“Silence! Everything that the Hero does is by the will of our god! It is forbidden for common folk to speak to him with such insolence!”
Vengras shouted, and the soldiers all fell silent. Yasuharu suppressed the urge to sigh with relief as he met the gaze of the strategist who was pushing his way through the crowd.
“Thank you. Now then, about the meeting…”
“As our god commands. But…is the situation really so dire?”
Along with Ekbert, he was the only other person who knew about the resets. And there was an anxious look on his face, which was even worse than what had been on the soldiers.
“The enemy’s movements have exceeded our expectations. And the Demon General standing over there…as well as the kobold…are the reason for it all.”
“Then…”
The strategist’s eyes narrowed. But before he could continue, the god’s voice cut him off from the sky.
‘That can wait. Besides, I’m sure that they have prepared for such a thing.’
“However, disregarding our advantage during the day to sit down with monsters and negotiate… It will surely upset the men…”
‘Silence. In the first place, how much damage do you think we have suffered due to your incompetence?’
“I am sorry. In any case, would it not be best to proceed to the meeting?”
Vengras redirected the conversation, and the Seer fell silent.
Strangely, Vengras was quite good at handling situations like this. He always managed to deflect the Seer’s tantrums at the right moment.
“Now then, let us go, Sir Hero.”
Come to think of it, what kind of man was Vengras, truly?
As he passed through the ranks of soldiers, the thought crossed Yasuharu’s mind.
It was some city on the central continent with a name he couldn’t recall. He had taken Vengras into his party there, simply because the Seer had commanded it.
“Is something the matter?”
“N…no.”
Yasuharu pushed the question aside and looked towards the meeting place, which was lit on all sides by blazing torches.
Ekbert had already finished inspecting the area around the chairs, and he now stood there as if to keep the monsters in check.
Across from them stood an enormous monster. His arms were folded, and he refused to sit on the mat that had been prepared. He was glaring at Yasuharu.
“He…is so big…”
He was likely over two meters tall, and the metal armor covering him made his upper body look even more broad and imposing.
On top of that, the head was unmistakably that of a bull. Though, there were subtle differences. Especially in the eyes. They were wide open and gleamed with a clear awareness.
This was no costume. No computer generated imagery. A real beastkin was standing before him.
“Are minotaurs really so unusual? Eh?”
The words came out smoothly. Even if they were being translated through divine power, the beast was unmistakably speaking human language.
“Sheto already told me, but you Heroes really are nothing more than children.”
“What insolence. We came here for talks, and your first act is to insult our Hero? Demon General or not, you are nothing but a barbarian without manners.”
“Hmm? Haha. My apologies then. Allow me to introduce myself properly.”
He said as he uncrossed his arms.
“I am Berganda, Demon General under the command of the current Demon King. I have come here to speak of tomorrow’s battle. Also, I was hoping to set aside old grudges and share a drink with the Hero.”
There was something about his speech that was theatrical, yet still sounded natural in an odd way.
After that, the minotaur stepped aside, making space for the small figure who stood behind him.
Small indeed.
He was less than half of Berganda’s size. And he made no attempt to hide his hostility.
“I am Sheto. Ganari of godess Salia. You, pale. Are you alright?”
Unlike the general, his speech sounded far from fluent. Even so, just like Berganda, there was a clear spark of will and intelligence behind the eyes in his dog-like head.