldn’t go that far, sat properly and waited. Not wanting to keep her waiting too long, Charlotte wrapped up the prayer quickly.

「Let's dig in.」

「The menu looked rather luxurious today.」

Inside the bag was a whole salami, a small chunk of cheese, crackers, as well as dried tomatoes and herb salt for seasoning.

「It's the most delicious when eaten as soup. Do you want to try?」

「Of course.」

Charlotte poured water into a small pot and infused it with fire and light magic. The water quickly began to boil, and Barbara tossed in the sliced salami and dried tomatoes.

「Hahahaha! It's been getting cold lately, so a warm soup really hits the spot…」

Barbara, thoroughly enjoying the scent of the soup as she inhaled deeply, was met with a faint, fleeting smile from Charlotte.

In the past—― She had always exhausted her magical power to the brink of its limits.

She couldn't even afford to use magic for her own daily life.

However, she had some surplus lately.

Those who needed the miracle of healing had either mostly recovered or died.

Looking out the window, she saw rows of simple gravestones and the snow was quietly piling up. This room, being of much better quality for priests, had window panes, but ordinary soldiers and commoners would likely be shaking from the cold, either closing shutters or simply covering the gaps with paper.

This year’s winter in the Defteros Kingdom was much more severe than usual.

The western grain-producing region had been completely occupied, and even the forests near the royal capital were under the control of the Demon King's army. Food was scarce, and the people couldn't even afford to go out and collect firewood for warmth. Refugees fleeing from the west are crowded together In the alleys of the capital, everyone was suffering from hunger and cold.

It was good that reinforcements from the Holy Religion had arrived, but due to the disruption of supplies from the alliance territory, the increase in the number of rations needed had actually become a burden. Rations have had to be cut, and she heard that conflicts had arisen between the refugees and the residents of the capital.

The Demon King's army, as if mocking the struggles of the Alliance, merely deploys goblins and beastmen to harass them during daytime while observing from afar. At times, they even send out powerful reconnaissance units to test the alliance defensive forces.

They could never afford to let their guard down. For this very reason, the soldiers were on high alert, and as a result, the rations were a bit more generous, allowing them to avoid starvation.

Those with special skills, like her, a sword saint, priests, and heroes, were also prioritized for rations, so they were far from starving to death.

However, for this reason, the injured or sick commoners had low priority to receive healing…

They might be dying even as we speak right now――

「… Your precious soup is getting cold.」

Charlotte snapped back to reality upon hearing Barbara's remark.

「My apologies for being dazed during the meal.」

Charlotte chuckled lightly as she grabbed her cup of soup.

It's warm―― That was what she felt. However, she couldn't enjoy the taste.

「Ha~~~h… Man, just being able to have something warm to eat in this cold weather is such a blessing. And it's so delicious too.」

Barbara, on the other hand, didn’t seem to feel the same way, she savored the soup slowly, nibbling on salami and biscuits, looking like she was really savouring the soup to its' last drop.

「…」

Watching her like that, she took a bite of the soaked, floating sun-dried tomato and chewed it thoroughly; it somehow tasted a bit salty, and surprisingly delicious.

They ate in silence for a while after that. There wasn’t much conversation, just Barbara happily repeating how delicious everything was.

「… This supply should've arrived just the other day right?」

Around the time the soup ran out, Barbara stared at the scenery outside of the window, at the drifting snow through the window and started to speak in a more serious tone.

「The transfer of supplies is already finished, and they said they'll be heading back to the rear tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. With the snow getting heavier, this will likely be the last supply of the year.」

「…」

The last supply of the year… Well, I expected that.

However, as a priest in charge of medical care, Charlotte, being somewhat aware of the flow of supplies, was overcome with a sense of sadness. …No matter how she looked at it, it wouldn’t be enough. Would they have to tighten rations even further than they already did?

「Hey, Charlotte. You haven’t seen your parents in a long time, have you? Why don’t you leave this place with the supply unit and go meet them?」

Barbara asked with a gentle tone. Her usually sharp eyes, like those of a wildcat, now seemed to be softened as if she was watching over a kitten.

「… No, I'll stay.」

Charlotte replied with a light smile on her face.

She was as calm as a still lake, yet there was an undeniable strength of will beneath it all. …It was a resolve that seemed unshakable.

「No matter what, huh?」

Seeing Charlotte, who stood with the presence of a swordsman despite being a priest, Barbara let out a half-sigh, half-resigned to convince the woman before her..

「You haven’t been ordered to defend, Charlotte. In fact, you’ve probably been told to retreat to the rear, right? It’s not too late now, Charlotte. It’s still not too late.」

Barbara on the other hand—— looked at Charlotte with a gaze carrying a mix of sorrow.

「… Nevertheless. I understand that you're concerned, and I feel sorry for dismissing that concern. But still… I still can't help but feel that…」

Charlotte took a glance at the small altar in her room.

「―― I can't afford to leave everyone behind.」

There was a small jar enshrined on that altar.

The only memento of the man Charlotte once had feelings for.

「…」

A silence that felt so painful for Barbara.

「… Well, I kind of understand your feeling though.」

Barbara heaved a sigh, as if mocking herself.

「Having Charlotte here is honestly reassuring. However… I'm sure that man…」

Barbara stared at the jar of ashes, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she kept her thoughts to herself.

「…Make sure you eat properly. I know it's hard, thinking about those less fortunate ones, but…」

Barbara spoke with a stern expression this time.

「Still, it’s our duty to always be ready for battle, to maintain ourselves in the best possible condition, or at least get as close to it as we can.」

Before becoming a sword saint, Barbara was the daughter of a noble family. The weight behind her words carried a distinctly different gravity compared to Charlotte, who was the daughter of a merchant family.

「… Yes.」

Charlotte nodded with a serious expression. After they exchanged gazes, Barbara was smiling brightly, without a hint of gloominess on her face.

「Well then, thanks for the meal. I’ll come again.」

After giving Charlotte's shoulder a few pats, Barbara cleaned up the pot and left the room.

「…」

Charlotte silently turned back to the altar and started to offer her prayer again.

（This time …）

She looked at the jar of ashes in a daze.

（..You'd probably yell, "Why don't you run away?!" in anger.）

He was someone with a strong sense of responsibility, who fought until the very end, risking his life for everyone.

She already knew, even without Barbara telling her, that he would want her to survive, rather than seek revenge.

―― Nevertheless.

Charlotte took the jar in her hands and kissed its surface.

「Once we are reunited…」

As if she just realized it, a single tear fell from her eyelids.

「Feel free to scold me as much as you want.」

――By then, I would listen properly.

The snow falls quietly, piling up.

The land of the Defteros kingdom was being sealed off by winter.

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