Chapter 41

Until now, it was clear that this leader was different from the others.

"…Ah, that’s right. A human, Crest."

"This is rare. I didn’t expect a human to be a leader."

"Are you not human, even though you look like one?"

In response to my question, he doesn’t show much of a reaction.

"I am Ravehardt. The leader of the northern sub-humans, and nothing more."

The man who introduced himself as Ravehardt then stared at me intently.

"Ravehardt, huh. What do you want?"

"Do you understand why we have come here?"

"…No, I don’t. What’s the purpose?"

I have a rough idea, but there’s no need to say it out loud.

If asked how I know, it would just complicate things.

"Will you join us in our invasion of the Upper World?"

I glance at the hand Ravehardt extends toward me.

"To the Upper World, you say?"

I feign surprise as if I’ve never heard of it before.

It’s all an act, to try and get more information out of Ravehardt.

"Yes, that’s right."

"Indeed… You all seem strong, including you… But the number of humans in the Upper World is vast. I don’t think you can overcome such a disparity in numbers. It’s reckless."

Even though they aren’t used to combat, the people in the Upper World still have skills.

They won’t be easy to defeat.

Looking at Ravehardt’s army, there are barely three hundred of them.

In the end, no matter how strong they are, they will eventually tire if outnumbered.

"True, if we did it the normal way. But we have a dimensional hole."

As he said this, the space near Ravehardt distorted.

It looked like a small dimensional hole.

However, no monsters appeared.

He must have shown it just to demonstrate his ability to control dimensional holes.

"A dimensional hole, huh."

"Yes. From this hole that connects to the Demon World, we can summon monsters. With this, we can easily overcome any disparity in numbers."

"True, that might be possible. But still—"

Ravehardt, frustrated by my indecisive attitude, interrupted.

"Let me ask again. Will you join us in our invasion of the Upper World?"

In response to Ravehardt’s words, I looked at everyone and shook my head.

"Sorry, but we want to continue living in the Lower World. So—"

The moment I shook my head, he drew his sword and attacked.

It was a sudden attack.

However, I drew the sword from my waist and blocked it.

The sound of metal clashing echoed, and I felt a shock that pushed me back.

"What, suddenly…!"

"I was thinking of cutting down the weak, but… you’re surprisingly good."

Ravehardt’s lips curled up, and he took a step back.

He then turned to the sub-humans behind him, as if giving an order to attack. However, they ignored us and started walking south.

There’s a gate connecting the Upper and Lower Worlds there, and they seemed to know its location, moving without hesitation.

Ravehardt, however, didn’t follow them. He stood in front of us, radiating hostility.

"…What’s your intention? We don’t intend to be enemies. If you want to go to the Upper World, just go."

"We are fellow inhabitants of the Lower World. I had no intention of fighting you."

His words were more like a monologue than a response to me.

As he said this, he released his magic.

Something powerful is coming…!

To defend against it, I kicked off the ground and closed the distance to him.

Activating the Dark Knight skill, I swung my sword, cutting through the air.

At the same time, Ravehardt’s right hand was pointed at us.

A small black sphere formed in his hand.

I immediately tried to put some distance between us, but—

I felt a sudden surge of magic.

"Everyone, get down!"

I didn’t know what the right move was.

But I quickly gave orders to my companions and created a Black Shield in front of them.

I also used a shadow technique to create armor around my body.

The next moment, the space around us distorted.

A massive explosion occurred, and the shockwave hit me, sending me flying.

I rolled on the ground, my consciousness almost slipping away from the pain.

I shakily got up and looked over.

The Black Shield was… half-destroyed.

I couldn’t block the full impact, and Ravehardt’s magic had exploded, damaging the gate as well.

Livia and Orpheus also tried to put some distance between themselves and the explosion, but they couldn’t avoid it completely.

"Hmm. To withstand that attack."

"There’s no need to fight… We don’t intend to be enemies!"

This is worse than I thought.

I shouted, trying to appeal to Ravehardt, but his gaze was directed elsewhere.

"Yes, that’s right. But I found something interesting."

Something interesting? What is it?

Ravehardt’s gaze was fixed on Livia.

And to show that his gaze was correct, he walked over to her.

"What do you intend to do to Livia!"

I stood up, trying to steady my breathing.

I used a potion to heal my wounds, but it was like pouring water on a hot stone.

Still, it helped a little.

"To rule the Upper World, a new king is needed. And a queen. To maintain long-term rule, the descendants are also important. In other words, I need an excellent woman, and none of my subordinates qualify."

His gaze was fixed on Livia.

As if to say he intends to make her his wife.

Ravehardt stopped in front of Livia and extended his hand, just as he did to me.

"Come here, woman."

Livia glared at Ravehardt and readied her sword.

"…No. My master is only Crest."

"Then I’ll take you by force."

As he said this, Orpheus moved.

He swung his sword, but it missed.

"Stop interfering."

Ravehardt said this and moved behind Orpheus.

New series starts here. ↓ Please read from the link below!

I was helping with my sister’s dungeon distribution, and I accidentally went on a rampage against an S-rank monster, causing a big buzz.

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9783ig/

The dark knight who time-looped uses future knowledge to go on a rampage—Rising from the bottom after being exiled as an unfortunate class.

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9795ig/