I Was Reborn in Another World, but Hold On – No Parents? Was I Abandoned? - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Looming Demon Kingdom

It had been several weeks since the Duke’s assassination, and now, an event—or more accurately, a calamity—was about to unfold.

In the Tyran Empire, one of the three major nations boasting the strongest military power on the continent, there was a fortress surrounded by mountains on the border.

“What… hey!! What’s that!?”

One of the soldiers, who was on watch, looked up at the sky, eyes widening.

“That is…”

“A… a dragon!? Why is it here?”

“Moreover, what’s with that number…”

“Wait, someone is riding it!”

“What!! A dragon knight!!!??”

The soldiers who had gathered due to the commotion swallowed nervously.

However, the first soldier to notice it regained composure and ran to ring the bell signaling an enemy attack.

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!”

Dong-dong-dong

The resonating sound of the bell prompted the resting soldiers to quickly gear up and climb the castle walls.

A dragon knight, mounted on an exceptionally large dragon, led the charge, moving with tremendous speed and soaring far above the castle walls before coming to a stop.

The other dragon knights stayed in designated positions, carefully observing the unfolding scene.

The soldiers squinted, closely watching the dragon knight at the forefront.

And then, they were left dumbfounded.

The one riding the dragon appeared to be a child.

Moreover, it was clearly a girl, and unlike the other dragon knights, she wasn’t clad in sturdy armor. Gracefully standing up on the back of the flying dragon, the girl walked skillfully from her back to her head. She wore a fluttering black dress that seemed unsuitable for her youthful and delicate appearance.

However, on top of the dress, there was armor protecting her shoulders, chest, abdomen, arms, and legs, and she held a slender sword in her hand. She seemed to be a military personnel.

The girl, though her voice couldn’t be heard, touched various parts of her body, as if searching for something, with a puzzled expression.

Finally finding it, she took out a scroll-like parchment and turned towards the soldiers.

And when the girl muttered something, a large magic circle appeared above her head.

“Um, t-test, test… okay!”

Even though there was quite a distance, the girl’s voice was clearly heard by the soldiers.

One of the soldiers murmured.

“Amplification magic?”

Yes, what the girl used was a low-level, attributeless magic called amplification magic. Its effect allowed the voice to be heard even at a distance of several hundred meters.

“Hello, everyone in the Tyran Empire! Nice to meet you! I am Lorna, the leader of the Second Surprise Assault Unit of the Demon Kingdom! Now, I have a message from our Majesty to everyone in the Tyran Empire!

Um, how do you read this? Uh, uh, oh right! This time, the Demon Kingdom declares war on the entire human continent. If you want to end this war, bring back what we took from our country. That’s all. Huh? Is that all? Well, whatever!!”

“So, everyone, please die!”

A tone devoid of malice.

Because of that, the soldiers were momentarily thrown off guard.

The meaning of the words that came a moment late…

By the time they realized, the dragon knights, who were already waiting, had approached the fortress, and an incredible number of magical attacks were flying towards the soldiers.

“Alright, the most important person here was supposed to be captured alive, right? Then, let’s go catch them.”

The girl smiled as she mounted the flying dragon again, signaling it to descend into the fortress while patting its side.

A storm of long-range attacks, such as fire and lightning, poured down incessantly. Despite the relief of stopping them, soldiers were being beheaded one by one by the approaching dragon knights with swords and spears.

Soldiers scattered in panic, trying to escape.

However, one by one, they were robbed of their lives by the pursuing dragon knights.

A man, the lord of the fortress, rushed outside after hearing the declaration of war inside the castle.

The scene he witnessed crushed his heart, a heart that had earned merits by going to war countless times.

“What… is this war!? This is no longer… just an invasion…”

In terms of quantity, the fortress had superior strength, but the visible difference in the quality of each soldier was striking.

Flying dragons, creatures exclusive to the demon race, and the elite dragon knights riding them.

The gap was overwhelming

The lord stared blankly at the unfolding scene, surrounded by blood, corpses, and flames.

“I found you! You’re the most important person here, right?”

The lord snapped back to reality at the girl’s words.

Standing before him was a girl with an unburdened smile.

“Was that voice earlier yours?”

“Mm, ah, that’s right!”

“So, it means you’re the enemy’s leader… It’s regrettable to cut down a girl, but I’ll allow it! This place is already a battlefield!”

Drawing the sword at his waist, he lunged at the girl…

However, the strike, undoubtedly aimed at her neck, was effortlessly halted by the slender sword the girl wielded, even as she yawned.

“Old man… Could it be you’re weak?”

The man, the third son of the baron’s family, who couldn’t become the head of the family, chose the path of joining the military for career advancement. He participated in numerous wars, from small skirmishes to large-scale conflicts, climbing up to the rank of general solely through his swordsmanship. This led him to be entrusted with the crucial fortress that, despite being on the border, required constant vigilance.

Such a person, weak?

The man adjusted his angles, changed his tactics, added feints, and exerted all his strength, launching an overwhelming number of strikes at the girl from above, below, diagonally, and horizontally.

“W-why… can’t I hit you?”

The girl effortlessly parried every strike with her sword.

“Why, you ask? Well, because, old man, you’re too slow.”

The man realized.

This girl was an incredible powerhouse.

He had heard that this girl held a prestigious position—the leader of the Second Surprise Assault Unit of the Demon Kingdom.

It was inconceivable for a mere girl to occupy such a role.

He had underestimated her… This is my mistake.

The girl smirked.

In the moment he was caught off guard by it, in the blink of an eye, the girl vanished without a trace.

Then, he felt the sensation of warm liquid touching his neck.

Frantically trying to look at his neck, the next moment, the man found himself staring at his own body.

His body was missing from the neck up.

“Gah!”

The man spewed blood from his mouth and succumbed.

“Ahhhh!!! I-I did it, I killed him! Oh no, I did it! He was supposed to be captured alive! I’m definitely in trouble! What should I do? Ahh… well, whatever.”

The girl, who had been kneeling while holding her head, suddenly stood up nonchalantly. Skipping, she headed towards her dragon companion.

On that day, a fortress on the outskirts of the Tyran Empire was annihilated.

The soldier who rode a swift horse to the capital to report the enemy attack and returned with reinforcements, praying for the endurance of those within, found upon his return that not a single soul remained alive.

There were only blood puddles, over a thousand lifeless bodies, and the parchment bearing the flag of the Demon Kingdom along with a declaration of war.