#116
“What is this now?”
I became confused. Master? The Priest is my master? What did he teach me to be my master?
If this is a real memory, does that mean I’ve been traveling in and out of this world since I was this young? But it makes sense that I had completely forgotten about it? How should I… accept this?
[You’re later than expected, Sacred Tree’s…]
The echoing voice awakened me from my confusion. Sacred Tree’s… what?
When I came to my senses and looked straight ahead, a scene unfolded that made me wish I had just kept seeing hallucinations.
Half the deck was filled with bones. It looked like they had been deliberately gathered and piled up. On top of that mountain of bones, something like a throne also made of bones had been constructed, and predictably, a skeleton in captain’s attire wrapped in bandages sat upon it.
“It’s a boss mob.”
Even though we were underwater, his worn bandages were filthy. Dark red bloodstains, yellow pus stains, and black mold had bloomed evenly across them. A foul stench vibrated in all directions.
I set the baby down at the bottom of the stairs, then faced the skeleton captain again.
[Will you fight?]
“What if I don’t? Is there another way?”
[Hand over the child. Then I’ll let you go.]
“……”
Honestly, I hesitated a bit. I still couldn’t figure out the child’s identity. But even when touching my blood that had contamination purification effects so far, the child had been fine. (I had even deliberately sprinkled some purification potion to test.) It didn’t seem to be a monster at least… and seeing this boss mob blatantly delivering the typical villain line of handing over the child, the child might be the treasure the quest told me to find.
Anyway, if I handed over the child and the monster obediently let me go, it wouldn’t be a monster. And if I didn’t clear the boss mob, the quest would fail and the hidden area wouldn’t unlock, so I was doomed either way.
Of course… if it was a life form that looked like that, I couldn’t hand it over to a monster no matter what. Even if it wasn’t a human child but a puppy or kitten, it would be the same. Small and cute things inevitably trigger protective instincts.
I sighed.
“Don’t waste time with nonsense. I’m tired.”
I raised my sword.
The skeleton captain tilted his head.
[Your courage is admirable. You must have exhausted all your purification potions.]
Yes, I exhausted them all. Isn’t that why you sent your subordinates pouring out like that?
Actually, more than half my stamina and health were depleted. The effect of the pill remaining in my body was gradually healing the wounds from previous battles, but it didn’t seem to be at a level that could keep up with the continuing combat and bleeding.
Deep fatigue seemed to press down on my entire body. The arm holding my sword and the legs I was standing on trembled slightly. Fighting off fatigue with tension, I glared at the skeleton captain.
He slowly rose and came down, stepping on the bones. Waves surged in, carrying an intense stench. The captain, who had looked huge even while sitting, seemed nearly 3 meters tall when we faced each other. I firmly suppressed the urge to step back from the tremendous pressure.
[How do you plan to oppose me with nothing? You have no guardian, and you don’t seem to know how to use what power you have.]
The boss mob mocked me.
“Well, I’ll figure it out myself.”
Because I had figured out at least one thing about what power I had.
I turned the blade toward myself. Then I deeply cut across my thigh that had been clumsily healing. Blood spurted out and the sharp blade gleamed, soaked with blood. I aimed the blood-stained blade at the skeleton boss mob.
“Come at me, you contamination lump.”
Bang bang bang.
“What the hell.”
Eira, who had just been about to go to bed, jumped up in surprise and nearly fell over as her legs got tangled. Her heart was pounding. Since being driven out of the village, no one had ever knocked on Eira’s door so openly like this. Even monsters couldn’t enter inside the fence due to the power of the holy water she had saved up before.
Eira hurriedly threw on an old shirt over her pajamas and went to the living room. She slightly pulled back the curtain of the window next to the front door to look outside. Three shadows stood tall in front of the entrance. One of them jutted up about a head higher than the others.
The unusually tall height, broad shoulders, and sleekly long legs. As far as Eira knew, there was only one person in the village with such physique. Eira was shocked.
“What, why is Carlisle Lightinger here at this hour?”
It was already past midnight. Though it had been a festival night, things were different from before so the festival had ended earlier than usual. Of course, whether there was a festival or not, there was no reason for Carlisle to look for her at this hour. If there had to be a reason, there was only one.
Wondering if he might be with Raon, she examined the other two figures. But no matter how she looked, neither the silhouette nor the atmosphere seemed like Raon. One of them even had a large backpack on their back, but she couldn’t tell what that was about.
“What? Why?”
She was puzzled but couldn’t easily open the door, so she was floundering when.
Bang bang bang bang!
“Eek.”
He knocked again with force as if he would break down the door. Her heart fluttered. Eira ended up opening the door wide before she could even ask what the matter was.
“Ah, what is it!”
In anxiety and surprise, Eira rather shouted loudly. But when she met Carlisle’s piercing gaze, she shrank back like a herbivore facing a predator.
“Why, why… sir?”
Eira unconsciously spoke formally. Actually, since becoming an adult, she had always felt like she shouldn’t speak casually to him.
“I have something to say. May I come in?”
Carlisle asked with his head tilted sideways. Eira gulped. No matter how she looked at it, his expression wasn’t good. No, it was quite terrifying. More murderous than the day he was misunderstood at the guild. She would believe it if someone said he had just beaten someone to death somewhere. Was it because of the lighting that he looked tired and even pale, unlike usual?
Eira glanced behind him. She could see Taro. And behind him was… who? Standing in a dim place with head bowed, she couldn’t tell who it was. What was certain was that it wasn’t Raon.
No, then was there another misunderstanding…
“Um, i-if you came looking for Raon, he’s not here. Really. Raon and I are absolutely not that kind of relationship.”
Carlisle frowned. Eira felt increasingly anxious, feeling cold sweat forming on her scalp.
“I-I really only did work because Raon asked me to. The kind of thing you’re thinking of absolutely never happened, and I have no interest or lingering feelings for Raon whatsoever. Really. I could even swear on my deceased parents.”
Eira desperately made excuses.
“I asked if I could come in.”
But Carlisle only coldly repeated the same question.
“Ah, c-come in.”
Immediately stepping back to clear the way, Eira followed Carlisle who strode in and repeatedly emphasized:
“Raon really isn’t here. Honestly, even if offered, he wouldn’t take it—Raon wouldn’t.”
Carlisle suddenly turned around. His sculpted face was grimly distorted. It looked like veins were bulging on his forehead too.
“…wouldn’t take it even if offered? You’re crossing the line.”
Why is he acting like this again? Why, what’s the problem? Eira hurriedly censored what she had said.
Ah, damn. It was a statement that could cause misunderstanding.
“No, I mean, I don’t have the slightest interest in someone who has an owner. Raon is yours, isn’t he?”
“……”
At the desperate and servile explanation, the murderous intent finally lifted from Carlisle’s eyes.
“Shall we sit?”
Carlisle looked around the narrow room, then pointed to a chair by the table. And he himself sat on the sofa. Eira awkwardly sat in the chair he had indicated. This made it seem like Carlisle was the host and she was the guest. No, was it more like a subordinate employee visiting a superior’s office? Or maybe like a serf who had done something wrong in a class-based society and came to beg the landowner.
Taro roughly pulled a chair near the door and sat down, then took out something and began examining it. Unlike his usual relaxed appearance, his face was quite tense. Was it because his superior was with him, or was there really some kind of trouble? The other hooded man set down the backpack he had brought and sat in the chair next to Eira following Carlisle’s instructions.
“No, he could have had him sit next to himself, but having us sit side by side makes it more… huh…?”
A gaunt face was revealed from under the hood, and Eira finally recognized the man.
“Seiz?”
It was Seiz, the owner of the village workshop. He was excessively taciturn, introverted, and had little interest in other people’s affairs. Even when Eira had gotten along well with most of the townspeople without difficulty, she had never exchanged more than a few words with Seiz. No, even before that, they had attended the same school and taken the same classes, but had never properly talked.
Of course, since he was said to create amazing items, when Eira’s business was thriving, she had commissioned potion-making equipment from him a few times. But even then, Seiz consistently ignored even the social conversation Eira offered, so there were several occasions when she ended up closing her mouth with hurt feelings. (Now honestly… the circumstances were different, but after long seclusion and isolation, Eira had also become quite unsociable, so she understood that psychology better than before.)
Anyway, why such a person had appeared at her house together with Carlisle Lightinger was completely beyond her understanding.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
