Running Away From The Hero! (Remake)

Evade the Hero CH 272 TL (316)

Side Story – Memories of a Princess (45)

#59 Their Situation: The Situation of a Certain Kingdom

Rumors began spreading throughout the Merdea Kingdom: The Empire possessed a spell that no magic could block!

At first, most people dismissed it as nonsense.

As time passed and the Empire’s forces did not use such magic, the soldiers of Merdea Kingdom began to believe it was just a false rumor. If such an incredible spell existed, there was no reason not to use it in war.

Confident that the rumored spell didn’t exist, Merdea Kingdom began to mobilize its forces for another advance.

Their target was Fesra Castle!

Despite heavy losses, the death of General Felstein, the Empire’s legendary commander, meant a change in command at Fesra Castle.

The new commander was a mere 12-year-old imperial princess.

Merdea’s military assumed the actual leaders were the princess’s close advisors or generals from her forces, but their investigation revealed no notable figures.

It was an opportunity.

Without a monster like General Felstein, it seemed easy for Merdea’s highly esteemed military to crush the princess’s inexperienced army and capture Fesra Castle.

Thus, they boldly moved a large force.

Under the command of their famous generals, Merdea Kingdom mobilized 80,000 elite troops.

This force was different from the ragtag vanguard. Each unit was among the finest in the kingdom, with some having firepower far beyond ordinary units.

To minimize supply issues, they stripped away unnecessary forces, gathering only the best of the best.

Leading these elite troops were the kingdom’s top commanders.

And the supreme commander was Marquis Arisetias, Merdea Kingdom’s Grand General.

The soldiers of Merdea Kingdom had absolute trust in Marquis Arisetias.

In his 12 years as Grand General, the kingdom’s military had reached its peak.

His excellent management quickly eradicated internal corruption, using the funds to enhance the military’s capabilities significantly.

He evaluated soldiers based on skill and performance, disregarding their social status, allowing talented commoners to rise quickly.

This ideal integration of commoners and nobles further strengthened Merdea Kingdom’s military.

Ignoring noble resistance, he created a near-perfect military structure.

Marquis Arisetias was seen as superior to General Felstein of the Empire.

With him leading 80,000 elite troops, Merdea Kingdom believed the capture of Fesra Castle, and possibly a march to the heart of the Empire, was assured.

That belief lasted until they heard the news of Marquis Arisetias’s death before even reaching Fesra Castle.

—

#60 Their Situation: The Situation of a Certain Dragon

From a very young age, often referred to as a hatchling, my father frequently said,

“Humans are a very strange species. Weak and short-lived, yet sometimes monstrous mutations appear, and instead of uniting, they constantly fight among themselves.”

According to my mother, my father had a terrible experience with humans during his first bout of revelry.

After being recognized as an adult and allowed his first revelry, my father fell in love with a human woman and did everything to win her over.

However, while he was away, a passing noble kidnapped her, and the next day, her body was found in five pieces in the mountains.

Shocked, my father might have moved on if that had been the end of it.

But when his rival and friends protested to the noble, they ended up with their heads displayed on the castle gate.

This incident deeply traumatized my father, and he attempted revenge within the limits of dragon law but failed.

The noble who displayed his rivals’ heads was a high-ranking aristocrat in disguise, and after the noble’s father destroyed the entire family, he claimed it was insufficient retribution and slaughtered everyone in the noble’s territory.

This left my father devastated, retreating to his lair and living as a recluse for a thousand years.

Even after recovering from the shock, he rarely ventured out, spending most of his time in his lair, still scarred by the experience.

Thus, my father was filled with distrust towards humans.

“Humans see even their kind as something to take from. They are a very dangerous species. Be cautious, always.”

He often warned me to be wary of humans.

I nodded but didn’t take it to heart. After all, I was a dragon, and they were humans. No matter how many there were, I had no reason to fear them!

But,

-Help! Spare me!

-No!

-Run! We can’t stop it!

“Wow, look at them burst!”

Watching humans get crushed and explode under giant ice chunks beside a madman, my father’s words echoed in my mind.

He was right. Humans were a terrifying species.

“First strikes are always best.”

-Cough… Spare… me.

Watching a soldier die under rubble from a bombardment, his words sounded hollow.

“There, they’re grouped up. Time to fire!”

Seeing soldiers draw their weapons and prepare defenses made him laugh.

Using sword energy and magic, they attempted to intercept the bombardment, but their fear was evident.

How long could they hold out?

They seemed skilled, so they might buy some time.

But I doubted they would survive.

“They’re holding on well. Inform the main camp to move the sorcerer unit and bomb them with magic when their mana runs out.”

“Understood.”

The messenger, trembling, ran out, desperate to escape the gruesome scenes.

Crack!

“Damn, did it break again?”

One of the video magic devices turned black.

It seemed the Empire’s spies had hidden these devices everywhere, and this one got destroyed by the bombardment.

“That was expensive…”

Tsk.

Hearing the human’s regret over the device’s cost gave me chills.

How could he lament the loss of a device after watching so many humans get torn apart?

Even dragons, who often valued other life forms less, wouldn’t react like this.

This man was insane.

I knew he was crazy, but this was beyond my imagination.

“Maref Cesar.”

“Yes, Senior…”

Momentarily shaken by fear of humans, I responded a beat too late.

“Don’t you think something’s missing?”

Seeing humans turned to bloody pulp and saying something was missing… How many more needed to die to satisfy him?

“What’s missing, Senior?”

Fear? Despair? Blood?

Only thoughts fitting for demons came to mind.

Thinking of demons from a human’s question was unsettling.

“Popcorn.”

“Excuse me?”

But his response was an unfamiliar word.

“Popcorn? What is that, Senior?”

It sounded like a specialized human term.

What horrifying scenario did it imply?

“Popcorn is a great snack for watching these videos.”

I was stunned.

I didn’t know exactly what popcorn was, but the idea of enjoying food in such a situation was incomprehensible.

Even as a dragon, I couldn’t remain so detached while watching things explode and die.

Humans were indeed…

“Ugh!”

One of the humans inside dry heaved and ran out.

Others nearby looked equally pale.

“Is that so?”

I needed to rethink my assumptions.

I had to treat this human as an anomaly, separate from the rest of humanity. Otherwise, it would be an insult to them.

I’d been too focused on this man to notice everyone else’s expressions.

They all wanted to escape this horrid scene.

These weren’t ordinary people. They were trained soldiers, officers responsible for many lives.

They knew killing the enemy was part of their duty.

And yet, they were so horrified by the scenes from the video devices.

“Hmm… Did breakfast not agree with them? Everyone looks unwell.”

Breakfast was delicious.

His cheerful words made two more humans rush out.

“Is it not lunch yet? I heard lunch would be good today.”

“I’m sorry, Sir Ast. My stomach feels off…”

“Mine too…”

More people started leaving one by one.

Soon, it was just me and this madman left watching the video devices.

“Maybe breakfast didn’t sit well?”

No, you demon. The problem isn’t breakfast; it’s your twisted nature!

I wanted to scream this, but I couldn’t say a word.

I had to keep watching him.

He held a shard of evil from the hands of a dark god, tied to dragons!

If anything went wrong, that shard could return to our clan as a massive bomb.

“Yes, it seems so.”

“Guess we’ll have lunch alone. Call for some food.”

“Here? Now?”

“Of course. The mages are bombing from high altitude, so the best way to monitor the situation is through these video devices. We can’t leave.”

That wasn’t my point. I was questioning if he could eat while watching these scenes.

“What are you waiting for? Go get it.”

“Yes, Senior.”

I had no choice.

I had to keep my cover and continue my role as his subordinate.

Reluctantly, I went to fetch lunch.

“Really…?”

“Yes. He ordered lunch…”

“Here?”

“Yes…”

“Ugh…!”

One human, slightly recovered, ran to the restroom again.

No one would come near the video devices for a while.

“Sigh…”

I had to stay with this madman.

Chomp.

“Delicious.”

He ate bread smeared with red jam as a human turned into a bloody mess on the screen.

“Want some?”

Offering me the jam-covered bread with a smile, I thought,

Forget the clan. I need to get out of here.

—

#61 Their Situation: The Situation of a Certain Dragon (2)

-I’m quitting! I’m done! I can’t do this!

“Is this dragon crazy?”

The Dragon Lord scowled, tearing up the report he’d just received.

“Denied.”

A dragon’s plea for relief would have to wait for another day.