The sky was glowing red because of the rays of the setting sun when the scouting party arrived, immediately the other soldiers gathered around them with excitement and expectation but soon all that excitement turned to shock. Hagaz was not carrying his spear and his sword not only that, his hand was missing too, on a closer look a few were missing from the scout party.
"Captain, you have returned."
One ogre approached them and saluted him but got no response. Hagaz just passed by him heading straight to the big house which was used for war discussions.
"…."
The onlookers were shocked because what passed by them had the appearance of the great ogre warrior Hagaz but Hagaz it was not. The Hagaz they knew would be boasting triumphantly right now slamming his bulging chest with his club-like fists and grinning savagely, even if the mission had not gone well he was someone who liked a challenge more than anything, if they had lost he would be equally shouting about vengeance but right now what was displayed on his face was a solemn expression which was hitherto unprecedented.
"What is taking Hagaz so long?"
Garuga was impatiently tapping his broad sword with an annoyed expression. Their scout party had left the ogre fort a fort night ago and but no word had been heard from them ever since.
"Patience is a virtue Lord Garuga, no one said it would be easy, our kind might be more ferocious than the fair folk but in no way must they be under estimated. They prefer to avoid war but do not mistake their belligerence for weakness and cowardice."
The only ogre who seemed to hate war among those seated in the big house rebuked the ogre general with a displeased look. Haruka was against this war in the first place, since ancient times they had lived in the great forest coexisting together and over and over this game of war had played out but it always yielded great disaster. Another thing she did not trust was the intel from the purple ogre clan which sparked this time's war.
"What my sister speaks is indeed true but compared to our might the elves are nothing, we are the superior species, the lord of these lands and it is high time we reminded them of that and if it was you in your glorious days my sister you would be leading our forces in battle instead of trying to hinder us."
His twin brother was as much a warmonger as the ogre general. He was an accomplished fighter and the blood of the great chieftain of their clan ran through his veins. It is true what he said, in the past she had been like that, she loved war, she still remembered the thrill she got from facing powerful opponents and the joy she felt when she took from them the most valuable possession of all, their life. Those days where in the past, ever since a decade ago she had changed.
"My brother the times are changing, instead is peace not better than the sound of swords clashing, is bathing in the sun's rays not better than the stench of blood?"
She replied unperturbed by what her brother said. Haruka was beautiful, even among the other ogre women she was well endowed.
"Nay my sister instead you have never been more glorious than in those olden days, your flame was a glowing scorching furnace and your wrath was feared up to the utmost end of the earth."
"Indeed, you were________"
What caused Garuga to pause was the appearance of the one they had just been talking about, the ogre captain who had led the scouting party but even before the exchange of words they could tell something had gone wrong.
"I offer my salutations to you my Lady the princess and my Lord the prince as well as you Lord Garuga may I come in?"
"""…."""
This unusual atmosphere from Hagaz caused the three to remain silent for a while but Haruka nodded.
"So you have returned Sir Hagaz, it is good that you returned alive I can tell that your journey proved arduous please enlighten us of what happened."
Despite being the youngest Haruka spoke with the serenity of a mother towards a son after seeing that the great ogre was missing a limb.
"As you wish my lady. When we left by chance we faced the elven scouts near our boundaries, they were led by the elven Captain Sirs Enlas and Enlosir."
The other two males in the room frowned when they realised that he had just addressed elven warriors with honorifics but Haruka who sensed that something had changed in the ogre captain remained calm and collected. Somehow the state of the ogre captain felt nostalgic to her.
"We faced them in combat and slaughtered all of them though our sides did suffer casualties of seven soldiers."
"Quite commendable indeed Hagaz, that is no small feat you accomplished, the wielders of Haiklil the singing sword and Grilal the silent sword were no simple pushovers."
Garuga grinned with approval but Haruka sensed from Hagaz's expression that something was amiss and continued to stay quiet waiting for him to continue. She had seen this kind of expression many times before in the battlefield whenever she utterly defeated her enemies. Hagaz had the face of someone whose soul had been severely shaken and almost crushed.
"As ordered we continued towards the elven fort and that is when we met him."
His voice trembled when he said that. His eyes were blank and broken.
""Him?""
The other males frowned.
"Yes, it was then that I realised how naïve I was, the second scouting party for the elves consisted of the young spawn of the Sword saint Geswald of the scaled blade______"
"The young child of the saint huh? If I recall correctly he has barely seen three decades and his skill though prodigious they still pale compared to his father so what happened?"
Harutora asked.
"Indeed that is what I thought but that young child defeated Haraka with two sword swings."
"Impossible!"
The prince shouted, Haraka indeed had been defeated easily by the young elf but he was no pushover either, he was an ogre warrior who had seen many battles and prevailed.
"I couldn't believe it too but before my very eyes it happened."
Hagaz ascertained.
"Still even with the death of Haraka, your prowess and Haraka's is leagues apart you could have defeated the brat."
Garuga spoke.
"That is what I intended to do but the young spawn of the sword saint was not the problem, the problem was his companion."
"His companion? Could it be the sword saint himself."
Harutora asked because if that was the case it would explain Hagaz's reaction but Haruka did not think that would be the case, she had heard that the sword saint was the elven princess' bodyguard so unless the princess was part of the scout team then the saint would not be there. Her senses were tingling telling her that she was about to find the reason for the foreboding feeling she had been experiencing.
"If it had been the sword saint then my fortune would have been better, the one I faced was a sword demon."
"What did you say!?"
Haruka who had been calmly seated all along reacted with a shriek. Her face was now filled with alarm and a hint of fear could be detected.
"D-Did you say sword demon?"
She asked with eyes darting all over the place like she was reliving a painful experience.
"Indeed my lady."
"A sword demon? I do not believe I have awareness of such a character____"
The prince turned to his sister since she had reacted to the name.
"Sister, do you know of this particular elf?"
Harutora who had never seen her sister like this frowned and asked worriedly.
"Brother the one Hagaz mentioned is not an elf but a mortal."
"A mortal? Then what is so fearsome about that?"
Garuga asked incredulously.
"Lord Garuga that is no mortal, that is a transcendent existence a demon. He killed a couple of my man and damaged others with a single sword swing."
Hagaz explained with trembling hands.
"The exaggeration is too much Hagaz, do not show such a pitiful sight and give in to weakness. No mortal can do that not even the golden king of the shining city himself."
"No brother if the one Hagaz is speaking of is who I think it is then it is possible. This particular mortal has been called many names by many races all over the world gaining a new name with each battlefield he steps in and leaving innumerable bodies in his wake. The elves in the past called him the sword god, and our kind also faced him a little more than a decade ago, we called him the sword demon but the most common name is the VIOLENCE OF MORTALS the crimson sword beast of the shining city."
"Now that you mention it princess Haruka, I do seem to recall the legend of this otherworldly mortal. If I recall you supposedly faced him the last time you entered a battlefield, could he be the one who led to your untimely retirement from the battlefield?"
Garuga sneered at the princess tauntingly.
"…."
He got no response.
"Impossible you are telling me that my sister was defeated by a mortal?"
Harutora was in a mixture of shock and rage.
"If what you are saying is true then all the more reason why the elves should be crushed, my sword thirsts for blood."
Garuga gave a savage grin and tapped his gigantic sword.
"I am well aware that you will not heed my warning but I will tell you this much, should you continue on this war path one of you if not all will perish at his hands."
Haruka spoke quietly but expectedly from their expression it was clear her words had fallen on deaf ears.