Intrusion
Andromalius.
The weakest of the legion commanders.
But even the weakest is still a legion commander.
He possessed enough power to wipe out mediocre adventurers with ease.
However, even for a legion commander, turning the entirety of Baruk into an enemy would be insane. That's why he was using his minions to slowly chip away at the adventurers' strategies.
But for Andromalius to appear already...
"...Hmm."
Judging by Violet's reaction, she must have heard what those people were saying too.
To be fair, even though they were speaking quietly, it was loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.
You'd have to be reasonably skilled to not pick up on a conversation like that.
With those thoughts in mind, I continued eating my meal.
Well, I knew Andromalius had appeared.
But it wasn't serious enough for me to drop my food and spring into action.
Based on other cases, legion commanders typically weakened surrounding forces and strengthened themselves before making their move.
So the fact that he'd been spotted now probably meant he was just discovered during a scouting mission.
If he was truly on the move, we wouldn't be able to enjoy our meal so peacefully.
"Ah, this is delicious."
"Mm, it really is. This place is a hidden gem."
And so, Violet and I enjoyed our delicious roasted pork.
*
"Well then, I'll be heading in."
"Yeah, go ahead."
We finished our meal at Harang Restaurant and parted ways.
Based on her reaction earlier, it seemed like the news of Andromalius's appearance had shaken Violet up quite a bit.
It was understandable, considering Andromalius rarely revealed himself to humans.
"He'll be making his move soon."
The fact that he'd shown his face meant he was almost ready.
It seemed likely that Andromalius would make his move within the next month.
Silvia had taught me that a while back.
Naturally, I hadn't forgotten.
"...Such a pain."
I thought I could finally live a normal adventurer's life, but then this Andromalius situation had to crop up.
I figured we had at least a few years, but to think it's only a month away...
Annoyed, I logged onto the forum and picked out a few interesting threads.
It was the only way to stop myself from endlessly browsing.
My own little form of self-control.
[Breaking) Andromalius has arrived LOLOLOL][20]
[Ugh, this is so annoying][5]
[Seriously, what the hell? I just bought a house in Baruk][7]
[Upvote if you live in Lukphelton and won't have to deal with this crap LOL][12]
[At least Koruntum seems to be holding up?][8]
I clicked on the first thread.
[Author: NewsFlash]
[Title: Breaking) Andromalius has arrived LOLOLOL]
[Content: (Photo) Acquired a fancam of Andromalius]
L: Whoa, he looks terrifying.
L: So that's a demon...
L: That demon's kinda cute, ngl. I wanna bite him to death LOL
ㄴ:Ew.
ㄴ: I wanna rail that demon's ass...
ㄴ: ㄴ?
ㄴ: ㄴ ㄴ?
L: Ah, the comments smell like shit, close it.
ㄴ: Real, it smells like shit
L: This is the first time I've ever seen a legion commander, how strong are they? Like, how strong is Andromalius specifically?
ㄴ: Andromalius is the weakest one, actually.
ㄴ: Yeah, he's the 72nd ranked demon, so he's the weakest link LOL
ㄴ: Weakest link or not, he can still slaughter anyone from Silver Badge to Gold Plate rank LOL
ㄴ: If we had a few dozen Gold Plates, we could probably take him down.
L: I heard the Lukphelton army can't spare any troops.
ㄴ: Looks like the adventurers will have to deal with it themselves.
ㄴAssassinMaster: Why can't Lukphelton send help?
ㄴ: They've got their hands full with the increased demon activity here. It's too risky to spare any manpower.
ㄴAssassinMaster: Sounds incompetent.
ㄴ: I'm inclined to agree.
"Whoa... he really is terrifying."
I scrolled through the forum, sprawled out on my bed, taking a closer look at Andromalius's face.
“They say he can punish the wicked..."
Honestly, that was probably just a load of crap.
That kind of power might fly in a novel, but this was reality.
It was easier to think of him as just a really strong demon.
Well, at least when it came to Andromalius, anyway.
"Still, it's a relief that the weakest one showed up first."
If one of the stronger ones had appeared, we'd be in deep trouble. But if it was just Andromalius, we should be able to handle it.
With that thought, I moved on to the next thread.
[Author: AssassinMaster]
[Title: Ugh, this is so annoying]
[Content: Seriously, of all places, why Baruk?]
L: Real talk, not anywhere else, but Baruk?
ㄴAssassinMaster: It's infuriating!
ㄴ: Typical Thief, in denial LOL
ㄴ: This is what it means to be a Thief
ㄴAssassinMaster: Blocked.
"...A Thief in Baruk."
Someone sprang to mind, but I quickly dismissed the thought.
That person didn't seem like the type to be a Traveler.
And even if they were, there was no need to confirm it.
Knowing we both used the forum wouldn't benefit either of us.
I moved on to the next thread.
[Author: HeroOfOurTime]
[Title: Seriously, what the hell? I just bought a house in Baruk]
[Content: Seriously, what's going on? I finally opened a shop to live comfortably, but it's all going to hell lol]
L: What kind of business did you start?
ㄴHeroOfOurTime: Butchery.
ㄴ: A butcher, huh?
ㄴHeroOfOurTime: Actually, it's something else.
ㄴ: Oh, I knew it, I just checked your recent posts, you run a shop, right?
ㄴHeroOfOurTime: You're a scary one, kid.
L: When are you gonna post those pics?
I could understand why a shop owner would be frustrated.
They finally managed to set up shop and secure a stable income, only to be hit with the news of the Demon King's resurrection and the threat of invasion.
Feeling a pang of sympathy, I clicked on the next thread.
[Author: CocoNenne]
[Title: Upvote if you live in Lukphelton and won't have to deal with this crap LOL]
[Content: Starting with myself LOL]
L: Wait, why the hell is a Necromancer living in Lukphelton? You're in District 5, aren't you? LOL
ㄴCocoNenne: Nope, closer to the front LOL
ㄴ: You've gotta be kidding me.
ㄴCocoNenne: Mmm~ tastes like jealousy LOL
ㄴ: I wanna punch you in the face.
ㄴCocoNenne: Then do it.
L: MayTheUnfaithfulFindPeace: Surrender now, and I shall grant you a swift and merciful death.
ㄴCocoNenne: Screw off, gramps.
ㄴMayTheUnfaithfulFindPeace: ...Did your mother die or something?
ㄴCocoNenne: Right back at you.
ㄴ: Are you two in elementary school?
ㄴ: You think this is elementary school level? This is straight-up kindergarten.
"...At this point, they're basically flirting."
These two always fought whenever they crossed paths on the forum.
Yet, they never missed an opportunity to leave snarky comments on each other's posts.
I couldn't understand it.
If they hated each other so much, why bother commenting at all?
Shaking my head, I moved on to the final thread.
This one, and then it was time for bed.
Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.
[Author: Ferus]
[Title: At least Koruntum seems to be holding up?]
[Content: We had some backup arrive and take care of things. Not sure where they came from yet, but thanks! Didn't think anyone would actually show up.]
L: Someone actually went? LOLOLOL
ㄴFerus: I was surprised too.
ㄴ: That's so cool, a real-life hero.
ㄴ: We've got a hero right here on the forum, why isn't he doing stuff like that LOL
L: Wow, they actually sent help. I thought Koruntum was done for.
ㄴFerus: Me too. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
ㄴ: You should buy them a good meal.
ㄴ: ㄹㅇ
"...Backup arrived?"
I knew things were bad in Koruntum, but I didn't think anyone would travel that far just to help out.
I couldn't understand why they would do such a thing.
Still, it was undoubtedly a commendable act.
To think that someone would volunteer like that.
With that thought, I closed the forum.
It was time to sleep.
"Hmm."
What should I do tomorrow?
Countless tasks flooded my mind.
One, in particular, caught my fancy.
Hunting down some low-level demons.
It would be wise to eliminate them before they could be corrupted by the legion commander's influence.
Of course, I could always try to infiltrate the legion commander's lair and take him out directly, but that seemed a tad risky.
Like walking straight into the lion's den.
Lost in thought, I drifted off to sleep.
Alarm magic and a barrier activated, just in case.
WEEEEE-OOOH-WEEEEE-OOOH!
My alarm magic went off.
I shot up in bed—
And found myself staring at a brawny, bewildered-looking man standing in my room.
He was wielding axes in both hands.
He looked like Olaf from that one movie.
I had to ask.
"...What are you doing?"
I was genuinely curious.
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