Hellmode ~A Hardcore Gamer Becomes Peerless in Another World with Retro Game Settings~
chapter-102

The History of The Demon King 2

The teacher continued the history of the Demon King.

“The Demon King’s army that destroyed the Rasturi Kingdom clashed with the Giamut Empire on the border 57 years ago.”

The battle between the Demon King’s army and a huge power that claimed to be the leader of the Central Continent and occupied two-thirds of the continent had begun. I heard that the Empire, already aware of the outcome of the Rasturi Kingdom, did its best to fight back.

“The Empire has stopped the invasion of the Demon King’s army, hasn’t it?”

The current map shows the Demon King’s army drawn on the upper part of the Empire’s border. As far as the map shows, the Empire is protecting its own borders. I wondered if the Latash Kingdom was safe because of the Empire.

“This is not true. The Empire suffered defeat after defeat, not as many as the four countries that had already perished, but it was still struggling, fortress after fortress fell, and it was all the Empire could do to slow down the invasion of the Demon King’s army. That’s how the Alliance of Five Continents was born.”

“Five Continents Alliance?”

The Emperor of the Giamut Empire, who judged the power of the Demon King’s army to be too great, made a quick decision. There are four continents around the Central Continent, not including the continent where the Demon King was born, so he proposed an alliance against the Demon King’s army to other continents.

It is called the “Five Continents Alliance,” an alliance that is still in effect today.

“Perhaps the Demon King was shallow, but he made one great mistake. He should have only attacked the Central Continent at a time, but he invaded the two other continents where the Baucis Empire and Rosenheim are located at the same time.”

“A continent half the size of the Central Continent is to the northwest of the Central Continent, and a continent about a third the size of the Central Continent is to the northeast of the Central Continent. I will tell you about each continent now.”

Located in the northwest of the Central Continent, the Baucis Empire is ruled by Dwarves. Its military power is said to overwhelm that of the Giamut Empire. It possesses tens of thousands of Golem soldiers that are larger than Magic Ships. It is said that all of their Magic Ships are from the Baucis Empire. Sixty percent of the magic tools used in the Kingdom are from the Baucis Empire.

And Rosenheim, located in the northeast of the Central Continent, is a country ruled by elves. The Queen of the Elves has made a contract with the Spirit King Rosen, and the Elves with the help of the Spirit King’s power are fighting the Demon King’s army with powerful Spirit Magic.

Rosen, the King of Spirits, is the spirit of all things and has gone beyond the realm of spirits to become a Demi-God. His existence is said to be God’s deism.

The Demon King attacked three continents at the same time, including the Central Continent. Because of this, the people of the three continents felt a sense of crisis and led the way, and soon the talk of an alliance moved forward.

And with the agreement of the Five Continents Alliance, a cooperative system of troops and supplies was established.

“Things got a little better, but we still lost a lot of battles.”

The alliance greatly increased the military power of the Central Continent, but even so, it has not been able to stop the progress of the Demon King’s army.

The Demon King’s army doesn’t consist of just mindless beasts. They attacked the weak points of the alliance and weak fortresses, exploiting the weakness in the coordination of the Five Continents Alliance.

“It was the most terrible operation.”

As a result of defeat after defeat, the Empire, the leader of the Central Continent, has asked the Kingdom of Latash to go to war as well. Naturally, the Kingdom of Latash is one of the participating countries in the Alliance of Five Continents. That’s why we’ve been dispatching Knights and such, but now they’re asking for more.

The Kingdom of Latash had sent many of its Royalty and Nobility to war in accordance with the terms of the alliance. This was regardless of their Talent.

Nowadays, the basic principle is to organize armies based on Talent, but at that time, they tried to counter the uncountable Demon King’s army with numbers. They sent out troops regardless of whether they had Talent or not.

“The Demon King’s army is made up of B-rank and above magical beasts. Many Royals and Nobles died because of the Empire’s reckless demands.”

(There are millions of Madegarsh level magical beasts?)

The Demon King’s army, which numbers in the millions, is made up of at least B-rank magical beasts, but there are also plenty of A-rank magical beasts, and sometimes even more powerful ones.

Most of the Talent-less Royals and Nobles were swallowed by the Demon King’s army and never came back. Almost all of them lost their lives on the battlefield they were put into.

(Did the Baron’s father also die because of this?)

I remember the Baron’s words. The Baron said that he lost his father around the same time as my current age. I wonder if he lost his life fighting the Demon King’s army at this request.

“That’s why they started the ‘One Country, One Academy’ system.”

In a world where the power of an individual is multiplied several times or tens of times via an increase in levels, let’s nurture the power of children born with Talent to the fullest. Let’s send them out to the battlefield. With this in mind, at least one Academy was established in every country on the five continents.

In the Latash Kingdom, the current Academy was chosen in a place with many dungeons and suitable training areas.

As a result of the alliance, the Latash Kingdom has been stripped of its right to govern the Academy. If the ruling power is given to a Kingdom, it will be managed in favor of one Kingdom. The administration of the Academy is based on the Five Continents Alliance.

The President of the Academies is said to be of the bloodline of the Elf Queen of Rosenheim, and was chosen by the High Elf Royal Family; the current President, who has lived for over a thousand years, is said to be running the Academies based on his own principles.

“So, what’s the current situation?”

(So far, it still doesn’t sound like a very good story.)

Perhaps recognizing the expression on my face, the teacher gave a single nod and continued.

“Even so, it was not enough to stop the overwhelming attack by the Demon King’s army.”

Since the Demon King’s army numbered in the millions, the countless bases and fortresses set up in the Giamut Empire were attacked at the same time and were gradually being overrun.

And with the Empire losing a quarter of its territory, there were fewer and fewer places for people to inhabit.

Decades have passed since the Demon King appeared and the Demon King’s army began its march.

There seemed to be no hope for the world. There was despair in the world that the Demon King’s army would eventually destroy it.

“But the Creator God, Elmea, never abandoned her people. A Hero was born in the Empire.”

(Dwarves, Elves, and even Hero?)

Twenty-two years ago, a child with the Tealent [Hero] was born to a commoner in the Giamut Empire.

His name is Helmios.

The ‘Hero’ Hermios started his education in the Imperial Academy City at the age of 12 and was sent to the front lines at the age of 15.

“It was a miracle. He was undefeated.”

After being raised with high expectations, educated at the Academy, and sent to the front lines, the Hero produced results that exceeded expectations. It is said that when the Hero went into battle, the earth was stained with the blood of magical beasts.

He defeated the Demon King’s army at a breakneck pace and regained the borders of the Giamut Empire in less than five years. Furthermore, he is currently continuing the battle to retake the former Kingdom of Rasturi.

“Our Kingdom, too, has issued a ‘Territory Development Decree’ and is working to deliver as many supplies as possible.”

The Latash Kingdom, as a member of the alliance, also issued the decree to increase the production in the territory.

All of this was aimed at increasing supplies for the warriors on the front lines fighting the Demon King’s army.

(Is this how the serf village where I was born established? Is this why the Kingdom wanted the Boar meat so badly?)

I now knew that I was born into a larger history. The serf village was not created by chance. It was created by a decree issued by the Kingdom to cultivate the territory in order to protect the world from the Demon King’s army.

And life in the village of Kurena would not be complete without Boar hunting. Why did the Baron go out of his way to seek out Boar meat? And even now, four years later, the meat obtained from the Boar hunt is not consumed in the city of Grandver. It is rarely served at the banquets of the Baron’s mansion as well.

All of it was used as supplies for the warriors on the front lines. Dried meat can be preserved well and is probably useful in war zones.

“And it is the duty of the Granvelle family, as you can see from everything I’ve said. Of course, it is also a duty of the Royal Family.”

Royals and Nobles born in the Kingdom are obligated to serve three years of military service under the terms of the Five Continents Alliance.

That is something that even Royals have no right to refuse. They must fight the Demon King’s army in the fortress for three years. If they refuse or fail to graduate from the Academy, there will be heavy penalties, including the destruction of the Family. If the Royal family refuses, they will lose their right to speak in the Five Continents Alliance, as well as their credibility as a country, and the loss in terms of diplomacy and trade will be great.

Of course, there are benefits as well as penalties. If you complete three years of military service, you will receive a tax break for a certain period of time in the territory, and it will be easier to get a key position in the Royal Castle. In fact, a faction called the Academy Faction controls the castle. They are all Nobles who have completed their military service.

In addition, a Deputy Knight Commander must serve at least three years in the military to be eligible. The Knight Commander and the Knights of the Royal Guards, who are said to be the strongest in the Kingdom, must extend their military service and serve for at least five years.

The magic teacher also said that he had served three years in the military because of his Talent as a Mage. After leaving the military, he was allowed to study magic in the Royal Castle and was given a comfortable retirement. However, even with the benefits, the battlefield was still too horrible.

At that time, more than 70% of the young men with Talent died in three years of military service. Now that a ‘Hero’ has emerged and there are places where the war situation is better, but still 50% of young men die in three years.

I looked at Cecile.

Cecile didn’t say anything but stared at the border between the Empire and the Demon King’s army with her slanted, crimson eyes. I’m sure she’s thinking of her brother Mihai.

Then I looked back at myself.

(Okay, so it had to be Hell Mode. I had to be reincarnated.)

Allen realized the true reason why he chose Hell Mode and was reincarnated.

Translator’s Corner

Thanks for reading.