Chapter 315: The So-Called Stigma
"Finally here."
In the northern Demon King's Castle, Annelise couldn't help but feel excited upon sensing the familiar aura approaching.
She had waited too long.
Waiting for the hero of justice to come and kill her, the villain.
And now, it seemed Rhodes had finally found a way to deal with her and the filthy divine power within her body.
She was quite happy about it.
"Send all the demons out. Leave no demons in the Demon King's Castle, including you," she said casually to the demon below.
"Your Majesty, if that Rhodes attacks..." the subordinate demon hesitated.
Currently, the few remaining Seven Sages of Destruction were basically all on the front lines. The Demon King's Castle was already lacking in combat power, relying entirely on the barrier deployed by Beze to maintain defense. Now, if all mages were transferred away, who would protect Her Majesty's safety?
"You cannot stop him. Go. Add some pressure to those humans and elves. Do not let them forget the fear the demons once brought."
Annelise waved her hand, clearly not wanting to waste time talking to this subordinate.
Seeing Her Majesty's mind was made up, the demons had no choice but to withdraw. In batches, they began heading to the battlefield, preparing to engage the allied forces in another great battle.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Rhodes and Serie had arrived at the rear of the allied forces. A bit further ahead lay the true battlefield.
Along the way, Rhodes had heard some good news.
The Southern Unified Empire—oh no, now it should be the Southern Nations—had begun dispatching their respective armies to the northern battlefield.
Just as the two had initially guessed, after losing the ambitious Legate, the Southern Unified Empire collapsed faster than expected. In almost no time, it had split back into numerous countries.
Thanks to Rhodes's prestige and his actions in the capital, these nations suppressed their dissenting ambitions and made the correct choice: dispatching troops to the northern front against the demons to show their firm resolve to the legendary hero, the God-slayer Rhodes.
And this was exactly what Rhodes hoped to see.
"Those guys are slow enough. By the time they arrive, the war will probably be over," Serie commented with dissatisfaction upon learning this.
Although in Rhodes's view, the leaders of these nations had made decisions quickly enough, in Serie's eyes, it was still too slow.
She and Rhodes were already at the front lines, about to execute a decapitation strike to eliminate the Demon King directly, yet the human armies were still leisurely on their way.
"After all, it is a voluntary action on their part. Plus, their most elite legion was wiped out by us, so it is inevitable they would hesitate for a while." Rhodes was quite open-minded about it.
He had thought these guys would shirk responsibility and fight amongst themselves for a while before settling down. To make a choice so quickly was already a pleasant surprise.
It seemed humanity in this era hadn't forgotten where their greatest threat came from.
"You are actually defending them?" Serie was unhappy with Rhodes's answer. "Do you know there are already rumors about you among humans? Because you annihilated the vanguard legion of the Southern Unified Empire, some people have started calling you a 'Butcher' and 'Executioner'."
Serie clearly cared about this a lot.
In her view, everything Rhodes did was for the betterment of humanity, both in the Mythical Era and now.
Even with that vanguard legion, the other side had attacked first, and Rhodes had even given a warning. Yet in the end, he was branded a butcher.
This made Serie very upset.
"Really? That is normal. After all, most people only look at the result, not the process, my accomplice Miss Elf."
Rhodes was obviously referring to the fact that Serie had also acted when they used Divine Strike on the vanguard legion.
"Heh heh!" Serie chuckled twice, her expression intriguing. "Unfortunately, there is no mention of me in this. The title of Butcher is aimed solely at you, Rhodes."
"That is truly... taking the blame for nothing."
Rhodes was helpless, but he had absolutely no desire to explain himself to others.
It was just the resentment of a small number of people; it couldn't affect him.
Just then, Serie changed the subject. "So, are we going directly to the Demon King's Castle, or luring that Demon King out?"
They already had a method to deal with the Demon King. Now they had to consider where to seal her.
Rhodes looked at the distant horizon, where the Demon King's Castle was obscured by mountains. "Let's go directly. That Demon King... seems to be waiting for us."
What he sensed wasn't a trap or a heavily guarded formation, but an expectation bordering on relief.
It was as if she was waiting for his arrival. This confirmed some of his earlier speculations.
"Waiting for us?" Serie raised an eyebrow. "Has she set a trap?"
Serie naturally didn't know Rhodes's inner guess, so she still speculated about the Demon King with maximum malice.
"We will know soon enough." Rhodes didn't give a definitive answer. He turned to Serie and smiled. "But before we go, let's rest for a night?"
Serie glanced at him and said, "Fine. But I want grilled mushroom skewers."
"As you command! My Lady."
The two didn't enter the rear camp of the allied forces but rested in a relatively secluded forest.
Rhodes casually set up a warning barrier and began looking for delicious mushrooms for his elf, while Serie gathered some dry brushwood and lit a small campfire.
Night deepened, and the stars emerged.
Serie sat by the fire, hugging her knees, watching the man grill mushroom skewers for her. A faint aroma drifted around the campfire.
She was silent for a moment, then suddenly whispered, "'Butcher'... that title really does sound unpleasant."
She still cared.
Not about the world's evaluation, but that Rhodes bore a stigma he shouldn't have to bear alone.
Rhodes paused in turning the skewers, then shook his head. "I didn't expect you to still be dwell on this. A name is just a code. If they want to call me that, let them. As long as..." He paused, looking at Serie seriously. "The person I care about most understands me, that is enough."
His gaze was too direct, causing Serie to avert her eyes somewhat unnaturally. "Mn. Of course I understand you. After all, we are husband and wife."
Saying this, Serie lowered her head involuntarily, her voice dropping a few decibels.
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