【Story】 (Route A) Chapter 1: Trust Built in Battles

Ch. 1　Trust Built in Battles

Part 1

“Exclusion and Acceptance”

Enoch and the others went back into the tent and started planning on the ambush. Enoch couldn’t help frowning as he saw what a predicament they were in.
Enoch: With our military strength, it’d be a narrow victory even if everything goes as planned.
Ingrid: Every country has consumed the entirety of their energy to defend against the demons. Even if we conscript soldiers in the names of Lomond Manor and Starmage, this is about all we can get.
Yuanshi Tianzun: We Xians are already protrasted by Khaos. This is the maximum we can provide. 
Enoch: If so, we can only try our best. Let’s check our plan again and see if there’s anything—
Soldier: There…there is an army in the distance!
Enoch: Are they the demons?
Mephibo: Let’s go there first, Enoch.
Enoch nodded and proceeded to the frontlines, where they could hear the roars of the soldiers.
Soldier A: Get out of here! You shameless Holy Gods!
Soldier B: How dare you say you’re here to help? Don’t ever think we’d fall for that! 
Detecting the hostility in the air, Enoch speeded up to intervene. But when Enoch recognized the new-comer, his eyes widened in surprise.
Enoch: You’re Gaia, of the Holy Gods! Why…why’re you here? Aren’t you supposed to be helping Khaos? 
Hephaestus: Because we want to protect this land.
Ingrid: Hephaestus, the Holy God who saved the Court of Leo… So you came here behind Khao’s back to help us fight against the demons?
Gaia: Yes, we’d like to make up for our past mistakes… The demon army is way too powerful. Considering the military strength of humans, the Zodiacs and the Xians, I’m afraid that it’s very unlikely for you to win. But with us joining your army, we can definitely turn the tide.
Enoch: “She’s right, we do lack strength… I knew Hephaestus when I was travelling in history. He’s not lying… But even if I personally believe in them, I still have to convince the others… I guess this is the only way. ”
Enoch winked at Ingrid, Dagda and Mephibo, who quickly understood his schemes and nodded. Enoch strode forward and raised his wand as he looked at Gaia and Hephaestus.
Enoch: Before I decide if you can join us, please prove that you are qualified to join our team.
Gaia: How can we prove it?
Enoch: Gaia and Hephaestus of the Holy Gods, compete with us.
A battle between the Holy Gods and Charlouette the Magic Agency was about to begin.

Part 2

“Trust Your Former Enemy”

Although Gaia and Hephaestus brought gods who were hoping to join the battle to confront the demons and protect the land, the human soldiers found them hard to believe since they had been deceived by the Holy Gods. 
However, no one knows better than Enoch that Gaia’s and Hephaestus’ troops were precisely what they needed. So Enoch did something risky – proposing a battle between them. Mephibo and Ingrid were to challenge Hephaestus, Enoch and Dagda were to compete with Gaia. Unfortunately, something seemed to have gone out of Enoch’s control during the battle—
Dagda: Take this! Nasty Holy Gods!
Enoch: “What is he doing! He’s hardly cooperating with me. All he does is keep pushing forward and attack the vital parts of Gaia. He’s probably doing that to compensate for the mistake he made earlier, when he was besieged by the demons. But this is not what I intended to see… Guess I should change my strategy.”
Enoch gave up the strategy of fighting with Dagda altogether. Instead, he summoned the Heroic Spirits and seized complete control of the battle with his overwhelming power. While preventing Dagda from attacking, Enoch eventually managed to beat Gaia and pointed at her forehead with his wand. At the same time, Mephibo and Ingrid beat Hephaestus.
Enoch: The end.
Gaia: …I lost. You’re just like her. Both of you possess an extraordinary power.
Enoch: Possessing the same power as me… Wait! You mean the power of summoning Heroic Spirits? 
Gaia: Yes, I met her when Aether and I got injured in a battle and the animals were helping us escape. She treated my wounds and instructed me to come here and join you guys to protect the land.
Hephaestus: Me too. It was her who saved me when I was escaping from Heaven and brought me to Gaia. 
Enoch: Umm… Did she claim herself to be the “cutest sister in the world”?
Hephaestus: She did, and she said her name didn’t matter. We could simply call her “sister”.
Enoch: “Sigh… She’s still reckless as ever. Disappearing after saying “I’ll go and find mom”. Who would’ve guessed she’s here now… But it’s good to know that she’s okay.
Gaia: In the past, I thought humans were but a primitive life form. Turns out we were too arrogant to acknowledge the potential you have.
Hephaestus: Now that we’ve lost, it’s time for us to leave. But we won’t give up protecting—
Enoch: Who said you have to leave?
Gaia: …What do you mean?
Enoch: I said you had to compete with us, but I didn’t say you have to leave if you lose. 
Hephaestus: But the soldiers… Would they believe us?
When Hephaestus and Gaia looked around, they found that the animosity which had been written on their faces earlier was now replaced by respect. Enoch’s plan was to show his soldiers how powerful Gaia and Hephaestus could be. He succeeded – the soldiers were in awe after witnessing such a fantastic battle.
It was true that the soldiers detested the Holy Gods, but they couldn’t deny the fact that Gaia and Hephaestus were indeed powerful, even though they lost in the battle.
Enoch: Now, all of you must have witnessed their capabilities. We need strength at this very moment. You can put your faith in me, even if you don’t trust them. If they ever dare to betray us, I’ll defeat them, like I just did.
Yuanshi Tianzun: Everyone, do listen to Enoch. Since we are now in a perilous situation, the more allies we have, the more optimistic we can be. We shall set aside our prejudice for now, and fight against the demons together.
Convinced by Enoch and Yuanshi Tianzun, the soldiers accepted Gaia, Hephaestus and their god army wholeheartedly.
Dagda: Tut! What’re they so happy about, that sounds absolutely stupid! 
Mephibo: … 
However, Enoch didn’t notice that not everyone was happy to see the soldiers getting along. He was too excited about the new members they gained. After discussing with Yuanshi Tianzun and the other leaders, they devised a plan of ambushing a sub-branch of the demon army three days later, in the early morning…

Part 3

“Dagda’s Heart”

Enoch was busy every day preparing for the ambush. By the time he could return to his tent, the sky had already darkened. This evening, when he was dragging his own exhausted body back to the tent as usual, he spotted an agent of his magic agency, who was tipping his toes and walking furtively.
Enoch: Hey!
Mephibo: Woah!… Oh, it’s you, principal. You scared me.
Enoch: That’s rare, you’re usually very composed. Remember last time, when Hong Ai accidentally switched into her dragon form in her dreams and broke the roof of our agency, you were still sitting on the sofa and sipping on your cup of tea. I thought nothing could possibly scare you.
Mephibo: You overestimated me, principal. I’d still be scared when I come across surprises.
Enoch: So what are the surprises that are keeping you up?
Changing his joking tone, Enoch stared at Mephibo earnestly. He figured it must be something really serious that even Mephibo, who was always calm, lost his usual nonchalance.
Mephibo: Sigh, nothing can escape your eyes, principal. It’s about Dagda…
Enoch’s face fell upon the mention of Dagda, who had been complained of by a number of soldiers.
Enoch: You mean the quarrel between him and the soldiers.
Mephibo: Yes, for some reason, he has turned rather violent these days. I thought something’s off, so I’ve been keeping an eye on him. What I found was that he left the base in the dark and went into the forest over there, both last night and the night before. 
Enoch: Where could he go at this hour?
Mephibo: I have no idea either. I lost him yesterday and the day before. But please don’t worry, principal, I put some magic perfume on his shoes this morning. I should be able to track him using a little bit of magic.
Enoch: Let’s not waste time and get going.
Mephibo: Huh? Are you coming too, Principal?
Enoch: Of course. As the principal, I have the responsibility of managing my agents. Let’s go.
Enoch and Mephibo stepped into the forest near the garrison. Making their way through the thick woods, they found Dagda and a woman in an open basin. In the faint moonlight, one could see that the woman was exceptionally beautiful.
Mephibo: She’s the chief of the demon army! Dagda just gave her something… It’s a map with our military settings!
Enoch: Wh…what! It…it’s impossible! Dagda would never do a thing like that; there must be some reason… Oh right, I need to stop them!
Enoch ran to Dagda before Mephibo could stop him. He stopped a few steps away from Dagda and the demon and started an interrogation as he failed to contain himself.
Enoch: Dagda, what in the world are you doing? Why are you meeting with a demon? And what did you just give her?
Dagda: …
But Dagda kept his mouth shut. Worse still, he conjured elements to turn his limbs into those of a wolf’s and pounced on Enoch, who raised his wand as defense. As the two wrestled, Enoch looked at Dagda in disbelief. The pain of being betrayed broke Enoch’s heart completely.  
Enoch: Are you really… betraying us?
Dagda: …
Enoch: Say something! Please… even if it’s a lie… 
Dagda: “Bahaha! Dragonsick, are you? You suck!”
Dagda: “Enoch, you idiot! Did you really think that we’d be happy if you had sacrificed yourself for us?”
Dagda: “Hey, you, don’t push yourself too hard… You’ve been trying really hard… You even have my approval now. So don’t worry.”
Memories in the past were churning in Enoch’s head. He couldn’t believe that Dagda, who had been so honest and straightforward, would commit a thing like that. However, there was no way of denying, until he heard some faint words were uttered by Dagda.
Dagda: Run… run away!
Enoch: Huh?… Argh!
Dagda’s voice distracted Enoch, who then lost in their confrontation and was thrust into the air. Luckily, Mephibo caught Enoch with his body and prevented him from getting injured.
Mephibo: Cough cough… Are you okay?
Enoch: I’m okay. But… there’s something wrong. That’s not what Dagda would do; there must be someone out there who is controlling him… It must be that demon.
Enoch: “Where is she… Darn! She’s gone. She must have hidden herself when Dagda and I were fighting. I’ll find her at all costs—”
Mephibo: Watch out!
Enoch: Whoa!
A dark shadow plunged from the air with hostility. Out of instinct, Enoch used magic to form a barrier to withstand the attack— It was Dagda in his eagle form.
Mephibo: First of all, principal, we have to find ways to suppress Dagda.
Enoch: I…I understand. Come on, Heroic Spirits.

Part 4

“The Real Him”

​Under the moonlight, the three had a tough battle in the middle of the forest. Though Dagda had been switching between eagle, bear, wolf, and deer form using the power of the Druids, the attacks made by the two outstanding mages were simply too strong for him to take. 
Enoch landed from the sky and dashed to the middle of the crater to help Dagda up.
Enoch: Dagda! Dagda!
Dagda: Ugh…
Enoch: Thank goodness… You’re okay… Hold on, don’t move. You’re injured—
Dagda: Enoch… Beware… of him… Ugh!
Dagda passed out before he could finish his sentence, but what he had said got Enoch uneasy. Enoch had the same strange feeling he’d had when he was rebuilding the barrier in the North. An inexplicable anxiety seemed to be reminding him of something crucial. After going through what just happened, Enoch found the answer.
Enoch: “He’s right, how did he know that?… So the real traitor is—”
Enoch: Ugh—!
???: I aimed at your heart. I can’t believe you dodged that.
Enoch: Cough Cough… I knew it… Mephibo, you are the real traitor.
Enoch covered his right shoulder as a stream of blood was oozing from the wound. The pain destabilized Enoch’s consciousness, but he held up the wand nonetheless and prepared to fight. Mephibo could attack anytime if he let his guard down. 
Mephibo: So you knew it was me, how come?
Enoch: The demon who attacked us in the North… covered her face in a veil back then. But just now, you recognized her in an instant.
Mephibo: …Haha, principal, you’re still so clever.
???: My Lord, it’s your negligence this time. He’s not that clever.
The demon who controlled Dagda walked to Mephibo; her bewitching beauty had taken Enoch’s breath for a moment. She was Eve, who had been travelling around Continent Tarones and was then summoned to join the forces of the Protodemons.
Enoch: “My Lord… Even the chief of the demon army calls him ‘my lord’…”
Enoch: Mephibo, who… who are you, really?
Mephibo smiled upon hearing Enoch’s question. His smile still looked warm and kind as ever, but after the countless schemes and plots behind the smile were exposed, it was only fearsome. 
What surprised Enoch even more was that Mephibo started melting – no, to be exact, it was “the face of Mephibo” that disappeared. Mephibo was replaced by an attractive demon, and the awkward costume that Mephibo used to wear turned into exquisite, aristocratic attire.
Baal removed the pendant from his necklace and put it onto his left ear with a satisfied and confident smile.
Baal: I am Baal, the King and the leader of Protodemons, my dear principal.
Enoch: …
Eve: Look at you. You scared him so much that he can’t even speak now—
Enoch: Why?… Condescended to come to our magic agency, what do you want?
Eve: Hah, tough guy. Being able to speak in a situation like this. Just answer him.
Baal: Tawil has what I want, that’s why I lurked in the magic agency. I had fun being together with you guys. All of you have hardly ever noticed a thing, while I could kill you anytime. Ha, lovely naive people.
Enoch: You—you bastard!
Baal: Hey, hang on, I’m not done… I found the key when we went to the North, and that was you. 
Baal: Enoch, you possess the power of the origin and the ability to summon. As long as I have you, I’ll be able to make his dream come true. 
Baal touched the pendant on his ear with obsession. As the pendant emitted scintillating lights under moonbeams, Enoch caught sight of the golden gem on it. It occurred to him that a similar gem was on the wand of Frost Savant.
Baal: I had planned to take you away before going to the Enochian Tower, but the Witch was constantly guarding you, leaving me no room for manoeuvre. Now that she’s finally let down her guard, I got you out here with a bait.  
Enoch: A bait… You used Dagda as bait…
Baal: He’s the perfect guy. Ignorant, dumb, and power-hungry. People who lack self-awareness can be easily manipulated—
Enoch: Shut up! He… Dagda had so much respect for you! He might have kept it in his heart, but he has always wanted to learn from you. How could you…
Baal: “How could I use him as a tool?” is that what you want to say? But you and I aren’t much different. Aren’t you using them as well, just to save Charlouette and maintain the connection between you and Tawil?
Enoch: … I see now.
Baal: Great, the principal is really a sensible person.
Enoch: You’ve mistaken something. I see now that you are my enemy! Come, Heroic Spirits— Huh?
When Enoch was about to conjure his power to summon the Heroic Spirits, his limbs were numbed, so he couldn’t move. 
Baal: It’s working.