NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 128: Paradox
Just north of the beastmen's fortress, a company of sixty soldiers was on the move.
Preliminary reconnaissance had identified what seemed to be a path leading north from the fortress. It stood to reason that the beastmen used this path to transport supplies.
After all, it was a fortress—difficult to assault from the outside and well-protected within. The failure of the Tiant knights' previous charge was a testament to this, though no one had expected the beastmen to retaliate with ballista fire. Yet, reality was what it was.
Thus, the plan was to sever their supply lines.
Without food being brought in, the fortress's strategic value would be nullified. Starve the beastmen out while pressing with superior numbers. The initial casualties would be high, but as long as they avoided total disaster, the "Saintess of Healing" stood ready to mend the wounded.
Although conducting a campaign far from home usually posed supply challenges, this was not a problem for the Golt Armed Trading Company. With their extensive network across the Louisse Kingdom, they could source provisions and equipment from anywhere. Their employer was the second prince, and they had been entrusted with managing logistics post-occupation. This was a lucrative venture with high chances of success.
The company commander smirked as he glanced at his fifty-nine soldiers, most of whom were unaware of the full plan. He had selected the roughest men within the Armed Trading Company for this mission, their task being to wreak havoc on enemy territory—burning fields, slaughtering livestock, abducting women and children. Such opportunities were rare, even for these hardened men. Sometimes, they were sent to raid bandit hideouts, where their ferocity blurred the line between bandit and soldier. Yet, when guarding merchant caravans, they managed to behave more decorously.
Indeed, it was hard to tell who the real beasts were.
As they followed the path trampled by the beastmen, these men shared coarse jokes, laughing about whether they could perform sexually with a beastwoman. The vulgar banter would have infuriated a proper knight, but it was fitting for this group.
They needed this mentality to be effective against the beastmen.
Wild animals never hunt more than they need—but humans are different. They overhunt, crush without reason. This cruelty exists everywhere: among village children, within knight orders, among nobles, and in merchant guilds. It’s simply human nature.
Or so they believed.
The commander heard a voice, as if someone were speaking softly to him.
He glanced around but saw no one. Just a slight mist, perhaps from moving closer to the northern wastelands. The dampness clung to his skin.
Cut off the supply lines, isolate the fortress, and keep resupplying themselves—exactly as planned.
The Golt Armed Trading Company could do this. They would establish a human domain after capturing the fortress, facilitated by their resources. No one would lose out.
Of course, it was justified to crush the beastmen. They were 'savages'. The commander wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to humans if it were his job, let alone to beastmen.
Is this what it means to be human?
Absolutely.
The commander had faced numerous injustices, unkind words, unintentional harms, ostracism from jealousy, and alienation from arrogance. He experienced it even now. So why shouldn’t he seize whatever sweet opportunities came his way? If he didn’t, someone else would.
But is every human like this?
No, that wasn’t entirely true. The commander knew people who fought against injustice and stood up to unkind words, who overcame harm with strength, and who ignored or defied ostracism and arrogance.
For instance, Berke, the vice president of the Golt Armed Trading Company, had once been crushed by injustice. Now, he boasted that no noble could stop him.
'I am trash. My subordinates are worse. But there are those who are not.'
That was all.
Then, the voice whispered in his ear, sweet and close, seductive yet cold.
“Time to take out the trash.”
The six-tailed white fox Serena observed dispassionately as the entranced human soldiers were methodically slain by the demonkin of Grimoire.
She felt neither joy nor sorrow, neither disgust nor pleasure.
This was a necessary task. Just like cleaning.
Of course, leaving it unattended would result in a situation far worse than a dirty room.
"Well, well... Euphemia's predictions were spot on."
With a sigh from deep within, Serena surveyed the mass production of corpses, approximately fifty in total. This was no longer a battle; it was mere routine work.
"Impressive, Serena," said Jade Grimoire, who was effortlessly decapitating heads with his scythe. His expression mirrored the same complex emotions that Serena felt.
The main force was attacking the fortress, but a separate unit was supposed to disrupt the supply lines. These enemies followed the path that Zonda Pauga had trodden while transporting supplies. To lure them in, reconnaissance was allowed to a certain extent, and any scout who ventured too far was killed.
"Tactics are remarkably simple when they go as planned," Jade remarked, not with dissatisfaction, but not with satisfaction either. Serena understood his feelings well.
Their forces clashed with the enemy, each side wielding their might. This was war, undeniably a part of it.
"To think it wouldn't even turn into a proper fight. While planning is important, the issue here lies before that. The predictions were too accurate. Even with Kairine and Volte's assistance, it's still—"
"Unnerving, isn't it?" Jade inquired, his face showing no hint of displeasure. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying it.
Serena could only respond with a wry smile, understanding his sentiments all too well.
"It has been from the beginning. The ruthlessness Euphemia displayed this time... it's even more pronounced than when dealing with the beastmen."
"Do you think it's a bad sign?"
"Honestly, I don't know."
For Serena, the sudden arrival of Euphemia and the demonkind, their swift rise to power, the impact on the Beast King Randall, and now this direct confrontation with the humans—it all felt surreal.
Even the chains that once bound her, symbolized by Beast King Randall, seemed insignificant when she faced him again with Euphemia.
Something that once seemed so terrifying had become comprehensible. Compared to Euphemia Grimwood, Beast King Randall seemed straightforward.
"Jade, what do you think Euphemia will bring us after this? I know she doesn't seek lands, and she's not driven by revenge against humans. But—"
Where are we being led once this is over?
There was both anxiety and excitement—truly a paradox.
"Serena, we've already steeled ourselves for whatever may come. We walk the path illuminated by Euphemia. That's why we are 'Grimoire.'"
Jade spoke with pride, his chest swelling with conviction.
Meanwhile, the other demons were gathering and piling the human corpses, over fifty of them.
Placing her hand on her chest, Serena once again let out a wry smile. Despite searching her heart, she found no hatred. There were questions, and there was anxiety. But no revulsion, even after killing a group of humans through such deceitful means.
Pop, pop, pop—
Blue foxfire flickered through the air, reaching the mound of corpses.
The moment the tiny flame touched the bodies, a pillar of intense fire roared upwards. The flames danced high, consuming the fifty-plus human bodies until they were reduced to ash.
Now, what would the next phase hold?
