Remedios began to run, determined to bury her sword in that demon's face.
She turned a corner, ran again, then turned a corner once more.
And so, she saw a suspicious-looking person, standing in the middle of a plaza painted bright red and strewn with the bodies of the fallen. A tail protruded from that person's waist.
His description was almost identical to the one provided by the fleeing soldiers.
He did not have bat-like wings or curled horns, and the only sign that he was inhuman was his tail. From that point of view, he was little more than a man in a mask.
However-
"Are you Jaldabaoth!?"
"Red ca - whoa!"
An acrid stench filled the air as they entered the plaza, that of blood and burst innards. There was a sound of squelching meat as she stepped in, but she was no longer concerned about such things. All that remained was charging with all her might and swinging her sword.
Her irritation built as Jaldabaoth effortlessly avoided her, and she swung again.
That too was evaded.
Remedios knew that however much time she put into her studies, she would never be able to excel in academics. For that reason, she spent all her time on improving her fighting skills instead, because she understood that she was more talented in that field. Thus, she had become known as the greatest warrior of this nation.
And now, the instincts of the paladin Remedios Custodio were screaming to her.
Jaldabaoth's evasion was not a coincidence. He put on a show of conceit because he had the strength to back it up. Few human beings could keep up with the battle that was about to take place, and she would need to further enhance herself with magic.
Remedios's instincts had never failed her at times like these.
"Fall back! All of you fall back! -No, form a cordon! This demon's strong!"
Saying so, she backed away with her men. Her subordinates retreated further than her, but she could not go too far away. At most, she could move four meters back, at a range where she could take a single step and then cut him down.
Jaldabaoth rounded his shoulders.
"Haaa... what a bullish girl you are. What is it? Could it be you've seen something red?"
Remedios ignored the demon's playful words, and the troops led by Queralt and Calca appeared in her field of vision. Shocked by the sight of Remedios engaged with Jaldabaoth, they made haste.
Jaldabaoth turned to face Calca, exposing his defenseless back to Remedios. However - her instincts told her that Jaldabaoth might just be waiting for her to attack him from behind, and so she froze.
"You two! He's very strong! If you don't pull your men back, they'll only die for nothing!"
The two of them immediately responded to Remedios's shout, and they were the only ones to step forward.
Remedios kept her distance from Jaldabaoth while circling around him until she stood in front of the two of them.
"Remedios, please don't push yourself."
"She's right, nee-sama. Shouldn't you take him on with everyone at once?"
Her eyes had not moved from Jaldabaoth even as she listened to their quiet words from behind her. Perhaps he was planning to unleash that wall-breaking power of his; if he made a move, she would dash up and hack him down.
However, Jaldabaoth showed no sign of doing so.
His relaxed attitude made Remedios unhappy.
I must, I have to strike him down!
"So you are Jaldabaoth?"
Jaldabaoth's shrug in response to Calca's question only intensified her displeasure. Every little thing that demon did only served to make her mad.
"Indeed. ...Your slave charged right at me without saying a word. What would she have done if it was a case of mistaken identity? Well, it does interest me that there are savages in the Holy Kingdom who are incapable of speech. Ah, just to be sure, may I ask if you are the reigning Holy King?"
"Indeed."
"There's no need to tell him your name, Calca-sama."
Remedios levelled the point of her sword at Jaldabaoth.
"All you need to know is that he's Jaldabaoth, and all we need to do after that is kill him and send him back to hell. Talking with him is just going to taint your tongue-"
"A-Ah, Remedios. We're talking..."
Calca's puzzled words made Remedios tilt her head. Had she said something about this earlier?
Queralt seemed to have a spell from the rear, because a surge of heat blazed up within her body, accompanied by incredible strength. Her attack from just now had been evaded, but now she was confident that she could strike him in this state. At this point, Remedios thought, So that's it, because talking to him was meant to buy them time.
"-Still, I am magnanimous, so I shall chat with you for a while. Do you have any questions?"