Ed, who was waiting for his boss to come out outside the building, was momentarily speechless at the sight before his eyes.
Because what on earth happened inside?
He looked blankly at Demon casually brushing up his blood-soaked hair, then quickly turned his gaze to check inside the building.
The intention was to check how many people had been killed, but what caught his eye was an unexpected scene.
'There's no body...?'
Obviously, if that amount of blood was spilled, it would have been a massacre.
Although there was a strange silence, but at least there were no corpses visible on the first floor through the window.
In the end, Ed had no choice but to ask directly, so he stuttered and opened his mouth.
"What happened... No, the blood on your body before that..."
"It's not Demon's blood."
Ben gave the answer. Ed got angry for a moment.
'Do you think I'm asking because I don't know that?'
If you couldn't even tell whether the blood on your body was yours or someone else's, you wouldn't have come up here in the first place.
Therefore, the moment he gritted my teeth and was about to speak again, Ben's expression caught his eye.
A tired expression.
This was the expression seen mainly by those who have seen Demon's battle in person.
Because Ed often made that expression himself, he was able to quickly figure out what it meant.
'Ah.'
He was so absorbed in the peace that he forgot about it for a while.
The combat style of the 0th Corps Commander.
Was there any way to come up with an answer since he had compared the blood splatter to an ordinary battle without taking into account his fighting style, which was significantly different from that of other corps commanders?
How could he forget that? Demon, ignoring Ed's dumbfounded expression, wiped the blood splattered on his cheek with his palm and stuck out his tongue to lick it.
And Ed was frightened by the abnormal smile on his face and the red eyes that were starting to show madness again, so he took out his handkerchief and held it out.
"Wipe with this."
"There's no need to do that. Aren't we going to fight anyway?"
"Isn't the blood blocking your vision? Please at least wipe your face."
"Hmm."
Fortunately, there were no further rejections.
Ed, who looked anxiously at his superior who obediently took a handkerchief and wiped his face, straightened his posture, thinking that they had to get to the battlefield quickly before something happened.
"...I think we should hurry and get to the wall. They say the scale itself is different this time."
"I guess that doesn't matter. The important thing is, do monsters have emotions?"
"They definitely do."
"I know."
A laughing comment flowed out. Although the words were clearly filled with laughter and playfulness, Ed immediately bowed his waist instead of lowering his stern expression, as if he had not been told to be stubborn for no reason.
─When he first became the adjutant of Commander of the 0th Corps and when he first showed himself like this, Ed was extremely confused.
It was definitely the same thing. But it was different.
He pondered for a while, not knowing what attitude to take and how to deal with his superior, whose personality was completely opposite to what he had shown so far. He came to such a simple conclusion that it was a waste of time to worry.
There was no need to worry in the first place.
All he had to do was match his attitude.
Changing your personality does not change you as a person. Since the memories are still intact, you can just think of yourself as dealing with an extremely capricious being.
And it was right to treat the current 0th Corps Commander with a more thorough attitude than ever.
If you treat him loosely and go against his will, 'he' won't forgive you.
"Sorry."
"It's okay. So what about my weapon?"
"Here it is."
He held out several daggers and sheaths that could be worn on the body.
Demon accepted them as if he was used to them and began to wear them one by one.
Wearing a total of six daggers, crossed on both thighs and two daggers on his back, he looked at the robe and cloak in Ed's hands one last time, then picked up the cloak.
"The opponent is not human, so there is no need for a robe."
A black cloak flutters loudly.
Demon, who was walking while checking to see if anything was missing, stopped for a moment and glanced back.
The demons inside the building were looking at them with dumbfounded faces.
Ed could hear a voice vaguely mentioning the Commander of Corps 0, so it seems like they have figured out his identity.
'Well, it doesn't really matter.'
As he watched them each look away as soon as they made eye contact, he immediately smiled and turned around.
Before he knew it, there was a madness in those red eyes that made Ed feel like he could smell something metallic just by looking at them. In contrast, Demon, with a cheerful smile on his face, pulled out the dagger from his waist and put it away.
"Let's go."
***
'I' opened my closed eyes.
Although the order was clumsy, I could see the soldiers lined up in their own rows.
When I looked around a bit more, what I saw was the endless sky stretching out behind me.
For a moment, I stared at the clear sky, unbecoming of a battlefield where a feast of slaughter would take place, and then lowered my gaze again.
I was standing on the podium.
I spoke, looking at the soldiers who were hiding their fear, tension, anxiety and dissatisfaction with a sour expression.
"The vanguard is largely divided into two categories."
I extended two fingers towards those who silently raised their heads.
"One is a true vanguard that breaks through traps with great power, tramples on enemies, and raises the morale of allies. The other is the so-called meat shield, which detects traps with its body and offsets the attacks of powerful enemies. If I had to guess, I'd say you're the latter."
The guys gritting their teeth were reflected in my field of vision. They might have wanted to refute it. They might have wanted to deny it and shout a bunch of curses. But I'm sure they knew it well.
I was a commander, different from an ordinary soldier.
And the soldiers obeyed every order from that commander.
There was no one here who knew this clearly and was shameless enough to deny it.
Therefore, I calmly opened my mouth to those who were silent.
"Everyone here has participated in battles, so you probably know the atmosphere of the battlefield well. I don't think anyone has forgotten. Shouts and screams heard from all over the place, the sound of weapons constantly echoing through the battlefield, the muddy ground soaked in blood and stained red. And the 'madness' that flows through all of this."
"..."
"There will be people who resisted the madness that tried to devour their minds, and there will also be people who were devoured. So, I will tell you now."
Looking at my eyes, it seems like I know what to say.
You're probably expecting something boring, like, 'don't let the madness overtake you'.
That's a funny thought.
I had survived in this crazy world so far with this absurdly weak body. There's no way you'd get those kind of words coming out of the mouth of someone like that.
"Feed the madness."
A cool silence fell.
I spoke, clearly showing my seething madness towards those people with surprised expressions as if they couldn't believe their ears.
Some people were shocked by the madness revealed in my eyes and facial expressions. Some people barely stopped themselves from retreating.
"But not completely. Retain just enough reason to distinguish between ally and enemy."
The phrase "don't let the madness overtake you" applies only to knights or higher ranks who had proper swordsmanship training.
What help would it be if we maintained our senses when we couldn't even master the meager sword?
Since ancient times, wild animals must be calm to successfully hunt, and sheep that run wild are harder to catch than gentle ones.
We were just sheep, and in my opinion, there was only one way to survive in this place full of wild beasts.
"Do not leave a whole corpse. Even if you judge it to be dead, do not stop chopping it up; cut open its abdomen and scoop out its organs. Only stop when you decide it can't get any more ruined."
The look in their eyes says they're fed up. It's not funny that it's just words, but it makes me think.
If you stand on the battlefield with this clumsy mentality, a hundred people will die.
I didn't become the leader because I wanted to, but since I was in this position, I had no intention of letting the soldiers under me die.
It's not about responsibility. If I lost all my troops, I worried about the disadvantages that would result.
What was left for a commander who has lost all his troops?
If you're a guy like me who doesn't have a back, your head will definitely be blown off.
"You guys seem to have forgotten where you are. Come to your senses!"
Eyes wide in surprise turned to me.
I stared straight into each of those eyes and shouted in an evil voice.
"Do you think the enemies will swing their swords while considering the opponent? If you shout out that you were forcibly taken there, do you think they will think that's right? If there's anyone who wants to come here and question morality, come out right away. I will personally throw you in front of your enemies so that you can discuss morality with them!"
A cool wind blew.
'I' could hear the sound of sand being swept away by the wind.
'I' could hear fallen leaves rolling around and tree branches shaking.
Silence fell on the open plain so that all these sounds could be heard.
"We are weak. And this is a battlefield where the weak are eliminated. How many things do you think we can do to survive in a place like this?"
Haven't you realized yet that you're in no position to call hot or cold?
It was a reprimand in that sense.
I continued speaking slowly, with no answer coming back, not sure if they understood or not.
"As far as I know, there is only one method that can be used by those of us who cannot fight or leave the battle.
"Psychological warfare."
It's about instilling 'fear' in your enemies.
Don't let them attack you carelessly. So you cannot aim your sword carelessly.
So how should we instill fear?
"A feeling of foreignness. Make yourself known as crazy. The sense of madness on the battlefield will eventually lead to fear, no matter what process it takes. Fear will dull the enemy's hands and feet, ultimately preventing him from using his skills properly."
Yes, we became hyenas on the battlefield.
Don't think I'm a coward. Isn't cowardice a big part of how we survive?
Now, I think it's time to discuss how to make yourself known as crazy.
"There are only a few ways to create a sense of madness in this limited space called a battlefield. In fact, there is only one thing we can do. First, let me tell you everything—"
I held up my arm, which was carefully wrapped in white bandages all the way to the fingertips.
"On a battlefield full of people covered in blood and dust, you can stay clean without a single speck of dust or blood."
This time, I fluttered the white cloak I had been specially given.
"Or covered in enough blood to stand out among the bloody and dusty crowd."
Since we have to roll around on the floor to avoid the sword right now, there was no way we could keep clean, so there was only one method that could be used in the end.
I laughed as I looked at the silent soldiers with even darker faces, probably realizing that they had no choice. It was a laugh that, even thinking about it, gave off the fishy smell of blood.
"We are covered in blood. It shows a brutal hand that even those who are accustomed to war can't compete with. He smiles and swings his sword in a way that sends shivers down the spine just by looking at him."
In one word, be consumed by madness.
Anyone who runs away becomes a target.
However, a crazy person who attacks with a smile becomes an object of avoidance.
"I'll say it again. We cannot be a 'true vanguard.'"
"..."
"But we don't want to be a meat shield either. So, we're similar, but we take a diffrent path."
Did I mention that a true vanguard raises the spirit of our troops?
Then we...
"We bring down the enemy's momentum."