***
The time came closer than expected.
Armed forces of demons, both great and small, marched forward with empty bellies. Orcs and humanoid creatures made up the majority of the demonic army. Some lacked eyes entirely, relying only on sharpened senses and rows of giant teeth.
Mammoth beasts, massive fangstooths, and countless other abominations shared one trait in common-sharp horns resting upon their heads. Some bore two, while others carried many.
However, the true terrors stood at the very front.
The commanders.
The ones who would feast upon humanity the most, leaving only scraps behind for the lower demons to devour.
Malvis classified them into ranks. The demons at the front belonged to Class A, while the creatures behind them were considered lower ranks.
In simple terms, the more a demon consumed, the wiser and stronger it became. The demons at the rear lacked even the intelligence required for speech. They were no different from starving beasts driven only by instinct.
'Dddrrrrrr'
The shield trembled with every approaching step of the marching army. Their roars grew louder, their screeches sharper.
At the front stood five demons, each possessing different physiques and abilities.
A giant orc carrying a massive axe.
An armored knight wielding a trident.
A half-purple serpent dripping with poison.
A dark figure clutching a staff.
And lastly, a horned humanoid.
'Drrrrrrr'
The shield shook again.
And again.
Then, with a violent burst of lightning and sparks!
CRASH!
The barrier shattered into countless fragments that scattered across the city like broken glass.
The dark figures stepped into the city while the lower demons foamed at the mouth. Their tongues dragged across the ground as they panted and shoved one another aside, desperate to claim prey first.
Buildings collapsed one after another. Roads were torn apart beneath claws that scarred the earth itself, turning the entire city into ruin.
Yet despite the destruction, no screams echoed through the streets.
Only the heavy panting and growls of demons filled the silence.
The armored knight slowly raised his trident, signaling the lower demons to stop.
Silence.
He scanned the empty streets.
Not a single human remained.
They could sense humans nearby?
Yet they could not find them.
The five commanders exchanged uneasy glances before the serpent finally broke the silence.
"Where humans?"
"The demon king won't like this." The knight replied in a cold, robotic voice.
"King order....to catch humans...here?"
The orc muttered
"Search more, we will find--!"
'BOOOOOMMM!'
'BOOOOOOMMMM!'
'BOOOOOOOOOMMMM!'
Tails and horns flew through the streets as the ground beneath them burst apart. Flames and sparks swallowed the entire city.
And then another wave struck.
'BOOOOOMMM!!!!!'
'BOOOOMMMMMM!!!!'
This time, it was louder. Heavier. More devastating than before. A massacre upon the demon kind.
The flames shifted colors every second- bright white, then a sudden pale blue, before finally settling into a deep ember glow.
The air filled with a reeking stench of salt, smoke, and burning demon flesh.
The lower-ranked demons were gone, their bodies reduced to ash and flame. None could be seen standing anymore.
Some demons remained, their silhouettes barely visible through the thick smog.
She shifted her cloak again and peeked out slightly before announcing with quiet excitement,
"It worked!!"
***
Three hours prior to the incident.
It was a simple plan.
I hurried toward Kyoko, nearly shoving my face into hers as I questioned her.
"Do you still have the mint vili berries?!"
Kyoko stuttered for a moment, then rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small pouch.
She sighed and shook her head. "Not many left." She glanced at me again. "Why do you need them?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I opened the pouch and counted the mint vili berries.
"Stanislaus, grind these up for me."
"Di, why should I?"
I glared at her. The old man awkwardly took the pouch from my hands and handed it to her anyway.
"Just do it."
She scoffed in my face one last time before getting her hands dirty again.
Ororon took off his new glasses and started aggressively scratching his eyes again.
"Ororon, don't do that," I said, crouching in front of him. "They'll hurt more."
He pouted and nodded before I left him with a smile outside Taroukasin.
The women here were working harder than the men...well, considering their situation. The dragon still had no plans to lift the curse.
They clambered over the boxes, arranging them according to my orders. Each crate was placed above the sewer lines running beneath the city.
"Di, take."
Stanislaus came from behind and handed me the mint vili powder. I walked along the sewer lines and sprinkled handfuls of it over the ember salts resting below.
I didn't know if it would work, but it was the only thing I had within my power to help these people.
Dorro's father once bought ember salts from a foreign country. It was a trade that ended disastrously for the village.
Ember salts are violent in nature, found only in a type of enclosed plant that uses them as a defense mechanism against monsters like the almiraj. Although effective against monsters, the mechanism is not enough to fool humans.
When the stem of the ember plant is cut, the pouch opens to reveal the salt inside. If there is no reactor to trigger it, it remains stable.
The reactor is berries. And the almiraj diet consists mostly of berries. Once the ember plant bursts inside their stomach, the reaction is enough to deter the rest of the almiraj from ever feeding on it again.
Dorro's father didn't know this and stored ember salts together with berries. The consequences were disastrous- they lost an entire shed.
So why din't they burst yet?
Well because Tremious has his mana covering over the salt. The mint vili powder is on top of his mana.
It's really amazing how he is able to draw his mana into sheets or even bubbles.
Once the demons come he will take away his mana and the powder would sprinkle itself over the salt.
***
"It worked!!"
"How did you know this would work?" Kyoko asked in confusion.
"I didn't..."
"Eh?"
"Elves are wiser," I said, turning back to her. "In any case, we should scout the area for remaining demons."
My companions arrived shortly after and waited for orders. When did I become the one giving commands?
"Tremious, Kyoko, and Dermis take the left region. Me, Stanislaus, and Wildom will take the right."
Before leaving, we made sure the civilians were still safe outside the now broken shield. They were already heading toward the nearby village and would only return once we sent word.
The debris still burned in ember fire, the heat remained strong, but it was now safer than before. We covered our mouths with cloaks and carefully stepped through the remains.
"Mademoiselle! This one is still slightly moving."
"Finish it quickly."
There weren't any demons in good condition. Some were dragging themselves away from the flames. It must have been excruciating, especially with mint vili berries burning in the fire.
"Di, I don't see any more..."
(Tomb...do you feel any demonic energy?)
[No.]
"Kim- Wildom, do you sense anything?"
"Absolutely nothing, Mademoiselle."
I took a few more steps and sighed in relief before speaking.
"I didn't think it would work this well. Let's go, shall we."
"Ah- shouldn't we celebrate such a fine occasion, my beloved?"
"We should, but some people would hate us being here," I said, glancing at Stanislaus, who clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"What a long day."
"Can't wait to see Oror-"
'Daaaaaaakkkkkkkkkk'
"KIM SOO-HYUK!!!!"